Jake Moments

another fucking A for america

2011-12-05T09:36:00.000-08:00

I’d hate to begin this thing by quoting David Mamet, but the prick does have a few good points to make. In his hugely overstated book of essays entitled Theatre, Dave submits his choices for “the great twentieth-century American Plays...”

“First, Our Town, then The Front Page, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, A Streetcar Named Desire, All My Sons, and Doubt. One might also mention The Time of Your Life, The Boys in the Band, The Best Man, and The Women.”

(Mamet has included a footnote just before this list, simply stating “I will both assume that my work might merit mention and exempt it from consideration on various grounds.” How gracious.)

Mamet follows this authoritative list with, “What do these plays have in common? They are intensely American. That is, they both treat American issues and are written in an American idiom closer to real poetry than to prose.”

On this last point, he is correct. The poetry of great American drama has the ability to define thuh nation; and, like all great art, seems to be naturally occurring, however rare. But Mamet’s exclusion of the work of Suzan-Lori Parks (and Tony Kushner) completely baffles me. And while I’d love to sit here and talk about his politics, the misogynistic overtones of his work, and his likely secret personal hatred of Mr. Kushner and Ms. Parks, I will do my best to avoid such topics.

America has never been defined by one piece or one simple collection of artwork. It takes many hands, many faces (all different colors, Dave), many ideas to even begin to flesh out what this country means. And art, like any nation, must continue to shift and evolve or risk irrelevancy. “Classics” do not an art form make, though they should be recognized and respected. We are being transformed by what is created today and what will be created tomorrow, not yesterday. Which is why Mr. Mamet’s list is simply not enough. Sorry, Dave.

With her play, In the Blood, Ms. Parks roughhouses with homelessness, single-motherhood, religious corruption, economic instability, racial awareness, language, the welfare system, prostitution, illiteracy and classic literature. And all of these ideas come together to paint a picture of the American consciousness. No, none of these issues are specific or native to America, but then again, what is?

The lens of the artist is paramount. And Ms. Parks’ lens is that of a new generation of artistic and social understanding. It is the lens that has shaped the collective mind of the following generation (Gen. Y, or the Millennials). The lens that has generated the street art movement. The lens that has sculpted the political philosophies of our current president. It is the lens that shows us that America is one nation in a world of 195 nations (196 if you choose to classify Taiwan as independent). And In the Blood reflects this lens with true grit and grace.

With her racially ambiguous casting requests (Hester and Amiga Gringa aside for good reason), Parks has embraced the melting pot. Everyone has a way in. Everyone can wear the shoes, or lack-thereof, and stare longingly into those precious semi-reflective white pumps with an expression carrying the weight of optimism.

Theatre has once again become a communal experience, far from the isolated individualized intellectualization of the theatre before it. Parks’ work appears sophisticated, organic, poetic, and tribal all at once. It is work that instead of shouting at the audience, shouts with it. In the Blood has the ability to begin a cultural conversation that plays off of the racial consciousness of America. And only here will that conversation be the loudest it can be. As America goes, so goes thuh world.

Fucking A.

Pencils Down!

2011-01-20T22:01:00.000-08:00

For a few months now, I've been trying to write a "desert island musicals" post, where I get to talk about the musicals that I think have personally affected me and my taste in theatre so far. No luck. I have a hard time putting my thoughts down. That's what this blog is for. I want to be able to organize my thoughts and, for some reason, I'm still not able to talk about the musicals that I think are the absolute best.

Thankfully, Mr. Peter Filichia of TheaterMania.com and his "2011 Broadway University Mid-Term" are helping me!

I've posted my answers to his questions below, and I think a clear list of favorite musicals is visible.

After reading my answers, I recommend you try and answer all of them. I posted the link to the "mid-term" at the bottom.

Here we go!

1) What show would you go back in a time machine to see?
Tie! I would love to travel back to 1931 and see the first production of Of Thee I Sing. Seeing that musical in the time of the Great Depression would be incredible. Also The Scotsboro Boys... just because I didn't get to see it. And yes, I'm sure that every other community and professional production of TSB will be lovely, but seeing Kander and Ebb's last work on the stage it was written for is what I really want. Not to mention the show is apparently fantastic.

2) What show that you’ve already seen would you go back in a time machine to re-experience?
The Producers. My first Broadway show. And I must say, I think I could've enjoyed myself a lot more.

Also the Miranda Sings concert I went to a few months ago...

3) What upcoming cast recording was the one to which you were most looking forward to getting and hearing?
White Noise. I'm so intrigued! It's coming to Chicago, and you better believe I'll be there!

