Good 'Ole Eleanor

I know... I know... everyone and their great-aunt-once-removed loves Eleanor Roosevelt quotes. But I've been living by one lately that seems to be a necessary rule of thumb for anyone going into this field of insanity civilized people call "the arts." It is so easy to get bogged down by fear. But good 'ole Eleanor will see me through:

"Do one thing every day that scares you." Eleanor Roosevelt.

Love,

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I'M BACK, FOLKS!

I’ve been getting settled in here in the Big Apple, which, yes indeed, has taken some time. But, now that I’ve got a couple day jobs and a place to call my own I feel that it is FINALLY time for me to jump back into this thing.

So, when you play the character of Time… it can mess with your head. In UE’s The Winter’s Tale last spring “Father Time” became more of a “Big Mama Time” a la Cole McCarty’s fabulous vision, and I had the distinct privilege of playing that hot know-it-all. Now, I did a lot of thinking about this part (a good thing and a bad thing to an extent) but I settled into the whole idea of Time as a continuum that is both ethereal and earthy, stationary and fleeting, naughty and nice, etc. etc. (I know it’s not original, but it helped me wrap my mind around the whole thing)

WELL. After all that thinking about Time that I did in my final semester of college… you would THINK that I would be able to handle the ridiculous shift in my perspective of it.

Negative. This adulthood thing has hit me like a ton of bricks. Up until we head out on our own time has been measured in increments of singular years, during which it is pretty obvious what you need to accomplish to be successful. Run for student government. Learn stuff in your classes. Make lots of friends. Have more that 1500 tagged photos of you on facebook (maybe that’s just me). 10th grade, 11th grade, 12th grade, freshman, sophomore, junior, senior. We have a structure to lean on. Some constant institution, like a school or something, to keep us comfortable.

Whelp… don’t have that anymore… And now, some days it just kind of feels like I’m floating around day to day hoping to make a right career move here… needing to make $$$ there. And no one can prepare you for that upheaval. I’m sure it’s just one of those things you get used to… BUT IT’S HARD. Just so ya know. Here's a picture:

In other news, I’ve been working on a production called Something Outrageous at the 45th Street Theatre which is a compilation of several sketch comedy scenes. We had ‘em rollin in the floor laughing last weekend and I can’t wait to perform it for the last time, tonight! Also, I really like the people I work with at THE RIDE. If you haven’t checked it out go to www.experiencetheride.com and see who is providing the bacon (or facon for the vegetarians) for me to bring home.

HERE’S TO JUMPING BACK ON THE BLOG BANDWAGON! yeehaw. ruff rider.

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A Quick Update

Just a quick update with what's going on in my life.

With 7 performances left of Lincoln: Upon the Altar of Freedom I'm getting ready to say goodbye to Evansville for quite some time. Weird. It's bizarre how four years of living somewhere will sneak up on you and make a smelly midwest town feel a little bit like home. But like good 'ole Abe says, "We must always keep moving on."

Then I'm going to be on a whirlwind tour to South Carolina for four days of rest then I'm packing my suitcase (that I'm going to have to pay that airline for... grumble) and I'm off to NYC on the 13th. I will be living with the fabulous Ashlee Springer and Steven Manuel and apartment searching with the lovely Meredith Wood. Hoorah Hoorah! So... if you're in NYC, call me!

Anyway... I'm just getting all nostalgic about moving on and peacing out and jumping into something totally new, and I keep thinking back to Into the Woods. The quote in the finale "So... into the woods you go again, you have to every now and then. Into the woods, no telling when; be ready for the journey. Into the woods, but not too fast or what you wish wish, you lose at last. Into the woods, but mind the past. Into the woods, but mind the future." Yup.



Laterrrrr,
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Deconstructing Disney: Part Deux

Taylor shared this on my facebook wall. It's hilarious.

