2009 in Review

Last year I posted a 2008 in Review blog and said that I was going to try to make it an annual occurrence. Well, it now officially is, except I accidentally published this one over the old one. Guh! Oh, well. Out with the old, in with the new, I suppose…

Best Overall Experience: Dating & Marrying Lauren
Gosh, I love that girl. I can’t believe that we got this far without her being freaked out by me and running. Also, we’ve gotten this far without ever having an actual fight (unless you count play-fights, which I don’t.) She doesn’t feel the need to change who she is for me, and she doesn’t expect me to change who I am for her. She can take care of herself, but she lets me do what I can to take care of her. She’s slowly converting to all my loves (Saved by the Bell, horror movies, Friends, Buffy, etc.). Best of all, she loves me at least half as much as I love her.

Favorite Personal Theatrical Experiences: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Chess, Little Shop of Horrors
I loved my staff of Joseph, and despite all of the crap that happened with the cast, it was an amazing, rewarding experience to see my vision end up on stage. Chess wasn’t the greatest show I’ve ever worked on, but it was such an incredible personal experience, and I loved almost every single cast member. Also, I have a major man crush on Dave Tinney, and he’s one of the best directors I’ve ever worked with. This also leads to Little Shop. Other than one obnoxious person, I DID love the entire cast. And Dave and the Hales/Swensons were fantastic to work with. Also, the quality of the show was outstanding.

Runners-Up: The Monkey’s Paw

Least Favorite Personal Theatrical Experiences: Stellaluna, Shakespeare Competition
Stellaluna was a nightmare. The music was TERRIBLE. The cast tried their best, but it was just ugly music. Also, the director seemed to not have any organizational skills (and one director left halfway through the process) and my time was wasted a lot. Then, they didn’t get into runs, so I never got to go and actually help polish the music. I orchestrated the music, though, and I made it tolerable (to myself, at least). Getting my kids ready for Shakespeare was ridiculous. They were not committed, not focused, and many of them were just plain lazy. Then to go to the competition and have the kids not get a single award was pretty stinky, although when we calculated rehearsal hours, it was obvious why they didn’t. Blargh.

Runners-Up: None.

Favorite Local Theatre Productions: Singin’ in the Rain (HCTO), As You Like It (HCTO)
I hate Singin’. HATE. But they did a fantastic job with it. Music aside (which I arranged/orchestrated and even composed some), AYLI was FANTASTIC. I was able to see both casts, and it was really tough trying to choose a favorite cast. Each actor was very well cast. Chris Clark is a freaking genius. Even people I know who usually don’t “get” Shakespeare seemed to enjoy themselves. Except for the horrendously fat people next to Teri and me, who left at intermission. Not that we complained.

Runners-Up: None.

Favorite Professional Theatre Productions: White Christmas, In the Heights (Both Broadway)
I never really cared for the movie of White Christmas, but I had heard that the Broadway version had been fixed up and made more “Christmassy.” I had to find out. It was true, and it was incredible. It had the feel of a golden age musical, but a modern feel to the pace (not unlike the current Broadway production of South Pacific). The cast was amazing, the choreography was stunning, the sets were to-die-for, and the tech was fantastic. Loved every aspect. In the Heights was almost as good the second time. Most of the leads were the originals, with the exceptions of Usnavi, Vanessa, Piragua Guy, Graffiti Pete, and Kevin (who was SO much better than the original). I would have probably been completely consumed by the story, had it not been for the fact that the audience was less classy than before, and people talked and shuffled throughout.

Runners-Up: None.

Least Favorite Professional Theatre Production: Aida (Tuacahn)
I don’t even want to talk about it because of the post-traumatic stress. It was so much about the spectacle that I forgot there was a small story. The stage-flooding was ridiculous. The camel was just silly. Of the leads, the only one who was consistently on pitch was Aida, and the others were so far off sometimes that it was pathetic. I was embarrassed for the cast, and as my first show at Tuacahn, it left me unimpressed with the company.

Runners-Up: None.

Favorite Movies: Drag Me To Hell, Up, Star Trek
Drag Me was the return of classic Sam Raimi, and I loved every second. Up made me cry, multiple times. It was an incredible story with very relatable characters. Star Trek was the first time I’ve ever not only just enjoyed a Star Trek movie, but loved it.

Runners-Up: Paranormal Activity (Until the ending), Michael Jackson’s This Is It, Disney’s A Christmas Carol

Least Favorite Movie: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
SO terrible. Even though it was the first movie Lauren and I saw as a couple. It gave me one of the worst headaches of my life.

Runners-Up: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Paranormal Activity (Because of the ending)

Favorite Movie-Going Experience: Toy Story & Toy Story 2 in 3-D
Lauren and I had the entire theater to ourselves for the latter, and it was a really nice change of pace.

