The Numbers For 2015

For the third year in a row I went 365 days without a drink.

I went on 3 vacations. To LA(to visit Alex), Denver(to visit Beanpole), and The Badlands(with Nicole on the motorcycle).

I was laid off for the 1st time and spent 2 months unemployed.

I started 1 new job.

I did 54 shows with Deep Schwa.

I did 47 shows with Sight Unseen.

The Night Shift had 2 shows and retired.

I conceived and co-wrote 2 plays. Contention and My Two Sons which had 12 and 11 performances respectively.

I released 6 episodes of my podcast Hindsight Hour which constituted the first season.

I wrote 62 poems, 10 essays, and did 15 readings.

I applied to 4 graduate schools for poetry.

I saw 76 movies in the theater.

I read 33 books, my favorite of which was The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe

I went to 2 author readings.

I went to 0 concerts.

I went to 1 opera.

I went to 0 funerals.

I went to 1 wedding.

Nicole and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary. Some days were tough, some were easy, we loved each other every day.

Contention: Closing

After four and a half months and twelve shows Contention closed tonight. Phil, Sarah, and I went out for a bite afterwards and I snapped this picture of them looking satisfied after their nachos and grilled cheese respectively.

The play was a real passion project for me. I conceived of the idea last summer from an improv show. An exploration of a relationship using a non-linear structure. Jumping back and forth through time to try to hit on some universal themes and examine why some relationships don't work. The reality of the show totally exceeded my expectations.

Sarah and Phil were incredible collaborators. We wrote the show through a process of improvisation, transcription, and editing. It felt very equal, all of us contributing and shaping. It taught me a lot about how successful and satisfying a show can be when there's a common understanding and a clarity of purpose. Phil as a director is calm, kind, and focused. Always gently pushing towards the ultimate goal, with an eye on adding and cultivating those small details and moments that elevated the show. Sarah is an amazing actress- natural, committed, and effortlessly compelling. Even when we would run lines she would invest so much feeling, not even trying, it would get me keyed into the story we were about to tell. She brought an honesty and immediacy every time we shared the stage that I was truly inspired by.

A lot of friends came out and for that I am very very thankful. It means a lot to work hard on something and to have people come out and see it. I'm also incredibly thankful to The Annoyance for putting up the show. They were so gracious and helpful through the entire process, I was stunned by how much they take care of and appreciate their performers.

Contention was the first time I was able to execute my artistic vision without any compromises or questions of exterior or managerial ownership. To have an idea translated so purely to the stage. We got a lot of great feedback, it seemed people were affected and could identify with a lot of the themes and situations, the fact that the shows message was successful, above and beyond its narrative viability, was very gratifying.

I wanted to write a play about relationships. I wanted the play to have an engaging story. I wanted the story to have a point. I think we did all those things. I am very proud of the show and so grateful for Phil and Sarah.

A Familial Audience

My sister Marta and her husband Nick came down from Madison tonight to see Contention with my cousins Alyssa, Sarah, her husband Doug, Kelly, her boyfriend Scott, and their mom my Aunt Anne. It was quite the crew. I was a bit anxious having them all out in force, the show is pretty personal, but it went well and they all seemed to respond positively to it. We hung out at the Annoyance for a while afterwards just chatting and catching up. It was really great, it's rare that we get a chance to get together outside holidays and the occasional birthday.

Over the years my family have come to a lot of shows that were, I'm sure, more obligation than entertainment. Cute but painful grade school productions, boring and/or safe high school fare, dull college classics, mediocre improv etc. It feels good to have something that I conceived and helped to create that I'm really proud of, that has a clear message, that was deliberately curated, that I can show them as an indicator of what I've been up to and how I've progressed. It means a lot they all came out.

My Grandma is slated to come next week. No pressure.

Appreciation

Six shows down, six to go for Contention(we got extended through 3/20!). A lot of friends have come out the past couple weeks which has been truly wonderful. It is very gratifying to work hard on something and have friends, acquaintances, and loved ones come out and respond to it. This sentiment may be kind of obvious but most of the people I know in Chicago are all performers of one kind or another, all busy with their own projects, all inundated with invites and obligations. It's validating when those people make the time to come to the show and are affected by it. Jeff, Jeannie, and Craig from Schwa came out this past Friday, it means a lot.

