I more than likely misspelled today's title, so if I did, we'll take care of it later. Let's start today's blog out right. In a previous blog (The Empire Strikes Back), I got on one of my soapboxes to vent, and I think I took it a bit too far by including my parentals. So in the interest of atonement, I'd like to publicly appologize to them. I had a bad day and I snapped and my anger was misplaced. I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong and when I screw up, and I'm doing it. So to mom and dad, I'm sorry I was a big jerk. OK, now on to he hilarity.
I'm gearing up for 201 and I'm stoked about it. If I haven't mentioned it earlier (I don't usually read previous blogs even though I wrote them). I swapped to the intensive (I'll be done in 2 weeks as opposed to a month), plus my show will be before my good buddy Matt's 30th and I'll get to party with him, Stack, and Vinnie (fellow Illuminati members). On top of that, I spoke with my 101 teacher about a possible internship at UCB and he said once I was done with 201 to let him know and he'd give me a shining recommendation. So all good stuff in terms of networking going on. It also looks like I'll be transferring from Ruby Foo's to Dos Caminos (thanks to my buddy Allison). That's a sister restaurant of the B.R. Guest (get it, it's a clever play on words!!!) corporate umbrella. I met with the GM John, he was super cool and it looks like it'll work out. I'm scheduled to start over there on Monday, so that's exciting. The last obstacle in the way is the current GM where I work, Phil. I've vented about him before, but I don't think I've gone into too much detail. Let me bring you into the Ruby Foo's Times Square for a moment.
First off, there are some pretty nice people I work with (who are probably reading this blog). As a keen observer, I've noticed a few things. The two managers who are great and great to work with (Jose and Lucien) are both leaving, which means if I weren't transferring, I'd be stuck with Jenn the Gossip, Alex the new manager (who just kind of looks....I don't know....well, I do know, I just won't say right yet),Eric (he's OK...he means well, so I really don't have a beef even though I was completely right the other evening...but I digress), and Phil, the GM (where do I begin?). So with my keen powers of observation (well, me, and about 15 other people) are noticing that the captain's crew is abandoning ship. Good people don't typically leave in droves, and don't tell me it's the recession because people still have to eat. Phil's the kind of guy to point out everything you're doing wrong while you're busy, but never offer any kind of help. I guess I can't blame him. After all, it's extremely hard to stand around and criticize employees on a daily basis. With Memorial Day coming up this weekend, listen to how we're "celebrating" at the Foo. We're going to serve BBQ at an Asian themed restaurant (the aforementioned Foo) whilst dressed as cowboys/cowgirls. That's exactly how we plan on driving more traffic into the restaurant. Just a take a few moments to re-read the previous two sentences and let that bad boy digest. It's fine, I'll wait....
OK, let's break it down; cowboys serving BBQ at an Asian restaurnat. Maybe if the question is "can you name three things that couldn't possibly go together in this lifetime or even this dimension?" Let me add another layer; we'll be playing Top 40 music while people eat (they rejected my idea of playing some real Country music, like Merle Haggard or the Highwaymen, but Phil told me that it wouldn't "work well"). Really. I'm still trying to noodle this one out. You know, I think nothing says "let's honor those who died for out country's freedom" than "cowboy." Not red, white, and blue, not the men hoisting the American flag at Iwa Jima, hell, not even pictures of Ike, Washington, or Kennedy. No, it's definitely gun sliggin', horse ropin', prairie roamin' cowboys. Maybe if we were celebrating the annexation of the Republic of Texas into the United States, I could see the whole cowboy thing going down. Maybe if we were a barbeque joint, I can understand it. Hell, maybe why not dressing up as genie's, play some reggae and serve fondue; it makes about as much sense. We could even try pilgrims, gangster rap, and serve new-American cuisine. I can go on and on, so you see where I'm going with this whole line of thinking. So anywho, that's enough bitching by yours truly. Happy Memorial Day, and we'll be right back after a message from our sponsors!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Can't Hardly Wait
OK, so this weekend was pretty cool. We had our 101 Grad show, and I have to say it was pretty surreal to get to be on the UCB stage. If you've never been to the theater, let me put you in one of the seats.
