Sadly, our last performance of OLEANNA will be this Sunday, Dec. 6th. I am at a loss for words, mainly due to pride. Sunday represents the closing of nearly a year’s worth of work, all of which has been entirely rewarding. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to throw myself into this play, but I’m not quite at the point where I can look on the bright side. I’ll be happy to give my body a rest, only to quickly become restless.
In my attempt to stay distracted, I found this awesome old timey cartoon.
This holiday season, save a little bacon fat… for the war effort.
Oh…one more thing…would you know of any good writer’s blogs…much obliged.
Miranda July (a very unique writer and filmmaker) has a site called LEARNING TO LOVE YOU MORE. There are fun art project assignments, and I find it inspiring.
Also, http://www.britical.blogsome.com is clever and sometimes a bit vicious (the totaly opposite of July, I’d say).
Thank you, Julia. What a wonderful idea for a website (LTLYM). I great antedote for cynicism!
Outstanding video. Congratulations on successful run!
Too weird… War was so much simpler then.
Well, although it’s disappointing, congratulations on your run. The play certainly stimulated thought and debate. I am disappointed as I had planned to see it this holiday season on our annual NYC trip with my teen age daughter. I had thought her seeing this play would have been entertaining but also educational.
I do wonder what a toll all those shows would take on someone, sure you’ll enjoy a temporary rest!
We’ll all be looking forward to your next project.
The artist always gives so much so its hard to recover and see the bright side, but only businesses fail. Art with commerce sucks most of the time. The artist never fails, only grows.
Make another short film, write, enjoy New York City at its best during the Christmas Season, refuel the mind for what’s next.
A few months ago I found a website when I was feeling the artist blues. It’s kind of crazy but was interesting to put things in clearer context.
http://www.artisticfailure.com/category/artist-stereotypes/
Here’s a quote from it: (from Gabe Combs, Dried Blood and Dandelion Wine)
‘Being an artist is not a fashion statement that passes with the season; it’s not something that hinges on gas prices. Art is something that combines with the culture to establish roots that intertwine with and break up the cement of society so the wildflowers can grow.Art breaks up a false foundation and replaces it with dirt. I wonder if it’s really possible to make dandelion wine… ”
They surely don’t like dirt on Broadway and they will never grow Dandelion Wine.
P
Thank you for that.
I do believe the time in between projects is just as important for creativity. I’m already thinking about what I can make next. But again, the encouragement is much appreciated.
Hey Julia, I just wanted to say that I thought last night’s performance of Oleanna was phenomenal. It was my first show on Broadway since moving to the area. You and Bill were both fantastic! Too bad today is that last show.
Thanks for taking a picture with me last night, although I wish it were better, but I didn’t want to bother you with taking another… But it made my night (I was the short guy that got the last picture)!
Take a break from work and enjoy the City for a while. You only live once so don’t work TOO much!
Good luck in all you do moving forward. I look forward to more great work from you, as all has been previously!
-Jason
Sucks about the play. Mamet is one of my faves. but nothing lasts for ever and that is actually a good thing. I believe change is important.
Another interesting thing in the video is that Minnie was going to give Pluto bacon fat. To some real life dogs this could be extremely detrimental to their health and might actually end their lives. I imagine the amount ingested and the size of the dog comes into play here. I only recently found this out myself when I heard about a dog (breed unknown) that was given bacon and had to be taken to the vet immediately.
Bravo! – I had the wonderful opportunity to watch your last performance yesterday afternoon. It was an amazing tour de force from you and Bill Pullman. I am so glad to have been able to see it. Even though I was completely drained at the end – and felt I had no more emotion left – I cried as you cried watching you take your final bow. Thank you for a moving performance and an exceptional theatre experience!
I’m also disappointed that Oleanna closed early, for you and Bill, and for those who still wanted to go. Broadway sure seems a tough place to crack, but I admire you for choosing such a demanding play for your first crack at the big show. I’m glad I caught you and Bill in L.A. and yes, I still think it was worth losing a camera!
Maybe this just wasn’t the year for high-tension social drama. Maybe people in a recession-scarred economy just want escapist fun for their theatre dollar, if in fact they’re not just renting videos. Maybe there are just too many people who believe that the ideas expressed in a play like Oleanna are no longer relevant. Maybe it’s just that the ‘weekly grosses’ are more important than good art (sigh). I couln’t disagree more, on all counts.
On the positive side, though, you’ve got your foot in the door. Maybe it took ‘x’ number of years to get from your first stage performance to Oleanna, but I’m sure the time between Oleanna and your next Broadway adventure will be more like’x-y(a)’ years. Whoa, my god, I’m doing algebra again. Anyway, you know what I mean.
Yesterday’s performance may have been last one, but I’m sure you left your calling card for next time with a barn-burnin’, kick-ass performance no one there will soon forget.
So, what’s next on the menu? Someone suggests Spiderman 4. Hmm. Reminds me of Saturday morning cartoons before we had cable. I knew shouldn’t have given away those comics. (As for sequels, I could write up a big ‘Men in Black’ part for you, provided you don’t mind being covered in alien brains.)
Just remember: you still have a group of people out there – people you might call ‘fans’, if you like, even though I hate the term – who believe in you, who enjoy your work (and how you go about it), and who look forward to whatever theatrical or film-making endeavor you share with us next. Have a great 2010, Julia. Relax and keep smiling.
Great run for a revived play – UK, CA, NY. Looking forward to The Bell Jar.
When restless, try one of these music videos.
http://www.boycevoice.com/blog/2008/02/10/mr-dales-soca-junkie-music-video/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9xm3qnh1sck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxirWiWHZZw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo2Lof_5dy4
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhrvl_israel-kamakawiwoole_music
Merry Christmas!*~*Early.
