Miracles Great and Small

So Hanukah/Hanukkah/Chanukah begins on Sunday night, and it's gotten me thinking about belief and faith. One aspect of Judaism that I really love is the importance placed on telling the story behind each holiday year after year, encouraging questions and deeper discussion. The story of Hanukah is one I've known by heart since I was a little kid. The Jews were being persecuted and Judah and the Macabees helped win their temple back and when they went to rededicate the temple there was only enough oil left to burn the candle for one day but the oil miraculously lasted eight days. See chabad.org for a more in depth look.

Anyway it reminded me of the power of faith, that so much more is possible than what we see at first glance. In our highly advanced technological world where you can walk around with an iphone telling you how to get anywhere you want to go and what music you just heard playing in a store, I think it's important to examine our belief in that which we cannot always see. I'm not talking about believing in God per se, just examining the role of faith in our lives. I think the more that we imagine possible, the more we open ourselves up to new experiences, people, ways of thinking. I don't think it's an easy thing to always have faith that you'll find love, happiness, fulfillment, but I believe it's incredibly beneficial for our well being to continue to do so.

My mom has often said that she wishes she could see the end of her life like the end of a book, that it would comfort her knowing how everything pans out, and then she could just relax and live her life. While I don't think I would want to know my ultimate fate, I do understand the impulse of wanting to know, say what your life will be like in 10 years. This is especially attractive since the pursuit of an artist is so fraught with frustration and uncertainty, anything definite that you have to look forward to is such a welcome gem.

Sometimes I think the older we get the harder it is to just "believe" and have faith in ourselves and all we are capable of. Remember all the things you believed in as a little kid? After reading The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar and Other Stories by Roald Dahl, I was totally convinced that if I just practiced enough and really really tried that I could be telekinetic, and who is to say that I can't? I think our bodies and minds are capable of way more than we think possible. As I light the candles of the menorah for the next 8 nights, I am going to remind myself to think beyond what I see and hear each day and remember that miracles can happen.

Artistic Power

I've been slacking a little bit on the blogging of late but reading my friend Scott's amazing post today inspired me. I've heard many people say recently, in various ways, that President Obama is going to have so much on his hands dealing with this economic crisis and all that it entails, that it is foolish to think he's going to be able to focus on "small" issues like education and the arts. It's true, our country is in a pretty bad way right now, but I do not believe we should stand for education and arts being pushed to the bottom of the list once again, especially after President Obama (yeah I know he's not president YET but I just like calling him that) unveiled a rather impressive platform of support for the arts.

Let's hold him to these ideas and help ensure that they happen. None of them are outrageous, people- these are pretty basic and concrete plans-- building an artists corps, reinvesting in arts education, promoting cultural diplomacy--all of these efforts CAN make a real difference not just nationally but globally. We are especially in need of cultural diplomacy right now in a time when so many countries have such a negative opinion of America and what we stand for. Artists can cut across these boundaries and make a documentary about Hip Hop in Morocco or a collaborative theatre piece between a New York and Kosovar theatre company or give cameras to kids in India, Haiti, Egypt, and Israel and teach them the art of photography.

Sometimes it's easy for me to get down on pursuing the path of an artist, like what have I actually done today that really matters? But then I read one of Scott's posts or listen to an impassioned Education Director of a theatre talk about how many kids they reach with their artistic programming, public school kids who maybe have never seen a play before who find that the arts can connect and illuminate their lives and can offer them something incredibly valuable and empowering. So go out and support the arts, man. They need you!

Just One More Thing to be Thankful For

Youtube.

Ok, so this past weekend's issue of the NY Times Magazine had an article where a number of writers were asked to name their favorite or most memorable onscreen moment from that year and "This American Life" contributing writer, Starlee Kline, wrote about this youtube video that I don't even want to spoil by describing. The quality isn't great, but just watch it and then watch it again. It's amazing. Feel free to share your own favorite onscreen moments of the year, and Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Taking Over

So I know I just finished raving about Charlie Kaufman and "Synecdoche New York," but I just saw another rave worthy performance so I just have to put it out there. If you have the opportunity to be in New York between now and Dec 14, you have to see Danny Hoch's new solo show "Taking Over" at The Public Theatre. (and if you can't make it to NYC at least check him out on youtube) His current show is about gentrification in Brooklyn and he plays a whole bunch of characters-- including a Dominican taxi dispatcher, an African American woman sitting on her stoop, a French Real Estate Broker, a Midwestern Hippie girl selling her wares---all totally dead on. I was just in absolute awe of this guy as a performer, and a bit jealous, as I often am when I see people just absolutely rock so hard in whatever they do, but mostly I was inspired.