The UCB Theater is located on W 26th St. in Chelsea (that's kind of southwest Manhattan), and when you go in the front door, you go down a set of stairs to the box office, and go to the right, and it's sort of a three-quarter round set up (for those not familiar with theater terminology, imagine a stage that where the audience sits in front of the stage, to left of the stage, and to the right of the stage, all facing said stage). Got it? Good. The theater used to be a "gentleman's club," but Guiliani shut it down back in the day, and now it's a theater. It's also underneath a Gristedes (that's like a Kroger if you're from the south, Jewell-Oscoe if you're from the Midwest, and a Vonn's if you're from the southwest). It's got a gritty, intimate feel to it; definitely New York, and it's always packed (the line goes down the street most nights to get in). So, I get there before my call time, grab a Gatorade from the Duane-Reade (drugstore like Eckerd, CVS, or Rite-Aid), and start talking basketball with my instructor, Ari (he was a fantastic teacher...like a high energy Chapman, but I digress). Everyone showed up, we warmed up a bit, and then we were divided into 2 teams (I'm kind of glad we got to go first, because then I got to really enjoy the second set and not be influenced by anything I saw previously). So our group heads backstage, and as we're hanging out, I throw the idea out there for "Mutual Admiration Society." It's not a new concept, as we've done this a bunch with PIT in Atlanta. It's just a great way to get centered and bring good energy onstage. The premise is to have one person face the group, and we go down the line and each person says something nice about the person facing the group. We go until everyone has heard how awesome he or she is, and then you get to rock out. As we're mutually admiring, Ari lets us know that we're about to go on and wants to know who our captain was (it ended up being me, which was pretty cool). Team captains act as a pseudo emcee by getting an audience suggestion and introducing the next group. The only awkward thing for me was that I had to be first onstage, which if you know me or you've seen me perform, I really like being the last one onstage (or up the stairs). Not only that, I really like taking my sweet-ass time too. No biggie, that's just a Brian thing. So, channelling my friend and mentor Brian Chapman, I proceed to get an audience suggestion (which ended up being "paper-cut"), and the show was on.
Man, did I miss performing!!! It felt like being home again, I had so much fun. Both teams did a great job (Incidentally, our name was "Accidental Europe" and the other team name was "The Screaming Dingleberry's). Remember that scene in "Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl," where Jack Sparrow is reunited with the Pearl at the end of the movie? Yeah, that times about 1.4 million is about how I felt getting onstage. Our scenework was very good overall, and I had a great time. I'm also glad my buddy Dale talked me into doing the slightly longer intensive, as I got to meet and hang out with some really cool people. I think I'm going to try an intensive foe 201 (if it's still open tomorrow; as of now, I'm signed up for Tues/Thurs starting July 7, but I'm really looking to take a big bite out of this thing. I'd love to start earlier because I'm getting so much out of it. Jeff Pack is enjoying his journey into improv in LA as well, and we had the idea together about some of the Atlanta folks making a pilgrimmage to either NY or LA to take an intensive. By doing that, you can knock out all the classes (including 401) in less than a year AND it's tax deductilbe (I'm not a tax expert, I haven't played one on TV, but it is a business expense, so there you go). If any of the Briantologists are interested in this idea, let me know (I have to limit this to actors looking to A) move to one of the big two markets, 2) be an actor right now, D) I have to know you pretty well, which if you have to ask yourself that question, you know the answer). Anyway, just throwing that idea out there. Helen and I are up here, so...it's cool. Man, 201 is going to be so exciting...
