Into the whirlpool of the quarter

Okay, okay...I'll write an ACTUAL update on what I've been doing. Mainly because I can finally take a moment to do it.

I just finished a production of Noises Off. I had no intention of trying to do anything pertaining to production work this year at all. I though I should try to get acclimated and try to learn my way around this program and this HUGE campus. Somehow, it didn't work our that way. I was approached by the director of Noises Off (faculty member Maureen Ryan) and asked to play the role of Selsdon (the old man). She told me that Mark Shanda (the department chair) had mentioned to her that I might be willing to do it. Well, I am currently trying to substantiate my case that the department would benefit from letting me stay on there to do my PhD, once I finish my Masters, and as such I am in NO position to turn down ANY opportunities--least of all those sanctioned by the department chair! So I accepted!

The show only had a 4 week rehearsal period. Which is SHORT. But everything came together beautifully, and the production was great. I am VERY happy that I did the show, and I really grew as both an artist and as a scholar.

Every day it occurs to me just how lucky I am. I wake up in the morning and am TOTALLY immersed in the theatre. I teach it, I study it, I read ABOUT it, I just DID it, tonight I am going to see a play, tomorrow I will be writing about that play...I literally live and breathe "theatre". What is astounding to me is that I am getting paid (not much, but still) to think about, read about, teach about, learn about, and talk about what I would choose to in my free time. YES, it IS a lot of work; YES it IS hard...but when you get paid to do what you'd do for free because you love it so much, can it REALLY be called "work"? And, add to my fortune the fact that I have THE BEST wife possible, who supports me (intellectually, emotionally, financially, etc) in this effort, who sees the benefit of my work, who allows me to bounce ideas and thoughts off her, who helps me to synthesize my ideas into coherent thoughts, and who doesn't even seem to mind the fact that I am EXCEEDINGLY boring most of the time, and you see that, I AM the single most fortunate man on Earth.

The other day, I got to hold, in my hand, a notebook that once belonged to the great playwright Samuel Beckett. In this notebook there was an original, hand written, copy of his play "Happy Days", complete with his notes of the play as he was writing, and doodles in the margins. I got to look at Samuel Beckett's actual margin doodles. In many ways, seeing these doodles made me appreciate Beckett's work so much more--the doodles were dark, complex, intense, and abstract, really a perfect representation for Beckett's plays.

I am so lucky.