It feels so refreshing to see good performances, especially good theatre, which I'm often so critical of because it's my medium of choice. And as an aspiring solo performer, I left the show feeling so charged up with possibility. There are so many stories to be told and part of the thrill of a solo performance is watching that one person embody such an array of people--it goes back to the basic core of storytelling, and when it's done well, it's absolutely mesmerizing.

I often feel reserved about my own solo work--like I don't have a strong enough point of view--there's not some big social or political issue that I'm commenting on, but seeing "Taking Over" was a reminder of the basic writer's axiom- write what you know. Danny Hoch is a third generation New Yorker, grew up in Queens and has lived in Williamsburg since 1990--he writes characters that are a part of his life. I don't need to go interview Israelis and Palestinians in order to create an effective piece- I can just write from my perspective and my heart. I know that's getting a little cheesy, but I think sometimes it's good to remind myself artistically and personally that it's all in there, that
"you are already whatever you seek to be." -Kelly McGonigal

A Conversation with the Audience

Charlie Kaufman... This guy is awesome. Definitely check out the above interview with Charlie Rose- it was filmed right after "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (one of my all time fav movies ever) came out and it was supposedly the first interview he'd done. I just recently saw his directorial debut, "Synecdoche New York" which I highly recommend and I just can't stop thinking about this guy- I find him such a fascinating and inspiring artist.

One of my favorite parts of this interview is when he's talking about the kinds of movies he's interested in making and he talks about theatre as a live medium vs. film as a dead medium and that he's drawn to creating films that will provoke a conversation with the audience. You can't leave one of his films not wanting to talk about it, and to me, that is the point.

Why should we make new works of art, music, film, theatre if we don't have something to say to the audience or at least to elicit? What I love most about him is that he totally challenges your notion of what film can be--he just explores the medium to its max and that is exciting to me. I leave his films wanting to be more creative and original and bold and inventive.

So go see Synecdoche New York and let me know what you think of it.

Back in BK

I bid my adieu to Cleveland yesterday after having our closing performance of "Goldstar, Ohio" and now I am back in my cozy apartment with my boyfriend in Brooklyn. It was truly an honor to work on this important play and I only hope that many more people across the country will have the opportunity to see it in upcoming years. I hold a special place in my heart for Cleveland, not so much for the city I would say, as for the number of awesome people that I met there.

So now it's back to the grind. My boyfriend very accurately predicted that I'd be really happy to be home on Sunday and then by Monday I'd be freaking out about jobs. He knows me too well. I am trying to invoke a new mantra of being Patient, Positive, and Pro-Active. It's going ok so far. I have a meeting today with a good lead for some tutoring work and I'm going to put up a bunch of tutoring fliers in my neighborhood and walk around and see what kinds of other part-time job opportunities I can scrounge up. As for upcoming acting opportunities, we shall see.

So yes it's scary to not really know where my income is going to be coming from but I feel privileged to be able to pursue what I love, and for the moment, that is enough. Tonight I'm going for a walk with a friend in my fav. place, Prospect Park. Yay!

My Love/Hate Relationships with Social Networking Sites

So after lots of pressuring from friends and family, I finally joined Facebook today, and I felt a little excited, a little overwhelmed, and a little turned off, which was pretty much my exact experience with Friendster back in the day. I like the idea of being able to easily communicate and check in with a wide network of friends, but invariably, after a little while spent surfing around, looking at peoples' profiles, pictures, etc, I just want to get off the computer.

