The Ecclectician: Teacher, Dramatist, Author

New Baby, New Article!

2011-07-14T00:13:00.008-04:00

In an effort not to let an entire year go by without a new post, a few bits of news. The first one will be a bit of an explanation for why I've been occupied these past months.

First of all, my wife and I were blessed with a second daughter last month: Aria Dawn!

The second bit of news involves my students. I discovered an interesting UK website called Book Drum. Books are "profiled" with detailed notes and multimedia; think of a footnoted "critical edition" of a text, but with Internet steroids. At the time, my AP Lit and Comp seniors were about to begin reading Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible. The book was not yet profiled, and I thought a class project creating such a profile would be an interesting opportunity and way to publish student work. I contacted the site editor, who told me that not only had a class of students never done a profile for the site, no one had ever done a large group collaboration, period. Holding my breath, we plunged in.

The results are now on the Book Drum website, and currently featured on their home page. In addition, I wrote a reflective article on the process and project, which is also on the site.

You can click here to see the book profile.

Or here to read the reflective article.

On the creative side of things, not much to report. Last year I taught AP Literature and Composition for the first time, so between prepping for the class and getting ready for baby, not a lot of original writing energy or time. I hope to at least punch out a short story or two this year, perhaps along with more educational articles.

Happy summer!

Article in "Classroom Notes Plus"

2010-10-02T13:16:00.002-04:00

Some publication news! At the end of the last school year, I began drafting an article for Classroom Notes Plus, a National Council of Teachers of English journal for secondary educators. The journal articles are basically descriptions and directions for lesson plans: how they impact learning, and how to implement them in the classroom. My article involves a lesson with A Midsummer Night's Dream using a concordance (finding repetitious patterns of words) combined with a "gallery walk" (having students make posters in groups full of text quotes and insightful pictures).

The article will be published this month, in both print and electronic forms. (It prints four times a year to approximately 6000 subscribers.) Unfortunately for the general public, you need to be either a direct subscriber or (if you're a member of NCTE) wait until it's electronically archived to view it online.

More information on Classroon Notes Plus is here.

Special thanks to Felice Kaufmann for her encouragement and editing. Because of her, I now have my first publishing writing credit as an educator!

April's new book "Butterfly Rocks"

2010-08-28T19:11:00.009-04:00

I'm very proud of April's creativity. Finding sometimes a few minutes at a time, she's finally published a children's book: Butterfly Rocks. Her artistically talented mother (Jo) was the illustrator.

The story is sweet yet powerful, weaving the story of a woman named Sue (who has cancer, but refuses to let that define her) and a boy named Jack (who receives a mysterious "butterfly rock"). April deftly handles cancer; although matter-of-fact about the impact of illness, she never treads heavily on the subject in a way to scare children. The story is both comforting and inspiring. As for the pictures, Jo may have found her second calling.

What's even more amazing is that it's based on a true story. For the sake of privacy, I'll stop there. But it adds another level of warmth to the book.

It's available from the website Blurb, where you can buy single copies. I've permanently added a widget for the book to the right of my blog, but here's another one to go with this entry. Note that the sample pages are random, and skip around different parts of the book:

Butterfly Rocks by April Watson (Illustrated by Jo Wathen) | Make Your Own Book

Congratulations, April! You're artistic and beautiful! I'm very proud.

In other quick personal news, the school year has started in a fine way -- the students and my classes are great -- and even had a chance to finally launch that long story (which looks like it'll be novel length) with a little help from friends (thanks, Laura!). I'm writing in small chunks at a time, but my goal is to finish it by the end of next summer. More news later . . .

A Castle, a B & B, and a Lodge

2010-06-15T00:30:00.009-04:00

Three recent happenings and some pictures to share.

In mid-May, Ayla had a tea party with three of her friends at Yew Dell Gardens, inside of a real castle on its grounds! (I've raved about Yew Dell in a previous post; plan a visit there, especially during its "Sculpture at the Dell" in the summer.) The setting made the afternoon perfect. We were told that we were the first to have a children's tea party there, which is hard to believe; one look at the castle and it seems a natural place to rent for princess or tea parties for the girls, and "wizards and knights" for the boys. Michelle Cook (our beloved Ayla documentarian!) was our photographer, and did an incredible job, as always. Here's a few shots, done vintage style:

Over Memorial Day weekend, April and I wanted to do something different to celebrate our seventh wedding anniversary. We decided to stay at a bed and breakfast for the first time, but we didn't want to drive too far. After Googling and reading some reviews, we went with the 1888 Rocking Horse Manor (at the edge of Old Louisville) and booked their Grand Victorian Suite. To say we were pleased is an understatement. The place was delightful (the backyard garden alone made the stay worthwhile), the breakfast delicious, and the hospitality of manorkeepers John and Ricardo would be difficult to beat. We are already mulling a return trip. During our stay, we walked a few blocks and ate at Amici Cafe, an Italian culinary treasure; I recommend their Penne alla Lorenzo! Here are a few pictures of the manor:

We took our most recent trip last week. April, Ayla, April's parents and I stayed at the Breezy Mountain Lodge just outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. It was a family reunion of sorts for April's father's side of the family, where everybody pitched in to rent the Lodge as a private getaway, complete with a mini-movie theater and a game room. Not only was it good to see old faces, but we enjoyed a trip into "town" and the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. We had fun walking down the Parkway (visiting the Hollywood Wax Museum was definitely worth the admission), hiking up to see Laurel Falls , and eating some good meals, including Huck Finn's Catfish Restaurant, a pleasant surprise and a must if you're in the area. (Any place that has "all you can eat vittles" has my heart for sure.)

Now, back home to rest, write, and prepare for next year's classes.

Widgets, Iron Men, and the Latest Hijinks

2010-05-10T17:41:00.009-04:00

Forgive me fathers and mothers, I have sinned. It's been 10 months since my last post. There's no particular reason for my delay, except that (mostly) school has kept me hopping around. So I hope to make up for it with some content in today's blog entry.

As far as writing, teaching has kept me hopping too much to be terribly creative. That said, I got a great story idea that will at least be a extended short story, based on a creepy experience that actually happened to me in the last few months. I hope to pursue it this summer, along with a possible polish and submission of a few older short stories. While I'm still holding out for a publisher of another book's worth of poetry, I fear that ship has sailed, so perhaps I'll look at alternate opportunities to get the verse out into the world.

As for school, I've enjoyed creating a semester's worth of lessons for Myths and Legends, a class I never taught before this year. Speaking of school and summer, next year I'll be teaching AP Literature for the first time, so prepping for it in June and July will be part of my upcoming agenda.

Despite hectic lesson planning and grading, April, Ayla and I have tried to enjoy ourselves over the past year. Last August, we made it to Toronto, and despite a sanitation worker strike, had a blast seeing Canada for the first time and visiting with old friends. (Some highlights of the trip: Niagara Falls, Louis Tussaud's Wax Museum, the Ontario Science Centre, Casa Loma, and of course, the CN Tower.) Last fall, we went to the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal -- easily in the top 5 museums we've had the pleasure of partaking. Last but not least, we went to Fort Boonesborough a few weeks ago and really felt like we stepped back in time. Here's a pic:

Gotta love the bonnet, eh? (Ayla bought it from the fort's gift shop.)

I decided the blog needed a minor facelift, so besides its appearance, I added two widgets. The first comes from Grooveshark.com (a fantastic music website -- if you use Pandora, give Grooveshark a chance!). I recently edited Live From Waverly Hills in multiple tracks and uploaded it to their site; listen in streaming audio! (If you want more info on the 2003 show, click here.) I also added a goodreads widget. I created an account at the end of last year, and for the past several months, I've done short reviews for some of the books I've read. It's not meant to be "professional" reviews -- it just captures some first impressions when I finish a book. If you're interested, click on the widget.

Last but not least, April and I saw Iron Man 2 on an IMAX screen this past weekend. I enjoyed the sequel, but not quite as much as the first one. (That's a tall order, though, since Iron Man is right up there with Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight as one of the best comic book action movies ever.) The action and special effects were fun to watch, and the somewhat darker tone added some nice character moments; for example, Downy, Jr. struggling with his mortality and perhaps drinking a bit too much, echoing a 1980's comic book plotline -- although I could have done without the "DJ Iron Man" cringeworthy scene. Paltrow and Favreau's characters are given more to do as well, Rockwell was amazing (although not threatening enough), and Rourke was perfectly cast (if a bit underused) as a Russian heavy. I'm in love with Johansson, and although she didn't have much to do as Black Widow, it was worth it just for her scene storming Hammer's headquarters. As much as I'm a fan of Don Cheadle, I missed a bit of the playful spark from Terrence Howard's take on Rhodes, although the script might be to blame. All in all, highly recommended to see on the big screen.