Runners-Up: Disney’s A Christmas Carol with the Varneys (Do families REALLY all go to movies together?!), GI Joe with Phil & Nick

Least Favorite Movie-Going Experience: None.

Strangely enough, nothing was TOO bad this year.

Runner-Up: None.

Favorite New TV Shows: Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Angel, Community
Neither of the first two was actually on TV new this year, but I watched them both in less than 6 months, and they were fantastic. Community is fast-becoming as clever as the first few seasons of The Office. I love the characters, I love the situations, and I love the humor. I haven’t really started watching any other new shows this year (which is good), although I really wanted to watch V. I’ll catch it on DVD.

Runner-Up: Parks and Recreation, Glee

Least Favorite New TV Show: Accidentally on Purpose
I tried to get into it because my friend Rachel sings on it, apparently. After a few episodes, I didn’t hear/see Rachel, and I wanted to die over how stupid it was.

Runners-Up: Glee (so hit and miss that sometimes it’s a favorite, sometimes I despise it)

Favorite SNL Sketches: “Say Anything,” “Digital Short: Doogie Howser Theme”
Loved them.

Runner-Up: “what up with that?” with Mindy Kaling as the guest. Her expressions were priceless.

Favorite Albums: Kelly Clarkson’s All I Ever Wanted, The Fray’s The Fray, OneRepublic’s Waking Up, Mat Kearney’s City of Black & White
Even though I don’t love Kelly much anymore, her album was my favorite of the year. It was perfect, except for one song (you know, Matt). I had it on repeat for WEEKS, and it got me through student teaching. The Fray was fantastic. Nothing new, but it was more of the classic Fray sound I love. Same with OneRepublic. Nothing too different (except maybe the children’s choir), but I loved it. Ryan Tedder is a brilliant producer, no matter what Kelly says. Mat’s newest was fantastic, too.

Runners-Up: Rodney Carrington’s Make It Christmas, Jack’s Mannequin’s The Glass Passenger (new to me), Vedera’s The Weight of an Empty Room (also new to me)

Least Favorite Album: None.
I didn’t purchase any this year that I didn’t like.

Runners-Up: None.

Favorite Trips: Southern California with family, New York honeymoon 
Everyone got along fairly well for once (other than one person, who I “kindly” chastised a couple times) and despite Glenn’s car getting burglarized, and the fact that the San Diego Zoo is boring when you’re not an animal lover, a good time was had by all. New York was great, for many reasons. Most of which, I won’t share, due to the fact I’m a gentleman.

Runners-Up: None.

Least Favorite Trip: St. George/Las Vegas with family
All we did was shop. I DID get some fantastic hats, though.

Runners-Up: None.

Favorite Class: Student Teaching
Yes, it counted as a class. Yes, I complained while it was happening. However, I learned SO MUCH, and I’ve bumped into some of the kids since I finished, and I DID make a difference in their lives.

Runner-Up: None.

Least Favorite Class: Classroom Management II
Remember the education professor that I NEVER liked? Yeah. He taught it. Enough said.

Runners-Up: None! I only had two this year!

Best Concerts: The Fray & Jack’s Mannequin, The Killers, Mat Kearney & Vedera
The first was amazing because of the music, the second had great spectacle (which fit the music), and the third was the first intimate club-setting I’ve ever attended (also, probably the last).

Runners-Up: Jim Brickman, Rascal Flatts

Worst Concerts: Kelly Clarkson, Lonestar

Kelly sang a short set, and the experience itself was miserable. Lonestar just wasn’t the same without Richie as the lead singer.

 

Here’s to an incredible 2010!!!

Go, Fight, Win?

State Drama was a week and a half ago, and I’ve been too busy with Charlie Brown to blog about it (since I know you readers are DYING to know how it went).

As you may recall, I officially gave up on making the kids care about The Monkey’s Paw. (See here.) I didn’t want to ride the bus with them to Murray High, and Teri hadn’t seen the show yet, so I invited her and Bristol to ride with me.

We got to Murray High around 9. The kids and CT got there at about the same time. We unloaded everything and took it into the school. Instead of the auditorium, the shows were in their blackbox theatre, which wasn’t TOO bad. We were scheduled to perform at 10, so the kids were frantically trying to finish their makeup, which I had asked them to get done on the bus. Blech.

While the kids were working on their make-up, Bristol walked over with me to get a better look. One of the kids said “HEY! It’s Little Showgren!” I laughed and said “It is?” The students proceeded to tell me that I couldn’t fool them, because Bristol looks JUST like me. (Teri, should we start telling people the truth?) I got a good laugh out of that.

The play before us finished around 9:30. The kids were not done with make-up yet, so I told CT that I wanted to go ahead and wait until 10. (The timer doesn’t officially start until your time.) I don’t know WHY he was so anxious to go, but he only gave us five more minutes before he told them we were ready to start. I was really bugged.

