GRATIANO in The Merchant of Venice

Here I am with our costume designer, Aviva. She's really just measuring me or something, although it really looks like she's giving me a blowjob.




































Here I am goading Antonio in Merchant's first scene.




























I think this is when I'm taunting Shylock about his not having any money.




































This is either when I'm being guided offstage by Lorenzo in scene one, or when I'm miffed by his description of his girlfriend's "page's suit." I'm not sure which.

Common Decency by Ann Marie Healy

The play I was just in (ended last Sunday) was called Common Decency. It was about a little town in Michigan called Calumet (an actual REAL little town in Michigan) and the quirks and pitfalls of living there. I had the glamorous role of "townsperson" (ensemble). My one individual line was: "Oh my god, he's takin' her right now!"

It was a really fun show to do, though. I basically got to sit around and learn things, and watch MFA acting students work, and then not have to do very much actual work myself. Good times. The play was one of three new plays going up this year as part of Brown/Trinity's New Plays Festival. All plays were written by MFA playwrights, directed by MFA directors (except ours, who was directed by a professional), and acted by MFA actors (and undergrad actors, who filled out the casts in smaller roles). The whole thing was great fun.

Our play is centered on the little town of Calumet and its inhabitants, Old Man McCauley (owner of the town general store where all the action took place), Old Man Aggie (the town rabble rouser and owner of a neighboring shop), Old Man Kenghis (a kind old man whose wife has just committed suicide), little Jake-O (McCauley's apprentice, a young man with a stuttering problem and a lot of heart), Minnie Willet (the town outcast, a bookish type who often makes up stories), and Lila & Eleanor Willet (Minnie's selfish cousins). Jake-O and Minnie are the true leads, and they fall in a kind of uncertain, desperate love in the middle of Act 1. Events from then on spin into comedy and then spiral into tragedy via misunderstanding, groupthink, and general intolerance of difference. To say more would spoil the story (and I don't think I'm even allowed to do that, since it's a new and not yet published play), so that's all I'll say.

Anyway, here are some more photos from the show:




Can you pick me out of the crowd?

Hint: I look really stupid (it's the costume).

Hmmm... I guess these photos give you a good idea of what happens later in the play (they're from the big, climatic, penultimate scene). But I still didn't tell the story. For the record. ; )

I miss Proof.

Proof has closed... and I am in withdrawal.

Sure, now I have my life back, and will have time now to do things like eat, sleep, read, work out, and go to movies, but I would rather just keep doing Proof. I already miss everyone and feel an overwhelming sense of emptiness and heartache.

At least we'll always have the memories.


Bye bye, cast. I will love you forever.

"Life Goals"... and my picture...

As I sit here typing on my blog, I have gotten to thinking of all the things I wish I knew how to do, and put to use. So I thought I'd type them here (if only so I had them recorded somewhere, so I could go back to them later and check my progress). These are basically my life goals (and by "life goals," I really mean "things I'd like to get learn/do within the next 10 or so years, so I can actually use said skills while I'm still young." Goals are listed in approximate order of priority:

1) Fall in love, and maintain a loving relationship with someone.

2) Have lots of great sex, with or without said person.

3) Become a successful actor/singer.

4) Add onto that, a successful writer/songwriter/composer.

5) Become a better dancer.

6) Learn to cook a few things very, very well (like certain salads, pies, pasta sauces, etc.).

7) See lots of good movies.

8) Read lots of good books/plays.

9) Become skilled on piano (which I once was), and guitar (which I never have been).

10) Become reasonably fluent in french (which I have studied formally), spanish (of which I know a bit), and italian (of which I know only a few words).

11) Obtain reasonably facility in German and/or Polish (the languages of my heritage.

12) Become extremely computer savvy (i.e. learn HTML, Photoshop, Final Cut, Garabe Band, etc.), and maybe expand the blog into my own website.

13) Get adequate sleep.

Note that the goal about sleep is right down at the bottom of the list... hence my being up at 3am right now (the timer on my blog is wrong), typing words aimlessly.

I don't think these are too terribly difficult to achieve, though... one thing at a time... and the bottom few things aren't all that important anyway... heh...

(oops, I forgot my goal about directing a play and/or my own film someday... oh well... that one probably won't happen anyway)