Yesterday evening, I deleted the Facebook app from my phone. It's my first step towards trying to "re-find" myself.
When I was younger, I had so many interests. I read and re-read books, plays. I wrote poetry, I took time to draw and paint. It may have been partial boredom, but I worked my butt off.
Then I went to college and I was focused on my acting work, but other things in my life took over too, not the best influences, I should say. It's almost become like beginning to fight off demons. One by one.
There are times that I wish the internet had never happened. Or that I wish it wasn't nearly as advanced. Too often I find myself glued to my computer to do every day tasks. When I'm listening to music I put it on my computer. When I'm watching TV I put it on my computer. When I'm writing I do it on my computer. When I'm reading I do it on my computer. When I'm researching I do it on my computer.
Everything. And I'm going to break my habit.
Last night before I came home I went to pick up Chinese food. And while I was waiting, I sat. And simply waited. Didn't take out my smart phone. I took the place in. Because to me, that's what's real. That's reality. Life in a virtual sense doesn't completely make sense to me. And I don't want to make complete sense of it.
After I got my Chinese food I went home and my neighbors were chilling outside. My neighbors are all about 50, 60 years old. They were drinking wine. And they offered me some. And I had some and connected with people I hadn't really connected with. It was amazing. We didn't talk about theatre, we talked about the neighborhood, the community events coming up, making good food, and working out. I stayed out there with them for the better part of an hour. Then I got hungry and said my goodbyes. But it was this incredible connection that happened. And I don't know how open I would have been to it a few months ago.
I know this post doesn't have to do with theatre, but it has to do with me reconnecting with myself and my interests. Finding time again to read, write, and be outside in the world. Creating is something I have wanted to do and I haven't been doing it. Why?
Because I believe the internet made me lazy. It's easy to scan through Facebook all the time and feel really shitty about not doing anything. Because it seems like everyone else is doing the thing you want to do. So then what's the point?
What do I want to contribute to the world? What do I want to remember about my life? Certainly not sitting at my computer not doing anything. That would be a disservice to myself. I like myself too much to not allow myself to fall into that again.
So I'm creating and writing. I'm doing the Sunday Best again with the Berserker Residents, I'm working on Luckiest Kid with White Pines, I'm beginning to pick up where I left off on my children's musical (that's right, complete with songs as well!), I'm going to read, I'm going to continue seeing theatre, I'm going to travel, and I'm going to love. My life will be important. To me and perhaps eventually to the world. Or at least a small part of the world.
I'm off to Quig's to have fun with the Berserker Residents and also my dear friend's show The Playdaters.
Until next time.
-Cindy
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
My first *true* marathon theatre experience...
I can't make this post too long because I have to clean my apartment and go over materials for Luckiest Kid (which starts up again tomorrow) and exercise before going to The Adrienne and seeing Ego Po's A Doll's House (I know I haven't seen it yet and I should be ashamed. Being an artistic advisory board member and everything but...you know...I've been busy).
In any case, yesterday I saw The Nature Theatre of Oklahoma's Life & Times parts 1-5. That equals 12 hours of theatre. I've never experienced anything like this. For several reasons...
First off, the show was freaking 12 hours long. With intermissions so they could transition (they fed us multiple times...including a delicious BBQ! With organic ketchup!). That's the longest I've ever sat in a theatre and been emotionally invested in something. Ever. The longest shows I've seen before was Elevator Repair Service's The Sun Also Rises, and Operetta by the Capitol Theatre (Wroclaw) in Poland, both of which were 3.5 hours long.
That's how long the first episode of Life and Times is. 3.5 hours.
Secondly, the entire concept behind the piece is unlike anything I've ever seen. Over the course of 10 phone conversations, artistic director Pavol Liska asked their sound designer Kristen Worrell to tell the story of her life. And she did. And they recorded 16 hours of dialogue. And they use that dialogue verbatim. Each episode is a different "style". So the first episode was live music and dance. And it encompassed birth to about kindergarten. The styles change drastically over each episode. The next "styles" were 80's dance-themed, murder mystery style, an animation, and a book. A freaking book. While an organ played wildly live in the background.
The woman in the recordings is only speaking on the seemingly mundane. Memories, flashes of thought, remembrances, feelings. But the entire "style" of the piece, making each and every "episode" EPIC. Well. That was what touched me. Truly.
