This tour has been amazing so far and more fun than I thought. I realized why a little earlier today talking to Sarah. I'm not doing children's theater which tends to be overly pedantic and more often than not talks down to kids. No. I'm doing Shakespeare for audiences who just happen to be younger. We're not pulling any punches, we're not converting the language to something easier for them to understand. We're doing Mother F^*#(&' Macbeth, bloody daggers and severed head and all.
And on top of that, this is a true tour. We're going to schools all throughout the 5 burroughs. It's not just one performance in one location..that my friends is not a tour. (I've seen people call it that. It's not. For real) And Its, dare I say it, easy. I mean we've already done the work. We know the fight choreography, we know the show. It's just a matter of adjusting it for each space. I know there are some actors out there who fear any kind of change or wrench thrown into their worlds, but to me it's an adventure to see how we're going to deal with less-then-adequate spaces. So far there have only been minor issues. No front light, no back stage crosses. The curtains wont close all the way. I know soon we're going to have shows that are not even in a proper performance space. That will be the true test. But so far, so good. And tomorrow we start back up again after a few days off. Am I excited? You bet. This is my job right now and I'm more than pleased. Talking to another friend who runs Shakespeare Anywhere earlier today I realized, I'm doing what we all are trying to do. I'm getting paid to do something I love and you better believe I know how lucky I am.
One of the best things about this gig is that I'm usually home by 11 in the afternoon. Which leaves me so much time to continue working on acting. I've gotten more accomplished this past week than I feel I have in the past few months. Maybe it's the energy carrying over from the performances. I've managed to get my reel together:
This was put together by the amazingly talented Pamela Ralat who is a close friend and I like to consider my personal editor. She is starting to offer her services as a Reel editor to fellow actors when she's not working as an...you guessed it...editor. She's allowed me to share with my readers who might be looking for something affordable and of amazing quality. So if you are looking for a reel, let me know and I'll make sure she knows you found her through me.
I've also managed to secure several auditions this past week, one for a music video..yes, you may laugh. But it could be fun, no? And another for Connecticut Free Shakespeare. Which I'm VERY eagerly awaiting word back. That was one of those auditions when I felt I nailed it but wasn't expecting to. Does that make any sense at all? I went it with a monologue of Trinculo's because I figured they're doing the Three Musketeers. Comedy. And a comedy of words more than actions. My gamble worked and they gave me a few sides, the King and ...D'artagnen. And than another for D'artagnen. I'm optimistic. I know it's a long shot, but who knows. This is a dream play of mine. And how much longer could I play the youngest of the four musketeers? Please anyone reading, fingers crossed!
On top of all this, I've been working on several websites...to be live soonish. But I feel like that saying, "work begets work" is true. More so, "creative work begets creative work." Or at least gets those creative juices rolling. So that's my week. And now entering week two of the American Globe tour with great anticipation. Tomorrow there is a van taking us to our destination school. I'm excited to sleep on the way there.
Road Trip!
Wow Pat, you're getting so much done, it's awesome! Sounds like the tour is going well, are the kids enjoying the show? Something I'm really passionate about is making live theatre more accessible for kids, so I'm curious about how they're taking to your straight-up Shakespeare show.
ReplyDeleteOh, and fingers crossed for your auditions! :)
Surprisingly, the kids are VERY into it. Even the youngest ones. While yes they have questions, they get most of it. I'm not the biggest fan of children's theater because, and this is a generalization, mostly it talks down to kids. They're smarter then we think. They get things. So treating them as thinkers gets through more than treating them like they're stupid. So far, they're enjoying the shows. of course, it's a cut version. I don't think they'd be able to sit through all of Macbeth.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the well wishes!!!!
Hey, you're welcome!
ReplyDeleteGood to know that they're enjoying it. I've always loved the idea of communicating with kids as you would with adults, and pulling them up to that level, rather than dropping yourself down to "their level".