I hope to post a time or two during the summer (I promise!), so until then . . .

Our classroom videotaped on a NCTE website!

2009-07-17T19:04:00.003-04:00

A few months back, our classroom was chosen to be part of the National Council Teachers of English's professional development webcourse, "Pathways for 21st Century Literacies." They were interested in Dragon Booktalk's literature circle podcasts. Laurie Henry and an assistant came and videotaped the students as they podcasted, and interviewed me. Today, the edited video went online, along with some of my resources and links involved in the project. I was very pleased with the final video, and enjoy the site; it has many tech resources and work from actual teachers in the field. Also, it's another way that my students have found an authentic audience, and their good work is archived for the forseeable future.

Unfortunately, the site is not free or accessible by the general public. However, if you're an educator and interested further, the "Pathways for 21st Century Literacies" course is available at:

http://www.ncte.org/pathways/21stcentury

As of today, I'm on the course's home page as a "Classroom Spotlight," but the video and materials are also repeatedly threaded throughout several places on the site.

Special thanks to NCTE's Laurie Henry and Leslie Froeschl for making our participation possible.

Summer at the midpoint

2009-07-13T00:53:00.002-04:00

Fleeting, fleeting summer. Here we are, just a month out before school begins again (and Ayla goes to kindergarten).

School, of course, has not been too far away. I spent a week in Bowling Green for an AP Institute (to learn how to teach AP Literature & Composition). It was actually very productive, thanks to our instructor Danny Lawrence. I enjoyed some good meals as well. I will never look at cornbread, garlic mashed potatoes or prime rib the same after Montana Grille, and if there's a higher deity that loves me, Zaxby's will come to Louisville one of these days.

I also have been reading up for a Myths & Legends class that I'll be teaching for the first time next year. I hope to include some discussion of urban legends, especially local ones. (After all, the tools for discerning an urban legend as true or untrue are the same for determining any source is credible.) One of the sources for memorable folklore is a book Weird Kentucky; I definitely recommend it. Oh, and I'm sure Joseph Campbell will make its way into the curriculum . . .

But enough about school. April and I enjoyed our trip to Memphis over Memorial Day weekend. As planned, we hit Graceland, Sun Studios and the National Civil Rights Museum. Strangely, I felt more excited and closer to Elvis at Sun than I did at his home. As for the NCRM, it's a must if you're in the area. The museum is one of the best I've ever visited, and I can't describe how moved I was, looking into room 306 of the Lorraine Motel. On a lighter note, we were glad to have the chance to walk Beale Street and ate some of the best ribs ever at Charles Vergos' Rendezvous.

Going to the Outer Banks was amazing as well. A 12 hour drive was a bit much, although renting a mini-van helped, and Ayla really was a trooper. (On the way there, we stopped by Grand Caverns, Virginia and took a tour, so that gave us a chance to stretch our legs. Beautiful cave!) It felt good to touch the ocean -- and once Ayla got over her apprehension about the power of the waves, she enjoyed it as well. April, Ayla and I climbed Currituck Lighthouse, ascended the dunes at Jockey's Ridge, ambled around the Elizabethan Gardens, huffed around the Wright Brothers Memorial (the mound with the monument is a bit of a hike!) and saw the wild horses of Corolla in person, thanks to a 4 x 4 tour. All in all, pretty fantastic.

Canada is coming soon -- our last big trip of the summer. As long as we get to spend time with our friends Dan and Amy, and take a peek at Niagra Falls and the CN Tower, I'll be happy. After our 12 hour driving adventure, driving 9 up to Paris, Ontario will be a cakewalk.

What else to discuss? Oh yes, the big news of Michael Jackon's death. Have to admit, I got pulled in and watched the memorial live from the Staples Center, so I'm guilty of gawking as well. It's interesting, and sad, that MJ hasn't been on the blip of pop culture for years (indeed, I only found out about his 50 sold out London shows after he died), but when he died, all sins were forgiven by the public and his albums are charting again. How ironic that his current post-mortem album sales may erase his blossoming debt! Look, even if MJ was innocent of specific child molestation charges, he clearly is guilty of horrible judgment and decisions when it came to children. In addition to that, more than likely his death was the result of drug abuse. Should I feel sorry for a multi-millionaire that used drugs to kill the pain of his life? Certainly, he suffered; MJ's father got what he wanted, but what a price. In the end, it's hard to feel sorry for Jackson, if only for one reason: his children. When the world apparently stopped loving him unconditionally, he decided to become a father three times over to fill that void. I'm sure he really loved them, and did his best to raise them. But here's the deal. Jackson chose drugs, which had the chance of killing him, over his children. Because of that choice, with half or more of their child years ahead of them, they'll now be fatherless. And that's the part that guiles me most about Michael Jackson. It's a tragedy, and yes, I'm sure he had personal demons that were nearly impossible to fight -- but in the end, his choices led to three kids without a dad.

So why did I watch the memorial, and despite all of that, still had a twinge of pity for him? When I think of Jackson, I think of Thriller on cassette, playing "Billie Jean" over and over. Watching "Thriller" on MTV and always getting freaked out when he crumples to the ground while his date asks is he's okay -- and then he looks up with those frickin' yellow eyes. (Really, was that video appropriate in the middle of the MTV day for a nine-year old kid?) But mainly, when I think of Jackson, I think of my 1980's youth. Jackson wanted to stay childlike forever, and symbolically, even tragically, it seems he finally paid the price for that desire. When he died, I realized, part of my youth died too. I have a feeling a lot of people around the world felt the same way.

Site Updates and Teacher News

2009-05-16T09:48:00.004-04:00

Summer is fast approaching; it's hard to believe we're only a few weeks away from another school year complete. April and I are planning some trips in the next few months:

Memphis. We've always wanted to make a pilgrammage to Graceland, but we're also looking forward to seeing Sun Studios and the National Civil Rights Museum.

Paris, Ontario (just outside Toronto). We'll visit our old friends Dan and Amy, and among other sights and sounds, check out nearby Niagra Falls. In fact, we're getting our passport IDs today.

Outer Banks, NC. We've been wanting to get to a beach and see a lighthouse in person ever since Ayla was born, so we're finally going to do both. As a lover of Shakespeare, checking out the Fort Raleigh National Historical Site (with its Elizabethan Gardens) is a given, but we also can't wait to see the Currituck Beach Lighthouse, the Wright Brothers National Memorial, and maybe a wild horse or two:

In other news . . .

I've updated my personal site and Jackpot Tiger:

For my personal site, I fixed some broken links, updated the Bio, added YouTube links to "Occasional Poisonings from the Kitchen" to the Showcase page, and updated the Press Room to reflect some of the latest teacher news.

For Jackpot Tiger, I updated About Us and fixed some broken links.

And now for the latest teacher news. First, our class podcasting site (Dragon Booktalk) made the cover of the April 2009 issue of Kentucky Teacher! The issue is archived as a PDF; click here for a link to download it, and look on pages 8 and 11. Here's the cover:

Last but not least, my colleagues and faculty have voted me as South Oldham's 2009-2010 Teacher of the Year. I am very flattered and humbled to get the award, and will work hard to earn it.

With being busy wrapping up the school year, I probably won't have a chance to blog until summer. At the very least, I'll try to give updates after our vacations and post a pic or two. Until then, enjoy the end of spring!

"Occasional..." on YouTube

2009-04-05T21:38:00.003-04:00

Two months! Ahhh, Tiempo Padre. As our spring break is about to end, wanted to take a few minutes to write an entry.

Since I last blogged, the Honest Abe Festival ended. It was an incredible experience; I was so glad and honored to work with Juergen and Bunbury again.

On one of the last shows, I videotaped the evening and ended up producing and editing a DVD of the Festival. From that footage, I did something for the first time: posted an original video on YouTube. The entire play is posted in four parts totalling about a half-hour. Here are the links:

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Another article about our podcasting site is in the works; this one will definitely be available online, so I'll post when it is published.

Happy Easter to all who celebrate it!

----Adam

Honest Abe Review, and 35th Birthday Shenanigans

2009-02-10T18:08:00.003-05:00

Cory Vaughn, over at Theatre Louisville, posted a review of the Honest Abe Festival. In short, he enjoyed it! You can read it here:

http://theatrelouisville.org/reviews2009/cv_honestabe.php

It's hard to get reviewed in this town unless you're Kentucky Center, so I appreciate Mr. Vaughn taking the time to do so.