Life is precious.
Listening to her talking about Fisher Price toys, the differing smells of her friend's houses growing up, Judy Bloom novels, having her first friend fight. All these details brought up SO MUCH FOR ME. So many memories washed over me. Moments I was proud of, moments I was ashamed of, moments I had forgotten about. What the woman was going through when she first recorded this dialogue (which is now being retold by the company members on stage, including herself) I was going through in the theatre. Laughing, relating, crying.
It got to be a little overwhelming for me.
I had a hard time keeping it together in the theatre during the animation segment, because she talked about her family cat Bentley. And after watching about 10.5 hours of theatre by that point, I couldn't hold in my emotions anymore. It was too much for me to handle. Even writing this now I'm misting up. I kind of quietly exploded in the theatre.
The piece is oddly universal. It's a celebration of life. It's realizing that while you think what you have to say isn't worthwhile, but in fact it's important. You are important. We are important.
It seems as though they tour often and all over the world. So if you get a chance take some time and go see it. My favorite episode was Episode 1, but all of them are thoroughly enjoyable, if not a bit off-putting and odd. Well not a bit. In fact there were a lot of off-putting moments. But really it didn't feel as though I was sitting there for hours on end. It flies by.
Go see it. Experience life. This beautiful life.
Until next time.
-Cindy
In any case, yesterday I saw The Nature Theatre of Oklahoma's Life & Times parts 1-5. That equals 12 hours of theatre. I've never experienced anything like this. For several reasons...
First off, the show was freaking 12 hours long. With intermissions so they could transition (they fed us multiple times...including a delicious BBQ! With organic ketchup!). That's the longest I've ever sat in a theatre and been emotionally invested in something. Ever. The longest shows I've seen before was Elevator Repair Service's The Sun Also Rises, and Operetta by the Capitol Theatre (Wroclaw) in Poland, both of which were 3.5 hours long.
That's how long the first episode of Life and Times is. 3.5 hours.
Secondly, the entire concept behind the piece is unlike anything I've ever seen. Over the course of 10 phone conversations, artistic director Pavol Liska asked their sound designer Kristen Worrell to tell the story of her life. And she did. And they recorded 16 hours of dialogue. And they use that dialogue verbatim. Each episode is a different "style". So the first episode was live music and dance. And it encompassed birth to about kindergarten. The styles change drastically over each episode. The next "styles" were 80's dance-themed, murder mystery style, an animation, and a book. A freaking book. While an organ played wildly live in the background.
The woman in the recordings is only speaking on the seemingly mundane. Memories, flashes of thought, remembrances, feelings. But the entire "style" of the piece, making each and every "episode" EPIC. Well. That was what touched me. Truly.
Life is precious.
Listening to her talking about Fisher Price toys, the differing smells of her friend's houses growing up, Judy Bloom novels, having her first friend fight. All these details brought up SO MUCH FOR ME. So many memories washed over me. Moments I was proud of, moments I was ashamed of, moments I had forgotten about. What the woman was going through when she first recorded this dialogue (which is now being retold by the company members on stage, including herself) I was going through in the theatre. Laughing, relating, crying.
It got to be a little overwhelming for me.
I had a hard time keeping it together in the theatre during the animation segment, because she talked about her family cat Bentley. And after watching about 10.5 hours of theatre by that point, I couldn't hold in my emotions anymore. It was too much for me to handle. Even writing this now I'm misting up. I kind of quietly exploded in the theatre.
The piece is oddly universal. It's a celebration of life. It's realizing that while you think what you have to say isn't worthwhile, but in fact it's important. You are important. We are important.
It seems as though they tour often and all over the world. So if you get a chance take some time and go see it. My favorite episode was Episode 1, but all of them are thoroughly enjoyable, if not a bit off-putting and odd. Well not a bit. In fact there were a lot of off-putting moments. But really it didn't feel as though I was sitting there for hours on end. It flies by.
Go see it. Experience life. This beautiful life.
Until next time.
-Cindy
Friday, September 13, 2013
*Peeks around corner*
Oh. Hey. Yeah. I know. Yeah I know I promised to keep it updated and...well would you look at that I didn't. Again. But you know I'm not going to put myself down about it, nor will I apologize. I will just update.
