HOW A UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON SCHOOL OF LAW ACTING GIG SAVED MY LIFE:
You might note that I haven't posted an entry for a week. My last entry
was on December 25, wishing you all Happy Holidays. Often, my going a while
without posting a blog entry is common. However, this particular week between
entries was against plan. I actually had a bit to do that would have been
written about here. But my agenda last week was eradicated as has been most
my agenda for weeks to come.
Here's what happened. I woke up last Sunday to a burning ache in my upper
back that began radiating and then migrated to my left shoulder. Then my
left arm got numb. Thanks to the medical malpractice U.D. Law mock trial I
did several years in a row, the one where I played an ER doctor, an expert
in chest trauma, I knew that chest pain does not have to be present when one
is having a heart attack. So I was able to at least know that I might be
having a heart attack. So I called 911 and said so. The paramedics did an
EKG in the truck and transported me to Springfield Regional Medical Center.
I did have a heart attack and had I been ignorant of the symptoms, I'd
likely be dead. I would not have dialed 911. By the time the medical
seriousness became apparent to me I might not have had the ability to call
911.
The cardiologist did a cath exam and found that I had one vascular valve
100% blocked and two others severely blocked. I was scheduled for open heart
surgery the next morning. The heart surgeon performed a quadruple bypass on
me. The post operative prognosis has been nothing but good news as I have
responded well to all the post op therapy. I was on a balloon pump from
Sunday afternoon until late Tuesday morning, and had to lie flat until 5:00
on Tuesday. They had me sitting up at that point and put me in a chair for
about 90 minutes that night.
They've had me walking around the cardiac unit, last night, for the first
time without the use of a walker. I'm still on oxygen; the progression of
my oxygen intake is the sticking point. But overall I'm doing well.
However, the "artful things" agenda is significantly altered. I
am, of course, no longer the sound designer for
Night Watch,
though I have provided some key music and sound files that I had already
gathered. The big disappointment is that I am completely out of the running
for Sterling in
Slowgirl.
That which I brought to town and for which I know there is no one from our
local pool who would a better choice in the role.
I do plan to still produce and edit the promocast
video for Night Watch. I just need someone else doing the principal
photography and recording Director Saul Caplan's
voice-over commentary.
I may be able to shoot the Slowgirl footage.
I also have had to bow out of the student film I was appearing in with a
shoot in just a couple weeks. And I won't be doing that U.D. Law gig
in February.
I am bummed about this stuff, especially Slowgirl. But don't worry,
I have perspective on it. There could have been much more ominous reasons
why I would not be doing these things.
See above. But, hey! I have a lot more time for further reflection and to
finishing the writing process.
Obviously, I will not be able to be there tonight; in fact I will not likely
catch any of the performances. So to the cast, the crew, DTG in general:
Have a great run!
My heart pillow that I used to protect my chest while my
ribs and sternum heal from being cracked open for the
quadruple-bypass.
I wanted to check in and tell you that I am convalescing well from the
heart surgery, that I am making good progress. It's still easy for me to be
fatigued, but it's getting better. I'm moving into the phases of physical
and occupational therapies, which will prove interesting I suspect.
You may notice that there is a promocast f
or Night Watch;
this is due in a most large part to the generous assistance of
Shaunn Baker who went in
Monday evening and shot the footage as well as recording the commentary by
Director Saul Caplan,
neither of which, of course, I was capable of doing. All I had to do was ask.
Shaunn makes DV movies professionally, so that he did it gratis is most
applaudable. He was my first go to, because I knew I could count on him to
give me images with great composition. He delivered in spades.
I was then able to edit the promocast over the course of Tuesday and
Wednesday, at a decidedly slower pace, with far more breaks than is the norm
for me.
You know the old motto: "The show must go on!" I can't stand in
the way of that, and believe me, it was all-around good for me that I was
able to be productive like this. I needed to be able to be productive.
Yesterday I edited the lobby movie for the show, which was far less
involved but still accomplished at a slower pace than usual.
That's the way it's going to be for a while: a slower pace.
The world has lost a cultural giant. David Bowie has always
been a unique and singular presence in the world of
Rock & Roll and in pop culture in general, an
enormous presence.
David Bowie is David Bowie. He never tried to be anyone
else. Even as he morphed into different David Bowies, it
was always on his terms and it was always uniquely him.
Those who emulate him, at least musically, were always to
him as the those who emulate The Beatles have been to them:
they're doing nice stuff, often great stuff, but clearly
are not the original.
It seemed impossible for Bowie to not be cool. Whatever the
guy was doing, he was fucking cool while doing it. His
acting career was eclectic and impressive, and even if the
movie was weak (usually not), Bowie was good; and, Bowie
was cool.
But for me, it was his music. He was one of those who carved
his own niche, and then redefined that niche on a pretty
regular basis, staying on the edge and risking the chance
of perhaps going too far over the edge, maybe sucking. I
don't like absolutely everything he did, but there's little
that I don't like. When Bowie was a brilliant recording artist,
which was more often than not, he was damned brilliant.
THE CAST OF SLOWGIRL:
The next Guild show has been cast:
CHARACTER
ACTOR
Sterling
Peter Wallace
Becky
Jenna Gomes
It breaks my heart that I wasn't in the position to be in contention for
the role of Sterling. I know I would have excelled in the role. But,
that's the way it goes. I have, however, come on board the production as
the sound designer.
