Mercy Killers

 

 I'm happy to announce that I am the Production Stage Manager for the Working Theatre & the Harold Clurman Laboratory Theater Company's production of Michael Milligan's Mercy Killers- a new one-man play, in which "Joe struggles with the uniquely American experience of losing your health in the land of plenty."

If you're in the NYC area January & February 2014, make sure to come check out this 60 minute one-man play!  It is life changing. :)

Just Like Earth

I've been watching a quite a bit of Star Trek (The Original Series) recently on Netflix and I've noticed something.  The USS Enterprise sure does visit a lot of planets that are "just like Earth".  The producers of the show did this for a number of reasons but mainly because it was cheap.  Why spend a ton of money creating an alien landscape or city when you can just film on the studio backlot or on a location in sunny southern California?  All you have to do is throw in some lines where the crew marvels at finding a planet that's just like Earth.  Something like this scene from The Paradise Syndrome...

MCCOY: Look at those pine trees.
KIRK: And that lake.
MCCOY: I swear that's honeysuckle I smell.
KIRK: I swear that's a little orange blossom thrown in. It's unbelievable. Growth exactly like that of Earth on a planet half a galaxy away. What are the odds on such duplication?
SPOCK: Astronomical, Captain. The relative size, age and composition of this planet makes it highly improbable that it would evolve similarly to Earth in any way.

And there you have it.  We can then film our alien planet scenes near the Franklin Reservoir just north of Los Angeles.  Just hope you don't bump into Andy and Opie going fishing.  That reservoir also served as the filming location for the lake near Mayberry in the Andy Griffith show.  The episodes Miri & City of the Edge of Forever were actually shot on the same backlot as the Andy Griffith show!  You can see Kirk and crew walk right past Andy's courthouse, Floyd's Barber Shop, etc.  Here's a whole web site dedicated to this fact.

Convenience isn't the only reason the writer's used Earth like planets in Star Trek.  Roddenberry wanted to use Star Trek to tell morality stories.  He felt that science fiction is at its best when it holds a mirror up to society and teaches us a lesson. So whenever he wanted to make a political statement about the world we live in-- the Enterprise would just go visit a world like ours to tell the story.

But it seems silly to think that there could be so many other Earth like planets in the universe, right?  Apparently not!  According to a recent article on io9.com,  There might be 2 million planets similar to Earth in our galaxy alone!  Here is a quick excerpt from the article:

 Based on the data from [NASA's Kepler probe], the JPL scientists estimated that 1.4 to 2.7 percent of all stars with the same basic properties as our Sun are home to Earth-like planets. That means a planet between 0.8 and two times the mass of Earth that lies within the habitable zone of its star. When you total up the amount of sun-like stars in the galaxy, that gives you two billion stars. And, of the hundred or so sun-like stars within a few dozen light-years of Earth, at least two of them should be home to habitable worlds.

JPL researcher Joseph Catanzarite points out just how many Earth-like planets there might really be:

"This means there are a lot of Earth analogs out there - two billion in the Milky Way galaxy. With that large a number, there's a good chance life and maybe even intelligent life might exist on some of those planets. And that's just our galaxy alone - there are 50 billion other galaxies."

So there!  The fact that the Enterprise bumps into Earth like planets all the time is suddenly not so far fetched!  As Spock would say, that's fascinating. :)

Museum of the Moving Image (Muppets, Star Trek, & Silence, Oh My!)

Tim and I went to the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, NY yesterday to see their exhibit on Jim Henson.  They were also showing The Muppets Go To The Movies-- a 1981 TV special which was originally produced to promote the feature film The Great Muppet Caper.  Both the exhibit and the movie were a lot of fun!  I highly recommend going to see the exhibit before it closes on March 4th.  If you grew up on Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, or the Muppet Show you'll get a great insider's look at workings behind the Muppet world.

For fans of my current show, Silence! The Musical, might enjoy a visit to the Museum as well.  They have a rather extensive display on the scenic elements built for The Silence of the Lambs film.  The collection includes research materials, drawings, and even full model of the asylum in Baltimore and Buffalo Bill's basement from the climax of the film.  Speaking of Silence!-- make sure you come see the show soon!  I'm only working on it thru the end of February.  We've added a 10:30pm show THIS SATURDAY.  :)  There's also a CD signing event with the cast of Silence The Musical THIS THURSDAY at Barnes and Noble at 86th & Lex!  Come check it out.


