Update - Long time in the making!!!!

One of the last updates I posted had to do with casting trouble for Little Shop of Horrors. I had a little free time this summer to write about things going on in my life. Now is a very different time! I fully intended to keep my blog up to date, but essentially all Hell broke loose on my schedule this past semester. Just as Little shop was coming to a close classes were getting started and that is always a hectic time of year. I planned out my semester and was looking forward to developing a new curriculum for my Technical theatre classes. The semester got off to a great start and by October I was ready to hold Auditions for "The Secret Garden." I have wanted to do this show for years, just from hearing the music. I had never seen a production of the show and really wanted to develop a new twist too it that had my interpretation of this classic story. I feel that I succeeded with this in the end, however I feel it turned out to be much more depressing than it should have been. Depressing is exactly what my life has been throughout most of the past two months. I'll get to the depressing part of my life in a little while, but first a few of the highlights.


Liam has been a joy to watch and play with. He is so smart and such a little rascal. He things he is just as big as his brothers. One of his favorite things to do is climb over the sofa. Imagine a 15 month old curly haired little indian boy flipping over the sofa from the back and flopping down onto the seat and then rolling off into the floor. Repeat at least 30 times and add a lot of laughter and this is his afternoon.


Duncan loves school. He is in K4 this year in Mrs. Murphree's class. He has learned to write most all of the letters and numbers and is starting to really understand how they go together to make words. For his Christmas Program he sang the most precious solo that made me cry. We have a family of performers. He has developed a great since of love and compassion for others. He is so sweet. He loves to give big hugs and praise others for ajob well done.


Crispin has been busy, busy, busy. He is in the Alabama Shakespeare Festival's production of Peter Pan. He is playing Michael Darling and I have to say he is the most adorable little boy ever! I could watch him perform everyday. He has memorized most all of the show and re-enacts it at home with Duncan daily. He is one of the most perfect child actors ever. He is just adorable. On top of this he has also further developed his love for reading. He has read the first two Harry Potter books this semester and had maintained all A's while working on the play! I am very proud of him just as I am all my boys.


Gina has been super busy as well with not only work, but planning family events for everyone coming to see Peter Pan. She has been overworked, but greatly appreciated. Now she is in the midst of studying for the bar, and working on Christmas gifts.

I on the otherhand have not been busy at all. Just kidding. I have been overwhelmed. I am not sure exactly how I was able to finish this last semester, but somehow it is over. Now on to next semester. I will blog another timw about my life this semester, but I really don't want to even think about it anymore. Little Shop is over, and was great. The Secret Garden is over, and was great as well as depressing. Next show I will be directing is The Diary of Anne Frank, I hope it will be great, but I am sure it will be depressing.

Also, I found out recently that I will be going to New York in February for a Stephen Sondheim Symposium. I am so excited. I am going to see "Sunday in the Park with George"while I am there and I hope to see a couple of other shows. I'll update more on the trip as more details come about.

That's about it for now.

Open Mouth Insert Foot

Have you said something that you intended to be funny and as soon as it came out of your mouth you knew that it was received in the absolute worst way possible. There is no way to erase it and no way to convenience others that it is not what you meant. I do. I seem to be getting better and better as I grow older at saying the wrong thing. I never used to talk. Maybe I should just go back to that same state in my life. I really wish I was a better person. I really wish I didn't screw up all the time. Any advice on the subject would be greatly appreciated, and if I have offended you in the past, ancient or recent, please forgive me! I am sorry. I never intend to harm people, but sometimes I mess up!

