Our current college production began tonight. It again brings out the worst in some of our audiences. Here are a few tips for people attending a performance.
1. Please arrive on time. Also, I would like you notice that the main doors to the theater are not revolving ones.
2. Cell phone use is not acceptable. Just because it doesn't ring, doesn't mean you being lit up like a Christmas tree isn't distracting. Also, if you don't check your messages you will not get whatever devastating news involves you leaving in tears over what is inevitably not important for you to live your life.
3. If you are a teacher/professor: Do not tell students to go to a show if you know they will leave 30 minutes into the show. At least have them stay in their seat until intermission. Letting them leave at the end of your class period is not teaching them "appreciation."
4. If you are a student with a teacher/professor who doesn't tell you about #3: STAY IN YOUR DAMN SEAT!!!!
5. If you are an interpreter: Do not show up two minutes before the house opens and request a script, two chairs, and a light. This information is better given to the staff prior to your arrival. Let's say at least a day or two before would be great!!
I know these things are rude to mention because you, and your desires, are far more important than anything else in the world, but the actors, technicians, designers, directors, etc., feel differently. Be considerate of others, and more importantly the people who have worked for weeks to put on a good show, because you annoy us to no end.
If you can't follow these rules, and any other common sense that applies, then stay home! I don't want you there. I would rather you do whatever it is you do somewhere else.
Note: Yes, all these things happened in one evening, but they are not uncommon occurrences.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Monday, October 4, 2010
I'm Back!
Unfortunately, I had some trouble signing in for a while. I tried to get my account back online and failed many times. I have finally succeeded!!
I will try and post more religiously now that I took my hiatus.
I am currently working on the MVCC Theater Program musical 'The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd.' The light plot has come along nicely, and as we approach opening night, I feel confident it will look great. The set is basic, but very useful, and lends itself to some great looks. Here's to a good show!!
I hope you will all come see it October 14-16, 2010 at 8pm.
I will try and post more religiously now that I took my hiatus.
I am currently working on the MVCC Theater Program musical 'The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd.' The light plot has come along nicely, and as we approach opening night, I feel confident it will look great. The set is basic, but very useful, and lends itself to some great looks. Here's to a good show!!
I hope you will all come see it October 14-16, 2010 at 8pm.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Taxes
I recently got back from my long vacation. It was great. I was able to relax and spend some quality time with the family. I did not do any work while on vacation for the first time in years! I decided to get a book I had wanted to read instead. I read through Glenn Beck's 'Common Sense' pretty quickly and went out and picked up Neil Boortz's 'Somebody Has to Say It.' I really enjoyed both books. When I returned I bought Neil Boortz's two other books about the Fair Tax. I have read the first, but I am only part way through the second (well, work is picking up again). I have become a supporter of the Fair Tax. From what I have read (and researched...I don't tend to believe only one side), it could prove to put the buying power back into the hands of the people.
While I suggest you do your own research on the subject before you make up your own mind, I hope to get you at least interested enough to do just that.
The Fair Tax is a consumption tax (not a sales tax). It would be a 23% tax on all goods and services which would be paid by everyone (including the government). 23%?!?! Are you kidding me? That would kill us, you say? Well, before this would happen they would do away with all other FEDERAL taxes. No more IRS, no more April 15th tax filings, no more capitol gains taxes, no more death tax, no more retirement account taxes, etc. This would not, however, affect state taxes unless they took it upon themselves to change it. Just imagine for a second if you received the money in your check the federal government takes from your check every pay period? "But," you say, "what about Social Security and Medicare? Those are a huge part of my paycheck too." That's the beauty of this plan. No more Social Security or Medicare taxes either!
The 23% was determined by economists to cover all federal taxes coming in, including Social Security and Medicare. The taxes only count on new purchases, so a new car...taxed. A used car...not taxed. Each item is only to be taxed once. Also, the tax is only levied at the retail level. This means businesses will not be adding additional costs into their product; we will only see the final 23% added onto our price. Our tax structure is out of date, if it was ever in date, and needs reform. Why not take the power out of the hands of lobbyists and put it back with whom it rightfully belongs, the American people.
The larger paycheck allows us the opportunity to save more for the future and put the capitalist ideal back in play. How would we create competition again? Right now off shore banks are a tax haven for businesses that are trying to stay competitive with world markets. Our current tax structure doesn't allow them to lower their prices enough to beat the prices of overseas businesses. An example from Mr. Boortz's book revolves around car sales. A Mercedes can sell for less than a Cadillac in the US because our tax structure doesn't effect the German car company as heavily as in does General Motors. The Fair Tax would make the US a tax haven, rather than the off shore banks being that tax shelter. Businesses would flock back to the US. Not only that, but to compete here, businesses from other countries would have to set up shop here as well. Boy, that sounds like a lot of job creation! And, as we all know from the law of supply and demand, as the number of people working rises, so will pay. As we find more money in our pockets, sales go up, the economy grows exponentially, and we become the most power nation financially once again.
