I think we are all pretty ready for the Christmas Break to be here. Lots of grumpy people grumping around the halls and making life miserable for everyone else... Oh well, only 3 more days and we will all be fine.
Tonight I had the intention of attending the choir/orchestra concert at the school, but ended up playing in an InstaCare instead. Baby Shiloh cut her finger with a pair of scissors at daycare today and it ended up bleeding. Got it stopped, but when she got home the band aide came off and started bleeding again - a bunch. So, I ended up sitting on the couch with baby's hand wrapped in tissue until mom got home so we could go to the doctor.
We ended up going to the InstaCare and having her finger glued and bandaged (which did not stay on for more than 10 minutes). The while time Shiloh watched the nurses do their dirty work on her finger. She was really interested in the whole process. She had to watch what they were doing the whole time. We did not have to hold her down or anything like that. So, instead of having a cultural evening - we had an eventful evening with Shiloh's first trip to the InstaCare.
Beauty and the Beast Pics
Crazy busy = fruitful results.
For the past 2 months my life has been consumed by another production. Now it is closed. I must say that Beauty and the Beast went quite well (pictures to come soon). The pit orchestra was amazing, the actors are the best students that I have ever worked with (honestly), parents have said it is the largest audience they have seen in the space since time immemorial, and now other schools want to rent our set from the show. This has turned out to be a very good experience to begin my time at Skyline High.
I was very skeptical about doing such a large show for my first one in a new school with students I did not know and a space I was not familiar with. While there were some pretty big snags in the entire process (i.e. - music director finding out he has cancer just being one of them...) everyone in the process pulled together to make a fantastic show.
Now it is time to choose another show, but somehow I find myself less than motivated to finalize a decision about the show. I am very excited to spend some time with Candace and Shiloh. To take some much needed time away from the production cycle.
For now, I have to focus on trying to get the aftermath cleaned up from this giant show. While it takes months on end to create a show of this magnitude, I love that other people think that it can all go away in a week. Thank heavens I am surrounded by helpful, caring, concerned, loving people that can help me accomplish what seems to be an impossible task....!
I was very skeptical about doing such a large show for my first one in a new school with students I did not know and a space I was not familiar with. While there were some pretty big snags in the entire process (i.e. - music director finding out he has cancer just being one of them...) everyone in the process pulled together to make a fantastic show.
Now it is time to choose another show, but somehow I find myself less than motivated to finalize a decision about the show. I am very excited to spend some time with Candace and Shiloh. To take some much needed time away from the production cycle.
For now, I have to focus on trying to get the aftermath cleaned up from this giant show. While it takes months on end to create a show of this magnitude, I love that other people think that it can all go away in a week. Thank heavens I am surrounded by helpful, caring, concerned, loving people that can help me accomplish what seems to be an impossible task....!
My little flower girl
So I finally got the pictures that we had taken of Shiloh (indirectly I might add . . . I never even got the originals) a while back. I must say that she is the cutest thing and what a HAM for the camera. My favorites are the ones that she is not posing in though:
Specifically Ambiguous
As I sat and watched the Presidential Debates this evening I wondered - will anyone ever answer a question that is posed? The answer was a resounding "No." Not only would it be nice to hear what the candidates actually think, but it would also be really nice to have a debate that does not result in juvenile name-calling and a bunch of he-said-he-said stupidity. I was hoping that something that I heard tonight would sway me in way way or the other regarding the upcoming election. However, the only thing that was confirmed to me was that Obama is a much more eloquent and intellectually appealing individual than McCain.
McCain seemed almost arcane in his mentality toward every topic that was discussed. He also, on more than one occasion, reverted to name calling and pointing out small faults in order to divert attention away from obvious shortcomings of his own. Obama seemed to have a much more concrete regimen for the things that need to be done; and he has the means and the vocabulary to see those things come to fruition. McCain seemed to rely (for me at any rate) too much on past experience that had little direct correlation to the current situations facing the nation. While Obama is somewhat less experienced in the world of politics and government when compared to McCain it did not seem to be something that was detrimental to his persona and presence. In fact, it seems that this plays to his advantage - not being as "jaded" and corrupted in the ways of governmental process and influence.
