Thursday, April 2, 2009
The show, she's open
Friday, March 27, 2009
Another Opening of Another Snow.
This is what we get for doing theatre by a church, the almighty is smoting our show because we parked in the Deacon's parking spot.
For really reals people, it's not that big of a frakin'(BSG BABY) deal. We the show is gonna happen tonight, the worse thing that could happen is we get stuck in the theatre and drink ourselves silly from the bar.
The roads will be fine! If this turn into an excuse for folks to ditch the show, I'm gonna e-mail you a snarky e-mail listing all the reasons why I hate you. Who ever "you" are.
The show was a great success last night. We did it. It wasn't crap, and no one died. I count that as a success!
I think we got over some of our "nerves" for our small audience last night. It was nice to play to a fresh set of eyes.
Jason and Michelle De Long came to see the run through and gave us a great notes session. Wonderful ideas, I hope we can fit them in tonight. I agree with Barrett " We got plenty of time..we open tomorrow night!"
We have a great show, I hope Mike Morgan doesn't scare you from Sam Shepard.
LOVE AND TOAST!!!
-jh
Thursday, March 26, 2009
We open weather or not...
We open Tomorrow!
The show is great! Everyone is brilliant!
Come see the show!!!
-jh
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Truth, West.
We decided that Lee and Austin's last name is either "West", "Sam" or "The 5 Million Dollar Man"-cause Lee Austin IS The 5 Million Dollar Man.
We need an audience. We don't need an audience. There are the few odds and ends that need tying up, but if we can just dot all those annoying t's we should be in great shape. We want to play and have that energy of an audience. It seems we really pull it together with fresh eyes watching the show.
Don't you see True West Fans...WE NEED YOU NOW. The show isn't just about the props or the lights, but two guys having fun with a room full of people..minus the jello.
Can't wait to see you.
-jh
Friday, March 20, 2009
That ripping sound behind my head is a crotch......
The set is looking great, the costumes are coming together and the fun is being had.
Last night marked our third full run with our fully assembled Cast AND Crew.
This was kinda' a mini performance for the crew so that they kinda' get a feel for the hell that is in store for them. Austin and Lee become a little messy through the show. Not to mention the repairs to the set we will more than likely have to do daily. It's like a battle field out there.....
I hear we are selling this show very well...only two nights left that hasn't either sold out or going to be sold out soon...I'm pissed cause I grew what little hair I had out for this thing and I look like a Chia experiment gone terribly wrong. Not everyone can have Barrett hair.
All and all I feel like we are in a great place! No more fear from this side of the fence.
On a fun note.
Barrett keeps ripping either his ass or his crotch out of his pant nightly. I think he gnaws on them before he starts. THE REAL FUNNY is that Shawn (el director) want him to go commando during the performance. Jon Haque says: that's a true story.......
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Typewriters are fun to break
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Set-Building,Fried Pork Fat, and the top of the roller coaster....
Friday night was the horror of a full run off book. I t went well! A lot of it Sheppard didn't write...but one would get the since that an actual show was happening.
After the show we went to the Lobby bar and drank and cried and Brent showed up. After the crying had started, but I'm sure he didn't help ;)
Saturday-between 3 guys 10 bags of pork rinds we eaten in a 10 hour period. I'm glad we are getting a sponsor to cover the rest of our addiction.
Speaking of sponsors...Barrett tells us that are really cool local brewer-COOP ALE- will be sponsoring some beer for the cast and crew AND an opening night party! For a show in a shack-we are getting some hella' great perk (i.e. press, sponsors, etc.)
The set looks great thanks to the talents of Brent, Leyva, and Barrett. I helped where I could and Shawn made sure I wasn't eating glue or air-gunning my hand to the set.
Last night we ran act one-We left the plateau ladies and germs. It was great, comfortable and sexy. Ok, 2 outta three and you can pick which ones. We are in a really good place..for ACT I.
ACT II will prove to be the bear, but we are devoting the next 2 night to her alone. I think if we can keep the focus in the rehearsal we will knock out ACT II.
We will be drinking green beer before and during the rehearsal to loosen us up a tad, here’s to luck!
Friday, March 13, 2009
"crunch time..."
Last night was a sobering experience...especially for me.
Cynthia Heimel -“When in doubt, make a fool of yourself. There is a microscopically thin line between being brilliantly creative and acting like the most gigantic idiot on earth. So what the hell, leap.”
I am the first to run into this burning building, however for the first time in a long time I feel scarily self conscience about my abilities on stage. Maybe it was last night, and the stress of the day gig that fed this fear, or other peripheral slings-no the less...I do feel my peers on stage excelling past me, and it is sobering.
Don't get me wrong, the environment is a playful one where you can be a theatre-jock ( a hybrid title that I think Barrett would love to have screen printed on a letter jacket) or an artsy douche ( I already have the hand bag) or anything in between. There is a mild amount of criticism in our space and feel that it is good. That isn't the reason, I think it may be...stage fright? This makes it hard to focus.
I felt like I was a dungeon master of a drinking game-every time Haque says "line" -drink.
Whatever it is, it seems to have been a one night kinda' thing. Whoever said this stuff is easy-they suck and you should kick'em.
I do think last night was a very important rehearsal, it marks a point where we should be and a point where we are not. The great news is we have time to meet this point and keep climbing higher. Chances of this show being decent to awesome: 80% and we have 2 and half weeks to make it better.
Again, this is just me...not reflective of anybody else.
Good News-
Tickets are selling well! over half full.
We have found 4 (count'em) 4 folks to tech the show
and props were hauled in by Mama Caprise, complete in Alaska wear.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
For the record....
So as you can tell the cast is chummy. Like a bullet in a guy-we're close.