The creators of the Fair Tax don't want this tax to cripple anyone, so they also proposed a "prebate." It would be a predermined, based on income, beginning of the year payemnt to help offset the cost of "basic necessities." A check would be cut for every head of household based on income and occupants in the home. It would also be based on the poverty line and help families buy the goods required for basic living. Otherwise, you are free to spend and save your money as you please! Sounds good to me! I think I know how my money should be spent, and I'm damn sure I know better than soemone who has never met me or my family.
This across the board tax is not without problems. The legislative branch would still have the ability to raise the percentage rate, but that only means we have to stay vigilant when it comes to our elected officials (which might not be such a bad thing). Spending would also still be an issue. As I mentioned before, the 23% would only equal the current amount coming in. Spending is still out of control, so that would still need to be addressed, but one problem at a time.
This is not everything by a long shot, but I hope this has peaked your interest enough so that you will research it yourself. If you like what what see, please contact your congressmen and senators and urge them to support the Fair Tax. You can read 'The Fair Tax' or go to www.fairtax.org and get what you need.
Take action! As the baby boomers retire government programs will start to fail. As more and more businesses leave, fewer and fewer individuals will be left holding a bill that will crush us all. If you don't agree with the Fair Tax, then find something else to hang you hat on. Just do something before it's too late.
While I suggest you do your own research on the subject before you make up your own mind, I hope to get you at least interested enough to do just that.
The Fair Tax is a consumption tax (not a sales tax). It would be a 23% tax on all goods and services which would be paid by everyone (including the government). 23%?!?! Are you kidding me? That would kill us, you say? Well, before this would happen they would do away with all other FEDERAL taxes. No more IRS, no more April 15th tax filings, no more capitol gains taxes, no more death tax, no more retirement account taxes, etc. This would not, however, affect state taxes unless they took it upon themselves to change it. Just imagine for a second if you received the money in your check the federal government takes from your check every pay period? "But," you say, "what about Social Security and Medicare? Those are a huge part of my paycheck too." That's the beauty of this plan. No more Social Security or Medicare taxes either!
The 23% was determined by economists to cover all federal taxes coming in, including Social Security and Medicare. The taxes only count on new purchases, so a new car...taxed. A used car...not taxed. Each item is only to be taxed once. Also, the tax is only levied at the retail level. This means businesses will not be adding additional costs into their product; we will only see the final 23% added onto our price. Our tax structure is out of date, if it was ever in date, and needs reform. Why not take the power out of the hands of lobbyists and put it back with whom it rightfully belongs, the American people.
The larger paycheck allows us the opportunity to save more for the future and put the capitalist ideal back in play. How would we create competition again? Right now off shore banks are a tax haven for businesses that are trying to stay competitive with world markets. Our current tax structure doesn't allow them to lower their prices enough to beat the prices of overseas businesses. An example from Mr. Boortz's book revolves around car sales. A Mercedes can sell for less than a Cadillac in the US because our tax structure doesn't effect the German car company as heavily as in does General Motors. The Fair Tax would make the US a tax haven, rather than the off shore banks being that tax shelter. Businesses would flock back to the US. Not only that, but to compete here, businesses from other countries would have to set up shop here as well. Boy, that sounds like a lot of job creation! And, as we all know from the law of supply and demand, as the number of people working rises, so will pay. As we find more money in our pockets, sales go up, the economy grows exponentially, and we become the most power nation financially once again.
The creators of the Fair Tax don't want this tax to cripple anyone, so they also proposed a "prebate." It would be a predermined, based on income, beginning of the year payemnt to help offset the cost of "basic necessities." A check would be cut for every head of household based on income and occupants in the home. It would also be based on the poverty line and help families buy the goods required for basic living. Otherwise, you are free to spend and save your money as you please! Sounds good to me! I think I know how my money should be spent, and I'm damn sure I know better than soemone who has never met me or my family.
This across the board tax is not without problems. The legislative branch would still have the ability to raise the percentage rate, but that only means we have to stay vigilant when it comes to our elected officials (which might not be such a bad thing). Spending would also still be an issue. As I mentioned before, the 23% would only equal the current amount coming in. Spending is still out of control, so that would still need to be addressed, but one problem at a time.
