Know Your Role

So it has been eons upon eons since the last post - other than the one that was supposed to go up before the summer that instead went up this month, but I know you catch my drift, don't you? Anyways, I am at the end of my first term of my second year of the program, and there's a LOT of things to go through. I'm not sure if I can cover it all in one post, but I'll try my best.

Anyways, the summer was eventful in the fact that I had a nice little opportunity going for me in terms of work. While others were out having fun in the sun and relaxing on the beach (or, if you're in Alberta like me, huddling for shade from the dry heat of Satan's breath), I had a pleasant time away from home working in the professional theatre industry! No, it was not acting, but I was stage managing a show for a few months, and that certainly filled up my personal coffers!

I was able to stay in a new city and work with and meet a lot of great folks (and a few self indulgent douches) all while being surrounded by all the artsy-fartsy stuff of the Fringe. True, the sheer amount of clowns and drag queens promoting their shows made me feel like I was in a San Francisco carnival, but it was a vibrant environment that I loved being a part of.

Fast forward to my first term back in school - the great game that it is:

I honestly haven't been this busy in my life. You know it'll be a busy semester when you've got an audition on the first day back, with a second audition two weeks later. Let's cram in a few projects here and there as well, and you've got the recipe for a full-on mental meltdown.

But let us not forget: I am in theatre! We are trained for this!

We are so often used to the judgment and snickers of those who see our work as an utter waste of time. They believe that all we do is play around with toys and balk at skulls. At some points, yes, this is what we do, but for the most part, we take on challenges unique to us - and us only. Jobs in science, finance, construction, etc. aren't not privy to as much personal criticism as we are in the arts. We are prepared for personal criticisms on our work. For some, it is a glorifying experience:

For others, it might be the biggest disappointment since the Easter bunny stopped showing up due to "an explicitly violent occurrence where his body disintegrated upon contact with a speeding 18-weeler."

If we can take that, we can take on work! We run on tight schedules. We meet deadlines. We get the job done. Like any other occupation. The only difference is that I am allowed to do it painted head-to-toe in white crackly paint while slapping a stripping pole with a fish and slowly reciting the speeches of Hitler. Performance art.

Anyways, I've also been busy as a part of a Directing class. I've had the opportunity to work on and direct two performances. They made me step outside of my usual aesthetic of weird, crazy, creepy, and gross and forced me to work on some "real-shizzit." I mean, I just love to watch a grown man plop clay on his face over and over again like a Guillermo del Toro outtake, but you've got to expand your horizons (or in my case, narrow them down.)

I got the chance to direct a piece from the first play I ever saw, Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw. Unfortunately, resources demanded that I could no longer work on my vision of lighting up an abandoned home and chucking a tied-up Joan in the attic. I was also unable to direct it as a Madonna/KKK video - burning crosses and all. But anyways, it still worked out better than I could imagine!

Cometh at me, brother.

I was able to take a short reprieve from my already busy schedule to see some very important people in my life - my kiddos!

I am always excited to come back and see them. No matter what my mood is, they always put a smile on my face! I always feel old when I go back because I treat a few them as if they were my own sons or daughters. Weird, I know. Oh well. Come at me, bro. At least I'm not Michael Jackson. (Too soon?)

Anyways, it was great to see how much they've grown. I genuinely felt that their performance had me laughing quite a bit! I actually tried to hold back my laughing, due to my banshee-like howl that emanates from the bowels of Hell to horrify those around me. It had been a LONG time since I had seen them, so the long hugs and kisses on the cheek gave me enough energy to finish up school for a bit.

I love those kids.

On top of all that, I was in two wonderful plays: A Midsummer Night's Dream and Peter Pan. I was finally able to show my God-given ability to shriek like a woman being slowly fed through a sausage grinder. Security actually commented about it. I was also forced to enter the dark side of left-handed individuals, seeing as a great metal hook replaced my right hand. However, I can safely say that I can cut someone to pieces effectively with a sword using either hand. Vertigo and all.

And now that it's the holidays, I've arrived to a different outlook on life, I suppose. I often have these weird epiphanies when the season changes. Anyways, I always carry around this particular journal that was given to me by a family friend once I made the decision to pursue theatre as a career option. This journal (seen in the first photo of the post) has a particularly strong quote that I always look at, but it never has had such a profound impact on me until now.

(Serious time, I guess!) I've witnessed moments these past few months where people I know and love have been tested by the fates to an incomprehensible degree. And I witnessed these people persevere with strength, grace, humility, and so forth. I've come to appreciate people like them even more, since they taught me how powerful a human can be. All of this is stemmed from having an immense faith.

