HUMP DAY CHECK IN - 2/20/13

So the great grey beast of February limps along here in Smith-Conner land. Is it Spring yet? By the look at the outside temperature right now, I'm guessing not. Working outdoors this Winter has really taken it's toll on me.  I am more than ready for warm weather to return before my skin starts to crack apart.

I finally cast the last male role in Thunder Knocking on the Door, so I am excited to unveil my cast very soon! It is an amazingly talented group of performers, and they are certain to rip the roof off of Creative Cauldron this Spring! I will give you two hints until then...the cast features two actors recently seen in Signature Theatre's Dreamgirls, and one actor recently seen in my production of the musical talked about below...Stay tuned for details...

                                                               (Photo by JoNell Franz)
Night of the Living Dead the Musical will play this Fall in St. Louis at New Line Theatre! We are beyond excited to have the full show make it's professional regional debut! I cannot wait to bring you more details through the coming months about the St. Louis NOTLD! Here is an article on Broadway World announcing it!




In the current installment of SH*T I LIKE, we have another film that yielded unexpected results...

This film is ridiculous and entertaining from minute one.  The film explores the genre of "no reason", as a tire raises itself up in a desert, and goes on a killing rampage with it's telekinetic powers. It makes no sense.  It isn't supposed to. It is my current favorite film. The always wonderful Stephen Spinella stars and narrates the film. It is currently on Netflix Instant, so check it out! (WARNING - if you are grossed out by over the top special effects such as exploding heads, skip this one.)

Stanford Mixed Company, an a cappella group I accidentally discovered, has an amazing CD on iTunes called, "The Other Side of Blue".  It features songs by the Indigo Girls, Dave Matthews Band, Madonna, Pat Benetar, U2, and others.  They are an incredible group, and I have NEVER been into a cappella until hearing this CD. Check them out on iTunes, and you can hear their cover of Madonna's Crazy for You HERE.

That is all for now, so until next time - keep battling the great grey beast...March is almost here!
xoxoxoxoxSGS

The Great Grey Beast

"The great grey beast February had eaten Harvey Swick alive. Here he was, buried in the belly of that smothering month, wondering if he would ever find his way out through the cold coils that lay between here and Easter...It was a monstrous month, that was for sure; a dire and dreary month. The pleasures of Christmas, both sharp and sweet, were already dimming in Harvey's memory, and the promise of summer was so remote as to be mythical. There'd be a spring break, of course, but how far off was that? Five weeks? Six? Mathematics wasn't his strong point, so he didn't irritate himself further by attempting -- and failing -- to calculate the days. He simply knew that long before the sun came to save him he would have withered away in the belly of the beast." - Clive Barker, "The Thief of Always".

Here we are, friends...entering the belly of the beast.  Welcome to February.  The coldest, dreariest month of the year, and a month that I have always dreaded since first reading Clive Barker's masterpiece, "The Thief of Always".  I still feel like Harvey Swick felt...buried in the belly of the beast.
So kill some time with me here in the beast's belly. We've nothing else to do, have we? Of course not...
What's new? Thank you for asking. I wish I could say something other than, "Not much." But I can't, really. I am busying myself walking dogs by day and sometimes teaching.  The bar has been closed for three weeks, so even my social interaction in the evenings has been limited. I go back to the bar for the Invited Dress Rehearsal of R&J this afternoon, so I look forward to seeing more people again.  (A sentence that I never thought I would say out loud. lol)
I have cast all but one role in Thunder Knocking on the Door, so we are still searching for him. I am terribly excited about the amazing cast that we have lined up, though, and look forward to announcing the entire cast to you once we have our final member. Rehearsals begin in April, so after surviving the great grey beast of February, I still have to navigate the maleficent murky month of March before I can get to staging the show. COME ON, SPRING!
Since I have not had a show since Whore House closed, I have had some time to be a normal (ish) human being. This has allowed me to get sucked into a number of television shows, including Downton Abbey, American Horror Story: Asylum, The Walking Dead, The New Normal, and RuPaul's Drag Race.  I have never watched so many tv shows, and I am already looking forward to a new A&E series called Bates Motel. This, my friends, is what too much downtime creates.
After fracturing my toes during the end of Whore House, I put on about 10 lbs or so. This was mainly due to an inability to get back to the gym.  So the first week of January, I was back to the gym.  One of my resolutions for the new year was to get back in shape, so off I went. I had two solid days of gym work under my bed when I got stricken with the dreaded Norovirus, which knocked me on my ass for a week. After recovering from that, I have logged about two solid gym weeks in now. It has become a routine part of my day again, and I like when it starts to feel natural like that. By spring, I should be back in business.
Alright, here is the latest Sh*t I like:

A Norwegian film that is about just what it says it is - a troll hunter. This film surprised me, as I never expected to like it at all.  I thought it would be terrible, but boy was I wrong...it is actually an incredible horror film, and the special effects are amazing. It is a MUST WATCH for horror fans. Check out the link here. The movie is on Netflix Streaming!

V/H/S is a compilation horror film, loosely strung together on the premise that a bunch of criminals must break into a house and find a certain video tape that contains evidence that is damning to the person who is paying them to do it. They find hundreds and hundreds of videotapes in this house, including a dead man sitting in front of a tv playing a blank vhs tape. There are nine different directors on this film who do different vignettes and stories as tapes are played, looking for the right tape. The film is seriously freaky, and you can also find it on Netflix streaming.

This compilation cd is EVERYTHING to me right now! Sounds of cars revving engines start most of the songs, and with titles like Drag Race Mama and Hot Rod Lincoln, the cd is not to be missed!

