Call Backs (The Saga of #483)

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I was designated "483."  That was my TITP number.  I wasn't called by name. I was called by "483."

After my audition last Sunday for the Theatre in the Park (TITP) 2012 season I was feeling pretty satisfied with ole 483.  I sang the way I wanted to sing and represented myself adequately.

Then, when 483 was called back for 6 potential roles in three different show, I was feeling even more adequate.

Today, after 8 hours of callbacks, Mr. 483 is feeling back to his less than adequate self.

My morning started at 7:45 signing in for the "Legally Blonde" callback.  My role (Callahan) was the second to be worked with, so by 9:00 AM I was singing with 8 other old dudes.

It went "ok" and about as good as it could considering the time of day.  I hit all the notes with pitch, energy and volume. I even hit the higher optional note at the end solidly.  One gentleman in my group was having a migraine.  He began singing gibberish lyrics and singing in a crazy key. At least I didn't do that.  We were dismissed by 9:15 and I headed home.

I drank my green tea with honey and rested for an hour. I then headed back to my "priority" callback, "Sweeney Todd."

The  Sweeney folks had called me back for Todd, Turpin, Pirelli, and the Ensemble.  All of us worked on a portion of the chorus number and it became very apparent to me that I had engaged in some "Magical Thinking."  I could get this stuff eventually, but I had no business trying it cold.  I took some comfort in that a majority of the guys were in my same shoes.

It actually got easier when I was able to do the solos. Again, I felt like I sang about as good as I could of.  I had better pitch and control compared to the previous call back.  I was familiar with the "Sweeney" numbers so that was a comfort..

The "Pirelli" number was fun.  One gentleman came in looking the part of Pirelli.  He had salt & pepper curly locks of hair with an awesome gotee.  He nailed it.

There was one man in my group that looked like a real actor.  He was probably in his mid-50's and it became quite evident that he was going to be the Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

After "Sweeney" I had a 3 hour window til my next callback.  I picked up Christian from his rehearsal at the CYT office and headed home for a bit more rest.

At 5:15 I arrived back at the Jewish Community Campus for the Urinetown callback.  Again, we worked on some of the chorus numbers and then broke-up into groups.  When I got up to sing, the music director looked at me and waved me on. "I already know you can sing," She said. I think she may have mistaken me for someone else.

I did my monologue and read for a couple other parts. Then, by 8:36, I was done.

Ultimately, I doubt if I get any kind of part.  Eric sent in a video audition for Urinetown, so it would be fun to be in that show with him.  I need to work on performing at callbacks if I am going to keep auditioning for shows

Nick Monoldo told me it was his life's ultimate goal to be mentioned in the 500to50 blog. So. here's a bunch of other cyber friends I saw at callbacks today:

Rachel Gorman,
Hannah Beck,
Amy Hurrelbrink,
Nick Monoldo,
Houston St. John,
Noah Loethan,
Riley Taylor,
Adam McAdoo,
Emy Blake,
Kelsy Schuman,
Sarah Saugier,
Chuck Chambers

There, the saga of #483 is over.

#483

To learn more about Urinetown: The Musical: Pay to Pee

@Panera's in Lee's Summit

286, @Panera in Lee's Summit...

225 blogs ago I sat in this very spot and wrote my first blog.

Wesley was at football practice and I had some time to kill.

Today Christian is at "School House Rock LIVE" rehearsal. H esings the song, "Zero's My Hero."

I an drinking chai tea, my coffee consumption has gone waaaaay down over the past 225 blogs.

Yes. I noticed that 225 blogs completed with 286 to go is 511...so I miscounted somewhere, so sue me.

At school yesterday we found out that the last day for students will be May 17th , a full week sooner than scheduled. I may be done by Memorial Day!

April is going to be hectic @school.

I went in with people at work for the Mega Millions drawing. It is the first time I've ever bought lottery tickets (I bought 2.)  Hey, $640 milllllllllion is hard to turn down.

Jaron has been doing well and has been very responsible for his Math Class at the Junior College.

Jaron and Wesley re-assembled their bunkbeds using duct-tape.  They assure me the new construction is solid.

Just because the guy who made the Kony 2012 movie went crazy for a minute doesn't mean Kony should be let off the hook...he'a still evil.

OK, I'm tired of typing...

chris

To see School House Rock LIVE: School House Rock

To watch "Zero's My Hero":Zero My Hero

To see KONY 2012: KONY 2012

My Theatre in the Park Experience: Update

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OK, so one of my 50^th Year (2013) goals is to be in a community theatre production somewhere.  Theatre in the Park is the largest and most elaborate of the community theatres in my area.  As I have documented, on a whim, I auditioned last year and I bombed.  This year, my goal was to audition and represent myself vocally. My goal for next year is to be in better shape, move better, and be in a show at TITP or somewhere else.

Christian and I went to the auditions for TITP last Saturday. It was a fun experience and I kind of thought my involvement would be mostly over.  I thought the directing team for Sweeney may call me back for the ensemble or not call me back at all and just put me in the chorus (which was what I was expecting.)

For the uninitiated, here is a description of a “Callback”

A callback is when the artistic team of a show wants a further look at an actor in a particular role or roles.  It is usually a multi-hour process with the actors reading for and singing various parts. It also allows the directors to see different configurations of groups and potential lead actors interacting.  It also shows how well an actor takes direction and adjusts their performance.

The call-back list for TTIP was posted on Wednesday.

I did get called back for the Sweeney Todd, “Ensemble.”

It’s just that I was also called-back for the characters of :

“Sweeney”,

“Judge Turpin”

“Pirelli” (all in Sweeney Todd)

“Callahan” in Legally Blonde

“Cladwell” in Urinetown.

