And on the seventh day...

1984 is over, so over. Cast party was good, everyone got absolutely wasted. I've spent today completely resting, left the house exactly once, otherwise layed and lounged and watched the entire 4th season of Weeds, to my intense amusement. It really is a good show.

It's the detox I needed...time to step things up again, socially, academically, and planning for the future-wise. Socially, I have quite a few dinners and coffees I'd like to have with people from last year, as well as talking to people in the states more and perhaps organizing weekly or fortnightly parties/dinners at our house. Much as I hate entertaining, it's a great way to get people together. Academically, I've got my Wednesday essay and a fair bit of catch-up reading. I also want to figure out what the deal with Sustainable Development is to see what I can do as far as combining it with Philosophy for a degree. Looking further to the future, I want to start looking at options for this summer and maybe some abroad stuff next year. I have very vague designs on Asia that let me visit Cheolseung, see some of China, and live in China or Korea teaching english or ideally ideally ideally doing some sort of development work that I'd be able to get credit for. Very tentative goals. I've got a month to hopefully get a more solid idea.

And the whole not majoring in Theatre thing? Yeah, I'm Banquo in a production of Macbeth going up in 2 weeks, Saturninus in Titus in the second week of second semester, and I've been coerced into co-directing Sarah Cane's "4:48 Psychosis" for the first week of next semester. Thinking about the internet for a show next semester...I'll keep busy.

Numero Dos

Went well, and I videotaped it, so there's a record of tonight (and I'll get one of tomorrow night). Wondering what to do with the odd £500 this production should leave me for future ones...it's a wee bit daunting, actually, especially thinking, as I do, that simplicity and minimalism are the way to go.

Went through my SD presentation with my partner today (we give it tomorrow) and it's twice as long as it should be. To be expected, I suppose, so I'm off to his to work on that again after I post this. Therefore, my shopping list for tomorrow is as follows:

1. 10AM, give presentation on war and the environment.
2. Enter story into short story competition at school of English.
3. Complete my risk assessment form for the files.
4. Get food? There's not much in the house. Dinner was potatoes, herbs, corn, and egg, which tasted oddly like hash browns. Then, for desert, milk, peanut butter, honey, oats, chocolate glop.
5. Have the last performance, obviously. Think of something to say to each cast member.
6. Cast party at my house...clean?
7. Present production proposal for JustSo, the musical theatre people...I'll propose Jekyll and Hyde, if I have the energy.
8. Work on Philosophy? I've got an essay in this coming Wednesday that I've just started, on Aristotle.
9. Watch Weeds! I've finished this season of Heroes so far pre-bed (and when I should've been sleeping) and started on the latest season of Weeds. I'd forgotten how much fun it is.

So, that's life.

First show

Skipped Philosophy to print programs...Sustainable Development continues to make me wish I'd done biology, though I know all the species/ecosystems stuff is only 1/4 of the subject. First show went well, about 30 people. Sort of our peer presentation more than a real show--that's Thursday and Friday (where hopefully we'll sell out 200 tickets). Still, payed for all the costs of the show, its all $$ or rather ££ from now on in my production company. Odd feeling. Not sure what I would, or rather will, do with expendable money for theatre. The show itself went well, not perfectly, but it was good seeing an audience's reactions. As with anything like this, I feel there's a "what the fuck?" period before acceptance of the style, then really getting into the story and actions. Robbie and his girlfriend came over after and had good things to say, which was really nice. Actors felt good, I think. I really want to start a full-on movement toward experimental theatre. Alternative Mermaids, of some sort. Tomorrow should be a day of rest and finishing my SD presentation. But hopefully, I will mostly play The Witcher and sit on my ass.

Feel very much like writing again. I think I need to read more fiction. Even in my spare time, I've been reading non-fiction for fun. And knowing stuff is a lot of fun, but it doesn't give me impetus to create. Let's see what the library has...

These days have been a year

But a good year.

