I love actors

We had auditions for Rent today. For those of you who haven't heard yet, I have somehow found myself in the position of directing Rent at the New Rep. I'm not quite sure how this happened. It's a good thing, as it has shown me once again that it is never a good idea to dismiss anyone or anything because you just don't know. This musical, that I had dismissed out of hand as being smug, self-important and uninteresting is proving to offer an exciting world, strong characters, drop-dead gorgeous moments, and an opportunity to tell a story that has suddenly become incredibly relevant to my own life.

And actors. They drive me so crazy sometimes, as those of you have read this blog have seen, but after a day like today I just love them. People putting themselves, their dreams, their ideas of themselves out there with no protection, with guts, wit, good humor, charm and a total willingness to do whatever. It was so much fun watching them all go after it with such verve and what-the-hell commitment.

I am so grateful to all the auditioners, they have once again re-affirmed my belief in the worthiness of this ridiculous profession. I wish I could cast them all.

Brains! Brains!

There was a very interesting show on either WBUR or WGBH this weekend, not sure which (I poked around some trying to figure it out, to know avail) about the brain. Specifically, it was an interview with Oliver Sacks, the great neuroscientist, and another guy, a painter, both of whom suffer from Face Blindness, or Prosopagnosia - the difficulty that a surprisingly large number of people have recognizing faces. It was a fascinating conversation, that dealt with the issue of recognition, and how we get by in a world where we don't recognize the things in front of us.

Anyhow, I was so tired today, after hoisting furniture into and out trucks for two days, that on a whim I Googled "Face Blindness". It lead me to this really neat website filled with really interesting cognitive tests. It's called:

Testmybrain.org and I spent the rest of the evening taking all the tests. Do I have Face Blindness (no), how good am I at visually picking things out of clutter (lousy), how good am I at reading faces (better than average)? It was really interesting and a fantastic time-waster. Check it out.

Master of None

Back soon. Promise. Three weeks of 18 hour days. I haven't worked this hard since we started ASP. But I'm having so much fun. I love playing around in a theater. At this point on this project I am: Creator, Producer, Director, Writer, Publicist, Marketer, Sound Designer, Video Designer, Asst. Lighting Designer, Asst. Set Designer, Props Master, Costume Coordinator, Electrician, Event Manager, and Light Board Op. And I couldn't be happier. It is true. Theater can be fun.