I was flattered, but at a loss.  Then I started “crunching the numbers” (which is what I do in times of stress.)

On the TITP website each character has posted the “sides” or sections of music the directors are going to want to hear.  Here are what mine look like:

> Judge Turpin/Sweeney duet: 2 sections

> Sweeney: 2 solo sections

> Pirelli: 2 sections

> Sweeney Ensemble: 2 sections

> Callahan: 1 section

> Cladwell: 2 sections, dialogue and a monologue

> Urinetown Ensemble: 3 sections

That’s 14 sections of music and 2 pieces of script.

I have seen Urinetown once but I have never seen Legally Blonde, (thank Goodness for YouTube.)  The Sweeney stuff I’ve sung along to for years, but I have never “sung in the shower” to the Pirelli and Turpin stuff. The Callahan piece is easy, but the Cladwell pieces are odd.

As I worked on the callback material last night I thought to myself, “Wow, preparing to sing a one-minute portion of a song you know really, really well is a lot easier than singing 14 different sections of songs you don’t know very well at all.”

Also…these directors tend to work for Theatre in the Park regularly.  I made a good first impression, but it will be harder to make my 2^nd impression on Saturday.

chris

BLOG

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BLOG

chris

(sorry)

A Double HAIKU!

I type my dumb blog
I told you I would

Sometimes I am lazy though
And my heart is not in it

So I just HAIKU
A double HAIKU

chris

A Convergence: or How I Got Into the Ministry

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The perfect storm? Possibly.

In Columbia, my King’s Daughters’ life and my New Life life intersected.  I had received my Master’s Degree in Leadership from Trevecca University.  I was more and more involved at New Life.  I was in the worship band and leading regularly.  I was coordinating the small groups and working with leaders.  I was close to the worship pastor and was getting to know the youth pastor.  Our church was growing.  I had some specific prophesy spoken over me about being in the “full-time” ministry. And worst of all, I was weary at KDS.

Looking back, I was experiencing some significant burn-out, both emotionally and physically.  The state contract was cumbersome, so I spent a lot of time shuffling papers around, papers that did not improve the life of any child for even 1 minute.  I was tired of seeing kids go back to the same situations they were taken from in the first place.  I was tired of fighting with DMHMR and DCS and insurance companies and school districts and other agencies.  I was tired of going to the time-out room…again.  I was an empty well, and there was still a line of people as far as I could see waiting to take their turn to come get a drink.

I was approached by the New Life pastor and one of the elders if I would be willing to come on staff and coordinate the small groups and the children’s ministry.  This seemed to be the answer to the words spoken over me.  So I accepted the position.  I gave KDS a 5-month notice that I would be leaving at the end of the school year in May.

My plan was to work at New Life over the summer, get a teaching job with the local school district for the next year, then come on full-time the next summer, the summer of 2000.

I was heart-broken, but in a sense relieved to have the pressure of KDS off of my shoulders (I would gladly have that pressure back now.)

I was so excited to be a part of a ministry-team at a growing exciting church.  I was told that small-groups were going to be an integral part of the ministry moving forward and that I would have full leadership support.

The leadership set me up with a lot of material and sent me to seminars and conferences.  I studied and read and crunched numbers and made spreadsheets and recruited and lunched and talked and visited…It all seemed to be going so well.

Then, as usual, the other shoe dropped.

I Auditioned for Theatre in the Park Today

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Theatre in the Park (TITP) is located in Johnson County Kansas. in Shawnee.  It's a big, outdoor grass amphitheatre where you either sit on a blanket or bring your own lawn chair.  The seating capacity is 4500, so there is huge crowd potential.  Each year they do 4-5 huge Broadway-style musicals over the summer. The casts are made up of local area volunteers. The casting calls are "open." Any one can audition.

So last year, I did.

Now, I boxed myself into a corner.  I couldn't come to the call-back and there was really no part for me in any of the shows. I just wanted to share the experience of auditioning with the boys.  Eric, Jaron and Christian auditioned as well last year.  But Christian and Jaron were in the same boat as I.  We were all doing Godspell and had an important rehearsal the day of call-backs, so that effectively eliminated us.  Eric was called back, but he opted to take summer classes at Longview.

Although I had been on the casting-side multiple times, I had not auditioned for something since 1987.  Needless to say, I bombed.  I didn't prepare well.  I picked the wrong song ("Out There" from Hunchback.)  And I basically blew it (even if there was no part for me-I still sucked.)

It was fun, however; the waiting, the warming up in the hall, the butterflies, the nervousness, the sitting in the chair waiting to go in.  It gave me some good empathy experience for the next time I have to be in that casting chair.

I must say, the worst was the Dance-Call.

"Comical" would be an accurate term for me doing a dance-call.  Even when I was doing shows (28 years ago) and I was 80 lbs lighter I would never be mistaken for a"dancer."  Amy was a dancer. I could do "choreography."

I knew I was going to look ridiculous, so I just embraced it.  I did my routine with Christian, and I was watching him to see what to do next.

I had no intention to Audition again, then I saw the list of TITP shows for 2012.

There are really only two shows where I could reasonably have a part; Les Miz and Sweeney Todd.  Both shows have three characteristics necessary for me to "qualify"

1. They need big, loud, obnoxious vocalists who sound quasi-classical.  And no one sounds more obnoxiously loud than I do.
2. They need old-dudes who can be fat. Check, and Check.
3. No dancing.

This year TITP is doing Sweeney Todd. There is a reasonable chance that I could be in the chorus of that show.  Sweeney has a very important ensemble that propels the story throughout the show (If you've only seen the movie, you've missed out on a key aspect of the storytelling.)