Sunday: went to a buddy's house and worked for 6 hours straight on a poster that was originally due next month and now is due this Tuesday (finished it! good think cause I've got 1984 and he's got track this mon/tues). Came home to find Sammy's rasin party well underway. I may have never seen so many types of alcohol. Drank an orgasmic mixture of coffee, hot chocolate, honey, sugar, milk, cinnamon and baileys, then switched to Long Island iced teas, the drink of the day. Stayed at ours for a while and then hit the resident drama party 10 minutes away. Re-connected with some new people from Narnia, talked 1984. Came back. Went to bed at 4 or 5 and...didn't fall asleep. I've never had insomnia like that before. Part nerves about setting up 1984 today (Monday) I'm sure. But only partly. Ended up sitting up from 6-9AM watching the Colbert Report and youtube videos and writing.

Today: 10AM-8PM 1984 lighting/set/makeup/dress-tech rehearsal. And it went well. Really well. I am feeling very pleased with it. I hope people come. Met my lighting person and 'minion' who helped make the set, will call cues, and probably take tickets. Aka stage manager on short notice, basically. Really cool people. Any my cast of course, who are getting in pre-show mode. It's amazing to watch..I'm sure I've seen it with every production, but each time it's beautiful. It's looking great, and we have literally a ton of newspapers. All audience risers are covered in them, as is most of the stage, stacked up. AND I recorded at least the first 40 minutes. I will have a record of this, goddammit.

Finished Laughable Loves by Kundera, a book of short stories. Some good stuff (particularly The Hitchhiker and Symposium), but I think I prefer the novels.

Made noodle/onion/cabbage/soysauce/mushroom soup for dinner. Very filling. I am tired now, but not extraordinarily so. It doesn't feel like I've been awake for 48 hours. Really looking forward to tomorrow. Feeling very calm, relaxed. Thinking about the future. Have a lot of thinking to do.

PS

First snow of the year last night/today!

So I guess I should post....

Stuff is hectic, always, as always, ah well. I'm feeling really good and on top of it, though, so that's cool. Had a really good 1984 rehearsal where we ran through it twice, am slightly terrified of Monday where we've got to put up lights, set, display stuff, and do our tech/dress. Will be fiiiiine. Also, got a presentation that Friday (due in Wednesday) which I think my partner is a lot more stressed about than I am. Put my slides together in 2 days and feel good about it: War and the Environment. Some interesting stuff, definitely in the scope of our SD program but not really talked about explicitly.

Watching Lawrence of Arabia again, now. It's funny how living in Britain and having visited the Middle East twice are changing my perspective on the movie...it makes it seem a little more Hollwood, as is probably only right.

Finished a book of Sarah Kane plays, as one of the guys here wants me to co-direct one of her plays with him next semester. Maybe choreograph is a better word than co-direct, as its poetry/physical theatre-y bits. She is a big emo. The play itself is about suicide. It's cool, though not something I'd want to do 24/7. Bit one dimensional. Still, might be fun.

Rasin Sunday is tomorrow, and Sammy (flatmate) has academic kids, so there should be slaughter going on there.

Just had a plate of pasta with butter--it's funny, its the most student meal, which I had all the time at home but haven't had once here until now. I am really just waiting until I get off the 1984 roller-coaster to pick up my life. I'm not sure how I feel, what I want to do. Want to look into abroad programs.

No comments!

Awww discouraging after a long post to have no comments. Ah well.

Things are moving full-speed-ahead here. Mostly frantically busy with 1984, but with lectures and ambassadoring and making sure my baby production company gets affiliated and oh dear when oh when can I research for my presentation? Things are ball-splittingly insane. On the other hand, its been a nice day and the sunset looked like the clouds were fire. I've got set stuff and lighting stuff sorted (conceptually, at least) so it's back to focusing on acting times. Oh dear. It's hard to believe this is going up now. The good news is loads of stuff is happening every day to bring us from 5% to 100%, and that's kinda cool to be orchestrating.

Talked to Cheolseung for a long time yesterday. Found his number in Korea in a book he gave me and called him up to set up Skype, Really, really, really good to talk to him again. It's been like 5 months. Soooo...Korea this summer?

Today was a slow day for ambassadoring and so I get pay for 2 hours without having done a single tour. So that's cool.

New thought: a production that 'tours' around the halls of residence for a pound or something in each. Could be good, and not done.

I got a Twitter, cause I don't have enough tech distractions. Check it out: https://twitter.com/home