| One Week To Somewhere In Texas |
[Jul. 9th, 2009|10:40 pm] |
Here are some shots from the opens-in-a-week Somewhere in Texas by Jeremy Menekseoglu.
I'm going next Thursday, opening night, ready to laugh. It's a set of 6 very short comedies.
I've seen just one of them - Infans Satani - about a hyper-annoying woman who believes that having a baby makes her the boss of everyone. ("Babies are the future.") I laughed hard.
I also know a bunch of he actors - including Danielle Gennaoui and Tom McGrath. They were the romantic leads in my play, and I'm told they are cast together again.
Somewhere in Texas
do people of opposite sexes
find that love perplexes?
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| The Rhymed Version |
[Jul. 9th, 2009|06:04 pm] |
A good friend wants to see the early rhymed version of my play... Well, here's a sample.
As performed:
SUSAN
You look so happy.
EDWARD
Why shouldn't I be? I'm free. I'm home. I'll sleep in my own bed tonight. What could be better than that?
SUSAN
You didn't get my letter, did you?
EDWARD
Which one? You sent so many.
SUSAN
The last one. I don't think you got it. You wouldn't look so happy.
In early version:
EDWARD
My mood? Well what would you expect? I’m free.
I’m out. I’m home again. You’re here with me.
To sleep in my own bed… what could be better?
SUSAN
I’m thinking that you didn’t get my letter.
EDWARD
You sent so many letters, each a treasure.
SUSAN
This last one would have brought more pain than pleasure.
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| Pretty |
[Jul. 9th, 2009|01:35 am] |
In the lobby, for all to enjoy
was a pool with swans and coy.
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| Skousen Addresses Randians |
[Jul. 8th, 2009|01:09 pm] |
Mark Skousen, the Mormon financial advisor, spoke today. He attacked Objectivism for being too selfish. He said Objectivists were not inclined to charitable activities.
Which was odd because *before* he spoke my wife announced she was organizing a scholarship fund for students to attend the Free Minds conference next year.
*Sigh*
Skousen called for finding a middle way between egoism and altruism.
But Alexander Cohen pointed out that this might be problematic, since these are two answers to the question: what is the proper end of ethics?
Is there a golden mean
somewhere between?
Or does egoist living
in fact include forms of giving?
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| One Long "Middle" |
[Jul. 7th, 2009|10:37 am] |
Historian Emily Merrill gave a very interesting talk, here at the Free Minds Conference, about the way in which the Middle Ages helped to prepare the way for the Renaissance. The Middle Ages is a thousand-year stretch of European history, starting from the fall of the Western Roman empire, finishing with the dawn of the Renaissance.
Across the long grind
of the Middle Ages,
humankind
progressed by stages. |
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| The Run Is Done |
[Jul. 6th, 2009|12:52 am] |
In many ways I barely know the people who performed my play - the cast and crew. I don't know them the way that their personal friends know them, or the way that their family members know them.
But I know them through their work - a key part of any human being - an essential part of every artist. And I love them through their work.
Thank you all.
I had a ball.
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| Playing Kyle |
[Jul. 5th, 2009|10:49 am] |
I have been writing about Jeremy Menekseoglu for 6 years. Before I had a blog I used to post about him to the NIF mailing list. But always before I have seen him acting in his own plays - and usually my reflections have focused on his playwriting and his directing, with lighter commentary on his many strengths as an actor. But I've set out to write a little something about each of the actors in my play, so here goes, with the customary warning that all these people know more about acting than I do!
Jeremy plays villains in a lot of his own productions, and in my play too he had the role of a person whose behavior is less than stellar. He's always very good at playing bad. I've heard him say, which I already knew from watching him, that he tries to find the lovable side of the bad guy. He doesn't try to eliminate the bad, but he tries to present the person's good side too. That's certainly how I was taught to play unlikable characters - you have to find something likable about them. This isn't really an issue of moral equivalence, which it might sound like. It's not about excusing - it's about portraying, and drawing the audience into the character, and making the character complex and believable. After all, people who do bad things are just as complex as people who do good things. In a way, people who do bad things are often extra complicated, because they twist themselves up into knots with their attempts at self-justification. The net-effect of the performance is not necessarily that you think "what a lovable villain." Sometimes you are drawn in merely to be repelled.