Homo-cidal Maniacs


Laterrr,
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Civil War Women

Since the beginning of the summer I've been working on this project off and on and really need to buckle down and get something on paper. I figure by informing my public of this (all 23 of my followers... haha) it will hold me accountable in some way, shape, or form.

SO. In early June I was hanging out at the library (like I do) and doing some research on Sally Bush Johnston (Abraham Lincoln's HOT stepmother, who I'm playing this summer) and I stumbled upon (like literally stumbled upon, not using the newfangled internet time waster which has kept me entertained many-a-day here in southern Indiana: stumbleupon.com) this book called They Fought Like Demons.

They Fought Like Demons presents the stories of women who fought in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. I WAS BAFFLED. I had never even thought of women in the military before the second half of the 20th century (Although women could legally be employed by the armed services in 1948 after President Truman passed the Women's Armed Services Integration Act, it wasn't until 1992 that it became legal in the US military for women to be pilots for on navy and air force planes, 1993 is when women were legally able to serve on combatant ships, and 1994 is when women were able to join ground-combat forces)

These women risked everything by dressing like men and running into combat. Each of the 500+ women had their reasons for joining the war; reasons which were rarely documented and mostly hear-say from friends and relatives, which is what interests me. What were these women thinking? Was it the only way for them to escape the social constraints put on their sex in the Victorian era? Was it a monetary? (You could make a lot more $$$ enlisting in the military than being a domestic servant, which is what most single women of the time worked as) Was the military heroine a romanticized idea from stories read to them as children?

The stories are phenomenal and have rarely been told, so I'm working on writing a play-type-thing that somehow tells their story. The details are few and far between right now but I'm excited about it. Yup.

In other news, we only have 18 performances left of Lincoln: Upon the Altar of Freedom.

Byez!
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Go Away Jay-Z... Empire State of Mind

Dear Alica Keys,

Don't let Jay-Z mess up another one of your songs.

Sincerely,
Sally Cade Holmes

It's official...

True Blood's Pam is my hero.

Oh, and I bought my one-way ticket to NYC for August 13! Yes, that's a Friday the 13th, which my mother pointed out after twas purchased... oh well! See y'all in the city soon!

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Deconstructing Disney

So we all know Disney owns the world. (In case you didn't know Disney owns ABC, ESPN, Buena Vista Records, Miramax Films, Pixar, History Channel, Lifetime, Marvel Comics, just to name a few.) Seeing as Disney is so far-reaching it's a bit alarming to look at how human fear of the un-categorized influences their films.

As TayBay and I were cruisin' down the road on the way to his sacrifice, upon the altar of freedom, (he went to see Lincoln yesterday) he brought up something that I have been aware of but never realized the enormity of: many of Disney's villains do not fit into a stereotypical gender. There is gender-ambiguity among the ranks of the characters that children, and adults for that matter, love to hate. I'm sure that case study after case study has been written on this but I just discovered this conundrum... What are the implications?

Doctor Facilier from The Princess and the Frog. This guy... is wearing a belly shirt. He is thin, curvy, wearing jewelry. Need I say more?

Jafar's affected speech pattern and flamboyant appearance suggests something other than heroic masculinity.

Other than those phallic tentacles... Ursula is rocking a short haircut, raspy voice, and is definitely not anywhere near the shape of the "ideal" woman... as a matter of fact, she's more of a blob with a voice if you compare her to the shape of Ariel.

And it just keeps going.... I don't think the creators of these movies were specifically thinking "We shall make the villains more androgynous than the heroes" but I think this is evidence of a subconscious fear of the unknown. Things that can't fit into categories freak humans out. So villains often cross the borders of gender and don't necessarily fit into "norms." 

So really, I just want someone to write a case study on Deconstructing Disney: The Implications of Gender in Popular Media. GO.

In other news, it's been a crazy weekend in which I met people whose names are all over my house and all over UE Theatre lore. Hoorah alumni coming into town for weddings.

