tag:blogs.targetx.com,2009:/trinity/Mark//283 2009-03-23T16:24:34Z Movable Type 3.34 tag:blogs.targetx.com,2009:/trinity/Mark//283.9628 2009-03-23T16:19:07Z 2009-03-23T16:24:34Z

Who just watched Labyrinth? Yes, I did. I love it. So the past few weeks have been pretty uneventful. We have been rehearsing for The Misanthrope nonstop and are already off book, a month before opening, which is fantastic. We...

Mark Who just watched Labyrinth? Yes, I did. I love it. So the past few weeks have been pretty uneventful. We have been rehearsing for The Misanthrope nonstop and are already off book, a month before opening, which is fantastic. We should be ready by April 17 no problem (come see the show!). I am working on my Capstone paper right now, which is essentially a review in hindsight of my play, "Top Girls". I have gotten positive feedback on the show from the faculty and have taken their constructive criticism into account when working on this paper. I miss that show so much... My Acting II class, which I am the Peer Tutor for, has to be my favorite part of the week. I love working with actors and critiquing work, not to mention getting to see my fellow actors succeed time and time again. Every single person at some point has had a moment that made everyone go "Wow, I didn't know they could do that." Don't you wish every class granted that opportunity? I've finally finished writing the libretto to Die Fledermaus! I am quite happy with it and can't wait to see what happens when the show opens. Come see it, please! As for life after college, I am done hearing from grad programs and can safely say I have been turned down by all of them but one. Yeah!!! Depaul University has me on their waitlist, so cross you fingers for me. The thing about MFA Acting programs is that they only take 10 people a year, sometimes less, so to get in straight out of undergrad takes a miracle. Praying for that miracle!!! I need to figure out what I'm doing this summer. Any suggestions guys? tag:blogs.targetx.com,2009:/trinity/Mark//283.9337 2009-03-02T00:28:03Z 2009-03-02T00:43:42Z

Yes, I admit it. I am a horrible human being who hasn't posted for almost three months now. But I am back and ready to give you the update of a lifetime. So Christmas Break (dear God, let's see how...

Mark Yes, I admit it. I am a horrible human being who hasn't posted for almost three months now. But I am back and ready to give you the update of a lifetime. So Christmas Break (dear God, let's see how well I remember that) was pretty weird. Got back from London and had the worst case of culture shock I can even begin to imagine. It's just a situation where you literally have to remember how to live your life all over again. It was uncomfortable and I still feel I'm getting back into the groove. It was wonderful seeing my friends and family, of course, and I couldn't be happier to have had the experience, but it will always be a semester that I will miss and cherish. I got back to school around the 10th to move into my new (are you ready for this?) apartment! As an official Trinity senior, I am living off campus with my roommate of three years now, not far from campus (5 minutes is my usual driving time). Classes so far have been absolutely WONDERFUL. I am the Peer Tutor for the Acting II class, which I am completely loving. I get to participate with the students while also being their teacher on occasion, critiquing their work as their mentor. Voice lessons are still going great and I am now taking a theater dance class, which I am enjoying immensely. It's giving me the experience with dance TRAINING that I never had, taking jazz, ballet, and tap to a more refined area of expertise. I am also writing the libretto for this year's opera workshop. The workshop gives voice students a chance to be in an actual production, and this year we are doing Die Fledermaus. While the piece already has a libretto, I have been asked to adapt it to be more humorous and relatable. So far, pretty fun! However, the highlight of my semester thus far has been my Senior Experience. When you are a senior, you have to cap off your Trinity experience with a senior project. Mine was directing a full length show called Top Girls, by Caryl Churchill. Without a doubt this was the best Trinity experience I have ever had. Casting, while painfully difficult, gave me a great sense of the talent we truly have in our drama department and showed me the new first years I never got to meet in the Fall. I had, without a doubt in my mind, a dream cast. They got along so well and I loved each and every one of them. The rehearsal process was, believe it or not, so much fun. With only three weeks of rehearsals, I was worried I would be stressed out. But the girls got their lines learned, gave it their all at every rehearsal, and made this an eye-opening and heartwarming experience for me. The performances were just wonderful to watch and so far I have received positive reviews, both from students and faculty. Having an experience like this truly shows you how your classes at Trinity, every single one, will help you in the long run. Through my acting, directing, and design classes I assembled a wonderful cast and a fantastic design crew to put on a production I believe was top notch. I will never forget the month I spent with these people and hope I can have more experiences like this in the future. A huge part of my semester has been devoted to finding out what the hell I am doing with my life! I have had a few graduate school auditions for MFA in Acting programs. One was in New York City! I spent a whole week there with some friends from London and did URTA, University/Resident Theatre Association. This program brings in around 30 graduate and resident programs and companies to watch auditions all at the same time, a lot like the MWTA program I have done in the past for summerstock companies. I was very lucky to get called back to 3 schools, University of Washington, Illinois State University, and Southern Methodist University. I also had independent auditions at National Theatre Conservatory and Depaul University (for which I auditioned in Chicago last weekend). So far, no results, but we will see what happens! I did MWTA again this year as well, last weekend, and have not had any offers thus far (naturally, because it has only been a week), so keep your fingers crossed for me! As of now, however, I am in rehearsal for The Misanthrope, for which I have been cast as Philinte! Rehearsals just started, but so far so good. We open in mid April, so try to come if you can! That is my life in a nutshell for the past 3 months. Coming back to America was tough, but I am back in action and trying to figure out my life and my future. I have determined, however, I have a knack and passion for directing and hope to continue to pursue that, either on the academic or professional level (maybe even both!). Whatever my future, I know what lies ahead is something special. My experiences thus far this year have shown me I have so much more to learn and so many other things I want to experience, so it's time for me to pursue them. tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.8362 2008-12-12T14:32:39Z 2008-12-12T14:45:11Z

