
02/26/2024 - 03/03/2024
"Dear Miss March, there is nothing dramatic or new to report."
Professor Bhaer, Little Women the Musical
This week has been the restful return to normalcy that I've been craving all year. Heidi has been traveling into the city most days for Cinderella rehearsals, and she had her first two opening performances yesterday! In between her time trekking to the city, we've been sleeping in, playing video games, napping, and half-heartedly watching America's favorite long-burning garbage fire, Love Is Blind. While Heidi is off in the city, I've been getting some much needed one-on-one time with our fur baby, Atticus Finch, who will not leave my side. Being away for three weeks was a mean thing to do to a dog with separation anxiety that could level a building.
In tandem with relaxing, I'm still going to the gym every other day, very happy to be doing my usual routines on my usual equipment now that I'm home. I've also missed cooking so much and have insisted that I be "in charge" in the kitchen at dinnertime. In general, I'm being more conscious of my eating habits now that I have access to a full fridge and pantry, not having to rely on fast food so often. Combined with exercising 3-4 days a week, I've capped my daily intake at 2,500 calories a day. I don't want to be that dude, copiously tracking fats and sugars and fiber, but my diet usually includes a protein bar, healthy snacks like bananas and grapes, and a hearty homemade dinner with an extra sprinkle of love. Just being mindful of the math has kept portions down and perturbed me from going for that second handful of Reese's Pieces. Did you know that Coffee Mate has 35 calories per tablespoon?? Black coffee is looking pretty good right now at 2 calories per cup.
For several weeks, I had the plan to see Vanya in theaters. For those who don't know, National Theatre Live is a programme operated by the Royal National Theatre in London, to film and screen live plays. I've only seen clips of their productions advertised online, never a full show. As soon as I saw the trailer for Vanya, written by Simon Stephens and starring co-adapter Andrew Scott, I was hooked. There were unfortunately so few places to get tickets, and I was forced to drive two hours north to see it at The Moviehouse in Millerton, New York. I still actually can't believe that there wasn't a single theater in Manhattan screening it, but I'm not in charge. The day before my adventure, I actually read the original play Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov (from Signet Classics, translated by Ann Dunnigan) so I could make a clear one-for-one comparison going in. I plan on writing a Between the Lines post to review the production in greater detail as I'm still a little torn on some elements and changes to the source material, but overall, I was very moved. This dude can act.

On Saturday, Heidi was in the city for her final dress rehearsal, so I went to the New York Public Library to snag a few plays and acting-adjacent reads for the next week. I impulsively grabbed The Monologue Audition by Karen Kohlhaas because it looked interesting. Heidi and I keep stressing about not having monologues that really fit us for auditions. For me personally, the most exciting moments on stage are when two people are going back and forth in a battle of wits and wills, so when a character takes two minutes to tell us how their puppy ran away when they were nine, I feel something in the storytelling has gone amiss. Also, for about seven months, I've been on the library waiting list of 80 or so people to get a copy of The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales by Bruno Bettelheim. I don't even know if it's any good, but David Mamet spoke very highly of it in his Masterclass on dramatic writing, and I figured I should check it out. My patience finally paid off, and I have a copy sitting on my dining room table. I just hope I can read all 310 pages before I fly off to Florida in a week.
Yesterday, I finally finished reading The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene. I was first drawn to the book late last year, hoping it would provide insight on irrational behavior and explain why people behave the way they do, which I would then use to help solidify my writing and acting. I was hoping for bits like "People cheat on their spouse because they feel x, which relates to y from their childhood," etc. However, it reads more like a business and management/self-help book, explaining how to manipulate people in isolated incidents. Greene takes incredibly complex historical figures, like Martin Luther King, Jr., Richard Nixon, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, and others, and compresses their life experience to a simple anecdote to back his arguments. Every example is shown through a lens of business strategy and forming relationships, but for the ultimate purpose of personal gain. Despite being about 200 pages too long, the book is exceptionally well-written and organized, but the idea of empathizing with human beings on a deeper level only to maneuver a job promotion made me feel yucky. I don't want to control -- I want to understand. 7.2/10
You know, even while taking a break from performing, I realize I have put a lot of energy this week into doing actor-y things. This upcoming week is all about preparing for the big return to tour life on March 4th, so I'll be waking up earlier and rethinking what I pack in my suitcases the next few days. More tangibly, I will be recording some monologues and songs for the website, and looking for any potential work after the tour wraps in May. I may be napping and resting, but I remain determined and driven. "Don't stop now: keep going."
And scene.
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