Guardrail breach at the humor precipice

I have been abusing my blog and not adding changes in my life like I’ve wanted to, so I decided to go ahead and write another entry.

I’m half way through my performances of “Mister Roberts” and they are doing pretty good. Semi-decent houses, but I wasn’t expecting it to be a hit. It’s kind of nice to do a serious part, but it’s definately a challenge when almost all of my other parts have been comedic. All in all, it’s kind of nice to do a 6-week run. It helps me tune and understand my craft as an actor.

I’ve also finally found a place of employment. Best Buy. Not exactly my first choice and it’s not the most satisfying or fun job, but it’s better than not getting any money at all. I need to save alot before next summer when I move. Every time I start a job, I just think about a conversation I had with my brother about just dropping everything in life and drive around the country without any reservation. Jobs just always make me think about how much of your life you waste doing relatively meaningless work in the scope of things.

Jesus…soon I’ll start quote Emerson…enough of this.

Anyway, there’s my update.

A bit of inspiration

James Gooden, the owner of Top Hat (where I’m performing Mister Roberts), handed out a paper to everyone in the cast before our opening. It’s a quote by Moss Hart and I find it very inspiring. If you’re an actor, have a read:

“Is success in any other profession as dazzling, as deeply satisfying, as it is in the theatre? I cannot pretend to know, but I doubt it. There are other professions where the rewards are as great or greater than those the theatre offers, there are professions where the fruits of success are as immediate, and still others where the pursuit of a more admirable goal undoubtedly brings a nobler sense of fulfillment. But I wonder if success in any of them tastes as sweet. Again, I am inclined to doubt it. There is an intensity, an extravagance, an abundant and unequivocal gratification to the vanity and the ego that can be satisfied more richly and mroe fully by success in the theatre than in any other calling. Like everything else about the theatre, its success is emphatic and immoderate. Perhaps what makes it so marvelously satisfying is that it is a success that is anything but lonely–everyone seems to share in it, friends and strangers alike–and a first success in the theatre is the most intoxicating and beguiling time imaginable.”
-Moss Hart

The opening weekend of Mister Roberts went very well. One weekend down. If you’re in the Southern AZ area, please come see it. Details are in the previous post.

Time to Set Sail!

Left to right: James Wilson, Alex Greengaard, Jacob Brown, and myself

Well, here I am at the eve of my 18 show run of Mister Roberts. We open tomorrow (technically, today) and this entire rehearsal process has been wonderful. The cast is incredible and very fun to work with. I just know that the run is going to be great. The play is really good as well; there are alot of funny parts but there are also alot of touching and dramatic scenes. I kind of like that I’m playing a more straight role instead of just the “ha-ha funny guy”.

Here’s the information for the show if you’re in the Southern-Arizona area.

Performance Schedule:

Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 3:00

Preview Performance:

Friday, Nov 2

Opening night: Saturday, Nov 3

Closing: Sunday, December 9

Plot:

Mister Roberts is a comedy about a cargo ship in the Pacific fleet during the Second World War, “a time in the world when courage counted the most,” and the men that inhabit her. Present aboard are the tyrannical Captain, the ne’er-do-well Ensign Pulver, the sage ship’s doctor, the crew, and of course the idealistic Mister Roberts. The Captain denies the crew shore-leave for months at a time, so they devise comical ways to take revenge on him while Mister Roberts tries to keep them in line. What happens when Pulver makes contact with a real, live woman? Will Mister Roberts ever get his longed-for transfer to combat duty? And what about that palm tree?

Cast:

Mister Roberts: Taylor Genovese

Ensign Pulver: Jacob Brown

Doc: James Gooden

The Captain: Bruce Bieszki

Lt. Gerard: Jennifer Sylvester

Chief: John McRostie

Seamen: Josh Galyen, Alex Greengaard, Matt Lipinski, Mike Saxon, Martin Serrano, James Wilson

Production Staff:

Director: Nell Summers

Set Design: James Gooden

Sound Design: Alex Greengaard

Light Design: James Wilson

Costume Design: Elizabeth Gooden

 

 

 

Reservations:
Contact: Elizabeth Gooden 520-326-6800
E-mail: elizabethgooden@cox.net

Location:

Top Hat’s intimate performance space is located at the South East corner of Fort Lowell and Country Club and is dedicated to presenting fun and entertaining theatre.

Admission:

Regular tickets: 17.00

Students, seniors and military: 15.00

Preview performance: 12.00

Groups of 10 or more: 12.00 per person, 11.00 previews

 

 

 

More information can be found at:
tophattheatreclub.com