As we've moved through the process Phil, Sarah, and I have gotten closer, within the context of the show and without. We get along and work really well together. It makes me so thankful that when I asked them to put the show together with me they said yes. This unique thing we created together has totally exceeded my expectations. I'm really proud of it and am sitting in a lot of gratitude about the whole experience. Fridays at 8pm, Annoyance Theatre.

Process & Performance

Last night was our second official show, our fourth including previews, for Contention at the Annoyance. My parents and some friends came and it went really well. I had never done a run with previews before and it was surprisingly helpful, to have an audience there while we were still figuring things out, to get a sense of what worked, to get feedback from friends, and make adjustments accordingly.

At this point the show is pretty polished and streamlined or at least as much as its going to be. Sarah and I are comfortable enough where we can play each week some elasticity, each time we play things a little different, find new places to detour, continue to make discoveries.

So far the audiences have been good. We've had a number of friends come out which has meant a lot and a surprising amount of strangers off the street.  It feels great to work hard on something and have people come to it. We put so much time and effort into it I want it to be seen, haven't felt that strongly about a project in a while.

Two shows down, six to go. Fridays at 8pm through March 6th.

Actor's Nightmare

We had our first preview tonight for Contention. Some friends came out to support which really meant a lot. Both Sarah and I were pretty keyed up all day about it. I haven't done a play in 7 years, I haven't had as many lines in a play since my senior year of high school, I was nervous.

The first scene in the show is our breakup, it's probably our most meaty scene where we get a lot of information out and go through a wide range of emotion. We began the show and about two pages in both of us came up blank. The lines just disappeared from our heads. We floundered for a bit then just stood in silence, wallowing in this ever elongating bloated pause. It's a cliche, forgetting your lines, but there is nothing like standing on a stage, under the lights, with an audience watching and having nothing in your head. Speechless. Anxious. Caught in perpetual panic. It's interminable.

In reality the pause wasn't that long, most people didn't notice, and we got back on track skipping three pages. A lot of content lost but it didn't have much of an effect on the show. After what felt like a huge mistake the rest of the show went smoothly. Sarah, Phil, and I were satisfied and the people that came responded to it.

Tonight was the first time we did the play start to finish. There's some work we need to do but putting it up in front of people for the first time felt great, felt like progress and potential.

The Numbers For 2014

For the second year in a row I went 365 days without a drink.

I went on two vacations, one to Richmond, VA the other to New York City.

I saw 72 movies in the theater.

Deep Schwa had 51 shows.

Prime had 49 shows.

The Night Shift had 20 shows.

The Hague had 3 shows and was cut.

We formed Sight Unseen and had 12 shows.

I read 37 books, my favorite of which was My Real Children by Jo Walton.

I wrote 46 poems and did 5 readings.

Tisher, Tim, and I released 10 episodes of Bubble Boys compromising season 2 completing the series.

Tim and I recorded the first season of a new podcast The Hindsight Hour yet to be released.

I conceived of and co-wrote a play, Contention, which will open in the new year.

I made 1 collage.

I made 1 mix tape.

I wrote 1 song.

I moved twice.

I went to 1 audition.

I rode my motorcycle for 7 glorious months.

I went to 0 concerts.

I went to 11 plays.

I went to 2 weddings.

I went to 0 funerals.

I had the love of a beautiful and supportive woman for the entire year.

Memorization

Scene Breakdown

The first preview for Contention, the play I've been working on, is less than a week away. It's just Sarah and I in it so there's a lot of dialogue to memorize. I haven't had to commit a substantial script to memory since 2008 when I did Murder Center Stage in Rockford. Even then my role was supporting and I didn't have a ton of lines.

I use to pride my self on my recall. I could memorize scripts over night, recollect the specific details of a 30 minute improv show weeks after, could recite almost verbatim conversations with friends. At a certain point I think I reached full capacity and everything started to spill out. I couldn't hold on to details and minutia as long or as easily. Maybe it's simply a function of getting older.

That is all to say memorizing this script has been a real bear. Gratifying but work. Its been a struggle and I'm not totally comfortable or totally confident. The past couple months I've wanted to do something different, something outside my comfort zone, something with a little more risk. This certainly fits that description. I'm stressed and excited in equal parts.

Contention: A Love/Hate Story

Beanpole put this together for my upcoming play at The Annoyance. We have two previews January 2nd and 9th then an eight week run. It's still a ways away, they don't have the info up on the website yet, and we have a lot of work to do.

Very excited to keep working, hone this thing, and put it up. Coming soon!