.... is the word, is the word that you heard. This was basically the word of the semester. Don't ask why. I'm sitting on my bed in Houston, the morning after my flight home from London. Wow. What a semester....

Mark .... is the word, is the word that you heard. This was basically the word of the semester. Don't ask why. I'm sitting on my bed in Houston, the morning after my flight home from London. Wow. What a semester. Easily the best four months of my entire life. I am preparing for an easy month of depression at the thought of not being with the new family I have made, the professors who have given me an entirely different angle to approach my life from, and the environment that has become my other home. However I know I can't approach my return that way, this was bound to happen. I have to look at this as an opportunity to live in a different way, with the skills I have learned abroad. To have an air of maturity, a strong sense of purpose, and a view that everything works out no matter what and that everything happens for a reason. Ok, enough philosophy, let's talk about the past couple of weeks. We had our final Globe performance and WOW what an experience. An audience. A complete audience. At the Globe. I felt like I was flying on air. However, I know I am an actor at heart because I went offstage thinking "I could have done better." Never settle for the best, you can always do better. Or at least differently. Saying goodbye to a person you're not sure you will ever see again is the hardest thing to do in this world. My professors are not likely to pop up again, even though I am determined to keep up with them electronically. I will definitely keep up with my friends (thank you, Facebook) but I just hope I will get to see them in the flesh again and again. I had a very easy finals week, just 2 papers. I spent the last few days I had in London hanging out with my friends before the big goodbye and the long haul back to Houston. THAT was fun. 14 hours in a plane, pick me, pick me!! But my last few days WERE fun. That I can say for sure. Knowing that these were my last moments in this dreamlike semester made them that much more special. Knowing these were people I would treasure for the rest of my life made them that much more important. And knowing these experiences would be carried with me through my journey made my drive to succeed that much more defined. I will strive for the best. No doubt about it. So I get back to Trinity in about a month, where I will be living off campus for the first time and doing my last semester. What a couple of months that will be. My lab show, Top Girls, has been approved! Now I just need to get logistics in order and set aside my time at URTA and MWTA and other auditions for grad schools. Hectic. That is the word for next semester. Hopefully it will be fun hectic though. Let's see what happens. tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.8132 2008-11-24T13:08:35Z 2008-11-24T13:18:00Z

Everyone ready for this? I am actually keeping up with my blog. WHAT. I know, it's ridiculous. So I just got back last night from my trip to Scotland and OH HOW I MISS IT ALREADY. Scotland is gorgeous and...