I guess part of it is that I really prize actual interaction- seeing people in person, talking on the phone, and I make great efforts to keep that up with the people in my life who are important to me. I don't know. I have lots of nostalgia for old timey things and as much as I love the benefits of the internet and cell phones, sometimes I long for the simplicity of life before these things when you could just go out for a walk and take in the people and surroundings and not be reachable and not be surrounded by people plugged into things. But I also want to embrace technology and I think it's really cool that people are using Facebook to reconnect with their friends from elementary school and studying abroad and stuff. So, in closing, I want to be open to the Facebook experience and I would love to hear from people about what they like about it, but for me, the jury is still out.

Ohio Favs

Nov. 4th Columbus, OH




Pretty Lakewood Trees and Obama Signs



This rules!



Awesome

President Obama

I'm kind of beyond words right now. I spent 12 hours volunteering for the Obama campaign today in Columbus and watched the returns on CNN with my Dad, and when Ohio was declared for Obama my phone was flooded with text messages. I have never felt so personally invested in an election and when Obama made his speech I must have cried like 10 different times, tears of admiration and hope and relief and awe and just pure happiness. My parents both said they've never seen an election like this, and it truly feels like we are on the cusp of a new era. Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to see who he chooses for his cabinet and how he deals with foreign leaders. A president I can look up to and be proud of...I can't wait to wake up tomorrow.

I voted early in Ohio YEEEAH!

This picture is taken from a 1912 Suffrage March in New York City. Sometimes it's important to take a moment to stop and appreciate the right to vote. It's pretty crazy that women have only had that right for 88 years.

Standing in line today in the basement of the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections in downtown Cleveland, I was only mildly irritated at having to wait for an hour and half to receive my ballot. Mostly I was just really excited to vote and the mood there was surprisingly cheery. Filling out my paper ballot I made sure to go over it multiple times just to make sure there was no way for it to disqualified, and then I sealed it and put it in the ballot box. Pretty simple.

4 More Days! I know there are a lot of people who are feeling really scared and cautious, understandably so, but I say, what's wrong with hope? Just go for it. Get excited. Put all your positive energy towards Obama out there. Believe.

People are Awesome

So I'm in Chicago right now visiting friends, which has been excellent, and a few of them turned me onto what's probably the best site I've seen to come out of this election. If you haven't already seen it, you have to check it out. Drag your mouse around and explore the brilliance.

And while I'm on the topic of awesome and funny political sites and videos, the McCain Obama Dance Off is another classic. I really don't know how people do this stuff.




Keep hope alive

I'm sick of you being so dark when I'm so impish and whimsical!

Now I'm suddenly all about the video links because I've finally learned how to do it. So this clip is from "Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" starring John C Reily (DePaul Alum) and the movie is a touch on the dumb side but this Beatles scene had me hysterically laughing and this line that Jack Black says as Paul McCartney is one of my new favorite movie lines ever.

On to some high art. There's an interview in this weekend's NY Times with actor-director Simon McBurney who's directing the current Broadway revival of Arthur Miller's "All My Sons" and he has some very insightful and inspiring words which cut to the heart of what I believe is so powerful and unique about theatre:

"The only reality of the theater exists in the mind of the audience. That audience looks collectively at what is going on on the stage and collectively imagines that this is real. ... But what is more fundamental is the notion that when everybody laughs together or, last night, when I heard people around me collectively sobbing, at that moment we are bound together not by our bodies sitting in the theater but by a collective imagination. At that moment we understand the lie that what we think is only our own, that our internal lives are only our own. At that point our collective imaginations become one imagination and my internal life becomes the same as your internal life, which is what Aristotle understood when he analyzed tragedy. It’s a collective act in which we collectively understand something about being a community together. The moment we understand that, feel it, we feel a kind of responsibility in which we must collectively help and take responsibility for each other. That is part of the definition of our humanity and, if you like, if it’s not a contradiction in terms, our animal humanity. Of course, that is part of what “All My Sons” is about."

Collective imagination. Animal humanity. Word.

A Little Theatre Humor for Ya

So you have to be a little bit of a fan of Beckett and/or Charlie Rose to fully appreciate this video, but it is just done so well that I had to share it. The more you watch it, the funnier it gets, truly. Thanks to Michael for the link and to Bob for helping me figure out how to post videos. I'm a little slow with the technology, so bear with me folks.