UPDATE: disappointed.

4) What cast album have you played the most?
Easily Songs from an Unmade Bed. It's my walking/working/cleaning/napping music. The Producers and Of Thee I Sing are up there too.

5) Which performers did you imitate when you were a kid – or, for that matter, which ones do you imitate now?
Tootie from Meet Me In St. Louis was one of my favorite impressions as a kid. My parents would have me do it for their friends at dinner parties. I eventually grew out of it. Now, my mother and I have both moved on to Little Edie Beale. My Roger Moore is also world class.

6) When you get to heaven, what Broadway-themed items would you most like to see in your gift bag?
Malcolm Gets.

7) If fictional Broadway characters were on Facebook, which ones would you choose as your friends?
Sophia from The Color Purple, the entire gang from Avenue Q, Joanne from Company, Little Edie from Grey Gardens, Roger and Carmen from The Producers, and Alexander Throttlebottom from Of Thee I Sing.

8) Name a well-beloved hit that you can't stand. Tell why.
Shows that non-theatre people immediately start talking about the moment I say I direct musical theatre. I mean, I'm not unwilling to share the title of "theatre person," but don't expect Wicked and Hairspray to get you any street cred.

9) Conversely, name a reviled flop that you either like or believe is just "not that bad" and got a raw deal. Tell why.
Carrie isn't bad, and would do incredibly well with a few tweaks. (Good luck MCC theatre with your off-Broadway revival!)

I'm also a fan of Let 'Em Eat Cake, the failed sequel to Of Thee I Sing. No, it was not right for the audience of the time. Messages of tyranny and government control didn't go over well in post-depression, pre-WWII America. But give it another shot. It's funny and has the potential to be really powerful, especially with this Tea-Party movement. There are some real parallels to a few characters and general themes. Lookin' at you, Scott Miller.

And you know what? Put Grey Gardens back up!

10) What Broadway songs have you tired of?
"For Good," "You Can't Stop the Beat," "All That Jazz," and whatever they do on Glee. Those songs are everywhere, and if I have to continue listening to Lia Michelle pretending to be someone else, I'll just leave. Legit. Just leave.

11) What Broadway songs do you believe you will never tire of?
Impossible. It's gonna happen.

12) Name the DVDs that you proudly own that you had to go into the children’s section to get.
I'm not sure I have an answer to this one... I'll think about it.

13) What's the strangest look you ever got from a Broadway professional when you gushed about a project that apparently meant much more to you?
I wish I had an interesting "mean celebrity" story, but no. I once got a picture and briefly chatted with a very tired Emily Skinner. That's about the worst.

14) What song do you wish you had been the first to hear -- meaning that you'd be at a composer and/or lyricist's workspace and s/he'd say, "Come here, listen to this. I just finished it." And once you listened, what would be your response?
My immediate answer is "Another Winter in a Summer Town" from Grey Gardens, but this is one where I keep second-guessing myself. I guess my response would be... well I would do a bad thing. Then pretend I wrote it.

15) If you were introducing an adult to theater -- and wanted the person to love theater as much as you -- to what show would you take him or her?
Tough one. But I think Avenue Q is my answer. Its ability to poke fun at its own theatricality and the familiarity of its source material makes it easy for anyone to enjoy. You're not asking anyone to really dive into the psyches of these characters. It's just rude, crude, and fucking hilarious. Also really sweet.

16) What performer or show moved you to boo – and why?
I've never booed a performance, thank God. But... in my brain... I must say I didn't really care for Thoroughly Modern Millie. Ever.

17) What question would you most like to ask a Broadway professional about the making of a show?

Mind if I join you?

Alright I'm done! Let's hear what you've got!

http://www.theatermania.com/peterfilichia/permalinks/2011/01/19/the-2011-broadway-university-mid-term-part-ii/

Cheers!

-Jake

I Should Say This

2011-01-19T13:59:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011 everyone! This will be a short post, but I just wanted to announce a few very exciting things, which I'll tackle one at a time. (#3 is my favorite...)

1. It's official! The poster is done (please note the heart carved into the bed and love it), the performance space is booked, and we have official dates and times! Hooray! The addition of the heart to the poster came fairly naturally. As beautiful and surreal as it was originally, I really wanted some touch of humanity within this world. It's perfect now. I promise I won't touch it.

Songs from an Unmade Bed will be performed at Mary's Attic in Andersonville (http://www.yelp.com/biz/marys-attic-chicago) on April 15 & 16 at 7:30 pm. I absolutely love the atmosphere of the place. Yes, it's a bar. A gay bar, but I really couldn't think of a better (alternative) space for this show. My first choice was to have it performed at the Westboro Baptist Church, but the owner was a dick, so we got this. What's really cool is that as soon as our show is over, the place turns back into a bar. Of course, we recommend that everyone stay! After-party!