The UCB Theater is located on W 26th St. in Chelsea (that's kind of southwest Manhattan), and when you go in the front door, you go down a set of stairs to the box office, and go to the right, and it's sort of a three-quarter round set up (for those not familiar with theater terminology, imagine a stage that where the audience sits in front of the stage, to left of the stage, and to the right of the stage, all facing said stage). Got it? Good. The theater used to be a "gentleman's club," but Guiliani shut it down back in the day, and now it's a theater. It's also underneath a Gristedes (that's like a Kroger if you're from the south, Jewell-Oscoe if you're from the Midwest, and a Vonn's if you're from the southwest). It's got a gritty, intimate feel to it; definitely New York, and it's always packed (the line goes down the street most nights to get in). So, I get there before my call time, grab a Gatorade from the Duane-Reade (drugstore like Eckerd, CVS, or Rite-Aid), and start talking basketball with my instructor, Ari (he was a fantastic teacher...like a high energy Chapman, but I digress). Everyone showed up, we warmed up a bit, and then we were divided into 2 teams (I'm kind of glad we got to go first, because then I got to really enjoy the second set and not be influenced by anything I saw previously). So our group heads backstage, and as we're hanging out, I throw the idea out there for "Mutual Admiration Society." It's not a new concept, as we've done this a bunch with PIT in Atlanta. It's just a great way to get centered and bring good energy onstage. The premise is to have one person face the group, and we go down the line and each person says something nice about the person facing the group. We go until everyone has heard how awesome he or she is, and then you get to rock out. As we're mutually admiring, Ari lets us know that we're about to go on and wants to know who our captain was (it ended up being me, which was pretty cool). Team captains act as a pseudo emcee by getting an audience suggestion and introducing the next group. The only awkward thing for me was that I had to be first onstage, which if you know me or you've seen me perform, I really like being the last one onstage (or up the stairs). Not only that, I really like taking my sweet-ass time too. No biggie, that's just a Brian thing. So, channelling my friend and mentor Brian Chapman, I proceed to get an audience suggestion (which ended up being "paper-cut"), and the show was on.
Man, did I miss performing!!! It felt like being home again, I had so much fun. Both teams did a great job (Incidentally, our name was "Accidental Europe" and the other team name was "The Screaming Dingleberry's). Remember that scene in "Pirates of the Carribean: Curse of the Black Pearl," where Jack Sparrow is reunited with the Pearl at the end of the movie? Yeah, that times about 1.4 million is about how I felt getting onstage. Our scenework was very good overall, and I had a great time. I'm also glad my buddy Dale talked me into doing the slightly longer intensive, as I got to meet and hang out with some really cool people. I think I'm going to try an intensive foe 201 (if it's still open tomorrow; as of now, I'm signed up for Tues/Thurs starting July 7, but I'm really looking to take a big bite out of this thing. I'd love to start earlier because I'm getting so much out of it. Jeff Pack is enjoying his journey into improv in LA as well, and we had the idea together about some of the Atlanta folks making a pilgrimmage to either NY or LA to take an intensive. By doing that, you can knock out all the classes (including 401) in less than a year AND it's tax deductilbe (I'm not a tax expert, I haven't played one on TV, but it is a business expense, so there you go). If any of the Briantologists are interested in this idea, let me know (I have to limit this to actors looking to A) move to one of the big two markets, 2) be an actor right now, D) I have to know you pretty well, which if you have to ask yourself that question, you know the answer). Anyway, just throwing that idea out there. Helen and I are up here, so...it's cool. Man, 201 is going to be so exciting...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
You know, I got to thinking today. I'm by no means an answer man (I know what I just wrote, but hear me out for a second). I got to thinking about living up here, and how I've been living in New York City for about 3 months now and just how cool it is that EVERYTHING is at your fingertips here. I was thinking about some of my friends back in the ATL who are considering moving or they're about to move, and I'd like to give you a step by step guide to get to the place you want to be, be it New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, or Billings, Montana (I hear it's a big time up and coming theatre place). Also, this is an open forum, so I'm throwing an invite out to my good buddy Jeff Pack (my fellow Samurai warrior) to comment away and add his take as well. Just for the record, I love your comments, so if you read my blog and I check back to see if anyone has commented, I view "shutouts" (i.e. zero comments) as a failed blog. Moving right along...
First and foremost, have a reason to go. Don't just go for the sake of going. It's a simile I've used before, but it'd be like throwing a spear at the moon. I've known people who've said "I'm going to LA to act because so and so said I have talent." Wait, screw that, I'm getting on my soapbox again, and I could easily delete that last sentence, but as in improv, it's already out there. I'm gearing this to the LA/NY ready ATL actors (and if you're reading this, you know who you are). Be very specific in what you want to get out of said market. Going out to act is rather abstract, so I'd attack the business end of things and find out how you can meet the people who can put you on television or in films. I'm sorry, I see that I just rhymed, and I'm totally feeling a poem coming on, so let's see if we can bust out a haiku.
Thinking of moving,
New York, LA, calling out,
Planning is the key.
