Interesting times.  When you put yourself out there, people feel free to tell you what they think.  This is not always very comfy, because often they differ.  Often they agree though and I just had a very comfy (Liberals!  Fuck yeah!) conversation with Gersh, who found me on Facebook after 15 years of living in the same city, knowing the same people and never seeing each.other.  (Ah, Los Angeles.  You know that person you run into once a month?  You might not see him again for 15 years. ) Gersh explained the whole bail-out thing to me from the guy-who-always-was-thinking-about-$-when-the-rest-of-us-were-failing-forward perspective and I kind of get it, but I have many suspicions.  Sis Nanc sent me a forward (one of the rare ones that she and I agree on) that said giving every American a million bucks would be cheaper than this bail-out.  I think that would be much more fun.

So Rebecca sends out an e-mail to her peeps promoting Joe’s Garage (see it) and Eenie Meanie (love her) and at the bottom of her e-mail, she adds this commentary, which is so nail on the fucking head, I’m just walking away.

That’s Becca in the middle. Flanked L to R by Donna, Stephanie Terronez, (Becca) Amanda Weier & Michele Lema.   We theatre folk sure do like to dress up and take pictures of ourselves.  Anyway, her e-mail begins below.

AND ON THAT NOTE:  I realize I’m preaching to the choir with, well,
all of you, but if you are registered to vote in California, please
remember to vote down the hatemongers’ Proposition 8 when you go to
the voting booths this November to support the candidate of your
choice (obama), whomever that may be (obama), as it is your right as a
citizen to do (obama).  We do NOT need sanctioned hatred and
discrimination against our gay brothers and sisters in our state laws!
A few things to think about:

If you’re Christian:

Luke: 37: Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye
shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven.

Proverbs 23:7: For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.

Matthew 22:36-38: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

For the Tribe members:

LEVITICUS 24:19 And if a man cause a blemish in his neighbour; as he
hath done, so shall it be done to him.

LEVITICUS 19:18 Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the
children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself:
I am the Lord.

And for you gorgeous godless heathens:

No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the
privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall
any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without
due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the
equal protection of the laws.  –U.S. Constitution, 14th Amendment

If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an
equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no
other. –Carl Schurz

(…who also said, “My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept
right; and if wrong, to be set right.”)

Anger and intolerance are the enemies of correct understanding.–
Mohandas Gandhi

LOVE TO YOU ALL!  Please forward this as you see fit!

Rebecca

big day…

putting out that e-mail today was big.  I have a big list and got flack about the roach thing almost immediately.  I guess there’s more subtle ways to do things, but that’s just not how I roll.  And sometimes I pay for that.  The positive responses were sparse so I kind of had that sinking feeling…like in high school when I said something snarky about someone and suspected it got back to them.   Just wanted to hide in my locker.

Then tonight I discovered a string of e-mails that I had missed this morning.  There were about 7 of them - all encouraging, all  not getting how someone could not get the roach thing, and one glorious one from Manon Banta volunteering to produce the event.  Manon = Manna!  As well, Jim Stevens who did my gorgeous Eenie graphic from which Tracy Berna built this site offered to rework the graphic for the event for free.  And my great friend Tracy is nipping and tucking the site and e-mail stuff.

It is really tiring sometimes to stick your neck out, but this day paid off.  I feel like Eenie’s gonna touch some new hearts and raise some money for Change.

here’s some fun campaign stuff from Patricia Bankins…lol material.

Seriously, if that was what I meant, I would have capitalized “roaches.”

Sent out an e-mail today (which you probably got or you wouldn’t be here) announcing my Eenie for Obama performances.  And, yes, I got a little fancy with the rhetoric.  I’ve been keeping my mouth shut for so long about this election that I guess I got a little carried away.  You should see the stuff I edited out.  You probably will at some point.  Blogworthy stuff, but not for broadcasting to the e-mail list. Well, seems I missed one.

At the end of the e-mail I put my fancy tag on.  “Get off the couch.  Be the change, ya’ll.  It’s not us or the Republicans.  It’s us or the roaches.”

Tell me you know what I mean by that…please?  Really.  Is it that obscure a reference or am I just that suspicious of a liberal?

Firstly, I was born of Republicans.  I ≠ roach-spawn,

I really do respect the classic Republican ideology.  My father was a great man. He raised 5 kids, 4 of whom adopted his political leanings. We stay away from politics in my family because we want to enjoy our time together, but I respect my family’s choice in party.  It reflects their values and how they see the world.  We have different influences and different values.  If they had mine, they’d vote like me.  If I had theirs, I’d vote like them.

But this election is bigger than that.  It’s not just about whose guy wins.  And I haven’t anointed Obama. I love a good speech as much as anyone, but all the reservations I had before I still have.  I still think Hillary is the better candidate, but that’s irrelevant now.  And the stakes are too high to stay home or spite-vote.

As far as McCain is concerned, there was a time I might’ve voted for him.  Definitely would have chosen 2004 McCain over Kerry and maybe even the Gore of 2000.  But, McCain has clearly morphed, as our leaders often do under pressure. McCain = McBush.  The trajectory of the current disastrous administration will most likely be continued if the Republican ticket prevails. The tenuous position of the economy, the environment and foreign affairs put us at a tipping point.  This election is for all the marbles in the most elemental sense.  I swear I’m not trying to be dramatic when I say that I truly believe a McBush victory could be the beginning of the end of us.  Science has been warning us for decades that our actions will end us if we don’t reverse course.  McBush will not reverse course.

So, yes, I really am saying McBush = wiping out of the human race.  And while that does sound alarmist, to me it’s just math.  And a shame.  But the earth will be fine once we’re gone.

And the roaches will endure.

So yes, not much of a blogger here, but off we go again with Eenie Meanie.  I watched a tape of the OFTC production the day after Obama’s acceptance speech and got choked up.  The show holds a new relevance now and I’m so grateful to be able to present it during the campaign for this amazing candidate.  It hit me that I’ll have to write a new ending…so you’ll need to come out for that.

The shows at the Open Fist were originally meant to be just invited dress, just a warm-up to the big gig in Escondido.  Then I realized what an opportunity it is to increase diversity awareness and raise money for the campaign.  The problem is, still just the one woman here with the one woman show.  So if anyone out there wants to help me organize/produce these shows (on October 6 & 7!) and get the word out for Eenie for Obama, please e-mail or call me.  PLEASE!  teresa@eeniemeanie.com & 818.631.6743.  Thanks!

It’s a long travel day. I left Jan’s place around noon and drug my luggage a mere block and a half to the bus to Newark airport. Painless. Now it’s around 3 and my flight doesn’t leave for an hour. I don’t get into Louisville till 10 pm and I just realized there’s no time change. It really will be 10 hours of travel by the time I get there. But it leaves me lots of time to reflect and assimilate this experience.

It was so…significant. One of those times that you know you’ll look back on as a line drawn down the middle of your life after which you - and the way you view the world, your work, your family, your self, your existence - will be forever changed. I don’t quite know how - ask me in a year. But I’m not the same me I was when I started.

I’m so grateful for the relationships this trip engendered. Cincinnati, as a festival, was really more fun. It was more cohesive and you felt like you were in the middle of something. The people I met there will be glad to see me if I show up again. But it really was summer camp kind of relationships there. The New York festival vibe was more dispersed and I often felt like I was lurking on the perifory of the scene, not knowing how to jump in a be a visible part of it. But the friends I did meet feel more permanent. Caitlin, the Lauras and Mark, my publicist feel like they will be in my life from here on out.

Now it’s off to Louisville to care for my Mamma who has been diagnosed with lung cancer. A whole new chapter. