End of an Era

So I"m moving over to Tumblr. I'll leave a link up on here. Follow me to a new fantastic place of media integration.

http://costumegiggey.tumblr.com/

Boy of Summer

So I've been away from the blog. I've been trying to come up with some bloggerific way to say goodbye to Orlando, express my fountain of emotions from my visit with Marley, and throw in some nerdy/artsy thing. I'm failing, so this is what everyone gets...

Orlando. 2 years of hard work, fun, and Disney. I met some amazing people and made some awesome friends. I could spout off a million reasons why I couldn't stay, but I could also spout off a million why I should. I'm just ready to move forward with my life and career. Orlando Shakes is an amazing theatre company full of good hard working people. It's just time for a change for me.

Visit with Marley. Best 31/2 weeks of my life. I'm ready to make us being in the same city permanent. I love her with ever fiber of my being. We went on a day trip to Elon, had a cattle call in DC, saw shows, and she graduated from college! Yay Marley!

So now some artsy/nerdy for ya. Some of you may not appreciate this part of the post, but this is what I got. Glee. I know, I know. But Phill, I thought you had taste, I thought you had intelligence. I do(mostly) and the thing about Glee that I like is certainly not the in depth characterization of shallow characters. Its the music. It hit me on the Lady Gaga episode. The arrangements for the music are sometimes brilliant. While the duet of Poker Face was pretty much crap, the group number, Bad Romance, was expertly put together with harmonies. I love the use of the stereotypical gay boy as the roll call for the piece, then the switch of solos and and group harmonizing until the stereotypical slut does an auto-tuned belt. Although the show itself is not overly inventive in its plot and writing, the music at times can be interesting and arranged in a way that provokes a new or different meaning to a song.

P.S.- Red head in Glee gets the show a 2 thumbs up.

Modern Jazz Trumpet

If you asked me or any other educated jazz listener their top 5 albums via trumpet/flugelhorn, most, if not all, would have been recorded 20+ years ago. Miles Davis's "Kind of Blue" almost always is mentioned, but the album was recorded in 1959. I loves Jazz, especially on trumpet, but there has got to be something new out there. Now I know Arturo Sandoval is still making recordings and Chris Botti is out there selling his soul to get big names to sing with him, but it's not the same. It's original composition I crave. An evolution from what has been the standard to a new one. I've been listening to this new cat, Christian Scott, and I'm impressed. New Orleans born, he composes new music about pain and heartbreak, while still continuing a long standing tradition of great Jazz performance from that city. He plays with a haunting tonality with spurts of anger. A cover of Radiohead's "Eraser", translated the alternative rock flow into a bluesy jazz riff without losing sight of the message. He brings a new voice to a scene of heavy hitters like Wynton Marsalis and makes a bold statement. Stop the rehashing. How many ways is "My Funny Valentine" or "Salt Peanuts" going to be played. Everyone knows Dizzy played Bebop best, why are you going to bring your "new" approach to it and play nothing more than an hommage to him?Also, a new thing is taking classical music and applying Jazz concepts. Wynton Marsalis is the forefront of this, having taken over "Jazz at Lincoln Center", and tirelessly replays Mozart and Beethoven. I want new music, not a new sound. No wonder people think jazz is dead. Jazz is not dead; as long as there are musicians like Christian Scott out there. Composing instead of reciting. Knowing your history is important, but so is creating your future.

Work Ethic in Theatre

Now I'm a bit crazy when it comes to work ethic. I'll work myself beyond the point of exhaustion and usually end up injured or sprained and whatnot. What I don't understand are the people who literally don't care. We have an intern here at OST who has had writ problems since the 2nd week she got here and has done nothing but complain and try to get the company to pay for her medical bills. When she got onto my service as my assistant, I knew her acting routine going in. I showed no sympathy, but was kind and clear in stating that this was her contract and this is what was expected of her. She has continually disappointed me and continually complained. She is now being let go by the end of the week and we are in the process of training her replacement, another intern, and instead of being grateful(it's her desire to go home), she is being a bigger bitch and making it more difficult to let things go nicely and one good terms. I am trying my best to understand her but she doesn't want to do theatre for a living, so why did she take this job from someone else who does? I know once me and Kelly get into our respective "grooves" things will be great, I just wish I had found a better way to work with this girl for future reference, for I am bound to run into this situation again.