Awesome. You're plan is what's going to keep you grounded and focused on what you want while you're rocking and rolling. When the city pushes you, you push back and tell yourself "remember why you came here." OK, so we've got step one down, step two can be a bit daunting, but it's a necessity. It's essentially you're going to stay when you arrive. I have to stop again for a second, not because my non-diagnosed ADD is kicking in, but I want to reiterate something; moving to one of the "Big Two" clearly doesn't guarantee success, and you can certainly have a world of success without going to New York or LA (interesting fact, Kevin Bacon did it all out of Philadelphia, PA). Knowing what you want will answer where you should be so you can set yourself up for your success (be it Birmingham, AL or Alpha Centuri, all though I have no idea why one would want to pursue an acting career on the second closest star to the earth, seeing as it's a red dwarf, but if you want to travel that many parsecs, be my guest). OK, back on task. So you know what you want to accomplish, it's not in Atlanta, you've made your choice between NY and LA, so what do you do? It's humbling, but this is where you take advantage of your friends. Lob phone calls and ask if you can crash on his or her couch, fouton, floor, coffee table, etc. I was fortunate to have my friend Helen let me crash at her pad, and I'll be forever grateful. My goal was to get in and get out, because I didn't want to be "that guy" (I'm already "that guy" in so many other scenarios, there's no need to add another). So you stack them up. Helen was awesome and she would've made sure her psycho former roommate didn't make me feel like a total deadbeat while I was couch surfing. But to not push that envelope, I tried to make sure I had a few backups in place. I was VERY lucky to find my place (and if you're wondering, Lena is muy buena. Ella es el mejor amiga de cuarto). OK, so key points of my ramblings here are have friends where you're going (if you're reading this, you already have me, and I'll do any and everything in my power to help out if you decide to move to New York from Atlanta...and I know you of course, I'd hate for me to lob this nice gesture out there and some creep to show up at my door with this blog printed out). Anyway, you get the drift.
Now, you've made up your mind, you've got a place to stay lined up. Let's talk dollars and cents. Most people say "you need X amount of money if you're even considering moving." I don't want to say that is wrong, but here's the key to take away. X amount merely represents a rough estimate for a few months of living and not having a job. You really just need moving money (deposits, first month, and money to move). Don't be ridiculous ("I think $383 will definetely get me rolling in West Hollywood!"). I'll be perfectly honest, I did it with a bit less than $4000. Insane? Possibly, but I knew what I wanted, and I trusted it would work and I wouldn't fall. As long as you have a roof over your head and great friends (it's a good idea to line up a few places and rotate a few days at each place), you can really make any amount work while you're looking for your own pad.
It's really not as hard as it's made out to be. The toughest part? Keeping that focus and remaining excited about it. By excited, I'm talking freaking Navin R. Johnson "The new phonebooks are here, the new phonebooks are here!!!" excited. Why was he excited over something so trivial? Because he "was somebody now." I'll be honest, if you're reading this and thinking about moving or you're setting the date, or you've just moved, it's perfectly human to say to oneself "Man, I'm really going to miss my friends. I can't believe I'm not going to see so and so every day. Well, maybe I don't have to," and of course you don't have to. But who are you cheating? Everything you've built up in Atlanta isn't going to disappear. It's there; house money, as they say in Vegas. Believe me, after my final PIT show at the studio, don't think it didn't cross my mind to stay a bit longer. We had a crazy-packed house, the audience was going nuts for us, everyone was so on, and if you know me, those are the kind of things I freaking LIVE for (and if my parents are reading and they're still mad at me, which I know both to be true and it's fine, my drug of choice is performing for a live, packed house!). It was the hardest decision to make, but like Harry Potter, sometimes we have to choose between what's right and what's easy.
So, if you're an Atlanta actor thinking about moving (again, if I talk to you on a regular basis and moving comes up), there you have it. Oh...you also want to talk to people who are smarter in the business and currently having more success than you in the business, and I had long talks with John Cornetta, Michael Cole, Adam Boyer, and Tom Thon, each of whom are four actors from the Atlanta market who've had considerable success, and they gave me some awesome advice. When I made my decision and told one of my closest friends and hetero-lifemate Matt Cornwell (also my improv wingman and the most talented guy I've ever met) he said "man, I'm going to miss you, but I think you're doing the absolute right and the smartest thing for you." That's when I knew that even though I was going to miss everyone, I'd made the right decision.
