:: The On/Off Stage Theatre ::

:: 11.19.2005 ::

As printed in the Daily Herald, 2nd page, 11/19/05...(Chicago, IL)

"The House on Friday overwhelmingly rejected calls for an immediate troop withdrawl from Iraq, a vote engineered by the Republicans that was intended to fail. Democrats derided the vote as a political stunt."

"Republicans hoped to place Democrats in an unappealing position: either supporting a withdrawl that critics said would be precipitous or opposing it and angering voters who want an end to the conflict."

So, while our brave men and women (some of my friends and family included) are over fighting so the Iraqis can be free and prosperous, our national goverment is playing 3rd grade games trying to trap each other into a compromising position. I don't know which is worse: a group that believes so strongly that they'll do anything to obtain it, even murder, or a superpower whose politicians are trying to obliterate each other with trickery and deception.


AND THEN!!! It gets worse. I literally threw the newspaper across the room when I read this:

"Digitial TV coming sooner: WASHINGTON - The House on Friday backed a plan to require television broadcasters to switch to all-digital transmissions by December 2008, three months earlierthan they would have to under provisions of a Senate bill. House lawmakers also voted to set aside $830 million to help millions of Americans with older, analog TV sets pay for converter boxes so they'll continue to get service in the digital era. The House deadline for broadcasters to end their traditional analog transmissions is Dec. 31, 2008. The so-called "hard date" was included in a sweeping budget bill."

$830 million dollars so people can have clearer cable with more options?!? Are you fuckin' kidding me? There are people starving on the street and people without jobs or homes (OR HEALTH INSURANCE!!), and they want to put $830 million towards helping people enhance their couch-potato experience. How am I supposed to have any faith in this goverment when it proposes moronic moves like this!? Republicans trying to get Democrats "cornered" so they can get more power, and then propose better cable! Insane....

If you feel anywhere near as strongly as I do about this, please pass it on.
:: David Saturday, November 19, 2005 [+] ::
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Well kids,

Opening night is tomorrow night. Tuesday night, we reap the benefits of our grueling 3-week rehearsal process. 2 weeks of 10 hour days, then a week of 12 hour days. Word of our production is starting to reach the masses. We've had press everywhere conducting interviews, videographers, photographers, etc. Some of the cast met a man from Singapore (we'll be there in April), who FLIPPED out when he found out that he was talking to the cast of West Side Story. A slight bit of celebrity seems to follow us as we're recognized in clubs and bars around Macau. There's rumors that we've sold out. Anyone in theatre knows the validity of this statement, but no one is allowed comps, so it's possible. There are people we're trying to get to see the show (The two waiters that serve us breakfast in the morning and teach us Cantonese, the singers across the street at The Cave--our local hangout, etc). We're all at the point that we just want to get going!

The cast has been sustaining injuries. I myself am nursing some bruised muscles around my pelvis (don't ask me how), and a bashed knuckle from accidentally punching the ground in the Rumble scene. I've been to the doctor for the first one, and found out that my lowest two vertebrae are mashed together, which has been causing stress on my hips. I'm going through treatment in the next week to separate them so they'll work normally. It's not a super serious thing, but the doctor said it's good it got caught early because it could be irreparable after a while. I'm ordered no alcohol or heavy lifting for two weeks, and the more I swim, the better it is for my back. Doc said in two weeks I'll be back to normal though and my back will be all healed.
Beyond that, the cast has sustained bruised muscles, overworked muscles, strained tendons, a broken toe, an inflamed elbow, a broken and dislocated finger, and a broken rib! The most endearing story is the girl who dislocated her finger RELOCATED it in the midst of the scene onstage!!

Days off have been amazing blessings. We've been to this gorgeous beach on Coloane Island, and I took a day to Hong Kong with some friends. Amazing sights from the top of Hong Kong Island!! You can take a 15-minute tram ride to the top where there's shops, restaurants, bars, and amazing photo opportunities. After perusing the streets of Hong Kong and doing some light shopping from the street vendors, we took the tram up and took pictures, then ate at this fantastic restaurant overlooking the city with this live jazz band playing. It was heaven!! Last night was a Halloween celebration at The Cave, which was the most decorated party for Halloween I've been to. There were little ditty bags of witch hats and bone gloves for everyone, along with great drinks! Live music playing (we've become friends with the bands), and a costume contest! Samuel (one of the Sharks) won 1st prize (3 cases of beer, dinner for two, and lots of gift certificates) only because we screamed at the top of our lungs for him. How can anyone beat a cast of singers/actors/dancers!?!? I THINK NOT!!!