Until later,

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BP Coffee Spill

Truth.

I Can Do Anything Good!

As I read:

I take frequent breaks to watch this:



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Women of Will

Not too long ago, I saw the Kenneth Branagh version of Much Ado About Nothing. And after swooning over Emma Thompson (or Beatrice... or both actress and character) I realized I was swooning more over the interpretation of Beatrice as a woman who has enormous verbal veracity and could take down any of the dudes with her incredible wit and who doesn't let that sharp-tongue go after she marries the equally quick Benedick.

THEN, I got to thinking about Kate in Taming of the Shrew. (Taming can be wildly and irreverently summed up as the story of Petruchio trying to tame the beastly shrew, Kate, much to the chagrin of families and then there's a subplot with Bianca and some other people. But in the end, Kate ends up with Petruchio.) That last speech... ohhh that last speech. For those who don't know, wikipedia explains the end of the play:

Katherina is the only one of the three who comes, winning the wager for Petruchio. At the end of the play, after the other two wives have been hauled into the room by Katherina, she gives them a hyperbolic speech on the subject of why wives should always obey their husbands, and tells them that their husbands ask only "love, fair looks and true obedience" (5.2.153).

Wikipedia is interpreting that speech! What if the speech was drenched in sarcasm? What if it isn't about women and men's roles at all but about self-sacrificing love? Don't interpret my Shakespeare, Wikipedia.

Anyway, so I was thinking about different ways of interpreting that last speech and how Shakespeare himself would have thought about it and then I found this article! It's a NYTimes review of a two-person production called Women of Will by Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, MA. This production is a project by Tina Packer to prove her thesis, that Ben Brantly has already written so I won't re-write it:

It is her thesis that as Shakespeare developed as a playwright, his women increasingly became his artistic alter egos, marginalized figures who stood to the side of the power makers, observing and interpreting. (She estimates that there are only 177 female characters in the canon, as opposed to 770 male roles.) Through a mixture of acting and annotation, Ms. Packer, assisted by Mr. Gore, chronologically traces this evolution, from the demonized, sorceresslike Joan of Arc in “Henry VI, Part 1” (probably his first play) to the beneficent healer Marina of the late romance “Pericles, Prince of Tyre.

I think this is an example of how modern audiences must interpret Shakespeare. We cannot know what Willy himself thought. We cannot know if he was totally a product of his patriarchal society or if he was a radical or if he could have potentially written his women characters to be his artistic alter-ego. But that doesn't mean we should stop trying to uncover new meanings from these old texts. Even if Packer's thesis is wrong (it can never be proven unless Shakespeare was brought back to life), she lays out a strong argument for a way of interpretation that is suited to our time. She portrays Juliet as a "could-be poet" whose words twist around her thoughts rather than the starry-eyed innocent that is stereotypical. She does Kate's final monologue, that wikipedia described as being about "why wives should always obey their husbands," multiple times with multiple interpretations. Even if she can't prove Shakespeare's intentions, in my mind Packer proves that the Women of Will are not as black and white as they might have been in the past.

In other news, I'm still in my pajamas and here's a panda:

Bye!
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More on Campaign Commercials...

It's so true.

Reasons to Love a Show about Abe Lincoln in an Outdoor Amphitheatre for the Second Year in a Row...

1.)  Moths.
Hey there GIANT BROWN WANNA-BE BUTTERFLY. Get out of my face.

2.) Alejandro
These beetles, found upon the stage or hovering around fancy LED lights, have been given the affectionate title of Alejandro. Because everyone wants to see this little guy dance to Gaga.

3.) Looking like these folks.
Yes, friends, yes. Neutral colors, aprons, and bonnets have never looked so sexy.

4.) Vampires
And you thought that ax was just a charming token of Abe's pioneer spirit... negative. Did you know Abe Lincoln WIELDED AN AX TO BEHEAD VAMPIRES?