Questions, comments, how come's, what if's? Open it up!
First and foremost, have a reason to go. Don't just go for the sake of going. It's a simile I've used before, but it'd be like throwing a spear at the moon. I've known people who've said "I'm going to LA to act because so and so said I have talent." Wait, screw that, I'm getting on my soapbox again, and I could easily delete that last sentence, but as in improv, it's already out there. I'm gearing this to the LA/NY ready ATL actors (and if you're reading this, you know who you are). Be very specific in what you want to get out of said market. Going out to act is rather abstract, so I'd attack the business end of things and find out how you can meet the people who can put you on television or in films. I'm sorry, I see that I just rhymed, and I'm totally feeling a poem coming on, so let's see if we can bust out a haiku.
Thinking of moving,
New York, LA, calling out,
Planning is the key.
Awesome. You're plan is what's going to keep you grounded and focused on what you want while you're rocking and rolling. When the city pushes you, you push back and tell yourself "remember why you came here." OK, so we've got step one down, step two can be a bit daunting, but it's a necessity. It's essentially you're going to stay when you arrive. I have to stop again for a second, not because my non-diagnosed ADD is kicking in, but I want to reiterate something; moving to one of the "Big Two" clearly doesn't guarantee success, and you can certainly have a world of success without going to New York or LA (interesting fact, Kevin Bacon did it all out of Philadelphia, PA). Knowing what you want will answer where you should be so you can set yourself up for your success (be it Birmingham, AL or Alpha Centuri, all though I have no idea why one would want to pursue an acting career on the second closest star to the earth, seeing as it's a red dwarf, but if you want to travel that many parsecs, be my guest). OK, back on task. So you know what you want to accomplish, it's not in Atlanta, you've made your choice between NY and LA, so what do you do? It's humbling, but this is where you take advantage of your friends. Lob phone calls and ask if you can crash on his or her couch, fouton, floor, coffee table, etc. I was fortunate to have my friend Helen let me crash at her pad, and I'll be forever grateful. My goal was to get in and get out, because I didn't want to be "that guy" (I'm already "that guy" in so many other scenarios, there's no need to add another). So you stack them up. Helen was awesome and she would've made sure her psycho former roommate didn't make me feel like a total deadbeat while I was couch surfing. But to not push that envelope, I tried to make sure I had a few backups in place. I was VERY lucky to find my place (and if you're wondering, Lena is muy buena. Ella es el mejor amiga de cuarto). OK, so key points of my ramblings here are have friends where you're going (if you're reading this, you already have me, and I'll do any and everything in my power to help out if you decide to move to New York from Atlanta...and I know you of course, I'd hate for me to lob this nice gesture out there and some creep to show up at my door with this blog printed out). Anyway, you get the drift.
Now, you've made up your mind, you've got a place to stay lined up. Let's talk dollars and cents. Most people say "you need X amount of money if you're even considering moving." I don't want to say that is wrong, but here's the key to take away. X amount merely represents a rough estimate for a few months of living and not having a job. You really just need moving money (deposits, first month, and money to move). Don't be ridiculous ("I think $383 will definetely get me rolling in West Hollywood!"). I'll be perfectly honest, I did it with a bit less than $4000. Insane? Possibly, but I knew what I wanted, and I trusted it would work and I wouldn't fall. As long as you have a roof over your head and great friends (it's a good idea to line up a few places and rotate a few days at each place), you can really make any amount work while you're looking for your own pad.
It's really not as hard as it's made out to be. The toughest part? Keeping that focus and remaining excited about it. By excited, I'm talking freaking Navin R. Johnson "The new phonebooks are here, the new phonebooks are here!!!" excited. Why was he excited over something so trivial? Because he "was somebody now." I'll be honest, if you're reading this and thinking about moving or you're setting the date, or you've just moved, it's perfectly human to say to oneself "Man, I'm really going to miss my friends. I can't believe I'm not going to see so and so every day. Well, maybe I don't have to," and of course you don't have to. But who are you cheating? Everything you've built up in Atlanta isn't going to disappear. It's there; house money, as they say in Vegas. Believe me, after my final PIT show at the studio, don't think it didn't cross my mind to stay a bit longer. We had a crazy-packed house, the audience was going nuts for us, everyone was so on, and if you know me, those are the kind of things I freaking LIVE for (and if my parents are reading and they're still mad at me, which I know both to be true and it's fine, my drug of choice is performing for a live, packed house!). It was the hardest decision to make, but like Harry Potter, sometimes we have to choose between what's right and what's easy.
