Today in Mystory (how incredibly clever)

I do this thing several times throughout the year, where I sit and just think of what I was doing, where I was, who I was with, a year ago today, on whatever day that it is.

Well: I’ve been doing that a lot recently, because I kept meaning to write it down, and I just never did.  So, here it is, without further adieu.

WHERE I WAS A YEAR AGO TODAY:

I had just gotten back from U/RTA in New York City with my Mom.  I auditioned and got two interviews, UC-Irvine and Roosevelt.  We saw two shows: November and Spamalot, which was great.  When I got back, I awaited the U/RTA results to see what I might be doing with my life in the next chapter.
This whole time, I’ve also been directing Oleanna at Samford for my senior Capstone project.  It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I miss it all the time.  I couldn’t have asked for a better cast or crew.  The show would have opened in a few days, putting us right smack-dab in the middle of tech-week.
I had also just recently gotten engaged and was in the middle of wedding planning.  We had finally decided on July 19th, 2008, by this time, I think, but if not, then thereabouts.
This whole time, I was still living in Birmingham, at home with my family, going to Samford, having an awesome senior year.

FIN

Generally speaking, that’s the what, who, and where of my life about a year ago today.  I realize it’s very prosaic and factual, but that’s kind of how this “today a year ago” thing goes: you just state the facts of your life a year ago to the day.
I kind of wish I could go back and watch myself doing all of this.  The moments spent just chilin’ in the green room at Harrison or the food court up in the University Center.  All of these things are great memories.
OK.  That’s enough wistful writing for now.  Nostalgia is something I have a tendency towards, so I just have to stop myself or I’ll keep on going.  Not even joking.
But now that I’ve done that, I feel much better.  And really, the point of doing that is more so that I can see my past in light of the present, with some perspective on what the future holds, in the sense that I don’t know, but that it can be very exciting, too.  We’ll see!  Thanks for reading.  Hopefully I can post a short play soon for you to read and critique.  Maybe.  Cross your fingers.
Talk soon,
Neal
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I like the term "withdrew" better than "dropout"

I snuck it into my post before the last post (the one with the Frogger picture at the top), but I didn’t get a lot of comments, and no one really said anything to me on facebook or text or anything else that might be electronic communication.  So I’ll put it in again here, in only slightly more (but not really) detail.  I’d like to call everyone that I want to tell, but that would take an obscene amount of time, so I just won’t do it.  If you wanna know, you can try to read it here.  Unless it’s super-duper-boring.  In that case, read this instead of taking Valerian Root or tryptophan before bed as a soporiphic.  Otherwise, read on, warned reader.  Read on.

Punchline: I dropped out of grad school.  Withdrew sounds so much better, doesn’t it?  Listen to it here: I withdrew from graduate school.  Yeah, sounds so much nicer.

The story: I had been thinking about it for a long while now.  The idea that I might not need to be in grad school seemed to be a very persistent one, and one not without proper foundation.  (Not without sounded better than with.  Back to the story.)  After discussing the options with family and friends, it became abundantly clear that the best thing for me right now is to not be (split-infinitive: deal wid it) in grad school, but out and about, auditioning, taking classes a few times a week, and pursuing both theatre and film in a way that exists outside educational walls.

This doesn’t mean I think grad school is a bad thing.  Not at all.  It’s just not for me right now, where I am and what I want to do.  Plain and simple.  Don’t read into it; I’m okay; it’s that I want/need/desire other things besides formal schooling education right now.

As Mark Twain said though, “I never let my schooling interfere with my education.”  And now that I am not in school for the first time in my entire life, I will not let not being in school interfere with my continued learning and education. (How many nots was that?)

My plan is to pursue acting in any arena that is available while taking some classes of my choosing along the way.  So far, I have auditioned for a show in town called The Real Thing  (in case you didn’t read my Frogger post).  I got a callback, so we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

I also plan to get a part-time job, but this economy sucks poop, which makes finding a job harder than a lesbian couple adopting foreign twins.  I have an interview/registration process to go through next week at a local temp agency that helps actors find work to support their addiction.  Hopefully, they can get me a job for a little while anyway.  If not, I know it will pan out.

So that’s some of my life right now.  If you want to keep up with my acting journey, you can click on WHATS NEW on my site: nealtucker.net.  I’ll keep what shows I’m in actively updated on that link.  I’ll also do it on here, too.  Even so, check out my site if you get a chance and leave me a comment at my email or on here or facebook or something.  I think I’m connected to like 50 online communication tools, so you have no excuse.

I was going to write “I love you all” as my closing, but I have no idea who reads this, and to the 53 year old man who acts like he’s 14 on MySpace, I don’t love you.  And I won’t come to your house for beer, either.  For one thing, I don’t drink beer.  For another, you’re a perv.

Talk soon,
Neal

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Fin, or 5/6

I am done with my first semester of MFA Acting Grad School at the Theatre Conservatory at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.  Wow.  That took entirely too long to type out.  I am pumped that I have a semester under my belt.  Only 5/6 to go.  *sigh*

Today, I wanted to sleep in.  Did I?  Nope.  Had to get up at 10am to let in the Cable Guy to fix our awesome new DVR cable box that doesn’t work.  I mean now it does, but it didn’t this morning.  Now, you may not think that 10am is early.  But I went to bed at like 4.  So. Yeah. I’m still tired.

In other news, I will be home in the Ham December 27.  I’ll be home for several weeks after that, too, ’til I leave near the 15th-17th-ish.

And in still yet other interesting news, it’s -6* in Chicago right now.

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