I like shiny things

Sunday in the Park with Hugh

2009-04-21T10:27:00.002-05:00

The Menier Chocolate Factory/West End/Roundabout production of Sunday in the Park with George is heading to the 5th Ave. Theatre. I'm excited that all of my Seattle friends can see this cool staging of SITPWG. The production is awesome and the projections were kinda revelatory for me; it changed the entire show (for the better -- for the first time, the 2nd act didn't seem out of place!). Get your tickets now.

But my favorite part is this: check out the photo of star Hugh Panaro that Playbill ran with the article announcing the production. Awesome.

I am obsessed with this...

2009-04-21T10:23:00.002-05:00

I can't stop looking at this stuff. Every single one of these photos will be a set (or maybe a costume idea) someday. Mark my words.

Make sure you check out Tod's other sites (linked at the bottom of his page), too!

Justice Stevens Renders an Opinion on Who Wrote Shakespeare's Plays

2009-04-20T00:32:00.003-05:00

This article makes me incredibly happy. The author even gets most of the sitting and retired justices to weigh in on the debate. I especially love that Stevens was driven enough (and had enough pull) to go over to the Folger Library and make them dig out a 400 year old bible to follow up on his pet theory.

Waiting for Elmo

2009-04-02T11:33:00.001-05:00

I just twotted all over the place!

2009-03-27T21:52:00.002-05:00

I saw this and my first thought was "I should blog that." No, the irony is not lost on me.

(via Tin Man)

A Perennial Favorite

2008-12-07T16:23:00.002-05:00

This video is 10 years old now, and seems to pop up every Christmas, but it still makes me happy every time! (Just between you and me, I do secretly enjoy acapella.)

Things you should do:

2008-12-04T01:15:00.002-05:00

1.) Be nice to people
2.) Visit the current exhibit in the gallery at the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center. The exhibit, titled Curtain Call: Celebrating a Century of Women Designing for Live Performance, has a ton of original costumes, sketches, scenic models and videos from theatre, dance and opera over the last 100 years or so. Its rare to see this much primary historical material about design on display together -- and to be able to get so close and intimate with the pieces is a treat. Much of the exhibit is arranged so that each designer's work is grouped in its own little area, so it's like visiting Clambake, but with designers you already know. And, since all the designers are women, much of the work tends to be more recent and familiar, not the same Ming Cho Lee model for some Shakespeare in the Park production that usually gets pulled out.
3.) Floss.

Just in the nick of time! ...oh, wait.

2008-12-04T01:12:00.002-05:00

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Prop 8 -- The Musical, written by Marc Shaiman and staring a bunch of people whose faces you recognize.

blog.

2008-11-11T20:48:00.002-05:00

So. I think we can all now safely agree that I'm not a good blogger. It's been a crazy few months and I've been spread too thin trying to design a bunch of shows and do my regular assisting gigs, while also giving Jason the (large amount) of attention that he deserves. I just haven't been able to work up the enthusiasm to sit down and write anything.

I've been funneling a lot of the thoughts I want to share to my facebook status and wall posts. So if you care what I'm up to, feel free to friend me (I'll approve you. Promise.)

(Also, I love that "friend" is a verb now.)

I'll keep posting to this blog as I have things I want to share, but I hereby resolve to no longer feel guilty about not posting regularly enough. This is supposed to be fun.

Josh, over at Josh&Josh, has a nice post about overcoming his blog burnout (of course, they are wildly successful bloggers and I'm, well, not. But still.). Actually, after reading his post, I'm inspired to start writing again. We'll see how that goes.

"I'm totally going to ammend her"

2008-10-16T13:33:00.002-05:00

Here are some funny Mac/PC-style No on Prop. 8 ads. My favorite is the third.

(via TinMan)

Prop. 8

2008-10-16T12:59:00.002-05:00

I suspect that I'm preaching to the choir here, but, if by any chance you are Californian and undecided about how to vote on Prop. 8, the proposal to write anti-gay marriage discrimination into the state constitution, allow me to throw in my two cents: VOTE NO! There. Now that wasn't hard, now was it?

And, for that matter, no matter where you are, please consider giving a financial contribution to NoOnProp8.com. As of last week, there was a 10 million dollar fundraising gap between the supporters of the proposition and the good guys.

I honestly haven't thought much about this issue up until recently. I thought that Californians are smart enough to see that gay people have been getting married for months in California and years elsewhere and "traditional" marriage hasn't been affected one way or another. And a few months ago, the polls seemed to support my belief. Recently, however, after a well funded series of deceitful pro-Prop 8 ads, the contest seems too close to call (or leaning towards approving the proposition, depending on which poll you read).

So, don't just sit there. Do something.

Baby Velociraptor finds this offensive

2008-09-17T15:35:00.000-05:00

1 minute, 3 seconds

One more down

2008-09-17T13:49:00.002-05:00

Well, we got another one up and running.

The show is good. Though last night's opening was sold out, there's still 5 more performances left. Check it out.

God Bless You, George Foreman

2008-09-15T12:47:00.004-05:00

A month or two ago, Jason convinced me that we needed a George Foreman Grill. Needed. It. To. Live. So we got one.

It has changed our entire diets. Now we cook things, and eat less fast food (hey! I made a New Year's resolution about eating less fast food! How about that!). We're definitely not dieting (since, now that the food has flavor, we tend to eat more of it... also determining the right portion size has thus far proved a bit... confusing.), but we are eating better, and that was really the goal. (well, sort of better, anyway. We eat a lot more bacon now.)

So score one for the silly kitchen appliance.

Everything Looks Prettier in Silhouette

2008-09-08T21:37:00.001-05:00

The view from my balcony, or rather, fire escape.

Maggie and Zanny: Best Friends!

2008-09-04T21:30:00.004-05:00

Check out this kick-ass bookmark I found on the subway last weekend. The laminated front (photo) and back (construction paper) halves of the bookmark had been pulled apart, but they stuck right back together again. This bookmark is particularly perfect as I am currently reading Twilight and that makes me feel like a 16 year-old girl.

Here are some keywords: Maggie and Zanny, Maggie!!!, Zanny!! BFF.... Girls, if you find this post by googling yourself, email me with some proof that you are who you say you are (another photo of you perhaps?), and I'll give you back your fabulous bookmark.

It'll never be as exciting as your first time

2008-09-01T15:56:00.003-05:00

(The current revival of Hair in Central Park)

Last week I waited in the standby line in Central Park for a ticket to see the Shakespeare in the Park production of Hair

(The standby line, by the way, is super easy and the best way to get into the shows. To wait in the main line, you need to be in the park by 6 or 7 am (8 at the latest) to be guaranteed tickets, which are handed out at 1 pm. That means I've got to get up at 4:30 to get to the Park by 6:30 (an hour to wake up and shower, an hour to wait for and ride the subway) -- too early for me. The standby line, on the other hand, forms in the early afternoon and tickets are given out right before the show at 8:00. I was there at 3:45 and was 3rd in line. The line monitor said that if you're there by 4:30, you have an excellent chance of getting tickets. Now that the tourists are going home and the kids are back in school, your odds should be even better. It's an easy wait on a pretty day and totally worth doing if you have an afternoon free in the next two weeks. But I digress.).

Anyway, the show was... good. I enjoyed it. It made me smile and at the end I got up and danced enthusiastically with the rest of the audience. Lots of fun. Well sung.