So, if you're an Atlanta actor thinking about moving (again, if I talk to you on a regular basis and moving comes up), there you have it. Oh...you also want to talk to people who are smarter in the business and currently having more success than you in the business, and I had long talks with John Cornetta, Michael Cole, Adam Boyer, and Tom Thon, each of whom are four actors from the Atlanta market who've had considerable success, and they gave me some awesome advice. When I made my decision and told one of my closest friends and hetero-lifemate Matt Cornwell (also my improv wingman and the most talented guy I've ever met) he said "man, I'm going to miss you, but I think you're doing the absolute right and the smartest thing for you." That's when I knew that even though I was going to miss everyone, I'd made the right decision.
Questions, comments, how come's, what if's? Open it up!
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Return of the Jedi
Like you didn't see that title coming from a mile away. We're about to wrap up Improv 101 at UCB, and I have to say that I'm glad I took my buddy Dale's advice to take my time and not do the intensive like I planned. I really liked my teacher Ari. Dude is a working actor and he reminds me of a high-energy version of my friend and improv mentor Brian Chapman (which I know I've mentioned before, but it bares repeating). A bunch of us went to Harold night tonight, and it was fun. Beforehand, a few of us went to Central Park to throw the frisbee around and then we grabbed some food at Burritoville (it's good, but it's no Moe's Matt and Stack). We saw some really good improv tonight. Impressive stuff, but you know what? I didn't leave the show going "oh man, what am I going to do, I'm so far away from this, blah blah, woah is me!" My friend Tom Thon told me to stay focused and pay my dues (which I'm doing), but he also reminded me that I'm in my league up here, and I take that as a tremendous compliment from an actor and friend whom I admire and respect on so many levels. On a side note, if you haven't seen Tom perform, you are seriously missing out. The man puts on a clinic every time he takes the stage, and I always learn when I watch him. He's truly one of the best, and if you ever get the chance to see him perform live, DO IT!
Where was I? So I'm watching these performers tonight, and I was impressed, but I also knew it's nothing I can't do (same thing cam be applied to a lot of you reading this). If anything, I was so engergized and invigorated to get up and perform. We have our graduation show this Saturday, and I'm really excited. We have a good spectrum of folks in our class, people who've never acted before, to people who are currently in shows. It's great; I think we're going to have a good show and I'll just try to make my partner look like a bad ass (as I was taught to do). So overall, good stuff happening, and I was really excited to see some good stuff tonight (and in a way, there was a part of me that was a bit bummed because I would LOVE nothing more than to form my own house Harold team with my improv soulmates Matt, Stack, Chapman, Dave, and the rest). I'll throw it out there; come stay with me or Pack and take the first 3 levels of improv (101, 201, and 301), and then you're good to go. We'll call ourselves "the Avengers," and when we go out West we can become "the West Coast Avengers!" (I'm such a freaking nerd...). There's definitely a correlation between trust and performance (not to toot my own horn or anything, but if you've come to a PIT show and watched any combination of the actors perform, you'll see trust in action). Oh, and I know it's a bit self indulgent, but if you're reading this blog...then welcome to the Church of Briantology (making you, yes, you a Briantologist)...
Where was I? So I'm watching these performers tonight, and I was impressed, but I also knew it's nothing I can't do (same thing cam be applied to a lot of you reading this). If anything, I was so engergized and invigorated to get up and perform. We have our graduation show this Saturday, and I'm really excited. We have a good spectrum of folks in our class, people who've never acted before, to people who are currently in shows. It's great; I think we're going to have a good show and I'll just try to make my partner look like a bad ass (as I was taught to do). So overall, good stuff happening, and I was really excited to see some good stuff tonight (and in a way, there was a part of me that was a bit bummed because I would LOVE nothing more than to form my own house Harold team with my improv soulmates Matt, Stack, Chapman, Dave, and the rest). I'll throw it out there; come stay with me or Pack and take the first 3 levels of improv (101, 201, and 301), and then you're good to go. We'll call ourselves "the Avengers," and when we go out West we can become "the West Coast Avengers!" (I'm such a freaking nerd...). There's definitely a correlation between trust and performance (not to toot my own horn or anything, but if you've come to a PIT show and watched any combination of the actors perform, you'll see trust in action). Oh, and I know it's a bit self indulgent, but if you're reading this blog...then welcome to the Church of Briantology (making you, yes, you a Briantologist)...