Then there is the loss of the strong, easy presence on
screen, and I understand, on stage, of Mr. Rickman. I have
not seen anything close to the body of his film work, but
I have never seen him on screen when he wasn't engaging
and in many cases miraculous to watch.
I guess by the time I finish this little essay, I will have some time and
distance between myself and the show, and supposedly will have the best
perspective on the experience.
As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We
cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil
rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied
as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police
brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the
fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and
the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's
basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be
satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed
of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be
satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New
York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not
satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like
waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and
tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of
you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by
the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality.
You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the
faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go
back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of
our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be
changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of
today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in
the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true
meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that
all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former
slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together
at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state
sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of
oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation
where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content
of their character.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists,
with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition
and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and
black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white
girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and
mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the
crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With
this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of
hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of
our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will
be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to
jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be
free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a
new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee
I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every
mountainside, let freedom ring."
And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom
ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from
the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening
Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every
mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring
from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we
will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and
white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to
join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at
last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Well, the first thing I can tell you is that I'm starting to have a keen
personal understanding of the term "cabin fever." I'm not
stuck in the house, but it's also not wise for me to go out and
about often.
With the exception of three medical appointments, I've thus far only been
out one other time, for about an hour. I went to
The Guild to install the
tech booth camera that monitors the performances for the greenroom TV and
for the lobby TV after the show starts. My next outing will be this Sunday
to strike the camera from the booth after
Night Watch
closes. I'll also change the marquee to reflect the next production,
Slowgirl.
I'm still not cleared to spend time in or around crowds of people yet, due
to the chance of infection, especially from those with a cold or the flu.
It's why I will be showing up at the theatre after the audience has left
and will mostly keep my distants from the majority of cast and crew who
are striking (tearing down) the Night Watch set. I'm going to get
in, do what I need to, and get out. But it will be nice to be in my
element, if briefly.
Mostly, though, right now, I am hold up at my sister's, a good, supportive
place to be. But, cabin fever is in the room.
Beyond that, I had a stress test on Monday. My cardiologist was quite
pleased with all the readings. It took eight minutes to get to my target
heart rate without an excessive amount of taxed breath, and the doc was
pleased with that, as well. So, things are looking good.
I see the surgeon in a week and a half and I expect I will be allowed to
drive shortly afterward. That means I may be about a couple weeks away
from moving back home and starting back to work at the
rent-payer, at least
part-time, at about the same time.
I haven't sat down to look over the script for sound specifics as of yet,
but it is on my agenda to start post haste. I already have a very strong
idea of what is needed, both in terms of sound effects and music. Now it's
time to scrutinize and get the final concept on it's way.
I've sent a message to Playwright Greg Pierce
seeking that clearance to use dialogue from the show in the promocast
DV movie. My experience has been that if I can contact the author directly,
he or she usually grants permission.
Saturday it was finally warm enough that I was able to take my prescribed
walks outside rather than pacing my sister's house for fifteen minutes at
a time. Over the course of the weekend I took all the walks outside and
several of them to the Community Golf Club, which is just two blocks from
my sister's.
One my last walk Saturday I stumbled upon an office building of
The American Heart Association.
Yesterday on my first walk of the day I dropped in and got a nice
handfull of literature appropriate for myself.
More generally, I am feeling better all the time. I go to see my surgeon
today and, as I've written earlier, I expect that he will give me the go
ahead to drive and also clear me to go back to work at the
rent-payer, at least
part-time, next week.
Have begun to comb the script for sound cues, all of specified, implied,
and any place I think a sound might be appropriate, especially where
ambient sound might work. This show is ripe with ambient sound
possibilities as it takes place in the Costa Rican jungle. I also am
leaning very heavily toward acoustic guitar with a Spanish flavor for all
the production music.
I have not heard back from Playwright Greg Pierce
about clearance to use dialogue from the script in the DV movie promocast.
There's time.
Recovery is moving along. As I expected, the surgeon said I could return
to driving and return to work. I also no longer have to wear the
T.E.D. Hose,
either. I've also been discharged from the home care visits from both the
nurse and the physical therapist.
I'm still doing my prescribed walks outdoors when the temperature is warm
enough, which it has been mostly the last several days. Yesterday I drove
to the Hills & Dales MetroPark
close to my sister's for one of my walks. Can't wait until I get back to
my own neck of the woods where I can get to the forestry there. I may just
go back home today; if not today, tomorrow. I should go back to
Oakes Quarry Park,
which I've visited once and for the first time back in September.
The Ohio Playwrights Circle, in association with the Dayton Theatre Guild,
is pleased to offer a season of new play readings at the Caryl D. Philips
Theatre Scape in Dayton. You are invited to come and experience these new
readings by local playwrights and screenwriters, including scenes, short
plays, full plays and screenplays.
The Dayton Theatre Guild is providing our theatre space for these readings
at the Caryl D. Philips TheatreScape, located at 430 Wayne Ave., Dayton
Ohio 45410. Audience members will be asked to participate in brief feedback
sessions for the writers. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
The presently coming event:
February 6, 2016 at 7pm - New script reading
Future event:
June 18, 2016 at 7pm - New script reading
The Ohio Playwrights Circle (OPC) exists to bring opportunities and
education to Ohio playwrights. OPC is a project of the American Artworks
Foundation. For additional information please contact Ohio Playwrights
Circle at:
....Well, during the weekend previous to this just past, anyway, before the
temperature took a dive.