I'm not saying I'm getting in. I'm just saying that the Sweeney ensemble would be a good fit.  There are complicated, high harmonies that fit what I do.  Plus, they could dress me in a dirty london-esque costume, smudge my face with soot and wha-la! I come out on stage with a scowl on my face (my favorite acting technique) and belt out, "Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd!"

So this year I actually prepared.  I picked two songs and worked on them for a number of weeks.

The first was a portion of Valjean's Soliloquy from Les Miz.  I picked out a portion that had some contrast (Yet why did I allow that man...etc) that went into some range and intensity (take an eye for an eye. turn your heart into stone.) and that went to a good high note for me, in this case, a "Bb" (this is all I have lived for, this is all I have known.)

The second was Too Many Mornings from Sondheim's Follies. It is generally a better song.  There is build, imagery, a more beautiful melody-line, and most people are not familiar with it.  I wanted to show that I could sing Sondheim (the writer of Sweeney.) But it only goes to an "F" and is a bit "sleepy."  So I went against Eric's advice, and I sang the Les Miz number.

I have been working out.  I have cut my soda in-take by 80%.  I have been drinking tea and actually practicing.  I  felt prepared.

At the auditions today there was not really a wait.  I went into the room and sang the song.  I could tell the directors liked the big notes.  Some times when you are listening to multiple auditions, you can get into a lull. So when something different happens, it snaps you back to the room.  There were a lot of kids and high schoolers when I was there, and only one other old dude.  So when I came in with the fog-horn, I think they were a bit taken aback (hopefully in a good way.)  Several people from the lobby came up to me afterwards and complimented me (yes, I was that loud.)  I felt like I had done what I came there to do.

The dance call, however, was a different story.

Of course, Nick Monaldo (an excellent CYT dancer who I have known since Bye Bye Birdy Middle School camp in 2008) was in my dance group.  I can't describe to you the depths of awfulness of that event (I don't dare cheapen the term by calling what I did, "dance."  I did get the grapevine to the left one time.  I really wish Nick would have videoed it and posted it on Facebook, I believe it was that funny.



chris

Theatre in the Park
Sweeney Todd (musical)
Jason's Deli

Play-date w/Amy

292

Amy's birthday is the 28th, but  we went out today for our "date."

> Went to the Habitat for Humanity store to llok at sinks :ReStore

> Ate at "Sweet Tomatoes": Sweet Tomatoes

> Went down town to the Kansas City Home Show: KC Home & Garden Show 2012

> I now want to adopt a retired racing Greyound: MoKan Grey Hounds

> Went to the Crown Center Sheridan's for yogurt: Crown Center, Sheridans Frozen Custard

> Went to Egad's Theatre production of "Zombie Prom": Egads Theatre. Zombie Prom-The Musical

Fun day w/my baby: Play Date w/Amy

chris

The Hunger Games

293

Well, I went to a movie (John Carter) at 4:00 PM and then turned around and went to "The Hunger Games" at 12:30 AM. Eric and Collin were leaving in the AM for Nashville to see Jenna in "Hairspray" at Belmont University before they headed back to Cincy, so this was our last "Hurrah" before he left.

Amy has read the whole "Hunger Games" series and Jaron has read the first book so they knew what they were getting into.  I knew very little (just what the commercials showed.)

The series (The Hunger Games/Catching Fire/Mockingjay) was written by Suzanne Collins.  Miss Collins is a children's book writer with ost of her works publised by Scholastic Books.  She also has written for kid's TV shown on Nickelodean and The WB.  But "The Hunger Games" is quite a departure from "Clifford's Puppy Days."

THG is considered "adolscent literature" (I actually had a class called Adolscent Literature in college) in that it is targeted mostly towards middle school students but can be enjoyed by high school and college students.  Collin's first adolscent series was "The Underland Chronicles," a kind of Alice in Wonderland with a boy who falls down a manhole in NYC.  It was on the NYTimes best seller list, but no one predicted the international success of THG (7.2 millin copies sold worldwide.)

The story is a future earth where after a catostrophic world war has ended in a kind of "peace" and a dividing of society into 12 districts. District 1 being the most affluent down to District 12 being the poorest.  In memory of the war, eavery year each district must pay a "tribute" because of their rebellion, that is, they give one boy and one girl aged 12-18 to fight to the death on live television.

This is not a new theme. Fight-to-the death stories go back to the days of gladiators.  This story most closely compares to Stephen King's (Richard Bachman...don't ask) book, "The Running Man" where a futuristic oppressive and manipulative society pits criminals against eachother on live TV.  What sets this story apart is that it is kids vs. kids, which has caused the series to have it's detractors.

I didn't have the back-story or subplots in my brain from the books so Amy would periodically fill me in on the deeper meanings of what was happening while we were watching the movie (something I constantly do to her.)

The movie primarily relies on Jennifer Lawrence's face.  She was in every scene and often with a close-up of her face (Katniss looking worried/Katniss looking frightened/Katniss crying/Katniss looking in wonder/Katniss looking angry/etc) I'm not complaining, it works.  The movie had a budget of 80 million dollars compared to to John Carter that had a 250 million dollars.  THG will probably make around 140 million this weekend while John Carter has made under 60 million in the past two weeks.

The film has a lot of tension and it's done with long shot-close ups (a camera placed far away, but then zoomed-in to a close-up that gives a shaky-framed look.)  There is some acting, but not a lot of lines.  Woddy Harrelson is good. Stanley Tucci is, well, Stanley Tucci.  The colors are awesome.  The violence is stylized and not overly offensive while still portraying the horror of what is happening.

