Abra Goes

Books, Inq. Started my day with this: Robert Rauschenberg died Monday night.

Now I’m staring at a pile of work, out the window, bright walls and fluorescent lights. Coffee is getting cold, but did you know Merce Cunningham once had all of the elements of a show designed independently- choreography, lights, & music. The first time his dancers moved to the lights and music was opening night. Dancers were leaping in the dark, off the wings, unable to see where they were landing!

If you’ve never seen this documentary of Cage and Cunningham’s collaborations and friendship, take tomorrow off and watch it on repeat.

I’m glad Rauschenberg lived and sad he’s gone. His work and approach to life will forever reference that of John Cage, Merce Cunningham and Jasper Johns- artists who came together through their work, unbound by medium and influencing generations to come.

Who wants to take a field trip tomorrow? Let’s go to the MOMA and erase a sculpture or touch up one of his paintings, cover it with white paint.

More to say, but I’ll leave it to a white canvas to translate

Don’t let a little rain stop you from running.

Only a handful of weeks remain until my current contract is up, and I launch my freelance business.

Three years of freelancing prior to said contract taught me everything I can imagine about what not to do. The biggest lesson learned is that good work does not guarantee success. You have to define what ’sucess’ means to you and how that will develop. I’ve had to educate myself on contracts, sell myself, and not neglect ‘business’ maintenance.

Suffice it to say that I never imagined writing a business plan when studying theatre. I’m starting to wish I did. I wonder if theatre students were forced to figure out how to put on a show without losing money by writing a basic business plan, young-ish / new / independent theatre professionals would enter the industry empowered with the skills they need to make a show viable.

Until realizing that everything is ‘business’, I hated the mention of the word. To have a livelihood that enables you to pay the bills and afford a place to live requires one (or most) to partake in business. What I’m starting to love are the numbers. Once you wrap your head around the numbers, or at least get over your fear of them, creating, growing and maintaining a business becomes more and more a challenge of creativity and determination.

Working on a business plan forces you to ask questions every time the optimist’s voice sings ‘It’ll work out’. It won’t work out unless you work it. Apparently, all businesses are a risk – no matter how small. Freelance writing fortunately requires little overhead, but there are still many cracks to fall into as you go.

It’s going to be difficult, but I’m energized.

First Step - evaluate strengths and weaknesses

I am going to Ocean City this weekend. Start looking for me there should I not blog on Monday.

It’s going to be fine. Fun.

But tell me, would you stay at an Inn that doesn’t have any online reviews? no pictures, nothing on any blogs…how does any type of lodging venue manage to avoid an online existence?

After reading the scary reviews of every other affordable place that wasn’t booked, we gave in to the lure of this mysterious Inn.

We made reservations whilst speculating that perhaps the sweet-as-sugar Inn owners deposit their guests along cold, sandy banks after performing experiments on them.

Then again, my fortune cookie says: A new environment makes all the difference in the world. So by ‘new environment’ they either mean beautiful shore town or Hell…

Thanks to Jen Miller’s guidebook to the South Jersey shore for listing the Inn and many many places to see along the South Jersey shore. I have a list of places I can wait to see and fried food to eat, and a long boardwalk to run on, assuming I survive my first night.

Pictures to come! Assuming I survive my first night.

Finally made it to the Access Theatre to see Matthew Freeman’s When is a Clock., and I wasn’t disappointed. How could anyone be. The show is good theatre, and provoked a long conversation after- both on the production and story.

You can read a real review at NYtimes.com

My response to the show is below, not intended as a review. Feel free to skip this post and tisk tisk me for indulgence, but I’m using this blog to help me organize my thoughts. But do come back!

-SPOILER ALERT BELOW-

My thoughts on the production of When is a Clock are positive. I’d recommend it to almost anyone, along with a strong cup of coffee prior. This is a good play that’s only running another week at the Access Theatre. Go see it!

