My apologies to my four loyal readers for having been so negligent in my duty to promote myself through this blog and dump all of my thoughts on you sadists who continue to read what I write. All four of you.
I have been really busy, hustling to make ends meet (or is it end's meat?). Aside from rehearsing this and doing the occasional box office work at Little Fish, I am also working for CETA (California Educational Theatre Association) as and Area coordinator and play adjudicator. I love it! I see talented high school students and their amazing and inventive directors put on plays. And unlike you lot, they have to read what I write. Giving feedback to another generation of actors and theatre artists is very rewarding.
But to the task at hand: Please come see this show! Those of you in Orange County who can't make it up to LA for stuff, I'm right down in your artistic center. Santa Ana is so cool! Of course, I've known this for many years, as we perform Shakespeare down there yearly. And the senior center folks make art about our show and invite us in. One of my favorite cities in California, for sure. And my opinion has only increased with being cast in this beautiful show, with this wonderful company!
Here are some little bullet points of my time with Wayward Artist Theatre:
My de-facto manager, Tara (hi, Tara, you are the best!), sent me this casting notice. I was doing Richard at the time, but I was able to send a self tape. And I sort of forgot about it because I didn't hear anything for several weeks. But I got a call to go in for callbacks, and then I read the script. I was stunned by the brilliance of the writing. I knew I wanted to be a part of this. So I went in, and I noticed that basically every other man reading for my role was either bald, heavy-set, or both. So, I figured I was not exactly the type the the director, Craig Tyrl, had in mind.
But the audition went really well. I instantly clicked with Craig. His directions were so clear and smart in that audition room, and so my desire to be in this show went from want to need. Great writing and a great director are so rare, and when you find a great director, you keep doing stuff with them. Just ask Steph or Jack if they think they can get rid of me. Craig, be warned, I am like a vampire...once you invite me in, you can't get rid of me with anything short of driving a stake through my heart.
I could tell that there were two of us in the running for the role, as we kept being rotated in and out with different acting partners. When I read with Jovi, I knew we were going to book it. The temperature of the room went up (and it was already a really hot night in the OC). As we walked out, I joked with her that that scene wasn't going to get any better than that, even if we got the roles and rehearsed it for a month. Spoiler alert, we did and it has!
And then I met the rest of the cast and the crew, and it really is an embarrassment of riches this little theatre company has! The talent is over-flowing in all aspects. And the artistry is a wonder to behold.
I couldn't ask for a better experience for my first play back in the theatre.
We open tomorrow. We only have 8 performances. If you feel comfortable coming to a theatre where everybody will be vaccinated, and the audience will be masked (we do take ours off for the duration of the performance), then please come to this.
It will make you think and feel all the thoughts and feelings. And it my make you question your beliefs, or reaffirm them. It's got some large questions that are laid out for you to consume.
Hope to see you there...all four of you!
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