Mark Everyone ready for this? I am actually keeping up with my blog. WHAT. I know, it's ridiculous. So I just got back last night from my trip to Scotland and OH HOW I MISS IT ALREADY. Scotland is gorgeous and the people are just amazing. We first got to Lockerbie for our performance of The Bird and the Two-Ton Weight. First off, Lockerbie is a lovely, quaint little town and Lockerbie Academy could not have kinder people. I stayed with the Ferrie family, the father of which is a Depute at the academy, and they were the kindest, most generous people who I hope to remain in contact with. As for the show itself, we came across a little snag. See, we have two casts, one for Lockerbie and one for London and I am in the Lockerbie cast. But we had three shows scheduled for Friday, so our director Brian decided to give the middle show to the London cast to give Lockerbie a break. But the guy playing Colin (my part) in the London cast wasn't going to make it, so I had to understudy. In short I did three shows back to back. Needless to say, I slept quite well that night. But the production story gets so much better. A week ago, Darcy Fowler, the PLAYWRIGHT for the show showed up to work with us. What a privilege and blessing. She also came to the performances and brought who else with her but the original star of the New York production. No pressure. The run went wonderfully and the show was so moving we could see tissue boxes going around the audience. These people really have a strong connection to the Pan-Am 103 story, not only for their own losses but their connections with those from Syracuse who lost somebody. They felt for these losses in so many ways and I am so glad to have been part of a production that celebrated the lives of those lost. On a more upbeat note, a news came and filmed us!!! They interviewed me and several other people from the show and we were on Scottish television that night! How awesome is that? People loved the production and raved about how it was so touching and well done. I feel so fortunate to have been a part of this. We are still in rehearsals for our Globe final and it's just getting better and better. Our scene is going very well and classes are going swimmingly, although as the semester winds down, I realize I will soon be leaving these people who have become such an important part of my life. I wish to keep in touch, but the fact is it will be harder to do so, not to mention just to see them in person. Here is hoping they remain in my life for years to come. The next three weeks are going to be tough, not only because of final work here, but preparing for grad school auditions, mainstage auditions, and my own show which I am attempting to prepare for next semester! Details on that to come, but first I have to make sure it is going to happen, so stay tuned. ;) Hope the states are still doing well with me away! Cheers! tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.7886 2008-11-07T11:31:43Z 2008-11-07T11:46:08Z

Hm. Seems I'm bad at keeping promises. Here is my next blog a MONTH later. Way to go Mark. Last I left you I was getting ready for Fall Break, and boy was it fantastic!!! I went with three other...

Mark Hm. Seems I'm bad at keeping promises. Here is my next blog a MONTH later. Way to go Mark. Last I left you I was getting ready for Fall Break, and boy was it fantastic!!! I went with three other friends to Madrid and Lisbon for a week. First, Madrid. Very nice city. Very urban. Great museums. Go to the Reina Sofia and see La Guernica. Just stand there for about 15 minutes. It's just the most magical moment. We also saw a Spanish production of Sweeney Todd at the TeatroEspanol, which was very good actually! Great food, great people. But the best is yet to come. Lisbon came next and boy did I have no idea I would like it so much. This city is GORGEOUS. Right on the coast, beaches everywhere, markets all around, a castle right at the top of the cliffs of the city. Go. Please. Next time you decide "I wanna go to Europe", hit Lisbon. Oh, and go to the Goodnight Hostel. It's fantastic. We got back and school started right back. I did a monologue from Seven for film class, which was a ton of fun! Globe classes are wonderful, as always. I was assigned my scene for our final presentation and I will be playing Lysander in a Midsummer Night's Dream! My group met our director, Tom, who has the most unique and amazing approach to directing that is very inspiring to me. The next weekend after Fall Break, I actually went to Dublin! Honestly, I was slightly disappointed but had fun nonetheless. If you are keeping up with your math, that would have been Halloween, and Dublin is the place to go for Halloween. Pub hopping in the Temple Bar area and tours of all of the beer factories (Guinness Factory especially!), and plenty of other things to do. It's kind of a tiny London, actually. See it once, at least. Especially if, like me, you have ancestors there! So we open The Bird and the Two Ton Weight in two weeks. I'm a little nervous, but it should be fun. I am going to be doing three back to back performances in one day. Eek. It's like summerstock all over again. Well, that means I should be fine, right? I've been actually busier over here preparing for next semester than this one. I have grad school applications (yes, I am applying to grad school, Lord help me) and a lab show proposal to get off the ground. In addition I have to prepare more monologues for auditions next semester (we are doing two Sam Shepard one acts and The Misanthrope) and grad school auditions. Pray for me? Please? I would just like to say if you are looking for an experience that gives you inspiration, that gives you the push you need to do something with your life when you are stuck somewhere in the middle, and you just want to do what you love with people who are the same way, go abroad. Simple as that. See you next time! ........ Whenever that will be! tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.7510 2008-10-11T17:04:25Z 2008-10-11T17:44:46Z

Ok, I owe a huge apology. My last entry was 2 months ago. 2 MONTHS. That's just unacceptable. So you may taunt me, mock me, shun me, I deserve it. Now on to updates. I'M IN FRICKIN LONDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been...