Now, before you assume that I'm going on a religious tangent, you should know that I normally don't do that. What I mean by faith is the "complete trust or confidence in someone or something." (Thanks, Oxford.) That "someone or something" can be anything, from religion to politics. My faith lies in humans and their imagination - their capability of achieving anything and everything beyond their wildest dreams. I think that it is our goal to help others do just that.

It is in faith - in believing in something or someone - that we find our other goals in life. Our great pursuits last longer, our imaginations run wilder, and (in my case) people become even more important to me than ever before. I've worked to keep my friends close to me and cherish each and every moment and interaction. I've come to realize that even the strongest relationships aren't safe from the erosion of time and separation, so I want to make sure that something like that doesn't repeat itself in my life. I've already had people disappear, but the bonds and fellowships I've developed here leave no room for that loss. I will do my utmost to give all of myself to those I love and adore and appreciate. At the end of the day, that makes me feel complete. It makes me feel that by believing and trusting people in such a deep way, I have placed my faith in something worthwhile.

Here is one thing to have faith in: "The world is far better than what we make it out to be..."

...and if you don't believe that, then believe that we have the capacity to make it better.

And this happens to be the season just for that. So I'll just ask you to take some time out of your day and show someone how much you appreciate them. Take some time to make the world of their imagination real, even if it is in a small way. I believe it'll make all the difference in the world for them and for you.

Fun in the Sun

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This was meant to be posted before the summer, but I had not realized that I did not post it. So here it is - two seasons late!

So, with the final year-end interviews have finished, the first year of my experience at RDC's Theatre Performance & Creation Program has officially wrapped up! A long year of working, leading, and playing has come to a close.

--------------------------

I. Judgment Day

And many people know how much I appreciate the company of people. I'm pretty confident that a lot of these people will be ones that I'll be still talking to long after our college experience is over and we move on to living in a cardboard box, whoring ourselves for our craft. Never would've thought of sticking with these people. And yes, I'm a very very very cynical individual. My long hours spent watching Judge Judy and the People's Court have made me into a sharp and judgmental tool.

Then again, I've always been a bit judgmental from the start. But you know, sometimes you've just got to be a prick that way. The world would not be an interesting place if there weren't any people who laugh at every thing. I like laughing at idiots making further idiots of themselves through their idiotic acts. But I digress. Anyways, I'll echo a sentiment that I had mentioned in another post from a long, long time ago: I thought I would hate all of these people, but I've come to love spending time with many of them. I feel really bad that I'm not getting to see many of them over the summer, actually.

Holy shit, that was cheesy.

--------------------------

II. Roadkill Cafe

The year also introduced many of my peers to my great fear of roadkill. I hate roadkill. It freaks the pants off of me. I don't like looking at crushed bodies of Disney characters. 81% of roadkill are mammals, 15% are birds, 3% are reptiles and amphibians, and 1% are INDISCERNIBLE. Indiscernible!

THAT MEANS THAT THEY'VE BEEN TANKED SO HARD THAT NOT EVEN GOD CAN RECOGNIZE THEM! IMAGINE CHUCKING A RAW EGG INTO A GARBAGE DISPOSAL. EXCEPT THAT THE EGG IS A LIVE ANIMAL. AND ALSO STINKY.

Things like that freak me out. Quite. I'll walk you through my experience.

As I sort of make out the shape in the distance, my mind attempts to prepare me for the worst:

And as the vehicle quickly closes in on the shape, my very being shakes from the likely possibility of the presence of an animal's ravaged carcass on the side of the road:

Soon, the body is in plain and clear sight and my human soul evaporates from my body like water on the Sun.

Eventually, I release all of my terror through a vocalization of primal trepidation, much to the bemusement of my peers in the particular automobile. I collapse into a heap of my own self-pity. I cease to exist, even for a moment.

As you can see, I fear roadkill with a passion.

--------------------------

III.

Despite a very exciting first year, it had its share of cruddy moments.

The year also happened to be full of some... uh... difficulties, to say the least.

I suppose everyone has a Tyra Banks moment, where they seemingly snap out of nowhere, provide a verbal autobiography of their entire life in thirty seconds, have a giant acid-spitting iguana emerge from your cracking skin, burn an acid hole into the floor, devour a person, and slither away into the dark sewers below.

--------------------------

In the end, despite any stresses, hardships, frustrations and arguments, we still came together as an ensemble. Each individual has something to bring to the table and we've got through the year by working together like a cohesive unit of lemmings - without the 'walking off a cliff' part, though that is debatable.

But now, I've got four months of the sun to look forward to. I'm going to make sure that I make the most out of it - seeing all of my good friends, enjoying some new places, and simply enjoying the summer!