Amy tells me it is true to the book and I eavesdropped on many conversations in the lobby where book-junkies were debating what they had just seen (which I think is a good thing.)

I wish I would have read the book first, however, I give it my "Thumbs-Up."

chris

To learn more about THG Series:
Suzanne Collins Books
The Hunger Games Book
The Hunger Games Movie

John Carter (I didn't hate it)

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John Carter is a 200 million dollar flop for Disney (although I would contest those numbers.) It is visually stunning, has beautiful actors, great action and a complex story.  It reminds you of old-school Star Wars. However, the whole movie (the story/visuals/cinematography) comes across...well...hack. Which is ironic because in many ways, John Carter was the original space/epic fantasy character of them all:

John Carter was the lead character in the first novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, set on a fictionalized version of Mars known as Barsoom. Written between July and September 28, 1911, the novel was serialized as Under the Moons of Mars in the pulp magazine The All-Story from February to July 1912. It later appeared as a complete novel only after the success of Burroughs' Tarzan series. For its October 1917 hardcover publication by A.C. McClurg & Company, the novel was retitled A Princess of Mars.

Carter reappeared in subsequent volumes of the series, most prominently in the second (The Gods of Mars, 1918), the third (The Warlord of Mars, 1919), the eighth (Swords of Mars, 1936), the tenth (Llana of Gathol, 1948), and the eleventh and final installment (John Carter of Mars, published posthumously in 1964). John Carter is also a major secondary character in the fourth volume (Thuvia, Maid of Mars, 1920), and the ninth (Synthetic Men of Mars, 1940).

John Carter has appeared many times in short-lived comic strips and comic books, as well as in various Big Little Books of the 1930s and 1940s. The most notable John Carter comic strip to appear in Edgar Rice Burroughs' lifetime was written and illustrated by Burroughs' son John Coleman Burroughs. This strip debuted on Sunday, December 7, 1941--the very day of the infamous Pearl Harbor Attack. This well-done strip lasted only 72 weeks, ending in March 1943. Dell Comics released three issues of John Carter of Mars under its Four Color Comics banner. The issue numbers are 375, 437, and 488 and were released in 1952-1953. Carter has appeared in various subsequent graphic adaptations of the Martian stories, notably the "John Carter of Mars" feature that ran in DC Comics' Tarzan and Weird Worlds comics from 1972 to 1973, and in Marvel Comics' John Carter, Warlord of Mars from 1977 to 1979.

Almost the first animater feaure ever made:

In 1931 Looney Tunes director Bob Clampett approached Edgar Rice Burroughs with the idea of adapting A Princess of Mars into a feature-length animated film. Burroughs responded enthusiastically, recognizing that a regular live-action feature would face various limitations to adapt accurately, so he advised Clampett to write an original animated adventure for John Carter. Working with Burroughs' son John Coleman Burroughs in 1935, Clampett used rotoscope and other hand-drawn techniques to capture the action, tracing over the motions of an athlete who performed John Carter's powerful movements in the reduced Martian gravity. Clampett designed Tharks, the Green, multi-armed Martians of Barsoom, giving them a believable appearance. He then produced footage of them riding their eight-legged Thoats at a gallop, which had all of their eight legs moving in coordinated motion; he also produced footage of a fleet of rocketships emerging from a Martian volcano. MGM was to release the cartoons, and the studio heads were enthusiastic about the series.

The test footage, produced by 1936, received negative reactions from film exhibitors across the U. S., especially in small towns; many gave their opinion that the concept of an Earthman on Mars was just too outlandish an idea for midwestern American audiences to accept. The series was not given the go-ahead, and Clampett was instead encouraged to produce an animated Tarzan series, an offer which he later declined. Clampett recognized the irony in MGM's decision, as the Flash Gordon movie serial, released in the same year by Universal Studios, was highly successful. He speculated that MGM believed that serials were only played to children during Saturday matinees, whereas the John Carter tales were intended to be seen by adults during the evening. The footage that Clampett produced was believed lost for many years, until Burroughs' grandson, Danton Burroughs, in the early 1970s found some of the film tests in the Edgar Rice Burroughs Inc. archives. Had A Princess of Mars been released, it may have preceded Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to become the first American feature-length animated film.

So now Disney has an epic flop on their hands...but I didn't hate it.


chris

John Carter Movie

40% of my Sping Break is over...

295

So far it has been a pretty mundane, but successful Spring Break:

> I've gone to the eye-doctor to get new glasses,

> I'm going to the dentist today,

> I've been to Longview with Jaron,

> I've been to Auditions and Call-Backs for "School House Rock" with Christian,

> I've worked at the 8th Street Rental House,

> I've been reading "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy

> Got our car back from the body shop $300.00 under the estimate,

> Got the Van in for it's inspection and we'll get new plates today or tomorrow,

> Amy and I got a good start on the Taxes and hence, all the FAFSA stuff.

But two things I haven't done (my two actual goals for the week) are clean out the garage and clean and organize my dresser, night stand and closet.  The later seems like it should be simple, but it won't be.

I'm going to the chiropractor today so I should have space to start tackling my room.

chris

Some of my favorite people in the world!

296

Met these folks in1989 at the King's Daughters' School:

chris

Jaron's First Day of School

297

I remember Jaron's first day of school.

He was nervous.  He had gotten up early.  He was pale.

I can just imagine what must have been going through his head:

          Will the other students be nice?

          Will they like me?

          Will the teacher be mean?

          Will the work be too hard?

          Will I know where to go?

          What's for lunch?

          Will I get picked for any one's team?

Jaron has never been too big on new things, or especially, new people.  We talked to him months before his first day of school to get him prepared, but when the day came, he was still nervous.

