Tennessee, Tennessee, there ain't no place I'd rather be...

GREETINGS FROM NASHVILLE !! (or 20 minutes to the southeast). Joy and I are smack-dab in the middle of our mini-vacation from the Bluegrass, and LOTS AND LOTS of family....My Mom and my brother Tony and his family all live nearby, Joy's Mom and Dad and younger brother live here, AND Joy's sister Hope is in with her hubby and 2 kids...and FRIDAY my other brother Jerry arrives...FAMILY FAMILY FAMILY!!!!Gotta love em...
Which brings up a great new Topic... How has your family reacted to your decision to devote your time/life to the theatre? Were they receptive? Helpful? Supportive? Did they ridicule you? Give you a dumb blank stare as if to say " Are you SICK OR SOMETHING???" Are there any particular members of the family who have supported/inspired you...did you have other family members in the craft?
YOU get the idea...so discuss!
AND as always- bonus points for the title reference...this one's kinda easy...btw-the reference scores are :
Anon 1 (from the boro) -2pt
Diva master- 1 pt
Natalie- 1 pt

SHOOT OUT THE LIGHTS...

Well, BOWL O RAMA 05 is over and done with (The first ever without a BOONE presence...kinda sad.BUT , there were former Boonies in attendance, such as Shayne B., Chris R., Spencer C., Moi, etc...) and the Lex shakes fest comes away with the win, despite a valiant effort from the ACTORS GUILD team (I even bowled over 160 in one game- tremendous, for me!) Despite the appearance of at least one suspicious character who bowled over a 200 average, I suppose they won it fair and square! Mad props to Hank Layton for setting the whole deal up...we'll get em next year!!!!
So I'll be leaving from Nash-vegas in a few hours, but don't fear loyal readers. There WILL be a Tennessee posting and a BRAND SPANKING NEW question...
Now FOR ANY AND ALL USM DIVAS READING THIS- with the exception of Millsy, Scott Mc and Jen none of you guys are posting. I can surmise that either :
a) You're not coming to check the blog out despite numerous DIVA alerts
b) You're not opinionated enough to comment on anything (NOT LIKELY!!!)
c) You are starting to feel that the whole thing is too LEXINGTON-centric (not the case- we have posters from all over)
d) It's something personal (I certainly hope not!)
e) You , for some reason , feel hesitant to join in the commentary.
I'm gonna assume E is the answer, and just say this: We , especially ME, would love to hear from you. This was started as a forum for YOU GUYS, so we can keep in contact and share ideas and debate a little bit. This is pretty much my last plea to you, as I fear I'm starting to appear desperate, so for the love of God JUMP IN- THE WATERS FINE!!!!! For those of you coming and sharing on a regular basis- keep it up! WE love the chatter here at DIVA clones...so till the next time, PEACE OUT!
btw- points, as always, for the title reference. This ones a little more obscure...

Gimmie a bullet to bite on...

So we've only got two more shows left for ALL MY SONS at AGL here in Lex-ville. I must say, this production has been very close to my heart. It is the first show I've been a part of as a new father, and with all the Father/Son themes running through this piece, it has been a very emotional ride for me. But overall, it's been a blast. I've gotten the opportunity to work side by side with Adam Luckye, and I gotta tell you... it's been a privelige. Adam is one of the most giving, spot-on guys you'd ever want to work with. He's there 110% - night in and night out, and it's been inspiring to watch...the rest of the cast has also been a joy to work with, and I hope to get the opportunity to do it again with each and every one of you...any of you Central KY types who haven't seen this show yet...do yourselves a favor and get your butts to the theatre! It's well worth it...if I do say so myself! BTW- rumor has it that the Lex. Shakes BOWL O RAMA is scheduled for this Monday night @ 10:30 pm at Southland lanes... our AGL team is a bit thin right now, and we could use some more players, so gimmie a shout out if you're interested.
and now for what you've ALL been waiting for...
The next topic of discussion IS: What particular production that you've been involved with (acting / Directing/design/etc) has had the greatest emotional impact / effect on you?
AS ALWAYS - bonus points for whomsoever gets my title reference...Right now Mr Anon from the BORO is leading the game with 2 big points!

Give it to me, baby...

SO great postings all. Our last round really got the ball rolling. Thanks to all our posters, especially Rick8 and skohler...lemmee tell ya'll something about these boys...I work with em and it's one of the best working relationships I've had in over 25 years of doing this. They are, as Mr. Tuttle might say, HCMF's (i'll leave your creative minds to figure out what that means, but believe me, it's good!) These men are passionate and they know their shit, and I'm proud to call em my amigos.
So now - onto the next line of questioning...and maybe some more DIVAS will actually chime in (as this WAS created for you!) ...I'll even make it easy on you....
What, or whom, got you interested in theatre in the first place??
Bonus points, once again, for the title reference...bitch! (*hint)

NEXT POSITION PLEASE

SO how about this , Divas?
How do we increase our audience and attendance at our theatres WITHOUT completely selling out our artistic integrity?
ANY AND ALL takes will be accepted...just don't suck!

ps- bonus points for anyone who gets my title reference! (I'm talking to YOU D$!)

My two cents...

So thanks to all the techies for chiming in...intersting comments. And since none of the actoids took part, here's my two cents...
AEA membership is a necessary evil for some (particularly those in NYC or LA LA land) but for many of us out here on the finges (where, guess what??GOOD, quality theatre ACTUALLY HAPPENS!) it can be more of a hinderance than a help. Here in my neck of the woods, it is difficult to find equity work (difficult, but not impossible- for instance ATL hires LOTS of Equity actors...as long as they're from New York, cause OF COURSE NYC actors are the only ones who know their craft ;) AS a result, most of the actors in this region tend to shy away from union membership... why take it on when there's plenty of decent paying work in the local houses, childrens theatre, outdoor theatres,, and Shakes fests? We have also seen lots of our DIVA brethren (and SIStren?) do great regional work without shilling for the union label (Austin, TX and Raleigh, NC, anyone?), so it is possible to work and work steady without it...
AS an educator, however, I'm finding it more and more necessary to have union affiliation, as you can't get with in 100 yards of a job interview at a decent sized program without it (* see my rant from the previous thread for more on this!) Such is the nature of the education biz- like it or not!
SO there- any thoughts?
BTW- a new question will be posted this weekend...jump on it, people...I KNOW you guys are more opinionated than this! (lol)
later.
x

Oh yeah...

... and for all you tech cats, please chime in on any union affiliations on your end of things!!

WELCOME ALL DIVA-CLONES!

YO!!! Lets get some DIVA chatter going..here's the first ? -

Equity or non-equity? Which is the way to go and WHY????


Discuss, please.....