Friday, March 27, 2009

End Days at Ensemble Studio Theatre


















So there hasn't been a post here in two months mostly because I have been busy working three jobs and resting in between each of them in a regenerative haze.  Soul Samurai was one of the most amazing experiences of my theatrical life, and I just wanted to shout out to everyone who was involved that we did some amazing shit together, all of us.  It was like sitting on top of a rocket.


















While we were performing nights at HERE, I was shuttling back and forth during the day to Ensemble Studio Theatre where I was rehearsing Deb Laufer's amazing play End Days.  It was a series of firsts for me including working on a Sloan play (plays that get grants for productions that bring science and scientists to the mainstream), working with surgical-precision director Lisa Peterson, and operating an electric wheelchair.  Oh yeah.  
















(These past months have also seen another first: me getting cut in the head with a samurai sword.  I'm totally fine, but it was a big eye-opener.  Suzette, Abby and Qui all get huge thanks for making sure everything went down smoothly.  I actually had an amazing run of luck following that incident--including booking End Days--and Kate likes to attribute it to all the attention I got from them :-)    For those of you with an aversion to stitches, humans can apparently be stuck back together with super glue.  Oh yeah.
























So End Days is in previews for the next two weeks and then we open on the 30th.  I'm playing Jesus and Stephen Hawking in an inspired dual role, and the show features great actors who have done very significant work.  Just Google any of the following names and you'll find some credits that will make your jaw drop: Peter Friedman, Didi O'Connell, Dane DeHaan and Molly Ephraim.  These peeps are kicking ass and taking names.  It's an honor sharing the stage with such theatre royalty.

We run until April 19th, evening shows are at 7pm, people!