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I went in to my agency this past week, and my agent and I cleaned up my resume, and decided to try putting up a different picture on Casting Workbook, and see if that makes a difference. If it does, fan-freaking-tastic! If it doesn’t…well, then, it might be time for a change.

Like a….hair cut?

AHHH! I know, my hair has been long forever. (My agent suggested that I think about it. As she said, long hair is beautiful, but it’s not what you see a lot of in Hollywood. Damn it, trends!) The last time it was shorter than mid-back was oh…grade 9. So…8 years ago? Jeebus. I had decided that whatever a director/agent wanted me to change my hair, I would, but every show I’ve done, they’ve all said, “Keep your hair! We love it. We’ll use it.” And they have. So I haven’t cut it. I didn’t think I had the option – what if I chopped it off, and a role came around that I got turned down for because they wanted the long hair I no longer had!? The horror!

And now, well…I have that option. And I’m frightened. I know it’s “just hair,” but, well, it’s pretty important! Why shouldn’t I though, right? It grows back. And it’d be fun! …I hope. The thing is though, that I don’t know how to cut it. I haven’t bought magazines in years. I look at the covers in passing when I go grocery shopping. I have no idea what would look good on me, or how short to go. If you have suggestions and/or pictures, please send them to me! I need help with this. Really.

And once I go through with it…well, let’s hope it wasn’t all for nothing. And it won’t be, damnit! It won’t. Come on, Hair Gods and Goddesses, let’s get inspired!

Tonight I was at The Annex in Gastown. For dinner? Yes. Drinks? Yes again. To laugh at angsty teenage poetry so hard it hurt?! YES!

Tonight was a Teen Angst Poetry night, hosted by Sara Bynoe, who I briefly went to school with. (You may have seen the collection of poems she edited and published: Teen Angst Poetry: A Celebration of Really Bad Poetry.) They’ve apparently been going on for quite some time, but tonight was my first visit, and it was INCREDIBLE!

They’re meant for people who wrote angsty poetry etc in their teen years (you know, the Nobody Understands My Pain, I Am Alone, My Life Sucks kind of poetry filled with cliches, metaphors, and really bad rhyme schemes), but are no longer teens, are no longer (teen) angsty, and can laugh about their writing. Not for those who still hurt! It seems like everyone had the poems where, “I realised that I didn’t have to rhyme all the time, so I took up repetition instead,” and the pencil drawings of an eye crying. Serious stuff at the time, but in retrospect it’s HILARIOUS.

Even though I’d never been to one before, I decided that, what the heck, I was going to get behind that mic. Only I didn’t read a poem, oh no. I wasn’t much for angst-filled poetry (there were some, but they weren’t my “forte.” – instead, I wrote songs. Yes, that’s right. Inspired by YTV’s Hit List, way back in the day, I remember watching “Hit Me Baby, One More Time,” and thinking, “Hey, I could write better songs than that!” So I started writing.

Funny thing was, as I was listening to everyone else’s poems and journal entries, I thought to myself that it seems like they actually were angsty teenagers, and I was just pretending I was. At any rate, I brought up my “good copy” notebook, (I’ve lost my original book – if anyone happens to find it, return it to me and I will bake you double chocolate mint chip cookies!) and I sang. First, “Mock Suicide,” which I actually wrote in 2003 – so not that long ago, but then again, I’m not very old! I never realised before just how funny it was. It was never written with a serious intention, but I remember thinking about how deep it was, and how poetic, and how, well, artistic, probably. Song Two is “What Can I Do?” written about a guy I had a crush on in grade 9 who worked at Off The Wall. It actually took me until I was singing it tonight to realise that there is no actual chorus that ends without going into a verse! It was almost A Song That Never Ends.

It was so much fun. SO Much Fun! There was so much support in the room, so much love for bad poetry and angsty teenaged years, it was fantastic.

The lesson (if there needs to be one)? No matter how bad things may seem at the time, you’ll eventually be able to laugh at the things that seemed like they would end your world. And that’s important.

(***Er…I realise it’s not Halloween anymore, but midpost all of the power in my neighbourhood took a mini vacation, leaving me with a half-saved entry. Damnit! Actually, the only part I still have is the part about Halloween, which it is no longer. Hmm. Carry on!***) 

(***…but don’t carry on quite yet. I apologize for the epic post. This is what happens when you don’t get a change to blog for 2+ weeks and you want to cram everything in! Now, carry on.***)

Happy Halloween! Starting off this post with a complete sidenote, Halloween has got to be my favourite holiday ever. Ever! As we speak (er…well, as you read), I am (was) wearing a long purple wig along with my purple gumboots and 100% polyester silky-looking kimono robe thing. I went grocery shopping like this. I love it. Love it!