The most venues for my outside heart walks have been the almost rural
environment around my home, that trip to
Oakes Quarry Park
I mentioned in the last post, and a walk around the big pond at Ellis Park
in Yellow Springs. Otherwise many of my prescribed walks have been
twenty-minutes pacing in my apartment, when the temperature tanked.
Last Monday I started back to work part-time (twenty-five hours a week) and
have gotten in at least one of the prescribed four walks of the day in
either the underground tunnel system that connects most all buildings
together, or by walking the four floors of library,
my rent-payer. Some days I
got two or even three of the walks in while on campus. When the weather
breaks again, I'll be walking the grounds of the campus, of course.
As for more specifically the return to work, it went well. It was, I think
a good call to do a couple weeks part-time; I was already a bit wiped on
Saturday after a twenty-five-hour week. Forty hours probably would have
really exhausted me. Most week nights I needed a nap, too. Still, all in
all, a successful work week.
The dietary changes proves to be somewhat of a challenge, especially the
low/no-sodium part. There certainly is a lot of salt in a lot of food out
there. I have found a couple vendors who provide very low or even no-sodium
sauces.I also have some low/no-sodium cookbooks on there way to me. What
gets me is that even bread has usually at least 180 milligrams of sodium
and I can only imagine what the content of bread at restaurants is. I bet
it beats 300 mlgs in some cases. I am restricted to a max of 1500 mlgs of
sodium a day, so each food item with sodium adds up. And remember, if it's
a sandwich, the two slices of bread will be 360+; so there's 24% of the
daily maximum in-take, at least. Of course, I also have to watch my
cholesterol. I needed to this all before-hand, but I must admit I now have
more than doubled-down on monitoring these daily levels.
I don't think I am still expected to check my weight every day, but I am
doing it anyway. I also bought a blood pressure machine and a pulse
oximeter (to measure my pulse and blood oxygen content). It's just me, I
guess, trying to feel a little control over the management of my new
health situation.
Here are some select photos from the outdoor walks of the previous
weekend:
Saw a very good production of
The Glass Menagerie
at The Human Race Theatre Company
Saturday tonight, Feb 6. Stellar performances from the cast: Jennifer
Joplin, Claire Kennedy-Vega, Scott Hunt, and C. Drew Vidal.
It runs through Feb 21. If you are in the area..............
Tonight and tomorrow night I am on full-court throttle to get the sound
Foley created, build the ambient
background sound, and pick the production music.
I sent another email to Playwright Greg Pierce
requesting clearance to use dialogue in the video. Tuesday evening he got
back to me with his blessings, so long as it was under five minutes of total
dialogue. I assured him that will not be a problem since I expect the
whole video to be under five minutes, including about ninety seconds of
information and credits at the end.
With the exception of the inevitable tweaking, which will last all week,
and switching out one sound file, the sound design is, I believe, finished.
The file I am switching out is that of the sound of a South American howler
monkey, an inadequate sound file for a better one. Earlier in the process
I had come across some howler monkey sound files that were too populated
with extraneous sounds and weren't all that high quality, otherwise. So I
made the decision to create a Foley
sound file, creating a howler monkey with my own voice then manipulating
it to approximate the animal noise. Listening to it come over the PA
system at the theatre yesterday, I decided it wasn't cutting it. So last
night I broadened my search and came across a much better authentic
recording of the animal. I will replace the faulty version when I get to
the theatre today.
Ask me about the Foley for the iguanas on the tin roof......
Tech Sunday went smoothly
yesterday, starting with a cue-to-cue,
followed by a Tech run of the show.
I did discover a spot where I'g issed the need for a sound effect, but it
was the same sound as used several other places in the same scene, so it
was easy to add that into the programming. It seems
Tech Week is
off to a good start.
One stumbling block, though not a large one, is that the sound tech backed
out on Saturday; we did pick someone up, a young lady named Sarah, but she
can't get to rehearsal until Final Dress.
She is, however, experienced at running our sound and most reliable ‐‐
she's used the Show Cue Systems
program several times now. Plus, this is a straight-forward sound plot with
just a few spots that need any finesse of timing, which I know she can pick
up quickly. She also has to miss a couple performances but between myself
and Producer kathy Mola, we can cover those. So, we're good.
Tonight I shoot the promocast
DV movie. I actually had wanted to move this to tomorrow night so I could
sit with Kathy Mola tonight for her first time running sound, then she could
solo tomorrow while I was on the floor shooting. However, turns out the
theatre is dark tomorrow night,
so Kathy will just have to wing it on her own tonight while I shoot; I do
plan to go over the sound plot with her before the rehearsal, just as I will
with Sarah on Final Dress night, Thursday.
If Tuesday being dark is another obstacle ‐‐ though again, a small one ‐‐
in terms of this sound teching situation, it is, on the other hand, an
advantage to me in terms of editing the promocast to its final cut.
I have already taken all of this Wednesday off from the
rent-payer, having the
previous night off just makes things much easier for me. For one thing, I
don't have to stay up Monday evening to transcode
the footage shot earlier, while needing to be up at 4:00 Tuesday morning
to get ready for work ‐‐ post-heart surgery, my morning routine has
become more involved; getting out of bed as late as possible, then rushing
to get ready before needing to leave for work is no longer an option.
I've also, thus far created absolutely none of the needed graphics for the
DV movie, either; having Tuesday night helps, there, too.
