Read or Die

Read or Die the TV series is so incredible.

Politics and Principles

I can think of few things worse than being locked in an evironment with someone you don’t like. And if you have a quarrel with someone at Boom, there’s no where to bring it that doesn’t affect the group. The continuity of the show is more important than any individual skirmish … and so, for reasons both political and conveinent, you don’t allow your personal frustrations to boil over. Besides, you’re stuck here. Deal with it.

Of course, the lack of total honesty is also a compromise of principles. If you can’t allow your anger out, then you have to keep up the political front at all times — hang out with the person, endure their suggestions and tolerate their total selfishness constantly, without relent. Don’t want Boom to suffer, don’t want to force people to take sides, don’t want to make everyone else’s lives uncomfortable. Be a cog in the machine, don’t break it down because you disagree with another gear.

But at what point does your lack of honesty become a danger to your own morals? At what point do you stand up and say, “I’m just going admit that I really don’t like the person you are, that I haven’t ever liked you and have been nice only because it’s what’s easiest for you and best for Boom.” Is the long term goal of the theater at odds with a decision like this? How many months can you continue the deception until the admittance of it becomes a greater evil than the deception itself? How do you say to someone, “I can’t be around you, you offend me” when you have to be around them all the time?

I can’t help but believe that my problems at the theatre and with Holland in general are overreactions that stem from misplaced pain. I have had an open wound since I arrived, and the constant irritation makes me snap at things that don’t deserve it. I can’t help but think I’d be happier if I could avoid this problem. I can’t hang out with people, because I don’t — make that can’t — hang out with one of our members, and the last thing I ever want to do is force them to choose who to be around. Besides, these people are the ones I *like* — the last thing I want to do is hurt them. So I’m more antisocial than I want to be, and I feel I’m not getting a fair glimpse of how wonderful Boom really is. I wish this would go away. I don’t know what to do.

The Process Exhausts

To those of you who have been nagging me to post, know that it’s not for lack of desire that I don’t. Boom is in Full-Fledged-Process mode — meaning that every day is an endurance test to the end.

Example:

Rehearsals are every day now, staring at noon and concluding at 17:00. They take place inside the windowless interior of the Boom Zaal. It’s a bit like working at a casino, without the slot machines. Very depressing after a few days. We warm up, we review our new material for the day. Sometimes it’s improv games (we’re working on a Sitcom form right now that’s very promising), most of the time, it’s sketches for the new show: “Why Aren’t You Happy Yet?”

After 5 hours of rehearsal, we have about an hour/hour-and-a-half off to rest, before getting back to the theatre at 18:30 to rehearse the new material that’s being tested in that evening’s show. The show ends at 22:15, and we review notes for the night (finishing up around 23:30 or so). Have a drink with the audience, talk about corporate shows, head home. I eat dinner around midnight every night and then stay up till 2:00/3:00 writing the material for the next day or preparing warm ups. Wake up at 10, eat breakfast, re-write the material for the day, head into the theatre, make copies, review and begin again.

A lot of fun, surely, but also quite exhausting. I wouldn’t trade it for another job (unless that job was assasin or magician) — but it’s a very specific kind of endurance to be funny for that length of time. Emotionally draining. I feel bad for Sophie; I haven’t written her (or anyone else for that matter) any kind of emails lately because I don’t want to sound like a robot engaging a writing-program. When you write an email to someone, you want it to be interesting and fun and charming — and I have no capacity for any of these at the end of 5 days of this comedy boot camp. So, to those who are dissapointed in the lack of posts/calls/emails — know that I’m thinking of you, but I think you deserve better than Heather the Automaton.

Toodle-Pip!

Gollum

This weekend marked my second radio interview. The first I did on behalf of Boom; I was their frontman for what was essentially an interactive ad with a dj. The second, however, was yesterday … Oscar Sunday (Or, the day Bill Murray was robbed — he deserved that award for what was a brilliant and deeply moving performance). Anyway, I was called up by a Hilversum (Amsterdam) radio station to be interviewed as Gollum. I’ve been doing him as a character for some shows, and I guess they heard about it — I guess I can just do the same voice that Andy Serkis can do. It was lighthearted and fun … and apparently I’ll be getting a link to the Real Audio file so I can share it with everyone.

Other than that, we’re about to go into our new show process. The theme is “Why aren’t you happy yet?” and Boom proposes to lampoon self-help groups and commericialism, and everything else. Starts tomorrow, at noon, and from then on out, we rehearse 5 hours a day, 5 days a week, on the new show, and put in 5 hours a night in the current show (performing).

On Wednesday, I’ve got a part in a dutch movie. More on that when I know what the shot is. I’m playing an MTV Vj.

Toodle-Pip

Oh, and by the way, Fub — your FLCL shirt is ordered and on its way.