Of course Museum of the Moving Image has a section dedicated entirely to Star Trek!  Well, not really... but there is some cool Trek stuff to see.  There is a section of the museum dedicated to the the moving image's influence on pop culture.  They have toys, lunch boxes, models, magazines, etc-- all sorts merchandising that has been released to promote movies and TV shows.  This list of items includes Star Trek action figures from the original series and the first movie, a model of the USS Enterprise (pictured here), a phaser water pistol, a cereal bowl and cup with Kirk & Spock on them, a Star Trek happy meal box from 1979, examples of Star Trek jewelry, several fan produced magazines, etc.  Outside of the world of Star Trek they fun stuff like a C3P0 scotch tape dispenser, a Batman lunch box and many more cool merchandising tie-in items.

There's also a display on Stop Motion animation where you can make your own little movie with paper cut outs.  They have it all set up so that you can make your own animated movie and then have it e-mailed to yourself.  Check out mine below!

I Saw William Shatner on Broadway!

I mentioned a while back that William Shatner was bringing his one man show: Shanter's World to Broadway.  It started previews on Tuesday and opens officially tonight.  The 90 minute (or so) show takes "audiences on a voyage through Shatner's life and career, from Shakespearean stage actor to internationally known icon and raconteur, known as much for his unique persona as for his expansive body of work on television and film." (playbill.com)

Tim and I went to see the show in its second preview last night.  I LOVED IT!  Now I will say-- I'm a pretty biased judge here.  As a Trekkie and as a fan of William Shatner it's hard for me to not love sitting in the same room as the man and listening to him tell stories.  It was really a huge treat.  Shatner seemed at home on the stage.  He was so calm and casual about the whole thing.  I felt like I was sitting in his living room sipping an iced tea while he entertained me with stories of his life.  He talked about his early life in the theatre working with some of the great men of our industry-- men I've read about and studied in college like Tyone Guthrie (founder of the Stratford Festival and the Guthrie Theatre) and Anthony Quayle (one of the founders of the Clarence Brown Theatre Company at my undergrad).  He talked about Gene Roddenberry asking him to do pilot for a space show-- a moment that changed his life.  He talked Star Trek's connection with NASA and described how he felt when he watched man land on the moon. He told us about his horses, talked about his family and briefly about the tragic death of his 3rd wife.  My emotions ran the gamut while I watched this living legend be so honest and human.  True, he rambled a little.  Sometimes the stories didn't really connect with each other-- he didn't tell a cohesive story with an arc from beginning to end. But that didn't really matter to me.  It was a great evening and I recommend that you go see his show too.

After the show we decided to go to the stage door for a glimpse of him up close.  We waiting with a small crowd of fans in the cold for about 20 minutes.  Finally, he stepped thru the door onto the sidewalk. The crowd erupted in cheers.  There was a barrage camera flashes.  Mr. Shatner paused for a moment, raised his hands and thanked us for coming.  I'm sure my face was beaming.  I had my iPhone in my hand and was unconsciously clicking pictures with it (mainly of the back of the head in front of me).  The others were cheering but I couldn't make a sound.  Time slowed down.  I was kind of frozen.  He looked great.  He was right there--- just a few feet from me.  I'm sure he said more, but I'm not sure what it was.  Before I knew it he was in his car and being driven away.   "Goodbye Bill!" I thought.  "See you again one day!"

Shatner's World runs on Broadway thru March 4th.  After which, Mr. Shatner will take his show on the road to cities all across the country.  Check out this video from Playbill.com in which Bill talks about his return to Broadway! :)

[I had trouble embedding the video-- but you view it by clicking THIS LINK.]

Come See Silence! The Musical

My time with Silence! The Musical is nearing an end!  I've been subbing in as the Assistant Stage Manager on this Off-Broadway hit for the last few weeks.  It has been a BLAST and I want EVERYONE to come see the show before I leave it!   I'm only with the show for the rest of February-- so get your tickets now!

If you sit house right you can probably catch a glimpse of me in the stage right wings doing things like catching a head in a jar when it's thrown offstage.   :)  Oh--- I do recommend watching the original 1991 movie (The Silence of the Lambs) before coming.  If the film is fresh in your memory, I think it makes the show all the funnier.   Our show is a raunchy & hilarious parody that don't pull any punches when mimicking the classic film.  You're really gonna love it!

So, what are you waiting for?  CLICK HERE and buy a ticket!!!

UPDATE-- Check out our new commercial!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGvL2hkTUJw]

William Shanter Coming to Broadway!?

I woke up to some great news this morning!  All my NY news sources (i.e. Playbill) are saying that William Shatner is coming to Broadway!  The 80 year old TV and movie legend (and god to some Trekkies) is said to be bringing a one man show to the Music Box Theatre in February!  This should be no big surprise.  Shatner just ended his Canadian tour "How Time Flies: An Evening With William Shanter" that played in 6 cities in October & November of this year.   And back in April he was in Australia & New Zealand with another one man show called "Kirk, Crane & Beyond: William Shanter Live".  Clearly he was trying out material in preparation for a US run.  According to Playbill.com he's changed the title again calling it "Shatner's World: We Just Live in It."  The article goes on to say that "The Broadway engagement will kick off a 15-week national tour."  Smart. Very smart.   Shatner's official web site and twitter feed (@WilliamShanter) are silent on the topic.  I'm sure his people will make a more official announcement soon.

