If you read it on Facebook...

First, I have to begin with a disclaimer. I've been talking about moving out of Phoenix for about the last five years now. Perhaps even longer... but as my kids entered into High School, the culmination of my 'five-year-plan' became a larger focus in my own personal and professional life. For those who are tired of me talking about it, I'm making it official.

And since it's not official unless it's on Facebook, I figured I'd do one better and blog about it as well.

So, here's the deal...
Phoenix isn't a sustainable theatre market. For me. I specify, because I know several successful actors in Phoenix that are able to make a living with their creative talents. I have struggled and supplemented, but it has become more difficult with each passing year. While staying in Phoenix was a priority to maintain a stable life for my kids, I no longer feel the need to pretend that we're remotely stable. I joke. Truth is, the kids are older and in order to make a living, I have to travel for work. Sad fact.

I've been back and forth to NYC to audition for regional companies and tours. I've got family, friends and professional ties in most of the active regional theatre markets and was almost positive that I was going to end up on the west coast or in Chicago. Logical, right?
Except that something(s) kept pulling me back to Florida.
Florida?
As one of my friends retorted, "Aren't you a bit young for Florida? People usually go there to die."
Yup... that's kinda what I thought - which is why it was 10th on my list of possible destinations.
As cost of living or lack of sustainable work eliminated cities, Florida moved up to 5th... and then to 3rd...
Last year, I was in Little Rock weighing the possibilities of Chicago, Oregon and Florida (in that order) when I decided I could do another year in Phoenix - maybe two, if I had to - while I did more research.

Everything - from the most innocuous reference to the most blatant sign - was pointing me in the same direction.

And so it is, with equal parts anxiety and excitement, that I announce my move to Florida in August.

With friends, family and loved ones in Tampa, Ft.Myers, West Palm Beach, Naples and Sarasota, the siren song of swim-up bars and year-round dinner theatres is just too much to resist.

My hope and prayer is to find work - anywhere - and get established in the Florida market. The good news is that I'll always have housing with most of my family still in Phoenix - and I have every intention of coming back for shows for as long and as often as they'll have me.
The kids will hang back in Phoenix for a bit. Christina will finish up her Senior year and probably loathe spending Spring Break and the summer in Florida, but I hope she'll survive. David is still deciding whether he wants to enlist or get a job or register for college - but renting out bikes on the boardwalk has also been thrown around as an option. (Not that I'm trying to impose the hippie-gypsy lifestyle on my kids, but I like to bandy about some influence.)
When Jason and I first talked to the kids (years ago) about moving to another state, we believed it would be a much different scenario. But serendipity works in funny ways... and no matter how old and cynical I get, I still believe in magic.

Now the true magic will be downsizing all of our crap, finding a short-term place in Phx that will take the pets, and financing a cross-country move in three months (one of which is spent working logistics from Little Rock).

Keep your arms and legs in the vehicle at all times, kids. It's gonna be a fast ride!

Next to Normal in Little Rock

Hi Blog!
I've been in Little Rock for 11 days and have been horribly remiss in posting my typical fare of photos, videos, vlogs, blogs and anecdotes. So, here goes:

I'm back at The Rep doing the Tony award-winning stage show, 'Next to Normal'. I was here one year ago at this time doing 'Hairspray' with one of the most amazing cast and crew that I've worked with to date. Doing a musical comedy like Hairspray is a much different experience than doing a dramatic rock-opera (which is kinda where I'd qualify Next to Normal). Not that the content isn't just as valid, but one is a laugh-fest and one has me doing the ugly-cry on a regular basis. I'll let you guess which is which.

I knew that this experience would be much more academic than my past few shows - and it did not disappoint. I am literally being schooled on a daily basis. Big time.
I am here as the understudy for Diana, which is a capacity that is new to me. It is simultaneously the most awesome gig and the strangest.

For those unfamiliar with the theatre world, an understudy (or stand-by, stand-in, cover or swing) is akin to the 1st Runner-Up in the Miss America pageant. If Miss America is unable to perform her duties, the understudy steps into the pretty dress and waves from the float in her absence.

There are pros and cons to being a stand-in. You still have to attend the rehearsals, but you're watching from the sidelines, writing down blocking and choreography, taking music notes, observing character choices, prop-juggling, costume changes, etc. But it's a lot less responsibility. You don't have to do the press junkets, the media appearances, theatre events, Q & A, talkbacks, etc. In some cases, you might never even perform the role. But you'll also be familiar with the role and the show for future productions. So... like I said, pros and cons... it's give and take.

I'm one of those actors that relies on repetition throughout the rehearsal process to help get the show into my body - both physically and vocally, so the challenge has been significant. We have 7 hours of rehearsal during the day and our evenings off. Nine of my last 11 evenings have been spent going over music and blocking in my little apartment. My living room becomes the Goodman dining room and the Dr's office, my kitchen is the upstairs bathroom, my hall is the staircase and my door is the entrance to Natalie's room, which Diana doesn't actually enter fully... but if they change that blocking, I might have to restructure my mock-up so I'm not rehearsing that scene outside of Mo's door.

Of all the pros and cons, however, the most amazing part of this experience has been the ability to observe. Stepping outside of the box (or the stage, as it were) allows me to see everything that is going on (sometimes behind or above or below) and how it all fits together in the bigger picture. I get to watch a director with a clear vision and how that gets infused with the personalities of the characters. And when I say I'm being schooled daily, I mean I get a master class from some extremely gifted artists. Each and every actor on that stage is a brilliant storyteller. I fall in love with this family over and over again as I watch them discover themselves and one another.

Now that I'm feeling a little more comfortable with the show, I'm hoping I'll be more inclined to blog and vlog. (Little Rock is STILL just as beautiful as it was last year - Lord, I love the south!)

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to drown myself in some sweet tea. :)