A minimal set and strong direction give the audience a sense of being in the hands of the characters; however they may choose to tell their story. The play, non-linear in structure and laced with repetitive scenes, takes liberties with time, space & physiology without losing the audience. I always knew what was happening.

The script is well written, and the story’s playful irrelevance gets under your skin.

The beauty of a show without an intermission is you get to bypass intermission jabber with a stranger while your date’s in line for the bathroom. You don’t have to pretend you’re having an awesome time just in case said stranger is related to anyone in the cast, as they often are. And best of all, you don’t have to pre-maturely detach in order to assess – that doesn’t come until you pull up a stool for your spirit of choice after the show.

This production’s intermissionless-ness also gives the director an opportunity to build relentlessly and take complete control of the audience- again, because the audience never detaches mentally or physically. But while I’m a big big fan of the ‘intermission-less show’, I wanted some kind of break or rather a release from the rhythm, a bridge, a place where everything gets really messy and energetic.

This is the sort of feedback that’s maddening, but I honestly wanted the ends to not be so well tied & the tics to be less surface-level. What does that have to do with intermissions? For me, just because I don’t like small talk and lights up for 15 minutes, doesn’t mean I don’t need a break from the characters’ problems. These were my first thoughts while rubbing my head after this otherwise wonderful show.

**side note on fun sans intermissions** Laboratory Theatre handles this really well. A few years ago they did a play, E.R. Renezvous, based on a similar story about a man who wakes up in the middle of the night; his wife disappeared in an ambulance. The man, as we come to note and not have it noted for us, is more interested in the meta story of the characters in the hospital- pseudo Clooney’s ER- than he is in finding his wife. He’s content carrying around her framed picture, unchanged by her disappearance, and this realization is so satisfying, however sad and terrifying. It gets messy and you don’t want it to end.

I hope When is a Clock gets another production. There are large chunks of description that I believe would have been better brought to life through media. If Freeman were to ask me my two cents, my feedback would include:

- more media…Descriptions of the woman becoming a clock, what would this look like shown repeatedly as an image, slowly revealed for what it is? The wife’s descriptive had no physicality. I wasn’t confused, just not interested in the tell. Full disclosure: I always favor full out physicality when there’s the opportunity for it (like a character becoming and choosing to stay a clock!). I also find well-used media irresistibly exciting when used for story elements and character, not just setting. (Though I loved the video that was used.)

- I did have a few unanswered questions. Like what were they (wife and book guy) up to? What was their evil plan? Why didn’t we get to partake, see more, learn more about the bookstore guy’s motivation? This is the one character that felt weird for weird’s sake. I wanted to know why he was weird, or if he was the bad guy, I guess I needed him to be badder. But then again as far as hero/ villain’s go, both were equally mild and that balance is right on. But where was his edge? Was he dangerous or just a jerk? Did he have a point of view? I never doubted the husband would get his wife back.

While I’m on hero/ villain, perhaps this is why I missed the break of intermission, the confrontation between the soft husband and the man who turned his wife into an expensive clock left much to be desired in terms of anger, frustration, jealousy, and confusion. Made me like the husband less, if at all. If someone turned me into a clock, even if I wanted to be a clock, my boyfriend better strangle him until he’s blue in the face and changes me back. But that’s just me. The husband is someone who can’t cry when something sad happens, but I felt cheated of confrontation and emotion. Was the husband a sociopath? What’s the equivalent of two sociopaths’ confrontation?

Finally, there’s a wonderful moment on the beginning of the motion picture as spawned by the curiosity of man to capture movement. I thought this was going to tie in, go deeper, maybe into symbolism or th*m*, given that projections are used in the show. Either I missed this or it never happened. In any case, I recommend The Invention of Hugo Cabret as a point of interest.

An excellent, imaginative play with sharp, clean dialogue. Personally, this makes me want to ‘figure it out’ and I couldn’t help but continue thinking about it days after. Great job.