5.) 'nuff said.

6.) I've found a new scent! Move over Dolce and Gabbana Light Blue... thanks to Lincoln, I've found my true oaky, aerosol aroma.


In other news, I'm officially moving to NYC in August! Anyone need a charming, hard working, fun employee? I'm all over it.

Until later (it won't be as long between posts because Riley McIlveen has kicked my bloggin' butt into gear) I leave you with visual proof of my Lincoln-land experience.

Goodnight all!
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Femogynists UNITE!

Sarah Palin endorses Nikki Haley for SC Governor

This article is arguing that Sarah Palin and Nikki Haley are true feminists and that the "screeching" left-wing non-lipstick toting women's rights advocates are "femogynists" I KID YOU NOT.  I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but chuckle at their motto "walk softly. but carry a big lipstick." DOES ANYONE ELSE FIND THIS WILDLY PROBLEMATIC??

In other news, Dillon and I took all of the Exodus International Conversion Therapy pamphlets from the LIBRARY. YES, they were IN THE LIBRARY. We're so subversive.

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Blargh Blog!

After starting rehearsals for Lincoln: Upon the Alter of Freedom (the new theatrical experience, Dinner.Drama.Destiny... and the 3592 other subtitles for the show) I have fallen down on the blogging job. But, I plan to return! I just haven't had time to peruse the news for good topics. That's all. Happy Monday!

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Let's go exploring!

I love this. It's the last Calvin and Hobbes in 1995. Exploring - that's what my game plan is.

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Branding Broadway

Warning: I'm not promising to present any new ideas or answers in this post... I'm also no authority on these subjects... I'm just typing some stuff that I'm interested in.

Back when I was in college (a whole week ago) the relationship between marketing and artistry was brought up quite a bit by people in the Arts Marketing class... and although I didn't take the class, I lived with someone who did so I got the cliff notes version and found it interesting.

So today when I found this article in the NY Times I was thrown back to the good 'ole days of flip cup, dancing in basements, and sitting around talking about branding with theatre management extraordinaire Reed Wilkerson. The quote that stood out to me the most in this interview with the New York Times theatre critics Ben Brantley and Charles Isherwood was when they were talking about the celebritization (I made that word up) of Broadway and how the productions that have been monetarily successful on Broadway in recent years were the ones that utilize the "depressing star factor" as Isherwood calls it. To quote Brantley, "On Broadway you’ve got to start off with a brand name today. Clearly, audiences want something that they’ve seen before, or at least they know what they’re getting into, the way they would pick up a certain brand of ice cream or a piece of J. Crew clothing. And then, if they’re surprised by something, all the better. Which is not a climate conducive to experimentation."

Disheartening right? But why do audiences respond this way? Brantley says it's familiarity that audiences want. Are they responding to images of these "stars" that are put in front of them daily by the media? They become familiar with Jude Law so going to see him in Hamlet makes the foreign Shakespearean language itself seem more familiar. It can be argued that modern theatre, as a whole, produces that same feeling of something "foreign" because it isn't part of mainstream entertainment anymore, due to the popularity and accessibility of TV and movies... plus, the tremendous ticket prices in commercial theatres. But theatres don't just use star-power. They seek to make the audience comfortable with continuity in logos, season selection, and the theatrical experience as a whole. When you're fighting an uphill battle to get people in the seats you want to make the audience as comfortable as possible. When looking at it like that... yeah! Audiences need something familiar to latch onto in order to get butts in the seats! Like Vanessa Williams in Into the Woods:

Or P. Diddy in A Raisin in the Sun:

Or Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury in A Little Night Music:

But what about the idea that producing a live performance speaks to audiences in itself and it shouldn't need celebrities to do it!? The idea that theatre can speak to some core part of human beings. I have trouble articulating what it is about theatre that does that. It has something to do with another individual being vulnerable in front of us, telling the audience a story. Is that notion outdated? Idealistic? Call me an idealist and slap me silly, but I think there is something special about theatre that can move audiences to change, think, reflect, engage, and a bajillion other inspiring verbs. But, in the world of Broadway where breaking even on a lavish production will take a ridiculous number of performances can you afford to take a risk on the "magic of theatre?"