At this moment in time it looks like I am swaying toward the "Vote for Change."
McCain seemed almost arcane in his mentality toward every topic that was discussed. He also, on more than one occasion, reverted to name calling and pointing out small faults in order to divert attention away from obvious shortcomings of his own. Obama seemed to have a much more concrete regimen for the things that need to be done; and he has the means and the vocabulary to see those things come to fruition. McCain seemed to rely (for me at any rate) too much on past experience that had little direct correlation to the current situations facing the nation. While Obama is somewhat less experienced in the world of politics and government when compared to McCain it did not seem to be something that was detrimental to his persona and presence. In fact, it seems that this plays to his advantage - not being as "jaded" and corrupted in the ways of governmental process and influence.
At this moment in time it looks like I am swaying toward the "Vote for Change."
I want more... HELP!
Well, I have started rehearsals for Beauty and the Beast now, but with a couple of snags... I currently do not have a music director or a pit director! They both are out sick - the music director in particular does not know when or IF he will be able to help with the show at all! Now, I would normally be very supportive (I mean, having to have a section of your small colon removed is a major deal), but in this case - IT WAS NOT EVEN MY SHOW TO BEGIN WITH!! I did not pick this monster of a show. In fact, I had no part in the whole decision-making process. So now, I am stuck with a show that I didn't really want to do in the first place, without a music director (who pushed the show choice on the administration) and I am not getting the help that I really need to make the show actually work!! It just makes me want to scream!
I do not know how they expect me to pull off a show of this magnitude without the staff that is necessary to make it happen. I am stuck teaching music to the entire cast while I should be taking care of costumes, props, and a gargantuan set that I have to build myself! I just don't have any clue what to do at the moment. I am new to the area, so, I do not know who to ask for help even if they could. I do have a parent support group, but they are in shambles because their president resigned since her daughter did not get the lead (good grief...!), but that is a whole other story...
All I feel like I can say right now is - HELP!!
I do not know how they expect me to pull off a show of this magnitude without the staff that is necessary to make it happen. I am stuck teaching music to the entire cast while I should be taking care of costumes, props, and a gargantuan set that I have to build myself! I just don't have any clue what to do at the moment. I am new to the area, so, I do not know who to ask for help even if they could. I do have a parent support group, but they are in shambles because their president resigned since her daughter did not get the lead (good grief...!), but that is a whole other story...
All I feel like I can say right now is - HELP!!
Casting Completed
Well, I have finally cast my first show of the season for Skyline High - Beauty and the Beast. The whole process went relatively smoothly (thank heavens!). While the students were freaked out by an audition with a monologue, we still had around 65 people audition for the show. I thought a really respectable number considering that I am the new guy and people were skeptical about what I may do with the show.
I did have to deal with small political issues (who doesn't really) by making sure I give auditioners ample consideration before making casting choices - just to make sure that there are no irate parents or distraught students.
I posted the cast list on Friday at 5:00pm and then promptly left. It will be very interesting to see what kind of reactions I get on Monday. I really do not look forward to justifying my decisions to anyone... We will just have to wait and see though...
I did have to deal with small political issues (who doesn't really) by making sure I give auditioners ample consideration before making casting choices - just to make sure that there are no irate parents or distraught students.
I posted the cast list on Friday at 5:00pm and then promptly left. It will be very interesting to see what kind of reactions I get on Monday. I really do not look forward to justifying my decisions to anyone... We will just have to wait and see though...
Done. Now the count down starts...
Well, my first summer of graduate school is over! I have now finished 1/3 of my graduate degree. There were some extremely frustrating times as well as some very enlightening times and classes and people as well. This summer I took a bunch of Technical theatre classes - Lighting, Design Methods, Creative Costuming, Makeup, Directing, and Dramatic Lit. I was really glad to have the opportunity to meet a ton of wonderful people and make some great friends! I was also very glad to have a lot of my current teaching practices confirmed as well as learned a lot of new techniques to take back to my kids.