While he's doing all this, if you watch him night after night, you see him working very hard on stage to give the other actors their moments - when they have something important to say or do. What do I mean by this? Well, for one example, actors often position themselves out of the spotlights. Many of them find it hard, while on stage, to maintain the ongoing awareness of when they are in the light. I have repeatedly seen Jeremy subtly lead other actors into the light, sometimes by stepping out of it himself. For another example, when one of the other actors has a big moment, Jeremy typically gives his onstage attention to that person, which helps direct the audience's attention to the right person. It's a very caring choice on Jeremy's part, since he would certainly have the ability to draw attention to himself, instead, if he wanted to.
The spark
ignites
the lights
that show
the dark
below. |
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| Puzzled |
[Jul. 5th, 2009|08:05 am] |
What is up with Sarah Palin resigning?
Will she move to Texas to get more sun?
Or is this all strategic - is she aligning
her forces for a presidential run?
Could she be sick? Or is there a scandal brewing?
Would someone tell me what the heck she's doing!
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| I Saw No Actual Tea |
[Jul. 4th, 2009|05:28 pm] |
I dropped in for a while on the Chicago Tea Party at Navy Pier, which included people from Nader's political organization, strangely enough. There were hundreds of people standing in a light rain, clapping and cheering.
 
They were standing in a drizzle,
but the party did not fizzle.
I noticed one of the organizations involved is called "Free and Equal". In a contemporary context, the second word sometimes worries me, since it often means removing people's ability to work harder and grow richer.
I like what the founders meant by "equal,"
but I'm less than charmed with the modern sequel.
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| Human Events |
[Jul. 4th, 2009|09:53 am] |
As empires went at the time, it wasn't an especially bad one. It had fostered freedom for many of its subjects, across far-flung domains.
But the colonists saw a change in the intentions of the central government. They organized protests. There were grumblings of revolt.
Then the colonies put together something they called a continental congress. And the more fiery members called openly for a declaration of independence.
On a hot day in July
seeing no other solution
they signed their names
knowing they all might die
for boldly fanning the flames
of revolution.
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| Countdown |
[Jul. 4th, 2009|09:47 am] |
Thursday we had a visit from another critic. It was too late for her to put a review in her paper, but she greatly enjoyed the show, and told me I should get working on my next play.
Performances left: only two.
And I'm already feeling blue. |
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| Krugman Weighs In |
[Jul. 3rd, 2009|10:06 am] |
Paul Krugman has it figured out:O.K., Thursday’s jobs report settles it. We’re going to need a bigger stimulus. Well, thank goodness he spoke up. I just knew the federal government wasn't spending enough money yet!
It seems the existing stimulus package didn't perform as advertised. It was supposed to keep unemployment down to the 8% level. But it's now approaching 10%.
Plan A shoved money out the door.
Still, we saw unemployment soar.
Let's try plan B - and spend some more! |
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| Playing Diane |
[Jul. 3rd, 2009|02:01 am] |
This is the second to last of my little reflections on the actors in my play.
Sometimes people say the role of Diane in my play is like a deus ex machina - a deity who descends to resolve the play's key issues - like Athena in the Oresteian Trilogy. But Diane's not really that. She's not really a judge. She's more of a catalyst. Her presence, as an authoritative figure, and as a witness, makes a lot of things happen. And then she leaves - she has business to attend to - and the play goes on. Rachel Martindale, who plays Diane, simply exudes authority in the role, and never seems to slip out of character when on stage. In person she is the picture of theater professionalism - ready to perform - and ready to pitch in with non-performance tasks too. She's often the very picture of purposefulness, and that certainly blended perfectly into the role of Diane, a character who strives to stick to business. But she also added the personal warmth to create the impression that Diane, underneath the hustle and bustle, really does care about the people who work for her. There's a legend about Athena - that she sprang forth fully grown from the head of Zeus - and Rachel gives off that air at times - she had her part memorized almost immediately, and she had a detailed portrayal ready almost immediately. It's practically spooky how little preparation she seemed to require for anything!
Fully adept
she lightly leapt
into the role
perfect and whole.
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| Fingers Crossed |
[Jun. 30th, 2009|10:38 pm] |
My 82-year-old father had coronary artery bypass graft surgery on Monday morning. I left him at the hospital about an hour ago. He seems to be doing very well, all things considered.
I guess it's good for you when it's all done,
but I wouldn't recommend it as fun.
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