No really, all is well-we have been strugleing with lines..as par usual. Good thing we are not switching casts!!
We found some backstage help and this weekend marks the big load-in for set. Tonight is another PAINFUL run of ACT II. Lines really frustrate me....the flow is all funked if we drop or call a line, which you kinda' need it for this show.
Barrett-no lie-I think-got pissy with me last night when I pushed him in a scene. He literally chased me down with a paint roller handle threatening to "fuck me up".
I would call that some good Shepard!
Til next I blog...
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Breakthroughs
Oh, yeah, go buy your tickets! Some nights are getting close to selling out already... www.truewestokc.com
Friday, March 6, 2009
See any igloos?
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
We might even let you hit the ball a few times...
BD
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
27....
Yes, B-rat spit in my mouth. No, it wasn't hot. Yes, it tased like beer-which I found really funny.
I really want to get the damn book out of my hand...GRRRRR. I feel like we make progress and then step back, then forward..CHA-CHA. I blame the book.
Gas was had, but only by me...I really need to change my eating habits.(have you seen the blog pics? I look like a float when I'm on the kitchen island)
I love how Abby ate a salad while the three guys were eating the offical True West meal-Pork Rines. However, when the brownies got there......let's just say Abby was sitting next to pan.
Is it me or does it feel like this frustration with the material will only make a messy breakthrough later in the process....?
I look forward to tonight's rehearsal, I think it will be.."interesting".
We open when?
BD
Monday, March 2, 2009
This is gonna be a short post WESTIES. Friday's Rehearsal happened. The end.
j/k
It seemed as though everyone was tired,Thursday's rehearsal must have taken it outta us.
Not that it was bad, just not as "razor edeged" as the night before. Craig and Abby took so many damn pics you would have thunk the press core was covering rehearsal. I think I saw Barrett's hair put on sunglasses-as we all know his hair hates the paprazi. My hair apparently stayed inside. Again, Craig turns up the creepy every time we run scenes and Caprise is always throwing us new mother interps to keep us on our toes. I FIGGIN LOVE IT!!
We painted, Barrett bitched, the set looks like Fiestaware...it will change I swear.
Love and toast,
-jh
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Off Book Part Deux
Afterwards, we painted the set, and when I say we, I mean Craig, Shawn, and Jon. Last night was the night the floor got painted. Jon had promised to bring beer, and SURPRISE, he forgot. So I had the last two Old Milwaukee prop beers while standing around watching the boys paint. Actually, I did do a little bit of work, sweeping off the stage prior to watching them paint. This may have even been documented on film, kind of like getting a picture of Bigfoot or something. Next week, we put the fancy wood grain effect onto the floor and probably move the refrigerator in.
The show seems to be coming along pretty well. We're all kind of feeling some things out and once those start sticking, we should really find our rhythm. Next week, Act II off book! Woohoo!
Dear friends, don't forget to buy your tickets at www.truewestokc.com. If you wait, you will get left out and we don't want that, do we?
As always, thanks for the support!
Love and toast,
BD
Friday, February 27, 2009
28 days to go.....
A bunch of really good things happened last night. We ran ACTI off book, well most of it-we hit some snags, which is to be expected. We also ran ACTII on book with some great moments starting to happen.
The boys had a real problem with GAS for some reason, I blame the burger I had at lunch-I saw Barrett eating fried pork fat. Thank God Abby wasn't there.(She had a la-di-da French thing or some "better than us " crap to do that night, we will get her back!).
The work on stage is getting easier! The mood is, from my vantage, pretty good. People are trying new things, Barrett is starting to freak me out cause he is starting to be brilliant on stage and Craig is a freakin' slimy producer!I think people are gonna have a great time just watching those two. My suck ass is really gonna haffta work!We have time to really put some good work to the piece, which is a luxury!
The actual production stuff is where the real "uggggg" is found thus far. Not that folks are not passionately devoted to this project, we are just having to deal with it. I have mentor that runs one of the theaters in town and he always told me to "hug the monster", don't let the big stuff scare ya, tackle it!! I'm not worried in the least bit.However if any one knows where we can lay our hands on some DISPOSABLE TYPEWRITERS.......
Painting Round 2 of 3 is happening tonight. Barrett will more than likely watch(even though I know he can freakin' paint like a madman).
P.S. I hear tickets are selling like crazy...which rocks!! If those of you who wish to see this beerfest have not nick'd tickets...you should soon!
Off book...or not?
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Note from the Actors
29 days left on the calendar….
Last night marked (by my math, but I’m not really good at math-that’s why I’m an actor) t-minus 30 calendar days until the open of this TRUE WEST. Our wonderful Anne stopped by, and started to remind us about ALL the P.R.-TwitteringTweeting-
INSIDE JOKE…WAY INSIDE
Anne does not know that I have a propensity of obliterating props. It is so bad that in some theatres around town I have become a verb- v. to HAQUE something is to break it. Shawn and Abby had made mention that they should buy back-up props cause I break things. I’m sure I sounded like an emotionly unstable bull. This prompts Anne to ask quiet seriously…”are you doin’ ok?” .“Ya, why?” I say. I’ve been noticing some strange Facebook posts and pics posted in the hospital and then you just stopped Facebooking. “I got a colonoscopy and then I got busy…IT’S NOT A CRY FOR HELP!”. Laughing followed, I think Anne and I are closer friends because of my ass.
-Jon Haque
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Howdy!
To give a brief summary of the people in the show, we have:
Barrett Davidson as LEE
Jon Haque as AUSTIN
Craig Pruitt as SAUL
Caprice Woolsey as MOM
the director of this performance is Shawn Hicks
producing is L.I.P Service