Looks like I still have access to this little blog here.
This summer I’m living in Glassboro and working at the Provost’s Office at Rowan. Hopefully I’ll be acting in the Philadelphia Fringe festival too. Just waiting on a call for that one.
I felt the need to update this because if my face is going to be under the second listing of the Fine and Performing arts website, I’ll be damned if I’ll leave it outdated.
Ta.
A.
I’m a slacker. But I’m still alive.
I haven’t been updating this thing because I accidentally left my camera at home.
Busy with Spring Storm and Il Capitano Duped.
Bigger update at a later time.
Keep reading.
A.
Spring break has begun. The campus is desolate and quiet, as the children of Rowan have all gone home. Everyone except me, of course. I’m here until Monday for rehearsal for Il Capitano Duped, the Commedia Dell’Arte piece produced by John Bellomo. It’s not so bad, actually. Just very, very quiet. Ample atmosphere for taking walks.
I made the decision this past week that I wanted to go to London in the fall. So I made that happen. From Wednesday to Friday I was running back and forth like a headless hen getting letters of recommendations and filling out forms to aid in my haphazardly-thrown-together plan to exit the country. Somehow, I did it, and got all the forms in by Friday afternoon. Now I’m just incredibly psyched. I’ve never been out of the country before, and that in itself is an experience, but the fact that I’m going to be studying my craft for a whole four months is just… incredible to me. I’m studying at Middlesex University, on the Trent Park campus. Read a little bit about Trent Park. Look up some pictures on Google Images. Wow.
I’ve been rehearsing for the Commedia piece and Spring Storm by Tennessee Williams more lately, now that Spring Awakening is over and done with. Commedia is a very funny, physical thing. I’m playing one of the lovers, Flavio, and so basically I get to run around being led by my heart spouting out ridiculously flowery language and beaming about my love for Isabella. It’s fun stuff. Improvisation is something I’ve never gotten too heavily in to, but I’m enjoying it. Spring Storm is where I get to do a lot of my more mental acting… the role I have in that is pretty challenging, but really rewarding. It’ll probably be one of my favorites that I’ve ever done, just because of how much I like this character. Although I have to get off book for the entire play over the next week (I’ve only memorized the first scene I’m in that we’ve worked on so far). Wish me luck.
So I figured I’d just post another one of my well-received updates as I sit here staring out the window at the grey sky listening to Wilco. Thanks for reading. Sorry about the lack of photos. Haven’t had my camera on me this past week.
Take care.
A.
Whoa. Been slacking.
I apologize, reader (I refer to you solely because I understand that I’m lucky if I have one reader), for the lack of updates. Been a crazy, crazy couple of weeks with Spring Awakening and all.
We closed today after a two-weekend run. The show went wonderfully and the reception has been great from the people who didn’t walk out (no, seriously). It’s amazing to see that a play written in the late 1800’s can still inspire disgust to the point of leaving the production in what we perceive to be an open society.
After today’s show we were spoken to by an adjudicator from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Usually after every mainstage show a representative comes to nominate two people to go. It’s a very fun experience. I went this year as a scene partner for Bri Sudia, who was nominated for The Doctor In Spite Of Himself last fall. So we sat, listened to his comments, and then we went and struck the set. Seeing as how most of the set was comprised of dirt and flowers, needless to say I got the brown lung.
Now I got a little more free time, with the exception of the Commedia Dell’Arte piece. That’s looking pretty fun, though. I’d have liked to keep my schedule free after the absolute b-word of the rehearsal process for Spring Awakening, but I need to keep working on physical acting, since it’s always been my weak point. So hopefully I’ll take a lot from this next experience, as I did with the previous one.
As a special treat (oh yeah, really, thanks so much for this Drew, it’s such a privilege to be given this insight), here’s some more behind the scenes photos.
Oh wait, how’d that last one get in there? Uh yeah, that’s just me playing guitar at the on-campus grill, like I do every Thursday night at the Open Mic. Just thought I’d share that. I knew you’d care. You’re always so supportive.
Alright. I don’t know if you checked the time tag, but I’m friggin’ exhausted. So it’s time to hit the old bedstack.
Take care.
A.
Hey folks. Time for entry two, eh? People, people! Please! It’s hard to type through your rapturous applause!
So, it’s tech week for Spring Awakening. Things are winding down, or rather, winding tighter and tighter until I feel like I’m about to snap. In five days we’ll be performing our little German expressionist masterpiece for an audience of people who don’t know what they’re getting themselves into. It’s going to be a wonderful show.
This morning I felt a strange, lingering pang in my stomach. Fearing the malaria, I immediately consulted my local physician. He calmly informed me that I was hungry, and the only prescription, in addition to more cowbell, was to eat something. That was just what I did.
I met my friend Kelsey in the pit, and we set off on our adventure into…
The Rowan Cafe (or “The Caf”). As you may be able to tell, it’s usually full of other ravaged students seeking nourishment. Usually that entails a pizza and/or a salad, maybe a burger for protein. If you happen to be of the vegetarian persuasion (here’s looking at you Bri, Maggie, Michele, Ruprecht, Gaston, Adolf, Aloysius…) and are still craving the strange entity known as “food”, they have plenty of options for you too. Even veggie burgers (wow!).
My stomach filled, I decided to do some work for my Acting II class.
The class, taught by David Sullivan, is held in the Lab Theatre. The Lab Theatre, or as it’s sometimes called, Studio Theatre, or as it’s even more infrequently called, The Black Box, holds productions that are usually run entirely by students, typically down to everything but the writing (and even then, in some cases). Lab’s last production was an original piece written by a teacher from Pennsylvania called Youth In America. It ran for four performances and even sold out at one point. The next production for Lab is an original commedia dell’arte directed by faculty member John Bellomo.
