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

Mea Culpa

Oh dear readers (if any are still out there), forgive me, for I have sinned.  My last blog entry was 3 months ago. Well, much has happened. Cole Porter opened and closed to wonderful reviews, and a Helen Hayes Reccomendation. I was beyond proud.  I loved the show so much, and the performances that Carolyn Cole and Sean Thompson gave were magnificent. Whorehouse went chugging along well, until I fractured two toes near the end of September.  It happened in the middle of the Aggie dance on a matinee.  I finished out both shows (it was a Sunday), then on Monday I went to Urgent Care and got the x-rays proving the two fractures were indeed there. I was out of the show for around a week.

I almost went crazy laying flat on my back for the off time. I should have blogged then, but I was too busy in LivingDead world. The show was in the middle of rehearsals, and I was revising the book, and obsessing over it. And watching Walking Dead, The New Normal, and American Horror Story; Asylum. I finished out the last week of the show, then opened LivingDead, and obsessed over it for the entire run. The run was helpful for me to watch and learn from.  I had an amazing cast, and was very proud of the work we did. The show was well reviewed, and I am still revising it for it's next appearance in St. Louis this coming Fall. The good news is that I am not applying major surgery to the piece, as after the first reading, but merely nips and tucks.

 

After LivingDead was done, I have gone back to my 3 day/night jobs (teaching/walking dogs/bartending). I choreographed a dance sequence for Creative Cauldron's production of "Christmas Cabin of Carnaween", which was reviewed well - "Driven gently ahead by excellent storytelling, folksy singing, and surprisingly good Irish-style dancing in a tiny space, this little production does the job explaining the reason for the season."

I was also featured in a tv spot on the after school classes that I teach.

After (thank GOD) President Obama was re-elected, and in our planning of our June wedding, I was interviewed by the Baltimore Sun about considering Maryland as a wedding location. We are still undecidied, and will probably wait until after the holidays to finalize plans.

The next theatrical project that I have in the pipeline is directing "Thunder Knocking on the Door" at Creative Cauldron this coming Spring. I saw this show at Arena Stage about 10 times in 1998, and am so excited to bring it back to the Washington area.

 

I am back in the blogging world, I promise. I will be doing year end wrap ups for the next few weeks leading up to 2013. Thank you to anyone who still reads this and gives a shit.

Talk soon, xoxoxoSGS

 

Tuesday Check-in...Barbies, Marvin Hamlisch, Aggie Boys, Open House, Missing Ben...

Hey everyone! Well, we are heading into tech week for Whorehouse, so my world is about to get craaaazzzzy busy. Until then, here's what I know...

-Part three of my series, Letters from the Living Dead over at DCMetroTheaterArts.com is up and available to read right HERE.

-Award winning composer, Marvin Hamlisch has died at the age of 68.  So terribly sad to hear. I had the privilege of working with him once, at the Helen Hayes Awards. I will never forget the experience. Rest in Peace, sir.  You are much more than one singular sensation.

-Here is a nice picture taken of us at the Open House this past Saturday by Weslie Woodley!


-Over HERE is a quick glimpse into the Aggie dance from Whorehouse...

And other than that, we are still looking for a Ben for NightoftheLivingDead the musical, if I haven't mentioned that.  The search for Ben continues this week, with the clock ever ticking down.  If you know of an African American male tenor with a high A, good actor, strong physicality and Non AEA, then please send him our way. Until then, I have got to get down to Miss Mona's. I will check in from the Whorehouse very soon!

xoxoSGS

TEXAS HAS A WHORE HOUSE IN IT!

Playbill Online has released the cast list of Signature's upcoming production of WHOREHOUSE.
Read the article HERE!

NEXT UP!

Catch me and Matt in Whorehouse at Signature this August! I will be playing the Scandanavian football player. :) www.signature-theatre.org

Texas has a Whore House in it...

LORD HAVE MERCY ON OUR SOULS!
We had the reading of Whorehouse tonight in front of an audience of friends, and the composer, Carol Hall. It went fantastic!
From the hysterical portrayal of Doatsy Mae by Channez McQuay to Sherri Edelen's heartfelt Ms. Mona, to Tom Simpson's understated old boy Sheriff, to Ed Dixon's giggle inducing Governor of Texas, to Amy McWilliams' touching portrayal of Ginger, the show was a hit!
Carol Hall loved it! It was so fun and touching, and to be in the company of so many talented local DC actors doing their thing was truly a treat.


I only hope that this show will go to full production soon. From the small audience (about 50)'s reaction, it would be a sell out hit.
It was nice to have something to concentrate on, what with everything in my life being what it is right now. The music of this show is infectious, and will remain in my head for quite some time. I hope that I will have the chance to do it for real in the future.
Talk soon,
SGS