I ran my first 5k through Riverside park this morning.

Though misty near the Hudson river, it didn’t rain on us, for which I’m thankful. But I was way under-dressed for the chilly morning. We arrived at registration right on time, an hour before the race. It took all of one minute to give our names and get our numbers, leaving an hour to jump up and down and try to stay warm.

Who knew you can check a bag and coat at registration? I arrived in thin pants and a thin hoodie over my running top, holding my metro card and questioning how anyone does these races without bringing any stuff. Now you and I know their dirty check-in secret. Next time I’m checking two bags. And a coat.

Unfortunately, no pictures because none of my bums friends came to run along side me, documenting each stride, frame by frame. My running partner, RC, ran, too. But apparently he’s too uncoordinated to run and photograph me. I’ll have him work on that.

It feels silly to talk about running a 5k, especially as I’m reading First Marathons, edited by Gail Kislevitz, and just finishing Ben Cheever’s Strides. After reading about grueling, exhilarating, lengthy 26.2 mile marathons, 5ks go by fast. I couldn’t believe how quickly the whole 5k shibang I’ve been obsessing about was over.

The fastest man was 18+ minutes and fastest woman was 19+ minutes.

I had energy to burn after so I know I could have gone way faster. When the race started, about a hundred people charged and I thought ‘They’re gonna pay for it in the last mile when I pass them!’, pacing myself more for 6 miles instead of 3. The chargers never slowed…and I never passed them.

However, I ran my fastest 3.1 miles yet so I can only get fierce from here. Right?

The most difficult and unexpected aspect of running a 5k was pacing myself and breathing. I run with myself all the time so I just assumed I’d naturally find my race pace - slightly faster than my usual. But everyone else seemed to be going so much faster! While I wanted to keep up with that first wave of starting run charger, and I don’t think I could have, I didn’t even try because I was pacing. Pacing.

It wasn’t as hard as I though it would be to let people pass me. They just did.

Next time, my pretties. Next time, I’ll do a few training runs at faster than usual/ not quite race pace in order to get my breathing up to speed.

Everyone there was in great shape, and it was nice to be around a large number of runners who all woke up around 5am.There were many smiles before the miles and plenty after as the organizers quickly announced winners and prizes while we all inched away to the warmth of bus exhaust on our faces.

I can’t wait to do another 5k now that I get:

• When they say ‘GO’ You really ‘GO’ - with kick.
• 3 miles is not much so if you run regularly, you really can push yourself.
• There’s always going to be handfuls and handfuls of runners who can just run faster than you. It’s fun to be in the same race with them, and maybe one day I’ll be in a handful of someone else’s un-catchables.
• Find out if you can check bags and if so bring a camera and something warm.
• bananas and cashewnut butter are our best friends

Here’s the course we ran, south of the George Washington bridge, through Riverside Park. I did my best to

map it, but it’s about .02k short. Jersey’s on the left.:

Sorry, but I can’t talk about the 5k I’m going to run tomorrow because it’s my first and if I talk about it I’ll jinx it and probably loose my Mizunos or my lucky laces. I don’t really have lucky laces.

I do have a lucky pin I use to carry around - not wear. Running’s not conducive to wearing this pin and I wouldn’t want to carry it because it’s in the funny shape of a rabbit. And I lost it a long time ago.

But now I’m paranoid, should I have a lucky something for running? Superstition is prevalent in sports. It hints to that magical element that brings mystique to the moment. Because no matter how hard you train or bad you want to either reach your goal or squash your opponent, there’s an unpredictable nature to sports. And here luck comes in to play.

They’ve already changed the course, which I ran last weekend. More people are registered than I thought would be. If it rains. If I don’t eat because I’m nervous and therefore don’t have any energy. If I do eat too much and can’t put one foot in front of the other. If someone steps on my feet on the subway. If my cat accidentally cuts my throat with his well intentioned claws. If I’m just unfocused or having a bad breathing day…

That’s what I get for not having a lucky something to divert pre-race misfortunes.

