To Do, To Watch, To Go

Looks like June's going to be a busy month. Lots to do, watch, and go to.

I'm going to do my best to see Flux Theatre Ensemble's Ajax in Iraq as well as BOTH of Nosedive's works:  Captain Moonbeam & Lynchpin/Savior and Freaks from the Morgue. I could do worse with my money (like see some summer blockbuster film that I know will be terrible *cough*Green Lantern*cough*).

In the meantime, Mom will be coming to NYC with my uncle and her friend. We're going to the Bronx Zoo. Shut up.

A Kick in the Pants

Over on my Etude 4 - Practical example post, Laura said:

You know what I think? I think this needs to be experienced. In this show I was watching last night, the performer told a story about how she looked out of her window and saw a rainbow that in its particular setting was so shockingly beautiful that it took her breath away, and her automatic reaction was to rush around the house trying to get a camera and take a photo of it. And when she finally found the camera, and the batteries for the camera, and pointed it at the sky, the rainbow was gone. And she had tried so hard to capture and hold onto it (when a photo would never have really been the same, anyway) that she missed the opportunity to experience it. And I thought, what a beautiful metaphor for theatre. You can't ever capture it and save it for later. It is in the moment of communion between the artists and the audience. This is what I think of when I read your work. It is intriguing and haunting, but I imagine I could never really, truly "get" it just by reading it. I want to experience it instead. Your work is clearly meant for nothing so much as experience. So there's your task, my friend. I plan to visit friends in NYC in late Feb. Think you can get up a show by then? :)

So it's official. I need to have this written, cast, rehearsed, and ready for performance by late February. So it looks like I'll actually get a world premiere.

Anybody in the NYC area who can put me in touch with actors/dancers who want to work on a movement-oriented piece?

Living Free(gan)

So I'm all moved (again), and this time it's a loft in East Williamsburg.

I haven't spent any money since Saturday night, and I couldn't be happier that I didn't.

On the job front: still looking. I'm going to set up a blog for my copywriting stuff, as well as continue to write articles. People like my portfolio (h/t Adam), so I should probably get it up there.

What I've Been Doing Lately

I've been helping out with setting up StageBuddy.com, a new performance art listing for the New York metro area. Think of it as Craigslist for live performance - with video.

So if you know about a show coming up and want to let people know about it, go ahead and list it on the site (it's free). We're working out the bugs and kinks, so your feedback will help a lot.

Thanks a bunch for your help.

I've been Fringing in NYC!

I volunteered for a few hours to get free tickets for a few shows at the FringeNYC. I might do a bit more this weekend just because the shows have been so cool. I managed to snag a theater-related job to pay the rent (see StageBuddy), and it seems things are looking good so far.

Now that I've seen a few Fringe shows, I'm starting to feel like I live in NYC, whereas before it seemed like I couldn't find anything to do. Speaking of FringeNYC, check out @lice in www.onderland if you haven't already. It's a real treat and similar to what I'm working on now - sorta.

I also purchased a few of my favorite drama books at a discount. Guess which ones they are (hint: I mentioned them on Parabasis).

Fringe NYC and other distractions

It seems I came to Brooklyn just in time. FringeNYC is underway, and apparently tickets are cheap. I'd like to get at least 5 shows in, but I can't afford it (especially since I'm not currently employed). :(

But how I want to go!

There's so much to choose from. If anybody's in NYC who's doing the Fringe and/or has extra tickets, let me know. Then again, I could show up early dressed in black and see where that takes me.

In other news, I've discovered a few places I really like. The first is St. Mark's Place between 1st and 2nd Avenue (Manhattan). Lots of restaurants with good food. The only problem is that the portions are huge, and I have to force myself to eat it all (generally to the point of wishing I hadn't). I've discovered that if I keep busy and drink enough water, I can easily stay full on 2 meals a day.

St. Mark's also has a used bookshop with a treasure trove of drama texts. I don't mean plays. I mean books about drama. I'm going to pick up "The Empty Space" and "Theater and Its Double" when I get a chance (maybe tomorrow; it depends).

If I ever go crazy enough to actually want to live in Manhattan, I hope I can find something close to St. Mark's.

Isaac showed me around the major parts of Boerum Hill. I really like that part of Brooklyn too. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to rent a room there before it gets completely gentrified.

And I have a question: Why does it seem like every time I go out it takes at least half an hour longer than HopStop says it should?

Things To Do NYC

If I'm moving to NYC, I don't want to get stuck into the same routine I can find here. When it comes to NYC, I always hear two things: it's the city that never sleeps, and you can find anything. I'm going to put that to the test. So, here's a list of things I want to do within my first six months to a year in NYC.

1. Find some all-night haunts.

I'm a night owl, and I tend to keep vampire hours. But I'm not crazy about bars. I just need a hole in the wall away from home where I can chill and write without being bothered.

2. Go to goth clubs.

I need a mix of the old and new: Bauhaus as well as Marilyn Manson. DIY goth wear as well as Hot Topic. Ghosts and faeries as well as vampires. See my pic? That's what I should feel comfortable looking like there.

3. Visit a rave.

I want to lose myself in digital music. I don't even need glow sticks. And the DJ had better be kick-ass. If everything sounds the same (and I'll know), I'm gonna be pissed.

4. Get involved in some avant-garde theater productions.

Not as an usher, and not at the box office. I want to put the actual show on. Whether that means being a gopher on the set and/or helping strike, so be it. But I don't want to just take money or show people to their seats.

5. Find a playwrights' group/support group.

I'm an artist. Sensitivity is my birthright. I need groupies/moral supporters to help keep me on track instead of getting lost in (shudder) work. It's also cheaper and more fun than therapy.

6. Work someplace really interesting.

Like a sex museum. Or a "haunted" mansion. Or something. Basically, I want people to choke on their drinks when I tell them, and I want to have to lie to my parents about what I do for a living. No, not a stripper. But I would be interested in conceptualizing a burlesque sort of Cirque du Soleil performance.

7. Make friends with rich people*.

It's not what you think. I'm not looking for a back door into wealth. But I've been around broke people my whole life. So I know how to handle hardship. It's handling success that's going to be a problem. I'd like to know how to do that before learning the hard way who my real friends are.

*I define rich here as someone who can afford to own two or more homes.

8. Share a kiss on the Brooklyn Bridge beneath the moonlight.

This one is hard to explain. So I won't.

9. Have a torrid love affair.

It may or may not lead to (ick!) marriage, but I could use some overwhelming passion in my life.

10. Go to a fetish ball.

Ever since I saw it on HBO's Real Sex series, I was hooked. Mystery, intimacy, ritual. It's all so . . . theatrical! Whips and chains and handcuffs! Leather boots and pants and collars! "Yes, Mistress!"

Yet Another NYLACHI playwright

Yes, folks. It's official. I'm moving to Brooklyn in a couple of weeks, and I couldn't be happier unless I suddenly became independently wealthy and met my soulmate on the same day.

Putting It Out There

This is my attempt to reach out to the people who read this to see if they can help.

I'm moving to NYC by the first week of July. I've made my decision and done my research, so there's nothing anyone can do to dissuade me aside from New York being invaded by zombies or vaporized by a nuclear bomb. I realize that finding a place to stay will be a lot easier if I find work first. Ideally I'd like a position where I can use my talent for writing and editing, but I'd be a freelance security guard for a theater if it came down to that (in other words, sleep on a prop couch and make sure nobody breaks in). I don't care if it's entry-level as long as I can take care of necessities like rent and food while building contacts with the local theater community. Otherwise, I'm seriously considering the merits of living on the subway or a park bench..

Can somebody help me here?