First off, thanks to Christopher DeJong for alerting me to this article about Biodiesel fraud.
Here's an excerpt: "Already we know that biofuel is worse for the planet than petroleum. The UN has just published a report suggesting that 98% of the natural rainforest in Indonesia will be degraded or gone by 2022. Just five years ago, the same agencies predicted that this wouldn't happen until 2032. But they reckoned without the planting of palm oil to turn into biodiesel for the European market. This is now the main cause of deforestation there and it is likely soon to become responsible for the extinction of the orang-utan in the wild.
But it gets worse. As the forests are burned, both the trees and the peat they sit on are turned into carbon dioxide. A report by the Dutch consultancy Delft Hydraulics shows that every tonne of palm oil results in 33 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, or 10 times as much as petroleum produces. I feel I need to say that again. Biodiesel from palm oil causes 10 times as much climate change as ordinary diesel."
Welcome to the road of good intentions, folks.
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My XBox 360 came in the mail and I hooked it up last night. Say goodbye to productivity, although I have a few things that will force me away from the controller for a bit. Still, I got it all set up and will activate my XBox Live account this weekend. Drop me a line if you want my ID. I'm currently playing Oblivion, which I'd seen on Kurt Larsen's PC a year ago, and it looks even better on my wall.
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While I still don't know what we're doing for a Fall show, I have confirmed a project for Cassandra's Call Productions for the Darkroom Theatre in January. I am currently writing "'Sweetie' Tanya, the Demon Barista of Valencia Street", an exploration of sexual harassment in the service industry masquerading as a musical horror comedy. I'm pleased to announce that Bryce Byerley has already agreed to play the narrator, "Mad Biscuit". More details as they develop.
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Finally. for those interested in seeing Julie Kurtz completely "face" me during our last Submergency show in December...
Friday, March 30, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
crisis of faith
It can be frustrating to put a lot of effort and talent into a project and have it received well... by a very small number of people. This weekend was the brief run of "Nothing in the Dark" for the Twilight Zone festival. Friday night was respectably full, but Saturday brought inclement weather and only ten to fifteen audience members. Sunday afternoon brought a similarly small crowd.
The show was good, but fewer than 60 people saw it. This is the danger of small theatre, but it really hit me this time out. Why do I keep investing so much into endeavors that bear so little fruit? Am I still paying dues, or just choosing the wrong projects?
Granted, within a few hours I was contemplating future projects, so I suppose that the addiction won't be shaken so easily.
The show was good, but fewer than 60 people saw it. This is the danger of small theatre, but it really hit me this time out. Why do I keep investing so much into endeavors that bear so little fruit? Am I still paying dues, or just choosing the wrong projects?
Granted, within a few hours I was contemplating future projects, so I suppose that the addiction won't be shaken so easily.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Nothing in the Dark
When setting up a rehearsal schedule, the primary question in my mind is usually "is this enough time to get this show ready?" In the case of "Nothing in the Dark", the 22 minute Twilight Zone adaptation I'm doing for the Darkroom Theatre, the answer has been "yes, and then some." It's a strange thing to be able to cancel rehearsals and know that it's not going to hurt the project at all. Once again, my actors have brought it to the table with a speed and skill that causes me to marvel. Granted, it's not a long piece, but 5 to 6 weeks for a two hour show is standard, so 2 weeks (and only 4 days a week) for a half hour piece seems about right. As it is, I cancelled one night of rehearsal, and let them go home early on Saturday.
Mayuko watched rehearsal on Saturday and was especially impressed with Marilyn Kamelgarn, our lead. She's taken the character into a more frightening and eerie place than the original episode suggested. This has been the joy of this project. The original episode was brilliant, but working with these performers and Hal Hughes' deeply disturbing fiddle score has really allowed us to explore the script in a way that I'm sure the original cast and crew were unable to. The original "Wanda" was sad and fragile and sweet, and the meditative aspect of the script dominated the episode. In ours, the fiddle leads us to reflection, to be sure, but also to the madness and despair that fills the dilapidated and condemned little basement apartment where this woman has barricaded herself for years. Shades of "Misery" have creeped in, and I hope that the audience has as much fear and concern for the well being of "Harold Beldin", the injured police officer who lies incapacitated and bleeding on her bed, as for the old woman with fits of paranoia and terror who is keeping him essentially prisoner.
We tech Wed, and open Friday. It's only three shows, which is a shame, but I think that the fortunate few who make it will be in for a lot of fun.
