November 29, 2010

Coming up for Air

So, obviously a lot has happened since my last post. Life intervened the second SiP ended and I've been trying to tread water ever since. I still haven't caught up on my sleep yet, but at least I'm done with COB for the semester. So let's see now.

A Midsummer Night's Dream
I really must say that I was way more involved in Midsummer than with The Tempest last year. I definitely knew Midsummer better because we had had so many readings of it beforehand and because we were trying to adapt various aspects of the language, unlike last time. It was a very committed process that I really enjoyed.

A big difference was also the fact that I was the only Stage Manager this year, and I did miss Rachael all the more for it! Larice was a great help once she got onboard and I was very grateful to have her with me. Patti and I spent a lot of time together and fostered a very strong bond. If it weren't for her many days, I can't imagine how broken I would have been from all the stress of school and the play. Thanks to her for all she did for me.

On the subject of thanks, I am also grateful to the twenty members of the Midsummer cast that shared their lives in this complex circle of trust. I was very impressed with the work they all did; many of them exceeding expectations. I love and cherish every one of you. Thank you.

Here's a link to a song that really helped me cleanse myself after Midsummer:

Alive Again by Matt Maher

Shakespeare in Paradise
I really didn't get much chance to enjoy the festival this year like I did last year, but I still enjoyed it Very much! For starters, Travis and I saw three productions: Horn of Plenty featuring Indio, Dat Bahamian Ting, and Woman Take Two. I greatly enjoyed all of them. Horn of Plenty at the National Art Gallery was a unique experience that made me glad to see more young people interested in performance and the festival. Indio was hilarious as far as I was concerned, more so than for other people from what I understand. I think maybe because I understood a lot more of what he was talking about, even though he had a very different background from me. Dat Bahamian Ting was also really funny. I was very impressed with Dana as usual, and it was wonderful to see a Bahamian play, translated for an audience abroad. As for Woman Take Two, it was a great pleasure to see the work of legendary Bahamians. What blew me away most, however, was Skeebo's performance as Harold. It was amazing!

The Road Ahead
So, once again with the resolutions, but I really want to try to write something every day... ideally. Sleep might get in my way, but I really need to commit myself to finishing something I start. Right now, I'm trying to convert a screenplay that I wrote when I was sixteen or so, into a play. It's difficult, but the more I learn the easier it gets. Hopefully I can be done by next summer at least (January, if I want to get ambitious =P).

Beyond that, The Melancholy of Suzanna is well on her way to making it to the stage. I've become very seduced by it and I'm enjoying its development. I would love to see more plays that set political correctness on fire (=P)!

Tings Mash

I leave you with one last thing. Strange enough, I find myself with an anthem that seems to keep me driven and make me feel powerful enough to carry on. It's amazing what music can do.

No Love by Eminem ft Lil Wayne

October 13, 2010

Shakespeare in Paradise comes to an end...

So, SiP 2010 comes to an end. And all our months of hard work came to fruition. As for me, I feel an exposition of sleep come upon me-aww

To be continued...

October 9, 2010

A Midsummer Night's Dream... has begun!!

Tonight was the first evening performance for Midsummer and it was AMAZING!!!

All the hard work that has gone into this production is Finally paying off! The cast gels so well and their energy drives the entire experience. Each group - the Royals, the Lovers, the Labourers, the Supernaturals - has it's own rhythm and energy. And the four groups combine so perfectly to make A Midsummer Night's Dream happen! The audiences love every minute of it! And I am so proud to be a part of the whole thing! From the story to the rehearsals to the production - it's just been so intense and so worth it!

I am so thankful to be involved and meet these kinds of people (cast and crew) once again! I can't wait to experience more! I love you guys!

September 25, 2010

In The Thick of Things

Ok , so I said at the beginning of the year that I would treat my blog a little better... and somehow I'm doing worse. lol... That's life for ya huh.



So, Shakespeare in Paradise has begun again and I'm once again involved with the signature production - this year it's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Needless to say we're in the thick of it now and there were a few moments where I thought I just couldn't get through it. But I'm still here, still trying to make it work (make it all work together). Needless to say, the play itself is still entertaining, even having seen it played over and over in rehearsals. I think that says a lot.



So doing that has taken up most of my time, which means I've been neglecting my own work. In Christmas I was working on an Untitled play. Well... I managed to give it a title and I worked some more on it. But I segued into another play - a conversion of a screenplay I wrote in high school into a play. It was going really well, and I'm hoping to pick up both projects once the festival and possibly the college semester is done.

But in the interest of time (and at this point energy), I'll wrap this up. There's a lot more work to be done, in every way I can think of. And I hope you all enjoy the finished products when the time comes...

February 26, 2010

Here's to Being Creative! (I need to stop neglecting this Blog)

So, pathetic as it is, this is my first entry for 2010.... I need to stop neglecting this blog.

Despite having a full plate this go around, I must say the year has been pretty good.

I managed to finish the first Act of my play (the concept of which I'm still trying to keep a secret) before school started. I had gotten quite blocked just after jumping that hurdle, but surprisingly enough, ENG 400 pretty much cured that. We had two playwrights talk about their works, and that did wonders for me. Particularly when Dr B came to talk about The Children's Teeth. Something just clicked in that room, and I was able to come up with some concepts that I can play with in order to finish Act 2. In between everything, I managed to churn out a lot in short periods of time. I'm still optimistic about finishing it soon.

Travis and I got our Sigma Tau Delta pins and certificates. Though I already knew I was an official member, it's a great honor to get the pin. I like pins (maybe just a little too much). I'm looking forward to what Sigma Tau Delta accomplishes this year.

We started dramaturgy for A Midsummer Night's Dream. Haven't worked on it in about two weeks, but we'll be having a reading at COB on Tuesday, so that should give us a good idea of where to go from here.

This weekend is the Sidney Poitier Conference and Film Festival. To be honest, I had never seen a single one of his films. I've still only been able to see the one (volunteering can do that). But! I am definitely gonna get my hands on as many of them as I can. Reading the synopses really got me excited about his entire filmography. If you get a chance, you should do the same (for art's sake)!

Not to mention, My team and I are getting a lot of creative freedom to play with COB's newspaper. I didn't think I'd be so into layout and design, but it's exciting. I've always liked graphic art, but this is giving me more incentive to be creative with things like a business card or something like that.

On a similar note (being visually creative, that is), I got another tattoo (on my arm) and dyed my hair (to match apparently). Being creative with my appearance is one of my favourite things to do and I'm constantly looking for ways to do that.

So here's to being creative! Here's to keeping things alive!