Networking

Has everyone seen that movie Network? With the mad as hell guy? That is a great movie. Just thought I'd clue you in on that. Now that I have a laptop and go to places with wireless internet services like coffee shops and libraries, etc, people keep asking me technical questions like I am some sort of computer geek. Wireless network questions, laptop questions, questions about cell phones. I don't even have a cell phone! I give them vague yet seemingly knowledgeable answers. Like, "Gee, I don't know fuckface, why don't you go bother somebody who cares?" I can't stand it.

My play opens this Monday night. It is called Arthur's Dreams. I guess I could say a little something about it here. "Plug it" so to speak. Since no one reading this will actually go see it. Thank God. The titular "Arthur" is an old man who starts having these crazy dreams about times gone by. Druids, Pagans, Pilgrims, and World War 1, just to name a few. The actor playing him just turned 90 years old. Jesus Christ almighty. But the main story is kind of a weird take off of A Christmas Carol. I think it is, anyway. The main character is this guy who is a mean curmugeonly professor who gets fired, his wife leaves him, and his kids, one of whom is his gay piano playing son, hate him. I play his brooding black wearing photographer daughter who is visiting home for the Holidays. It takes place over the week between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. There is more to it but I'm already bored just describing it. Here's a link to a story about the process if you are at all interested.

Arthur's Dreams story

The lines are super cheesy, the director, writer and other design people are all insane. The sad part is that this is probably the most accomplished, professional, and intelligent cast and crew I have ever worked with and we are all constantly complaining about what a piece of shit this show is.

Today the director, who is himself in his late 70's, handed me this note.

Mandy Murphy
NO BS! REALLY REALLY REALLY ENJOY WATCHING YOU WORK. Such honesty. Such warmth.

GO FOR A LITTLE MORE VOICE. TAKE TIME TO BREATHE - ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE THINKING.

LET YOURSELF LOVE THE PEOPLE AROUND YOU MORE OPENLY. KNOW YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO THEM.

I think it is funny that he prefaced this with "no bs" because it is almost impossible in the world of the theater to know if someone is telling you the truth or not. It was a nice note to get after an otherwise impossible rehearsal process.

Life, it seems becomes a series of networking opportunities with stupid projects that I don't care about in between.

While I was writing this, I fell in love with the classical guitar player in front of me. He was being harassed by a drunken vagrant who seemed to know a little about the guitar and music in general and kept putting dollar bills in his tip basket and requesting songs for his brother whose birthday it is today. Classical Guitar playing guy, whose name I have learned is Eddie because drunk vagrant asked him 4 times what it is, classical guitar playing guy Eddie just kept on playing and politely tried to disengage the drunk and finally put his guitar down and just sat there until drunk guy left. But he got a few bucks out of the painfully awkward and irritating moment. I am going to tip him when I leave. And by tip him, I mean give him a blowjob.