I saw the show Saturday, and was pleasantly surprised when Dan and Amy, two friends from Canada, were sitting in the audience! April had somehow coordinated the logistics to get them here. It was a great birthday surprise.

I had not had a chance to see the show from start to finish, so it was a treat. It was obvious how much hard work had been put into the plays. I enjoyed myself, and when my play was staged, I still got that funny tickle of disbelief that actors down there were saying my lines. Thank you, Juergen, for giving me this wonderful opportunity. And thank you to the cast and crew of the Festival, who did a marvelous job.

Afterwards, the four of us went to 21c Museum Hotel for the night. (We had already had reservations, but somehow, April had also arranged for Dan and Amy's room as well. Unbelievable.) This was our second stay. You would think it's impossible for a hotel to be beautiful, modern, intriguing, have a sense of humor, have friendly staff, and NOT be snooty, but 21c manages to attain the delicate balance. We also had dinner there at Proof on Main, and Tyrone Cotton, you were right: the Bison Burger is pretty darn good.

I could not ask for a more fantastic 35th birthday. April, you're amazing. I love you.

My last plea on behalf of Bunbury and myself: if you haven't come to see the plays, BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW! Two more weeks!

Articles, NCTE, Opening Night

2009-02-06T21:31:00.003-05:00

It has been a whirlwind week. First, let's talk about our class podcasting project, Dragon Booktalk. Some major bullets:

So far, two authors -- Larry Colton (Counting Coup) and Michael D'Antonio (Hershey) -- have contacted me about Dragon Booktalk. They listened to the podcasts and sent their kudos to the students for their work. As if that wasn't enough . . .
Dragon Booktalk was mentioned in a NCTE INBOX e-newsletter (with 115,000 subscribers), and the site and C-J article was discussed at length in a corresponding blog entry. This has led to . . .
A lot of hits. It took three months to get the first 400 hits at the site. In the course of 48 hours, we've climbed over 1000. In addition, I've received emails from all over the United States, as well as a Canadian associate professor and a teacher in China!

I'm thrilled for the students, who are getting the opportunity to reach a global audience.

The Honest Abe Festival opened last night, and John Foster interviewed and photographed myself, Matt Orme, Dale Strange, and Juergen Tossmann for a feature article. No pictures online, but you can read the text of the article here, which came out in yesterday's edition.

Oh, and I turn 35 this weekend. What better way to celebrate a birthday than the opening of my play?

More thoughts on the production later . . .

Come to Bunbury! The three week run begins NOW!

Courier-Journal article on Festival!

2009-02-03T17:52:00.002-05:00

Apparently, Bunbury is not the only theater with Lincoln on the stage!

I just read the Courier-Journal article online from Sunday's paper. Our Festival is thoroughly discussed; Nancy Gall-Clayton (playwright) and Matt Orme (actor protraying Lincoln in all the plays) are quoted at length; and Nancy is beautifully pictured at her desk.

Read it here:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090125/SCENE05/901250326/1047/SCENE05

Two more days!

Oldham Era article, and How I Feel About Electricity

2009-02-01T23:32:00.003-05:00

First things first: having no electricity, to put it gently, sucks. But I won't complain too loudly. Our house was without power for only two days, and considering as of this post that 100,000 are still in the dark, I consider myself lucky. Also, I had a week off of school, which I spent hanging out with family, so I was glad for the mini-break.

The press release for the Honest Abe Festival actually came out a few weeks ago; I posted links for it at both my personal and Jackpot Tiger site. But in case you missed it, click here.

I've been going to, on average, about one play rehearsal a week. I have to say, I'm very excited about the actors' work, Juergen's direction, and the set and lighting design. (Here would be a good time to give the actors a well-deserved shout-out: Matt Orme, Dale Strange, Ted Lesley, and Mike Burmester.) Actually, I'm impressed with the overall quality of the writing, directing, and acting of all of the plays in the Festival. Counting down to Thursday, February 5 -- the Festival's opening night -- and Saturday, February 7 -- my 35th birthday!

Yesterday, John Foster from the Oldham Era came to interview myself and Juergen, as well as take photographs. The article should run in this Wednesday's paper (February 4). Find a copy in Oldham County anywhere newspapers are sold.

At this point, I'll probably not post until after opening night, but let's hope for broken legs and no more ice storms.

Podcasting Article in The Courier-Journal

2009-01-21T21:48:00.003-05:00

My students work hard. And it's great when they get a chance to shine.

Sara Cunningham from The Courier-Journal came out a few weeks ago to interview myself and my students about a podcasting site we incorporate into the classroom. In short, they record literature circle discussions, and as a culminating project, write, record and edit a "book commercial." It's like a "movie trailer" for the book.

Read the article for more information and a link to the podcasting site:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20090121/ZONE09/901210362/-1/ZONE09

In play news, I've been to a few rehearsals, and I'm excited to see Juergen's ideas in action, as well as the actors bringing it to life. (As I told them last night, my favorite parts are the looks, reactions, and acting business they do between and around the lines -- after all, my words are just a scaffold!) We're hoping for some publicity opportunities, but I'll announce and/or link them here if and when they become definite.

Until then, the countdown continues to opening night February 5 . . .

Holiday Greetings, and a Abe Poster present

2008-12-21T21:43:00.010-05:00

Happy holidays! Some amazing things have happened since my last blog posting. We've had an election, and a new President is on his way. Halloween has rushed by, along with Thanksgiving, and Christmas is just a few days away. School has kept me busy and happy.

Here's some pictures of Ayla:

Ayla wanted to be a black cat for Halloween. You can just make out the tail going down the stump. Thanks again to Michelle for taking pictures at our Halloween party (and thanks to Aunt Sue for the stump!).

And here's a few Christmas pictures, also thanks to Michelle (it was hard to narrow down to two to post, but here goes. Oh, and BTW, the backgrounds are courtesy of Michelle's newest stomping grounds, Fusion Photography in Middletown):

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.

In Honest Abe Festival, there is a new poster, reflecting a change in playwrights (John C. Finnegan is now in our fourth slot).

I went to a production meeting last week. Turns out Juergen is directing my play (very flattering and tres cool), and rehearsals will begin in January.

I'll try to post at least one more time before the Festival kicks off, especially if I know about any publicity appearances from Juergen or the crew.

Little Black Dress Rehearsal Party

2008-10-06T22:20:00.004-04:00

So I went down to see the new Bunbury Theatre for the first time since they moved into the historic Henry Clay Building. The place is impressive, to say the least. Go to the building's website and see some fantastic pictures.

And if you have $285,000 to drop, you can even live there. Take a virtual tour for free. Just yell when you get back.

Did you enjoy that? Good. Moving on . . .

One of the sponsors of the evening was Little Black Dress wine, appropriately enough. Had a taste-test of their Merlot. Also had a Finlandia grapefruit cocktail drink (another sponsor), which was pretty smooth (I like a good vodka on the rare occasions I drink, but not much of a grapefruit enthusiast, so this is high praise). Munched on some great hoers d' oeuvres; I'd give a shout out to the caterer, but not sure who it was. Should also mention Gilda's Club, yet another sponsor of the event, who had a worthy cause (creating a space for those enduring with cancer to enjoy themselves); their Louisville chapter is celebrating their first year anniversary.

Unfortunately, all this was done without April; Ayla had a photo appointment with Michelle at her new studio space (Moto Photo, across from the Summit). But I enjoyed checking out Juergen's new digs, even if it was solo.

Speaking of Juergen, we did meet and talke for a few minutes. He didn't recognize me without the hair (I was 21 last time we were face to face; ah, youth). Apparently, all but one of the actors of Poisonings are casted. With three months to go before rehearsals, no worries, mate.

The evening concluded with a snippet from their opening show, Beau Jest. We went upstairs to the new theater, and it is a fantastic performance space. It sits 149 in padded stadium chairs in a slight curve around a curtainless stage area. Beautiful. As for the play itself, it looks like it might be a hoot. Frankly, I'm really looking forward to the Albee show at the end of the season, Seascape. (Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is easily one of the top 5 plays of the 20th century, and a helluva Nichols movie to boot.) Any play where lizards come out of an ocean and start talking -- well, that's hook enough for me.

One of the things I picked up was a flyer that gives an overview of Bunbury's season. Here's a copy:

A closeup of the Honest Abe portion of the flyer is on my personal and Jackpot Tiger websites.

As the holiday season hits (which means AYLA PICTURES!) and possible publicity opportunities ahead, I'll post more soon.

Living in the 1800's, and a Black Dress

2008-09-27T23:14:00.003-04:00

When you look outside and there's not a drop of rain --heck, it's even sunny -- you don't worry about a power outage, much less a chance of storm damage. Yeah, the wind was shaking the trees, but I swear I've seen worse.