We rushed to get the stage set, and some of the kids rushed their make-up. I took the cast backstage, and while I was giving them instructions on where to make entrances in that space and how to make sure the beginning of the show was good, I realized that the theatre was COMPLETELY dark. I freaked out and said “Guys, get ready! I think they’re starting without me. AGAIN!” I had hoped to give a few last minute instructions, based on the feedback we got from Region, which I had just gotten from CT. I ran out the backstage door, and when I got to the main doors of the theatre, the show had already started without me. I rushed to the lightboard to help Chris run the show, and CT was standing there. He said something to the effect of “Sorry. The lights were off and they were waiting for us to start.” I was furious. I shook my fist at him and then sat down by Chris to help run the show.

The performance was subpar. The kids were very frazzled by the quick start. The make-up was worse than it had been since the first rehearsal when the kids tried it. I hadn’t had time to make sure that the foley artists were spaced away from the scene correctly. I was really bummed, even though I had tried not to care about the show.

In the middle of the show, another school arrived, with at least 30 kids. They walked right in and sat down. They were terribly noisy, and I was pissed that their teachers not only didn’t try to shush them, but actually talked along – OUT LOUD. Stupid jerks. They sat right in front of Teri and Bristol. It’s pretty sad when a 4 year old is more quiet and respectful in a play than high school theatre students and teachers.

After the play (which was over shortly after 10 – when we were supposed to start), we got feedback from the judges. The first judge, who was a recently-retired, award-winning high school theatre teacher, said he loved it. When he saw what play we were doing, he had wondered how we were going to get a fresh take on it, and he was blown away by the concept. He said it reminded him of the actual old black and white horror movies.

The second judge, who looked like Bob Ross, and was dressed like a sloppy-artsy guy, didn’t get our concept. He went on and on about how he just didn’t get it, and he spent the first half of the play thinking that they were all supposed to be zombies. He didn’t understand the black and white make-up, costumes, and set pieces. The other two judges looked at him like he was stupid. The more he talked, the more uninformed he sounded. Then one of the other judges said something to the effect of “I thought you’d get it, since you’re a film person.” WHAT?! They have a FILMMAKER judging State Drama? That bugged me. Yes, film and drama are very similar, but I’d prefer people who are focused on theatre to be giving my kids their scores.

The third judge, who was Rodger Sorenson from BYU, was VERY complimentary. He loved the concept and didn’t have trouble understanding it. He praised specific aspects and performances, and then offered some GREAT suggestions on how we could have made the concept more clear, which would have made the play better. It was very constructive, and I appreciated it a lot. He kept reiterating that he loved it, too. One critique he gave was that the beginning wasn’t clear, and if it would have been, the concept would have been solidified. I turned to CT and shook my fist at him.

Then Bob Ross started talking again and admitted that maybe the problem was that he was just too stupid to get the concept. So, he tried to dig himself out by trashing on us. His comments were not constructive like Rodger’s, and with every word, he made himself sound even more stupid. He chastised us for not having tried out the play on other people, and informed us that when he has an idea for a film, he runs it by his wife first, and if she likes it, he knows it’s good. Does he not realize that you go to Region before State? We HAD tried out the idea, and nobody had questioned it yet – not even the high school students and kids who had seen the show. Poor guy. After we were done, the kids were all talking about how stupid he sounded.

Also, after we were done, they announced that they were taking a break to let the judges rest and to get back on schedule. I was majorly pissed.

The kids all hugged me, thanked me, and told me good-bye in the hall afterward. I was a little sad that I’d never see some of them again. Some of them, however, I’ll be GLAD to never see again. I think that’s pretty normal for a teacher. At least, I hope it is.

Teri, Little Showgren, and I then went to Costco to activate my membership (thanks, Mom!) and browse. We didn’t buy a single thing. I got close to buying a Wii, but this was just a couple days after Tax Day, and I decided it was best to save up for a while.

We finished our day of State with a trip to P.F. Chang’s, where we were served by the world’s most personality-devoid waitress. The crispy honey chicken was EXCELLENT, though. By the time I was done stuffing my face with amazing Chinese, I was no longer mad, and was trying to focus on the good aspects of the performance and the overall experience I had with the play. It was fun to challenge the kids. Some of them didn’t really rise to it, but some of them really did, and I was very proud of them.

I e-mailed CT last week and asked if he’d gotten the results from State yet, and he said he hadn’t. I haven’t heard anything since. Maybe he’s bugged at me for shaking my fist at him so much. I’m not mad anymore, I promise!!!

I’m going to be TICKED if the second judge kept us from getting straight superiors. When/if I’m a high school teacher some day, I’m going to be the type who gets really defensive of his students, and I’ll probably raise Hell over judges who I believe are unqualified. I don’t have kids of my own, so I gotta be a stage parent somehow, right?