Moving on:

OCTV is airing! We’ve been on the KVOS airwaves since Oct 7th. I was in the first sketch of the first episode of the second season, and that’s all so far, I think. Really, it’s turning out to be a lot more interviews and bands and a lot fewer sketches than I originally thought this show would be like, but at least I can now say that I was on TV as an actor, and yes I had lines! We’ll see how the rest of the season goes, I guess.

Talk Show TV is wrapped for the time being. Our producer is planning the next move in trying to get us moving up instead of continuously broadcasting live out of his apartment – which worked well, mind you, but there’s nothing wrong with wanting to move up! More people should want to, rather than being content with where they are. Not that there’s anything wrong with that either, but…you know?

The Pirate show has closed. The last show (of course) was the one we had the most fun with, and, in my opinion, was our strongest, tightest show. One glitch. One of my cast mates had been swigging JD beforehand, and, for all I know, during the show as well. UNPROFESSIONAL. The 5 pirates are supposed to do 4 shots of beer throughout the night, but that’s nothing that would affect us. Shots of JD (not in the script, and even if more alcohol than those 4 shots were part of the show, they’d have been a non-alcoholic subsitute.), however, are another story. A performer should always be aware and concious of what they’re doing at all times during a show. No exceptions. Drinking when you’re supposed to be working – because yes, acting is working – is irresponsible and non-professional. If you want to get piss drunk afterwards, fine! Go right ahead.  Just don’t drink and act.

Wow! 6 sections of text, and not a word about Kurt Schwitters. Aren’t tangents wonderful things?!

I’m (once again) in between acting gigs. T’is the life. But, being the crazy, theatre-in-my-blood kind of person I am, I have now added “Publicist” to my list of titles! This is where Kurt Schwitters comes in. I did a read through before they held auditions, and I really liked the script (written by Ian Kluge, from Prince George.) Being the publicist is a lot more work than I thought it would be, and it’s going well…I’d just much rather be on stage than promoting other people on stage! The show runs in December, so I’ll be working my tail off right up until my birthday/when I leave the country for a couple of weeks. At least I’m busy, right?

I reread the script again yesterday, and there are some lines from it that I’d like to share with you, A) because I think they’re wonderful, and B) I need to promote! The more bums in seats = the better job I did!

Lines from Ian Kluge’s “COLLAGE: Homage To Kurt Schwitters.”

“THEME: The twentieth century world is not just a global village but a collage and all of us are artists working on it.”

ANDY: I just don’t want you to have a heart attack here  KURT: Ah! If only more hearts would attack! Think of it – all the hearts in the world – Attacking! Every time someone wants to do something cruel – POW! The heart attacks!

ANDY: …and isn’t that what today’s world is – a collage? Everything all together – cultures and races, philosophies, life-syles – you name it. Never before in the history of mankind has it been like this – why, the streets of our town are a living, breathing collage!

SA MAN: What’s this supposed to be?                           KURT: It’s not supposed to be anything, just itself.

KURT: The universe is a comedy – Not one of these slap-stick jobs, At least not all the time, but a comedy in a deeper sense…a variety show without end.

DUSEN: Your eyesight is simply fabulous – it’s your vision I’m worried about. You see, I’m not like every optometrist – they only check out your eyesight – I do that too, of course, but there’s one other thing I do unlike the others. I check out your vision… The difference is simple: Eyesight is physical, vision is mental or spiritual sight, it’s the way you look at the world.

DUSEN: Clear vision stops constipation -Really – it’s not a joke. Aren’t most the modern world’s problems caused by those silly lines? [they] hinder movement and before you know it everyone’s plugged up to the ears with all kinds of shit. I mean, they’re loaded! and then they feel like shit, and they try to shit over others…clear vision will stop all that.

I can’t wait to see a run! But I’ll have to. And you’ll have to wait even longer! But it will be good.

I think this is long enough. Chances are there will be a second post later on tonight though – there’s that much to write about! I’m off to see another show by the same company that did Legoland at the Fringe, and I’m super excited about it. Partly because they were really good, and partly because I got complimentary tickets. I love those :love:. Haha.