10 Things I Wish I'd Known On Leaving for College
Being in a show recently with some folks who are headed off into the world of undergrad theatre in the next few weeks, I got to thinking about what advice I would give to those starting out if asked. They did not ask. Here we are anyway.
Consumed
I try not to get too mystical in my approach to acting. I find a lot of that sort of vocabulary to be really off-putting. In our need to ennoble the craft we try to elevate it beyond what it usually is to make ourselves feel like more ourselves.
But there are “mystical” things about the craft that you can’t dodge in the same way that carpenters can’t really avoid the fact the wood has a personality. Using the words we do makes it seem a little cartoonish, but it’s true so… there we go.
Herein Will I Imitate the Sun
My extended cardiac pause at the end of last year was cause for reflection, which I think most folks would find pretty common. That period of reflection combined with a political environment running so hard against what I believe to be my and my broader community's best interests left me reeling a bit. Is this political moment a call to more explicit political action? How can I improve the community in a more direct way? And how do I define that community in this new place?
The Road Goes Ever Ever On
This weekend is the true start of the end. This weekend is the last time I get to work with Trouble Puppet.
A Friend Like Me
No one needs a 4000th "Robin Williams is my jam" eulogy splotch in their feed. But we really do need to learn the lesson he modeled and we need to stop opting out of helping.
Public / Private
I am a non-believing (formerly-believing) son of genuine believers. I spend a lot of time in this strident cultural moment understanding the Christian impulse being expressed while no longer condoning (or working towards) the cultural hegemony that that cohort is so hungry for.