Maybe I was Meant to Hold You in These Arms

I know, I know. Irish folk music about love and life. My name all over it. I know, I know. Marley is right now making fun of me because at first I said no. These guys though....good. I haven't connected to new music in a long time and these guys just. It's insightful and being in a long distance relationship, the lyrics are able to vocalize the feelings and words I have trouble to do so. I think everyone should at least give a listen, at least once.

It's a New Day

So earlier today I tried to move my blog to another web service and it failed to feel as good as this one does, So I've decided to stay here. I want more for this blog beyond angry rants. I want to share my growth and my further understanding of my own existence. Share my experiences in an unlikely career and with a love thats full of passion that has yet to temper or fade. So here's to blogging and letting people in. I'll still have a few rants, I am who I am, but hopefully more insightful things to say as well.

Phill

Don't Sink the Boat, You Built to Keep A Float

So Hamlet is open. All's Well first dress is Sunday. My wrists hurt. My knee aches and is stiff. My whole cast is getting or is sick. I need sleep like I need oxygen. I'm actually loving my job. I'm in love with my girl. I"m seeing Flogging Molly in little over a week. Their song "Float" is more poignant right now to me than ever. I keep working for a light at the end of a tunnel, but I'm starting to realize that my particular career isn't about a light at the end of a tunnel. It's a juggling act to keep everything up in the air and keep everything going. Float if you will. You can use the end of a show's run as a goal but right after that show ends, the next one starts so its more of a continuous work ethic and constant vigilance. Batman without the cool super-villains. Well Hamlet School Show calls.

Phill

Friends and Business...sometimes AWESOME...sometimes lame

So being friends with stage managers as a wardrobe supervisor has many benefits including being in the know. The problem comes when your friend/co-worker does not leave their proverbial "shit" at the door and just do their job. I don't really care if you like an actor or not. I don't care that you don't like the pace our tech is going at. You're the Stage Manager. It's your job to fix it, not mine. Nor am I an in between person between you and your ASM's or your actors. Man up, Suit up, whatever you want to call it to get a backbone and talk to them yourself. I hate when people abuse friendship at the workplace. It's annoying, frustrating, and down right insulting. Also, I am not your stand in bf who will listen to all your complaints, how hard your day was, hug you, and tell you it will all be okay. I have a gf, and I like her a hell of a lot more than I like you. I love her. She's fucking awesome as a gf, and does your job twice if not thrice as good.

....Right so First day of tech not so good. Pissed. Exhausted. Desperately missing Marley.

So Rewind

I totally forgot about Christmas with my parents! It was the best time we've all spent together in a really long time! We talked and I cooked breakfast Christmas morning and we all helped cooked dinner and it was really nice. I'm starting to feel like an actual adult around of them. They are fully supportive of what I do and they love Marley which is an awesome bonus. It's taken a long road with a lot of speed bumps and fuckin flat tires but I'm starting to feel happy about my life.

Animal Doesn't Just Play the Drums...

So this video combines 2 things. My long time favorite theatrical endeavor (muppets) and my most recent favorite theatrical endeavor (opera). I just wanted to share. Also, my favorite muppets make an appearance at the end!

I Talk About her All the Time!

So I figured I'd only talk a little bit about the trip and her visit down here in Orlando and then I'd switch gears to something else like my job or comic books or something I saw on TV. Eh? Who knows? All in all, best 2 weeks we've ever had since the end of August back in 2008. DC, Disney, Road Trips, Double Dates, New Year's Eve, Birthday, Family, Friends. We did it all. Most importantly (as stated in previous post) I got to hold her. I love this woman and I am supremely lucky and honored to have her in my life. On another note, here at OST, or Orlando Shakes, or as the official title goes, The Orlando Shakespeare Theatre in Partnership with UCF; We are working overtime, 6 days a week, to be ready to open Hamlet and All's Well That End's Well in Rotating Repertory. What that means is that we will be doing 2 shows in the same theatre with the same cast in a rotating schedule. Which means the actors are rehearsing all day for 2 shows, the scene shop is building 2 sets, and the costume shop (where I work) we are building two complete sets of costumes for each show. A lot of work is going into this and I've been given the duty of being the Milliner for both shows. I love hats! I wear them all the time. I've also made some pants and few vests.

These are the Posters for the shows. Kinda cool eh? On a final note I have one more thing to say before signing off.

WATCH BETTER OFF TED!!!!

*Drops the Mic*