Him

The Look of Love 

Dapper Man and Machine 

The Look of Love II

The actor opened 2015 with his foot solidly in the door of stage acting. He has booked three shows (two of the three are Shakespeare plays) with the rehearsals for the first beginning soon. He's auditioned for a number of on-screen performances hoping to add more of that type of work to his résumé.  He's decided that directing is not for him, at least not now. He is passionate about performing , being a teaching artist and of late, music. More on the music later, but for now, happy birthday to my funny, serious, passionate young man. May your realities and dreams collide in several grand explosions of good, better, best.

Do You Know the Story of the Hottentot Venus?

The play in which my son currently appears is quite a story. A story, I must admit, I hadn't heard until he was doing his preparation research. And while I always enjoy seeing my son on stage, this time no exception. And while this production is very superbly directed and deftly acted by all cast members, it was a difficult play to watch.

That being said, I was happy the director staged the play the way she did. According to the actor, this production is much different than others in that it deconstructed the side-show aspect, humanizing all the characters, which made the audience (me, at least) care about them, which contributed to making this a difficult play to watch.

Still, it is a fascinating story which the play only scratches the surface of based on the stacks of research material scattered about the living room at one time. The play has a very short run. That, plus it being a difficult play to watch, will keep me from seeing more than the one performance witnessed yesterday.

Maybe.

But even if I don't see him again in "Venus" I'll have ample opportunity to see him perform in the coming months as he has been offered roles (though contracts are still being negotiated) in not one, but two major productions.

The actor has worked very hard and has much hard work ahead. He is more than ready for the challenges and the opportunities.

And as a playwright wrote long, long ago, " . . . the play's the thing."

End Scene.

*actor in rehearsal. photo credit Joel Moorman. 

Watch The Road

My son is the first-born and as such he had a bit over three years to himself . Even after his sister came along he still had another couple of years before he was be bugged by engage her his in play.

As a result, during his lone years he learned to play, quite contentedly, alone. As a youngster he enjoyed animals and action. His toys consisted of the various favorite action figure collections (vehicles included) and animals. From a very early age he created plays with his toys. He constructed elaborate sets, staged the scenes, and blocked the action. He also did voices for each character, human as well as animal.

When he was nine, ten, or so he scoffed at my suggestion, prediction? that he would develop into a writer and / or some kind of performer. He resisted the calling until his sophomore year in high school. I believe it was his during the poetry module where he met one of his early mentors, a teacher, who introduced him to spoken word poetry and performing that genre. That teacher / mentor encouraged him to meet his friend, the drama teacher, who in turn asked him to try out for the next play. He did, got the role, and started registered for the acting class the next year.

Michael all but poured himself into the lessons and disciplines. He won several parts over the next couple of years in high school riding that wave of energy and euphoria right into college, where he continued winning roles in a number of productions.

The high school drama teacher, another of my son's mentors, has often referred to Michael as his favorite student. Focused. Driven.

The teacher and the student did a turn recently in a short film. Though my son has been acting (really all his life) but officially since high school, he has, in some respects, only just begun. Where being on stage is like breathing for him, being on film is a new discipline requiring different skill sets.

With a commercial and now this (soon? to be released) screen debut to his credit his profile continues to grow. And while he adores being on stage (and is currently booked through the end of the year) he welcomes the opportunity for screen work as well.

As his biggest fan I applaud every performance, each success. As his mom I never miss the opportunity to reminisce about his childhood play and my spoken words.

Someday is today, and beyond.

Decisions, Decisions

Five: I know I'm biased, but my son is a very interesting, thought provoking man. And funny too.

Some decisions we make. Some, in effect, are made for us. M's current living situation was a bit of both. Much like moving back home, a series of events led to him deciding to go full tilt boogie with the pursuit of acting. Acting has become his "day job."

Since securing an agent in Feb./March he has added several items to his résumé, including some screen work. He is currently in rehearsals for a couple of plays, and will return to town with only a couple of weeks to lead into rehearsal for the next play on his calendar.

A flurry of auditions have led to his being "in the running" for roles in some major productions later this year and being in the enviable position of having to turn one or the other down due to other acting commitments.

M is not in able to fully support himself on acting gigs alone. Yet. But, he is building his résumé and I am absolutely certain that some day in the not too distant future . . .

Ah, but I'm his mom and I am biased.

The Play's The Thing

The Incredibly Famous Willie Rivers

This is the propulsive story of a rock star who, after surviving a deranged fan's assassination attempt, is courted by corporate star-maker machinery to stage a long-awaited comeback. With the horror of returning to the spotlight ever present, Willy takes the audience on a wild ride through the relationships of his life on his quest to recover his family, his artistic voice, and the connection to his Heartland roots. A harrowing vision of our culture's need for that proverbial "15 minutes of fame," the ensemble of characters grapples with their own feelings of jealousy, fear, hurt, and awe of the "incredible fame" they see bestowed on Willy. This is an energetic, violent, hilarious and heartbreaking rock and roll story of one man's journey through fame, as he struggles to decide what is most important to him and what he must sacrifice.

Fine and strong performances marked Friday’s show, unfortunately, by all but the lead actor. His character, Willie Rivers is on stage 95% of the time and as he didn’t ‘own’ the stage or take charge of his scenes, it was not surprising that the pacing was ‘off’ and at times seem stilted. The actor, instead of filling the stage with the character’s rage, conflict, pain and despair, seemed apologetic, lost and confused. The supporting cast, my son included did all they could to provide the spark the lead actor couldn’t seem to muster.

M gets an opportunity to sing in this production and he is having much fun with the song. He did have some frustrating moments with the production company during rehearsals. Not being a trained musician, he sought support that they were not able to offer for some reason. Never-the-less he worked out his issues and was still able to perform his song with all the verve and gusto required for the scene. In my humble opinion, anyway.

I expect to see the show at least twice more before the end of the run, perhaps in that time the lead actor will have found a way to energize his performance. In any case, I get to see my actor man in one of his happiest places, the live theater stage. With moving day scheduled for Saturday, June 2, these might be my only sightings for the immediate future. I shall savor them, all the more.