So that wraps up this breathtaking entry.  I hope that I have more of a reason to write something by the next one.  Signing off from inside the belly of the great grey beast, xoxoxoSGS

TGIF - 1/11/13

Checking in with everyone here on a Friday morning before I head out to walk dogs. This has been a rabbit hole of a week for both of us. Late last Thursday night, I started to come down with a terrible stomach bug. By Friday morning, it was serious. By Saturday, I wanted to go to the hospital.  By Sunday night, It started to let up a little.  By Monday, I felt something like a human being again. Unfortunately, Monday evening is when Matt started feeling bad.  So the rest of this week has been taking care of Matt as he battles his way out of this mess. I hope that today is the day he finally starts to feel human again. His birthday was yesterday, and what a terrible way to spend your birthday. Buddha, on the other hand, has lived for having us home so much this past week.


Auditions are coming up on Monday evening for my next project.  I am directing Thunder Knocking on the Door by Keith Glover and Keb'Mo at Creative Cauldron this coming spring. I am looking for an all African American, non union cast. Further details available here.  Please let anyone who may fit this know. I first fell in love with the show when it played at Arena Stage in 1998. I have never seen an audience have such a wonderful time in my whole life.  I still haven't.  Nothing that I have seen has set an audience on fire as much as that show.  Here's hoping that I can capture a bit of that fire for my production this spring!



Ok, that's all for now, gotta go walk the puppies, then tend bar at Dreamgirls tonight (here begins closing weekend of the amazing production).  I hope I can catch a nap in-between! 
I'll wake you all up when something exciting happens.
xoxoSGS

Nevermore Opening Night!

Nevermore opens tonight at Creative Cauldron! Tonight's performance is a benefit to save the Edgar Allan Poe house in Baltimore. A portion of the proceeds will go towards saving the house! Visit www.creativecauldron.org for ticket info, and come on out and see this amazing piece of theatre. It runs October 7th through the 30th on Fridays through Sundays.

xoxoxsgs

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!

The Selfish Giant

My latest project post Sunset Boulevard is an adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Selfish Giant. Matt Conner and I adapted the script, along with Laura Connors Hull. Margie jervis was the scenic designer and Puppet Designer. This new adaptation features new original songs by Matt Conner.
This is my first foray into large scale puppeteering, and I am really loving it! This will hopefully be only the first exploration of this art for me, as I am enjoying the challenge of it. It is a whole new level of conveying emotion and expression that is just fascinating to me. Margie Jervis has designed such a wonderful puppet that it is easy to convey his emotions. The songs by Matt Conner are both joyous and moving when they need to be. They are simply gorgeous...but hey...it's Matt Conner. What do you expect? lol.
The show runs on Friday nights, Saturdays at 2 and &:30, and Sundays at 2pm for the next 3 weekends. tickets are $12 Adults, $10 Children. For more information, or to purchase tickets, click HERE or call
(571) 239-5288.
Here is a link to the first review of the show that has come in so far...read HERE.
UPDATED: Another Review from Falls Church News Press: READ HERE.

Below are photographs from the show, taken by Michelle Kinney.
Hope to see you there soon! xoxoxoSGS

Hump Day update

What's up? What's new? What's going on? Well...I am fighting off a cold, now for the 4th week straight, which just really sucks. I am so tired of being sick, it is driving me insane. But that is hardly breaking news.

In other news, this weekend is a very special one at ArtSpace Falls Church, as the FOURTHwall cabaret series has been extended into September due to popular demand, and kick off the extension week is none other than Matt and Penny Conner. Yes, you heard right. Here is the press release:

"Matt Conner is going back to his roots of Gospel Music and celebrating with his mother Penny. A life long singer and former lead singer with the band "Lonely hearts",she will be singing some of her favorites including Consider the Lillies, Patsy Cline's Crazy, and The Rose, just to name a few. Matt and mom will be sharing stories from childhood including the Annual Christmas Pageants, that were written by Matt, and the many country funerals and weddings. Take a glimpse into a past that has one common family thread: Music!!!"

That is this Saturday, September 11th at ArtSpace Falls Church. Not to be missed. ‎571-239-5288 or http://www.creativecauldron.org/ for tickets.

What else? I just sang at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage for the 5th year in a row. We presented work in development at Signature, including "The Hollow" and "The Boy Detective Fails". You can watch the archive video HERE. Then when you get there, click on the 9/6/10 performance, and there we will be!

Fundraising continues for me and Matt's show, Night of the Living Dead the musical. The Kickstarter web page was started not 24 hours ago, and we are already at over $400!!! We have 29 days to go, so please help me spread the word! Even one dollar will help to raise the dead!!

In case I have not battered you over the head with it enough, HERE is the link to donate.

The first reading of the piece will be held at the Kensington Armory on Monday October 18th at 8pm. It is free and open to the public. Details to follow.

That's about all I know right now, but will check in with more news as it happens! Happy Hump Day, y'all!!!!

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Sorry everyone! Life is a little bit crazy right now - I have not posted much because of this. I am teaching in 3 Fairfax County schools, just choreographed "High School Musical" for Rockville High School, I am doing James Thurber's "Many Moons" at Falls Church Art Space - (see below), am bar tending at Signature, working at Ticketplace (sometimes), and doing a workshop of "Parade" at Ford's Theatre this week. So a very busy man am I. And this is also audition season here in DC, so there has been plenty of that, and ongoing.
More updates will follow soon, as many things are forthcoming - including me doing a DC Fringe show for the first time...stay tuned!
XOXOX
SGS

First Look: Many Moons at Falls Church Art Space

Here are some production photos from my current show, James Thurber's "Many Moons" at Falls Church Art Space. For ticket info and schedule, click HERE. (All tickets are $10.)

Many Moons at Falls Church Art Space

I am playing the King in Creative Cauldron's production of James Thurber's "Many Moons" in Falls Church for the next few weekends. For more information, click HERE.