2. We've officially announced the audition date, time, and place! Auditions will take place on February 21 in Theatre Building room 203. We'll be posting the time slots on the audition board one week before, along with our revised order of the show, a brief synopsis, division of the songs, and recommended styles of audition materials. Of course, only Columbia students may audition, and there is a 99.99% chance that it will be an all-male cast.

The flyer to the right can be found all around the theatre building. I just posted it here because I felt like it. Tell your friends.

3. Like I said, this is my favorite. It has been 24 days since the Collective's Kickstarter page went up, and I am incredibly proud to say that not only have we reached our $750 goal, we've nearly doubled it. With 11 days to go, we've raised $1,135! I've also received an incredibly generous donation of $300 outside of Kickstarter from my lovely folks, most of which will cover the rights to Unmade Bed. I am so-so-so grateful to everyone who has contributed so far. In fact, I'm going to list all of you now...

Dan and Melissa Fruend (my incredibly generous parents whom I love), Scott Miller (director of New Line Theatre), Cathy Jost, Barry Kirk, Jeff Copeland, Rebecca Bradford, Tracy Frost-Schulze, Barbara Opinsky, Susan Schindel, Heidi Leopold, Michael Meiners, Charlotte Pagano, Diana Fruend, Curt Fruend, Carol Hurst, JR Slubowski, JoAngela Burk, Blaine Stramek, Tim Schulze, Teressa LaGamba, Lynn Fruend, Rob Meihofer, Robert Meihofer Sr.

Things are moving forward, and I'm excited to see where this takes us!

Cheers!

-Jake

To Bed and Back

2010-12-27T15:28:00.000-08:00

Happy holidays, everyone! I hope that your holiday of choice was as fantastic as mine!

Songs from an Unmade Bed approaches. In a little more than a month, we will begin rehearsing with a set cast. How exciting! In the meantime, we prepare for auditions and plan for the future. I've got a whole bushel of very exciting things to talk about, so I'm just going to jump in!

As you can see, the Songs from an Unmade Bed poster is both finished and stunning! The Collective has its first poster, and I couldn't be prouder of it. I feel that it perfectly captures the musical's urban environment, its subtle warmth, and its dreamlike, surrealistic atmosphere. I could go on and on talking about the sort-of gothic feel and almost kind-of if you look really hard phallic symbolism within this image of the Brooklyn bridge looming over these two pillows and empty bed sheets. The image is neither threatening or imposing, nor is it in any way comforting. Beds and bedrooms are naturally perceived as safe, secure environments, but there is a sense of vulnerability within this image. These four men that dwell within this emotional space for this show, whether they are aware of it or not, are all struggling to find some sort of comfort in their loneliness. However, they each have become so dependent on companionship in one form or another, that every moment of loneliness is spent dwelling on the need for social, physical, and emotional connections. The big city and the men of their pasts all seem to reside faintly in the air just above this hazy, somewhat ethereal place. I look forward to exploring these newly developed characters once a cast is decided, and discovering not only the subtle similarities between them (seeing as they have been molded from one single character), but also what sets them apart from each other.

As fun as it is, and as fun as it will be, Songs from an Unmade Bed is not going to be the only project on my plate for much longer. After talking with the Collective board members, I've decided to begin researching a new piece to present next fall. I'll be proposing it shortly, and I'm incredibly excited to begin exploring and learning as much as I can about the world of this incredibly unique musical. However, before I reveal the title of the crazy thing I'll hopefully be doing next fall, I'd like to take a moment to plug two of the other projects that the Collective will be producing!

Shortly before leaving his post as chair of the Columbia Theatre Department, Sheldon Patinkin authored a massive comprehensive history of musical theatre titled No Legs, No Jokes, No Chance. The book is the official textbook for the Musical Theatre History courses at the school, and is currently being adapted into a musical revue by fellow Collective board members Jon Martinez and Andrea Soule. The revue will escort the audience through a condensed history of American musical theatre and will open in early September, with auditions in May.

Recently, Collective board member Jon Martinez also put out a call for new, student-written musical theatre pieces. The plan is to workshop and minimalistically stage an original piece in one of Columbia's small theaters. Material has been submitted, and I believe a show has been chosen, but it's not my place to reveal it. Best to wait until Jon gives me the go-ahead!

Now...