Imagine my surprise when we lost our power. For five days.

Yep, from Sunday the 13th to Friday the 19th of September, we took a trip back in time. Back when you went to bed early cuz Mother Nature didn't allow you to stay up late watching HBO, or checking on the newest TV and movie news at Dark Horizon. School was also shut down, which meant I did have a chance (during the daylight hours!) to catch up on all of my grading.

Of course, many people were far worse off. When I finally went back to school last Monday, there were still some people without power, which boggles my mind. And all of us are more lucky than many people in the South. Seeing the news report about Galveston, Texas getting hit by Hurricane Ike was particularly distressing, since April and I enjoyed such a fantastic honeymoon there back in 2003. I hope the people of Galveston, and all those affected by the storms, get all right in the end.

Moving on from such heavy news to something a bit lighter. Bunbury Theatre is having a special "Little Black Dress Rehearsal" party to kick off their 2008-2009 season on Wednesday, October 1. I'm going and excited about it -- I haven't been face to face with Juergen since 1995, and I hope to meet some of the artists involved with "Poisonings."

As always, call Bunbury at 585-5306 for more information on the party and their upcoming season.

Lincoln Play Festival Announcement!

2008-08-13T23:02:00.003-04:00

Okay, now that I've been informed that actors auditioned for roles in my play this week, I am finally confident enough to officially announce about my newest one-act.

Juergen Tossmann of Bunbury Theatre was kind enough to ask me, along with two other local playwrights (Nancy Gall-Clayton and Dirk Griffin), to contribute new works for an upcoming play festival. (Juergen himself has written a fourth play.) I enthusiastically said yes. After all, Juergen produced my first play at Bunbury as part of their tenth anniversary festival way back in 1995, at my wee age of 21. The festival's theme is pretty clever: not only is it celebrating Bunbury's 23rd anniversary (has it really been 13 years since last time??), but it's a tribute for the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. So, all the plays deal in some way with ol' Abe, and are roughly 23 minutes long.

I don't want to say too much about my play Occasional Poisonings from the Kitchen, except to mention it involves both Mr. Lincoln and the second president to be assassinated, James Garfield . . .

. . . so you'll have to attend the festival to find out the rest.

The Honest Abe 23-Minute Play Festival

Bunbury Theatre

February 5-8, 11-15, and 18-22, 2009

Call 585-5306 for ticket information

I'm incredibly excited to be part of the festival, and can't thank Mr. Tossmann enough for giving me another opportunity to have a play staged at Bunbury.

Quick Reviews: TDK and DMB

2008-08-13T22:26:00.003-04:00

Finally saw The Dark Knight at the end of July. It's hard to add anything new to say to all the critics, but in short, I loved it. Ledger is guaranteed an Oscar nod, if not a win, for his incredible performance. However, this may be the first "superhero" movie that has a chance to get nominations across the board, especially for Nolan as director. It's that good.

On August 1, April and I finally saw Slugger Field for the first time when we went to see the Dave Matthews Band, with Willie Nelson (!) opening. The first and only time I've seen either one was, coincidentally, at the same venue -- Live Aid, Cardinal Stadium, 1995. Nelson, as always, is a pleasure to see and hear -- a man who loves music and still has the same genuine, emotive voice all these years later. We missed the first few minutes of his set, but got there in time to hear all the classics. (Tell me, how can "Always On My Mind" not be in your top 10 greatest love songs ever?)

Now, DMB and I have an interesting relationship. When I heard "What Would You Say?" in 1994, grunge was midway through its heydey and I had only graduated a few years prior. I thought it was an okay song, and appreciated their musicianship and the catchy hooks of their subsequent singles, but at the time I never really got why people were such ecstatic fans. I certainly never picked up any of their CDs at the time.

But -- not long after "WWYS," actually -- I met and began dating April. And April has always been a HUGE fan of DMB. So after repeated spins in the player, my appreciation grew into a genuine respect, then a warm fondness.

As I said, I went and saw DMB in 1995, but that was enough for me. While April saw them a few times over the years I was quite content to stay at home while she went with a friend. (Quick shout-out to Doug, photographer of Lollygagged and Flannel Flogged.) But by the time DMB announced their Slugger Field concert, I really was interested in going.

Thank God I did. It was an amazing show, not least because Tim Reynolds sat in on lead guitar (Dave's solo albums Live at Luther College and Live at Radio City are favorites of mine cuz of Tim). Blistering playing by all, energetic band chemistry that you could feel in every note. I was disappointed only that they didn't play "Bartender," "When the World Ends," "Don't Drink the Water," or "Crash." On the other hand, they played fantastic covers of "Burning Down the House" and "Sledgehammer," Willie jammed with the band on "Gravedigger," and the concert was nearly three hours long, so it's hard to complain.

I left converted to the religion of DMB. It just took me 14 years. Oh, and BTW: get better soon, LeRoi.

The set list from the night, courtesy of the band's road crew website:
One Sweet World *
Seek Up *
Everyday *
Grey Street *
Gravedigger *+
Eh Hee *
Corn Bread *
Burning Down The House *
Sleep To Dream Her *
Two Step *
Out Of My Hands ~
#41 *
You Might Die Trying *
Sledgehammer *
Dancing Nancies *
Anyone Seen The Bridge *
Too Much Intro *
Ants Marching *

Encore:
Pantala Naga Pampa *
Rapunzel *
Stay (Wasting Time) *

Show Notes:
* with Jeff Coffin
+ with Willie Nelson
~ No Horns, Dave on piano

An Interstellar Plant and a few quick reviews

2008-07-21T23:49:00.003-04:00

I mentioned Yew Dell Gardens in a previous post. We bought a family membership, and on a recent trip, I took a few pictures. Thought I'd share.

Apparently, the plant life also includes a famous spaceship captain.

The hand sculpture is called "Man and Technology" by Don Lawler. It's one of my favorite pieces of art from their recent show.

Quick movie reviews:

WALL-E. Saw this with Ayla and April. Some of the things were a bit above my four year old's head, but she enjoyed it. True, it doesn't hide its "save the planet" parable, but if there's a moral worth smacking us across the face, this one would be it. Have to admit, misted up at the ending. Only Pixar could make a love story about robots so moving.

HELLBOY II. I can't decide on this one. I was aware of the Hellboy comic when I was younger, but never read it, so I saw the first movie from the perspective of a clean slate. I enjoyed it enough to buy the director's cut/set on DVD when it came out. For the sequel, it concentrates more on character relationships (something I always appreciate); Ron Perlman seems to be having a blast again, and Del Toro has the market cornered on fantastical creatures that fill up every portion of the screen. But some of the fight scenes and plot devices (such as the "three piece crown" MacGuffin) felt more perfunctory than the shenanigans of the first film. I'd still recommend it to fans of the first film, and the ending definitely intrigues me for what they might do in a third Hellboy film.

Didn't get to the Caped Crusader this weekend.....next weekend at the latest.

Yew Dell

2008-07-10T16:03:00.004-04:00

My wife, daughter, mother-in-law and I recently visited Yew Dell Gardens, and I had to mention it in a post.

Full disclosure: I have to admit, I'm not the biggest outdoorsy kind of guy. I've camped all of once, and that was as a Cub Scout -- in a tent, in a backyard, fifty feet from the nearest indoor plumbing facility. It doesn't help that I'm so fair skinned the reflection off a set of clean teeth would probably sunburn me.

However, I've always loved the beauty of outside -- a beach, a waterfall, a tall tree, the color of leaves in the fall when I visit my grandfather in Columbia, Kentucky. I enjoy a good hike in Bernheim (and their new visitor's center is an amazing example of Green architecture, BTW). I'm certainly fan of all things that slither, creep, lope, or crawl. At some point, however, I need running water and air conditioning. Nature is a great place to visit, but I don't want to live there.

That said, Yell Gardens is one of the few places that feels so unbelievably peaceful, I regretted having to leave. Beautiful landscaping, some interesting buildings (including a "castle" that my daughter emphatically told us belongs to Cinderella), and (at least until the end of July) a display of dozens of intriguing art sculptures. If you've never been, go take a visit. It does cost a few bucks ($7 per adult; they also have membership choices), but it's worth it.

In other bits of interest:

Counting down the days until this movie.

Finished my first draft of my play, and turned it in to the producer. Once it's officially accepted I'll announce the details. (Yep, my name is already on their website, but I want to make sure he's happy before I presume I'm in their festival.)

adamwatson.org Relaunch

2008-07-03T00:24:00.005-04:00

Firstly, Jackpot Tiger's website is finished and updated.