That I’m not concerned with my speed is helping. But if you see something easy like a lucky paper clip lying around, send it my way please.

Tell me - Do you have a lucky something?

RUNNING UPDATE:

42+ miles in April

Total for 2008 —180 / 500 miles ran

It’s a really hard choice.

Do I go to the village to see Theatre? Yes

Will I go to see NYU dorm and more law classrooms for NYU…NO

Will the village continue to be a place of culture amidst NYU’s increasing shadow?

More often than not I’m embarrassed to say I’m an alum of NYU. Because by attending university I contributed to the monster. Not to be too dramatic, but that’s how it feels. Particularly now, as their expansion plans for the next 20+ years are announced and the village looks like it will completely disappear beneath dorms and classrooms.

On the list of buildings to be gobbled up in the name of NYUs manifest destiny: The Provincetown Playhouse. I had my first reading here. Perhaps more of note, Eugene O’Neil staged his first plays here.

This blog by Leonard Jacobs articulates the situation better than I.

UPDATE:

Here’s part of what I wrote to President of NYU John Sexton, with this letter:

I graduated Tisch Dramatic Writing in 2003. I dug myself into a deep hole of debt to study playwrighting and theatre at NYU, and thanks in part to you, the spaces that existed just a few years ago for me to stage my work are Gone. History implies that the University will do as it pleases, continuing its expansion … I am disappointed in and ashamed of my alma mater. … the theatre community gives more to the city than NYU’s dorms and extra classrooms. It gives more to the city than it will ever get in return. Theatre is not about ROI. This community shines in your shadow, and you will not be able to replace what you will lose by tearing down the Provincetown Playhouse.

The Tour de Queens is a 20 mile leisurely ride through Queens on June 8^th. Registration is FREE and it’s organized by Transportation Alternatives.

The ride is limited to 500 cyclists so register now if you want to partake.

I signed up and can’t wait. The hardest part will be staying on the bike and refraining from stopping off at every single food stand. Queens is well endowed with tasty, authentic ethnic food from Indian and Thai to Greek, Italian… Many don’t realize that empanadas are premium cycling fuel.

Think you got what it takes to take a leisurely roll? 20 miles is more than I’ve ever gone on a bike, and at just 6.2 miles short of marathon distance, I’m curious to see how it feels. Let me know if you plan to ride.

I haven’t posted because a plague is upon me. It’s called ‘I am a very bad person’ plague, and it haunts you if you commit to seeing a show and don’t.

After all my jabber (see post below), I didn’t make a show on Friday. I stared at Cai Guo-Qiang’s gunpowder paintings (are they considered paintings?) and sculptures too long. We didn’t leave the Guggenheim until near closing Friday.

I’m going to go see When is a Clock this week. Not because playwright Matthew Freeman posted a comment on my blog - though for that he is awesome. I am going to see the show because after reading about the production and story a few weeks ago, I haven’t forgotten. I’m intrigued and the possibility of seeing a good show, when I haven’t seen one in so long, is irresistible.

Why do we choose the shows we do? It’s easier to pin point the negative. Deal breakers - reasons why I will not go to a show - include:

• Gimmicks - After I was kidnapped and forced to watch Heddatron at HERE, I will never be suckered into a theatre gimmick again, no matter how many robots are rolling across the stage. Can you tell I’m still bitter about the time wasted that fateful evening?
• Personal Connotations - a graduate of Tisch Dramatic writing and part of the NYC theatre community since 99, I pre-judge quite a bit based on who’s involved (but don’t we all regardless of industry?) But this is just as often the only reason I go to shows so that can’t be a negative.

So what makes a show irresistible? What would make you leave an exhibit early or even better – buy tickets in advance? Do good reviews seal the deal for you?

What if you had a show in two hours and your potential audience is uptown blankly staring a big paintings and suspended cars?