There's a lot of good stuff out right now, actually. Mayu and I caught "Nathan the Wise" with TheatreFirst and Ripe Theatre's "Hardly Breathing" and really enjoyed both shows. What really grabbed me, though, was SF Playhouse's production of "Jesus Hopped the A Train", which was mind bogglingly powerful.
In totally unrelated news, I saw on the controller for my PS2 last week. This resulted in my ass pulling on the cable that leads up to the PS2 itself, up on the shelf above my couch. This resulted in the PS2 being yanked off the shelf and making a 2 point landing on my head. Fortunately, the flat part of the unit made contact, so I got off with a sizable lump on my head and a bruise on my knee where it finally landed after bouncing off my head. Amazingly the unit wasn't damaged, although the game inside was pretty badly scuffed.
I've been considering getting an XBox 360 for a while, since my crew are all on that platform anyway, and this pretty much decided me. I need wireless controllers at the very least!
Mayuko watched rehearsal on Saturday and was especially impressed with Marilyn Kamelgarn, our lead. She's taken the character into a more frightening and eerie place than the original episode suggested. This has been the joy of this project. The original episode was brilliant, but working with these performers and Hal Hughes' deeply disturbing fiddle score has really allowed us to explore the script in a way that I'm sure the original cast and crew were unable to. The original "Wanda" was sad and fragile and sweet, and the meditative aspect of the script dominated the episode. In ours, the fiddle leads us to reflection, to be sure, but also to the madness and despair that fills the dilapidated and condemned little basement apartment where this woman has barricaded herself for years. Shades of "Misery" have creeped in, and I hope that the audience has as much fear and concern for the well being of "Harold Beldin", the injured police officer who lies incapacitated and bleeding on her bed, as for the old woman with fits of paranoia and terror who is keeping him essentially prisoner.
We tech Wed, and open Friday. It's only three shows, which is a shame, but I think that the fortunate few who make it will be in for a lot of fun.
There's a lot of good stuff out right now, actually. Mayu and I caught "Nathan the Wise" with TheatreFirst and Ripe Theatre's "Hardly Breathing" and really enjoyed both shows. What really grabbed me, though, was SF Playhouse's production of "Jesus Hopped the A Train", which was mind bogglingly powerful.
In totally unrelated news, I saw on the controller for my PS2 last week. This resulted in my ass pulling on the cable that leads up to the PS2 itself, up on the shelf above my couch. This resulted in the PS2 being yanked off the shelf and making a 2 point landing on my head. Fortunately, the flat part of the unit made contact, so I got off with a sizable lump on my head and a bruise on my knee where it finally landed after bouncing off my head. Amazingly the unit wasn't damaged, although the game inside was pretty badly scuffed.
I've been considering getting an XBox 360 for a while, since my crew are all on that platform anyway, and this pretty much decided me. I need wireless controllers at the very least!
Monday, March 05, 2007
Transitions
The show went well! We had odd little glitches here and there; light cues that were a bit off at points, drinks that didn't always end up in the faces they were intended for, interesting circumlocutions of lines; but people seem to have really enjoyed the show and that's what counts. I'll certainly do it again next year if they ask me back.
Radiostar was a bit odd last night, though. I'll write about that on the RadioStar blog.
Tonight was a meeting of the Bay Area Professional Small Theatres. Our second larger meeting, and the first chance those of us on the steering committee (or whatever the hell we are) were able to present some of our thoughts and work to the group. It was extremely informative, to say the least, and I think we have a clearer idea of how to proceed and which things are important for those of us building the organization and which things are important for the group that we represent. We've all got a lot of learning to do. The most frustrating thing for me right now is waiting for Theatre Bay Area to provide us with some of the communication tools that I could whip up myself in a flash, but we want everything to be integrated with the website. Realistically, between Radiostar, Vial, and Nothing in the Dark, I should be glad for the reprieve. Still, I wish we could start being a little more action oriented, but without a proper communication channel that's just not practical.
Tomorrow is the first rehearsal of "Nothing in the Dark". Unlike Vial, I don't have any concerns regarding set or props for this one, but I do have a costume quandry to resolve. Most of the challenge with this piece will be in how to work the development process. I've never worked like this before, which is a little scary. Still, I think we can make something truly neat with this.
Radiostar was a bit odd last night, though. I'll write about that on the RadioStar blog.
