I need show ticks. STAT!

I'm totally going through show withdrawal. I mean, I haven't been in a theatre (movies don't count, fyi: I saw The Ruins last Thursday- gross, but in a good way) in a week! It's embarrassing, but I'm actually becoming one of those show freaks that I used to make fun of.

When I was performing full-time (read happy but starving) I had neither the time nor the economic means to accommodate a lifestyle of weekly theatrical consumption. I take that back. I had plenty of free time (when I wasn't participating in Shakespeare readings, tap class, Alexander technique sessions, Lincoln Center archive study and...oh, who am I kidding, I just went to the gym and watched a lot of TV), but not during that magic 8PM time slot. And who can afford to go to the theater on an actor's salary anyway? Well, now that I'm transitioning into the actor/director category - watch your back Joe Mantello - attending shows feels more like research and less about making fun of people you don't like or grumbling about how much better you would have been in fill-in-the-blank's role. 

Luckily, I'll get my fix Thursday when Trish and I go see the off-Broadway play, Good Boys and True. And yes, I do actually see plays, too. But hopefully I'll get my fix sooner, since I'm planning to try and TKTS A Catered Affair tomorrow night. And I cannot believe I just used TKTS as a verb.

For anyone interested, the production of Oklahoma! that I'm co-directing and choreographing opens in two weeks. I hear you snickering Chris Johnson. I am equally as surprised and confounded that I have suddenly become a choreographer. We shall never again speak of the hours you spent watching me stumble through the hand jive lo those many years ago on tour. Anyway, we've been rehearsing for over a month now and I can't wait for it to just start running already. I know that sounds like an unusually long rehearsal period, but it is community theatre, so we only get to rehearse on the weekends and maybe one other day mid-week.

The community theatre dynamic is quite interesting. Although the same type of political bullsh*t occurs in professional theatre, at least everyone's getting paid to put up with it. Well, I guess in community theatre at least the production team is paid. Well, actually just the choreographer and musical director, but NOT the actual DIRECTOR (at least at this theatre)! The person in charge of the show's artistic vision/concept/staging is not compensated, but the choreographer is? What the f*ck?

Not that the choreographer shouldn't be compensated, but the director's work is at least of equal import. Is it any wonder that community theatre has the reputation it has? Does it make sense to pay the construction workers and contractor of a building project but not the architect? Does it make sense to pay the navigator and the cruise director of a ship but not the captain? It makes absolutely no sense to me. Maybe someone in the community theatre ranks can explain this rationale to me. But that's a totally a rant for a different day. Anyway, despite all that, I'm very proud of this production and the cast of local actors who have dedicated their free time and weekends to sweating it out with me and the other Pinedas.