December 23, 2007

  • Goodbye to Carol
    And so, as the sun sinks slowly in the west, we say goodbye to Christmas Carol: The Musical once again. The last show was last night and it was almost flawless. The group turned tear down into a party complete with food and booze; something that greatly enhanced turnout. I recommend it to other companies. The sound problems plagued us all during the run with mics crapping out at weird times. Although we videoed the last two performances, I'm not ceratin the sound will be very good. I'll know once I look at the tapes.

    There was less crying than I feared, given the number of young people in the cast, but many teary farewells. Overall this was a good experience. I got to meet a lot of very talented people and I hope to work with many of them again. There were several young actors with hopes of making this a career and I think they're talented enough to do it. It takes more than talent though; it takes a stubborn unwillingness to accept defeat. What that takes is a tremendous amount of courage. Stick with it folks. Whether you make scads of money or not, it will be a fun ride. Remember the adage I posted a couple of weeks ago; "If you will not when you may; You shall not when you will." This means simply that the same doors are not always open to us. Carpe' Diem and all that.

    It's an interesting situation; performing in a new company. A little anxiety producing going to early rehearsals where everyone knows one another and no one knows you. I know many people do community theater for the social aspects and so stick with one company forever. Being the curmudgeon that I am, it has not been a problem. I don't understand how the audience does not not get tired of the same faces all of the time. Joe Doyle over at Actors NET once told me that his audience loved tracking the development of actors in the company from production to production. I guess. It would bore me as an audience member though.

    And so it's on to new projects. The only thing on the radar is an audition for Bat Boy at Haddonfield which I might do. I never did get an answer from Allens Lane as to an audition there (rude). I'm looking.

    I am excited to note that this blog is getting over 200 hits a week! While not popular by internet standards, it thrills me no end. I'd love it if more people left comments or started discussions. As you'll note if you scroll down to other entries, hardly anyone ever leaves a comment; a bunch of lurkers. I do know that many people get directed here by mistake. I get hits from Sweden for instance. While I'd love to believe that someone in Sweden is interested in the Delaware Valley acting scene as seen through my eyes, I sincerely doubt it. Perhaps when someone has a show in trouble and uses "show doctor" in the search terms?

    Christmas is fast upon us and I, along with the other members of the tribe, will go to Chinatown and the movies. For a musical take on this visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1uZ_W7atDE it's pretty funny. Well, to all my Goyishe friends and most of the world; Have yourselves a Merry Christmas. I love you all madly.

Comments (1)

  • Hey Doc, I've been an occasional "lurker", too lazy to sign up for an Xanga account, but I finally did. I'm Barry, NE class of '68. We chatted at the last reunion, you may possibly remember. I don't know if you remember I emailed you maybe a year later for your thoughts on getting into acting. Anyway, I started doing community theatre 3 years ago, here in North Jersey. Then I took some acting courses at a local acting school, then I retired from my gov't job and made acting my full-time pursuit. I've gotten a fair amount of experience in lo budget and student films, stage, and even a couple of local TV commercials. I would say that the only way one grows as an actor is through experience, although I do find it necessary to be selective. I'm telling you all this because I thought you might find it interesting, plus it's nice to talk to a fellow thespian. Acting is something I've always wanted to do and finally got around to in my 50s, and I know it's not necessary to say it, but I really did appreciate your input.

    I enjoy reading your blog now and then, so thanks so much for puttin' it out there. The last community theatre production I was in was Christmas Carol in '06. Similar to what you said about your first Carol, I think our musical director sped up at times, much to the chagrin of the actors. I played the Beadle and several other small roles, btw. It was a lot of fun, and it was a real crowd pleaser, which is always nice.

    That 'Chinese food on Christmas' video you posted was fun, and that's what got me to finally sign up here and comment. About 10 years ago I was working on Christmas (not unusual, I was an air traffic controller and we work 24/7/365). I wanted to bring home some kind of takeout food for my family, and the only place open was a fine Chinese restaurant. The place was filled, and even the takeout area was mobbed. I still chuckle when I think about that evening, and the thought that everyone there was either Jewish or Buddhist or something.

    Have a healthy Happy New Year!

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