Clevelanders: 11 more performances to go for "Goldstar,Ohio" so come check it out

New Yorkers: 15 more days until I'm back in the city so get ready for that- i miss you!

Holla!

So we had our opening weekend of "Goldstar, Ohio," and there is a very nice review in The Cleveland Plain Dealer. Thank you, Tony Brown.

So now I have a few days off and I'm going to chill in Columbus with my dad, and I'd like to share a few recipes with you.

Here's one for a vegan challah from my fav vegan website, post punk kitchen and here is one for a more traditional challah recipe. Making challah is time consuming but really fun. Kneading dough can be really therapeutic. Also since the Thanksgiving holiday is approaching, here's a good one for a vegan pumpkin pie.

I'm feeling all homemakery now like I should give decorating tips, but I'm not really good at that stuff at all. Here's to fall! Go find some leaves to play in.

Plug Plug

So "Goldstar, Ohio" had its first preview last night and we open on Saturday- very exciting. There's been some good local press so far- the playwright, Michael Tisdale, was interviewed Wednesday morning on this wacky Cleveland morning show, "That's Life" with Robin Swoboda, and there's a little video clip of a rehearsal in there as well. There's also a nice article this week in the Cleveland Scene. So check that out, and tell everyone you know in Cleveland to come see this play!

And it's been cloudy and dreary for the past few days so here's a picture to cheer us all up.

Cornhole

I learned a new game this weekend that is apparently an Ohio tradition and it's called cornhole My boyfriend doesn't believe that it exists, but here is the proof. It's actually a pretty fun game especially when you get one in the hole. (I can't write that without feeling a little dirty.) On that same day I also played in a multi-age kickball game with an oversize ball AND went bowling in my neighborhood at a totally classic bowling alley where you still have to score yourself on paper and you can watch the ball come back to you on the ramp. I'm not a stellar bowler by any means, and in general, I don't really excel at sports, but whenever I do have a sporty day, I'm reminded of how fun it is to get outside and run around and be competitive. It's good for you.

OMG

So I meant to post this on Sunday, but my internet connection has been totally on the fritz. Sorry for the delay.

After a grueling 12-hr day of tech rehearsal Saturday, I found it quite refreshing Sunday morning, on my day off, to leisurely ride my bike to the laundromat. It was a gorgeous day, and as I rode through my neighborhood, I enjoyed noticing the political signs people had on their lawns. I felt a surge of happiness each time I passed one of the many Obama-Biden signs, but every time I passed a McCain-Palin sign, I just felt like saying, Boooo!, and I wondered about the people living in these houses.

So I don't know what rock I've been living under but I only recently learned about the reports of McCain-Palin supporters shouting "Kill him" and "Terrorist" at rallies, which totally floored me. (see Frank Rich's article in the New York Times this weekend for a great analysis about that) But then I discovered something even more bizarre.

The Pray for Sarah Palin website includes a prayer map that records the number of people praying for Sarah Palin- currently up to 4864 in 3113 different zip codes throughout every single state. There is a pledge at the bottom that says, "I pledge to pray for peace, protection, and wisdom for Sarah Palin and her family." Okay, the wisdom part, yeah, I guess she could use some of that, but under Why You Should Pray is a quote from Ephesians stating "put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil." Hmm, I wonder who the evil enemy is this scenario? I know that I shouldn't really be shocked by this, but I find this tactic of pandering to people's fears and breaking everything into a good vs. evil dichotomy to be incredibly repellent. The most disturbing part is that is works- history has shown that in times of instability, the general public is very vulnerable to scare tactics- it's more comforting to identify a source of "evil" that you can fight against than to grapple with a much more complex issue that lacks any easy answers.

I'm still working on seeing whether or not I can vote in Ohio. Three weeks left! Wow.

Warm Fuzzy Vs. Cold Prickly

So I was talking to my brother the other day and he was explaining how my 3-yr-old nephew has a poster at school of a Cold Prickly Character and a Warm Fuzzy Character and the teacher encourages them to act warm fuzzy towards each other and not cold prickly, and I thought that was a pretty awesome philosophy. So in an effort to cultivate some warm fuzziness I thought I'd dedicate this post to one of my favorite things- snuggly puppies like this one above. That makes me endlessly happy.