As promised (or warned), my internet facelifting continues on my personal site. As before, I have some glitches and typos to check and fix, but otherwise it's good to go. I ended up keeping nearly all of the Showcase writing and Press information (although I had to fix a few broken links), but I did drop the old archive of "News" pages from the server, and deleted most of the previous site's pictures. My blog -- the current way I post news -- is now two years old, so I don't really see a need to keep a news archive older than that. In terms of pictures, I now use this blog to frequently post images. I might need a few more new shots on the site, but I think the older pics were starting to get . . . well, old. And cluttery.

Congrats to producer and artistic director Juergen Tossmann! Louisville Magazine had a new category in their 23rd annual Best of Louisville awards: Best Small Theater Company. According to its readers, Bunbury Theatre was the best place for Kentuckiana adults to see drama and scored third overall (behind Blue Apple Players and Walden Theatre, both for young people). Considering the other well-known groups in the area, that's quite an achievement.

Find the good news on page 57 of the July 2008 issue.

And more official news next week on that play festival . . .

Words to remember...

2008-06-26T12:57:00.002-04:00

Politically, I am usually pretty mild in my posts for this blog. That said (and to no surprise to those who know me), I've never hid the fact that I would be considered on the liberal side of the spectrum.

While waiting on a person to measure our living room for new carpet, I was watching Judgment at Nuremberg (1961, directed by Stanley Kramer). It's not the first time I've seen it; I always remember it as a moving film, with some wonderful performances by a slew of legends (Spencer Tracey, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, Richard Witmark, Maximilian Schell, Burt Lancaster). Today, however, Tracey's "decision of the court" speech slammed me into the back of the couch. It's a combination of incredible acting, well-written monologue, and prescient fat to chew for our modern day world. Here's an excerpt:

"Heir Rolfe further asserts that the defendant, Janning, was an extraordinary jurist and acted in what he thought was the best interest of this country. There is truth in this also. Janning, to be sure, is a tragic figure. We believe he loathed the evil he did. But compassion for the present torture of his soul must not beget forgetfulness of the torture . . . by the Government of which he was a part. . . . [T]his trial has shown that under a national crisis, ordinary -- even able and extraordinary -- men can delude themselves into the commission of crimes so vast and heinous that they beggar the imagination. . . .
There are those in our own country too who today speak of the 'protection of country' -- of 'survival.' A decision must be made in the life of every nation at the very moment when the grasp of the enemy is at its throat. Then, it seems that the only way to survive is to use the means of the enemy, to rest survival upon what is expedient -- to look the other way.
Well, the answer to that is 'survival as what?' A country isn't a rock. It's not an extension of one's self. It's what it stands for. It's what it stands for when standing for something is the most difficult!
Before the people of the world, let it now be noted that here, in our decision, this is what we stand for: justice, truth, and the value of a single human being."

A clip of the speech is here. (AmericanRhetoric.com is a wonderful resource, by the way -- in fact, I've used it for the classroom.)

Everyone better vote in November. Everyone.

Jackpot Tiger 2.0 Launches!

2008-06-26T12:52:00.003-04:00

So I'm trying to upload an updated webpages to Jackpot Tiger, reflecting a few things that have happened this year -- including the play festival announcemnt I mentioned in my last blog entry -- when I find out that my internet service provider has a new user-friendly website creator.

I guess it was time for a reboot anyway.

Check out Jackpot Tiger's new look. It's 85% complete -- I still need to upload a few pictures and fix some formatting errors -- but it does look more polished. Eventually, my own site will get an facelift as well. The only problem is deciding what to upload and what to retire, in terms of content (particularly in the Showcase and Press sections).

TLAG and Play Festival Teaser

2008-06-24T23:38:00.010-04:00

Lotsa things to report in this year's edition of The Latest and Greatest.

Okay, since it's been over a year since my last post, I guess I owe at least three new pics of my daughter. Let's talk about her and them before we talk about me.

Ever since my wife knew she had a baby in her womb, she planned for the day she could get fairy pictures made. So, this spring, she ordered a costume from Costume Fairy (shares the home with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, dontcha know), sprinkled some pixie dust, and crossed our fingers. We were ecstatic with the results -- the quality of the outfit was fantastic, and the photo shoot went great. We printed several, but two are shown above.

The third photo was my secret Father's Day gift, a montage my wife and daughter had framed. Amazingly, Ayla didn't blab or let on once about the Jedi photo shoot, so I was truly surprised when I opened the bag. The framed pic will now sit in my classroom in the fall. Note: I gave Ayla the Yoda training lightsabre as a gift for her first birthday. How could it be that she's turning 4 in August? Where does the time go (says the guy who posts an average of twice a year...)

(BTW, all the photos above were taken by the always fantastic Michelle at Celebrity Kids in the Summit.)

Other than photo shoots, Ayla is doing great. We're looking at pre-K, possibly for this fall. Not sure if Mommy and I are ready for that moment when we'll drop her off with strangers, but we'll try to hang tough.

In other news, we got a new tuxedo kitten back around Christmas. We named him, appropriately enough, (James) Bond. Dixie is still not sure if she appreciates his friskiness. Poor thing. I think she just got used to Ayla, and here is another monumental change.

Onto Adam stuff. So what has happened in the past twelve months? Here's a quick list:

Passed the teaching internship, which means the last stage of official teacher training is complete. I'm looking forward to next year being "just" a teacher, without university classes or an internship hanging over my head.
Produced a version of The Odd Couple at school. Although I am still officially on the drama sidelines (I stepped down from the Theater Director position at the end of last year, so I could concentrate on finishing my teaching credentials and having more family time), several seniors I had worked with last year desperately wanted to do a student-led production, so I eventually agreed to sponsor it. It was great fun to work with a Neil Simon play, and the students did a great job.
Was nominated for Teacher of the Year, which was flattering beyond words.
In non-teaching news, had a chance to watch some of the "event" films: Iron Man (best super-hero movie I've seen since Spider-Man 2, and easily in the top 5 comic adaptations of all time), The Incredible Hulk (much more watchable than Ang Lee's version), and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom etc. etc. (Fun but not fantastic). The biggest is yet to come, however: counting down to The Dark Knight. (RIP, Mr. Ledger. Always liked your work.)

Besides house projects and some teaching lesson plan tweaks, I'm still trying to keep creative. My work on my full-length play has been slow because of the school year, and is currently on hiatus because of the latest news . . .

A few months ago, I was asked by a local producer/director to contribute a new one-act play for a festival in February 2009. I was honored and immediately said yes. I've had the play outlined in my head for a while, but have finally found the time to type the first draft these past few weeks.

More details on the play festival to come; I'm waiting for the person to officially announce it in his own press release soon. Once he does, I'll post more information.

Enjoy the summer!

Time Doth Fly

2007-07-08T20:17:00.000-04:00

Remember when I said that adding a blog to my website would result in more updates, because it would be so much easier to post?

Sigh.

Well, here I am, in the middle of my summer "vacation," just now posting for the first time in six months. Vacation is in quote marks because I've been busy with one project after another around the ol' Watson household. I finally forced myself to sit down and give some kind of update; after all, if I can't even update a blog more than once a year, I need to call it a day, hmm?

(Quick tangent: I have updated my personal and production sites a little, mainly in the Bio sections to reflect some of the stuff below.)

So what have I been up to? Although it would be near impossible to knock out all the things I've done for the first half of 2007, here are some highlights:

** Finished my second school year with a successful production of The Wizard of Oz. This is now the second high school musical I've been involved in.

** Completed my MAT program at U of L in Secondary Education (concentration on English). After 11 years of part-time college, I'm finally done with university classes. At least for now.

** After much debate and handwringing, decided to step back from the Theater Director position and "just" teach English and Drama for the forseeable future. Two teachers in our English department were retiring, so there was a need to be filled at the school, and after so many nights at college and time away from family (especially from Ayla), I wanted to have more time for home during the school year. I do hope to dip my toe into local theater in the next year or two . . . or at least finish the play that's been bouncing around in my head for quite a while.

** Speaking of Ayla, had to share a recent pic from around Father's Day. This would be as good time as any to give a shout out to Michelle, our favorite Ayla photographer (responsible for the beautiful shot above) who has seen enough of her and us to become a friend of the family. She's currently at Celebrity Kids at the Summit, I highly recommend her work.

** Saw Spider-Man 3 (liked it more than 1 but less than 2) and Transformers (much better than I expected, incredible special effects, Shia LaBeouf is a riot, and the first Michael Bay film since The Rock that I really could give a thumbs-up).