Mark Ok, I owe a huge apology. My last entry was 2 months ago. 2 MONTHS. That's just unacceptable. So you may taunt me, mock me, shun me, I deserve it. Now on to updates. I'M IN FRICKIN LONDON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've been here for two months now and these have been the BEST two months of my entire life. I don't know how I'm going to be able to leave. So we got here the first week and had orientation, which was actually not too bad. I know Trinity orienation is pretty intense but they make it pretty easy for you here. They give a lot of free time for you to explore the city and such, so it's all good. We were introduced to some our professors and the people in charge and all that. We also got to finalize our class choices and mingle and meet people. Interestingly about 80% of the people are actually from Syracuse University (which sponsors this program). I don't know a soul! Let me explain the layout of the program. We are located at Faraday House, right in the heart of London, almost literally. Our classes are all in this building as well as a computer lab, small auditorium, student lounge, everything you need. My living situation is pre-arranged. You have the option of going out and finding your own apartment or living with other students in apartments already set up for you. Seeing as how I don't know a soul here, I obviously chose prearranged, which actually works out well because Bedford Place (where I live) is very close to Faraday House. So the second week in we started classes. My classes: Modern Stage, Acting for the Frame, Advanced Performance for Actors, and Shakespeare's Globe. Let's explain these shall we? Modern Stage is a classroom style course with Michael Barclay, one of the most fabulous and all-knowing teachers I have ever met. I'm not kidding, a fountain of knowledge with positive energy to boot. This class takes us out into the London theater scene, where we see one play a week and come back and discuss the piece. Twist my arm, right? The work is minimal, requiring a few reviews of pieces we have scene. Interestingly enough, only about half of the plays I have seen in London have been for this class, the other half for fun! Wicked, Les Miserables, We Will Rock You, Six Characters in Search of an Author, The Family. It's fantastic. Let me tell you though, the pieces we have to see for this class are SPECTACULAR as well. We have seen Marguerite, Under the Blue Sky, Her Naked Skin, Pinter One-Acts, In-I, and we are almost halfway through the semester. Not only that, you can't imagine the actors I have seen!!! Juliette Binoche, Ian McDiarmid, and soon I will see Ralph Fiennes and Josh Hartnett! Heaven... Acting for the Frame is exactly what it sounds like, it's a screen acting class. Anyone who has acted before, this is a WHOLE NEW experience. Screen acting takes so much more control and dedication than theater acting, so much so that you sometimes have to remember which you are doing or you might be in a theater rehearsal acting like a screen actor or vice versa. I have learned the most from this class, I must say, simply because of this new material and acting style. With John Beschizza, the prof, I've gotten to do a monologue from Waiting for Guffman (grin) and a scene from Friends and pretty soon I will do another monologue from Seven. The pieces we do are filmed and we analyze them as a class. At the end of the year we get a reel (CD with all of our work on it) to use for our own benefit. Take a screen acting class if you can. It's your one opportunity to have a teacher say: "Please find monologues from films and TV. And constantly watch TV." For education purposes, of course. Advanced Performance is really just a production. Brian Nocella has taken "The Bird and the Two-Ton Weight", an original play by Syracuse alum Darcy Fowler, and turned it into a workshop performance. The play talks about the Pan-Am 103 crash from 1988, where a bomb exploded on the flight and killed everyone on board, including a large group of Syracuse London students returning home for Christmas. The play will be performed in Lockerbie, where the accident happened, and then back here in London. The cast size is 5 and the class size is.... 20. So we changed things around slightly. The show was double cast, with a cast for Lockerbie and another for London, and the other students became an ensemble who would perform a 15 minute original Epilogue at the end and help during the show as well. And I got cast in the Lockerbie cast!!! I am playing Colin, a troubled 17 year old dealing with his mom's death with his sister Chelsea who has come home to take care of the family. It's a very fun role and my first chance with a dramatic role. We are in rehearsals, but outside of them we have been researching the accident and the students who were on board. We have had some very emotional classes discussing this. In addition we are working with the LeCoq method of acting for the epilogue, so I am learning some new acting styles as well. Now Shakespeare's Globe, this is the class that sold this program for me. This is the big one. You ready? Acting classes for Shakespeare. The classes are AT THE NEW GLOBE THEATER. I get to go to the Globe and take classes from professional Shakespeare actors and coaches. I mean, OH MY GOD. It's like a dream. The class is split up