All too often I find it's very easy for things to get me in a cold prickly mood-- rainy dreary weather, rude people, dealing with insurance and phone bills and other super irritating phone calls where you have to go through a 10-minute long menu before you can talk to a real person. But, I do find, though, that when I look for it, there are so many moments in a day that can lift my spirits- like seeing a cute puppy or a beautiful fountain or kids being funny or the bus driver waiting for someone who is running to make the bus. Good things are out there and good people are out there and sometimes it just feels good to remember that.

Speaking of good things, the writer and director of "Goldstar, Ohio" were featured on Cleveland Public Radio yesterday- it was a really great segment about theatre and politics--the whole thing is about an hour long and they come on for the last 15 minutes, so check that out. We open in a week so spread the word!

What is the Deal with People Not Voting?

Ok, so yesterday was the last day to register to vote in Ohio so I was out there on the streets trying to scrounge up the last few voters who have yet to register. We were supposed to stick to 1 location so they had me posted all day outside a Family Dollar store in Lakewood. Overall, people were pretty nice and I ended up registering 9 voters, which was great, but once again, (Walmart Redux) I was shocked by the number of people who said that they did NOT vote. Even more surprising, this was coming from a cross section of people- young, old, male, female, black, white. Their responses were so ridiculous I started writing them down. Here are a few of highlights:

-You know what they say? Don't vote. It only encourages them.
-Never voted, never will! It's all politics, they're going to put whoever they want in there.
-I voted 3 times against Bush and look what happened, so I don't vote anymore.
-No, I don't want to. I'm not gonna be a part of it.

These are people who are watching their wallets and obviously care about the economy, but they feel alienated from their government. Coming from a place of privilege, it's easy for me to be optimistic and say, this presidential election is incredibly important and it WILL have an effect on individual's lives, but part of me understands why people feel turned off from politics. This is the part that is totally terrified that Sarah Palin is enticing people with her winks and "middle class values" and "I'm gonna talk straight to the American people."

I don't really know how to appeal to the non voters at Family Dollar. The ones I encountered seemed so set in their ways, I doubted anything I could say would influence them. It's clearly a sign of a much larger and more complex issue in our country of people not voting. I'm interested in what people have to say about this. Why do you vote?

Good Thing, Bad Thing

The awesome children's theatre troupe I was a part of at Tufts University (Traveling Treasure Trunk) had a great way of starting each rehearsal where we would go around and say one good thing and one bad thing from our day. So in that spirit, here is my good thing bad thing for the week.

BAD Thing:
So after having a great day registering 23 voters yesterday at Bryant and Stratton College, today I was back in Brooklyn, OH stationed outside of a Walmart. I had huge reservations about canvassing in that type of location but apparently we were given permission by the manager to be there. Well, I lasted about 30 minutes before I was like, get me out of here! First of all, it was a really cold and windy day and I'm a total baby about being cold. Second of all, it's really challenging to try to talk to people as they are on their way to or from shopping, and thirdly and most unfortunately, most of these people were really unpleasant! On a given day canvassing for 5 hours, I usually have 1 maybe 2 people whose response to voting is a flat out "No. I don't vote." I got 5 or 6 of those responses in half an hour- I was floored, totally dejected, and ended up coming home early. Here's a well written article from a few years ago about the dangers of Walmart.

Ok now for my
GOOD Thing:
My boyfriend was recently here visiting from New York (obviously GOOD thing) and we went to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame, which was mostly memorabilia, but all in all, a pretty good time. Nestled in the basement level, though, was a small artifact that blew my mind and instantly made the entire museum worthwhile: a handwritten four page letter that Madonna wrote in 1977 during the fall of her freshman year at the University of Michigan to her good friend that was in college in Montreal. She wrote something like- I know my dad is going to be disappointed but I'm planning on dropping out after this semester- I just have to get to New York- She already seemed so sure of herself and what she wanted. Say what you want about Madonna, but the woman knows how to go after her dreams, and on days when I'm feeling uncertain about life, she's all I need for a little boost.

