Compliments Complement!

What was the best compliment you’ve received? As I think about this question, I think there are two compliments that I received in my life that rise to the top. One was said directly to me, and the other I received secondhand. As an undergrad, I directed a show as a senior project. My motherContinue reading “Compliments Complement!”

More on AI Creation

In my last blog post I talked about creating a video with various digital and AI tools. Here’s part two. I recently worked on creating some video scripts to continue the process of educating those interested in theatre; even though I’m retired, I still want to disseminate some info that I’ve gleaned over the years.Continue reading “More on AI Creation”

Lose Yourself in the Flow

What activities do you lose yourself in? When I am writing or working on making a film, I often experience the phenomenon of missing time, usually associated with alien abduction. (There are those aliens again!) But the one activity I have always lost myself in, while still being acutely aware of (the) time, has beenContinue reading “Lose Yourself in the Flow”

Play Post Mortem

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success? This post may not quite answer the prompt, but I’ll pretend I’m a politician and answer the question I want to. I’ve often linked my theatre production process to the scientific method. I’d come up with a hypothesis, which is my directorialContinue reading “Play Post Mortem”

Concert or Karaoke?

When did live music performances and concerts become sing-along events? A few years back I attended two of the annual ROSfest events. ROSfest is the Rites of Spring progressive rock festival, formerly held in Gettysburg, PA in the excellent Majestic Theater. This was the first time I attended an event where the line for theContinue reading “Concert or Karaoke?”

Cleric! Pass the Elixir of Health!

There’s an old quotation, sometimes credited to the movie The Princess Bride, that says, “If you haven’t got your health, you haven’t got anything.“ I recently had a bit of a health scare. Waking up in the middle of the night, I rose to go to the bathroom. Suddenly I found myself off balance andContinue reading “Cleric! Pass the Elixir of Health!”

Why Actors Are Scum

Right up front: I totally disagree with the title. But that has been a long-held belief by those not in entertainment. And so, as a follow-up to my last blog post, I wanted to delve a little more into why actors and theatre people have often been, according to an Ordinance by the British ParliamentContinue reading “Why Actors Are Scum”

From the Cabbage Patch

In Episode #55 I talk about working at Toys “R” Us. There’s a lot more detail there for another time, but I’d rather talk about my strange work history. Here are a few of the highlights. Some of my early jobs were gas station attendant (I lasted only three hours—really not my thing), and telemarketerContinue reading “From the Cabbage Patch”

Ever Nearer the End…

As we enter finals week of my last semester of teaching before retirement, I find myself frequently reflecting on the idea of my legacy. If you’ve listened to my podcast, you know my greatest fear is to be forgotten. And so, recalling ways that my memory lives on in my last position is important toContinue reading “Ever Nearer the End…”

Almost There…

There are 15 days until commencement: that’s my unofficial retirement date. The true date is at the end of the summer, 17 years from when I started. Meanwhile I head toward the end of the semester, waiting for overdue papers, papers that are still due, and a mountain of grading to get through before IContinue reading “Almost There…”