Understudies really have their work cut out for them, and I saw a theatre first for me. Someone's understudy went on during a rehearsal, and did such a good job, that contracts were changed (willingly from all parties) and the understudy is now the actual role, and the original actor is now in the ensemble. I've never seen that happen, but I guess it just goes to show that hard work pays off. I'm getting settled into A-Rab's and Baby John's understudy roles. I'm the primary acting covers, while the dance swing will be taking all their dances that are non-character specific. The swing is a much better dancer than I am, but I'm still striving to be able to cover them if need be. If I had the choice between dance cover and acting cover, I'd choose acting any day of the week and twice on Sunday. It just feels good to know that my acting abilities are recognized in this cast. Everyone's abilities are being shared to the point where everyone at some point holds a class (ballet, jazz, hiphop, tap, etc) to help better everyone. They've asked me to teach theatrical movement, which I'm proud to help out with. A lot of people get notes about not being connected to their bodies and moving like a "dancer", so people asked me if I could help them out! It'd a fantastic opportunity for everyone, and I love how this cast is more and more like a family and we're all well aware of our strengths and weaknesses.

On a final note, I'm trying to convince the company to let me tour around Europe in January on our break, since Australia and N.Zealand are astronomically expensive! Hopefully I can catch up with some people I know around those parts! =)

Alright, this novel needs to get published! Hope to hear from you all soon!

Having no way to write goodbye in Chinese,
David Morrison
:: David Monday, October 31, 2005 [+] ::
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Hey everyone!

If my body were functioning properly right now, I'd be able to write a longer email, but today's first rehearsal of the next 3 weeks absolutely killed me. I'm not going to lie: absolutely took everything I had. The best part is that I loved every minute of it. I told myself I was going to challenge myself, and I have done so in every single way. Today's rehearsal consisted of a 9am-9:30am yoga class, then a 30-minute ballet class (it's been a while since I've taken a legit barre), then worked on the "Dance at the Gym" from 10am-1pm, then I took only 40 minutes of our 1 hour lunch before I went back to review, then from 2:15pm-6:15pm, we worked on "Cool." I will say that this is the hardest dancing I've ever had to do for anything. High jumps, tight turns, and all the trimmings. A long shower after the 20 minute walk home was nothing short of orgasmic, to say the least.

To catch everyone up, I got here in Macau, China on Oct. 8th. It actually was still the 7th for everyone in America. We're 13 hours ahead of Chicago, 15 ahead of California, and 12 ahead of NY. Therefore, for the most part, I'm awake when you all are asleep and vice versa. I can catch people on the phone sometimes, but the 10 hour rehearsals somewhat prohibit that. The plane flights were not that bad, considering that I was in the air for a total of 22 hours. The 12hour leg from Seattle to Taipei (Taiwan) was actually the best. Some Tylenol Simply Sleep knocked me out for a good 8 hours of that to the point where I missed one of the snacks they sent around. I made both meals, so I'm happy.

Being in China is surreal and normal at the same time. Part of the time it's hard to believe that we're on the other side of the world (I've effectively dug a hole to the other side of the world in my childhood), but the other part feels like Chinatown in Chicago, and I'm expecting to hit 90/94 at any moment. Everyone here is so welcoming. Not many people speak English, and trying to learn Chinese is incredibly difficult. I've managed to be able to say the words "English", "Hello", and "Thank you" thus far. We don't have much need for Chinese right now beyond that. On our day off on Sunday, we visited the highest part of this peninsula, on top of which is a fortress/lighthouse/church. Some interesting jail cells that we plan to investigate with a flashlight because there's no light down there, and amazing Portuguese architecture! Portuguese, you say? This part of the country was originally under Portuguese control. There's a section of the city that's entirely made up of cobblestone paths and old shanties (spelling?) that will be the destination of our next day off.

Beyond that, the cast is great to get along with. Some of them were members of earlier West Side Story tours, but most of us are new. There are even some that have never done a tour before, so it's those of us that are exploring and asking questions about what to expect. It's becoming a tight family and there's no noticeable cliques that anyone really needs to concern themselves with. I can look forward to long rehearsals for the next 3 weeks before we open. The rehearsal space and performance facilities are of the best I've ever worked in. The whole place is amazing! To think that this is only one of the places we're going to is just beyond me at this point.

Okay, so maybe I'm not as destroyed as I thought. I wish you all the best, and please write back so I know how things back home are going! It's great to get email. As soon as I can get the forwarding address, I'll get it to everyone in case you all want to send me mail or anything. Talk to you soon!