But... I came away unmoved by the ending, which should be wrenching. The Tribe of far-too-clean Hippies seemed like kids putting on costumes and executing the choreography they've been given (one All That Chat poster compared the big numbers to the big group songs the American Idol contestants are forced to perform).

In the end, though, the production mostly made me sentimental for the first production of Hair I ever saw, which remains one of the most moving experiences I've ever had in the theatre:

When I was fresh out of undergrad and still idealistic about making theatre, my first job was being an intern at a theatre in Memphis. It was an intense, hard, exhausting and ultimately, incredibly rewarding experience (I'd recommend the intern program there to any young artist looking to get their ass kicked and really learn how to make theatre). We worked 10am to 10pm every day (except Sunday mornings and some Mondays), the actors spending all of their non-performance time in the shops. And then at night we all hung out together in the big shared house the theatre provided for us, staying up late (or not) doing all the things that a dozen 22 year-olds might do when they finally have a break. It was made even more intense because none of us knew anyone one in town besides each other and had no time to meet anyone. It was a great time where I met many of the people who are still among my best friends -- including Jason, who was, conveniently enough, in the bedroom next to mine.

At the end of my time there, as I was leaving, they were preparing to do Hair. When I returned in a month or two to visit Jason, the show had been up and running for several weeks. It was awesome and intensely personal for me. There, up on stage, was my Tribe of reckless, driven, fabulous kids performing a show about an ad hoc family not unlike themselves.

(I should make clear here that the show was good in its own right -- well directed and performed -- not just because of its personal resonance for me)

This production staged the final song, "Let the Sun Shine In," 15 or 20 years later in front of the Vietnam Wall and you got to see all where everyone ended up -- who sold out, who tried to hang onto the dream. Seeing all of those people who had drifted apart reconnecting and comforting each other about the members of the tribe who were missing was really affecting. Thinking about the moving events at end of the play along with my own personal thoughts about community and Tribe-hood and the passage of time (as well as lots of pride for my friends who had made this show) totally got to me. I cried and smiled and laughed and sang along. All at the same time.

It was awesome.

(Memphis Hair photos stolen from Rebecca's Facebook page)

Back in BK

2008-08-17T17:34:00.002-05:00

Well, I've returned from Memphis and am starting to get re-acclimated to being home in Brooklyn. Coming back is always a little like returning from summer camp: the experience of being there is so intense (and, usually, so much fun) that it's easy to forget that life goes on back in the real world.

The show ROCKS, by the way. The entire audience was on it's feet dancing (or trying to see over the heads of those who were) for the last 20 minutes of the show. Fun. If you're in Memphis in the next 5 weeks or so, definitely check it out.

Catchin' up!

2008-08-07T21:53:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been a bad blogger. A lot's happened since I last posted, and I'm so daunted by playing catch-up that I've been having a hard time motivating myself to post.

Sooooo, here's the quick catch-up list of highlights of things I've done in the last month or so: I saw several fun shows (my favorites: Animals out of Paper at Second Stage Uptown and Damn Yankees) I went to Atlantic City; Jason visited my folks' house in Virginia for the first time (it was great); my sister got married (so beautiful!); and now I'm in rehearsal in Memphis and it rocks.

Regular posting should resume soon!

My baby sister is getting married on Saturday...

2008-07-17T00:20:00.002-05:00

...so this video makes me tear up. No, not tear up -- full on, take-your-glasses-off-and-wipe-your-nose cry. But in a good way.

I don't mean to brag but...

2008-06-23T16:35:00.003-05:00

No, wait... Yes I do.

Still The River Runs got a fairly positive review in the Times today. And check out the last sentence!!

It's my first mention in the Paper of Record. I'm psyched.

Text Message From Jason

2008-06-23T16:31:00.003-05:00

Received 4:44 PM:

Must have a sweet tea...i am fainting (gasp sigh) (flopping on couch dramatically) ...sweet ...te (fainted)

So I picked up Sweet Tea from McDonald's on the way home. Crisis averted. That was a close one!

I'm Comin' Out

2008-06-20T16:09:00.003-05:00

When I started this blog, I intentionally didn't use my last name or the names of some of the schools and companies where I worked in an effort to maintain some sort of anonymity or privacy. I was worried about things I wrote coming back to bite me in the ass later on.

But the fact is, I'm a good southern boy who hates conflict and confrontation. I simply don't write angry, opinionated diatribes. In fact, I try hard to keep everything in my life positive. Here on the blog, the one place where I have full control over what's said, I think things stay pretty positive and glass-half-full most of the time. Nothing I've written in the past couple of years has much potential to upset anyone -- at least not anyone in my mostly liberal, college educated personal and professional circles.

Also, let's face it: Any monkey with a rudimentary understanding of Google could use the info I share to figure out who I was in less than 5 minutes (for example, how many set designers were working at a professional theatre in Memphis (Memphis has only one, btw) on a production of Scapin last March?).

And as best I can tell, this blog is mostly read by people I already knew in the real world, anyway.

So anonymity was mostly just a comforting story I told myself.

Therefore, starting today, I'm going to give up on any pretense of being anonymous or maintaining a separation between personal and professional Tim. Here is a link to my portfolio website. I've added a link there pointing back here (for people who want to "learn more about Tim in his non-theatrical life"). I'm thinking about revising the site, so if you have any constructive comments, send them to the email address listed on the site. Any non-constructive comments can be sent here

I'm still not using my last name here, though. I like that right now, when someone Googles my name, the first several hits are my portfolio pages, and I don't want to get in the way of that.

Come See My Show

2008-06-20T15:36:00.002-05:00

Last night, Zootopia Theatre Company's production of Still The River Runs opened, for which I designed the set. I'm pleased with what we've come up with. Working with fairly limited resources, I think we've created a show that is crisp and professional.

So if you're in NYC over the next few weeks, come check out our show.

Tickets are $18 at the door, or $15 in advance via SmartTix

High School Tony Awards

2008-06-20T15:26:00.002-05:00

High School Tony Awards Honor Nation's Biggest Drama Club Nerds

From the Onion, via [blog]

Two Incomplete Lists

2008-06-10T20:52:00.002-05:00

THINGS THAT SUCK:
*Printer Color Calibration

THINGS THAT REALLY SUCK:
*Realizing after hours of trying to calibrate the color of the print image that the problem isn't in the software calibration, just that there is a blockage in the magenta ink tank.

"My shoes...are fascinating"

2008-06-05T19:53:00.001-05:00

Cubby Bernstein, Episode Six (the funniest thus far):

Incedentaly, I saw Xanadu on Tuesday night and I think I'd go with "Just Gay Enough". But that's just me.

The 'hood

2008-05-23T15:00:00.004-05:00

I'm adding a link to BushwickBK.com to the blogroll in the sidebar. It's an interesting blog about stuff in my neighborhood. I had no idea that all this stuff was going on here.

Though most of the people in my neighborhood seem to be working class Puerto Rican or Dominican families, the tone of the blog is hipper, younger, more affluent, and (presumably) whiter. A preview of the Williamsburg-ization of Bushwick that seems to be on the horizon?

Sketchy.