The prospects of a final cut on-line before the end of Wednesday seems good.
The weather broke enough during this past week that I could again do many
of my heart walks outside, and I took advantage of that several days this
week to walk outside while on campus
at work, rather than traversing in the tunnel system underground. There is
a biological reserve on campus and several of my walks were into that area.
I think in the past I've post photos of this area when I have done things
like study lines, etcetera.
Meanwhile my low/no-sodium cook books have arrived, though, not yet being
much of a cook, I've not delved in at all. I have, on the other hand been
tracking my daily sodium intake and shopping only for items with lower, or
no, sodium content. That's a relatively tall order in this country, let me
tell you. Have I said that before, recently?
Selected photos from on-campus walks this past week:
Still walking outside around the homestead when the
temperature permits. Here's a photo of a sight I photographed
on another recent walk when it was bit warmer, this time
with the little pond frozen:
I signed on to design sound for the next DTG show. Another one that won't
be a complex design, though there is at least one logistic challenge in the
production. I attended at production meeting last night before the final
dress rehearsal of Slowgirl.
We know I already had lost out on one audition due to the heart attack. It
was looking possible that I might miss the next one, not because I'm not
yet up to it, the audition, or the rehearsals if I get cast, but because I
might have had a schedule conflict several times a week during the whole
rehearsal period. I am currently in the beginnings of cardiac rehabilitation,
and I was unsure about what time I would have to go, three times a week
after the early afternoon orientation sessions were complete. I thought I
might have to go in the evening but it turns out I can be wrapped by about
5:00 each of the three days, which gives me free evenings.
Don't worry: I have begun the audition prep.
You five may remember that I appeared in a student film last summer,
The Tooth Man Cometh, which was completely shot exterior
on location. The director,
Mitch Centers, was hoping that there would be no need to do
ADR in
post; I was skeptical
that he would be correct. Being that we were outside in a park
I was betting that the production sound
would have all kinds of extraneous noise attached to it.
So when I messaged Mitch, back in January, asking how close to final cut
the movie was, he responded that he would want me to come in "in a
few weeks" to do some ADR. He, of course, didn't know I was just a
couple weeks into recovery from my heart surgery. I told him I wouldn't
be available for a little while. Last communication from him puts the
ADR session(s) a few weeks from now. I have no idea how much of the
footage needs it.
THE DAYTON THEATRE GUILD 2016/2017 SEASON:
The announcement about the next year's Dayton Theatre Guild season has been
officially released, so I can post it here:
THE LAST LIFEBOAT
by Luke Yankee
Joseph Bruce Ismay, an English businessman who served as chairman and
managing director of the White Star Line of steamships becomes the perfect
scapegoat for the sinking of the Titanic. Ismay saved as many people as he
could, but with no women and children in sight, he stepped into the last
lifeboat...and was branded a coward and a traitor forever. This play deals
not only with the disaster itself, but the sensationalized trials and
aftermath of an event that changed the world forever.
Directed by Jeff Sams
Show runs Aug 19-Sep 4, 2016
Auditions will be held Tue & Wed, July 5 & 6, 2016*
THE OUTGOING TIDE
by Bruce Graham
An older couple, Gunner and Peg, live on Chesapeake Bay. Gunner now suffers
from Alzheimer's, and their grown son comes to visit them one autumn to help
his mother with decisions that need to be made. Peg wants to move into a
senior facility, but Gunner wants to leave his wife and son something other
than the bitter memories and resentments he is sure they hold against him.
Directed by Kathy Mola
Show runs Oct 7-23, 2016
Auditions will be held Mon & Tue, Aug 22 & 23, 2016*
This show contains adult language
THE UNAVOIDABLE DISAPPEARANCE OF TOM DURNIN
by Steven Levenson
Tom Durnin is a disgraced lawyer who returns to his family seeking
redemption after serving time in prison for a white-collar crime. He is
determined to win back the respect he believes he deserves, even if that
means ripping apart the new life his family has so carefully put together
in his absence. This play is about the price we pay for defaulting on those
we love.
Directed by Margie Strader
Show runs Nov 18-Dec 4, 2016
Auditions will be held Mon & Tue, Oct 10 & 11, 2016*
This show contains adult language
LUNA GALE
by Rebecca Gilman
A veteran social worker believes she has a typical case on her hands when
she meets two teenaged drug addicts accused of neglecting their baby daughter.
She places the six-month-old baby in the care of her maternal grandmother,
who requests permanent adoption. Is it better for the child to be reared by
a rabidly evangelical grandmother or eventually to be reunited with the
rehabilitated parents? This very contemporary play is about moral dilemma,
faith and forgiveness.
Directed by Debra Kent
Show runs Jan 20-Feb 5, 2017
Auditions will be held Mon & Tue, Nov 21 & 22, 2016*
This show contains adult language
THE ELEPHANT MAN
by Bernard Pomerance
Joseph Merrick was a 19th century British man who became the star of a
traveling freak show circuit because of his physical deformities. When a
renowned doctor takes Merrick under his care at London Hospital, he is
astonished by Merrick's brilliant intelligence and unshakable faith. But
with Merrick's new life comes new complexity… and a "normal"
existence begins to seem all but impossible. Based on a real-life story,
The Elephant Man was first performed in 1979 and recently revived on
Broadway.