** I'm turning green. No, not sick. Or Kermit-y. April and I are trying hard to be more eco-friendly. We can't say we're perfect, but here are some of the highlights:

Got canvas bags for the grocery and other outings. Kroger had a killer sale, so we stocked up.

Using an electric lawnmower and trimmer. (Have actually had both for a few years now.)

Signed up at Greendimes, which cuts down on unwanted junk mail and plants some trees.

Working on recycling/consigning/otherwise avoid dumping a buncha unused stuff in the house.

Starting to buy CFL lightbulbs to replace our standard bulbs as they go out.

Signed up for a programmable thermostat from L G & E. (It's free, but read the fine print.)

Watched Live Earth online and on Sundance Channel pretty much most of yesterday. Some AMAZING music, and I hope it truly raises awareness. Get green folks; the planet you save may be your own.

Unfortunately, there's not a recycling pickup in our neighborhood, but we're working on bins and trip to the local center.

And that's it, really. I'm frustrated that I haven't done as much original writing as I would like, but I at least feel I'm getting other things accomplished. And since school has let out, getting some rest.

I make no promises about when my next blog entry will be, but let's hope it's not six months. In the meantime, let me leave with one last plug. The Little Colonel Playhouse has a production of Heaven Can Wait next week, July 12-15. I plan to go because several of my high school students will be on the stage and behind the scenes. They have wonderful talent, so that should mean a great show. Call 588-1557 for ticket information.

Enjoy your summer!

Bob Hill Column!

2006-12-17T10:35:00.000-05:00

Last week, I read a column written by Bob Hill, in our local newspaper, The Courier-Journal. He discussed how irritating it was to watch Babel while someone noisily chowed down behind him, and invited readers to send comments or solutions.

Since my Drama classes had just finished discussing audience etiquette, I thought it was a good chance to practice on-demand writing and assigned them to write a letter to Mr. Hill. After they did so, I typed them up -- whole letters in a few cases, and at least an excerpt from each from the rest. I emailed them to Mr. Hill, and to my pleasant surprise, he seemed interested in publishing some of their comments.

Which lead to this column, published in yesterday's Saturday Scene. (Read about halfway down.)

The Last Six Months

2006-12-14T19:58:00.000-05:00

Okay, okay, I admit. I thought with a blog I would post at LEAST once a month, if not more. However, between settling in as teacher at a new school, overseeing a school play (The Glass Menagerie by my main man Tenneesee Williams, yeaaaaahhhh!), taking at one point 3 U of L classes, and general mayhem, I've been a bit behind.

Let's go back to Live Without a Net. I never posted my aftershow thoughts, but in short: I was very impressed with Mike and Tiffany's ability to rock the house. I hope to have the chance to work with both of them in the future. I included two pics of the fabuloso actors, one "live," the other post-show.

And here is some of the latest and greatest on:

TIFFANY: She's acting in Pandora Production's "Don We Now Our Gay Apparel," at U of L's Thrust Theater, Dec. 28-31, Jan. 4-7. Call 216-5502 for tickets and more info.

SIGHT AND SOUND did "Jeckyl and Hyde" this past fall (starring....Tiffany and Mike), and alas, missed babysitting arrangements meant April and I missed the show. However, be on the lookout: they're doing "Barefoot in the Park" at the MeX this spring, and holding auditions for it and "Frankenstein." Check out their webpage for more info.

Recently, the owners of the Rud, Ken and Sheila, announced their plans on selling the beloved place. I do hope they find a new owner that is as receptive to artists as they have been . . . and they find one before they have to close the doors themselves. I've always had a soft spot for the place that has premiered two of my short plays. Best of luck to them. Support Louisville art!

As far as creative energy, I haven't had much time. As my Jackpot Tiger website says, I'm basically on hiatus from personal projects until at least summer 2007. I really want to finish writing the play I started last summer, and see about getting it produced.

For the immediate future, I'm hoping to take time over our holiday break enjoying it with April and Ayla. So I'll do my best not to go six months before another posting!

Until then, happy holidays and New Year.

Who Knew?

2006-12-13T22:49:00.000-05:00

Hello from the abyss! I've made small updates to my websites, reflecting the fact that Live Without a Net is no longer "coming soon"! More to come during my holiday break, but I thought I'd share my celebrity lookalikes with you. (I've often been told I have Andy Kaufman eyes.)

In case you were curious....

2006-08-11T23:16:00.000-04:00

..yes, A Richard Donner Heaven was inspired by a real piece of candy.

"Center Stage" & Tech Rehearsal

2006-08-08T23:53:00.000-04:00

Last night, I spent a few minutes on Bradford Cummings' "Center Stage" radio show. Above is a pic he was gracious enough to take with me (thanks, Dewey). I didn't find out until later that it was Bradford's last show on WKJK; he's looking for a new radio home, and I hope he finds one.

I drove from the radio station down to the Rud for our first tech rehearsal. Things went well; not only have Mike and Tiffany done a fantastic job, but the other actors and plays are very good. My only quibble is with our setting -- I wish we had a more park-like bench and garbage can for Donner but with low budget community theater, you embrace what you can get.

Except as a spectator, my work with the play is now over. I'm leaving it in Sight and Sound's capable hands from this point out, and won't see the actors again until opening night this Saturday.

Teaching begins a week from tomorrow, with PD days starting this Friday. I plan on posting something after the play festival is over (hopefully with a pic or two), but after that, my posting frequency will definitely decrease.

Come to the Rud! See you there.

Radio Appearance Monday, August 7

2006-08-02T17:21:00.000-04:00

Our final regular reheasal was last night. It went well. Next week we have two tech rehearsals and the show goes on stage a week from Saturday.

Tomorrow is Ayla's birthday! Gotta keep the blog short so I can start getting things ready for her party.

As part of the show's publicity, I'll be appearing live on "Center Stage with Bradford Cummings" on WKJK, 1080 AM. The show is this Monday, August 7, at 7:00 pm. Mr. Cummings and I share a connection, although we haven't met before; he has been involved with Pet-Fish Productions, the same group that produced the first staging of A Richard Donner Heaven in 2004. Small world, indeed....

Third Rehearsal: Mellwood Center

2006-07-31T16:53:00.000-04:00

On Sunday, we rehearsed all of the Rud plays at the Mellwood Arts & Entertainment Center. I've been curious about the place since it opened a few years ago. It's a wonderfully funky setting for artists to set up shop; very industrial and only partially renovated, it is an old factory complex that now has space subdivided into small walled shops. I wandered around inside for a bit, checking out the wares of the talented residents there.

I took some digital pictures to share.

The first photo shows Mellwood from the street. The sculpture in the foreground is their Gallopalooza horse; the next photo shows it in closeup.

The third picture shows the main "entrance" to Mellwood. In the middle of the Center is a courtyard, with a cafe and several stores. Entrances on both sides lead you inside the building where most of the artists have their walled work areas/shops.

The last picture is Theater Lab Louisville, a second floor studio we rehearsed in. John made arrangements with the owner, Lee Kitts, for Sunday rehearsal space. It's a great space, roomy yet intimate, with a walkout to a balcony. (For more information about Ms. Kitts's acting classes, call 502-451-8717.)

The rehearsal went well; all four plays seem ready to go on stage. I rehearse with my actors one last time on Tuesday. Next week is tech at the Rud.

Added Date: Friday, August 18

2006-07-31T07:08:00.000-04:00

An event cancellation at the Rud gave Sight and Sound the opportunity to add another day to their "Live Without a Net" festival: Friday, August 18. Folks, that's now FOUR evenings of fun.

Tickets are still $7.00.

Second Rehearsal

2006-07-25T22:42:00.000-04:00

For our second rehearsal, we reviewed the lines -- which are pretty close to memorized -- and worked on blocking for the first time. The actors brought their costume ideas, and I made final decisions on what they will wear. Besides Dixie the cat deciding at one point to join the scene by rubbing the actors' legs, the rehearsal went well.

Above are some pics from tonight. Note that Mike and Tiffany are dressed casual, not in costume.

Next rehearsal is at Mellwood Arts & Entertainment Center. I've never been there, so I can't wait to see the place.

Go see "Clerks 2"!

2006-07-22T22:08:00.000-04:00

Let me say from the top that I'm a huge Kevin Smith fan. I actually saw the first Clerks in a theater during its initial run. The fact that I was a video store clerk at the time (1994) made it a must-see; I certainly identified with Dante and Randal. So I've followed Smith on his cinematic journey. Want my ten-second reviews of his oevre?

Clerks. A masterpiece. In the 1990's, between Tarantino and Smith, there was/is no movie dialogue equal.