Jaron has always been extremely shy.  When he was 4 he would hide under the table at children's church the whole class.  When he was 5 he would hide whenever company came to our house.  When nearly anyone talked to him (even us, his parents) his face would turn blotchy because he was so nervous and embarrassed.

Yet, Jaron would always have a friend, and the two of them would stick like glue.

In Columbia, TN it was Brooke.  He loved Brooke and would talk to Brooke.  I would have to listen to him talk to her so I could know what he was thinking (or just hear his voice.)

In Newton it was Matthew.  They lived across the street from each other and were inseparable (except when they would have an argument, which was usually short-lived.)

In Kansas City it has been Anthony.  Anthony was the first CYT kid to literally "reach-out" to Jaron.  It was after the "Narnia" show. Jaron had run a spotlight and Anthony had been "Peter." After the show, the cast was standing in a big "pile" praying a final group-prayer. Jaron was standing off to the side when Anthony looked-up and motioned him over. To my suprise, Jaron walked over and joined in.  They were fast-friends and have been ever since.  I've always admired Anthony for that.

Which brings me back my to reflecting about Jaron's first day of school...

I remember driving him there myself.  He looked so adorable wearing his favorite hoodie with his satchle of school supplies hung over his shoulder.

We pulled into the school parking lot and I walked him all the way over to his classroom.  Other students were already there and his teacher smiled and looked nice.  I tried not to embarras him too much so I slowly slipped out.

This memory is so vivid because it just happened an hour ago.

Jaron's nearly 18 and he's just now experiencing his first day at school (Intermediate Algebra at Longview Community College.)

...tear

chris

To learn more about Longview Community College: Longview Community College

My Evening TV-Watching HAIKU...

298

Basketball was on

But I watched "The Walking Dead"

Bearcats Sweet 16

chris

St. Patrick

299

St. Patrick of  Ireland is one of the world's most popular saints.

Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 461.

Along with St. Nicholas and St. Valentine, the secular world shares our love of these saints. This is also a day when everyone's Irish.

There are many legends and stories of St. Patrick, but this is his story.

Patrick was born around 385 in Scotland, probably Kilpatrick. His parents were Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were Romans living in Britian in charge of the colonies.

As a boy of fourteen or so, he was captured during a raiding party and taken to Ireland as a slave to herd and tend sheep. Ireland at this time was a land of Druids and pagans. He learned the language and practices of the people who held him.

During his captivity, he turned to God in prayer. He wrote:

"The love of God and his fear grew in me more and more, as did the faith, and my soul was rosed, so that, in a single day, I have said as many as a hundred prayers and in the night, nearly the same. I prayed in the woods and on the mountain, even before dawn. I felt no hurt from the snow or ice or rain."

Patrick's captivity lasted until he was twenty, when he escaped after having a dream from God in which he was told to leave Ireland by going to the coast. There he found some sailors who took him back to Britian, where he reunited with his family.

He had another dream in which the people of Ireland were calling out to him "We beg you, holy youth, to come and walk among us once more."

He began his studies for the priesthood. He was ordained by St. Germanus, the Bishop of Auxerre, whom he had studied under for years.

Later, Patrick was ordained a bishop, and was sent to take the Gospel to Ireland. He arrived in Ireland March 25, 433, at Slane. One legend says that he met a chieftain of one of the tribes, who tried to kill Patrick. Patrick converted Dichu (the chieftain) after he was unable to move his arm until he became friendly to Patrick.

Patrick began preaching the Gospel throughout Ireland, converting many. He and his disciples preached and converted thousands and began building churches all over the country. Kings, their families, and entire kingdoms converted to Christianity when hearing Patrick's message.

Patrick by now had many disciples, among them Beningnus, Auxilius, Iserninus, and Fiaac, (all later canonized as well).

Patrick preached and converted all of Ireland for 40 years. He worked many miracles and wrote of his love for God in Confessions. After years of living in poverty, traveling and enduring much suffering he died March 17, 461.

He died at Saul, where he had built the first church.

chris

PS: Why a shamrock?

Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Trinity, and has been associated with him and the Irish since that time.

300

300 days to go.

It is the first day of my Spring Break and it is 2 in the morning.

Does not bode well for the rest of the week.

chris

Come Let's Go Up To The Mountain

During my time at New Life Church I was spending early morning hours in prayer, fasting, and I was seeking to hear God’s voice.  Out of that pursuit I received something I did not ask for or expect…dreams.

Here is an example.

I dreamed I was in Nashville, at Belmont Church, at the KOINONIA Bookstore and Coffee House.  I could hear a song coming from the small performance stage on the coffee house side of the building.  I had played music on that little stage many times. As I walked into the front door, the bookstore side of the building seemed to grow and the bookshelves seemed to grow taller.  I remember even thinking in my dream, “I don’t remember the bookstore being this big.”  The bookshelves became a sort of labyrinth. I followed the music and eventually came around a set of shelves to where the stage should be.

Instead of the small raised carpeted platform nestled in the corner where the two red brick walls met, there was just a floor. Windows were letting in light where the brick wall should have been.  Sitting cross-legged in a circle on the floor were about a dozen people, singing.

They looked a bit like college-aged neo-hippie types.  They had their eyes closed. Some were swaying to the music a bit. Some one was playing a djembe.  The guitar player and main singer of the group looked a bit out of place.  He was portly, in his 50’s, had a grey gotee and feathered grey hair over his collar.

What first attracted me to the song was the rhythm.  It was a slow rolling 4 with triplets on the beat (or, more precisely, it was in 6/8 time…1-2-3-4-5-6-2-2-3-4-5-6.)

