Photobucket

Photobucket

We Can't Reach You, Hartford
An investigative history of the Hartford Circus Fire of July 6th, 1944. Nominated for a Fringe First at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Daguerreotype
In the twilight of his life, famed photographer Matthew Brady must choose between the life he has built and the legacy he wants to leave behind.
Tone Clusters
Renowned prose author Joyce Carol Oates explores honesty, perspective, and denial through one couple's harrowing attempt to save the person they love
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Yankee Go Home
I'm not particularly good at introductions.

My name is Edward, and I'm a resident actor with the Story Project. I've been with the company since February of '06, when we started preliminary work on the story of the Hartford circus fire. I spent over a year with the project, most of the time as the inimitable P.T. Barnum (although I also spent a relatively brief but wonderful stint as sad clown Emmett Kelly, as you can see here). At the moment I'm rehearsing for playing the man himself, Mr. Mathew B. Brady. In addition, I'm a member of Lunchbox sketch comedy, the sugary, flaky cheese danish to Daguerreotype's slightly bitter but ultimately delicious and fulfilling turnip dish.

Aside from that I'm not entirely sure what to say. Ironic that one so hesitant to throw himself into the public eye should be, of all people, an actor, but there it is. The key difference, I think, is that when you - yes, my friend, you - come to view me in performance, we both understand the other's purpose clearly. The audience has made a choice in attending, and in doing so has given itself over entirely to the actors and their purpose. Logically there is little difference between this act and the act of reading a blog, but nevertheless it is clearly not the same. I think that the distinction lies in the fact that there is something potent and sacred about the relationship between actor and audience, a reciprocation that simply eludes the internet in most of its manifestations (perhaps a brief thesis on video-chatting later; perhaps not). A mutual relinquishing of inhibitions and preconceptions wherein each party implores the other, "Please, change me. I must not leave here as I entered." And both are changed. Ideally, at least. The fact that it sometimes fails, however, makes its successes that much more thrilling.

Well! Enough of that, for the moment. I certainly hope that anyone reading this will manage to make it out to the play, because it's going to be one hell of a good time.

And no, the title of my post has nothing to do with the body of it, although upon further consideration it can apply at least tangentially to Mr. Brady. Bereft of inspiration I simply named it after what happened to be playing on my iTunes at that moment. Name the band and you will win, I suppose, a prize?
posted by Edward @ 11:44 AM  
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