Sorry

JC

Casting Troubles

If you know anything about, theatre you'll know that casting can be the most important part of any production. I have had my share of successes and failures as far as casting goes. Little Shop of Horrors has been filled with the most unusual casting dilemmas I have ever encountered. To begin with I precast the lead role of Seymore to one of our senior students for his senior project. I am still not positive that senior projects are the correct way to go about in teaching, but it has been done at Faulkner for years and I don't really have a full replacement idea in mind as of yet. Well, the auditions were cut and dry. I picked out the cast (nearly perfect, if I do say so myself) in no time flat. Within the next few weeks, before rehearsals started, the casting woes began to fall upon me. The lead actor that had been precast received an offer that he could not refuse, to work with a professional company in Maine. (The commute was too long). I searched the world over and thought I'd come up with a perfect replacement for him, but alas that too fell through, (Darn those family types!) So I went with my next best solution, another student that has proven himself worthy of this shot. I called him and he turned down the part flat! I was astonished, but understood his reason. I then fell to my last resort (sort of) I am now playing the role. Well, after replacing myself with another director I thought we were rocking along. Well, a couple of days ago that too fell through!!!! I lost one of my Urchins. She got a job in Atlanta (again too far too commute). So off I go (along with the new director) in search of a new female actress. I go with my first choice of students, who was actually next in line for the part from the audition. She was elated by the invitation, but turned it down due to family issues (again someone is moving!!!!) So one to the next choice. Finally success! The stage manager (who actually can act and sing) accepted the part. Now what to do about a stage manager!!!!! Low and behold I did not even have to call for one. One was handed to me on a silver platter. I received a call out of the blue asking if they could help. Thank you kind soul!!! I appreciate you! Well now we're off to rehearsal. Hopefully we won't have anymore drops, but if we do it will just add to this bizarre ordeal.

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

There are few tings in life that I enjoy better than taking a nap on Sunday afternoon's. After the hustle and bustle of getting ready for church and then working though Bible class and Children's Church, I love to have a great lunch and take a nap (Usually with one of my kids). Today it was with Liam. He is teething and would not let me out him down for his nap. So I held him and we napped together for about an hour. I feel so refreshed and ready to go now. Last week (Father's day) I missed my nap because we were at Disney World experiencing StarWars Weekend. During our normal nap time Crispin and Duncan were selected for Jedi Training and got to battle with Darth Maul (a great father's day present by the way). See the video's below. After a tiring week at Disney I needed my nap and am so glad that it has finally come around again so that I can face next week.

Disney Done Right

Below are the boys fighting Darth Maul at Disney last Weekend. Enjoy!

Duncan Battles Darth Maul

Crispin Battles Darth Maul

Little Shop

I am not sure what has happened to me lately. I have adamantly stated time and time again for the past three years while teaching at Faulkner University that I don't enjoy acting. I have to admit that this is not really true, but I have said it over and over again enough times that it should be considered fact by now. I do have a bad case of stage freight that causes me to loose control of my bowels from time to time, which is the part of hating acting that is actually true. Then why in the world am I starring in another production. I have now cast myself (long story for another post) in the role of Seymour in "Little Shop of Horrors." Granted this is a role that I have loved for years and wanted to play this character for over ten years now, but why am I doing it now? Well, I selected this musical to direct because it is one of my all time favorites and I love it. I cast the show with an amazing cast almost two months ago. Then a three weeks ago my Seymour was offered a job in Maine at the Arundel Barn Playhouse. I am so happy for him and I know that it is a great opportunity for him so no hard feeling for his early departure. Then I asked our department head Matt Roberson to play the part. He agreed and then a week later he too turned me down. Next I turned to the next logical option, a student who had previously played the role in High School. I was certain that he would jump at the chance, but he turned me down flat! So, I decided that I was going to have to fill the role. It seems like I am receiving signs from God here that this is the best option. I asked Brandi Smith (one of our recent grads) to direct the show and she jumped at the chance. We started rehearsals last night and everything is going well. When I got to my first solo everything went fine. I sang the song and was pleased with my self, then Jennifer Haberkorn (my Audrey), looked at me and said I have never heard you sing that was really good. I was surprised more by the statement that she had not heard me sing than I was by the fact that she thought it was good. How could I have been here for three years without her hearing me sing. I have directed three Musicals in the past three years (H2S, Seussical, and Bye Bye Birdie). She was in all of them. I am in rehearsals every night with them I always sing along. How has she not heard me. I am confused. Maybe I really don't sing and just think that I do. I don't know. It makes me wonder though if I am really who I think I am or if others have a completely different impression of me than I think. I will have to investigate this further!

Blood!!!!!!!

