Campuses: WTF?

When I arrived at Berkeley in 1985, I saw a makeshift shantytown on the campus. It called attention to apartheid in South Africa and sparked my awareness of that situation and of politics in general. I mean, the campus was steeped in political protest since the free speech movement decades earlier had ignited a trend—thatContinue reading “Campuses: WTF?”

Hand Me the Whiteboard…

Every time someone starts an in-depth explanation of something, or I need to explain something that requires a variety of steps, I ask for “the whiteboard.” I assume at that point that only a detailed diagram will be able to provide any sensical explanation. I always needed a whiteboard when I covered one of theContinue reading “Hand Me the Whiteboard…”

Don’t Tell Me I Can’t

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? One of the quickest ways to encourage me to do something is to tell me I can’t do it, or to speak the more passive phrase, “it can’t be done.” That’s precisely the motivation I’ve often needed to accomplish a goal. ItContinue reading “Don’t Tell Me I Can’t”

Ahhh, Look At All My Fav’rite People

Who are your favorite people to be around? As a life-long introvert who only recently has said, “Screw it, life’s too short, and who cares what people think?” (as I venture into the local social scene to raise awareness of my non-profit theatre company), I would say that the list of favorite people to beContinue reading “Ahhh, Look At All My Fav’rite People”

A Plethora of Miscellaneous

If there was a biography about you, what would the title be? I wrote that title a few weeks ago and saved it in Notes, because I knew it would come in handy eventually. When seeing today’s prompt I thought it was strictly apropos (which would be a bad title for my biography). Looking backContinue reading “A Plethora of Miscellaneous”

Words, Words, Words…

What books do you want to read? …said Hamlet. When I was a kid I was a voracious reader. I’d get those fifty cent sci-fi paperbacks and devour them like a hungry space monster. The prices would go up but that didn’t slow me down. I read constantly (though it helped to not have friendsContinue reading “Words, Words, Words…”

Theatre Traditions!

Write about a few of your favorite family traditions. Side note (at the beginning, which seems like an odd place for a side note, but hear me out): I recall responding to a similar prompt not too long ago. Rather than repeat myself, I’m pivoting to talk about theatre traditions. In my last position, onContinue reading “Theatre Traditions!”

Can Retirement Be a Dream Job?

What’s your dream job? People often asked me why I was retiring from my position as a college professor in Theatre when I clearly enjoyed it so much. And my constant refrain was always: “I love my work but I hate my job.” I liked working with students, I enjoyed some aspects of teaching, andContinue reading “Can Retirement Be a Dream Job?”

Come Follow Me

What makes a good leader? It’s likely that I could write an entire volume (maybe a slim one) on what makes a good leader, based on my experiences as a theatre director in academia. Fortunately for you, and for the sake of brevity, I’ll only look at one aspect for this particular blog post. TheContinue reading “Come Follow Me”

Love, Love, Love

Can you share a positive example of where you’ve felt loved? When I first looked at today’s prompt, I ran through a series of people who might have expressed love in such a way that I felt enveloped by the emotion. I turned up empty, but before I began rewinding my memory tape, I rememberedContinue reading “Love, Love, Love”