Anyways, back to my acting class. Currently, Professor Sullivan is directing his students in a production of Tennessee Williams’ Spring Storm throughout the course of the class. We’re doing in-depth character work and research to enrich our ability to prepare for a role. We’re even finding our own costumes. Which I needed to do. Where could I find an inexpensive suit that fit the style of 1930’s Mississippi?
The theatre student’s Mecca! The Goodwill store. Glassboro’s local Goodwill offers poor college students great deals on strange clothes that old people felt were a little out of style so they sold them. Sure enough, I found a nice blue suit that looked like something out of [obscure 30’s Mississippi reference here]. With that done, I decided to check the call board.
The call board is the heart of the theatre department. Most of the time, when faculty needs to get in touch with their students, they post it here. Everything from audition notices to love notes (”hey wuts up”) to advertisements for some obscure school are posted on the ol’ board. It’s a great resource that you should check often.
I noticed that there was an audition sign up sheet for John Bellomo’s piece on the board this time around. It stated that if I wanted to audition, I needed to prepare a one minute comedic monologue. Where the hell was I going to find a comedic monologue?!
Oh yeah. The library.
The Campbell Library is a great resource for a theatre student in that it has everything from Albee to Zimmerman. If you’re looking for monologues, or just want to sit back and read Angels In America: A Gay Fantasia On National Themes, the library’s the place to do it. I usually go there once a week to read a play up in their lounge. It’s about the quietest place on campus.
I spent most of the weekend in rehearsal for Spring Awakening, so here’s some shots of the process (most of them just being Kevin goofing off with the ladies).
We even got a dinner break, which we took to go to local Italian eatery, Little Beef’s.
Tonight we perform two scenes from the play for students of the theatre department as a preview. So I guess I’d better go prepare…!
Actually, I’m just out of things to say.
Take care.
A.
Hey folks. It’s a pleasure to be writing my very first blog for what I’m sure is thousands of readers.
First, I guess, a little introduction. Hi, I’m Andrew. I’m a sophomore theatre major at Rowan University on the performance track. That means I’m an aspiring actor (or “idiot”). I love my college. It’s the place that I call home. I get the best education I can by the greatest professors in the world (they can read this).
So what is life like as a theatre major at Rowan University? Exactly like this. I hope you expect nothing more.
I live here in Oak Hall. It’s a quaint little dorm which features state of the art life-enhancing technology such as a toilet, a sink, and a closet. I love it, actually. It’s in a really nice part of campus and I have a good view of Hollybush, which you may (not) know hosted the Cold War Glassboro Summit Conference between U.S. President Lyndon Johnson and Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin in 1967. And that’s as much history as you’ll ever get out of me in this blog.
Oak is also conveniently located about 500 feet from theatre building, Bunce Hall. It’s actually a lot more scenic than this photo would indicate. I’ll post the “scenic” part of the building soon. I spend the majority my time here, as it’s where I take most of my classes and also rehearse for performances. I’ll get into that a bit later.
It’s also relatively close to Memorial Hall, which is the dance building. I take my Movement For The Actor class here. Being 6′3″ and lanky, needless to say, I don’t take a lot of classes here. That’s my choice though. Dance classes are available to multiple majors, and the faculty is wonderful. Rowan Dance puts on a lot of quality performances throughout the year. Their shows are wonderful to watch, and a large part of that is due to the great talent of the students and the more than capable direction of the faculty. Gush.
Today I had to go to a building that I hope you don’t have to go to much, Linden Hall. Linden is the Health building, and lately has been occupied more than usual due to a bad little bug that’s been floating around campus. My roommate caught it, unfortunately, and so I had to take preventative measures by getting a prescription for some medicine that would help fight it. It doesn’t look fun. He’s crashed in his bed behind me as we speak.
So, getting into the performing aspect of a theatre student, I’ll discuss Rowan’s theatrical productions. I’ve done several shows here at Rowan, including You Can’t Take It With You, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Suburbia. Currently, I’m playing the role of Hanschen in Frank Wedekind’s Spring Awakening. I’ll note right now, before you get too excited, that it’s not the musical version that’s currently on Broadway. Purchasing the rights to perform that version here would plummet this school into bankruptcy. No, we’re doing the straight play, which is just as good, but a whole hell of a lot more obscure (can I say “hell” here? Tell me your thoughts in a comment!).
Anyway, the play opens on February 29th and runs for two weekends at 8 PM with a 3 PM show on Sundays. It’s going up in the wonderful Tohill theatre, which looks like this when there’s no set built onto it. It may not be Radio City Music Hall, but it’s home. Because I like you so much (because you read this blog), I’m now going to treat you to some behind-the-scenes action!
The other day we were asked to fill out our bios for the program. This is the time in which we put our blood, sweat, and tears into finding out how to sound witty and professional in 75 words or less.
I should note at this point that Spring Awakening is putting me through some of the most physical acting I’ve ever had to do. These photos display us learning how to properly lift, catch, and throw each other to the ground. It’s become easy to get into now, but when we were just beginning and I was told we were going to rehearse that particular scene, my body froze with fear as my heart danced along the thin red line of an attack. It’s a challenge, but it’s incredibly rewarding. It’s looking to be a wonderful show. I’ll talk a bit more about it next time.
Now, it’s the saddest part of the whole blog. The end. I know, friends, fight your tears! It’s not the last. I’ll (hopefully) be back again, to talk to you even more about life as a fine and performing arts student at Rowan.
Take care.
A.