2008-05-22T19:55:00.003-05:00

Check out this cool wallpaper, from Georgian design company Rooms. They call Ghost Wallpaper. Would this be cool or annoying if I did it in my apartment (sketched it for real, I mean, not hung the wallpaper)?
Images stolen from Apartment Therapy New York.

I don't understand a word of it, but it makes me laugh!

2008-05-20T21:23:00.001-05:00

Flashing strangers.

2008-05-17T16:48:00.005-05:00

Last night, I joined some friends in participating in an Improv Everywhere mission. IE, for the uniniated, stages missions, mostly in NYC, that bring a bit of randomness or flash mob-ness, or just surprising fun to an unsuspecting public location. They've done things like having a group of a few hundred people freeze for 5 minutes in the middle of Grand Central station during rush hour. You may have also heard of them from NPR's This American Life (which featured their mission "The Best Gig Ever").

It was my first time with Improv Everywhere, and it was a blast, though next time I think I'll hold out for a non-cold and rainy mission date.

We all met at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge with our flash cameras, where we were told that we would be lining up across the pedestrian walkway on the bridge and making a giant flash "wave" that would travel from one side of the bridge to the other and then back again. A camera guy on the Manhattan Bridge would be filming it.

It was sprinkling and misty when we started. By the time we bailed (after the first across-and-back wave) it was flat-out raining.

Some blurry photos:

We test our flashes before we start

All of us queued up to get onto the bridge

Did you know that there is an official New York CityStore?

Walking onto the bridge (sideways)

Whee!

Everyone lined up waiting for things to start. We stood there waiting for a LONG time. I'm not sure what the hold up was. It was probably like herding cats keeping everyone organized like that.
The Manhattan Bridge across the river. Someone over there was taking pictures of me, too!
Leaving the bridge. It was wet.

Erin and Ann after.

"J" Train home

Why does this man have a TV show?

2008-05-14T23:33:00.004-05:00

In a fit of boredom, Jason and I have started to watch Hell's Kitchen, the kitchen reality TV show. The show is hosted by/starring/judged by Chef Gordon Ramsey, whose only claim to fame, as far as we can tell, is being a huge, food throwing, f-bomb dropping, hissy-fittin' asshole in the kitchen. Maybe he can cook. I don't know. I've only ever seen him throw plates of food, not produce them. The show ultimately isn't even about cooking; cooking is just the excuse to get a bunch of people doing stuff, so that Ramsey can then get in their face and yell at them for doing it wrong. Blah.

I wish the contestants would grow a spine and talk back or just walk from the show. No one deserves to be treated like that, regardless of what prize he or she might have the chance to win. (Really?? You want to go through all this drama and bullshit so than you can win -- what? -- the chance to work for Ramsey in one of his restaurants?! Not worth it.)

We've watched several episodes (I'm not proud of that), but only when there's nothing else on.

Each time we watch, one of us will turn to the other and say "How long until the next Top Chef?"

Cubby

2008-05-14T15:14:00.000-05:00

Addendum

2008-05-13T23:57:00.001-05:00

One more thing at which I would fail if given the opportunity:
initiating small talk at cocktail parties... Wow, I'm bad at that.

Sweet Baby Jesus!

2008-05-13T16:13:00.002-05:00

From Boston's Weekly Dig via The Consumerist

Things at which I would probably fail if given the opportunity

2008-05-12T13:36:00.003-05:00

*Negotiating a Middle East peace deal
*Winning a Top Chef "Quickfire Challenge"
*Olympic Pole Vault competition
*Spelling Test
*Being an air traffic controler

hmmm... what else?

"Why go to Philledelphia if you can go somewhere else?"

2008-05-11T19:18:00.003-05:00

Get thee to City Center.

Last night I saw the Encores! production of No, No Nanette.

So. Much. Fun.

I think this may be my favorite Encores! production thus far. It's the lightest, fluffiest, tap-dancin'-est little bit of silliness around. You have one more chance to see it before it's gone for good: a special Monday night benefit performance tomorrow night. Go.

What was that song...

2008-05-11T00:33:00.003-05:00

...at the end of this week's Grey's Anatomy? We think it was Gladys Knight (with Pips?), but can't figure out what the song is. It would be a good ipod song.

Watch the episode ("The Becoming") free on-line here.

I'm rather pleased with myself...

2008-05-08T19:18:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, in my two-hour window between the assisting gig and going to a design meeting, I built an entire quarter-inch scale scenic model -- from raw foam-core to complete model in two hours! Now, it's still a fairly rough model and all the furniture was stuff I already had, but, still, it was a hit at the meeting.

Well, I was impressed...

(Maybe I'll post the model photos when I take 'em.)

2008-05-01T17:19:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I saw Cry-Baby. It was.. good. There has been a lot of negative buzz (and of course, there were the reviews), but I smiled a lot and occasionally laughed out loud. The choreography was clever and there was a lot of good design work going on (The portals on Scott Pask's colorful set canted this way and that and did cool tricks).

Much of it, though, especially the first act, felt generic and saccharine. Winking 50's campy pastiche just feels so... tired. It wasn't new when Zombie Prom did it 10 years ago.

That said, it was a good time. I'm glad I went; and I'd recommend it.

Is this for real?

2008-04-30T19:52:00.002-05:00

I can't decide. Is this pure, raw adolescent angst, or is it a little perfect neo-Holden Caulfield fiction project.

Either way: brilliant.

2008-04-29T16:32:00.003-05:00

I know the gay activist in me is supposed to be offended by this commercial, and I understand that there is a degree of homophobia in the humor. But I laugh out loud every time.

Now what am I going to do this week...

2008-04-29T15:31:00.003-05:00

There are times when being a freelancer rocks (flexible hours, sleeping in, often working in my boxers), and times when it blows. Today it blows.

I had blocked out the whole week to work on a project with a great designer with whom I've worked before. Today I got an e-mail from her saying that there are contract problems with the show and I should stop work until that's resolved. Could be days or weeks. Who knows. It's not her fault; these things happen. But now I need to scare up work for the rest of the week fast.

Anyone need some scenery designed, like, tomorrow?

2008-04-27T18:05:00.001-05:00

What have I written about on this blog that Google Ads thinks this is something my readership (both of 'em) would be interested in?

(screen cap from the sidebar)

Take me out to the ballgame

2008-04-26T10:43:00.002-05:00

I want to go to a baseball game. Who wants to go with?

Honestly, I'm not a huge baseball fan. I find the sport too slow to actually watch on TV and I don't have any particularly strong ties to either local team. But I love the experience and excitement of seeing a game live. And I like hot dogs and beer.

Yankees or Mets? Either. Both.

This isn't like that time I was all "who wants to go to museums with me?" and then never did anything about it (that offer still stands, by the way), I'm serious. Someone propose some dates and lets make this happen.

Things I like today:

2008-04-24T15:12:00.002-05:00

Chris Muller has started a cool little figure drawing blog, which I think is supposed to be for the students in his class at NYU, but it's got some great bits for anyone who likes to draw people. Check it out: Fig Drawing.

(full disclosure: I know Chris a little, but would recommend his site even if I didn't)

2008-04-23T20:00:00.002-05:00

Today was a beautiful, sunny day and life is good. Tonight, as I was walking back to my apartment from the subway in the dusk, in this, my 18th month as a permanent New York resident, I thought to myself, "Hmmm.. this is kind of nice. I think just maybe I could live here after all."