This is not everything by a long shot, but I hope this has peaked your interest enough so that you will research it yourself. If you like what what see, please contact your congressmen and senators and urge them to support the Fair Tax. You can read 'The Fair Tax' or go to www.fairtax.org and get what you need.
Take action! As the baby boomers retire government programs will start to fail. As more and more businesses leave, fewer and fewer individuals will be left holding a bill that will crush us all. If you don't agree with the Fair Tax, then find something else to hang you hat on. Just do something before it's too late.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
We Would Be Fired For This!
The New York State Senators have done it again!! The Senate Democrats ducked in the back door of the chambers before a special session was to begin and locked themselves in the room. They did this before Republicans could also enter the room.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/nyregion/24albany.html
If I refused to come to work for two weeks and then locked my coworkers out of the theater, I would be fired. If you went to your place of business and refused to work with others, locked them out of their office, or just plain old refused to do your job, you would be fired. At the very least you would be docked pay, time, or benefits. The conduct of our representatives is atrocious. They were elected to do a job. We may not always agree with their results, but at least they can say they were doing what we "hired" them for. For the last two weeks they have not done their job. Now, after being forced to actually do something (God forbid!!!) a group of them pull a stunt like this?
I've heard many people call for the firing of politicians in the past. I've probably mentioned it myself. The difference revolves around the issue of why people call for their removal. I always hear about the ridiculous laws being considered or passed, but when constituents say, "That person isn't doing their job!" they mean that person isn't passing the laws they would like. But in the case of these recent actions I am willing to say, "These people are not doing their jobs!"
Is now the time that New Yorkers can stand up and say enough? When will it be enough? I'm sure the representatives will tell you that we can make our voices heard in the next election time. Oh wait, they are blaming the opposite party members for this mess and are trying to get us to elect more of their party to solve it. Right!!! That must me the problem!!! "It's not me, it's the other guy." Well, I can't wait for my next job review. All the good stuff was me, and all the bad stuff was other people. Raise please!!
I would be fired for these same tactics. My employer would not wait a year or two to take action. They would fire me immediately. I wish I knew if we could replace these employees. What's that? Employee? That's right, they work for us!! We elected them to complete a task. A majority of the residents of each district elected a man or woman their representative. They employed that person to represent their interests in the state senate. They are no longer fulfilling their obligations. I could start making outrageous claims like 'no taxation, without representation,' or trying to blame one party over another, but I only want one thing.
Go back to work or quit now. Frankly, I don't care which. Start working or move out of the way for someone who will. I'm so tired of this fighting between parties while you spit in our faces. Good luck at re-election time. You will need it!!
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/nyregion/24albany.html
If I refused to come to work for two weeks and then locked my coworkers out of the theater, I would be fired. If you went to your place of business and refused to work with others, locked them out of their office, or just plain old refused to do your job, you would be fired. At the very least you would be docked pay, time, or benefits. The conduct of our representatives is atrocious. They were elected to do a job. We may not always agree with their results, but at least they can say they were doing what we "hired" them for. For the last two weeks they have not done their job. Now, after being forced to actually do something (God forbid!!!) a group of them pull a stunt like this?
I've heard many people call for the firing of politicians in the past. I've probably mentioned it myself. The difference revolves around the issue of why people call for their removal. I always hear about the ridiculous laws being considered or passed, but when constituents say, "That person isn't doing their job!" they mean that person isn't passing the laws they would like. But in the case of these recent actions I am willing to say, "These people are not doing their jobs!"
Is now the time that New Yorkers can stand up and say enough? When will it be enough? I'm sure the representatives will tell you that we can make our voices heard in the next election time. Oh wait, they are blaming the opposite party members for this mess and are trying to get us to elect more of their party to solve it. Right!!! That must me the problem!!! "It's not me, it's the other guy." Well, I can't wait for my next job review. All the good stuff was me, and all the bad stuff was other people. Raise please!!
I would be fired for these same tactics. My employer would not wait a year or two to take action. They would fire me immediately. I wish I knew if we could replace these employees. What's that? Employee? That's right, they work for us!! We elected them to complete a task. A majority of the residents of each district elected a man or woman their representative. They employed that person to represent their interests in the state senate. They are no longer fulfilling their obligations. I could start making outrageous claims like 'no taxation, without representation,' or trying to blame one party over another, but I only want one thing.
Go back to work or quit now. Frankly, I don't care which. Start working or move out of the way for someone who will. I'm so tired of this fighting between parties while you spit in our faces. Good luck at re-election time. You will need it!!
Monday, June 8, 2009
The TONYs
I watched the TONY awards with my wife last night. I just wanted to get a few things down regarding the show.
