Inside Andy's Brain ( A Scary Place)

Friday, October 24th

The last couple of weeks has been devoted to getting 'Grease' up and running chez Andy and Tommy. Tommy is the costume designer and I have been pressed into wardrobe service and general errand running and we have both been making ourselves available backstage as dressers and general factota. Lots and lots of backstage drama on this one, due to the relative youth of the cast. The adolescent mind set of many of the performers does not yet allow them to relax about certain issues or to understand the boundaries of what they should or should not involve themselves in regarding the production process leading to a greater clash of egos than should be necessary.

Despite the backstage dramatics, the onstage show looks pretty good. 'Grease' has never been one of my favorites as a stage show. It's episodic and flimsy, practically a review with minimal book to hang a bunch of great pastiche numbers together. There's not a whole lot of deep subtext or opining on the human condition going on. Some of the kids are better than others but there's no major weak links.

I'm working with my friend Ellise, who is the artistic director of the Seasoned Performers, the local seniors theatre group on a fund raiser for her and for the center for aging. A variety show entitled 'Generations' which will turn the expectations regarding age on their heads as older performers do unusual material etc. We're in the planning stages for a March performance and should be able to pull off something interesting.

Earlier this week, I was a guest at an elementary school's 'Career Day' and assigned to the Kindergarten classes. I really don't have much I can explain to the five year old set about geriatrics so we talked a lot about shots and what they are and why kids get them. If I go back, I'm hoping its for an older crowd.

posted by Andy @ 9:18 AM

Monday, October 6th

Another month come and gone and I continue to get further and further behind in life. That's probably not a bad place to be at the moment with the economic system on the verge of collapse. It'll give me something to do for the next few years while we all try to pick up the pieces. The retirement account statements are due to come in this next week. I don't know if I have the heart to open them. I figure it means I get to work until I'm 75.

Last week was a West Virginia run. I'm getting older I can tell as that drive up and back is getting more and more wearing on me. I have to pull over and snooze in the rest area a couple of times in order to make it rather than drive straight through. Not much of excitement up there, but it is fall in the mountains and the leaves are starting to turn and it was rather pretty. Fall is also happening in Birmingham. The temperature is down and in general, its heading into the six or so weeks of great weather we get in October and November.

The formal contract on the house is done and the contractor nearly paid off. We still have lots of little details to do in terms of arranging and putting things away and getting things organized but the top three floors are finished. The collapse of the economy means we have to put off doing the basement for a while. We'll probably stage it in over the next couple of years. We have to clean it out first. All sorts of strange things down there that have to be gone through.

Starting to work on a benefit for The Center for Aging and the Seasoned Performers to happen next spring. It's going to be cute if we can pull it off. First planning meeting is Thursday night.

posted by Andy @ 10:27 AM