One more addition

2008-03-30T17:32:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite people and former classmates, Jessica, whose travels we followed in Around the world in 240 Days, has started a new blog: Imaginary Class. It's got writing projects, random thoughts, and recipes -- you know, blog stuff.

I've added the link in the sidebar... I'm going to keep the link to ATWI240D in the sidebar, too, even though she's not updating it any more. It's a pretty good read (skip to the part about walking across Spain).

What the Frack

2008-03-22T14:33:00.004-05:00

Check out this video, "What the Frack is Going On?", which provides a great (and hilarious) catch-up summary of the all three seasons of Battlestar Galactica in just over 8 minutes (similar to the Lost in 8 minutes 15 seconds video, another favorite of mine).

See? Now you have no excuse to not watch BSG and get sucked in like the rest of us!

Can. Not. Wait.

2008-03-22T14:18:00.004-05:00

The Battlestar Galatica cast (not typically known for their comic timing), presents the Top Ten list on Letterman.

April 4, people. Write it down.

h/t to Jeff

Birds of a feather...

2008-03-17T14:09:00.002-05:00

“At first I said, ‘It’s not me. It’s not me.’ But eventually you have to face it. It is you. You love sparkles. You love boas and feathers. You love boobs. I’m like a magpie. I’m a sucker for whatever glitters.”
--Bette Midler, NY Mag.

I really want to see her new concert... I wonder if she sings about Otto Titsling in this one?

Southern Hospitality

2008-03-12T00:28:00.005-05:00

I haven't posted in a while so I thought I'd stick up a note to let everyone (anyone out there?) know that I'm still alive. And kickin'.

I've been in Memphis, TN, for the past week loading-in and teching a show I've designed. Though I've been working with this company off and on for 8 years, this is my first show on the mainstage here. I'm having a really great time reconnecting with my friends and colleagues here and getting the show up on its feet. The show -- a production of Scapin whose design is based on another production I did in grad school -- is starting to look pretty good and it's funny (even the scenery gets a few laughs!).

It's been really refreshing to work here. Producing theatre in New York City is so much harder: Everything is more expensive there; no one has the money to get you the scene shop/carpenters/work space/materials you need. Just getting the set from your workspace (if you have one) to the theater is a huge deal involving hundreds -- or thousands -- of dollars in truck rental and man-hours, and the usual hassles of driving/parking/delivering anything in NYC. You have to expend SO much time and energy before you even get to the part where you can actually design or build something. Here I'm working 12+ hour days here and it seems like a vacation in comparison.

It's wonderful to just run to Home Depot and pick up what we need and not try to carry it back on the subway!

And the people here are nice. Often overweight, but nice. And they understand that everything tastes better when cooked with meat.

I don't realize how frustrating and soul-deadening I find trying to work in New York until I have the chance to get away from it for a bit. Making art is had enough without The City actively working against you.

Not that I think I'll stop working there anytime soon. I want to be working where I have the most opportunities to work with the next generation of theatre practitioners and where I get more chances to be involved in new works than I would anywhere else. So, for now, that means (to chose a few recent examples) trying to carry cafe tables through the subway turnstiles, designing in theatres shared by other productions with no storage space or shift crew, and a hour-long subway commute to get anywhere.

But it is nice to get out of Dodge every now and then.

Go read this. Now.

2008-02-17T16:35:00.002-05:00

Mike Daisey talks about the sad state or regional theatre in last week's The Stranger.

Ski wrap up

2008-02-14T22:59:00.004-05:00

I hate hearing about other people's vacations as much as the next guy, so I promise to keep this short.

The ski trip with my dad was great with some truly perfect conditions. Some thoughts in no particular order:

Yes, it really does look like this:
This image was grabbed off of a travel website. It is from the appropriately named Heavenly, the ski resort where we spent most of our time. We also skied at Squaw Valley (site of the 1960 Winter Olympics) and at Kirkwood.

I didn't want to take the fancy digital cameras (out of a fear that I'd fall and crush them in the snow), so I picked up a little disposable camera while I was out there. They still make physical film that you have to take to get developed. Who knew?! It was the only non-digital camera I saw all trip (and we saw a lot of pictures being taken), except for one old guy who looked like he still gets up and walks to the tv to change the channels.

Anyway, I'll post a few pictures, once I have them developed.

The highlight of the trip was the great skiing conditions. The last morning, almost completely by accident, we were among the first on the slopes. Fresh tracks in freshly groomed snow by yourself on a half-mile long run? I don't mean to brag,* but it doesn't get better than that.

The low point was seeing National Treasure 2 one night when we didn't want to sit in the hotel watching the weather channel any more (My dad loooooves the Weather Channel). On the plus side, the lousy movie did provide conversation topics for the rest of the trip ("Wait... how did Queen Victoria know the clues to the location of a secret indian city of gold? And if they knew where to build national monuments to hide the city, then why didn't they know where the city was?" And then we'd sit on the ski lift and try to hash out the screenwriter's logic (I guess that's sort of a spoiler, but trust me, you don't care)).

We also tried to learn how to play Craps (There are lots of casinos in Nevada!), but as we don't really enjoy gambling, mostly we just stood beside the table and tried to puzzle out what was happening with the very complicated game (the game takes 5 casino employees to run!). I spent some time reading up on the rules online, but even with careful study, figuring out what is going on on the table is still almost a total mystery.

6 days is plenty of skiing. By the end, we were both exhausted and making stupid, sloppy mistakes, even though we were going to bed at 10 or 11 pm to try to make sure we were well rested.

All told, it was a great trip.

...And now back to real life. Sigh.

----
* Yes, I do.

They say it's not bragging if it's true...

2008-02-14T22:55:00.001-05:00

(h/t to Jere Keys at Blind Prophecy)

Big theatre dork

2008-02-09T02:32:00.000-05:00

My trip with my dad is going great, with literally some of the most perfect skiing conditions that anyone could ask for and truly awesome vistas across two states from the top of a snowy mountain (and nothing broken yet, for those of you keeping score), but...

I am a little sad to be missing this.

Dork.

Old

2008-02-06T17:31:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday. I feel like I'm supposed to have crossed some sort of (arbitrary) threshold into being a little more of a grown-up. But, hey, 30 is the new 20, right?
Do I look different? Older? As if my hair may start falling out in chunks at any moment? Or perhaps I'm due for a broken hip?

Anyway, I'm spending the next week, starting today, on an awesome ski trip with my dad in Lake Tahoe. So I probably won't be posting much this week (which, frankly, won't be that much diferent from any other week), but I'll post the final broken bone count (or maybe some photos) after the trip is over.

...come on down to South Park and meet some friends of mine!

2008-02-01T01:24:00.000-05:00

Jason, apparently bored while teching his show, created South Park characters for him, our friend Elizabeth, and me. They are so dead-on, I felt compelled to share:

Me:

Jason:

Elizabeth:

I'd vote for him

2008-01-28T03:28:00.000-05:00

From The Onion:

Bill Clinton: 'Screw It, I'm Running For President'

CHARLESTON, SC—After spending two months accompanying his wife, Hillary, on the campaign trail, former president Bill Clinton announced Monday that he is joining the 2008 presidential race, saying he "could no longer resist the urge."...

Favorite quote:

Clinton also noted that, if elected, the timing would be perfect for his family, as his wife has recently expressed a desire to move back to the D.C. area.

