Chapter 5: High School Theatre

I had several goals in high school. Nearly all of them included scratching and clawing my way to the top of the Drama department at Eldorado High. In my freshmen year I was signed up for drama 1. This was a decision I soon came to regret. The class was taught by someone who I feel wasn’t really qualified to teach the class… That is such an understatement of how I really feel about that class, but this is not a place for me to rip on a person profession. As the story goes, I dropped out of the class after the first semester.

One year later though my choir teacher Clarissa Clark teamed up with the previously mentioned drama teacher to put on the musical Joseph and the Amazing Techni-Colored Dream Coat, which is possibly the worst musical ever written. It was fun though. I’m really stretching the definition of the word “fun” here by the way. I was cast as the Elvis impersonating Pharaoh… God, you can tell how bad this show was simply by the list of roles.

So as time went by the drama teacher began to vanish from Eldorado High. Rumors went through the school surrounding his removal, but nothing official was ever said. Nonetheless a teacher from Hoover middle school who was nothing short of great replaced him. Mr. Raison was an amazing teacher and he put on great shows. He too teamed up with Clarissa Clark to put on a musical, but this time it didn’t suck. I was cast in their rendition of Guys and Dolls as Nicely-Nicely Johnson and was able to act alongside two of my favorite people in the world Jenni Walkowiak and Jean-Louise Zancanella, who by this point was a friend and not a frienemy. I think the three of us were pretty awesome in that show, just sayin!

Guys and Dolls is what propelled me to pursue a career in musical theatre, even though at the time I didn’t realize it. I don’t think that made sense when written down, but it’s true. It was Clarissa Clark who highly encouraged me to continue pursue theatre as a career and study it in college, which was quickly approaching. I just couldn’t see how anyone could want to do theatre as something professional at that time in my life. I just saw it as this fun thing that I did on the side.

At that time, what I really wanted to do was write for films. I had been taking a film class at Eldorado High and I loved it. I had been taking private editng classes downtown at the film studios and I had also been cranking out a number of small independent films and I won’t lie, for a high school student a couple of them were really good. I had to work on a number of films for the class that essentially were dorky news shows that we so lovingly called the “Weekly Show”. I hated that show. What I really loved was directing and editing the works I had written or had a hand in writing. I also worked directly with the teacher, Kenneth Wimmer, as a mentor to the younger students and often helped the students figure out the soft ware. I was so consumed by film and it rocked. My two favorite projects were a set of music videos titled “Good Enough” and “Your Rain”.

I’ve gotten off track. The point is I liked theatre a lot in high school, but I was very focused on other things at the time. Still I guess what I’m trying to say is that if I didn’t sort of play around in theatre then I would probably still be a film major.

There are a few parts of me that I miss. I miss playing video games. I haven't played video games since last summer. Growing up I was kinda lonely. My siblings were so much older than me that we never really hung out and I wasn't very good at meeting people so for the most part video games were my friends. I wasn't addicted to them or anything. For the most part I read a lot as a child, but I indulged from time to time in sitting in front of a TV with a PS controller in my hands.

As I grew up I found a few friends. And a couple of those friends loved playing video games as much as I did. There were even a few times that I could convince Jean-Louise to play with me. She was terrible! Completely awful, but for some reason playing with her was so much fun.

If I was feeling competitive Cara would come over and we would end up destroying each other at Mario Cart, Halo, Super Smash Brothers, you name it. One time we got really worked up over a Mario Cart race and ended up cursing at each other all day.

Last year I had a video game buddy. He was really cocky when it came to video games, but he was fun to play with. Whenever I beat him, he would always act really shocked and demand a re-match and I would beat him again. BUT when it came to Mario Cart the jerk was unbeatable, it was ridiculous. The first time the two of us ever played alone together, he was letting me borrow some sheet music and while we waited for it to print we took turns schooling the other on the Wii.

As time went on video games became something you did with your friends and not by yourself. I won't lie either. It was more fun this way. It got to the point where I would only play if someone else was involved in the video game playing though.

Eventually, those video game friends disappeared one by one. Cara is working in Japan now and happily married. Jeanie is still around, but we see each other less and less, but I'm hoping to remedy that soon. The other video game buddy? Well we hit a rough patch. We ended up fighting a lot over the dumbest stuff. I think the both of us are still angry from our last fight. It's funny. The first "fight" we ever had was back in March of 2009 and at the end he asked, "Am I still going to have my video game buddy?" I replied, "Of course." I hate that I lied to him.

I don't play video games anymore. I tried the other day, but I wasn't in the mood. I was at Trevors apartment and I played a round of Mario Cart, but I didn't enjoy it. Honestly, when it comes down to it all, it was the people I loved playing with, and not the games we were playing. I said at the start, I missed a few things about me. I miss laughing at or with Jeanie. I miss being ridiculous with Cara. I miss having someone who I could say anything to. That being said, I don't regret any of my choices. I burned a bridge or two and I won't look back, but the consequences of burning that bridge really blow.

I'm seeing someone now. We're having fun. We don't play video games together, but he has great taste in film and literature.

It's catch up time. Originally this whole blog started as a narrative of my life. I still want to do that, but I've had a lot of friends up and move on me lately and I'd like to use this help keep them up. Especially seeing how one of them lives in Japan and we can't exactly find good times to talk.

So things have been crazy. I auditioned for "The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee" for MTS. I did not get cast in that. Like every actor I was prepared for rejection, kinda... Ok, fine. I pouted. I cursed, but just a little. I drowned the sorrow in food, doctor pepper, and Desperate Housewives. It's not like I called up the director and threw a fit or anything. So is pouting for a minute or two against the ethical laws of the actor? I don't think so. It's not like I tripped the actor who got the role over me in the hall... Ok, maybe I tried once, but he completely missed my foot. Walked straight over it. He's fine.

Anyway, not getting cast was a blessing in disguise. A week later I auditioned for a show called "Dark Play or Stories For Boys" and I am proud to say that I am currently rehearsing for the role of Nick! I have never felt more honored, lucky, or blessed as an actor. Being a part of this show, working with this ensemble, working through the text is nothing short of thrilling. I won't lie though. The role scares the shit out of me. Not only do I have more lines than Jesus did in the New Testament.... (Was that blasphemous?) but Nick is a complex little bugger who has actually kinda started to get into my head.

Class has been fun. Taking Acting 3, Musical Theatre, Theatre History 2, Theatre Topics, Ballet for Men (that's another thing that scares the fuck out of me), Rome on the Big Screen, and voice and movement.

Today I won back my Freedom of Speech. It only cost me a summer job. Really though it's ok. I'm going to travel. And it's not like I'll be money-less. I'm going on a tour in Mexico and for the first time in my life, acting for money!

Normally this would be the part where I would say, "I guess life is good". I won't say that. I'm taking out the guess and upgrading the good. Life is great.