Today I decided would be a good time for me to give blood. I am visiting my parents in Florence and they were having a blood drive at church this morning. I decided that I could drop Crispin and Duncan off at class and go donate in time to pick them up. I should stop now and back up to the other events of the day. Before Church, Mom and Dad went to the building early to donate blood before services. The arrived at 8:00 to donate and Church did not start until 8:30. I got Crispy and Dunc ready and took them to church. We got there just on time and sat with Nana and Jack (my Grand-Parents and waited for Mom and Dad to arrive. They came in just a few minutes after the service began and slipped in beside us. No sooner than they sat down the speaker announced that everyone who was going on mission trips this summer (this includes Mom) should come to the front of the room and stand so that he could say a special prayer over them and then they were going to take up a special contribution to help fund the mission work this summer. Before the prayer started I noticed that Mom was not looking well. She sort of swayed back and forth. After the prayer I opened my eyes (I remained sitting because Dunc was laying in my lap trying to get his "Church Nap" in) and saw that Mom was gone. I figured she left during the prayer and went to the lobby or somewhere else, and would be back in a moment or two. She did not return, but Joanne came and got Dad and he quickly left. I figured she was weak from donating blood, but I was not sure. A few minutes later Dad came back in with a note and handed it to me and took Mom's Bible and purse with him. I then knew that she had fainted. (She started to fall during the prayer and the ladies on each side of her layed her down just inside the door behind her (the Kitchen Door) in the floor. They finally revived her and sent her home. She rested for the rest of the day instead of all of the other plans she was suppossed to do. After the service was over I took Crisp and Dunc to class and went to the Blood Bus. I signed in and got ready to answer the every popular sex questions and then prepared for my donation. The attendant asked if I gave regularly and I said yes and I had never had any trouble. I can't say that anymore. She then asked if I wanted to donate on the ALYX system. I said I guess and she explained that it removed two pints of blood and seperated it in the machine and then put the plasma back in. I thought it sounded great and agreed. All was going well and there were a few onlookers that found the process to be facinating. I could not see what was going on, but my blood was seperated into three seperate bags and processed. I thought it sounded neat and I was feeling well. Then it all changed. The machine switched to the Plasma reinsertion mode and started pumping plasma back into my body. It felt odd and sort of cold coming back in but it was not painful. I was assured that it was all going well and then I leaned my head back (I have to insert here that I have an odd obsession with watching the needle go into my arm and keep an eye out on it the whole time it is in there. Gross yess, but it is interesting.) Well, after I leaned my head back I started to feel a new sensation in my arm. Preasure. I did not look at my arm since I had been assured that all was well. Then the pain began to increase rapidly. I gasped and looked at my arm. It was swelling. There was a knot on the side of my arm the size of a lemon and growing. I yelled something is wrong. The attendant was on the other side of the bus and said what is wrong. I said the my arm was swollen. She yelled for another attendant to hit the stop button, but the new technician did not know where the stop button was on the machine. So I continued to be pumped full of plasma. The attendant finally stopped the machine and said "Looks like you blew out a vein." She then proceded to masage the fluid that had colected on my arm (now the size of a baseball) back out of the hole in my arm. This was the most disgusting part, but the relief was worth it. Now I still have a knot on my arm and a bruise coming up. I have had an ice pack on my arm today and still don't want to bend it (I'm typing with arms outstretched). Well I guess it could be worse, at least I got some of my plasma back along with two camo baseball hats!!!!

This is one of my characters in Greater Tuna Thurston Wheelis!

Tuna, Oh My Tuna

I am currently in the midst of my production of Greater Tuna. It has been one of the most positive experiences I have ever had in the theatre. Here is the review:
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070512/LIFESTYLE/705120343/1004/NEWS01

Hope you enjoy it!

Welcome to my crazy world

Here I am at the end of the semester when I should be writing tests or averaging grades, but what am I doing? I decided to start a BLOG!!! I hope to keep this one up. I feel that I have a lot of interesting things to say and that I will hopefully be able to keep up with everyting that is going on in my life at home, at work, at the theatre, etc. Cheers to us all!