into smaller classes: Movement with Glynn, Voice with Stewart, and Performance with Yolanda. Soon we will also have Text with Giles and the scene work. The first few weeks we met with Patrick, the head of education at the Globe who is an absolutely stellar person just to be around. He taught us about text, folio, language, and more and I honestly wish I had gotten to have more classes with him. Glynn is the single most eccentric and interesting woman I have ever met and her Movement class has made me more in touch and tuned to my body than ever before. Not only that, but my verse monologues are so much more energized and motivated. Stewart is just an amazing character with a huge heart and the sexiest voice I have ever heard. He has taught me to find my true voice (which is much lower than my regular one) and use my breath and body to create sound without any force or strain. In addition I am able to manipulate it to affect my audience when doing a piece. Yolanda (who incidentally, if anyone has seen Children of Men, is the Spanish woman with the dog in the chase scene right at the very end. SO COOL!) has taught us how to use text, iambic pentameter, and basic acting to perform Shakespeare. I can't wait to see what comes next with Giles, but here is the best part about the class. At the end of the semester, our final is a group of scenes. From Shakespeare. Which we perform. On the stage of the Globe. Take that in for a second. On the Globe Theater stage. I am SO PSYCHED!!!!! My parents actually just told me they are going to fly in to watch the scenes! I kid you not, the first few weeks of classes I wanted to cry with how much I loved the classes. There have of course been moments when I have missed home and everyone back at Trinity, but I would come here again and again and again if I had the chance! There are 20 people in the Drama program here and I love each and every one of them. They have become my new family, taken me right in, and given me new, long-lasting friendships which I will treasure. My roommates are pretty fantastic as well! I'll be honest though, and say I see the Drama kids more simply because all of my classes are with them. PS I am taking 12 hours this semester, so it's pretty light, which might contribute to why I am not stressing as much or panicking at all. Although I do have a paper due Monday..... meh. Let's talk about London. It's huge. Obviously. However in a matter of weeks I know the tube system like the back of my hand. Easy peasy. You can get anywhere and everywhere, whether going to a play or someone's apartment. Getting to the Globe is 3 tube stops away and a 10 minute walk. Funny story, I pass St. Paul's Cathedral every day. It's really ironic because I know many people hear that and think "Oh I would love to go see it, I hear it's breathtaking." It really is. The first few times. Now I'm at the point where I'm like: "Oh look, there's St. Paul's. Ho hum. Over the bridge to the Globe Theater. There's the Tower of London over that way. Oh, and the London Eye is off in the distance. How nice." I truly feel at home here and everything has become so familiar. Even the whole driving on the left side of the street thing. Another good part about this program is that they provide opportunities to see things outside of London. I have gone on trips provided by the school to Stonehenge, Bath, Brighton, Hampton Court, they really just give you opportunities to see everything. Stonehenge was kind of underwhelming, honestly. Bath was beautiful. Roman baths were very cool. Brighton is AMAZING!!!! I would go back there any day of the week. Beautiful beach, Brighton Pier is just a blast, great town. And Hampton Court, Henry VIII's palace, was breathtaking of course. I'm not going out of London much right now though. During Fall Break, however, I AM going to SPAIN!!!! And Portugal too, forgot about that. For a full week! I will let you know how that goes soon. Over Halloween I am going to Dublin, which is apparently the place to be during that time. Who knew? I know you are probably thinking "Wow, those trips sound really expensive." Not when I'm a hop, skip, and a step away though. Flights to Spain are cheap cheap cheap if you get them early enough. Granted the pound is killing my bank account, but you can live right if you live cheap. I'll say that now though, the one big disadvantage to going abroad to London is that you just hemorrhage money. Worth it though. What do you do in your free time in London? Well, you either hang with your buddies at a flat or a coffee shop or you go to the pub, the big social hangout scene in London. The clubs are pretty fantastic too, and all of these places are great opportunities to meet people, both English and otherwise. London is shockingly diverse culturally, you hear languages you might not expect to. I honestly wish I had kept this blog going for the past two months, but I'll be honest, I got so caught up with having so much fun that I just forgot. The time flies by, which of course worries me because I DON'T WANT IT TO END!!!! I especially wish I had kept up because my description of my time abroad could have so much more in depth. But I will be better about this from now on. Trust me. And keep reading! Cheers! tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.7075 2008-08-19T05:45:04Z 2008-08-19T05:49:07Z