Directed by David Shough
Show runs Mar 17-Apr 2, 2017
Auditions will be held Mon & Tue, Jan 23 & 24, 2017*
WONDER OF THE WORLD
by David Lindsay-Abaire
A woman named Cass makes a discovery about her husband Kip and leaves him,
hopping a bus to Niagara Falls in search of freedom, enlightenment, and the
meaning of life. She takes with her a bucket list of 200 things she wants
to do. Along the way, Cass crosses paths with a suicidal alcoholic, a lonely
tour-boat captain, a pair of bickering private detectives, and a clown
therapist.
Directed by Saul Caplan
Show runs May 12-28, 2017
Auditions will be held Mon & Tue, Mar 20 & 21, 2017*
There are those involved in the world of the arts that are
really not wholly recognized for their contributions. That's
not to say Sir George Martin wasn't lauded for his singular
work as the producer of the recording catalogue of arguably
the most influential band in pop music and rock-and-roll.
His collaboration with
The Beatles
is not an obscure piece of trivia.
There seem to be two distinct myths out there about the
working relationship between George and The Beatles. One is
that he was practically a hired hand whose only real job
was to see that the creative inspirations of the group
were fulfilled. The other is that he was virtually solely
responsible for the style and sound of The Beatles. Neither
of these notions are the truth.
I think what is true is exactly what my graphic memorial to
George says. He was a brilliant man who shepherded a group
of brilliant young men, even more so at the start of their
artistic relationship. But even at the start he was a
collaborator with them, John and Paul especially, since
they were the only songwriters at the start. He recognized
the talent and artistic intelligence he had in front of
him and used his knowledge, experience and his own creativity
to guide and teach them when needed; but he got out of their
way when necessary, as well.
There's the famous story of the major sixth vocal chord
that ends "She Loves You." George Martin advised
against the ending because such was not done in pop music
at the time and he felt it was "very corny";
but the band wanted it in and George acquiesced to their
wishes.
There are also myriad of examples of his creative ideas
that were infused into the Beatles' artistic legacy and that
were lyceum moments for the members of the band, as song
writers and producer themselves.
One example of George Martin's creativity meeting the
needs of a particular song was the sound-effect garnishing
of the Lennon & McCartney song "Being for the
Benefit of Mr. Kite," as explained in this excerpt from
The Beatles Bible:
George Martin was given the task of coming up
with a fairground production for the song.
"In terms of asking me for particular
interpretations, John was the least articulate. He
would deal in moods, he would deal in colours, almost,
and he would never be specific about what instruments
or what line I had. I would do that myself... John
was more likely to say, as in the case of [this song],
'It's a fairground sequence. I want to be in that
circus atmosphere; I want to smell the sawdust when
I hear that song.' So it was up to me to provide that.
-- (George Martin ‐‐ Beatles Anthology)
...On 20 February George Martin began trying to
conjure up the required circus sounds.
"I knew we needed a backwash, a general mush
of sound, like if you go to a fairground, shut your
eyes and listen: rifle shots, hurdy-gurdy noises,
people shouting and ‐‐ way n the distance ‐‐ just a
tremendous chaotic sound. So I got hold of old
calliope tapes, playing 'Stars And Stripes Forever'
and other Sousa marches, chopped the tapes up into
small sections and had [recording engineer] Geoff
Emerick throw them up in the air, re-assembling
them at random.
-- (George Martin ‐‐ The Complete Beatles Recording
Sessions, Mark Lewisohn)
Nineteen pieces of tape were used in the overdub,
which appears towards the end of the song. Although
they hoped for a random effect, it took a while to
get right.
...The song was then left until 28 March, when George
Harrison, Ringo, [production assistants] Mal Evans and
Neil Aspinall overdubbed harmonica parts, John played
an organ and Paul a guitar solo.
The following day the fairground sound snippets were
finally added, and George Martin played an organ
part. And on the final day's recording ‐‐ 31 March
-- another organ and a glockenspiel part, both
probably performed by Martin, were overdubbed.
Another great example was Martin's concept to put a string
quartet on Paul's "Yesterday," and in a way that
had not been done as of yet in pop rock. McCartney was
resistant but as we know, finally saw it Martin's way.
Read Paul's statement
about Martin's passing, at his website for the whole story.
Martin arranged the wonderful string ensemble for
"Eleanor Rigby," this time the impetus, I believe,
being Paul's, but most likely influenced greatly by the
artistic success of the strings on "Yesterday."
And, of course, though not completely new to "pop"
music, it was unique to a more rock-orientated artist or
artists that the strings are the only instrumentation in
"Eleanor Rigby."
Martin was an accomplished musician, arranger and composer
in his own right, separate from The Beatles, and had collaborated
in various aspects with many other well-known artists,
including, Ella Fitzgerald, Cilla Black, Gerry & The
Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer, America, Jeff Beck, Neil Sedaka,
Kenny Rogers, Cheap Trick, Elton John, Celine Dion, Dire
Straits, Pete Townshend, and more.
I think George Martin is one of those many, many artists
whose depth of contributions are greatly under-estimated.
Bless you, Sr. George, and may you rest in blissful peace.
As my facebook post from
earlier last week belies, I had some trouble finding sheet music for the
song I've narrowed in on, not for the preferred voice & piano sheet
music, or even of the full score for the show it's from. At the
rent-payer, in fact, we have
a songbook of selected songs, for voice & piano, from the show, but the
song I wanted is not among them. Likewise, I found other sings from the
show at the sheet music download sites, but not that one.