To Hell and Back is a one-act, 45-minute contemporary opera by composer Jake Heggie and Librettist Gene Scheer, originally performed in San Francisco as a commission for the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in 2006. I discovered it not too long after I began listening to Songs from an Unmade Bed. (Jake Heggie was a contributing composer for the piece.) I love it, and I have a hard time keeping the grin off of my face when I listen to it. Now, I ask that you not be thrown by the word "opera." I prefer to think of it as a musical sung from beginning to end, not unlike Songs from an Unmade Bed.

The play is set just before the new millennium and centers on two women living in a small Appalachian town. One is Stephanie, a young woman married to a man named Peter, who is violently abusive. Stephanie's mother-in-law is Anne, a world-weary, apparently single mother of Peter and another unnamed brother. As Stephanie falls farther and farther into the Hell that Peter has created for her, Anne struggles to decide whether she should be the one to save her, while also continuously grappling with the fact that Peter has become a monster. The relationship of these women is not so much driven by their love for one another or their supportive friendship, but instead by their silence. And while this story certainly feels rather contemporary, it is, in fact, as ancient as the Greeks.

"The Rape of Persephone" is the ancient Greek mythological story of Persephone and Hades (Pluto in Roman mythology). It was believed the Goddesses Persephone and her mother, Demeter, presided over the fertility of the Earth as well as the cycle of life and death. One day, the envious God of the Underworld, Hades, stole young Persephone away in order to make her his queen. He split open the Earth and grabbed the girl, racing on a chariot back to the Underworld. Just before re-entering the ground, Hades was stopped by a water nymph, Cyane. The nymph pleaded with Hades to let the girl go. The God cast the water nymph aside and plunged back down into the Earth, leaving the Nymph to melt into a pool of tears (eventually becoming what is known as Lake Cyane today). With her daughter gone, Demeter refused to let anything on the Earth grow, and once Persephone had been returned to her mother, she was already doomed to spend one half of every year as the Queen of Hell. Her annual return to her mother was believed to coincide with the coming of Spring and Summer.

This Greek tale of death and rebirth is not the only element of this musical tying the past with the present. Heggie's composition alone provides some of the most unique musical concepts in the contemporary world of musical theatre. Stephanie, our young, abused Goddess of Spring and Queen of Hell, was originally played by Ms. Isabella Bayrakdarian, an world-renowned classical soprano, while Anne, on the other hand, our slowly-melting nymph/mother-in-law, was played by none other than Ms. Patti LuPone. A classical soprano and a Broadway belter singing together accompanied by a Baroque orchestra may be slightly difficult to imagine, but oddly enough, nothing appears out of place. It works. And somehow the sound alone manages to beautifully connect these fragments from the past to the present. The story and the pain it communicates are timeless.

To Hell and Back is a story of death and rebirth, of capture and escape, and of silence, blood, and tears. But between all of these moments of despair and pain lies a truly unique, and far-too-common story about two women, both longing to be heard. The piece is one of the most powerful I've heard in a long time, and I really look forward to discovering more within it. I don't plan on writing anymore about To Hell and Back until Songs from an Unmade Bed is nearly finished. I don't want to get distracted! Like I said, I'm honored to have the chance to work on these two pieces. And no matter what happens, I know there's a lot to be learned!

On another, much more needy note: I've officially launched a fundraising page for the Musical Theatre Collective! Please take a moment to check out the page and pledge a dollar or two! You can also read more about the Collective and watch me babble! Unless we reach our funding goal (a measly $750), we don't get a penny. We have 30 days to reach our goal, so please help out if you can. Tell your friends! http://kck.st/hI5o4E

Thanks for reading!

Long live the musical!

Your pal,

Jake

Songs from an Unmade Bed

2010-11-21T22:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I haven't done the best job of keeping this a secret, but the Musical Theatre Collective's first production will be Mark Campbell's Songs from an Unmade Bed, directed by yours truly. Woohoo!

Not only will this be the (newly restructured) Musical Theatre Collective's first production in over two years, but it will be the first time the musical has been performed in the city of Chicago. How exciting!

Now for those of you who have no idea what Songs from an Unmade Bed is, allow me to fill you in...

Songs from an Unmade Bed was written as a song cycle for one performer, a pianist, and a cellist. What makes this show unique is the fact that while Mark Campbell wrote the lyrics to all 18 songs, each song was actually composed by a different composer. Campbell sent his lyrics out to fellow theatre-lovers such as Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening), Jake Heggie (Dead Man Walking, Moby Dick), and Debra Barsha (Radiant Baby), and each piece returned as a fully arranged piece of music. The performer Michael Winther helped Campbell conceptualize the piece and starred as the show's only character when it opened in 2005 at the New York Theatre Workshop.

