Okay, so I've been fairly vocal on here about the fact that I'm pretty overwhelmed what with all of my classes, my internship, work, Muse, being married, being a sane person, being an at least somewhat nice person, and the like.
Basically I've hopped over to Nine to Phive long enough to complain about everything that's going wrong, all the while being a bit hazy on everything that's going right.
One of these such things is my simply fabulous internship at the local film studio Envision Productions. Paul, my supervisor, has taken me on all sorts of adventures with him, one of which involves filming a documentary about PUSH Physical Theatre. More on them later, but for now, suffice it to say that I am loving my job. Any day that I get to spend watching them work makes my own work seem worthwhile--and not nearly as exhausting as it could be. These guys work up sweat!
However awesome this crew may be, whenever there's a lot of sweat, there's a chance for a lot of awkward . . . Awkward:
I get to work with these people . . . GAAAAAHHH . . . NOT . . . WORTHY . . .
I don't vaccuum. Ever.
My hair keeps falling out.
The previous two items added together means little red dust bunnies strewn around the living room carpet.
Professor No. 1: Read the next four chapters of the book by Thursday. Professor No. 2: Read the last three chapters of the book by Thursday. Oh, and also these two chapters of this other book I forgot to tell you to buy. Me: AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!
Making bacon-raisin empanadas this weekend. Don't knock it 'til you try it.
That stupid Roll-Up-the-Rim-to-Win business on Tim Horton's coffee cups. I have to use my teeth every time.
Awesome:
Even though I "made up my mind" to pursue a degree in communication and an internship in film, I still get to spend time in the theatre. You don't know how good that feels :-)
Being in the bathroom and overhearing my supervisor talking about me: "She's great. She knows what she's doing. She knows how to shoot, how to edit, how to light . . . It's great." *Blush*
Hosting our first Couchsurfer!
The rim-rolling paid off! We won two free drinks. The cup says free coffee or latte, but they actually let you get any drink any size.
Theatre dates with my love <3 Can't wait to see The Whipping Man in a few weeks.
Rochester's Geva Theatre Center is the premiere professional theatre in New York state outside of Manhattan. That's saying something, isn't it? Basically, aside from the sky-high prices of Broadway, the best theatrical bang for my buck within a 300-mile radius is right in my own backyard at Geva. Josh and I have been to plays at Geva before, but my birthday gift of going to see Next to Normal was our first musical there . . . And we . . . were . . . floored. The following is an article I was commissioned to write by our campus newspaper. I came just short of saying this in the actual article because it sounded unprofessional and un-journalisty, but I'll say it now: Geva's performance was better than the one I saw on Broadway. Read the following article to find out why:
The world is full of families that consider themselves “normal,” but the families of which this is true are not the ones with award-winning rock musicals composed in their honor.
This is the stage interpretation of "Let My People Go,"a spoken word poem that concluded Muse Creative Arts Ministry's production of "The Chains" a couple of weeks ago.
The combination of this piece and the monologue right before was incredibly powerful. The man on his knees as the piece starts is portraying Spartacus, the former gladiator turned slave revolt leader who delivers his speech to us from the cold shores of the river Styx--from death.
Originally, we were planning on ending on a somewhat positive note, saying "even if you fail to break free from the chains that bind you, all that matters is that you try." My co-director (also the actor playing Spartacus) suggested a better idea: "If you try alone, you will fail. And failure sucks."
The above awkward pic is not from this week. It is from three years ago. (Wow, that long?)
I have posted this ill-timed image because I have spent this week missing Messiah College theatre so very very much.
Poor Josh fell at work and really bruised up the old tailbone. Guess he won't be much use helping us move :-(
Our lovely Camry is dying! So many memories in one little car. So little money to buy a new one . . .
My body trying to doze off while driving to work early in the morning. So scary!
Direct (and completely serious) quote from Josh's foreign doctor at the ER after hearing Josh say that his butt hurt: "Do you have chronic butt problems?"
$1400 per person owed to the US government for health insurance. Thanks, Obama! You are the reason we can't afford a new car.
The start of school is still so far away!
Awesome:
We're moving this Saturday! Into an apartment with central air! And a dishwasher!
Everything's packed up in bags and boxes. Beast!
Salisbury steak. One of the few foods that still tastes good in TV dinner form.
The Amazing Spiderman in 3D! A great reboot. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone have so much chemistry and totally have the awkward high-schooler thing down. I also have the world's biggest crush on Rhys Ifans.
Possible fashion journalism internship. Happy dance. Nervous twitching.
Hopefully going to see some friends in what looks like a great production of Spring Awakening this weekend.
Homemade screen-print t-shirts. So easy, but so creative :-) Expect a DIY post soon!
My academic adviser <3. Love you, Dr. Mrs!
