Holidaze

We closed Mousetrap at Walnut Creek (Center Rep) last Saturday, so now I'm only doing one show at a time and enjoying the few evenings I have at home before we go into the tech process and a grueling performance schedule.

Yaaay! I get to enjoy some of the small pleasures of life for a bit.

My sweet little Halloween cat--my little ebony pumpkin--the Princess Stinkatina, delights at our newfound time together and is currently on my lap with her head deeply buried in the murky, musky depths of my armpit emitting little musical trills into my robe as I attempt to type without smothering her. Perhaps I'll shower this morning. Or wash my robe.

I'm trying to play catch up with life as usual--doing the things that this schedule hasn't allowed me to attend to; balancing checkbooks, washing clothes, a wee bit of housework--my desk looks as if it belongs to an insane accountant........

And then I've got my homework.

Foolishly, I thought this would stop when I got out of school. Right now I'm trying to catch up on all the plays I'll either be reading for or doing, so before I have my talk with Jonathan Moscone I have to read Uncle Vanya (Chekhov), An Ideal Husband (Oscar Wilde), Pericles (Shakespeare) -- 12th Night I've done and seen about 3 times--Don't need to read that one yet, and the Steinbeck Project script that Cal Shakes is developing .

Jon has discussions with all the Associate Artists every year and sounds us out on what shows and roles we're interested in; sometimes he'll make a flat offer on a show he's directing and wants to use us in, sometimes we'll get a "Yes, I think that would be a good role for you. I'll tell the director, Heinrick Spanky, that you're interested in it, but since he doesn't know your work you'll have to audition for him ..........but you'll like Mr. Spanky, Jim!"

Whether or not Mr. Spanky and I enjoy each others company remains to be seen, but the casting discussion should happen soon and we'll sound each other out and make possible offers and tender possible yes's or no's. And I'll have to figure out what curve-ball I'll be throwing Jon this year; in last year's discussion about King Lear casting I told Jon I'd like to play the Fool just to watch the look on his face. Priceless. Perhaps I'll ask for one of the female leads. Now if Jon can only refrain from putting his head in my armpit.......actually it's the sitting in my lap that really kills me--he's a big fella.

There's also Tranced to read up on--I'll be doing that at San Jose Rep after Xmas Carol closes, Tis Pity She's a Whore (yes, that's the title! Would I make that up?-- a fantastic play, beautiful language, all about incest--a kind of twisted Romeo and Juliet if you will) at ACT next year. Now I have to see where the holes are in my schedule and try to fill the gaps.......

Oh! And The Creature is out on podcast now! http://www.blackboxtheatre.com/creature.html

Check it out--it's like an old time radio broadcast; this year we got some sound into the background which really helped. I be the Creature.

Happy Thanksgiving!