The show is set on a quiet, sleepless night in the bedroom of a single gay man living in New York City. As the the man lies in bed, his mind begins to wander, as minds often do. "I could die here tonight" is the first lyric of the evening, and somehow it perfectly sets the tone. The man begins to reflect upon his love life, re-living moments from his past. Each song captures just a fragment from each experience. In one song, he is alone and incredibly frustrated as spring flowers just begin to bloom ("Spring" by Gihieh Lee). Next, he believes that he's playing the role of the mistress, but after snooping through his lover's phone, discovers that he is not the mistress, but the substitute mistress ("The Other, Other Woman" by Jake Heggie). In another song (my personal favorite), he expresses regret over the one-night stand that could have been something more ("Perfect, Finite" by Chris Miller). Each and every song is filled with such honesty and warmth that it simply engulfs the listener. And though 18 different composers wrote these pieces, nothing is out of place. It all melts together perfectly. Like a good fondu. I'm hungry...

While this is a show about a gay man, the plot is not necessarily tailored to fit a gay man, which I think is an incredible gift. There is no coming-out story and no political agenda (as the NYTimes review put it). This show is simply about love. And as I said before, it doesn't say anything shocking or new about the subject, but it puts it in a setting in which it's not often seen. Songs from an Unmade Bed simply presents a well-painted portrait of the contemporary homosexual male. And if for some reason these songs were performed by a woman or a straight man as a woman or straight man, it could go unnoticed, and has. But we want to be noticed, don't we boys?

Though the show is still months away, I'm thrilled to be pouring my soul into it. Right now, I'm working on adapting this show to fit multiple performers (ideally four), which would create four overlapping story-arcs within a single setting. Are they best friends? Lovers? The same person? Complete strangers? That's another blog post... The original staging required only a bed, and possibly a bedroom setup, which I will keep, but twist slightly. The bedroom will not be a literal bedroom, but instead an "emotionally truthful" bedroom (thank you, John Patrick Shanley). Our bed will be built upon the history of these four men; artifacts from their past relationships. The bed will stand over a pile of what we would see as junk, but these men see as relics that their hearts can not simply let go of. Fragments of sexuality and emotion captured within a single object, such as a stuffed animal, love letter, condom wrapper, etc.

The challenge of adapting this material to fit multiple performers is creating well-rounded characters. The original piece has 18 songs to tell the audience who this performer is. Can we do it with four songs per-person? Let's just wait and see!

Whatever happens, I know that this will be an incredibly fun ride. I look forward to writing more about this process and seeing where this show takes us. I also look forward to working with the Collective and creating great musical theatre for such an amazing theatre program. I'm so lucky to be working with such a cracker jack team! We're already tossing around ideas for shows next year...

Believe me, you'll be the first to know what we're up to. ; )

Long live the musical.

Your pal,

Jake

Let's Put on a Show

2010-10-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

Curtain up! Light the Lights!!

Well... not yet.

But soon.

Soon enough.

Thanks to the Columbia College Chicago Musical Theatre Collective and Faculty, I now have a pet musical.

This musical will be mine to grow and present to the world next spring.

Now I'm not going to tell you which musical.

I want to keep the suspense going for a little while longer. ; )

Watching a bunch of gay boys clamor around trying to figure things out is just too much fun.

But I couldn't be more excited.

In my opinion, I'm here in Chicago and at Columbia to find my voice as an artist.

I'm all for jumping through the hoops I need to jump through in order to graduate, but I think it's incredibly important for me to get my work out there in a safe space (when my paycheck isn't riding on it). I want to be able to learn from mistakes and experience.

As a directing major, there are plenty of hoops to jump through. There's a pretty big handful of prerequisites for even a Directing I class.

I firmly believe that I've been paying my dues as a young inexperienced director for quite a while. I directed (and sometimes wrote) shows all through my high school career, and had an amazing opportunity to work as an Assistant Director for New Line Theatre last summer.

So why then, should I wait until my junior year to get a ten-minute play produced?

I'm all for learning about Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, William Shakespeare, Christopher Durang, and expanding my theatrical knowledge, but my passion is musical theatre. (Gay. I know.)

According to the Colum Directing curriculum, directing a musical wouldn't even be possible until Directing IV my senior year. (I've even got a nice shiny musical picked out... *wink wink*)

Even then, all projects must be approved by my peers and the faculty, and not every musical pitched is approved. In fact, on average, there are only one or two musical directing projects a year.

Enter the Musical Theatre Collective.