American Pride

There is a line in one of interview transcripts for our play where the mom of one of the Marines who died talks about "being an American worth fighting for." I was reminded of this a few nights ago when we had an event at a local library in Cleveland where we read excerpts of the play. There was a discussion afterwards, and an older gentleman who I'm pretty sure was a veteran remarked that the majority of Americans today have no connection or interest in what's going on with the military. He went on to suggest that there is strong correlation between serving your country and having pride in your country and that he feels that sense of pride and service is lacking in young people today.

The discussion really got me thinking about my own pride in my country. I know that being an American affords me all sorts of privileges that I often take for granted, but I also find myself often critical of certain policies and attitudes in our country. When I studied abroad in Barcelona I cringed whenever I was around loud American tourists quietly hoping I would not get lumped in with these obnoxious offenders. I did everything I could to immerse myself in the Catalan culture, taking all my classes with Spanish and other European students at the University, and shunning any classes where I would be with other Americans.

And then I saw Madonna's 'Drowned World' concert. I had waited in line overnight to get the tickets- it was my first time seeing her in concert and when she walked out on stage, I am not ashamed to say it, I started to cry. And out of nowhere, my American pride started to blossom. I was like, that's right, she's from my country! I'll claim ownership to that! Reflecting on that experience, I was surprised with how fiercely I wanted to cling to my American identity in that moment.

For me, these moments of pride have been pretty fleeting, though. I don't feel an ever-present sense of connection with my country but maybe that's because it's impossible to generalize what it means to be American---it's so different for each person. We are a relatively new country almost entirely composed of immigrants spread across vastly diverse geographic and cultural areas. In that respect, if I were asked to join the circle I mostly strongly identified with I would probably go to the Brooklyn, Performer, Vegan, Jewish, or Woman circles before joining the American circle, and maybe that's ok.

I guess time will tell the course of my American pride. I'm certainly hoping with all my might that November 4th will give me a huge reason to be proud again, to feel united and hopeful about the future that is possible in our country...

How to Bring Home the (Soy) Bacon

This has pretty much been the recurring question of my summer. As I continue my artistic pursuits, how am I going to make enough money to live in New York? I have a little hiatus from thinking about that while I’m out here in Cleveland doing this play, but I know that as soon as I return, I’ll be right back in that quandry.

I’m sure I’m not the only one that does this, but when I’m feeling particularly masochistic I like to go on Craigslist and browse apartments in other random cities marveling over where I could live in Cleveland OH or Burlington VT.

I start to imagine fantasy scenarios- starting up a vegan bakery/bookstore/performance space in Burlington, moving to India to study yoga…But, the truth is, I love Brooklyn and there is no place I would rather live at this time in my life, as tough as it is.

So, jobs. I’m really curious about the kinds of day jobs that artists have- I’d love to assemble some sort of database or something because there exists such a wide range of possibilities. As for myself, I’ve done the waitressing/catering thing and I’ve tried my hand at the office temping thing and I know those are pretty much off the list. I’ve really loved the teaching artist and tutoring jobs I’ve had but those present the challenge of: what do you do when you have to leave town? I don’t like the idea of letting kids down. Sometimes I feel like I’m being incredibly picky in that there are so many jobs I just don’t want to do. On the one hand, I’m getting to pursue my dream, I should be content to work wherever I can in order to make money, but on the other hand, the reality is that we spend the majority of our days at work, and if I’m going to be devoting that much time to something, I have to like it, which pretty much brings me back to square 1. What is this ideal job that I don’t hate but that’s flexible enough that I can leave? I’m just not sure.

Any thoughts? Any artists who have found their perfect day job? I’d love to hear your stories.

Brooklyn, OH

So I experienced Brooklyn, OH today while I was out registering voters and let me just say, it was an eye opening experience. I spent most of the morning in Parma at Cuyahoga Community College where I registered a whole bunch of young voters (my total today was 30- yay!) and before heading back to our home base, we decided to hit some of the strip malls in Old Brooklyn. Not so much success there. I stopped to chat with two girls sitting outside the pizza place where they worked- they seemed to be in their late teens, early twenties, and I asked them if they were registered to vote.