So apparently I picked up a new phrase that I never knew I had. When asked a question to which the response is "No thank you", I will now respond "I'm good." Apparently it's driving my mom up a wall,...

Mark So apparently I picked up a new phrase that I never knew I had. When asked a question to which the response is "No thank you", I will now respond "I'm good." Apparently it's driving my mom up a wall, so, of course, I'm doing it even more. I'm pretty sure I never had it before though... The past two weeks have been kind of uneventful actually. I closed my last show at Canterbury and drove back to Houston (long and boring). Ever since being back, I've been goofing off mostly, but I did get to visit my old high school and see my favorite old teachers. With senior year only a week away, I got some excellent advice. Don't ever leave them behind for good, you've got some connections and mentors there! Yes, senior year is coming up, but it will be a different year for sure. London is very scary and unfamiliar at this point, but once I get there I'm sure things will be different. I will definitely let you know how things turn out, but until then, nothing interesting to report. Back to preparation and packing! Catch you on the flip side! tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.6999 2008-08-01T23:45:29Z 2008-08-01T23:53:24Z

There is a number in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change talking about people waiting on people ("Waiting Trio", appropriately). The last line has a girl in line for the girl's bathroom saying "Alright boys, zip up, I'm comin...

Mark There is a number in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change talking about people waiting on people ("Waiting Trio", appropriately). The last line has a girl in line for the girl's bathroom saying "Alright boys, zip up, I'm comin in and I ain't happy!" and three of us saying "And I'm pissed!" Well for some reason, the girl kept wanting to say "And I'm fifty!", which is a line from an SNL sketch. Well, we kept going with it to say "And I'm fifty! I have to pee really badly cause I have fifty! Cause I'm pregnant! And I have UTI!" Kept us in stitches. The Canterbury Experience, v. 2.0 is almost over! I leave for home in 3 days and then I have 3 weeks before heading off to London, ahhhhhh! This summer has been even better than the last, I've gotta say. Awesome people, fantastic shows, and wonderful memories. Our last show I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change is probably my favorite I've done at Canterbury ever. Once again, the show got a fantastic review and people are absolutely falling in love with it. So I have the BEST story ever. This weekend I had a lot of time off and wasn't quite sure what to do with myself. Then I heard about an interesting casting call. I talked to my parents about it and they agreed to help with funding to get me to the audition. It was for the Broadway cast of Spider-Man the Musical, directed by Julie Taymor and with music and lyrics by U2, with an open call for casting Peter Parker!!!!!! I flew up to NYC on Sunday and got to the audition site a 6AM (you read that right) to audition at 10. It was probably the best and most valuable experience I have had in the professional world. I met some awesome people in line, a lot of whom went to Syracuse and know half of the people I will be going to London with! Small world! The city was wonderful and I had an absolute blast. Keep your fingers crossed for me on casting! The next time I talk to you I will be back at home getting ready for London. Catch you on the flip side! tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.6875 2008-07-16T18:38:42Z 2008-07-16T18:47:29Z

Since being in Indiana, I have come across so many funny comments and quotes that I don't think I can post one above the other. I will only say we have a quote board that is already filling up quickly....

Mark Since being in Indiana, I have come across so many funny comments and quotes that I don't think I can post one above the other. I will only say we have a quote board that is already filling up quickly. Put around 20 people together for 5 weeks and try not to have funny stuff pop up. This summer has flown by thus far. We opened and closed Little Women, which was eh. Lemme tell ya, not a good show. If you get the chance to see it, look at your next best option. We are now in performance for Anything Goes (number 3 for me!), which I am loving loving loving. Great people, great part, great show. It will sadly close this Saturday. At the same time we are rehearsing I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, an absolutely hilarious show that is a true ensemble piece, where no one has more stage time than anyone else. I am loving this show the most so far (small cast helps). One thing I haven't talked about is the rehearsal process and all of that for a summerstock theater. My work day is rehearsal from 9-12:30 in the morning followed by a lunch break, then I come back for rehearsal from 2-5, then a dinner break, then rehearsal 7-10:30. On performance days, instead of rehearsal we have a performance. I'll say that again, rehearse one show during the day, perform a completely different one at night. I know, it's crazy. Oh and we get every other Sunday off (phew). Lotta work! Totally worth it though. It's the only way you can get a decent show up in two weeks. As soon as I Love You, You're Perfect closes, I'm coming back to Houston, where I will have three weeks to prep before heading off to London town! Not sure quite what I will do to prep, but I know I will need the time. Not just for packing and all, but to see everybody before I head out. I know I am coming down to visit Trinity once before leaving just to say goodbye to people. I have call for Anything Goes in 10 minutes, so I gotta jet. Catch you on the flip side! tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.6630 2008-06-23T23:53:16Z 2008-06-24T00:03:34Z

Summerstock is in full swing!!! It's been three weeks since my last post and that is because I have been busy doing my summer theater at Canterbury Summer Theatre in Michigan City, IN. First of all, the kids I'm with...

Mark Summerstock is in full swing!!! It's been three weeks since my last post and that is because I have been busy doing my summer theater at Canterbury Summer Theatre in Michigan City, IN. First of all, the kids I'm with are such a blast. I'm serious, two weeks and we have bonded so much, of course more so with the kids who were here last year. We closed Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourne this weekend, in which I played Nick. This was one of the best shows I have ever gotten to participate, so much fun. Our director Rick was very smart with the show and the cast was just phenomenal. The review of the show came out in the Michigan City News Dispatch this Friday! Quote: "...so polished in its first show of the season... Bedroom Farce takes its time and the rewards are plenty." Ooh, and about me! "... the role gives him (that's me!) the chance to unleash a stellar deadpan..." Three cheers for Bedroom Farce! We open Little Women the Musical this Wednesday. Eek. We need to move along a little faster with this show, but I think we will be alright. It's an odd show, not very well written, but you know, deal with what you have in this situation, right? So yeah, that's where I am right now. Oh yeah, the quote. We were getting notes from our director for Bedroom Farce and he stopped and stared at his notepad. We all stared back expectantly and finally he just goes, "Oh... Eskimo..." We all just look at each other like whaaaat? Apparently he had written the word eskimo and couldn't read it. One of many many MANY funny moments of the summer though. Moral of the story: Get outside of Trinity and try things with some other people who like doing the same things as you. You will learn so much from them about what you like to do, make connections, and get a whole new perspective on your craft. That's all I have for now. Catch you later! tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.6526 2008-06-03T21:55:35Z 2008-06-03T22:01:57Z