SO HI. Hello world, welcome back. It's good to be here. Many things have of course happened since I last posted.
Ed and I had our most successful summer of Summer On Stage yet. It was incredible. Our dear friends Ross and Brenna were up there with us this summer directing and teaching. That meant that Ed was able to really run the camp and focus on administrative stuff and we all got to focus on truly teaching and directing. We noticed a difference and the kids noticed a difference as well.
We pow-wowed before hand all three of us and really pin pointed on what we were going to focus on in classes. I focused on movement. Straight up Greek chorus style. We worked on building an ensemble and working together. The older kids totally locked into choral movement and I had them write stories. This one incredibly talented and wiser-than-her-years camper named Julia wrote a story filled with wolf imagery and journeys. So we stuck with that and I read the story to them while they, along with the help of the teen apprentices, wrote a choral ode. It was outstanding and beautiful and moving. We were each able to establish a language with them so that when we got into rehearsals I could use words that they normally wouldn't understand. Our camp moved up a level and I couldn't have been more proud.
The piece I directed was full of choral movement and flashlight use and puppetry and character development and music and call and response. It was beautiful and the kids were fantastic! The play was short and sweet but precise and told a great story. I pushed kids. I had one moment where were improv-ing a scene and this one boy did this great movement where he jumped up in the air with legs and arms spread out. And later while we were rehearsing a scene he didn't use it so all I had to say was "Hey you did this great thing in the improv where-" and he burst right into what I was talking about. I felt so connected to them this year it was wonderful.
So we did a little bit of traveling and relaxing and then Ed had to get back to town to start rehearsals for Bathtub Moby Dick with The Renegade Company for the Philadelphia Fringe Arts Festival. So August was an interesting month because I had some work lines up but not much. So, being inspired by Ed's sister, we started an eBay store!
Alfie's Nook
We are still working on adding products and such. My mom and I were talking last night about the store and she was asking me various questions about it. And I mentioned that we were getting items from yard sales and the like. And my mom just said, "Wow! My daughter the entrepreneur!" and it made me feel amazing. It made me feel important. And relieved a little.
August was good. I made a lot of decisions last month. I'm recording a demo for voice over in two weeks and I'm going to go forth with that. I have worked out really hard and for the first time I'm really REALLY seeing a difference. And I've been sticking with it and eating better. I'm going to start taking Meisner classes at a studio in NYC. I've been submitting myself to more projects. Oh yeah and I've done some stand-up comedy...
This particular evening was hosted by The Beserker Residents. Great guys, hilarious and really talented, and I'm looking forward to the next time.
Video streaming by Ustream
I start at around 27 minutes, but the rest of the comedians that night were really fantastic. It's definitely worth taking a look at the entire show. The rest of the show is linked in the bar next to the video on the USTREAM page. I performed again at the Late Night Cabaret a few days later. After Fringe is finished up I'm going to be trolling about, looking for more open mics. There is one down the street from me and at Fergie's. If you know of any more let me know.
I can't tell you how much of a dream it is to be up there and making people laugh. It's a dream. And I know I'll fail eventually and I'll get heckled, but something happens to me up there. I feel really powerful. And I am looking forward to doing it again.
So fringe is happening and I've seen some really great stuff. I saw Ed's amazing show: Bathtub Moby Dick . It's so good. I couldn't be more proud him. The press has been great and so have the audiences.
So far this Fringe I've seen Ajax: The Madness, Pay Up, and Completeness. Tonight I'm seeing BASEMENT and this weekend I'm seeing Holly's Dead Soldiers, Life & Times, and A Doll's House. Next week it's The Talk Back and I'm actually going back into rehearsals for White Pine's production of Luckiest Kid, which is a world premier opening in October. You should come see it because it's going to be BEAUTIFUL.
You can get tickets here. It's directed by Ben Lloyd (who founded the company in 2009) and written by the incredible Martha Kember.
Featuring: Martha Kemper, Joshua L. Browns, Cindy Spitko, Eva Hall, Fleece, Andrew Carroll, Dan Ison
So that's about it for now. I know I'll be thinking of more things to update you all on. But life is good, we are getting into Autumn, changes are happening and there will be more to update I'm sure.