Tonight was a meeting of the Bay Area Professional Small Theatres. Our second larger meeting, and the first chance those of us on the steering committee (or whatever the hell we are) were able to present some of our thoughts and work to the group. It was extremely informative, to say the least, and I think we have a clearer idea of how to proceed and which things are important for those of us building the organization and which things are important for the group that we represent. We've all got a lot of learning to do. The most frustrating thing for me right now is waiting for Theatre Bay Area to provide us with some of the communication tools that I could whip up myself in a flash, but we want everything to be integrated with the website. Realistically, between Radiostar, Vial, and Nothing in the Dark, I should be glad for the reprieve. Still, I wish we could start being a little more action oriented, but without a proper communication channel that's just not practical.
Tomorrow is the first rehearsal of "Nothing in the Dark". Unlike Vial, I don't have any concerns regarding set or props for this one, but I do have a costume quandry to resolve. Most of the challenge with this piece will be in how to work the development process. I've never worked like this before, which is a little scary. Still, I think we can make something truly neat with this.
Friday, March 02, 2007
opening and healings
I am feeling considerably better today, although I would not refer to myself as "healthy". Still, I am functioning as well without drugs today as I was with them yesterday. Nyquil is unspeakably nasty, but terribly effective in shutting me down so hard that my body can go into hard core repair mode.
The show opened last night, and it had remarkably few glitches in it! Two slightly-off light cues. A couple of flubbed lines, nicely covered. The laughter was subdued, but present, which is appropriate for the piece. It's ostensibly a thriller, but we found a good amount of humor in it. Still, it's complex enough that I could almost hear the audience leaning forward, paying attention to each detail as it was revealed. I'm pleased with it, and look forward to the comparative ease of the next three shows.
I'll actually get to watch the first two pieces tonight, which will be nice, although I'll never see the one that immediately precedes us. That's a shame, but what I get for taking on the role of the butler.
Three more days of Vial, and then it's done. On Tuesday we begin rehearsals for "Nothing in the Dark" and three more weeks of discovery.
The show opened last night, and it had remarkably few glitches in it! Two slightly-off light cues. A couple of flubbed lines, nicely covered. The laughter was subdued, but present, which is appropriate for the piece. It's ostensibly a thriller, but we found a good amount of humor in it. Still, it's complex enough that I could almost hear the audience leaning forward, paying attention to each detail as it was revealed. I'm pleased with it, and look forward to the comparative ease of the next three shows.
I'll actually get to watch the first two pieces tonight, which will be nice, although I'll never see the one that immediately precedes us. That's a shame, but what I get for taking on the role of the butler.
Three more days of Vial, and then it's done. On Tuesday we begin rehearsals for "Nothing in the Dark" and three more weeks of discovery.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
opening
I'm at home again, still sick as a dog. I was going to try and do help desk this morning, but the first person I talked to on the phone said that I sounded absolutely horrible.
Dress last night was really our tech, so tonight should be interesting. The general rule is "bad dress, good opening" and last night was the worst Dress I've had in some time. I could hear the light designer cursing in the booth at various points. I felt the same way, believe me.
Still, I think we worked out all the confusions.
Mayu picked me up after watching Hedda Gabler, and made sure I got some Nyquil before taking me home. As a result, I slept beautifully last night. Best sleep I've had all week. I still woke up sounding like Gollum, but phlegm is phlegm. I'm about to go shower, snort some heart-racing, nasal passage clearing medication and head to the theatre. I need to get a bottle of gin, empty it into a thermous and fill it full of water. One of the actors took the prop bottle, after I had told him to only pantomime pouring from it, and poured real rum into everyone's glasses last night. This wouldn't have been that big an issue, except that someone gets a drink in the face at one point and they got a FULL glass of rum all over themselves. Fortunately there is no smoking on stage in this show.
Theatre, gotta love it.
Dress last night was really our tech, so tonight should be interesting. The general rule is "bad dress, good opening" and last night was the worst Dress I've had in some time. I could hear the light designer cursing in the booth at various points. I felt the same way, believe me.
Still, I think we worked out all the confusions.
Mayu picked me up after watching Hedda Gabler, and made sure I got some Nyquil before taking me home. As a result, I slept beautifully last night. Best sleep I've had all week. I still woke up sounding like Gollum, but phlegm is phlegm. I'm about to go shower, snort some heart-racing, nasal passage clearing medication and head to the theatre. I need to get a bottle of gin, empty it into a thermous and fill it full of water. One of the actors took the prop bottle, after I had told him to only pantomime pouring from it, and poured real rum into everyone's glasses last night. This wouldn't have been that big an issue, except that someone gets a drink in the face at one point and they got a FULL glass of rum all over themselves. Fortunately there is no smoking on stage in this show.
Theatre, gotta love it.
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