I was also very pleased to learn some new techniques in the areas of lighting and makeup that have been particularly difficult for me. Since I am colorblind lighting and makeup have always been a much more difficult practice for me to master. I was pleasantly surprised to have an instructor that was able to cater to my disability - and show me how to attain the same results as everyone else AND have it make sense to me at the same time. Saturation charts and the color wheel are fastly turning in to my best friends.
I think that the best part of the whole experience, however, has been meeting some great new people that are in the same boat that I am. That they are one-man-bands or just starting drama programs and go through the exact same trials and issues that I do. It will be great to be able to contact some different resources that know what I am talking about and what I need. I am very excited for the next two summers! In fact, that has turned into the highlight of my year thus far!!
I was also very pleased to learn some new techniques in the areas of lighting and makeup that have been particularly difficult for me. Since I am colorblind lighting and makeup have always been a much more difficult practice for me to master. I was pleasantly surprised to have an instructor that was able to cater to my disability - and show me how to attain the same results as everyone else AND have it make sense to me at the same time. Saturation charts and the color wheel are fastly turning in to my best friends.
I think that the best part of the whole experience, however, has been meeting some great new people that are in the same boat that I am. That they are one-man-bands or just starting drama programs and go through the exact same trials and issues that I do. It will be great to be able to contact some different resources that know what I am talking about and what I need. I am very excited for the next two summers! In fact, that has turned into the highlight of my year thus far!!
Into the Fire!
Well, I am now in the full swing of my Graduate program at Central Washington University! The first 2 sessions were great. Hella stressful, but really great. Papers that are 5 - 10 pages due in 2 days. Entire design projects for large-scale shows due in a week - CRAZY!
However, I am loving getting to know all the new people and getting the chance to network. The other thing that has been really nice is the confirmation that I have been teaching the right things in my classes thus far AND getting new ideas for teaching from a different set of professors and educators. I think that I got so used to the way that I learned things in my undergrad that having the ability to get a new perspective is VERY refreshing.
I love the people! All the "first years", as we call ourselves (kinda a la Harry Potter) have been really good to work with. There is a wide knowledge base and a very diverse variety of teachers at the program. Since this is the case, a lot of what we are covering is a review, of sorts. Many of the teachers do not have theatre backgrounds, so they have the need for really basic skill that someone like me, who graduated in theatre earlier, already has. However, I like the opportunity of watching different professors than who I had in my undergrad teach some of the same things. It gives a new perspective to the subject and it gives me a chance to look at the way that they teach that subject.
I am really stoked for the rest of the summer!!
However, I am loving getting to know all the new people and getting the chance to network. The other thing that has been really nice is the confirmation that I have been teaching the right things in my classes thus far AND getting new ideas for teaching from a different set of professors and educators. I think that I got so used to the way that I learned things in my undergrad that having the ability to get a new perspective is VERY refreshing.
I love the people! All the "first years", as we call ourselves (kinda a la Harry Potter) have been really good to work with. There is a wide knowledge base and a very diverse variety of teachers at the program. Since this is the case, a lot of what we are covering is a review, of sorts. Many of the teachers do not have theatre backgrounds, so they have the need for really basic skill that someone like me, who graduated in theatre earlier, already has. However, I like the opportunity of watching different professors than who I had in my undergrad teach some of the same things. It gives a new perspective to the subject and it gives me a chance to look at the way that they teach that subject.
I am really stoked for the rest of the summer!!
Yay - the addiction returns!
My top 3!!It is back! My drug - as it were - So You Think You Can Dance is back! For some reason watching all of these people do what I wish I could is mesmerizing. The more I watch, the more I want to watch. Is it that I miss being on stage so much that just watching others do it is very satisfying? I am not sure. All I know is that I love it! Yay for the DV-R and watching it over and over.