SOOO EXCITED!!!!!!!!

A Grand Ole Theatre

I'll never forget the first time I walked onto the stage at the Grand Ole Opry House.  It was during load in for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in 2009.  I was a Production Assistant on the show and  Tim (my partner who also happened to be the Associate Company Manager on the show) was showing me around-- giving me a tour of the building that would basically be our home for the next 2 months.  As we walked thru the wings to the stage he asked me "Are you ready for this?".  I didn't know it at the time, but I wasn't ready.  Suddenly we were standing  in the center of a massive stage looking out onto a house filled with church pews.   "Oh my God!  I'm on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry House!"  I said.   Although they were covered by a dance floor for the show, I knew that I was walking on the same boards as legends like Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, and many others.  Chills ran over my whole body.  Then Tim showed me a circle in the floor downstage center (that can be seen subtly thru our dance flooring).  That circle of wood is actually from the stage of the Ryan Auditorium.  So when I stepped into that circle I was standing on the same boards as even bigger legends like Patsy Cline, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams and many others!   I... was... speechless.

Not everyone has this reaction to the Opry House but I grew up listening to Country music.  As a 6th generation Tennessean, it's in my blood.  I was listening to greats like Conway Twitty, George Jones, & Tammy Wynette while in the womb.  To this day I have to pinch myself when I work at the Opry.   Whether I'm running the show backstage or calling the show from the wing, or just eating lunch in Studio A (once used to film Hee-Haw!) I feel SO LUCKY.

Here is a cool video of Dolly Parton performing on the stage at the Grande Ole Opry last month.  Isn't she just amazing?  You can really see the circle of wood from the Ryman in this clip too.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9eG9uKVtG4]

It's Almost Christmas!

In a couple days I fly down south and go back into rehearsal with the world famous Radio City Rockettes.  Over the next month we'll be preparing for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN.  This will be the 10th year that the Rockettes have performed in Nashville--- quite a tradition that I'm happy to be a part of.

Check out this clip of the ladies performing at the Opryland Christmas Lighting ceremony last year.  Fast forward to 3:15. ;)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ldPUd6E_s4]

I Found Star Trek on Broadway??

Once a year theatre professionals, actors, stage managers, stage hands, dramatists, volunteers, retailers, theatre managers, etc pull their resources and hold a big ole yard sale for charity!  The annual Broadway Flea Market benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids.

At this year's flea market (last weekend) I managed to have a Star Trek fueled geek-gasm.  At the Love, Loss, and What I Wore booth they were selling autographed playbills, posters, etc from the show's long celebrity filled run.  Of course, Kate Mulgrew was in the show for a stint last year.  That's right!  Star Trek Voyager's own Captain Janeway was in an Off Broadway show.   Unfortunately I was out of town during her time in the show so I didn't get to see her.  But thanks to the flea market now I have her autograph! Amazing, right? Hopefully she'll come back to the big apple soon and do another show so I can finally see her in person.  She's just amazing-- so tallented!

Kate's sig wasn't the only bit of Trek at the Broadway Flea Market.  There was a book booth that randomly had some Star Trek TNG coloring & activity books from 1997!  Hilarious, right?  Of course I had to have them.  I'm not sure if I should color them and recapture my youth, save them to give to some awesome kid (a niece/nephew or child of a friend) one day-- or just save them as collectable.  In any case, I'll totally scan them in and share soon!

Busy busy busy!

I have just been SWAMPED lately with my work. I'm currently Stage Managing a show up in Auburn, New York at the Merry Go Round Playhouse in their Downtown Series. It's called Cooking With The Calamari Sisters: Mangia Italiano! We just opened last week and run thru August 20th! So while I haven't had much time for my Star Trek addiction lately, I do think about Star Trek every night when we do the show. Why? Well.... if you come see the show (and please do!) watch for one of the main characters to bust out the Vulcan Nerve Pinch on her sister! And if you're really paying attention, there's even a quick reference to Lt. Ilia.

Talky Blog! Mike's Star Trek Birthday

Uhura is judging me for not blogging.

Weight Watchers Update

I've lost 6 pounds! 

I know that doesn't sound like much but I'm still very happy about it.  In fact, I did a little dance when I hopped off the scale this morning.  So far Weight Watchers seems to be working really well for me-- I don't starve.  I just make smarter choices and still eat my fill.  At the end of the day I have more energy and feel better.  The weight loss is like a bonus. 