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
The Empire Strikes Back
I guess we can call it a setback, and I've talked to some of you about it (and yes, I need to get on a better blogging schedule), but if you haven't heard, Tavern on the Greene fell through. I'm not mad, just disappointed really. Had I actually cut my hair like they wanted me to (the liked the slicked back look), then I'd be mad. I finished training and got the "we'll let you know," which I found odd, since I filled out tax info and everything. I talked it over with my buddy Dave (dude has been a gem for Playing in Traffic improv and a great friend), and he reassured me that God has a plan for everyone, and he's using you (meaning me, but could be extrapolated to "one..."you know what, forget the semantics) for His highest good. So I think He knows what's best for me. Looking back, I'm actually kind of glad it worked out this way, because while I'm pursuing the goal, I don't want to work somewhere that's underhanded and not forthright, and this place is a BIG union place (please let the record show that I'm neither suggesting nor implying that trade unions are underhanded nor forthright, it's just this particular place). I'm not crazy about the place I work right now, but it's a means to an end, and I'm thankful that I can keep a roof over my head and food on my plate. The plan will happen. To add to matters, my dog Sable had a stroke the other day, and I hear she's fine, but I really didn't need to hear about her being sick. If you've ever met Sable, she's about the sweetest thing you'll meet; Shelly (God rest her soul) was the watchdog, while Sable is everyone's friend. She's the sweetest little baby, and I hate that she had to go through any pain. Believe me, that was on my mind. I'm also trying to get signed up for the next level of classes at the Upright Citizens Brigade, but they're selling out, and I really like my 2 times a week deal that I have. I'm going to talk to my teacher tomorrow and find out about 201 openings. Honestly, I'd love to skip a few levels, and most of the things we've been doing, have been total review (there's some really great nuggets of information, and I really like my teacher, Ari. He reminds me a lot of my comedy mentor/teacher/friend Brian Chapman, but he swears quite a bit. Not really for affect, that's just the way he talks. The way it works is you take 101, 201, 301, and then you're eligible to audition for a house "Harold" team (a "Harold" is a type of long form improv invented by improv guru Del Close in Chicago in the 1960's). I don't want to wait too long to take those classes, I'd prefer to just knock them out. Hopefully, it will all work out.
When you sit and worry about something bad happening to something or someone, it usually happens (there's some validity to what they say in "The Secret"). Tony Robbins is another guy who's great at "vision-casting," and I hate to say it, but I'm not sure you two are "vision-casting" positive things for me. Thank God for my friends in Atlanta and elsewhere who are really rooting me on and seeing the positive coming to me despite this minor setback. People talk about the power of prayer, or "putting out good vibes," or whatever, but they all stem from the same source. Believing that you can. Even if no one else believes in you, or if someone says they believe in you but they really don't, it doesn't matter. Set you're goal and stick to it, because the only person you'll really let down is yourself, and you only really fail if you never try. Now all I need is an After School Special to tag those last few lines on, and I'm set.
When you sit and worry about something bad happening to something or someone, it usually happens (there's some validity to what they say in "The Secret"). Tony Robbins is another guy who's great at "vision-casting," and I hate to say it, but I'm not sure you two are "vision-casting" positive things for me. Thank God for my friends in Atlanta and elsewhere who are really rooting me on and seeing the positive coming to me despite this minor setback. People talk about the power of prayer, or "putting out good vibes," or whatever, but they all stem from the same source. Believing that you can. Even if no one else believes in you, or if someone says they believe in you but they really don't, it doesn't matter. Set you're goal and stick to it, because the only person you'll really let down is yourself, and you only really fail if you never try. Now all I need is an After School Special to tag those last few lines on, and I'm set.
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