One said yes and the other said no, and when I asked why, she replied, no, I don't want to vote, both of them are stupid. When pressed further she said, she didn't want to vote Republican, and she didn't like Obama because he had barely been in office and didn't have any experience and his religion supports killing people. Wait, what religion, I asked. Muslim, they both responded. Um, Obama is Christian, I corrected (not to mention that Islam does not advocate killing people). No, they both said, he just converted when he got into public office.

So, yeah....that was frightening to say the least. Definitely something I've yet to encounter in Brooklyn, NY...

Rehearsals for Goldstar Ohio are going well. There is something deeply moving about working on this show, speaking the words of actual people who have experienced such grief and pain. It's a very emotional experience and between that and registering voters I'm feeling pretty exhausted, but in a good way.

In unrelated news, Philip Seymour Hoffman's company in NY- LAByrinth is creating an alliance with Cate Blanchett's company in Sydney and Trafalgar Studios in London to do cross cultural exchanges and performances- um how much do I want to be in the middle of that sandwich? That is one of my dreams- to be involved in a theatrical collaboration abroad not necessarily with Phil and Cate, but that would be nice.

And finally, my blogging audience (which at this point is pretty much zero because I haven't told anyone about this blog yet which makes it easier to write) I leave you with this question: if money was not a concern, how would you spend your days?


Dream Big.

New Beginnings

How to make theatre? How to make money? These two questions have pretty much consumed me since graduating a few months ago with my MFA and moving back to NYC. So I've decided to start a blog about it, not just exclusively about these questions, but using them as a starting off point to continue an ongoing dialogue. I welcome your feedback, questions, comments...

So on the making theatre front, I was recently cast in a show which I am very excited about, "Goldstar, Ohio" which is making its world premiere at the Cleveland Public Theatre Oct 16-Nov 8. So I've been in Cleveland for the past week--it's my first time here although I did live in Columbus during High School. It's pretty typically Midwestern--small city, lots of suburbs, and everyone you meet is really nice and helpful. Since we're rehearsing at night I've found myself a day job working as a canvass organizer for Grassroots Campaigns Inc, affiliated with MoveOn.org. Basically our office is a bare bones abandoned storefront and each day we get sent off with clipboards into different locations throughout Cleveland to register voters.

Yesterday was my first day on the street and it was a pretty hard first day. It was raining and a Saturday, so not the busiest day in downtown Cleveland. Our first post had us stationed under the awning of a bar by the Cleveland Indians stadium. Basically I was having to compete with the scalper guys that were like, "Tickets? Anybody need some tickets," trying to pipe in with "Hi! Are you registered to vote?" Most people were polite, said yes, and kept walking. I had a handful who just ignored me and said "No thank you!" Being outside in the rain did not seem to be working in our favor so our next try was the food court area in the Tower City indoor mall, a lot of foot traffic, but still no luck. In a last ditch effort we decided to just ride the train (Cleveland has a small but decent Rapid Transit System) so we rode the Red Line from downtown out to the airport and back, and finally I registered two voters!!! One was a boy who had just turned 18 and had been meaning to register but just hadn't gotten around to it, so that pretty much made my day. It's interesting, in all my years voting, this is the first time I've viewed it as an important civic duty, an opportunity to exercise my right, and share my voice. I think it's the first time that I've actually been inspired by a presidential candidate.

So that's what I'll be filling my days with, working the streets to make sure that Barack Obama wins Ohio! And working my nights bringing alive the incredibly compelling true stories of families in Ohio who had a son/brother/husband in the Marines who was killed in Iraq in August of 2005. It's my first time playing a living character, speaking her actual words, and it's been a very enlightening process so far. Again, it feels very important to be giving voice to these stories and it's made me think about all the other stories out there waiting to be told, the ones that have been ignored or are pushed to the margins.

I think one of the things that most excites me about working on new plays is that sense of importance and relevance, the need for a particular story to be shared in this particular moment and space in time. I think the theatre world needs more of this work; it needs artists who are willing to take risks and it needs more institutions and funding sources willing to support the kind of work that directly engages its audience and that takes advantage of the unique opportunities inherent in creating a live performance...

So there you have it- my first blog post. Stay tuned for more stories from the streets of Cleveland.