I came to the circle and listened to the repeated lyric:

Come let’s go up to the mountain. Come let’s go up to the Lord

Come let’s go up to the mountain. He will teach us His ways.

It was from Micah 4:2, Many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

And me being me (even in my dreams) I begin to “debate” with the faceless someone who was standing next to me, “You see? This is what I’m talking about. Everybody wants to run-up to the mountain to get away from their troubles and responsibilities. I want God’s presence down in the valley. That is where I spend my time.  I work in a dark crevasse and I need Him down there.”  My faceless dream companion didn’t respond. We just stood there and listened to those two lines over and over.

The next day I woke up. I think I may have vaguely remembered that dream for a while but by the time I was done with my shower, it was gone.

That evening we had worship band practice.  We were at the church building, on the stage, goofing off a bit before we actually got started.  Rick Evans came to us and said, “Let’s listen to this new song. Chris, I think you’ll be able to play this.”  Rick popped in the CD and a single violin began to play a-tempo.  Then it began to pick up into a kind of “jig” feel. Finally the band came in with a slow rolling 4 with triplets on the beat.

Next, a young woman began to sing:

Nations will be flowing to Zion
When they see the house of the Lord
Running to His peaceful kingdom
Shouting they lay down their swords

Come let's go up to the mountain
Come let's Go up to the Lord
Come let's go up to the mountain
He will teach us His ways

It started with a strange feeling of familiarity. Then the whole dream flooded back.  I began to play along.  The notes were there, the feel was there. The song was a natural fit for me.

I can’t remember who I said this to (maybe Michael Collins) but I said as nonchalantly as I could:

ME: I really liked this song the first time I heard it.

MICHAEL: When was that?

ME: Last night in my dream.

Come Let’s Go Up to the Mountain became an important song in New Life for a time.  It seemed to release people to dance, and I don’t mean the small Pentecostal Pogo either, I mean full attempts at ballet sweeping across the room.

I saw a video performance of the song a couple of years later where I recognized that portly grey-haired goteed guitar player from my dream, Don Potter.

chris

Pi Day

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Today is March 14th; Pi Day.

I don't like Pi Day.

It seems irrational.

chris

A last straw (when I quit doing Treatment)

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As I have written in previous blogs, I had an over-inflated view of the power of my own empathy to change the lives of people.  I believed that if I could just love someone enough (or have dysfunctional will and emotion towards them) that they would change for the better. That their circumstances would change and that things would just be “better.”  I was delusional and sadly mistaken.

Case in point:  There were siblings from East Tennessee at KDS when I first started working there.  One (if not both) were considered, “Grandpa’s Children” which was a backwoods way of saying, “Grandpa was also the father.”  These two particular children had been neglected and abused.  They had engaged in inappropriate personal behavior with other siblings and their own parents.  It was a sad and disgusting story that made me very angry.  I used that “energy” in working with them, building relationships with them and wading through the myriad of challenging behaviors they presented.

They were at KDS a number of years and for my part, I felt like a built a very strong and effective relationship with each of them to the point where there was not a whole lot of “behavior modification” than needed to go on. I could just talk listen to them and give correction and direction.  They were well fed. They were clean. The slept inside, in beds, with sheets, blankets and pillows.  They were safe, they were learning. The older sibling was working and earning actual money.  They had great experiences through Special Olympics. They had friends and adults who cared for them.  They had a good life.

When the younger sibling turned 18, she demanded to return home as did her 19-year old brother. This was a problem, because they actually could go home. They were adults.

At the time in Tennessee there were some super-hinky policies and procedures concerning who would pay for adult services for people with handicaps and when those services would take effect.  I’ll try to explain:

Ø      Federal Special Education Law requires schools to provide educational services to students with disabilities up to their 22^nd birthday if those students agree to access those services.  If the student graduates with a diploma, then they no longer receive services.

Ø      Department Children’s Services (DCS) stop providing residential services at the age of 18.

Ø      The department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation (DMHMR) will not provide services until the individuals are 22 years old.

That is a potential 4-year gap in service from the time an individual would leave DCS support and start accessing DMHMR support. We dealt with some clients who couldn’t cross the street without support let alone live independently for 4 years!

I blame DMHMR for the dilemma (I don’t know if it is a dilemma in TN today or not) because the reason they wouldn’t provide services was because Educational Services were still available and they didn’t want clients to “double-dip” services, like they could get too much support and service (which is, to coin and inappropriate phrase, moronic.)

DCS finally (and begrudgingly) stepped-up and said, “Ok, if a child has a mental or cognitive handicap, we will provide services until such time as they can obtain adult services.”  The caveat was, however, once they leave custody after the age of 18, they cannot return to custody again.  They can only wait until they can access adult services when they turn 22.  So you give children with cognitive impairments the choice to either stay in their current placements or allow them to return “home.”  This is what the East Tennessee Siblings opted to do, to go right back to the shanty where their abusive Grandpa/Dad was waiting for them.

A year after they “went home” I saw the sister at a regional Special Olympics event. Apparently the family and signed them up for school.  They had been heavily involved in Special Olympics at KDS so it was a good activity for them.

I was heartbroken to see the younger sister.  Her thick blonde hair was greasy, lifeless and un-kept. She had lost weight.  Her clothes were disheveled.  But it as her teeth that were the most telling.  Her smile was grey. I imagine she had not brushed her teeth for a year.

I talked to the sponsor that brought her from her school who happened to be her special education teacher. She said that the siblings would come to school and immediately take a shower.  She would feed them and let them have personal care items.  They had a set of clothes for them so they would take their dirty clothes (that they were wearing) and wash them while giving them a clean set for the day.  The teacher also said they would then sleep most of the morning and then they would do some work in the afternoon. (As usual, SPED teachers are awesome.)  They had contacted DCS and DMHMR and of course, no one was going to do anything.