All I really want is a nap

2008-01-28T02:08:00.000-05:00

I've been crazy-busy the last few weeks, working on several shows in different stages of production, all at the same time. I seem to have a bad habit of over-committing myself to projects. I'm just a girl who can't say no, I guess. I'm doing a couple of shows right now which didn't seem to be that big a conflict when I first agreed to them, but now are starting to drive to drive me crazy. I feel continually overwhelmed and behind schedule.

My continual frustration with my professional life over the last few weeks -- and really, the last year -- has lead me to reconsider my priorities about the kind of projects I take on. The number of hours I put into each project is huge; this week, I've left home at 8 or 9 am every day to work on loading in and building the sets (a lot of physical labor and mental stress) and I haven't gotten home until after midnight. Even working these summer stock hours, I still don't have nearly enough time to get everything done that I need to get done to make these shows look as good as I want them to (I also need to be drafting the plans for the next round of shows when I get home at night, but I just can't work up the energy; I can barely focus enough to write a simple blog post!). The most frustrating part is that even with all this effort, I'm still always broke.

So I decided last night that I'm going to start being more selective about the kinds of gigs I take. No more low- or no-pay gigs, except for the occasional fun project or work with people I really like. This should leave more time for assistant design work (which is much better paying and less stressful than designing), as well as more time to make the designs I do take really rock.

This is hard though. Will I miss out on a great opportunity or a fabulous experience because the fee isn't big enough? Tonight, after reaching my decision, I got an e-mail from a director about a show with almost no budget or fee. Lots of red flags. I probably would be wise to turn it down. It does sorta sound like fun, though...

Happy Blue Monday

2008-01-21T20:42:00.000-05:00

Today, apparently, was Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. Explains a lot, no?

Also, Happy Martin Luther King, Jr Day. However, being from Virginia, I will forever think of this holiday as "Lee/Jackson/King Day". That's right, Virginia, in a move to increase efficiency, consolidated those three great civil rights leaders -- Martin Luther King, Stonewall Jackson, and Robert E. Lee -- into one conflicted holiday.

That's where I'm from, folks.

(A few years ago, they split the holidays so now Lee/Jackson day is on Friday and MKL day is on the following Monday. That's still a heck of a holiday weekend!).

Awww. It's both cute AND depressing.

2008-01-10T13:09:00.000-05:00

This is heart breaking. And a little gross.

(From The Times of London via Jezebel)

2008-01-08T16:34:00.000-05:00

I suspect that, as usual, I'm a little late to this party, but right now I'm totally hooked on this song. It's become my get-energized-and-do-something song on my ipod. I secretly feel a little like a poser, since I'm usually sooo not a listen-to-MTV-pop-songs kind of guy, but it makes me happy, so there. (Do I seem to be speaking -- er, writing -- in a lot more hyphenates than usual?)

MIKA, "Grace Kelly"

This makes me happy on the subway:

2008-01-05T19:40:00.000-05:00

The American Theatre Wing Downstage Center podcast. Produced with XM radio, this podcast spends an hour talking with big names in the (mostly New York) theater scene. I listen on my iPod as I ride around or at work. Unsurprisingly, I find that I enjoy the conversations with directors and, especially, artistic directors a lot more than I do the conversations with performers; artistic directors have a much more big-picture view about both their work and the Theatre in general than performers who get a little myopic about their experience of being on stage in this show or that. They also tend to have more interesting how-did-you-get-to-be-where-you-are-today stories, since no little boy or girl ever says I want to be an artistic director when they grow up, and these are jobs someone offers you -- not jobs you apply for based on an ad in Backstage.

Also unsurprisingly, they've only interviewed one designer so far, though I see Tony Walton is on the upcoming list of guests (squeaking through by being a designer who now directs things).

So subscribe to the podcast and listen to it. It always makes me feel good about capital-T Theater. And it's free!

Other things that make me happy on the subway:
*The new subway cars with the LED displays of all the upcoming stops
*Those guys who do gymnastic tricks hanging off of the poles and flipping in the air.
*When the conductor gets fed up and deviates from the prescribed PA script ("People, don't yell at the conductor if you miss your train! This is public transportation, not private transportation!")
*Not getting peed on.

Resolutions!

2008-01-01T20:12:00.000-05:00

I like lists, so I think I'll take a shot at incorporating more lists in this new iteration of the blog. The first: My New Years Resolutions:

Start eating like a grown up. Jason and I have been catching up on the last few seasons of Top Chef, and its really made us realize how limited our pallets are. So we're going to make an effort to eat less fast food and less crap. We'll eat in restaurants that don't have a value menu, or perhaps we'll learn to cook some exciting new things. I'm even going to promise to try new foods and dishes -- even scary veggies.
Start taking advantage of cool New York things. I have been here over a year now and I frequently read about cool stuff happening around town (art shows, theatre events, festivals, parades, and such) that I never quite get around to attending. Likewise, the city has so many awesome museums that I would love to check out but I'm always too busy (or tired. Or just unmotivated.). So this year, I'm going to get off my ass and see and do stuff: maybe one new museum a month. Anyone out there want to be my Museum Buddy? Haven't you just been dying to check out the Frick or the National Museum of the American Indian? Or all you native New Yorkers, I bet that you've never even been to the Museum of the City of New York. Go with me!
Update this blog with some kind of regularity. Well, we'll see how that goes.

So that's my list. There are a bunch of other things that I've been meaning to do, which I could add to the list (clean the apartment more, don't be dumb, etc.), but this seems like plenty to get me started.

Happy New Year!

New Year, fresh start

2008-01-01T20:04:00.000-05:00

Ok. So I'm going to give this blog thing another try. Here goes....

It's Jason Day!

2007-09-19T23:24:00.000-05:00

Today -- Thursday, September 20th -- is a Big Day. It's Jason's Birthday! How cool is that??!!?*

Family Portrait. From left to right: Ava, Jason, me, Anya (the Velociraptors were spending the night at Niki's house)

If you get a chance (and you know him. Or not.), visit his blog or drop him a line to let him know how pleased you are to be able to celebrate this important event.

Happy Birthday, Jason!

*Answer: pretty darned cool.

I'm so there.

2007-09-15T14:40:00.000-05:00

What do you think...

2007-08-25T23:34:00.000-05:00

Is Ethan Hawke dissing Angela Lansbury by refusing to clap (as the Internet seems to think)... or is he just not smart enough to look interested when the camera is on him?

I'm a sucker for a creative and romantic proposal

2007-08-21T15:47:00.000-05:00

This is sweet. And incredibly labor intensive.

Today's new favorite link:

2007-08-20T15:39:00.000-05:00

The Empire State Building Lighting Schedule

I'm a bad theatre blogger...

2007-08-08T11:20:00.000-05:00

...and not just because I post with about the same frequency as Haley's Comet visits Earth.

No, I'm a bad theatre blogger* because I have little interest in jumping into the ongoing heated discussions in the theatrosphere. I've had some time to spend catching up on my blog reading over the last few days, but I find --as I do every time I have a chance to do this -- my main reaction is one of exhaustion. The bloggers seem to spend so much time and effort crafting and defending opinions and position statements and figuring out what is wrong with theater. Though I do have strongly held opinions about stuff theatrical (as anyone who has had a drink with me can attest), I'm not so convinced in my ultimate rightness, or that I will still think the same thing tomorrow, that I'm willing to put it out there as a statement of belief (or 95 (!)).