And, as the screenshot from facebook tells, I happened to mention this to
Pianist and Vocal Coach Becky Childs, who I ultimately had an appointment
with Friday evening to prep the song for the audition, and low and behold,
she had a copy!
That news was good news because I found only one other song that would work
in the sense I want the song to work and I prefer to not use that one
because it's misogyny is more than subtly implied. But it has the right
musical feel; the one I want is all around better, and no misogyny, so I'm
most happy I can use it.
That's not to say I haven't picked a song that's a bit of a challenge. The
tempo is allegro (quick and lively) with a rapid fire delivery of the
lyrics in most sections of the cut. But it's an interesting piece and it
suits the upcoming audition well. And, I go back to, if I am afraid of the
challenge maybe I shouldn't show up to play.
When I met with Becky Friday I was not yet on top of the song. There are a
couple weird rests before singing that were tripping me up, one in particular.
A lot of the words are sand in tongue-twisting rapid fire, and though I was
about 99% secure with memorization of the lyrics, I tripped up on the words
frequently when I didn't have my cheat-cards (my usual index cards), with
the lyrics, to rely on.
The plan had been to cram all weekend, but I barely attended to the song
on Saturday. I had worked it Friday evening after the session with Becky,
but I attended to other things on Saturday, including the graphics for the
DTG marquee, highlighting
the next production, Horton Foote's
The Trip to Bountiful.
But I found the melody and words in my head all day long, and I have a vague
memory of going over both in a dream that night.
It must have worked because I had much command of it all yesterday. During
my morning heart walk around my rural neighborhood I had my head phones on,
singing along with the edit I had created from the B'Way sound track that
matches the cut I did to the score. I started with some stumbles but as the
forty-plus-minute walk progressed I came closer and closer to perfection.
Later, after my breakfast (brunch, really) of two oranges, an apple and two
bananas ‐‐ *Heart Healthy*
-- I really spent the rest of the day living and breathing the song. I did
drop by DTG for a bit to strike some things from the tech booth
(Slowgirl closed yesterday and change the marquee, again to reflect
the forthcoming Trip to Bountiful as well as next Saturday's
Ohio Playwrights Circle new play reading. But the rest of day before and
after was mostly about woodshedding the song.
I pretty much abandoned the edit if the B'Way recording early and worked
with Becky's accompaniment the rest of the day. She had recorded it once
at a slower tempo then one at speed. The slower one was to help me practice
getting all the rapid-fire words in correctly. I only used it twice. The
rest of the time I used the version that was at tempo. The results have
been mostly satisfying. The key element is FOCUS.
This morning on my morning heart walk I had the iPhone and the headphones
on, the volume low and I sang along quietly, repeatedly for the whole
thirty-minute walk. Occasionally I tripped up lyrics but usually was
successful. A few times I have used synonyms, which though that would not
be a crash-and-burn during the audition, I would rather not do it.
Overall though, I feel good about the song. I will be attending to it
when I can today while at the rent-payer.
I plan to, while working have a playlist going with the B'Way of the song
along with songs from the B-Way recording for the show I am going after ‐‐
specifically the songs for the character I am targeting. I'll probably do
the audition song, a song from the show, audition song, a song from the
show, etc., etc. I will also use the accompaniment version when I can; I
certainly will during my lunchtime heart walk. Am I nervous? Yes, I always
am about this stuff. But one of an actor's worst enemies is complacency.
Whether I will be as ready as I want to be is a question I never can answer
with confidence. All I can say is it is a role that I really want, and for
which I would own the real estate around it most successfully, to use a
term I love. But I have no illusions that will not be some serious
competition.
One heart-health related note: Thursday evening was the first time I
really worked on the song, so I would have it together to at least some
extent when I met with Becky the next evening. That evening was the first
time I have really sang out since the All Is Calm production in
December at DTG, which
closed just three weeks before my heart attack occurred. What I noticed is
I seem to have better breath now than I did then, even back to Next to
Normal at BTC a year ago. At
least it seems that way to me, and as I have sang these few days since, I
still feel it.
Starting work as producer of the closing show of the DTG season,
Last Gas,
by John Cariani. We still have to fill out the production crew. I also will
likely design sound, which means I will have done so for the whole
season ‐‐ though there really was no bone fide "design" for
All Is Calm,
and though I was credited as designer and Tony Fende was only credited as
"assistant designer" for
Night Watch,
the truth is, he took over when I had the heart attack and finished a
large enough portion that was left to do ‐‐ and it was not an insignificant
portion, that he should have been credited as co-designer.
I write that I will "likely" be the designer, because if I get my
wish and win the next role I am auditioning for, I may have a conflict in
time, though I can give designing the sound time after the other show
that I would be in goes up. The bigger question will be, will I be able to
give Last Gas the attention as producer that I should? It's not
impossible that a co-producer should be added if I get cast in the other
show, or that the other person needs to replace me, altogether.
The Ohio Playwrights Circle, in association with the Dayton Theatre Guild,
is pleased to offer a season of new play readings at the Caryl D. Philips
Theatre Scape in Dayton. You are invited to come and experience these new
readings by local playwrights and screenwriters, including scenes, short
plays, full plays and screenplays.
The Dayton Theatre Guild is providing theatre space for these new readings
at the Caryl D. Philips Theatre Scape, located at 430 Wayne Ave., Dayton
Ohio 45410. Audience members will be asked to participate in brief feedback
sessions for the writers. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.