This performance from So You Think You Can Dance tonight. Oh. My. Gosh. I couldn't breathe. You must watch! It's freakin' "Unchained Melody!"
At last! The long-awaited continuation of the inspiring controversy . . .
There are some real gems in this final installment. These artist's depictions are truly brilliant and thought-provoking. While some of these works of art contain objectionable content, what I am assessing is their treatment of the character of Jesus Christ and nothing more.
If you find yourself upset or offended by anything your read here, I recommend reading the introduction to this two-part post before exploring these artistic representations of Jesus Christ.
In Film
The Miracle Maker
While this film utilizes what are at times comically old-fashioned clay-mation techniques, the voice acting is absolutely superb.Big names such as William Hurt, Alfred Molina, and Ian Holm (Bilbo in The Lord of the Rings!) have lent their voices to major characters in the story; and perhaps most astonishingly, Ralph Fiennes, having portrayed of some of the most evil characters in film history (Voldemort, anyone?), has undertaken the heady task of playing the voice of Jesus Christ, the Miracle Maker.
Unfortunately, embedding any of the clips of The Miracle Maker is forbidden by YouTube, so you'll have to leave the blog to watch the video here. While you should definitely make time to watch the whole film at some point, I would recommend skipping to around 3:20 of this particular clip to get a taste of what I love best about this depiction of Jesus. He is a holy savior, but he is also a hard-working carpenter and above all, a friend. I love the cheesy jokes that he and his friends Martha, Mary, Lazarus and others laugh at during this casual dinner party scene.
Mary, Mother of Jesus
Yes, that is Christian Bale in a tunic.
I admittedly have mixed feelings about this film, because I'm pretty sure it's straight-up sacrilegious to find Jesus attractive. Anyway, what I do appreciate about this particular representation is the attention to Jesus' periods of growing up. This particular Jesus focuses so much on just becoming a good man before He even thinks about becoming the Messiah.There are moments when it's easy to forget that this man is the Son of God and not just an average guy from Galilee who has to go through difficulties as He grows up but who also experiences times of joy. He laughs and dances; He cries and even mopes a little. He is your typical twenty-something.
The crucifixion scene in this film is especially heartbreaking, as Jesus is presented as nothing more than a young man who just wishes that his mother could make the pain go away :-(. I dare you not to cry if you get your hands on this film.
Joshua
Joshua (Tony Goldwyn) is supposed to be the modern-day incarnation of Jesus Christ. While his humble and non-biblical second coming brings up all sorts of theological issues in and of themselves, other than this, the secular film is surprisingly biblical in its message.
In all honesty, Joshua is almost the exact image of what I imagine a modern-day Jesus to be. He is a chill, down-to-earth, and slightly socially awkward sweetheart who loves people to pieces. He shows up in a religiously ultra-conservative but spiritually almost-dead community and completely turns the tables. Of course, like the Jesus of the gospels, he doesn't preach revolution or damnation. Instead he condemns the manipulation of both the religiously legalistic conservatives and the charismatic liberals through his lifestyle of love and sacrifice. Faith, he declares, is not about what happens in a pew or at a tent revival. It is about being there for people when they need it most.
Same deal as above. Head over to YouTube to watch these clips. I would recommend stopping about six minutes in if you don't want to give away the whole wonderful story.
Jesus is more of a philosophical figure than an actual character in this classic Bob Dylan number, but I still think this is a solid depiction of the Man from Galilee. The main character in this song is one of the finest example pop culture has to offer of what it means to have Jesus Christ living in you and through you. The first stanza is one of my favorites:
Go ahead and talk about him because he makes you doubt
Because he has denied himself the things that you can't live without
Laugh at him behind his back just like the others do
Remind him of what he used to be when he comes walkin' through
He's the property of Jesus . . .
Three more interpretations of Christ (including my all-time favorite) after the jump!
This probably would have been more appropriate while we were still in England, but let's face it. I'll be posting pictures from London and Dublin for weeks.
No, I was not fortunate enough to snap a picture of Hugh Laurie on a rare trip home to Hampstead, London, England, but I did walk through this same park! Haha.
What brought on this quirky post was the discovery of all of the stars and starlets from the British Isles who make themselves at home in Hampstead, the deliciously ritzy London neighborhood where Josh and I were couch surfing. We're talking Tim Burton, Helena Bonham Carter, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Gwyneth Paltrow, Emma Thompson, Tim Roth, and Annie Lennox, to name a few. I even stopped by "Gwyneth's favorite cafe." Didn't spot her either.
Well, this video is a unique gem from a recent season of House in which the very talented (and very British--you can hear his accent coming out at times) Hugh Laurie performs a song and dance number in Cuddy's dream sequence. Hope you enjoy. The style, cinematography, and the song itself are super inspiring. Ooh, I made a tongue-twister :-)
I do not have a tumblr, but the is the first blog that has made me regret not being part of this community. I cannot follow Hipsters on Broadway without a tumblr account! Oh, sad day.
