Updates

Hello Dear Readers and window-type washers!

As you might have noticed by this prolonged absence, much has happened in the life d’Q since we last parted ways. The ways that things have happened are so convoluted, that I’m not even sure that I’m able to put them all down. Needless to say, there’s been an excellent European adventure, and I’m at the moment realizing the dream that I’ve had for years: living and making theatre in Iowa.

Finally!

While life is not all cherry blossoms and soda pop, it’s good. I’m happy.

The most satisfying days are ones like last Wednesday, where I spent the morning helping my buddies paint their living room, then climbed into a combine and harvested some corn, then got cleaned up to spend the evening working on an ancient Greek sex comedy at the local university. Speaking of which, UNI’s version of “The Lysistrata” opens in a couple of weeks, and if you’re in the area you should come and see it, I think you’ll like it!

Soon I’ll write about the process of creating this show, and the new experience of team direction! Until then, my friends,

Waffles!

Life Jackets and Yellow Jackets

Made it safe and sound. As of 12 hours ago, I am now back in Iowa.

True to life on the farm, this morning, I started doing my daily chores. Nothing heavy, mind. We don’t have calves to feed; the lawn didn’t even need mowing. But here at Wapsi Canoe, there are always paddles and life jackets to put away.

As I was doing so, wrapping the cord around the safety vests, noticed at the pane of the garages’ window a bee was desperately buzzing up and down the tiny pane of glass trying to escape to the wide world beyond. 

This pane of window glass was less size than an 8x10 sheet of paper.

Two feet from this window was the garage’s walk-in door, closed; however, it had a window in it three feet high and two feet wide. This tiny bee simply wasn’t thinking big enough.  

Even funnier was that two feet from the walk-in door  I had the garages’ hangar door open – a space twenty-four feet wide by seven feet high, with fresh morning air gently blowing in.

All this poor bee would have to do is back up, take in its surroundings, and fly right through the opening only four feet away! I nearly helped the wasp, but decided it would be best for all parties involved to let it exhaust itself and find the exit on its own.

I realized that if I could speak bee, I would be willing to coach it out of its predicament. However if I did, I’d use the process of via negative that I learned at Dell’Arte International. It would be so much easier to tell the bee:

“No. that’s not it. Think bigger. That glass is just holding you back; however, there is that huge open doorway over there,” than to say: 

“Ok bee, I know that you sense that the outside world is just beyond that plate of glass, that’s good; you have good insect instincts. But do you see how this tiny pane is solid? Sure, with enough force of will, you might be able to break through it, but did you notice this gaping hole right over there? Maybe it might be good to think bigger. Oh, you’ve moved onto the door glass. Good! You see how much bigger your view of the world is from here?  Now, you might notice that here is also covered by impenetrable glass. Yes, yes I can see the world through it.  It thrills me that you can too. Bud did you notice how air isn’t passing through it? Ok, that’s good. Explore this door window. Great. Good work. I’ll leave you to it, but I think when you have a moment, you’d really like to check out this giant open door right over here. I think you’d like what you find there. 

“Whew! What a mouthful!

This is when I had a realization:

                Too often when I make theatre, I find myself being the bee. I have the ability to sense the verdant world, but commonly find myself not noticing the pane of glass between me and my objective.  How funny must it look to the outside world, little me buzzing up and down against this tiny idea while completely oblivious that a bigger picture is next door, and that if I just looked around, the answer to my problem is a giant gaping hole two feet to my left! 

By the time I finished putting away the life jackets, I returned to the window, to find the bee gone. Good work, bee.

Thank you, Ronlin and my Dell’Arte brethren for letting me learn to coach bees.

Thank you, Ronlin and my Dell’Arte brethren for letting me be the bee.

The future is right there: just find the hole where the fresh air is getting in.

Here’s a hint: it’s probably huge; and not right in front of you…

Waffles!

Highlights since we last met:

Calgary: Punk Rock bingo. That’s right, bingo, in a bar, while punk rock loudly plays. Awesome.

Medora, Wild West tourist camp. Tonight we dine on steaks stuck on pitchforks boiled in oil. We also get to see the Medora Musical… God Bless Teddy Roosevelt’s America, Indeed.

Ketchup flavored potato chips. An acquired addicting taste.

Lots and lots of beautiful scenery. Lots and lots and lots!

Antelope and pheasants on the side of the road.

Coast to Coast AM with George Noory.

And a Lego mural of a photograph of one of our most gracious hosts.

Now, I’m off to don some play clothes and clown around with Zed.

Waffles

Taking it slow, at 100 per hour

‘Ello, Blokes,

This here blog is coming out of Revelstoke, British Columbia.

Friends, if ever you want to see beauty in a natural form, TransCanada highway 1 is the thing for you!

