i kind of freaked out this morning while on the muni when i realized i didn’t post anything yesterday while at my temp job. i had the blog open and ready because by 1pm, i finished all the assignments given to me. when i mentioned that i was done, my supervisor then gave me another project that took up the rest of the afternoon. unlike my other temp gig, days go by so much quicker when i have projects to work on!
then i had to run out and meet MGS for dinner before we headed off to ashby to see beardo, a pretty amazing new musical by the shotgun players. shotgun has produced consistently great theater. their branding is really strong — you think shotgun and automatically the words “cool” and “edgy” come to mind, which is how this show was. it was a musical retelling of rasputin’s life. i always get rasputin confused with nostradamus though that’s understandable since they were both kinda freaky deaky mystics. the music was great – really catchy, rock, spoken word, doo wop, everything mixed into one. and the cast was spot on — not a weak moment or member in the group.
the same can be said about songs of the dragon flying to heaven, the new production co-produced by aatc and crowded fire. i really encourage folks to see it, especially my asian american friends. the playwright is no joke: she whips out every stereotype possible and kills it with sharp, piercing words and imagery. i was cringing and laughing throughout the whole play because the material is just so unfiltered, honest, and smart. it’s like she expresses everything that i’ve thought about in terms of race and media and relationships and religion and power dynamics — all rolled into one. there were times when the play bordered on commentary, but it was almost necessary considering the audience that might be watching it. she really got me thinking about who and why and what theater is for and who i am as an asian american actor/writer. i’m still trying to process everything that this play touched upon and really hope you guys catch it so we can talk about it!!!
thank god it’s friday friday friday. oh my god. i woke up close to 7am, had a bowl of cereal, and waited at the bus stop! i am rebecca black. i hate that i think about her EVERY FRIDAY NOW. when will this madness end?
seriously, the companies i’ve been temping for are getting me for a great discounted rate. i’ve been doing layout work for this one and it’s like, uhh, people charge 3x as much for these services. oy!
Will Dao 