[Shout out to Isaac at Parabasis, the one theatre blog I do read every day, who manages to keep the conversation civil and who understands that the truth often lies somewhere between the two extreme points.]

All of these arguments seem to be based in the same polarizing black-or-white mentality that feeds the "screaming talking-head" political debate shows, which I also can't stand. Really, there is very little black or white. It's all gray (I believe this about most everything in life, not just theatre blogs. I think it's a more realistic view, but it sure makes it harder to make pithy little blog posts). How about this: You're all a little right (and, probably, a little wrong too. That's how this works.). For example: "Something is deeply wrong with the state of American theater" and theatre is a vibrant living art from. It seems dumb to pour so much money into bailing out big box cultural institutions and the big box cultural institutions are valuable resources that provide a focal point for both the artistic and larger communities, pay their artists when no one else can and should be supported. Artists should be paid what they're worth and ...well, there's no "and" for that one; it's just true.

Ultimately, I'm frustrated by the consistent low-level negative energy that seems to surround these conversations (though they do make for interesting reading). My statements above are perhaps too simplistic, but I'm getting tired of seeing people argue about the small stuff when they agree about almost everything.

In the end I think that as a theater maker, I can only be concerned with producing the best art I can. I truly believe that doing my part to create an exciting, vibrant evening of theatre (whether that means big, shiny stupid musicals or dark pretentious new works in church basements) is the best thing I can do to insure the long-term success of the art form.

Maybe I should go back to cat blogging.

*Also, I'm not really sure what I do counts as theatre blogging. More, I'm a passionate theatre professional who blogs. There is a difference.

[Admitedly this post is a bit of artistic navel gazing. I'm using it as an oporutunity to refine my thoughts for myself. You're just along for the ride. 'Cause, hey, it's my blog!]

Nostalga for places I've never been

2007-08-06T21:57:00.000-05:00

This summer is the 40th anniversary of the "Summer of Love," and there have been a number of commemorations of that summer of '67 in the media over the last few months.

Last night, for example, I watched Following Sean on PBS's great independent documentary series, P.O.V. The movie is a thirty-years-later follow up to a late-sixties documentary about Sean, a precocious 4 year-old living with his hippie parents in San Fransisco's Haight neighborhood. (The original short documentary can be watched through Aug. 31 on P.O.V's web site, here). The filmmaker spends a lot of time stripping away the idealistic patina from the era to really demonstrate what it was really like, before going on to explore what happened to the 60s era ideals 30-40 years later.

All this has gotten me thinking: This was a moment in history that became an enormously important turning point in American society. Did the people living through the "Summer of Love" know that they were experiencing something special? Are things happening today that will be looked back on in 30 or 40 years with the same reverence? Would we even notice if we were caught up in the events? (Obviously, there are some moments -- 9/11, going to war in Iraq -- whose historical importance is immediately important, but I'm wondering more about social or cultural events).

I'm pretty confident that, even had I been around for the summer of '67, I would have missed out on the cultural revolution. I would have been the guy in the tie going to work every day while the world changed around me. It just wouldn't have occurred to me to turn on, tune in or to drop out. I wonder if an equivalent thing is happening now and I'm too close (or oblivious) to it to notice. Does anyone have a guess what current event/movement future generations will look at and wish they were a part of?

Rember that one time...

2007-08-06T13:09:00.000-05:00

...when I had a blog? And I posted things? And people (both of you) read it? Yeah, that was cool.

Between losing our (pirated) home Wi-Fi access and a crazy-busy schedule, I sort of drifted away from posting.

But now, with an exciting new DSL connection and a relatively open bit of time before things get crazy again, I'm going to try this blog thing again. Wish me luck.

More Blogroll additions

2007-06-14T10:35:00.000-05:00

I'm adding a couple more links to the sidebar:

First, my good friends and classmates (in undergrad and grad school), Jess and Cz, leave soon (today?) for an amazing around the world trip. Jessica won this awesome grant from UW that provides money for an 8-month travel experience, the only requirements of which are that you have to visit at least a certain number of countries (8 or 9, I think) on several different continents. That's it -- no papers to write or research to conduct, just a belief on the part of the funder that travel is good for people. And Cz is married to Jess, so he's tagging along, too.

I'm totally jealous of their trip, but less jealous of the living out of a backpack with three changes of clothes for the next 8 months (or so).

They have a great itinerary planned and will be blogging the trip (when they can find an Internet connection). So check out Around the World In 240 Days!

...

Also, in more blogs-of-people-with-whom-Tim-went-to-undergrad news, I've just discovered Enrique's blog through a link from a link from one of my favorite theatre blogs. I haven't seen Enrique since we graduated (yikes! Seven years ago!). I'll admit to being totally intimidated by his slightly-in-you-face, radical queer Latino point of view when we were in school together (I was -- and perhaps still am -- the most white bread guy you'd ever hope to meet). Now, however, I think he's probably just fabulous, and it sounds like he's becoming a playwright to watch. His blog: Sin Verguenza! (there's an umlaut over the "u", but I don't know how to add that.) Check it.

...

What else? Are there other links I'm missing? Do you have a blog? Did we go to school together? Do you just wish we did? Drop me a line.

God Bless You, "The Onion"

2007-06-04T10:55:00.000-05:00

Unconventional Director Sets Shakespeare Play In Time, Place Shakespeare Intended

While I'm all for a strong directorial approach, this seems a bit much!

This brings me joy.

2007-06-01T22:19:00.000-05:00

Stolen from Overheard in New York:

Woman #1: So, what you think about Duane?
Woman #2: Girl, he all up in my Kool-Aid and he don't even know the flavah!

What do you think...

2007-05-30T23:28:00.000-05:00

...of the new headder?

(I made one for Jason's blog, too.)

Just in case you were wondering...

2007-05-30T20:33:00.000-05:00

Remember the show I was drafting over the weekend that we were sending out to bid? I predicted the bids from the scene shops would come back 70-80% percent over budget.

The first bid came back this morning. We are (somewhat unsurprisingly) a full 100% over budget. Now, unless one of the other shops comes back with a ridiculously low bid, I've got to cut half of the set.

Hmmm. Maybe we should just build everything at half-scale. It would be cute. Everything is cuter when it's smaller. It's a rule.

Or we could only build the half of the set that lies stage right of center line.

Wait a minute -- that's so crazy it just might work!

Or.... not.

What should we watch?

2007-05-30T00:07:00.000-05:00

Every evening before bed, Jason and I watch TV for a couple of hours (sometimes more on slow nights). Only we don't have a TV, so we watch DVDs from Netflix or that we own, or we watch TV shows from iTunes or via streaming video. And we're starting to exhaust all of our stand-bys -- especially since the regular TV season has ended and we don't get another new Ugly Betty until next fall or another new Battlestar Galactica until next freakin' January. And no new Lost until Febuary! Febuary!!!

So, we're open to suggestions. Is there a new DVD boxed set of your favorite obscure TV show we should add to our queue? Perhaps something online that we missed the first time around? Or we could talk to each other... Nah.