So-- wish me luck!  I think I'm hooked now. :)

Ophelia

Ophelia
Originally uploaded by The Mike Jones

I was playing in my little photography studio this morning when Ophelia decided to pay me a visit. She was nice enough to sit still long enough for me to snap a quick shot. Isn't she beautiful? :)

Converting the sun room into a studio

Hey!  I'm VERY excited about this--- I've decided to convert my sun room into a photography studio.  I've already done one photo session in here already and it worked so well that I decided to permanently rearrange some furniture, move the litter box and create a little work space for my photography.  The sun room is perfect because I love using natural light and plenty comes in thru the windows here midday.  I've added some studio lighting for fill or sessions on cloudy days.  The windows are useful in other ways.  The blinds create a great effect when needed and the curtain rod at the end of the room can be used to hang back drops.  Here is a snap shot of my little studio as I was setting it up: 

Weight Watchers Update

So I've been on Weight Watchers for a couple of weeks now.  Honestly though, the first week doesn't really count.  I tried to just eat like normal and see how many points it added up to.  It was great- I learned a lot about where I spend my points.  I'll usually be on track (unless I go to Chipotle for lunch) until the evening when it all goes out the door.  In that last hour before bed I have a tendency to binge on foods with a high point value and blow the whole plan out of the water. 

With this problem in mind I headed into the 2nd week.  And I was doing pretty well until the dinner break of our 1st 10 out of 12 tech rehearsal.  Our director's wonderful mother brought food to the theatre to feed the cast and crew-- and oh my God it was delicious!  I jumped off the diet wagon and into the buffet line faster than  you can say gastric bypass!   Later I was munching on my 3rd sandwich from the Mom buffet when I decided: tech is like Christmas-- no one should be on a diet during tech. 

So once tech was over I jumped back on the wagon and so far have been doing pretty good.  So far I've lost 2 pounds, gained one back and now I'm on my way back down.  One thing that's actually helping me is my lack of social interaction.  You see, my favorite thing to do with friends is to eat-- but in Cincinnati all my friends are so busy and I'm always at the theatre so I've been eating out MUCH less often than I did in grad school.  At one point I was up to eating out a least once a day. 

Anyway- Wish me luck!

Talky Blog

Topics covered:
- Shows
- Weight Watchers
- Jay Brannan

MyFace... or FaceSpace... or MyBook... or...

It's Friday afternoon at 12:30.  I'm on day 4 of my 15 days without a day off-- don't get me wrong it's my own fault.  I'm currently working 2 contracts at once-- which was my choice.  Nevertheless, as rehearsals for The Seafarer start next week while Grey Gardens continues to run I will have little free time.  Strangely, I thought I would take this-- one of my last free hours, to blog about online communities. 

I know I've talked blogged about this before- but I'm addicted.  I've been on LiveJournal, Friendster, MySpace, Facebook, Plaxo (not to mention a few more 'adult' social networking sites) for years now.  Well I'm hearby parring it down.  I recently had a conversation with my friend Keven who told me that he is officially "offline".  Well, not really-- he still has a professional web page as an actor-- but he canceled his MySpace, Facebook and all that.  He sounded so liberated and free!  I kind of envied him and felt inspired to do the same.  Don't get me wrong- I'm not going cold turkey like he did.  But do I really use Friendster anymore?  Nope.  CANCELED.   LiveJournal?  Nope. ABANDONED.  What about MySpace?  Uhh... well... I kinda use it.  I mean, I check it every day.. but dont' really post anything there anymore.  I don't blog there or anything.  Let's come back to MySpace later.   Next?  Facebook.  YES!  I use facebook.  In fact, it seems to be a perfect resource for keeping in touch with colleagues I've worked with on shows in the past, a communication tool really.  I almost use it like a big online address book.  Oh wait-- doesn't that exist?  It does!  It's called Plaxo!  So why don't I just use that?  Well- most of my friends are not on Plaxo (yet).  So for now Facebook stays.  Plaxo will also stay. 
...  ...
So.. what about MySpace?  Ok- first let me direct you to a link.  Read the number 10 commandment in this list: The Ten Commandment of Facebook.  As the article says, MySpace is kind of glitter filled and juvenile.  I mean, Facebook does seem a little more "grown up".  Of course, is being "grown up" all that important?  Maybe I need some wimsy in my life and MySpace is just the right place for that.  I'm not sure.   What do YOU think?  Should I get rid of MySpace?? 

Grey Gardens is up & running!

Grey Gardens opened Wednesday night.  It's a great production on a really wonderful show.  I've been obsessed with Little Edie ever since I saw the documentary 2 years ago.  Doug Wright, Scot Frankel, & Michael Korie have done an amazing job of creating a musical based on that cult classic documentary.  Our production is one of the first regional productions of this Broadway hit. 

More info: www.cincyetc.com
September 10 - 28, 2008

Talky Blog - Update