Great cartoon score!
Personal favorite old school cartoon is from 1944, The Three Caballeros by Disney. My dad used to like it when he was young so I grew up on it. Check it out!
Oh bacon, what can’t you do?
Hi – I just caught your 12/5 matinee perfomance. What an amazing performance by the both of you! I was worried those books were gonna fly right off the stage. (has that happened ever during the run)? That final scene – I imagine you must get a bruise every now and then. And it was true – I hated the female character at the end.
I was trying to understand if the group your character kept saying she was working with was working this plan from the very beginning to oust the professor? In the beginning, your character was going to confess something very personal but is again interrupted by the professor and the telephone and I was wondering if it was that you were planning to bring him down as part of a group effort? Or is this one of those things open to interpretation and I will never know?
Sorry your show ended its run early as I would have recommended it to many…
Thanks
Kevin
Hi,
Sounds like the show was great from everything I read and I’m sorry I missed it by 2 days (I had tickets for tonight – damn).
I think what everyone acknowledges here is that you have a wonderful gift that lies at the heart of success in any art form. And that gift is an extraordinary talent. In our mass media quest to make everyone the same and homogenise life to the lowest possible denominator, we don’t use the word talent too often because not everyone has it nor can they just go out and get it. Talent separates and distinguishes. It is individualistic and it is unique and when it comes to acting you bring to this art form your attitude and enthusiasm and caring and talent. What is amazing as an artist is that when you take these ingredients and skills and add talent you create something which, and this is the magic of all art, is so much greater than the sum of its parts. Whether it’s paint, a brush and a canvas, 4 strings, some wood and a bow or a stage and some costumes and lighting, you create something for all of us – an experience captured in our minds, embedded on film or on stage, from which we are enriched, entertained, challenged and engaged.
I look forward to the next rendition of your amazing art.
Andrew
How much of yourself do you put into your characters?
Do you ever wonder at the end of a play, how much the play and the characters you play in it have chnaged you or affected you in some manner?
This is sort of in reply to the above comment, but am I the only one who didn’t hate Carol at the end? I certainly wouldn’t want her as a best friend, but loathing for her character was not one of the foremost emotions I had after seeing the play.
I remember walking out of the theatre and mouthing ‘that was brilliant.’ My primary fascination was with the fact that Carol never actually lied. What she’d told the committee, from that quotes the audience heard, about how the professor put his arm around Carol, invited her back to his office alone, raising her grade – it was all true. The interpretation of those innocent actions was incredibly powerful and the closing line of “that’s right” was a little chilling.
I saw the play back in November and you both gave wonderfully compelling performance. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Amanda
This is in response to Amanda – Yes, Carol’s statements were true… But it was her interpeting them into fantastical exaggerations. I mean – To accuse the professor of rape!!! Come now. That was over the top.
Though I will go on the record as stating the professor, even though a completely broken man at the end, had no right to strike Carol. This surprised me even after all he took.
No, you’re right, Amanda.
That’s why I think that line at the start of the play about interpretation – ‘the screens we create’ – is so important. Mamet is setting up the tragedy in the first act, even before you get comfortable in your seat. “That’s right.” puts an exclamation point on it. Carol gets under your skin, but she doesn’t BS you.
A true act of grace and kindness can be utterly overwhelming. It still has my words twisted inside my head unable to extend a thought. Of course I do not regret this effect (by any means, humbly cherish it) but I would like to write something more coherent and meaningful. I have tried and still trying to find the words but I am a sailboat adrift at sea looking for that breath of air to get me back on course. My ‘grandfather’ and I shared a wonderful experience together and for that I am truly grateful to you.
I guess I asked my earlier question because each of us have had thier personas’ created and influenced by the society and environment that they exist in.
You are actually the first actor/actress that I have ever met (conversationally) to actually speak to, therefore I guess it is why I am asking you this question. I myself have at times looked at myself and thought back to the ideas of how I viewed myself and how I am today.
The actor/actress is living thier life but at the same time, taking on personnas and roles as if they are thier own. Do these roles they play influence the person they are or that they could have been.
Do you or any other of your cast ever look into the mirror and ask yourself, Is this the mask I am wearing or is the mask now wearing me?
At the end of a play, do you shed the personna as the snake sheds its skin or do you take on aspects of speech, attitude or walk of the characters you have played?
The blog seems to be a way of presenting yourself to the world and those who are your fans. I am not a journalist, though I may be considered as curious as one. I have been asking questions since I was born, (most of them pretty ignorant ones) though I guess I will ask them for a few years more.
You come across as a pretty straight forward person, with a decent head on your soldiers. I guess thats why I ask these questions and hope for an answer.
Hi Julia, I’ve recently been to a performance of Oleanna. I just want to congratulate you and the rest of the team for your wonderful work. I love David Mamet’s plays and it was an honor for me to travel to New York and see this great drama.
Best regards,
Sadurní
(Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain).
Diddy said it best, for some, “It’s all about the Benjamins!”
But, for others, to paraphrase that MasterCard commercial,
Taxi ride to a Broadway show: $30
Tickets to a Broadway show: $200
A starring role in a Broadway show: “Priceless”.
Okay, enough with the pop culture references.
Congrats on the Broadway run!
Here’s a video on how to make soap out of bacon fat for your enjoyment. Happy Holidays!
How to Make Bacon Soap – More DIY How To Projects
Here’s the URL just in case embedding doesn’t work:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Bacon-Soap/
PS. My 6 year old niece wanted to know why are there floating dots on the screen? I told her they were snowflakes. But, I must confess, for a second there, I thought I was getting a detached retina!