My answer, in the case of Broadway, is no. So, my semi-educated, probably naive opinion is that branding is what gets people in the door and the experience itself, the "theatre magic," if you will, is what keeps them coming back. Balancing these is essential, especially in commercial markets. Showcase Kelsey Grammar or Jude Law or P. Diddy on the billboards use modern aesthetic conventions like projections, hydraulics, laser beams, ushers on segways whatever... BUT provide a product that causes the audience to understand something in a new way, or feel something that needed to be tapped into, or relate to a situation... that's what keeps them coming back. If a star is there just to be a star... and not to tell the story in an exciting, engaging, moving way it's a sell out.

This conflict will probably be why I work in non-profits for the rest of my life. Helloooooo 501(c)3 forms! (Also... if you made it all the way to the end of this post... I'm impressed, it was longer than I expected. :o))

Well... I had good intentions...

I had lofty goals for this evening that involved how to reconcile loving classic musicals (which often times are sexist) with feminism... but then I got a little tipsy. Sooooo, I'll save that for tomorrow night. And until then, enjoy the following links! :o)

Pandemonium (if the link is working!)

Interesting... Troubling or encouraging?

Who doesn't love cute pomeranians??

ENJOY!
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A love letter to Detective Olivia Benson

Huffington Post: Law and Order Cancellation

DON'T WORRY. When I heard about Law and Order being cancelled I swept a silent tear from my cheek when I realized I might not be able to see Mariska Hargitay on television every week on SVU. Let's be real... she's amazing. Who wouldn't miss this:

BUT, never fear... Law and Order: SVU was picked up for another year.

So long, Law and Order... but I'll take my Ice T with a dash of Mariska.

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**Addendum**

After writing this approximately 15 minutes ago... I realized that the cancelation of Law and Order has lessened my chances of getting a job in NY by like 30%. Everyone works on that show. Crap. (At least I still have Mariska)

If the Straight Jacket Fits... Whatever

You should probably read the Newsweek article before this blog entry...

Newsweek Article: Straight Jacket

The Advocate with Kristin Chenoweth's Response

Where, where, where to start. This article has gotten tremendous attention and a lot of this scrutiny has come from K. Chenoweth's response. First off, Kristin has been badmouthed in the past for being less than outspoken about LGBT issues when her fan base is so heavily gay (we all know the queens and the middle school Broadway buffs are the ones buying her albums -I probably have one from 7th grade). This attack on a personal friend has caused her to lash out, winning the hearts of her gay fans. BUT, I think she misses the point on some things. (Also, Sean Hayes seems to have gotten mixed reviews from everyone for his performance in Promises, Promises... including the gay community.)

Ramin Setoodeh, the journalist who wrote the article, is gay (according to The Advocate). I'm not saying that makes everything he said excusable (like the suggestion that LGBT actors should stay in the closet... not excusable), but I think it means the article can be read in a different light. Chenoweth, and lots of other irate bloggers, have become outraged over Setoodeh's "claim" that gays can't play straight, but I think his argument brings up more questions than conclusions. Setoodeh is not arguing that gays can't play straight as much as he is saying that when society has placed a label of "gay" on someone like Sean Hayes, it's hard for them to comprehend him as anything else. Setoodeh is bringing this issue up and I think it's an important one to talk about... and it's exciting that it is getting so much attention.