The next reading is:
March 19, 2016 ‐‐ Six short readings from new playwrights
Future readings are:
May 7, 2016 ‐‐ New script reading
June 19, 2016 at 7pm ‐‐ New script reading
The Ohio Playwrights Circle (OPC) exists to bring opportunities and
education to Ohio playwrights. OPC is a project of the American Artworks
Foundation. For additional information please contact Ohio Playwrights
Circle at:
My ADR session is scheduled for this
coming Thursday afternoon. I was very pleased to learn that there will not
be that much, just "mostly," as Director Mitch Centers put it,
"a lot of coughing noises are what we will be doing."
And that will be much easier to match than dialogue, maybe not a snap but
much easier all the same. Though I suppose that since it's not actually
dialogue, it might be more appropriately called wild sound
than ADR.
Last Tuesday evening I auditioned for 1776.
I went there believing it was a long shot to begin with, as I was focused
on John Adams. I, in fact, did what is by some frowned upon, I stated on
the audition form that I would not consider another role. Granted, there
are a lot of good roles in the show; but, Adams is a bucket list role for
me and I am not about to do the show watching someone else as Adams. It
just could not have been a joyous experience for me.
I will not be in the show.
Concerning my audition performance: as a fellow actor said when I was finished
with my song, "That was pretty ambitious" ‐‐ a reaction one gives
when one cannot truthfully say, Wow! That was great! but the person
wants to give you an earnest complement. You see, I had two glaring trouble
spots in the audition program.
But first, before getting to the blemishes on the audition performance, let
me reveal the song I used; I did a cut of "The Grand Canal," from
Nine. There
is no question that it was and ambitious choice. It's an up-tempo
march with a lot of rapid-fire, tongue-twisting lyrics, such as this
first stanza:
Contini submits that the flops aren't hits because no one is
willing to film a romantic spectacular
Which, in order to reasonably accurately convey the challenge to the singer
to get these rapidly-executed words out with accurate enunciation, should
read:
And that section right there was the site of my first fumble. Here's my
take on what happened. I knew that I would have to wear my glasses for the
readings, but I wanted to be seen on stage without them on. I made the
decision, as I sat waiting to go up, to remove my glasses for the song as
I didn't need them. I was called up. I took my sheet music to the pianist.
I gave her a heads up about I note I would extend and then set the tempo of
the song with her. Then I went on stage, slated
myself, then the song started. There are six beats before the lyric line
starts. At about beat 3 I realized I hadn't taken my glasses off, so I did,
fumbling them a bit into my shirt pocket. That little distraction was enough
to interfere with my focus ‐‐ which is not evidence that I am capable at
focus as I should be. I sang something along the lines of:
I nailed the next stanza, of which the first portion runs at the same swift,
cramming pace:
And he says further more that the present's a bore but historically
speaking more intersting subjects are myriod
(two-beat rest) In a PERIOD
(one-beat rest) period
With that I did well and I did well onward, mostly. I think I didn't get
some notes out with the resonance and quality I would have liked but they
past muster. I did well, onward, that is, until close to the end where there
is a note that sets right on the precipice of my middle and upper vocal
register. In order to get that note out successfully I must have the breath
to push it through, and my head and throat must be in the exact right
positions. Well I came too terribly close to a vocal crack, so it's accurate
to say I did not get the note out with success. Still, it was mostly a good
performance, but those two blemishes had to be pretty damned glaring.
So, yeah, it was an ambitious choice, and I don't regret it. I don't regret
taking the risk despite that it was more of a failure than I would like.
But I have heard and believe that we actors need to take risks and I too
often am reluctant to do such. So, I took a risk and it didn't exactly work
out as planned. That's why it's called a risk.
By-the-way, I had taken the day off and spent much of it relaxing, but did
rehearse the song some in the afternoon, careful not obsess about it. And
I nailed it quite a few times, especially closer to time to leave. But
standing up there on the target spot is a different thing than rehearsing
in your apartment.
I was much happier with the readings I gave, though I think I was a bite
stiffer in some of them than I could have been. I guess overall I can't say
it was an awful audition by any standards; it was, conversely, not a
knock-their-socks-off, brilliantly-impressive one, either.
This past Thursday afternoon I got with Tooth Man director, Mitch
Centers, in the sound studio suite in the new
Tom Hanks Center for Motion Pictures,
at Wright State University to do some
ADR for the movie. As I reported
in the last post, there was no actual dialogue replacement, rather I
several coughing spells, grunts and wheezes.
I was actually pleasantly surprised to find that the production sound
was mostly all viable and that all of my dialogue was captured acceptably.
When you're shooting at an exterior
location, that's often not the case. The whole film is shot outdoors.
The coughs, grunts and wheezes still mostly had to synch up with the
original versions. They weren't originally recorded badly on location,
Mitch just wanted different intensities, etcetera. I had to match the
rhythms and lengths of each cough or whatever; there are a few long strings
of a series of coughs and wheezes. We did short segments of those, and they
will be edited into the appropriately assembled sequences.
The film will debut May 1 at the 2016 Big Lens Film Festival at
The Neon movie house in downtown Dayton
-- (130 E 5th St, Dayton, Ohio 45402 ‐‐ 927-222-7469).
The festival showcases the senior thesis films from the latest such seniors
in the Motion Picture program at Wright State University.