This small organization of musical theatre students has been producing small-time musicals for years now.

The group offers opportunities for young directors, techies and performers to put-on musicals. This all takes place outside of the directing program, giving me an opportunity to get some experience.

For the past year, the collective hasn't really been seen or heard from, but thanks to some awesome musical theatre students I'm proud to call my friendly acquaintances, the collective is coming back in a big way. They'll be producing two shows in the coming semester.

The first will be an original revue (to liven up the base), and then my show.

Now as for the musical itself....

I'm still not going to tell you what it is.

But it's a show I feel a strong connection to. I think everyone should.

Even if they've never listened to the music or heard of it, I think it has a theme that stretches across all boundaries.

The show presents love in a way that is seen all the time, and yet not often enough.

It's a show that says, "My love isn't any different than your love. I laugh, I cry, I hurt, and I wait for love just like you do."

At the end of the day, no matter who we are, we are all singing the same song and longing for the same thing.

It manages to do this is a way that is brutally honest and revealing. It's not a typical shallow search for love. It's a wise assessment of what it means to love, to be in love, and to be loved.

One song even poses a question... what does it mean to just sing? To not care what the song is about or whether or not it has words. To just find pure joy in the thrill of a note. And eventually, the note can't be held any longer, and we stop to breath. Then we continue.

Now what does it mean to just love?

Think about it.

To see this theme presented by young actors I think is very exciting. It only helps to expand the reach of the message to a young gay community that I think really needs this message right now.

In a world where teens and children are thrown aside socially and bullied simply because they are different, I think an all-encompassing theme of love presented in a very (dare I say it) gay way is a good place to begin self-discovery.

Though there is pain and heartbreak within this show, it's final line is "it has happened before, it will happen again." This is certainly an "it gets better" show.

For fear of giving away too much, I'll stop here.

But I look forward to writing about the process and the discoveries I make along the way.

This will certainly be an interesting trip. I can only hope I make it out alive!

On a side-note, I've been vegan for 18 days now. Thursday is my last day.

It's been a lot of fun!!

I recommend you give it a try. Maybe I'll post some recipes on this mofo.

Expect another post fairly soon, my lovelies.

Once again, a big thank you to Scott Miller. Just because I feel like it.

Long live the musical ; )

-Jake

PS: It gets better.

Bacon with the Bathwater

2010-10-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

Chapter 1 - Vegenaise Saves the World

I'm a vegan now.

I know it seems sudden, but I've been planning this little experiment for six months.

Doing research, getting recipes and trying to convince my roommates to do it with me. (One agreed to do it.)

I'll be a vegan for 21 days. That's all. I just want to prove I can do it. Then I want to eat a steak.

I started on October 1st, and so far, it's going really well. It's not as hard and annoying as everyone makes it out to be. When you place yourself in an environment where temptation is not an issue, then it's easy as pie. Even though I can't eat pie. I even went out to eat at a thai place last night. And sure, I asked a ton of silly questions about which types of noodles had egg in them, what kinds of broths they used, and how many items I could substitute... but hey, it's her job to listen to me!

I've found some lovely cookbooks for the occasion. My absolute favorite is "The Conscious Cook" by chef Tal Ronnen. It really satisfies the foodie in me. I recommend you check it out, even for just some inspiration. It's truly an amazing book. No hippie food!

Now I've only been vegan for a couple of days, but the planning time for this was certainly interesting. You learn a lot about people when you tell them you're (going to be) a vegan. A lot of people are very threatened by the very concept. They've grown up in a culture of meat, which is great. I support a meat-based culture (This is still PG, right?). But for someone to go and change that, even for only themselves, people who are devoted to their meat intake are strangely offended. They challenge the vegenator, but no matter how many questions they ask, and how many answers they receive, they cannot understand. I'll have to admit, I've known some vegetarians in my time. And I always thought it was like a game, or a joke or something. I never took their diet seriously.

But something very cool happens when you eliminate meat from your life, even for just a couple of days. My brain just feels better. I'm excited to cook every single meal. It's something so new and exciting, I'm just happier. I'm sure that eventually the vegan romance will fade, and I'll begin to crave steak again, but for now, I'm very content.