By the way, have you seen Hipsters on Broadway??? It is very nearly the coolest thing since sliced bread (which actually isn't that cool. I've been slicing my own bread here in Spain for over a week now, and I'm doing just fine.)
Anyway, this tumblr blog is a user-submitted feed of fashionable outfits inspired by characters from productions currently on Broadway--both plays and musicals. The outfits are just for chicas (sorry, guys) but the looks are inspired by characters of both genders and of every species. I'm thinking of the musical Into the Woods which includes characters such as the big bad wolf.
These are some examples of outfits that have appeared on Hipsters on Broadway. Click 'Read More' for three outfits that I designed and had published on the site.
Revolutionary 20th-century painter Pablo Picasso once said, "Good artists borrow. Great artists steal." Any art nerd knows that, right?
Actually, it was controversial 19th-century playwright Oscar Wilde who first coined the phrase, "Good writers borrow. Great writers steal." Right? English nerds and theater geeks, you with me?
Actually, there is no evidence that points the quote in question to either of these creative giants. In fact, the quote in either of the currently popular forms does not formally exist anywhere in the English canon. It was, in fact, literary master T. S. Eliot who wrote in the 1920 biographical essay "Philip Massinger" the following quip:
"Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different." ~T. S. Eliot~
*Sigh* Is there any wonder this guy was a poet? Put that on your t-shirt.
Were Eliot to have included all artists in this maxim, it would be even more superior to either poorly attributed and oversimplified modern distortion of the quote than it already is!
"Good artists borrow"? Since when?
"Here, Miss Rowling, let me just borrow your characters, storyline, and fantastical universe for a minute and use them to write a passionate yet unlikely love story which I feel should have been included in the series partly but not entirely because I have a crush on one of the characters involved in this imagined romance."
This is not art. This is what we call "fan fiction."
T. S. Eliot calls us to a higher standard as artists. Don't just borrow the ideas of others--
Ransack them! Rape and pillage every creative element and distort them until they are barely recognizable! Make them wish they were never born in the mind of another artist!
Ah ah ah, you know Mr. Eliot wouldn't approve. "Bad poets deface what they take." I'm convinced there is a particularly warm place in purgatory for people who do what has already been done before exactly how it was done before except worse.
This is what we call "remixes."
Everybody loves a good example, right?
Too bad there was nothing good about the piece of auditory abomination you just witnessed. Okay, that was a little harsh. I will grant that it was a tiny bit catchy and certainly easier to dance to than the original, but I don't think anyone will argue with me when I say that it was not exactly a masterful work of art that will stand the test of time.
It doesn't take a musical theorist to deduce that laying a bouncy backbeat on top of an already artistically brilliant piece of musical theater is not the sort of thing that will land you in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame or the MoMA.
Did that work for you? Was that any less offensive?
Singer David Cook, for whom I voted diligently during American Idol season 7, has a knack for re-imagining even songs that were incredibly definitive for their original creators (Mariah Carey, in this case.) Regardless of how you feel about the original bubblegum pop version of this song, you can't accuse David of trying to recreate that original piece of art. He stole the song and made it into something completely different--something completely "him."
What do we get when we cross-breed the two videos above? I'm glad you asked.
Well, how did you like that?
Oh, who am I kidding? THAT WAS INCREDIBLE! I'M MELTING! DID YOU SEE THAT?! I MELTED RIGHT THERE! Musical theater (favorite) crossbred with sultry indie/alternative rock (other favorite)? I'm in heaven!
In an attempt to be objective, I was merely trying to point out that truly great artists can be even better than different.
They can be themselves.
Maybe you're thinking, "Well, if you're going to be yourself, why not just come up with original ideas?!" Do you really believe that such a thing exists? Do you really believe that every "new" and creative idea to come into your mind is yours and solely yours?That it wasn't inspired, informed, improved, or otherwise influenced by some great thinker to go before you?
Rather than bemoaning the fact that you can't create something that's never been created before or attempting to make cheap duplicates of what has been created before, why not add something knew to the melting pot that is art? You have a fresh perspective. You have unique passions and priorities. You have resources that others don't.
Why not prove that you are capable of possessing value that no one else has? Why not be a thief? Better yet, why not be a thief who returns what was stolen better than it was before?
"There are no original ideas, only original people." ~Jessica Thurston~
I have no idea who first said this, but I feel like not knowing if it was Picasso, Wilde, Eliot, Rowling, Cook, Lady Gaga, or Miss Piggy just makes the point all stronger.