So I saw a play the other day at University of Houston consisting of interviews with GLBT citizens of Houston turned into monologues and scenes. At the end of the play there was a talkback, so I asked a question....

Mark So I saw a play the other day at University of Houston consisting of interviews with GLBT citizens of Houston turned into monologues and scenes. At the end of the play there was a talkback, so I asked a question. "I have a question for the playwright. The second vignette, you took an interview and turned it into a scene. How much did you have to fill in the blanks and was that a challenge?" Everyone on the opposite side of the room was like "Oh, that's a great question, oh yeah." Everyone on my side of the room (aka All of my friends): "Tch, theater geek..." After the show one actually came up to me and said "You and your big words." I went "... What, vignette? It's two syllables." He didn't quite know what to say. Ah well, at least I have friends who know what vignette means. The past few weeks have mainly consisted of catching up with my friends in Houston before I head to Indiana for my summerstock job. I've gotten to see lots of friends from high school, from church, from a loooooong time ago, etc. It's nice to set aside just that amount of time to do that. I also have gotten to do something I haven't had the chance to do in a while: Dungeons and Dragons. Hell yes, I am a D&D geek, and proud of it. Shut up, if you got started on it, you would defend it too. So yes, I don't have much to say about my happenings lately, but once I head up north, you will have a rockin blog to check out. Until then, enjoy summer! tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.6417 2008-05-19T17:23:08Z 2008-05-19T17:30:54Z

A friend used the word genre with the French pronunciation. We quickly pounced on it to correct his pronunciation: jaunruh. SCHOOL'S OUT!!!! I am officially done with my junior year at Trinity! Senior year's scary... Ok, not thinking about that...

Mark A friend used the word genre with the French pronunciation. We quickly pounced on it to correct his pronunciation: jaunruh. SCHOOL'S OUT!!!! I am officially done with my junior year at Trinity! Senior year's scary... Ok, not thinking about that because I am going to be in London during that time, which is so NOT scary! So the past few weeks have been BUUUUUUSY with end of year projects, papers, and tests and, huh, oh yeah, FINALS. But it was a good end and I got to see everyone by the time I left who I won't see for 8 months, which is very sad. I will miss you all! I head off to Indiana for my summer job in about 3 weeks, which is very exciting as well, so as of now I'm just chilling in Houston with my family. That's all for now, and Class of 2012, can't wait to meet you guys! tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.6126 2008-04-24T01:38:29Z 2008-04-24T01:59:25Z

So we had an AWESOME Saturday down in good old San Antonio. Had lunch at the Botanical Gardens, went to the pool for a while, got some of the best Tex-Mex in town, and then I headed off to a...

Mark So we had an AWESOME Saturday down in good old San Antonio. Had lunch at the Botanical Gardens, went to the pool for a while, got some of the best Tex-Mex in town, and then I headed off to a great performance of You Can't Take It With You. Prospective students take note, PLENTY of things to do around here. But we were fooling around the pool and decided to do "model" shots. My friend and I were sitting watching and she said we should act like judges on America's Next Top Model and she decided to be Janice Dickinson. As soon as the "shoot" started, she said "Pull your arm up, you look like an amputee." After only 2 shots, we had already lost it. As good as the weekend was, the week around it was HEINOUS. It is that time of year. Where the projects pile up, the papers catch up, and the finals take over the school. Again to prospective students, don't let this turn you off from the school. You will be dealing with it wherever you go. Welcome to college. But I have been busy busy busy other than even school work. You Can't Take It With You had a FANTASTIC opening, having one of the best non-musical opening night attendances in Trinity history. It is getting wonderful reviews from the audiences and we are having a blast on stage. To those interested, the 2008-2009 theater season has been chosen! In the following order, the shows are: Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead by Bert V. Royal, Booth: A Play About Theater by Austin Pendleton, Icarus's Mother and Action by Sam Shepard, and The Misanthrope by Moliere. A very dramatic season, but it looks like it will be a good one! Mozart's Requiem is coming up in a week for Choral Union! Then choir is out for the year. Should be a good concert, and we are also doing a Vaughan Williams piece, so try to come out if you can. Momentum, Trinity's dance show, is hard at work in rehearsals. My dance is coming together very well and should be ready to go soon, although I must admit I'm getting very nervous. It's a bit kitchy (my fault) and I need to clean it up a bit. Other than that all is well and I'm getting things together for the summer and beyond. That is all! tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.5912 2008-04-10T02:00:13Z 2008-04-10T23:37:46Z

I learned a little about the military this weekend. One of my best friends and suitemate is in ROTC and one of his ROTC friends, he, and I were hanging out and talking about... life... yeah... Anyway, I learned about...