Mmmmmmm... Clams

2007-05-28T14:20:00.000-05:00

This weekend, I attended Clambake, this time as an observer. Clambake, for everyone who's not a theatre designer with an MFA, is an annual design showcase held at Lincoln Center for young designers around the country who have just finished grad school and want to show their work to all of the designers and directors who are about to become (hopefully) their colleagues (as well as to each other). Don't bother to ask why it's called "The Clambake;" It's a lame story.

I showed my work last year. This is the post that I wrote a year ago while decompressing from that weekend. Rereading it now, I still agree with most of my conclusions about the experience ("It's like a job fair, except at the end everyone's still unemployed"). It was a good and worthwhile experience that was totally stressful at the time and at which I now look back a little fondly. I met some people and got some business cards and e-mail addresses, but almost none of the work or opportunities that I've gotten in the last year trace directly or indirectly back to any contact I made there. Frankly, my memory of the weekend is mostly a blur punctuated by the occasional specific memory of people saying complimentary or catty things about my work.

Which a long-winded way of saying I looked forward to, and enjoyed, visiting the 'bake this year. It was great to see my ex-classmates and colleagues from Seattle showing so well; I was like a proud papa, I was so pleased with how well they showed. There was a lot of nice work there this year, as well as a few unfortunate designs. And how many times have I seen a Yale kid produce a set where the major scenic element is a giant neo-classic wall that is canted at an odd angle to give the set a sense of unease... or something. Sometimes the wall is white, sometimes its gold. Sometimes the chandelier hangs plumb, sometimes it slants with the wall, but really, it's always the same set (usually for Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffman).

Anyway... Chris's MySpace blog has a great rundown of her experience at Clambake, and is fun to read.

Up all night

2007-05-28T13:13:00.000-05:00

Last night I did something I haven't done since grad school and which I had sort of hoped to never do again: I pulled an all-nighter. Even in grad school, until my last quarter or two, I pulled very few all-nighters -- though there were a lot of nights when I didn't get to bed until 4 or 5, I almost always managed to get a few hours of sleep before my morning class. By the time I got to bed this morning (around 6:15, I think), the sun was up and the birds were singing.

Of course, it's entirely my fault. I had promised the bid package for a show I'm designing would be ready to send out to shops by this morning , but all weekend I procrastinated, preferring to hang out with Jason and our friends instead. I kept telling myself, "Oh, it's a pretty simple show, so it shouldn't take too long." Which is of course true, except that "not taking too long" for a show packet is relative only to drafting other shows, which can take days or even weeks. (did I mention that I'm really bad at gauging how long a project should take?)

The purpose of this packet is to send out to scene shops so that they can start the bid process and tell me how far over budget my show is. My guess: we'll come back about 70-80% over budget after the first round. Sigh.

I haven't been back to look at the plates yet. I'm a little nervous that there is some stupid, lack-of-sleep-induced mistake buried deep in the drawings that no one will catch and that I'll have to live with, 'cause, hey, that's how I designed it!

Tech

2007-05-14T11:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight the next show I'm designing begins its load-in and tech process, so (unsurprisingly for regular readers of this blog) there will probably be few posts this week. Wish me luck. I suspect we'll need it.

Google Ads

2007-05-13T21:55:00.000-05:00

As I have yet to get my first multi-million dollar Broadway show, I think I'll try adding a Google Ad box to the blog to try generating a little extra revenue. I'm torn, since I'm not sure that with the meager number of hits I get daily, it'll be worth it to mar my beautiful blog with crass commercialization. On the other hand, though, I do like money.

I'm curious about other people's experiences with Google Ads. Was it worth it?

Get this man a hair cut!

2007-05-13T21:09:00.000-05:00

I'm feeling extra fluffy today. Just sharing.

Sidebar additions

2007-05-12T19:41:00.000-05:00

Over in the sidebar, I've added links to Forte, a really cool clearing house and digest of theatre blogs from around the country (and even the world, a little), though really most of the blogs they link to are NYC based. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Most high-profile theatre is NYC based, too, so it works out.*

Also, I've noticed a trend of theatre companies who are trying to create an online presence by maintaining a blog. I whole-heartedly support this; even if these blogs started as another marketing attempt, any window onto the workings of the backstage world for both theatre types and regular people is a good thing. They open lines of communication and create a dialogue with the people behind a company, which in turn (hopefully) creates a sense of community with, and ownership in, a theatre company for an audience. Likewise, if it becomes a real conversation, these blogs might be a way for company members to (re)connect with their audience and understand who is out there in the dark. Maybe this is a first step in keeping people involved and making sure the art form doesn't become obsolete. That's a lot of pressure to put on a blog.

And also, they often make for good reading.

So I've created a "Theatre Company Blogs" section in the side bar. So far I only have two links, the Settle Rep and Barksdale Theatre. I know both of those companies (and the people who work there) very well, which is one reason why I've liked to them specifically. Another is that they seem pretty committed to regular updates, unlike many companies (or *ahem* set designers) who are enthusiastic but get too busy with the actual making of theatre to stop and write about it. They're pretty good reads, so you should check them out even if you've never been to Seattle or Richmond (the Rep blog is particularly well written, I think). Which other theatre company blogs should I check out?

Are there other links I'm missing?

*I'm going to get in trouble for that generalization, aren't I?

He's back!

2007-05-07T23:45:00.000-05:00

After a bit of a hiatus, my super sexy boyfriend has started blogging again. Go check out I'm Not One To Talk, But...

(I know I'm biased, but the Lost post totally made me laugh out loud!)

Journey into -- THE THIRD DIMENSION!!

2007-05-07T11:33:00.000-05:00

Today's NY Times has two fascinating articles about, respectively, 3-D scanners and printers. Apparently relatively affordable consumer versions of each are on the horizon.

I'm a little torn about this technology. On one hand, I can imagine a million uses for a 3-D scanner and/or printer in my life (about half of my professional life is creating small-scale representations of scenic ideas -- in 2- and 3-D -- and the other half is finding specific objects to go on the actual set. The convenience of being able to, say, "print" out the scale model furniture I want, or to scan and e-mail a virtual 3-D model of something to a shop across the country, is obvious). On the other hand, this has the potential to reduce (though probably never eliminate) the need for scenic model makers, the same way that large-format digital printing is now starting to do to scenic artists. Ultimately, I suppose that a fear of potential job loss is not a good enough reason to oppose a useful new technology.

[Edit-Upon further reflection, I think it is the potential to make the design process more mechanical and less organic that makes me nervous, not so much the idea of job loss. The same thing has already happened with the shift from hand drafting to CAD programs and the shift from messy painting to Photoshop (I've already made both transitions, at least partialy). I believe that this change in design tools change the whole design process and ultimately the way designers think about design. I'm not sure if that's a bad thing, but it makes me nervous. Maybe we just need to live with the technology for a few more years until its no longer an attention-grabbing novelty and is just one of the tools in our kit, which is what I believe is happening to CGI in movies right now, for example.... Anyway, the new technology would probably lead to more of a job-description-shift, from physical to digital model maker, not nessiciarily a job loss.]

Right now, the technology is impressive, but the examples I've seen seem to lack a level of detail and precision that I need for most of the things I do (check out the very cool Fabjectory gallery of Second Life avatar figurines for some examples).