All the best,
David Morrison
www.myspace.com/hybridactor
mrdionysus.blogspot.com
www.bb-promotion.com
:: David Monday, October 10, 2005 [+] ::
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Have you ever had those moments when you stare out the double-paned glass behind you at misty Chicago and can only have one thought in your mind? You have those momentary flashes of the weather, how much your feet hurt, what you did last night, what you're going to do tonight, blah blah blah. Yet somehow in the mixed up mass of your mind, you tend to veer back to one thing. Sex. Haha j/k. I have no idea what it is. If you're part of the population that makes me repulsed to be a human being, then you probably do think about sex all the time. Why? Perhaps it's because you don't get enough, or maybe it's because that idea of power over your body is addictive. Guys and most skeptical girls will spit at me for saying this, but such thoughts are only representative of true passion in my mind. When something truly owns a good piece of your mind, trivial thoughts mean nothing. Who hasn't had the "friend with benefits" or the "booty call"? I have. In the absence of emotion between two people, then why the hell not? People have said that it's our inate desire to reproduce. (Pause for a moment while the thought that I've been focusing on just made me forget what I was typing). Beh. My apologies to the reading community. This is not a blog about sex! How do you function normally when your mind wanders to something off-topic? It's even so bad that instead of writing www.myspace.com <http://www.myspace.com/>, you end up writing www.(thought-goes-here).com <http://www.(thought-goes-here).com/>. How does that work? Fingers fly as they normally do, but with a different pattern. Now that you have the aforementioned thought in your cranium, where to? Well, you could try to dismiss it, bottle it up and save it for later. OR, (baffling, I know) you could savor it. Take a minute to turn around, face the Chicago skyline and absolutely let you mind just engulf that thought. Bathe in it, breathe it in. "We live in a cynical...cynical world" (movie quote quiz: winner gets a prize). Our lives are so fast paced that there are things in our lives which we deem unimportant. We try to live 25 hours in a 23.9999 hour world. Don't bother shoving those miniscule priorities to the side. Take the time to experience them. We need to learn to feel more. Admit to yourself how you feel, then choose the best way to act on it. "Okay, that stupid cab driver just made me late...but getting mad about it will do nothing, so I'm going to just go about my business." "Wow, I can't stop thinking about so-and-so. Without being a stalker, I just want to call to hear their voice" (haha). Give every thought the attention it deserves, because it can come back and bite you in the ass. Anything that's in your life is there for a reason, and it deserves not to be half-assed. Don't go too far as to dwell on it, but if you're trying to focus on something while your mind is on another, put down your "focus" and clear your mind. How, you may ask? My thinking about it. Writing it down. Acknowledge that it's there, then go back to your focus. So I know what you're thinking: "Is this kid out of his mind?" Well, perhaps. But if you know me, then you understand that I thrive on that. There's a fantastic quote from George Bernard Shaw that's along the lines of: When I die, I want to be thoroughly used up. I want to know that I did everything I could with every day I have. Whether that takes me where I want to go or not, as long as I'm making the right choices for myself at the time, then there's nothing I can complain about. Just don't let me sit in a cubicle for 8 hours/day. Wait....SHIT! I'm already doing that right now! BUT, it's a means to an end. That's my career and hopefully a family some day. One day, one step at a time....never overload yourself, but balance yourself and your priorities and you'll avoid panic indefinitely....

Song of the Moment: "Don't Phunk with my Heart" by BEP

:: David Monday, June 27, 2005 [+] ::
...

Well,

This is the final countdown...I have 5 hours left in Russia as I'm writing this. We've already had one of us depart, leaving 15 of us. A good chunk of us are getting on a bus in 5 hours to get to the airport as we start our trip home. Despite every negative thing happening here, I will stand in front of everyone and say that this has been a tremendously invaluable experience! It's impossible in one email to describe how I feel about this entire adventure. The last 10 hours alone have been ups and downs. I'd love to stay and continue the training, see the culture, and learn the language. Now that the training is over and I can still look forward to hopefully learning more and more Russian, I'm pretty much ready to go. Perhaps it's just because I'm finally getting comfortable here, and I'm noticing the things I don't really have. Hot water...for example! =) We've been w/o hot water for a little over a week now, so sink showers have been the choice of the group. Those of you that were giving me sh** about it, I actually dated a Russian girl while I was here, but that, of course, had to end...no regrets. As Max (the international director of MXAT) gave us our diplomas of completion, it finally hit us that our month in Moscow is over. 4 weeks of incredible experiences have passed us by. From the hospital to the bars, St. Petersburg to an unknown northside of Moscow will forever be emblazoned in our memories. One final dinner with a majority of the group signifies our last outing in Russia. It's sad, really. I was really getting to like it here and get used to it here. Who knows, maybe some day I can come back. I'd love to, because I found this incredible movement theatre school in Moscow that I would kill to get my graduate degree from. It's definitely a possibility, but I have my career in Chicago and my friends and family to look forward to right now. Nothing can really deter me from that....at least for now..Mwa-ha-ha!

So what's the plan once I get back? SLEEP! =) I know jet lag will hit me like a bottle on the head (no idea what that feels like =/ ), so I'm gonna catch up on that. Contact the agencies, start hitting up the theatres in Chicago, get back to workin on my monologues...and oh yeah: FIND A PLACE TO LIVE! GET A PAYING JOB! =) It'll be great. I actually can't wait to do all of it once I get back. Catch you all on the flip side...Much love!

-morrison
:: David Saturday, July 03, 2004 [+] ::
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There's only one thing I need to say: i miss you liz...

Song of the Moment: "Sideways" by Matt Caplan
:: David Tuesday, June 29, 2004 [+] ::
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Hey all...here's the link to go to the pictures page:

The On/Off Stage Archive

If you click on the picture itself you can see the image full-sized. Hope you all enjoy!
:: David Monday, June 28, 2004 [+] ::
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Welcome to Moscow! 

:: David Monday, June 28, 2004 [+] ::
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