Closure

Well, it ended today.

Theatre is somewhat unique in the world of art in that the lifetime of a piece is unavoidably finite. A show opens, it has a run, maybe it tours for while, then it inevitably closes. Sometimes the lifespan of a theatrical production is only one night. Others live for decades. But eventually, all theatrical productions die.

I think every actor, director, playwright, stage manager, etc. has her or his own way of finding closure at the end of a run. Some have superstitions or rituals that give them comfort. Others like to document their experiences of the run in a notebook or journal. Almost all enjoy closing-night parties to celebrate the production's conclusion.

Today, South Camden Theatre Company's production of Waiting for Lefty by Clifford Odets ceased to be. We had a sold-out audience today. The energy moved well, the commitment was high, and the audience seemed engaged. From my perspective, it was one of our better shows and I was incredibly proud of everyone's unwavering dedication to the work.

I'm looking forward to my next project and I'm ready to continue my progress. But I had a whole bunch of fun working on this show, and I hope I get the chance to play with Odets' words again. I am grateful to Joe Paprzycki for casting me and allowing me the freedom to do my work.

So, as Jay says, "On to the next one."

peace.

We're Open!

I'm just getting in from the after-opening bar celebration. I'm going to bed. Tonight was big fun.

But come see! More info here!

Tomorrow: new Emcee of the Month!

peace.

Whatcha Gonna Do

Tonight I was in rehearsal for a production of Waiting for Lefty over in Camden, New Jersey. (For more info, have a look here.) We had begun our very first run of the entire show since our table reading back last month. My first entrance is from the lobby of the theatre, which has four windows that look out onto the corner of Jasper Street and S. 4th Street. So if someone is standing in the lobby the happenings on the street can feel very close.

As I was waiting for my cue I hear quick, regular thuds striking the sidewalk from up the street. As they sped past the theatre lobby, I looked out the window and saw a man who had evidently done something illegal. I know this because he was being chased, on foot, by a Camden Police officer. The chase took them about halfway up the next block on 4th Street until the suspect was eventually caught. The officer cuffed the guy and sat him in the back of a squad car that pulled up a moment later.

I've never seen a police chase before, and even though I was well removed from the actual events, it was still quite frightening.

What's even more frightening, however, is that Camden, New Jersey has recently cut half of its police force. For the uninitiated, Camden, New Jersey has been ranked in the top 10 most dangerous cities in America since 1998 by the Morgan Quinto Press. As Jon Stewart put it on The Daily Show last week, "Camden is the place in New Jersey where people from Newark go to feel better about Newark." It is one of the most depressed communities on this continent.

Now, I've been assured by a lifetime Camden resident who's intricately linked to the community that the cuts in the force won't mean a diminished police presence. But this development will affect the atmosphere of the criminal element in the city. Crooks watch the news, too. And if there's word their number one adversary has been limited in its effectiveness, they are going to take advantage.

I hope the city gets its house in order and puts those officers back to work. There are very few places that need them more. I don't want to see anymore police chases before I go on stage.

peace.

Waiting for Lefty Godot: A Shameless Plug

In addition to being a child of hip hop culture, I also like to consider myself an actor every once in a while. Actually, if I'm being a snob about it, I prefer the term "theatre artist." But we'll see how that one goes in the months and years to come. Right now, I'd be happy with "that dude I saw in that play that one time."

Tonight I had my first rehearsal with my cast mates of Waiting for Lefty, an incredibly powerful and moving piece of theatre currently in production at South Camden Theatre Company in Camden, NJ. Waiting for Lefty was written in 1935 by a playwright named Clifford Odets. It follows the stories of employees at a fictional taxi company in New York and their plans to walk out and strike in demand of better wages and working conditions.

I am exceedingly excited to be a part of this production. I've wanted to work with Odets material for an incredibly long time, and especially this particular play. Odets is considered to be one of the seminal American playwrights of the 20th century and this play is credited as one of his masterpieces. For me, he writes with an industrial sense of urgency which appropriately mirrors the dire conditions of his socio-political environment. Every voice he pens speaks in ironclad terms, and gives no room for misunderstanding. When I hear his plays rehearsed or performed I can't help but wish I could have been there to hear people speaking like this on the streets or in the shops. I'm always thinking, "This can't be real! They spoke like this!? This is fantastic!"

I'll leave it to you to wiki Odets and the plays he wrote. Instead, I'll share with you a video I found a few weeks ago of Lee Strasberg. Odets and Strasberg were members of The Group Theatre, a collective of actors, directors, and playwrights who collaboratively created theatre with which to comment on their society. Considering they formed two years after the Wall Street crash of 1929, which eventually led to the Great Depression, you can imagine they had lots to say.

Nevertheless, when I read Odets, a voice like Strasberg's is the one I hear; piercing, staccato, allegro, New York, Jewish (Hey, let's be honest!).

If you happen to be in the Philadelphia area during the first few weeks of February and you fancy an evening at the theatre, come see this show. We had a good rehearsal tonight and I feel this is going to be solid piece of art.

You can get more info on the show here.

peace.

SIDEBAR!!!

I must give my homie Ron a big thank you for doing a wonderful write-up on my fledgling blog. He had some extremely kind and flattering things to say, and I've been an admirer of the dedication and passion he expresses everyday on his site. Please have a look at his work here. He's got more than a few milliseconds of genius over there.

Also, big props to my homegirl Jenn for reminding me of the J Dilla Foundation in response to my post yesterday, which is an organization committed to funding music programs in inner city schools. If you're thinking of donating more in the new year, this is an effort that is definitely worthwhile.