Give yourself a week. That's all. 7 days of veganism. You will NOT be disappointed. Let me know how it goes : )

Chapter 2 - Durang Durang

I'm taking a scene study class this semester. We were all just assigned our first two-person scenes. Mine is the opening scene from Christopher Durang's Baby with the Bathwater. I've actually read the play before. My junior year of high school, Todd Schaefer gave me a monologue to practice from the play. It was Daisy's monologue. Daisy is a boy who is raised as a girl by his parents, John and Helen, who are insane. While the topic is fairly grim, the humor in this play is so thick you can just swim in it. I'm reading the part of John, and my partner Jess is reading Helen. In the scene, John and Helen have just brought their baby home from the hospital. The magic only lasts a second, then the challenges of parenthood set in. I'm not going to give anything away, since you all should read this, but the play makes me want to say... thank you. Mom and Dad. So much. For not being (totally) insane.

Chapter 3 - bye.

Let's see what happens next...

Love,

Jake

2010-09-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

I've officially changed my major at Columbia to Directing, thanks to Scott Miller and New Line Theatre.

And every now and then, I do a little research on culinary grad schools...

; )

Why should I pick which of my children I love more??

And now, my favorite quote... in binary...

01100110 01101111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110110 01100101 01110010 01111001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01100011 01101000 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01100001 01110100 01110010 01100101 00101110

-James Beard

Beckett and boeuf bourguignon forever!

-Jake

I've always been terrible at blogging.

2010-07-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

I've had 4 blogs in my life.

None of them (with the exception of this one) have more than one post.

One meaningless random thought about food, gay rights or my boring life, tossed out into the digital universe for all to see.

Needless to say, I'm terrible at blogging.

It's very hard for me to sit down and talk about what I see or do.

I need to improve this skill.

Anyway.

Evita.

The show has been open for two weeks, and runs for another two weeks.

I am constantly amazed by this show.

Somehow, it never gets old.

This cast, this director, this crew, these audiences, all bring so much to each show.

Every night I see something new, or notice another theme, or connect two sets of lyrics.

It is amazing.

Everyone should see every-show-ever at least 15 times.

I mean really, wouldn't that be the best way to truly understand what you were watching?

Shouldn't theatre critics come to see a show more than once?

For the sake of the art?

Anyway.

Evita.

Every night I am pulled into this world, as if for the first time.

It's like Narnia, but a lot less gay.

It fades in slowly, but soon enough I am spinning through the life of Eva Perón.

And every night, I find myself shedding tears for little Eva.

Scott doesn't cry.

I find it very interesting that while most of the audience is very melancholy at the end of the show, there is always a small handful of people laughing and singing and carrying on like no one has just died in front of their faces.

They think to themselves, "That bitch got what she deserved."

I cannot sympathize with them. No matter how hard I try.

I suppose a person could make a connection between people who hate Eva Peron and people who hate Barack Obama, but I'll leave that to Scott Miller.

Taylor is fantastic.

Todd is fantastic.

Scott is fantastic.

Everyone is fantastic.

And I am so proud to be a part of this show.

Come see it.

Again.

Here's to (hopefully) many more blog posts!

-J

PS: Shout-out to Matt Dumke, who was this year's New Line Scholarship winner!

I had the chance to meet him last weekend at Evita.

He's following in my giant footsteps.

Way to go, buddy.

It seems crazy, but you must believe...

2010-06-10T23:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone.

I’m sorry this post is so overdue!

I’ve honestly sat down to write about this show maybe 100 times, and it just doesn’t happen.

I’m finding it exceedingly difficult to talk about this epic show, but I’m going to force myself to do it.

The cast has run act 1 from start to finish, with (almost) all of the blocking three times.

And somewhere in the second run, it clicked.

In the first run, I found myself very entertained. More than I thought I would be, in fact.

But somewhere in the second run, I found myself not only entertained, but actually relating to Eva Perón.

Now this realization didn’t come as galloping shock, but Eva and I for a long time didn’t see eye to eye.

I felt that I could not relate to her because she is such a lofty figure.

This was not helped by Evita.

I also had this entirely negative view about her. I believe that she bought the loyalty of the people and was a ruthless tyrant. To an extent, this is how she can be viewed, but I quickly realized that she was just a human being.

I think for too long, I was almost afraid of this piece because it is so freaking epic.

I think that as a 20 year old (almost...) with no real connection to Argentina, Eva, the 1940s, or 1970s theatre, I skipped over this piece in my own theatrical journey because I believed that I could not relate to it.

This can be said about any musical I wasn’t alive to see originally.

In fact, when I was interviewed by Judy Newmark for winning New Line’s scholarship last year, I told her that I “hated old theatre.”

Ooops....

I don’t think “hate” was the correct word....

Todd even threatened to take away my gay card.

Let me try to put this in context.

I love to cook.

And I don’t think it is possible to “hate cooking.”

I read a cute article on the Huffington Post titled “10 Reasons Why You Hate to Cook,” that really delves into the idea of “hating cooking.”