Besides Mitch's The Tooth Man Cometh, there will also be work from
Joe Cook, Alan Lewin, Sydney Waltz, Brian Roll, C. B. Hovey, Jessica Barton,
Michaela Scholl, Eric Risher, and Liz Lowe, many of those also on the
Tooth Man production team.
As the press release states: "The past participants in Big Lens Film
Festival have won awards at festivals such as Slamdance, Student Academy
Award, and Sundance."
The festival is open to the public. Tickets are $7 at the door and can be
purchased at The Neon starting April 5th. For more information on Big Lens
contact Michaela Scholl, Production Manager, at
BigLensFF2016@gmail.com.
This past Saturday afternoon I was one of the actors dramatically reading
scenes from students' work in the latest playwrighting class taught by
local Playwright Michael London, of
The Ohio Playwrights Circle,
presented through The Human Race Theatre Company.
It was very flattering that one pf the playwrights whose work i read for
specifically requested I read a character, which also happened to be a very
fun character to perform.
Equally flattering was Michael London'd comment afterward when he said that
when a playwright hears his or her work read for the first time they hear
many things. One of the things they occasionally hear is who to cast on the
roles when the play is finally on production. Then he told the playwright
that if he didn't see to it that my scene mate and I were cast in the first
production he would be making a big mistake.
I'LL TAKE IT!
My schedule is such that I will probably be able to make all the class
sessions and even be a reader at the final, public performance, which will
be at The Guild, Saturday
evening, May 7 at 7:00 ‐‐ admission is free.
I am taking a low-budget road trip next weekend to Chicago to see
Tracy Letts' new
play Mary Page Marlowe in preview at Steppenwolf.
I have a second ticket for the 3:00 matinee Sunday, Apr 3. The seats are
in a special up-close seating section called "Pit seating." The
stage apron is being removed for this show so the stage lip ends directly
below the proscenium arch, creating space for the extra two rows of pit
seats. No way around it, I'll be looking up at the action, but the tickets
were $15 a piece, so I went for it.
Here's where my seats are, right at the lip of the
stage.
Click on the image for the
page at www.steppenwolf.org
with "Pit Seating" information.
Likely before I head to Chicago, I will take a much shorter drive to
Springfield ‐‐ not Illinois, or where The Simpsons live, but Springfield,
Ohio ‐‐ to Springfield StageWorks
to see Beckett's
Waiting for Godot,
which opens this coming Thursday at
The State Theatre.
I have several past stage-mates in the show.
There are few other local productions I may get to.
And of course, I will be in the audience for this:
Showing at the festival is Mitch Centers' The Tooth Man
Cometh, with myself as The Tooth Man and my talented
young co-star Ella Gallagan as my nemesis.
The cast in full:
K.L.Storer as Barry *(The Tooth Man)
Ella Gallagan as Ena
Nate Foster as Kane
Jacqueline Cook as Cari
plus, Marissa McClary and Peter Cutler (on-screen extras)
The production crew:
Mitch Centers (Director), Joe Cook (Director of Photography)
Liz Yong Lowe (1st AD, co-producer, &. Production Designer),
Louis Leshner (2nd AD), Jessica Barton (On-set Producer),
Michaela Scholl (Script Supervisor), Kel Lind (Sound Mixer),
Ethan Frederick (Boom Operator), Nick Kutskill (1st A.C.),
Olga Wagner (2nd A.C.), Aubrey Keith (Stills), Sydney Waltz
(Art Director), Colin Gleason (Art Assistant), Randy Miller
(Gaffer), Brian Merritt (Key Grip), Jerry Ankenbauer (Grip),
Leighanna Hornick (Grip), Aly Loy (Production Assistant),
Leah Byrd (Production Assistant), Michael Dib (Production
Assistant), Danny Kiwacka (Production Assistant), Mark Yungmann
(Production Assistant), Barbara Centers (Catering).
It's time to go full-tilt-boogie into working on the sound design for this
show. Fortunately, I can lift a lot of the music from when DTG did
Horton Foote's
Dividing the Estate
in 2012, though, since Bountiful takes place in the early 50's I'll
have to exclude some of the more contemporary music we used for the previous
show.
I also need to start plotting the mechanics of the hooking and unhooking of
a practical radio and a practical phone from the mobile set trucks where
they will be during their appearances "on stage." The sets they
are both on will be moved on and off stage during each performance so between
myself and the stage manager, Kelly Engle, we will need to coordinate the
safe and practical procedures to get them hot (hooked up to execute sound)
then get them efficiently unhooked when it's time to move the set trucks.
I don't think it's going to be a problem; we just need to figure out then
spell out the procedures.
I am happy to report that I have heard back from Hallie Foote, Horton Foote's
daughter, who has granted us permission to use dialogue in the DV movie.
As a kid, I was enchanted by Patty Duke and her effervescent
performance on her show as Patty, and her subdued performance
as cousin Cathy. And I might have been a bit younger than
her, but I recognized a cute teenage girl when I saw one,
and was just at the age when that sort of thing was beginning
to matter to me. But it was later, after I read her first
autobiography,
Call Me Anna,
that I started to admire her and have great respect for her.
Her struggles through the abusive relationship she had with
her managers, John and Ethel Ross, and her trials with and
coming to terms with her bipolar disorder. She was a remarkable
woman. My heart goes out to her children, the rest of her
family, and her friends.
As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We
cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil
rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied
as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police
brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the
fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and
the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's
basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be
satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed
of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be
satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New
York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not
satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like
waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
