Ok, so no, I can't. I just forgot. But since no one except my parents and grandparents ever ask me about this, I'm gonna guess that the Spackle Nation didn't really notice. And not that I expect you to - I've always said that blogging is one of the purest forms of self-indulgence, so it would be silly of me to expect that anyone has more than a passing interest in these less-than-periodic annals of my life.
So, what's going on with me, you may ask? Fundraising. Fundraising, fundraising, and more fundraising. That is really the sum total of my life right now. Two of my 2.5 jobs are all about raising money, so it more or less consumes me. Now I know that I sort of promised status reports on my progress with ANNIE, but honestly, there hasn't been much to report as of yet. This is a slow process, and it takes a lot of time to build up the momentum in a network before reaching the critical mass that allows you to actually get things done (more time than I thought it would, to be honest). Debbie, my producer, is completely awesome, and has agreed to give me an extension on my fundraising deadline pretty far into the future, which takes a ton of pressure off of me to deliver less than 2 months after starting to establish myself. I have every confidence that I'll make it eventually, and this extra time is a nice insurance policy.
You probably noticed that I said I have 2.5 jobs, and I think it will be news to the Spackleverse that as of about a month ago I started volunteering with my high school's spring musical program as an "assistant director". I put that in quotes because it has never been formally decided what my official title is, and I'm assisting the directors in rehearsal, so it seems appropriate. We're doing A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum..., and I have to say that I'm having an absolute blast. I did 6 musicals at Riverview (7-12 grades) and they were among the best times of my childhood, so it's really a thrill to be able to give back to the program that taught me so much. The kids are really coming along quite nicely, and are lots of fun to work with. It's honestly the best part of my day.
So in other news, after watching the Oscars last night I came away with two main thoughts:
1. Emma Stone is awesome, and either she or Emma Watson will be my future wife.
2. The entire film industry was practically shrieking to get people to actually watch movies at a movie theater. Honestly, they harped on the joy of watching a movie in a theater with other people around you experiencing it at the same time that it started to sound almost as if they were desperate.
Oh, wait. They are. I must say, it's nice to know that our bigger, wealthier, trendier, but younger cousins in the entertainment industry are feeling the heat as well. Now don't get me wrong, I wish no ill on Hollywood. In fact, I love the movies about 99.9% as much as I love theater, and would jump at an opportunity to work in film (and if I'm successful as a B'way producer you can bet that I'll do whatever I can to make that crossover work). But I think Hollywood is finally realizing what has been becoming more and more apparent over the past few years: they produce a product that can now be easily consumed illegally from the comfort and privacy of just about anywhere your mobile device gets a signal. And the entire industry is bleeding money. Movie attendance and the overall Hollywood revenues have fallen fairly dramatically the past 2 years, and if it weren't for amazing blockbusters like Avatar and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, I have a feeling that the past few years' averages would be a good deal lower. So they're finally realizing what we in theater have known all along - nothing beats the communal experience of watching art/entertainment with other people. And like most converts, they are loudly proclaiming their new orthodoxy for all to hear. The jury is still out on whether or not the message will stick, but I for one hope it does. Nevermind the fact that I wouldn't know where to pirate a movie or TV show if my life depended on it, but I just really love going to the movies. If that business model stops making sense and goes away, and I have watch movies on my TV or computer or worse yet, my phone, I'll be really sad. Though my mom does make the world's best popcorn, and it's really cheap, so that would be a plus.
Honestly though, I've never before heard the film industry even so much as mention the communal aspect of enjoying a movie in the theaters before. It's normally about being personally transported or something of that ilk. Kind of refreshing, to be honest. And it can't hurt theater to have a cultural resurgence of going to the theater of any kind.
Anyway, that's all for now folks. Drop a line if you're still checking this out, I'd love to hear from you.
Keep calm and carry on.
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Perhaps that will boost the theatrical industry as that is a product which can't be pirated very well so more hollywood actors might return/go to the stage if there ends up being more money in it. I've also noticed in theater ads before a movie that NCM is advertising like crazy. Those are the guys that show live events like stage productions on the silver screen.
ReplyDeleteThis past Saturday, I actually went to the local CineArts as they had a 12 hour, 5 movie Best Picture/Best Director marathon (Tree of Life, Midnight in Paris, Hugo, Artist, and Descendants). All for only $20 plus discounts on hot dogs, popcorn, and soda. I expected the place to be packed with a steal like that. Nope. You could probably fit everyone in the theater in 1 or 2 rows.