According to the article, this is why you hate to cook...

You suck at it.
You’re slow.
You have crappy knives.
You pick complicated recipes.
You choose out of season ingredients.
You skipped the farmers market.
You only cook for large groups
Your pantry is inadequate.
You only cook for special occasions.
You don’t ask for help.

In the intro to the article, the author, Darya Pino (summertomato.com) makes an excellent point:

“Do you really hate asparagus, or are you just whining about something you haven’t bothered to learn to appreciate? Yeah, I thought so.”

Now, did I really hate theatre that was older than me, or was I just whining about something I hadn’t bothered to learn to appreciate? Yeah... I thought so.

Now, a person is ALLOWED to not like green peppers or The Phantom of the Opera, but to throw the entire concepts of cooking or “old theatre” out the window is simply childish.

Allow yourself to be surprised by discovering new things.

It’s like watching Citizen Kane for the first time, and being shocked that they’re speaking English.

Yes, it sometimes takes a bit of basic knowledge about the time period or the topic in general to truly appreciate a piece of art, but I think that even if you don’t necessarily know exactly what they’re talking about, anyone can relate to the humanity of a piece.

Eva Perón is such a lofty figure, that it can seem like she is untouchable.

(Madonna playing her didn’t really help either.)

But I think that in this show, she really does float down from her cloud castle and stands before us, human.

And that is when we truly understand who she was.

Not a hero. Not a villain. Just human.

I discovered all of this the second time I saw act 1...

I can’t wait to see act 2.

Truthfully, I can’t wait to see it twice.

The cast is absolutely amazing. I’m constantly blown away. Taylor, Todd, John, Zac, Terrie, and the ensemble are kicking some ass. I can not wait to see where else this show takes me!

In summary...

Come see Evita. Then come see it again.

Peace, love, and marriage,

Jake

Hi there, Internet. I'm Jake, and this is my friend, Evita.

2010-05-19T13:32:00.000-07:00

Wow! My first Blog! How exciting!

My name is Jake.

This summer, I have the AMAZING opportunity to work as the assistant director (aka intern...) at New Line Theatre for their summer production of Evita!

I shit my pants just thinking about it.

I'm going to try to use this blog-thing to get my thoughts out there, and share my journey through this show with whomever may be listening.

The internet is the only thing that listens to me.

I'm currently a Musical Theatre Performance major at Columbia College Chicago in... well... Chicago. Duh.

I am having such a blast in the Windy City, and I absolutely love performing in such an artistically energized place! What a rush!

I've already gotten the chance to perform in five OUTSTANDING productions in Chicago!

I've played parts in Jason Robert Brown's Songs for a New World (singing "I'd Give It All for You" and "Hear My Song"), Bert V. Royal's Dog Sees God (playing CB), selections from Suzan-Lori Parks' 365 Days 365 Plays, and two original pieces of theatre! It has been so much fun! All in just 9 months! Holler!

While I love performing, I've really always looked to directing as something I needed to do.

Scott Miller has given me such a wonderful chance to work with him and his genius brain, and I want to see where this takes me!

Who knows? Maybe I'll be a director some day!

I think there's something living in my basement, but I can't find it, and it smells like shit.

I'm very, very new to Evita.

Of course I've heard of it and saw the movie years ago, but I've never really taken the time to discover it. In fact, when I was introduced to it... I didn't really like it that much... don't tell Scott, Internet.

However, listening to it again, I'm really starting to find the beauty in this piece!

I guess I'm just a little anti-Andrew Lloyd Weber...

But isn't everyone?

On March 2nd, I had the opportunity to see Patty LuPone and Mandy Patinkin in An Evening with Patty LuPone and Mandy Patinkin at the Cadillac Palace Theatre in Chicago.

Simply being in a room with that kind of talent was electrifying!

I opened my playbill (which I eventually had signed by the two!), and saw that Ms. LuPone would be singing "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," and I nearly threw-up rainbows.

Ms. LuPone did not sing "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina."

The bitch flew right over the song.

Now, I'm sure Patti had her reasons, but DAMN! IT!

Two months later, I was hit by a car.

It's been a good year.

However, just getting to watch Patti and Mandy perform was a treat.

But still.

Damn it.

Anyway, I can't wait to get to work on Evita. Scott has such an amazing cast and crew signed on, and I'm oh, so excited to work with them! (Especially my High School drama teacher Todd Schaefer, playing Peron!)

Anyway, I'm gonna wrap this up, but keep tabs on me, Internet.

Say hi to your mother for me.

More to come!

Long live me.

-Jake