First of all, Neil Patrick Harris did a great job as the host. There were a few good jokes that were delivered well. The end of the show song was great. It was well performed and the perfect end to the program. My wife thought a few jokes were harsh, but my sense of humor was greatly appreciative.
In my opinion, the addition of the touring companies performing was kind of a slap in the face. There is a lot of great theater happening in NYC and beyond, but they felt the need to promote old Broadway shows that will more than likely do fine in the towns they travel to. The commercial was unnecessary.
The "Creative" awards were given the shaft again this year, but I felt they did even more this year than usual. Every time someone comes back from a Broadway musical I get a quick synopsis of the show, a quick note on their opinion of the performance, and then I get a lengthy description of the special effects, costumes, makeup and scenery. So, why would we want to show our thanks to those that created the story and designed the effects?!?!?!
A few technical issues came up during the show. The sound department had a rough show. Mics were muted a few times, off stage mics picked up backstage and audience noise, there were some monitor troubles, and the prerecorded shows were not mixed very well. Bret Michaels also had a bit of a rude awakening. He was late on a cue, turned around and walked right into a piece of scenery that was flying in. It looked like he was trying to jump up onto a platform and his hat blocked his view from the wall coming down. It caught him right in the face and he went down.
I also noticed that the 'Frankie' from the NY production of "Jersey Boys" moved downstage early because the lights did not go with him when he moved.
As always the performances were good. The lighting was really well put together, and it was nice to see humble performers receive well deserved accolades. I just wish they would give the technicians and playwrights the attention they deserve.
First of all, Neil Patrick Harris did a great job as the host. There were a few good jokes that were delivered well. The end of the show song was great. It was well performed and the perfect end to the program. My wife thought a few jokes were harsh, but my sense of humor was greatly appreciative.
In my opinion, the addition of the touring companies performing was kind of a slap in the face. There is a lot of great theater happening in NYC and beyond, but they felt the need to promote old Broadway shows that will more than likely do fine in the towns they travel to. The commercial was unnecessary.
The "Creative" awards were given the shaft again this year, but I felt they did even more this year than usual. Every time someone comes back from a Broadway musical I get a quick synopsis of the show, a quick note on their opinion of the performance, and then I get a lengthy description of the special effects, costumes, makeup and scenery. So, why would we want to show our thanks to those that created the story and designed the effects?!?!?!
A few technical issues came up during the show. The sound department had a rough show. Mics were muted a few times, off stage mics picked up backstage and audience noise, there were some monitor troubles, and the prerecorded shows were not mixed very well. Bret Michaels also had a bit of a rude awakening. He was late on a cue, turned around and walked right into a piece of scenery that was flying in. It looked like he was trying to jump up onto a platform and his hat blocked his view from the wall coming down. It caught him right in the face and he went down.
I also noticed that the 'Frankie' from the NY production of "Jersey Boys" moved downstage early because the lights did not go with him when he moved.
As always the performances were good. The lighting was really well put together, and it was nice to see humble performers receive well deserved accolades. I just wish they would give the technicians and playwrights the attention they deserve.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Projector vs. Laptop
Not that I want this blog to turn into a theater only blog, but since I have a big part of my life take place in a theater, I guess it will take up a big part of my thoughts. I had a moment over the weekend that actually left me speechless and motionless. We had a group using the theater for speech and we came in to get everything set up. The speaker brought his own Mac Book to run the slide show and hooked into our projector. Everything was working fine, but he asked me to enlarge the image to fit the screen better.
"No problem!" I started to adjust the image....CRASH!!!....
My head snapped around to look at my colleague. The look of shock was apparently VERY funny. The threads let go and the projector came crashing down out of the ceiling mount. The other issue was that the laptop was sitting directly under the projector. It crushed the monitor on the laptop.
The presenter could not have been more understanding, which I can't tell you how much I appreciated. The discussion quickly changed to how we could still run the presentation and we started on time (with a new laptop and projector).
Not the way I wanted my Saturday to go.
"No problem!" I started to adjust the image....CRASH!!!....
My head snapped around to look at my colleague. The look of shock was apparently VERY funny. The threads let go and the projector came crashing down out of the ceiling mount. The other issue was that the laptop was sitting directly under the projector. It crushed the monitor on the laptop.
The presenter could not have been more understanding, which I can't tell you how much I appreciated. The discussion quickly changed to how we could still run the presentation and we started on time (with a new laptop and projector).
Not the way I wanted my Saturday to go.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Certification II
Wow, I must say I am really impressed. The designers in Texas really came through. Before the end of the day, the legislature got the message are planning to rewrite the bill to exclude temporary installers/designers. Nice!!
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