Headline: Best In Show

According to the review from the Bay Weekly, Bay Theatre's production of Sylvia "is as puppylicious as Bil-Jac liver treats."

Also:

"Rounding out the cast is Peter Boyer . . . . He is Tom, a proud dog owner who brings the subtle one-upsmanship of the mommy wars to the dog park. He is Phyllis, Kate’s canine-phobic friend and confidante. He is Leslie, an androgynous therapist and marriage counselor. As all three, he is marvelous."

Our first review, from The Capital:

"The Bay Theatre Company kicked off its eighth season last weekend with a real dog of a play - and it's howling good."

"Peter Boyer, who has the challenging task of playing three roles - a dog park buddy of Greg's named Tom, Kate's friend Phyllis and an ambiguously gendered therapist the couple visits named Leslie - adds a deft hand to the comedic romp. He's funniest as Phyllis, whom he makes into a slightly off-kilter society maven. It reminded me a bit of Mrs. Drysdale in "The Beverly Hillbillies," only funnier."

Click either paragraph to read the whole thing . . . they liked the other actors, too . . . .

I Shaved My Legs For This?!?

Yeah, apparently I did. That's a new experience.

For the character of Phyllis (in Sylvia), I am wearing a knee length skirt, (sheer) hose, and heels. As well as a bra, a nice blue top, scarf, wig, pearls, ear rings, and a few other bits of jewelry.

I have been told that I look damn good in heels. The woman who said that also said she was jealous.

Chronicles of Chronicles

I now have 3 different projects going on, 2 of which I've talked about a little bit beforeOne: Sylvia , in which I play Tom / Phyllis / Leslie, @ Bay Theatre in Annapolis. Two: A Spell of Cold Weather, which I'll be directing, @ Red Branch Theatre in Columbia. Three: A Chorus Line, in which I'll be playing Zach, at Howard Community College.

Yeeha, yo.

The Dog Ain't The Only One Chewing The Scenery Here

Sylvia opens Oct. 2 at Bay Theatre in Annapolis! I've got a guy who lives vicariously and metaphorically through his un-neutered dog! I've got your socialite who shows off her size 12 heels and her occasional Freudian slip! I've got your ambi-gendered psychotherapist!

And that's just me! There's 3 other people in this show, playing 3 other characters, and one of 'em is an anthropomorphized dog!

Bye Bye, Bunny Rabbit

Sculptor Barry Flanagan passed away.

The NY Times article described him as "a British sculptor who abandoned the idiosyncratic arrangements of common materials that characterized Postminimal sculpture."

I prefer how BF describes himself, as “an English-speaking, itinerant European sculptor.” That's much better. He was fun. He was mischievous.


I worked for a sculptor for a summer as a teen, and am an occasional sculptor myself. One of my favorite places in DC is the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden, and one of my favorite sculptures there is his Thinker on a Rock. So here ya go:

More Theatrics

Rehearsals have been going on for a week-and-a-half for Sylvia at Bay Theatre. If you had seen rehearsals on Wednesday, you would have seen me walking around in a rehearsal skirt and 3+ inch heels. Women's size 12, by the way.

New gnus: I'm set to direct A Spell of Cold Weather, by Charles Way, at Red Branch Theatre in Columbia, MD. That'll show in December.

Life Goes On

Recent casting: I'll be in Sylvia at Bay Theatre, which'll run from October 2 - November 7. I'll be playing the characters Tom / Phyllis / Leslie. That'll be: a man / a woman / a hmmm?

I'll also be teaching an acting course at Howard Community College this fall.

Jenny and I recently took a trip to New York City (roughly $40 in various tolls, maybe next time we'll take a bus!) to make a quick visit to a stage combat workshop, where we visited some fightin' friends, took care of a little fightin' biz, and got certified in CPR. Isn't that romantic?

And comets just might really really have brought the building blocks of life to Earth. Muy interesante . . . .

Face Time

Okay, here's the deal:

A month ago, while I was walking home, I was attacked.

The whole story gets long and complicated, but at one point I was running for my life, literally -- chased, and soon outrun, by a man in a ski mask who said, "I'm going to kill you," and he took a swing at me -- hitting me in the forehead with the butt end of a pistol, opening up a 4 cm gash in my forehead -- I kept running, he for some reason did not -- I called 911 on my cell, had a difficult time seeing from the blood in my eyes.

I eventually talked to a police detective, and at one point I asked her, "Do you think this has anything to do with gang violence?"

She said, "I wouldn't be surprised."

So -- I had to get stitches, internal ones which will dissolve away over time, and external ones which came out after a week.
_____________________

The physical and psychological wounds as a result of this were ugly and horrible. But both wounds been healing, and now that a month has passed I feel like I'm getting my face back, and my self back.

A couple of doctors have told me that the scar should heal to the point that it's almost not noticeable (the tremendous blood supply to the forehead, which can make gashes particularly theatrical, also makes them more likely to heal well). My hope is that the psychological scar will work the same way.

I'm not naive, though -- I know I have to be proactive about it.
______________________

I couldn't write for awhile, because I felt like if I simply posted the more light and trivial sorts of things I usually post that I was, in a sense, denying something very important. So here you go. I might revisit this subject, but now I can get back to light and trivial.

It hasn't been all clouds. I've received a huge amount of support from family and friends, and there is no way to express how tremendously important that has been. Especially Jenny. I have the best woman in the world.

Lots

I'm in a Capital Fringe Festival show: Captain Squishy's Yeehaw Jamboree. Written by a couple of friends of mine, Chris Davenport and Nick Greek. Imagine, if you will, the TV show HeeHaw reenacted by an insane asylum. That's not specifically what it is, but that's a good way to describe it. We open on the 10th.

Went to Ohio twice -- once for the opening performance of Tecumseh!, then a couple of weeks later for a reunion. Good times had by all at the reunion, and performers from many seasons previous came out of the woodwork. About the show itself -- it is still a great, great thing, and you, yes I mean you, should go see it.

Demetrius Thomas -- I talked to him on the phone recently, and, yah, he made it to the reunion. He has made a substantial, though not yet full recovery. Mentally, all's pretty well. One leg is giving him issues that's really screwing with his mobility. There's understandable frustration, but also a great appreciation for all the little things in life.

Jen's off to another 3-week stage combat workshop now. So it's me and Sadie at home again.