DEB shirt, American Eagle boots and skinny jeans, thrifted vest and scarf
Wow, I have quite the badonk in this one . . .
Piercing Pagoda cameo earrings. My favorite accessory!
Last week my mom and grandma surprised me at work after having lunch at Chipotle with Rachel. So jealous. I am in a very serious relationship with the wonder that is Chipotle and even introduced my family to their food in the first place. Needless to say, I was hurt, but they were only trying to be thoughtful, since I was infinitely too busy to to join them during tech week.
They were then nice enough to take some outfit pictures of me for Nine to Phive before they left for home. You have my grandma to thank for all of the funny poses. I tell you, she is the confidence boost that every girl needs. She just thinks that I'm the best thing since sliced bread and kept telling me what new poses to try and then nudging my mom to take more pictures. "Oh, that's such a good one!" "Isn't this just the best outfit ever?"
I got to see those lovely ladies again at the One-Act festival last week! It was lovely. So much family . . . who I wouldn't allow in my house because tech week=Josh and I have not cleaned for ages.
"In the not-too-distant future, a nuclear bomb threat forces seven unlikely people to take shelter in a cramped nuclear fallout shelter. Inside the shelter, they encounter a mysterious tunnel that shouldn’t be there, a romantic poetry reading, and a phone call that tells them the world is going to end. Will they be able to survive nuclear warfare? And more importantly, are there enough Cheerios to last until then?"
This plot synopsis for the play "Sheltered" is a meager sampling of the genius that is Greg Coles. He is an immensely talented musician, author, and now theater director--but I don't want to give away too much! I hope that he will end up in an Artist Inspiration post before too long.
At any rate, Josh and I had the pleasure of spending the last six weeks preparing for the debut of Greg's first play at the RWC One-Acts Festival. It was a bit of a time commitment (especially since Josh was also in one of the other One-Acts), but it was some the best fun we have had in our time at Roberts.
Here are some photos of the event courtesy of Rachel Crosby.
In "Playwriting 101", my surrogate sister Seana plays a girl trying to commit suicide while lovable Michaela portrays a good Samaritan trying to convince her to not go through with the deed. Allie Stewart, also a surrogate sister with whom Josh and I will be gallivanting about Europe next semester, plays a college professor who continuously pauses, rewinds, and replays the action of the play in order to use it as an example of what to do and not to do when writing a good play. Hilarity and chaos ensue when the characters realize that they have the power to ignore the teacher's self-important pronouncements.
You better believe I added a bloody Halloween effect to this in Picnik . . .
In "Voices," the protagonist, played by the lovely Kim whom I had the pleasure of working with as an extra on the set of King's Faith, is tormented after the unexpected death of her little sister by the embodiments of various voices in her head--voices such as Anger, Uncertainty, Pain, and Hopelessness. In the end, she is driven to distraction by these voices and accepts the out provided to her--Death. I wish I didn't have to give away the ending, but Joshy played the character of Death who ultimately entices Kim's characters to take her life. He was a Creepy McCreepster in a suit--and super sexy ;-)
Josh and I both played roles in "Sheltered." Josh was a mopey and love-lorn romantic, and I was an adventurous feminist dressed like Terri Irwin. We were awesome.
Surveying the male survivors to see who we should repopulate with
My dramatic representation of needing to use the bathroom in the frozen tundra of Estonia
Erika, my sidekick for life!
Josh no likey get his pitcha taken . . .
Reenacting Josh's character's failed proposal earlier in the day
Our good friend Matt cries upon hearing that the world is ending
Just a little plug for the Roberts Wesleyan College One-Act Festival.
On November 4th and 5th at 8:00pm, three one-act plays will be performed at Cox Hall on Roberts campus. Josh and I are in one of the plays together. Josh is actually the star! He also has a very intense role in one of the other performances. I'm so proud of him :-) and I also never see him because he is always at rehearsals. We only have a total of about four weeks to pull it all together.
The play Josh and I are in together is entitled "Sheltered." It is authored by a very dear friend of ours named Greg Coles . . . and is utterly hilarious. I love being in original shows because it means that I can take pictures and videos to my heart's content. Shakespeare is great for that reason as well. Oh, and many other reasons, of course.
Anyway! Expect a lot more on the subject after the performances.For now, I can offer you a set of adorable caricatures done by actor Matt Bowen of the entire seven-member cast. Matt plays the nerdy guy with his mouth open . . .
Can you tell which one is me? My hair is a little short (I think it's supposed to be in a bun), but the chick is standing in the exact position that I subconsciously take throughout the majority of the play. My character is pretty epic and has some 'tude.
Josh is the mopey one up top. Doesn't it look just like him?!
These are the cutest. They just make me want to go see the show. Too bad I can't since I'll be a little busy at the time. You should go for me and tell me how it is!