The highway is a two-laner, with top speeds of about 100kph, or roughly 60mph. Speed demons, this might not be your thing but I guarantee that the beauty of mountains, waterfalls and trees will be 100% worth it. All you non-corporate lovers out there? For food options, I counted 2 Subways, 1 McDonalds an Arbys and a plethora of mom and pop restaurants.

The highlight of the day happened around 4pm. At that time I was the meat in a down-hill semi-trailer sandwich and due to the drizzle and the curvy, downhill nature of the drive – stress levels were higher than normal. We noticed off to the side of the road some classic cars, and behind that, an Ice Cream parlor! 

Thanks to the wonders of driving slowly, we had more than enough time to pull over and inspect the beautiful old roadsters. Apparently, the towns around the area have a hot rod club, and decided that ice cream sounded like a good idea.

A good idea it was, too! This place was an on-site dairy, with cows and processing equipment behind the store. Fresh ice cream makes for awesome milkshakes!

We spoke briefly to the Hot Rodders, who seemed as fascinated by the fact that I was from Iowa as we did their beautiful cars.  We only wished our good friends Philip and Lucinda were along – they would have loved it!

Waffles! 

Here to Begin

Hello cats and kittens, I don’t know how long it’s been, nearly three years since I’ve last graced this site. What brings the resurgence? Well, buckos, let’s not call it a resurgence until it becomes semi regular at the very least. Yes?

Still, I am here and you are here, so one might say let’s dance the keyboard tango again, yes?

Indeed.

At the moment I find myself at a Vancouver Starbucks, sipping on a cooling Grande Mocha. This might seem anathema to those of us who knew me in my days in Boston, but life is nothing but changing, no?

I am in Vancouver to meet my future brother-in-law, and truth be told we get on splendidly. One might call him a brother-in-lol but I think that’s the coffee talking, potent stuff, as I’ve only sipped on the whipped cream….

First drink. Refreshing. Not cup of Joe, not Emack's but not awful either.

Ok. So time for the truth.

I am on a road trip. From Blue Lake, (which you will hear much about, be assured!) back to Iowa via Canada and NORTH DAKOTA!!!! Finally! This is a Dell’Arte-styled road trip, as I have fellow alumni scattered across the world now, who are happy to take me and the Zed on for a night. This is a good thing as we plan on skipping like stones on a pond across the world this summer. (Yes, Yes, more later)

First stop was Takilma, OR and the workshop of famed mask maker, Newman.

Newman is a wizard of leather mask techniques. There are no masks I prefer wearing more than his.

Ironically, the masks we left the store with were not his. Pictures may need to be had to show them off.

Newman says hello. If you know him, than know that he loves you and says hello.

Up next was the town of Portland, OR and the abode of James Peck and Sarah Peters. 

James and Sarah live across for an “Intentional Arts Complex” by the name of E.A.T. (Eating, Arts, Theatre) a two-year old subsided artist housing/studio space.  Their resident theatre company, Post 5 does a summer free Shakespeare festival. Check it out if you’re around. NE84th and Oregon… the next show is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” featuring one of my favorite actors, Gerrin Mitchell. 

Gerrin and I met at Dell’Arte… but those are later stories. Let’s just say that he’s awesome.

Finally we arrived in Vancouver BC. 

Vancouver is a nice town, people aren’t trying to kill you with their cars, the streets make sense and it’s relatively walkable. This is a good thing, as Zed loves to walk. Yesterday we put in close to five miles, and she wandered another few on top of that.

Who is this Zed? Is she a puppy? Nope. She’s my shiny new fiancée! But those are later stories. Let’s just say that she’s awesome.

The most remarkable thing that I have experienced in Vancouver is the sushi. Not only is it everywhere, super cheap and delicious, it’s also enormous! Two maki rolls feed three hungry people kind of enormous. McDonalds Supersize kind of enormous. An Alaska roll (read: has salmon. Staple sushi. Nothing that requires it to be roughly the size of Alaska.) That we ordered might have had a diameter greater than the rim of this paper cup my Grande Mocha is riding in! Truly, it was the sushi equivalent of new York-style pizza. You pretty much had to fold it in half to get it into your mouth – no easy task when employing chopsticks!

This area of Vancouver that I have spent the past three days in has been nothing short of the culinary version of “The Garden of Earthly Delights”.  The three of us have noshed on Calamari, Carrot Cake, Coconuts, Coffee, Curry, Granola, Greek-style hamburgers, Green-Tea Ice Cream, Pasta, Pizza, Pork Chops, Poutine, Roti, Salad, Satay, Scalloped Potatoes, Shellfish, Sliders, Spring Rolls, and Sushi.

No wonder we’ve walked so much!

Zed is in the process of taking her third dance class…

 Once that’s finished it’s on towards Calgary!

Should be a beautiful drive.

There’s so much to say, but now my friends it’s time for :

Waffles!