About midnight of the first day of our 3-day Special Olympic event, the younger sister came to the door of one of the KDS female sponsor’s hotel room and begged to come back to KDS. She cried and cried and begged to come back…which, of course, she couldn’t.

After the event was over I saw her pile into the van with the other kids from her area and I watched her drive away, right back to the abuser she had been rescued from 8 years earlier.

Eight years of work, down the drain.

Eight years of battles…for nothing.

Eight years and two lives…gone.

For years I held onto Matthew 10:42 “And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." as a way to cope with days like that. A cup of cold water really does nothing for someone except temporarily quench their thirst. They will most certainly be thirsty again…and in short order.

But I couldn’t shake the thought: Eight wasted years.

That was led by another thought, a thought that turned into a type of prayer, a prayer that shaped my family's next 7 years.

“Jesus, I can’t do treatment anymore. I won’t do treatment anymore, unless YOU are the treatment.”

chris

Daylight Savings Time (or as I call it, "Morninglight Robbing Time.")

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I am not a fan of daylight savings time. I like mornings.


Here are some stupid factoids about daylight savings time...

chris

A NUMBER OF UNEXPECTED AREAS IMPACTED BY DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME:
 

Draft Status, Vietnam War: A man, born just after 12 midnight, DST, avoided the Vietnam War draft by arguing that under official standard time he was born the previous day—which had a much higher draft lottery number.

Halloween Trick-or-Treaters: For many years, the DST in the U.S. ended a few days before Halloween. The extended DST period that took effect in 2007 will always include Halloween. This provides young trick-or-treaters one more hour of light and therefore more safety from traffic accidents during that hour.

Riots: Patrons of bars that stay open past 2 a.m. lose one hour of drinking time on the day when DST springs forward one hour. This indignity has led to riots, such as in Athens, Ohio, site of Ohio University.

Voter Turnout in Elections: DST is the U.S. has almost always ended before U.S. Election Day, but under the recent DST extension some Election Days will have DST. There have been proposals to extend the DST period so that it always includes Election Day, which could encourage greater voter participation, since more people might go to the polls in the evening if there still was daylight when they returned home from work.

Amtrak: To keep to published timetables, trains cannot leave a station before the scheduled time. So when the clocks fall back one hour in the autumn, all Amtrak trains in the United States that are running on time stop at 2 A.M. and wait one hour before resuming. Overnight passengers are often surprised to find their train at a dead stop and their travel time an hour longer than expected. At the spring DST time change, trains instantaneously become an hour behind schedule at 2 A.M., but they just keep going and do their best to make up the time.

Antarctica: In Antarctica, where there is no daylight in the winter and months of twenty-four-hour daylight in the summer, many research stations still observe daylight saving time anyway—to keep the same time as their supply stations in Chile or New Zealand.

Violent Crime: A study by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration found that crime was consistently less during periods of DST than during comparable standard time periods. Data for one city showed violent crime down 10 to 13%.

Mead's Corner

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I'm sitting here, downtown Wichita at Mead's Corner.  It is a coffehouse. As I have mentioned in the past, I like coffeehouses.

I am a bit late to the hipster movement, (I ve been a coffeehouse guy since 2000) but I'm not here to be hip, I'm here to drink my tea, write my blog, and then read "Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCathy.

Eric is at an audition for Musical Theatre of Wichita a couple blocks down the street.

This place is perfect.  It has nooks and crannies. It has lots of brick and old wood. It has a small music performance place and an art space, and right now, it's packed. Late Sunday afternoon downtown and it's full.

Mead's is run by a Free Methodist Church catty-corner from the building.  There are lots of Bibles on tables. As I eavesdrop, there are intersting conversations goin on. A table surrounded by people wearing clergy colors are having some kind of mission/vision conversation about their ministry.  The Republican caucuses are also going on right now a couple blocks away, so there is political talk.

I would love to own a place like this...

chris

To learn more about Mead's Corner: Mead's Corner

To learn more about Musical Theatre of Wichita: MTWichita.org

MORE COMPARATIVE AND PROJECTIVE STATISTICS ABOUT MUSICAL THEATRE

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MORE COMPARATIVE AND PROJECTIVE STATISTICS ABOUT MUSICAL THEATRE.

PLEASE READ THE PREVIOUS DAY'S BLOG...

There are over 200 university-level BFA-Musical Theatre programs.

There are over 32 MFA-Musical Theatre programs.

Each year those programs produce up to 5000 trained and credentialed Musical Theatre performers.

42 musicals on & off Broadway (including the Berenstain Bears Live and The Naked Boys Sing.)

If the average number of performers was 30 per cast (which it isn’t) the total need would be 1260 performers.  Let’s go ahead and bump out number up to 1300 needed performers.

There are 36 “Broadway” tour companies supporting 34 shows.  B&B 31, Addams: 25,  Idiot: 20,  Wicked: 36 (30) 1100

Broadway/Off-Broadway: 1300

Broadway Tours: 1100

TOTAL (HIGH) ESTIMATE:2500

WHAT IF THE SAME RATIO OF TOP SCHOOLS PRODUCING TALENT WAS THE SAME AS COLLEGIATE SPORTS?

12% (24) OF THE SCHOOLS PRODUCING 40% (1000) OF THE TALENT?

That sounds about right doesn’t it?

chris

Talent: A lesson from College Sports

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Since I'm on this "BFA in Musical Theatre" kick.  I thought I would do some comparing of numbers in another talent-driven college-to-pro program...Sports.