Mallrats. I think Jason Lee is great, but the rest of the script, acting, etc. is merely ok. Still, I think the criticism of the movie is overdone.

Chasing Amy. One of Smith's best, and I actually like Ben Affleck as an actor here -- a minor miracle in itself. Yet I have issues with the main story point: the beautiful lesbian that "becomes" heterosexual when Affleck reveals his love. This seems more a convenient plot device /fantasy than reality.

Dogma. Great on many levels -- it's a smart movie, guaranteed to get you talking. Sometimes, however, the movie itself is too talky; a common weakness and strength of Smith's first movies is dialogue that is so long and literary that line readings can be difficult, even with talented actors like Chris Rock. (From JASBSB on, he's finally found a balance in this area.) And Linda Fiorentino seems uncomfortable in the View Askewinverse. (Reportedly, she bickered on-set with Smith. It shows.)

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Funny, funny, funny. After Clerks, JASBSB is my second-favorite Smith DVD to pop in and watch. Wil Ferrell's character is particularly good. But the movie is an elaborate in-joke; hard to imagine people not familiar with Smith's previous flicks would enjoy it.

Jersey Girl. Since I was becoming a father when this movie came out, I appreciated some of the dad-daughter moments Smith was putting on the screen -- heck, I got teary-eyed a few times. But that's where my praise ends. It's schmaltzy, and even without the J.Lo/Affleck post-breakup fallout that doomed this movie when it opened, it's hard to see how it could have succeeded. My least favorite Smith film.

When I heard about Clerks 2, I was worried. I figured Smith had finally sold out and was shooting a quick sequel for the cash. But, I wanted to give him a chance, and I'm glad. Clerks 2 delivers: it's heartfelt without schmaltz, and most importantly, hilarious. One of the smart things Smith does is let his characters age. I didn't realize, until Dante and Randal mention it in the movie, is that they're my age: 32. In the first Clerks, they were blissfully breezing through life in jobs that were just enough to pay the bills. In the sequel, they face impending fatherhood, marriage, the prospect of "real" jobs, and friends moving away. I was startled to think how the Clerks movies completely parallel my life. The fact that Smith has melded the warmth of Jersey Girl, the dialogue of Clerks and the fun of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is an achievement. Go see it.

By the way, shame on Joel Siegel, who noisily walked out of a New York screening of Clerks 2 just 40 minutes into the movie. (Interesting that he complained he was leaving because the movie was too vulgar, while using the F word in his out-loud complaint.) Mr. Siegel, you get paid to watch movies. And apparently, to write atrocious puns in your reviews. Not a bad gig, pal. You have every right to tear the movie apart in your review. Or even leave if you must, if you do it quietly, respecting your fellow audience members / peer reviewers. But really: for all the terrible movies you've sat through and somehow positively reviewed, can Clerks 2 have been that bad? As for the way you left the screening, let's put it in perspective. If a teenager had done what you had done in my local theater, he'd be booed at and considered immature. For a so-called professional, you acted like a child.

First Rehearsal

2006-07-19T17:58:00.000-04:00

Had our first rehearsal for "A Richard Donner Heaven" last night. It went very well. The first half was spent talking about my vision and the emotional spine of the play, and Mike and Tiffany gave their input and questions about the characters. We then did several read-throughs. First we concentrated on the delivery of the words, then I let the actors make natural and spontaneous movements as they read. It's a good way to get into the play before worrying about formal blocking. Plus, I like the actors to have some freedom about line readings and movement as they discover their words and their characters. When we encounter a point that has multiple interpretations, I'd rather discuss it with the actors and decide which way to go then to arbitrarily dictate how it must be done in advance. I guess that's why I'm not a good chess player. Why play a game if you already know the 50 moves in advance? Art should surprise you. If I wanted a set of specific responses for every beat of the play, I'd have to be a puppeteer, not a director.

I have a few different philosophies as a director:
1) The two most important decisions a director must make is what the central vision of the piece will be, and picking the right cast and crew. I truly believe having the right people on and behind the stage is 70% of the work. If you've chosen well, the hardest part of staging a production is behind you.
2) The director must inspire. He or she is the center of the hub, and if he or she doesn't have enthusiasm for the project, no one will. "Inflate, don't berate." It's never a waste of time to tell the cast and crew how fantastic they are doing -- while pushing them to do even more spectacular of a job.
3) Directors should always hold the cast and crew to his or her central vision, but never micromanage their contributions. This is especially true of actors. If a director wants to nitpick every arched eyebrow and emphasized syllable of an actor, you're stifling their creativity. Plus, you should have just hired robots.
4) Directors are benign monarchs. Everyone contributes to a show, even the person who sweeps the stage. A good idea can come from anywhere, and when a production is working well, the ideas are flying left and right. However, a production is not a democracy. A good director listens and respects everyone, but ultimately he or she makes the final decision. If your cast and crew respects you, and you make your reasons clear, they should go along with it.

Next week I hope to post a few pics from rehearsal.

Waverly Hills, "Death Tunnel" Review

2006-07-17T22:46:00.000-04:00

Waverly Hills. The two words are bound to get a reaction from anyone around Louisville. It's internationally infamous for being one of the most haunted places on the planet. The five-story gothic hospital started off as a TB sanatorium in 1926. When TB was cured in the 1960's, Waverly Hills closed temporarily and reopened as Wood Haven, a nursing home. Unfortunately for its residents, abuse and neglect was rampant, and the state closed it down in 1980. Vacant and abandoned, vandals quickly wore it down and tore it up. Tina and Charles Mattingly, the current owners of the property, now seek to maintain and restore Waverly Hills; one of the ways to generate that revenue is ghost tours. (For more historical information, check out the property's official site.)

WH has never been known as a happy place; over 60,000 people died there during the TB years, at one point at the rate of one patient each hour. After 1980, however, the ghost legends began to take hold. I first heard them as a teenager; I was told WH was an insane asylum, and not knowing its true history, believed it. Way before the "official" tours began, while in my late teens, I took a (ahem) visit to WH with some friends. It affected me in a way few places have since. No, I didn't see or hear ghosts. But I felt a somber weight that is almost impossible to describe. Before I knew the truth of its TB patients and neglected seniors, I could sense the sadness of WH. And I immediately thought, "What a great place to set a movie."

When WFPK gave me a chance to do another Halloween radio drama in 2003, I knew I wanted to do a hoax show, where the participants seemed to be "real people" broadcasting live from somewhere. In fact, the participants would be actors and the show would be edited from previously taped material. I pitched it as "Blair Witch" meets Welles's "War of the Worlds." It was Dan Reed, WFPK's program director at the time, that had the infinite wisdom to suggest the setting of a haunted house. Immediately, I knew it had to be at WH. So, I plotted out the story, put together my actors, and even got live ambient audio from Waverly Hills itself (slamming of doors, running up stairs, an empty hallway). We cut the thing together in WFPK's studios and broadcast it on Halloween -- supposedly, "Live From Waverly Hills." It was no movie, but I was satisfied to have finally gotten the chance to fictionalize an adventure there.

So this very long introduction brings us to Death Tunnel, the DVD I finally had a chance to watch today.

DT was filmed on location at Waverly Hills in 2004, the first Hollywood film to do so. For fans of the hospital's legend, this seemed a dream come true. The story has a clever hook: five college girls are "volunteered" to stay in the five floors of the abandoned sanatorium for five hours. The catch? Five ghosts don't want them there. When I had heard about the movie, I contacted the producer Christopher Saint Booth (the director's twin brother) and exchanged a few emails; I even sent him a copy of my WH show. The movie was put in limited release last year, and finally came out on DVD back in February. I was eager to see it, but didn't have a chance until today.

The good news: The cinematography is beautiful, and I'm comparing it to movies even outside the horror genre. Philip Adrian Booth shot, wrote, and directed the picture. Opinions may differ what he accomplished in those last two departments, but I'll challenge anyone to beat Booth's camerawork. The special & makeup effects -- indeed, production values overall -- are very good as well, especially considering the movie only had a budget of 1.5 million. The filmmakers are adept at utilizing the WH location to set the mood. In terms of looks, the characters are well-casted; the five lead girls are all gorgeous.

The mediocre news: the acting and script. For a genre flick, I ain't expecting The Godfather, mind you. But the overall acting was merely efficient (mostly screaming and crying), and the script was weak. I believe all the dialogue for the 90 minute film could be written on the front and back of a postcard. Also the original (excellent!) premise wasn't fully realized. If there were five ghosts, I couldn't tell you who all of them were. As for the five hours, the movie first counts them down as a possible tension device, then drops the idea midway through. I could spend another whole blog entry on describing plot holes and continuity errors but I'll stop while I'm ahead.