Mark I learned a little about the military this weekend. One of my best friends and suitemate is in ROTC and one of his ROTC friends, he, and I were hanging out and talking about... life... yeah... Anyway, I learned about some of the required etiquette in ROTC, one of which is related to use of language. Many phrases have some sexual connotation to them (container, rocket, etc.), some of which are a little ridiculous, but require you, when saying them, to follow it up with "so to speak." See, to me, that's just "That's what she said." with a fancy cover up. So whenever I can, I am going to say "so to speak" when I deem necessary. You should join in. We will start an epidemic. It will be the new "that's what she said" or "awkward turtle". Been a busy past two weeks. Homework is starting to catch up with me and I am beginning to drop back, but I am getting everything done. I need a break every once in a while, some Smash Bros. or some simple hang out time, but I am doing alright. I went to several people with my summer job issue for advice and came up with some good thoughts, but not much. I decided to take action and recontact all of my theaters to see if anything popped up. THANK GOD I DID. I have two offers to my name, one of which I am taking: Canterbury Summer Theatre in Michigan City, IN, where I worked last year. I will be Nick in Bedroom Farce, Laurie in Little Women, Billy Crocker in Anything Goes, and a performer in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, maybe more (w00t!). Thank God this is all finally working out. Choir is busy busy busy lately. Chamber Singers have a concert this Friday which seemed to have snuck up on us. I think we will be ready, but we need to pick up the pace a bit. Trinity Choir is working on Mozart's Requiem (LOVE IT) for the end of the month. Come to either if you can. This weekend is Family Weekend down here at Trinity, which means it's time fooooooor Trinity Spotlight! Trinity Spotlight is our talent show at school, where whatever acts who wish to can compete for a cash prize. Last year the Trinitones won with "Hooked on a Feeling" (because we pretty much rock) and this year we are competing again with... well it's a surprise, hehe... Next weekend is opening for You Can't Take It With You. Please come down if you can to see it because it is freakin' HILARIOUS. You will have a grand old time. April 18-26 (see Trinity's Drama webpage for details on times, etc.). Can't think of anything else to add on to that, so carry on through thick and thin. tag:blogs.targetx.com,2008:/trinity/Mark//283.5634 2008-03-26T21:56:03Z 2008-03-27T17:36:17Z

DUDE, TAIWAN ROCKS!!!! I got back a few days ago from my 10 day trip in Taiwan and WOW what a trip. I had so much fun I can't even begin to explain. Jetlag was harsh (14 hour time difference...

Mark DUDE, TAIWAN ROCKS!!!! I got back a few days ago from my 10 day trip in Taiwan and WOW what a trip. I had so much fun I can't even begin to explain. Jetlag was harsh (14 hour time difference for a 13 hour flight. Gross.), but once we got there we had a blast. Taipei City is amazing and I WANT TO GO BACK SO BAD! We also went to Kaohsiung, which was just as amazing with a beautiful beach view, although Kenting had an even better one where we actually could walk on the beach. Our recitals went very well and I think everyone got 10 times better by the end of the trip. PS AMAZING FOOD!!!! We would just walk down the street or market and try samples and just go "MMM" at everything! Good cheap shopping too. So Taiwan, you get my stamp of approval as a country worth visiting. I totally want to go back and hope to soon. I guess I should explain my title. There were five of us with our voice teacher and everywhere we went it would just be a little line of people. We thus dubbed our teacher Mama Duck. As a result, we all got our own nicknames: Hungry Duck, Slow Duck, Loud Duck, Baby Duck, and me: Whatever Duck. Confused? I was the moral neutrality of the group and my most common response to anything going on or any decisions was "Whatever." Thus Whatever Duck. Not much else new to report since coming back... Oh wait yes, I have news. I'M GOING ABROAD NEXT SEMESTER!!!!! That is right folks, I will be in London for the Fall at Syracuse University's Abroad Program for Drama. I am SO psyched about this.... except for the forms, but you know, gotta get ready somehow. This has been a buuuuusy week. I am so exhausted... actually sick today, but truckin along. Nothing else to report. Carry on.