Be good to one another.
-Cindy
SO HI. Hello world, welcome back. It's good to be here. Many things have of course happened since I last posted.
Ed and I had our most successful summer of Summer On Stage yet. It was incredible. Our dear friends Ross and Brenna were up there with us this summer directing and teaching. That meant that Ed was able to really run the camp and focus on administrative stuff and we all got to focus on truly teaching and directing. We noticed a difference and the kids noticed a difference as well.
We pow-wowed before hand all three of us and really pin pointed on what we were going to focus on in classes. I focused on movement. Straight up Greek chorus style. We worked on building an ensemble and working together. The older kids totally locked into choral movement and I had them write stories. This one incredibly talented and wiser-than-her-years camper named Julia wrote a story filled with wolf imagery and journeys. So we stuck with that and I read the story to them while they, along with the help of the teen apprentices, wrote a choral ode. It was outstanding and beautiful and moving. We were each able to establish a language with them so that when we got into rehearsals I could use words that they normally wouldn't understand. Our camp moved up a level and I couldn't have been more proud.
The piece I directed was full of choral movement and flashlight use and puppetry and character development and music and call and response. It was beautiful and the kids were fantastic! The play was short and sweet but precise and told a great story. I pushed kids. I had one moment where were improv-ing a scene and this one boy did this great movement where he jumped up in the air with legs and arms spread out. And later while we were rehearsing a scene he didn't use it so all I had to say was "Hey you did this great thing in the improv where-" and he burst right into what I was talking about. I felt so connected to them this year it was wonderful.
So we did a little bit of traveling and relaxing and then Ed had to get back to town to start rehearsals for Bathtub Moby Dick with The Renegade Company for the Philadelphia Fringe Arts Festival. So August was an interesting month because I had some work lines up but not much. So, being inspired by Ed's sister, we started an eBay store!
Alfie's Nook
We are still working on adding products and such. My mom and I were talking last night about the store and she was asking me various questions about it. And I mentioned that we were getting items from yard sales and the like. And my mom just said, "Wow! My daughter the entrepreneur!" and it made me feel amazing. It made me feel important. And relieved a little.
August was good. I made a lot of decisions last month. I'm recording a demo for voice over in two weeks and I'm going to go forth with that. I have worked out really hard and for the first time I'm really REALLY seeing a difference. And I've been sticking with it and eating better. I'm going to start taking Meisner classes at a studio in NYC. I've been submitting myself to more projects. Oh yeah and I've done some stand-up comedy...
This particular evening was hosted by The Beserker Residents. Great guys, hilarious and really talented, and I'm looking forward to the next time.
Video streaming by Ustream
I start at around 27 minutes, but the rest of the comedians that night were really fantastic. It's definitely worth taking a look at the entire show. The rest of the show is linked in the bar next to the video on the USTREAM page. I performed again at the Late Night Cabaret a few days later. After Fringe is finished up I'm going to be trolling about, looking for more open mics. There is one down the street from me and at Fergie's. If you know of any more let me know.
I can't tell you how much of a dream it is to be up there and making people laugh. It's a dream. And I know I'll fail eventually and I'll get heckled, but something happens to me up there. I feel really powerful. And I am looking forward to doing it again.
So fringe is happening and I've seen some really great stuff. I saw Ed's amazing show: Bathtub Moby Dick . It's so good. I couldn't be more proud him. The press has been great and so have the audiences.
So far this Fringe I've seen Ajax: The Madness, Pay Up, and Completeness. Tonight I'm seeing BASEMENT and this weekend I'm seeing Holly's Dead Soldiers, Life & Times, and A Doll's House. Next week it's The Talk Back and I'm actually going back into rehearsals for White Pine's production of Luckiest Kid, which is a world premier opening in October. You should come see it because it's going to be BEAUTIFUL.
You can get tickets here. It's directed by Ben Lloyd (who founded the company in 2009) and written by the incredible Martha Kember.
Featuring: Martha Kemper, Joshua L. Browns, Cindy Spitko, Eva Hall, Fleece, Andrew Carroll, Dan Ison
So that's about it for now. I know I'll be thinking of more things to update you all on. But life is good, we are getting into Autumn, changes are happening and there will be more to update I'm sure.
Be good to one another.
-Cindy
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