The bad news: the editing. It's in this area that finally kills Death Tunnel. Its first editing fault: it's cut like a hyper music video. I'm always wary of this, since most of the time it never works for me (see any Michael Bay movie) although there's always an exception (Moulin Rouge is an excellent example). If this was its only editing flaw, it would merely be irritating. The second and greater problem is incoherence. There are so many flashforwards and flashbacks you lose any sense of story, much less a build up of tension. The (over)use of slow-mo didn't help either.

The verdict? I was disappointed. Rent it only if you're a huge WH fan and leave your brain on autopilot.

Death Tunnel is more confusing then scary. It's a shame. Based on the initial hook of the story, DT could have been a great little thriller if done in a more straight-forward manner. However, I believe Booth has talent worth watching. He reminds me of another new director in the horror genre, Rob Zombie. I saw House of 1000 Corpses and can't say I dug the flick, but it had nuggets of gold and I saw his directing potential. When Zombie did Devil's Rejects, I was impressed and convinced of his filmmaking talent. I hope Booth gets that chance as well.

Let's end on a happy note. If you're curious about Waverly Hills, what you should buy is the documentary Spooked. It was filmed while Booth was making Death Tunnel, and directed by Christopher Saint Booth. The documentary is much more scary and coherent than the feature film. and its style mostly adds instead of detracts from the experience. (I saw Spooked on the Sci-Fi channel. It is now out on DVD.)

DVD Reviews: Libertine, Everything is Illuminated

2006-07-16T22:14:00.000-04:00

Occasionally, if I see a new DVD, or hit the movie theater, or see a play, or get a new CD . . . I might drop a mini-review here. What better place, right?

Since our schedule is hectic, and a two-year old can make watching a movie from start to finish a difficult proposition, our DVD buying and viewing has slowed down considerably. What we usually do is this: unless it's a "must-have," we usually wait and make a trip once a month to stock up on used DVDs. If we get three or four movies, it might take us a month to watch them, especially during the school year.

The well was dry, so I hit Hollywood Video over the weekend. (I hit Hollywood because I fear the monolithic Blockbuster as the video equivalent of Wal-Mart, and Wild and Woolly Video is too far away.)

Quick bio sidenote: I was a video store manager for Roadrunner Video for 2 1/2 years, from right out of high school until not long after I turned 21. For a young single guy with few bills and only a high school diploma, it was a good gig. Free rentals. Free posters. Free screeners. A trade show trip that had some memorable moments. My district manager and I became friends and we're still close today. Also, my wife worked there for a short time -- that's where we met and began dating, which is whole 'nother story....

Where was I? Oh yeah, I bought Munich, A History of Violence, and Hustle and Flow, none of which I've seen before -- or seen yet as of this posting. I also rented The Libertine and Everything is Illuminated, which we actually were able to squeeze both in over the weekend.

The Libertine will make you a Johnny Depp fan, if you're not one already. I've said for years he's a genius, and if there's any justice I'll work with him in some capacity (perhaps as a gopher!) before my planetary gig is up. The movie covers the last few years of the controversial Earl of Rochester (Depp), a late 1600's De Sade-type writer and hedonist He's ably backed by John Malkovich, Samantha Morton, and some other fine British character actors. The screenplay is based on a play and sounds it; this is mostly a compliment, especially for Depp's opening monologue. But the dreary candlelit-and-smoke-monotony of the cinematography (not to mention the often handheld and strangely loose-focused camerawork), while atmospheric, get wearying. The second hour gets more interesting, starting with a shocking play Rochester writes to "honor" Charles II (Malkovich), and as syphillis disfigures Rochester I often forgot it was Depp and got pulled into the Earl's inevitable demise. Be warned: although this movie has sex and nudity, it is far from sexy or erotic. Overall, the movie has commendable acting and set design, but is only worth the watch if you're a fan of Depp or the history of late-1600's English theater.

On the other hand, you must rent Everything is Illuminated, based on Jonathan Safran Foer's book (which I have not read, but now wish I had). Elijah Wood plays Foer as he goes to the Ukraine to try to find the woman that saved his Jewish grandfather from the Nazis in 1942. How did this movie get overlooked for Oscars?? Acting, screenplay, editing, all wonderful, and the story is a moving one. I must give huge props to Liev Schreiber, an actor who I always thought was decent -- but who ever thought he could direct and write (he debuts in both areas for this film)? The screenplay is literary and the direction inventive without being pretentious in either category. Let's hope he's another Clooney and gets a second chance to helm a picture.

Grand Opening

2006-07-14T21:42:00.000-04:00

Well, I said I'd wait until August, but since I had to update my site with a link to a press release I just wrote for the "Live Without a Net" production, I decided to go ahead and kickstart this thing.

My site now has links to this very blog. Hilarity shall soon ensue.

I'll try to post after the first rehearsal.

First Blog Entry!

2006-07-13T02:42:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the first inaugural post of my Blog! Although a link from my webpage to here won't officially begin until August, I wanted to give the ol' blog a shakedown cruise. Let's bring those warp engines on line and see what happens.

No wormholes yet? Good. Let's continue.

For people possibly finding me for the first time, my mini-biography above sums me up pretty well. If you really have a lot of time, you can read more from my site here.

As I write this, I'm about to direct one of my short plays, A Richard Donner Heaven. Yes, as in the guy that directed the first Superman movie. It's great to have two members of Project Improv on board as my thespians: Tiffany LaVoie and Mike Slaton. Although it was directed and acted much to my satisfaction in 2004 for Petfish's Playwright Festival, I'm glad to have the opportunity to direct it myself. The play will be part of "Live Without a Net," a festival of drama and music produced by Sight and Sound, on August 12, 17, and 19. For more details, visit my production website here.

Rehearsals will begin next week. Wish me luck.

Speaking of Superman . . . last week, my wife and I saw Superman Returns (in IMAX 3-D even, woo hoo!). I think Bryan Singer is a fantastic director -- X-Men 2 ranks easily in the top five comic-book movies ever made -- so my expectations were pretty high. After seeing SR I had mixed emotions. Overall, I enjoyed it; it was a very good movie, but just short of great. The directing, cinematography and special effects were aces, and the acting very good. Routh does the impossible by striking a balance between honoring Reeve's performance and adding his own dimensions to Kent/Superman. I like Bosworth as an actress, and she does fine as Lois Lane here, but I miss Margot Kidder's edge. Spacey's Lex equals Hackman's excellence, but is protrayed darker, which fits the tone of Singer's movie.

But -- spoiler alert -- not counting nagging questions that may be answered in sequels (like, are Supes's Krypton crystals that Lex left behind floating with the rest of his "continent" in space??), I have three main problems with the flick.

1) Lex Luthor as a villian. I don't blame the filmmakers for re-kicking off the franchise with Supes's most well-known villian, but he has now been in four of the five Superman movies. The whole "I'm gonna outsmart you with some kryptonite and beat you up/drown you" thing is getting old. Please, give me some fighting thrills with a General Zod or a Doomsday next time.

2) The ending. It's waaaay tooooo looooong. The pacing drains away the dramatic power of Supes's near-death experience.

3) The kid. Good grief o'gravy. What the F do they plan to do with this character? If they plan on kicking off a Superboy franchise, need I remind Warner Bros. that they already have? It's called Smallville! I can't say I follow the tv show, but I'd rather see those guys on the big screen than whatever this character will become. The chronology of the movies would have to jump ahead at least ten years (and make him a teenager) for it to get even remotely interesting. And I don't want to see Pop and Kid beating up bad guys together. Even worse is wasting the setup. Does he have superpowers or not? If he does, use them. If not, why didn't they just make him fully human and not half-Kryptonian, with Lois's fiance as the father? IMHO, it may have been more interesting to see how Superman/Kent dealt with a child that he may "uncle" from the sidelines -- knowing that, if things had been different, and Supes had settled down with Lois, the child could have been his. So the poignancy of the actual father/son situation is soured by the thoughts of a movie exec inserting this whole plot point in order to make a young, quote-unquote hip Superboy movie in the next five years. (And I want to know why kryptonite didn't bother the kid. If his powers have manifested -- as they do a few minutes later when he pushes the piano -- it doesn't make sense. If there are new "rules" for how kryptonite affects half-Kryptonians, the movie doesn't even suggest what they are. Yet. Maybe the sequels will.)

That aside, Superman Returns is worth plunking down your dollars for. When you add up its strengths and weaknesses, it's almost equal to Donner's Superman. And I do look forward to sequels -- minus Supertyke.