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.

My Two Sons: Closing

Tonight My Two Sons closed our twelve week run at The Annoyance, start to finish the process was four months. One of my main goals for this year was to get a show reviewed and The Reader did a write up for MTS, regardless of the quality a administrative accomplishment.

It's been really gratifying to work on a show with family and growing-up as the theme, that has a message about love and acceptance while still being a bit raunchy, R-rated, and funny. It's also been wonderful to work with Cowdery again and loop in some of my other friends who I really love collaborating with. Back in January I did a bit with Danny and Max for Holy Fuck where they played my sons and from that I got the idea for the show. They were the leads and the stars and I'm really proud of the work they did above and beyond my pride for the show overall.

I set out to do a show about parents and children which addressed "taboo" subjects like sex and substance use. It changed considerably from my relatively simple outline and became much more textured and truthful. Ultimately it was a success, we all worked hard on it, the play said something, and people came to see it(for which I am very thankful) and were effected(for the most part).

I don't know what my next project will be but I do know I want to continue creating original plays through improvisation. It's been the most satisfying work I've ever done.

Penultimate M2S

For a long time I misunderstood the term penultimate. I think this is a relatively common misconception. It means second to last, not last(which is what I thought for a long while). Tonight was the penultimate My Two Sons. We're close to the finish line, all told it will have been a four month process. A third of the year. Next week we close the book on it.

Final My Two Sons Friday 9/25 8pm The Annoyance.

My Two Sons: Winding Down

After tonight's show we have two more performances of My Two Sons. It's been a real joy getting to perform the show every week, putting something out there with humor and a sincere message. It's also been great just to have a designated time each week to hang out with such a wonderful group of people. To get to know each other better and invest in something that we all worked hard  to create.

I haven't worked on a project with this size of cast in a couple years and I'd forgotten how comfortable and comforting the routine can be. Everybody showing up before the show, checking in, running lines, and then doing the show feels really good. The product itself is relatively ethereal, we do the show for whatever audience is there and then we leave, but the camaraderie and intimacy that develops over the weeks and months of working on it is tangible and gratifying.

Two more shows 9/18 and 9/25. Then it's gone.

My Two Sons: Extended

Tonight was suppose to be closing night for My Two Sons however The Annoyance has been gracious enough to extend us through the end of September. There will be no show September 4th due to Jangleheart Circus.

The past two weeks have been sold out which feels great and tonight my parents and cousin came. The show has gotten a lot of support from friends and family which means the world. We've also gotten a good number of folks off-the-street at the show which is also great. I think the show has some universal messages about love, family, growing up and its funny. After working really hard on the show its very gratifying how many people have responded to it.

My Two Sons runs Fridays 8pm at The Annoyance. 8/28, 9/11, 9/18, and 9/25.

My Two Sons: Reader Review

"Sarah Ashley's one-act comedy is an uncharacteristically understated and tender story for the Annoyance Theatre. Two teenage brothers riff off each other, negotiate a love triangle, and seek out every possible means of getting high in a sort of vignette-filled Dazed and Confused for the Generation Y set. The teens' progressive parents (but really, who in the world is liberal enough to talk about rimming in front of their kids?) battle the kids' older dirtbag friend, Viktor, for influence, creating a unique angle on the coming-of-age story. The collaboratively written sketch dialogue and scene structures don't always lend themselves particularly well to the ambitious overarching material, which ends without much payoff, but it's an often quietly funny trip down nostalgia lane." -Dan Jakes, Chicago Reader

My Two Sons Fridays at 8pm, Annoyance Theatre.

My Two Sons: Opening

Tonight was the official opening of My Two Sons. We had a close to capacity crowd which was very warm and responsive. It went great. It feels like we're hitting a good groove and I'm really looking forward to the remainder of the run. I'm very proud of the show, its message, and the work the cast is doing. From my initial conception it has gained a lot of depth and dimension and has far exceeded my expectations for humor and heart.

Every Friday at 8pm at The Annoyance through August 21st.

Empty

Tonight is the first preview for My Two Sons. We've all put a lot of time an energy into it and for me personally its taken up a lot of head space and almost all of my creative juice. Its what I've been thinking about while lying in bed trying to get to sleep, I roll scenes over in my head, replay, reconstruct, revise, over and over. I've been thinking about people's schedules and our timeline, counted down our rehearsals and hours as we got closer to tonight. I feel a bit empty having poured so much thought, worry, and consideration into it. I haven't had much urge or inspiration to write so I feel I've been a little neglectful with updating this blog amongst other things.

Conversely it's gratifying to pour so much into one project, a project I'm proud of that is significantly more complex and ambitious then things I have done previously. And this spent feeling is also nice in the sense that it helps reassure me I've done all I can for the show. I have confidence in the show. I know it will be funny, have heart, and everyone in it will be great. I'm excited to have people see it and see how they respond. I'm also eager to just do it. And do it and do it and do it. Get into the routine and flow of the show, to make it sing.

My Two Sons

The past month we've been putting a lot of work into this show. Its an original play I conceived which the cast, under the direction of Sarah, wrote. Its about two high school boys in 2003 growing up, experimenting with drugs and alcohol, exploring their sexuality, and maybe getting into some trouble. It has laughs and a message. Shows start this Friday at The Annoyance. The first two weeks are previews followed by a six week run.

My Two Sons, Fridays at 8pm in the small theatre, 7/3-8/21. Guaranteed chuckles and feels.

Doing The Work

The past couple weeks a lot of my time and mental space has been taken up with working on my new play My Two Sons which has its first preview July 3rd. After Contention I wanted to do something more overtly comedic, the idea has been rolling around in my head for a while, the basic premise started out as parents talking directly and specifically about taboo subjects(sex, drugs, drinking) with their kids.

Over the course of working on the show its turned into something different(better) than what I had originally conceived, more specific to the cast and our collective experiences. It has more heart and is more realistic than the simple formula I started with. The cast is great, everyone I wanted to get involved was game and is great which I could't be more thankful for, but orchestrating seven peoples schedules is relatively difficult. And the summer isn't the best time to work on a show what with vacations, weddings, and just general seasonal restlessness.

Even though the show has been progressing and coming together I've been obsessing a bit about it. Not in an overt way just worrying. Replaying scenes and what still needs to be done over and over in my head. The past week especially its occupied most of my down time to a point where I've found it difficult to relax or get to sleep. It's all unnecessary of course, wasted energy, and I think it has to do with control, or rather the illusion of control. I can't control other people and situations, I don't want to, the shows I like to do, the only theater I like to engage in is collaborative so its inherently going to be unpredictable, dependent upon the creative whims and varying schedules of others. For me, the process and the product are more satisfying that way, but I still struggle with a lingering desire to have things my way.

The creative process has gone pretty smooth but my own personal process has been more challenging. I'm trying to navigate my feelings with some grace, to seek out some acceptance, take time to slow down and be still, trust the amazing people I'm working with, and recognize that no matter what it'll work out.