Honestly, he's right. People, unfortunately, do have a fascination with human sexuality; especially sexuality that is different from the majority. This is because of its "newness" in the grand scheme of things. LGBT people are beginning to be recognized for the first time as "normal" people who have the ability to be in loving, committed relationships just like straight people! (WHO KNEW?) This fascination is something that society will overcome in time... or at least I hope it is. When a "gay person" is understood as having the exact same needs and wants as a "straight person" this won't be an issue. We can look at it for what it actually is... Sean Hayes (as a person... not as a gay man...) just wasn't necessarily suited for the role in the eyes of some reviewers. He, as a person, maybe wasn't the best choice, or maybe society can't make a judgement call yet. In the same way Mickey Rourke probably couldn't play the lead in La Cage without raising some eyebrows because audiences couldn't get over his macho persona (however... I might pay to see that.)

It comes down to understanding that "gay" is a label that makes things easier to understand for people who might not otherwise understand it at all. In a recent interview with The Advocate, Cynthia Nixon claims that she is "gay" politically (which is important in this political climate) but that her sexuality is not necessarily label-able. (Cynthia Nixon Interview) Once people understand that everyone is somewhere on the scale between "straight" and "gay" Sean Hayes will be criticized as an actor... not as a gay man. (Cynthia Nixon won her Tony for The Rabbit Hole, playing the role of a grieving, straight, mother, while offstage with a female partner... I'm just sayin')

So, basically, I say to all the world, get over the labels. Embrace the people for people. After all, people who need people are the luckiest people in the world. Don't rain on my parade. And lots of other Barbara Streisand quotes.

In other news... I went to a baseball game tonight and it was terrifyingly heteronormative and all the men there looked alike in their pastel polos, short shorts, baseball caps, and sperry topsiders (with no socks). I felt frumpy compared to all the women. What is this place they call South Carolina?

Until later,
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Potty Prejudice!

Potty Parity Act

On Capital Hill today they passed an act requiring all new government buildings to have a 1:1 ration of men and women restrooms. To which I replied: THAT WASN'T ALREADY THE CASE? We're fighting for equality of genders and the fact that this is even on issue is insane! It is true that (as I heard second hand from Anne's neuroscience class) more men work in government and business and more women work in non-profits and the arts, but isn't that because this is how we've been conditioned? Aren't we fighting to equalize the workforce? I will write more later... I just saw this on the news and I had to comment.

Tonight I think I'm going to write about the Newsweek article about gay actors that is causing such a stir.

Fond regards,
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...The Beginning...

Pearls and Plaid: Non-Labeled Couture...

I exist somewhere in between pearls and plaid and enjoy both on different days and HELL, why not on the same day? Pearls: the symbol of southern femininity. I recieved a pair on the day I was baptised and have continued to recieve them at every major milestone. They're pretty. I like them. I wear them sometimes. Yeah. I do. You know what else I wear? Plaid. I wear plaid and I like it. You can tell me I look like a lumberjack, but there's nothing more comfortable than a big flannel shirt! Anyway... that's what's behind the title of this blog. (I got some help from riley bo biley with it, too)

I've never really blogged... but I'm going to give it a shot. I promise nothing except to provide thought provoking stuff. Maybe it'll be funny sometimes. :o)

This blog is where I am attempting to make myself aware, and the few of my friends who stumble upon this little gem whilst facebook stalking me, of issues in areas I'm interested in. This entire idea started when I was frustrated by the fact that there was no way to reconcile commercialism in theatre and the necessity of $$$$ to produce it and allow it to reach an audience. What do we do as artists in the face of this? The only answer I came up with is that the first step is to be aware of the controversy. We can't do anything unless we're aware of the issues! SO, I want to be aware of the details surrounding all of the subjects I'm interested in. My personal interests obviously lie in theatre, probably some feminism, LGBT issues, issues surrounding religion, and where any or all of those things meet. My plan is to post links to interesting articles and other random things on the interwebs and then respond to them. But that might change... and I may indulge in the occassional rant or funny story... WHO KNOWS WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS!

Anyway! This is all very exciting. Until the next time... keep it secret, keep it safe.

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