Here are a bunch  of Stats, Facts, and Figures that I will eventually compare and contrast with Broadway stats.

Top Level Talent: Stats & Figures from College Football/Basketball to the NFL/MBA

Football

120 Division I College Football Teams

85 Scholarships per school

105 Members per team

TOTAL NUMBER OF D-I ATHELETES: 12,600

32 NFL Teams

45 active players per team (NFL Total: 1440)

8 inactive players (NFL Total: 256)

8 practice squad players (NFL Total: 256)

Total Number of Roster Players: 1696

TOTAL NUMBER OF NFL ATHELETES: 1952

Annual # of NFL Draft Picks: 224

Annual # of Undrafted Player Signings: >60

Annual # of Draft-Eligible College Players (Seniors and declared Juniors): 3200

CHANCES OF MAKING AN NFL ROSTER OUT OF COLLEGE: >9%

Basketball

344 Division I College Basketball Teams

15 Members per team

TOTAL NUMBER OF D-1 ATHELETES: 5160

30 NBA Teams

15 Roster Players (12 Active/3 Inactive)

TOTAL NUMBER OF NBA ATHELETES: 450

Annual # of Drafted Players: 60

Annual # of Undrafted Player Signings: >12

Annual # of Draft-Eligible Players: 5160+ (Including International & High School)

CHANCES OF MAKING AN NBA ROSTER OUT OF COLLEGE: >2%

Top Schools for NFL Players 2011 Season

10: Penn State

NFL Players: 39

Offense: 19

Defense: 20

The Household Names: Kerry Collins, Robbie Gould 

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jack Ham, Franco Harris, Mike Michalske, Lenny Moore, Mike Munchak

9: Auburn

NFL Players: 41

Offense: 19

Defense: 22

The Household Names: Cam Newton, Ronnie Brown, Takeo Spikes, Cadillac Williams

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Frank Gatski

9: Cal

NFL Players: 41

Offense: 23

Defense: 18

The Household Names: Nnamdi Asomugha, Scott Fujita, Tony Gonzalez, DeSean Jackson, Marshawn Lynch, Aaron Rodgers

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Les Richter

9: Nebraska

NFL Players: 41

Offense: 18

Defense: 23

The Household Names: Ndamukong Suh, Carl Nicks 

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Bob Brown, Guy Chamberlin, Link Lyman

8: Oklahoma

NFL Players: 42

Offense: 24

Defense: 18

The Household Names: Sam Bradford, Tommie Harris, Adrian Peterson 

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Troy Aikman, Tommy McDonald, Lee Roy Selmon

7:  Florida

NFL Players: 43

Offense: 22

Defense: 21

The Household Names: Jabar Gaffney, Rex Grossman, Percy Harvin, Tim Tebow 

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Emmitt Smith, Jack Youngblood

7: Iowa

NFL Players: 43

Offense: 18

Defense: 28

The Household Names: Dallas Clark, Bob Sanders, Aaron Kampman

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Paul Krause, Andre Tippett, Emlen Tunnell 

6: Tennessee

NFL Players: 44

Offense: 21

Defense: 23

The Household Names: Arian Foster, Albert Haynesworth, Peyton Manning, Jason Witten 

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Doug Atkins, Reggie White

5:  Georgia

NFL Players: 45

Offense: 19

Defense: 26

The Household Names: Champ Bailey, A.J. Green, Knowshon Moreno, Richard Seymour, Matthew Stafford

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Fran Tarkenton, Charley Trippi

4: Ohio State

NFL Players: 51

Offense:

Defense:

The Household Names: Ted Ginn, Anthony Gonzalez, A.J. Hawk, Santonio Holmes, Nick Mangold, Terrelle Pryor, Will Smith, Beanie Wells, Antoine Winfield

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Sid Gillman, Lou Groza, Dante Lavelli, Dick LeBeau, Jim Parker, Ed Sabol, Paul Warfield, Bill Willis

3: LSU

NFL Players: 52

Offense: 26

Defense: 26

The Household Names: Joe Addai, Bradie James, Dwayne Bowe, Ryan Clark, Glenn Dorsey, Kevin Faulk, LaRon Landry, Patrick Peterson 

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Jim Taylor, Y.A. Tittle, Steve Van Buren

2: Texas

NFL Players: 54

Offense: 25

Defense: 29

The Household Names: Colt McCoy, Cedric Benson, Ricky Williams, Casey "Big Snack" Hampton 

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Earl Campbell, Tom Landry, Bobby Layne, Tex Schramm

1: Miami

NFL Players: 59

Offense: 29

Defense: 30

The Household Names: Frank Gore, Devin Hester, Ray Lewis, Santana Moss, Ed Reed, Antrel Rolle, Jeremy Shockey, Jonathan Vilma, Reggie Wayne, Kellen Winslow

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Ted Hendricks, Michael Irvin, Jim Kelly, Jim Otto

1: USC

NFL Players: 59

Offense: 32

Defense: 28

The Household Names: Reggie Bush, Matt Cassel, Matt Leinart, Clay Matthews, Taylor Mays, Troy Polamalu, Mark Sanchez

Pro Football Hall of Fame: Marcus Allen, Morris Badgro, Frank Gifford, Ronnie Lott, Bruce Matthews, Ron Mix, Anthony Munoz, O.J. Simpson, Lynn Swann, Willie Wood, Ron Yary

654 Players out of 1696 total 53-man roster players (39%) come from these 14 schools.

12% (14) OF THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE DIVISION I FOOTBALL PRODUCE 40% OF THE NFL TALENT.

hmmmmmmmmm.....

chris