Wow...
It is like comparing night and day. I have now had the opportunity to work with the students that I will be teaching at Skyline High School. It is unbelievable the difference that I saw in the focus and quality of work that I saw from these students when compared to all the others that I have taught to this point. Now, I understand that I only had one day to compare, but even then, the feeling of yearning for understanding and improvement that I received from these students was great! I truly got the impression that the vast majority of these kids wanted to be in a real drama class and to learn new techniques and methods - including both acting and technical theatre students.
This is not to say that the students that I have had at other places did not want the same things, but they definitely were not as focused and motivated to accomplish anything near what I experienced with this new set of students. Starting with this kind of base and motivation excites me very much! The quality of work that can come from this kind of experience is unbelievable! I am way more excited about this new opportunity than I dreamed possible!
This is not to say that the students that I have had at other places did not want the same things, but they definitely were not as focused and motivated to accomplish anything near what I experienced with this new set of students. Starting with this kind of base and motivation excites me very much! The quality of work that can come from this kind of experience is unbelievable! I am way more excited about this new opportunity than I dreamed possible!
Motivation?
This is going to be a little weird. chicken butt. <--- Candace's two bits.
The rest of this year is going to be weird. It is the first time I will move from one place to another because of my job. I do not know why, but the whole concept of finishing out the year in a place that I know I will not be coming back to will be interesting to say the least. It also makes further interactions with the other teachers kind of awkward. Especially since they also know that I am not sticking around. Makes me kinda feel like I am abandoning both the teachers and the students who I interact with on a daily basis.
The prospect of going to a bigger school with an already established program just makes the current situation seem bleak and unproductive. It will be a challenge to stay motivated - but even that will hopefully help me stay on top of things.
The rest of this year is going to be weird. It is the first time I will move from one place to another because of my job. I do not know why, but the whole concept of finishing out the year in a place that I know I will not be coming back to will be interesting to say the least. It also makes further interactions with the other teachers kind of awkward. Especially since they also know that I am not sticking around. Makes me kinda feel like I am abandoning both the teachers and the students who I interact with on a daily basis.
The prospect of going to a bigger school with an already established program just makes the current situation seem bleak and unproductive. It will be a challenge to stay motivated - but even that will hopefully help me stay on top of things.
Yay! Time for a change.
I have accepted a position to teach Drama at Skyline High School in Salt Lake! I will be moving into a full Drama program (yay no more Speech!) where I will teach Drama 1, Drama 2, Drama 3, Technical Theatre, & Film Studies. The theatre is HUGE - about 2,000 seats - and there is also a black box theatre to do smaller shows.
That is all I know at the moment. I will be going down to sign contracts and get all the details taken care of soon. I will post more as I learn more.
That is all I know at the moment. I will be going down to sign contracts and get all the details taken care of soon. I will post more as I learn more.
Another closing.
My students and I have just closed Once Upon a Mattress. The response to the show was very positive! Everyone seems to have had an enjoyable experience. All of the comments that I have heard have been positive.
Here are some production shots from the show!!
Yet again...
Here I am at the beginning of another production and I am STILL dealing with the same issues that I had last year - people throwing a fit over content in a show they know nothing about. This year, however, I get to have the immense joy of dealing with the "why didn't my daughter get a lead in your play?" issue. I am so tired of dealing with bigoted conservativism that I could scream!
What ever happened to understanding the art form for what it is worth and accepting author intent? It is written that way for a reason people!! Just because you don't agree with it does not give you the right to hack it to pieces to make your little moral self fell better about it. DEAL!
On the up side - we are all moved into the new house in Preston. Yay for no more driving to work! Now have to work on making new place feel like home...
What ever happened to understanding the art form for what it is worth and accepting author intent? It is written that way for a reason people!! Just because you don't agree with it does not give you the right to hack it to pieces to make your little moral self fell better about it. DEAL!
On the up side - we are all moved into the new house in Preston. Yay for no more driving to work! Now have to work on making new place feel like home...