Either way, it will be at least another few years before this technology is available and moderately affordable to me, and another 5-10 years after that before I'll really be able to get the kind of fine detail I want. (I guess the technology is out there now -- last year, when I had a crown put on one of my teeth, the dentist created it in-office while I watched. That machine used a narrow jet of high pressure water to carve away from a solid block of porcelain -- but the commercial prototypes discussed in the Times articles don't appear to aspire to anywhere near that level of refinement).

But it is cool.

(Check out this demo video)

Joy.

2007-05-04T01:55:00.000-05:00

It's the most exciting day in weeks -- months! We bought shelves -- shelves, I tell you -- so now all of our books and commemorative Dolly Parton dolls no longer have to sit on the floor. We can read a book without having to dig it out of the bottom of a pile. How cool is that!?

Our lives are slowly becoming slightly less disordered. Sweet.

TAXI!

2007-05-02T12:48:00.001-05:00

What is an appropriate tip for a NYC taxi ride? Is there a rule of thumb or an easy percentage?

Yesterday, for a $32 cab ride (upper Midtown Manhattan to Bushwick, Brooklyn) I gave the guy $36 (mostly because that was what was in my wallet). Is that ok? Did I stiff him?

Is the tip rule different for car services/gypsy cabs?

Awesome!

2007-04-28T16:36:00.000-05:00

I think I need a life-sized animatronic Velociraptor puppet to make my life complete!

(These were built for "Walking with the Dinosaurs," which I think I saw, and assumed that all of it was CGI. Go figure.)

Ideas

2007-04-21T22:09:00.000-05:00

I'm still trying to figure out what show I'm going to design as a project for the union exam (as I first mentioned here). I'm trying to think of a musical because one of my ultimate career goals is to be the go-to guy for musical theater, so it would be nice to have one more nice, finished example in my portfolio.

I have a couple of thoughts about shows I could design:

Into The Woods -- The two main sets would be the three-location-prologue and the woods (which would probably consist of reconfigurable elements and land masses). One of the main issues with this is that everyone and his high school have done this show and I'm not sure I have a lot new to add. The design challenges are pretty straightforward.

She Loves Me -- The show has more than two locations, but could be done with two main sets (the shop and a neutral space that could be the restaurant and also the bedroom/hospital/etc.). This actually isn't a bad idea, though I'm just not passionate about it.

The Pillowman -- Jon's suggestion. A pretty good suggestion, I think. I saw a really excellent production of this at ACT in Seattle that would be hard to forget. Matt Smucker designed it, and the show had perhaps the best (and most present) use of scenery I've ever seen in the round.

Thoughts? I'm still totally open to other suggestions (in fact, I would love some more!).

I should be clear, I suppose, that exam rules require a show with at least two sets, but don't limit you to two just sets. They do however require you to design the whole show, and I'm lazy. So, it doesn't have to be just a two-set show, but I'm not interested in designing the 15 locations that most musicals require just as an exercise.

Anyway, I should decide this soon, as the June exam date is getting closer and closer.

One show down...

2007-04-21T22:04:00.000-05:00

Well, we got our show open (a couple of days ago). It's pretty good, I think. It's still a little rough around the edges, and we would have loved to have had another day or two of tech, but I'm pretty proud of what we got done. Now I can focus on the rest of my life. And the next show. And the ones after that.

Oh, and maybe also clean the sty that my apartment has become. That'd be good, too.

Whoa...

2007-04-21T21:59:00.000-05:00

This made me laugh.

Tech

2007-04-13T08:38:00.000-05:00

We start tech rehearsals tonight for a big fun musical (if you consider drunken debauchery and manslaughter fun -- and hey, don't we all?), which explains the lack of posts recently and the continued lack of posts through the weekend (I don't know what explains the lack of postings prior to that. Laziness?).

But I'll be thinking about all of you.

Happy Easter!

2007-04-08T17:04:00.000-05:00

...if you celebrate it (otherwise, belated happy Passover, or happy spring celebration of your choice). My day has been filled with such festive things as striking Volume of Smoke and working on a groundplan (and hopefully other drawings) for one of my next projects. AND I went to the grocery store. Festive, no?

Though I haven't done it in a few years, it's still a little odd to not be at home with my family, going to church and eating a big Easter dinner and bunny cake (shaped like, not made from).

I think we will have a "family supper" tonight with Jason and Elizabeth and the Velociraptors. That'll be nice.

Happy Easter. Don't eat more than one package of Peeps at once!

I know! I'll do "Gypsy" in a slaughterhouse!

2007-04-07T12:18:00.000-05:00

In a couple of months, I'm taking the exam to get into the stage designer's union, United Scenic Artists. It's no longer a real exam (as in the olden days, when you had x hours over a weekend to design, render, and draft a show to prove you could do the work quickly and well) but a portfolio review. The scenic exam has slightly different criteria from the other design areas (where they just want to see your body of work). The examiners for the scenic designers want you to show, in addition to selections from your design portfolio, one main project (realized or not) that has at least two sets and is designed with a fairly traditional approach to scenery. Much of the exam is about demonstrating that you can communicate all the important information about a design through a full set of sketches, models and drafting, so they want to see what you can do with doors and walls and molding details. No matter how beautiful or well thought out, the production of King Lear with four red-lacquer, ladder-back chairs floating in a black void isn't going to cut it.

The issue is that I don't really have a show in my portfolio that does all that. Most of them are single set shows, or shows where we created one "box" for the show and then added elements for each scene. So I'm going to have to do a paper project. I need a show with two -- but just two -- sets that I can design and make fabulous. I need a project where I can show off what I can do unconstrained by a budget. Two interiors, or an interior and an exterior are good. I would love for it to be a musical, though it doesn't have to be. Thoughts?

Swanky!

2007-04-02T23:53:00.000-05:00

Another first for me: Tonight I attended a production meeting with a dress code. The production staff for a show I'm designing met here. It was cool.

Go See This Play

2007-03-29T11:52:00.000-05:00

Last night, I saw Journey's End, the Broadway revival of R.C. Sherriff's 1928 WWI play. The play is beautifully acted and is amazingly moving. I was frankly a bit of a mess by the time the house lights came up after the show; it's so rare that I'm affected by a piece of theatre on a visceral -- and not just academic -- level that I want to go out and encourage everyone to go see it. This is the kind of work that is increasingly rare in large commercial productions. If that's the kind of thing you like, vote with your pocket book: buy a ticket and go see it.

The design is straightforward, understated and lovely. The lighting design in particular, is wonderfully dim. It's really refreshing to see a Broadway show lit with a natural sense of darkness. At one point the two real candles are the brightest things on stage. I looked around and the whole scene seemed to be lit by just half a dozen instruments in front-of-house positions, plus a couple of foot light specials and a light through the US door (an almost absurdly small number in a world where light plots routinely clock in at hundreds of instruments.).

The sound design is terrifying. I think it's really, really well designed, but it might just be that I'm reacting to the fact that it was so present and central to the story telling. I feel that when we are asked to evaluate areas outside our immediate expertise, we chose the obvious choice, not necessarily the most thought-out or nuanced (shining example: the Oscar for best costume and best make up typically go to the flashiest, most-fabulous period piece or sci-fi epic, not to the designers who developed character and storytelling through their (hopefully) invisible choices. Often, if a designer has really done their job, the choices seem natural and inevitable and we shouldn't even notice that they were ever made). But, in this specific case, I think the sound design is both in-your-face and very well designed.

So go see this play.