VOTING, SENIORITIS & STEEL MAGNOLIAS

Hi there!

I guess life has become so hectic that I only have time to sit and blog once a week - I will try to write more as time allows but school is sure kickin' my behind.

Last Saturday I went to see my friend Nicole Julien in a wonderful production of Steel Magnolias at California Conservatory Theatre in San Leandro. I am one of the few gay men who have never actually seen the movie so I was curious to see what the play was like. The ensemble cast is really terrific and there are some hilarious & heartbreaking moments in the piece. I really recommend it. I really like the work I saw at CCT and I hope to audition for them in the future.

Tuesday was Super Tuesday and I was able to vote for my first Presidential Primary! Everyone that knows me knows that I am a Clinton supporter and I hope that we make it all the way to the White House!

Wednesday I had the great pleasure of seeing my mentor Linda Hoy. We went to dinner and then went to see the One Acts Festival at NDNU - my favorite was a Christopher Durang play called "Wanda's Visit." We were there to see "For Whom The Southern Belle Tolls" (also by Durang) which Linda directed at Cañada and I was her assistant director. It was a fun night - and it was wonderful to see some of my fellow Cañada friends in the audience too.

Lately I have been in the dumps (I guess 2008 hasn't fared so well) and feeling a bit depressed although those around me say that I have "senioritis" - a condition that college seniors have that makes them not give a shit about...anything.) I guess the realization that school is almost over and life awaits sorta scares me a little. I need to snap out of it and continue to work my ass off.

Rehearsals for "Orpheus" are going well and I am just crazy about Greg Fritsch - he is a wonderful director and probably one of the best I have ever worked with - his intensity and energy makes me want to do 125% for him. I have a great little part in this opera and it can be a showstealer If I play it right - I only have one scene to make the audience fall in love with my character (while still breaking their hearts) - not an easy thing to do. The cast assembled is really good and the NDNU students in the cast are terrific. It's nice that my first opera should happen to be a good experience.

Okay - that's all I have to report this week. Tonight I am going to see "Glengarry Glenn Ross" at San Jose Stage so I will write about that this upcoming week.

Oh!! It's official - my senior recital date has beens et for October 12th, 2008 at 7 PM. Please mark your calendars now as this will be the only performance of mine I will ask everyone to see. It's a show that will be a retrospective of the last 30 years of my life. I am already hard at work at it.

Cheers & Have a great week y'all!

Martin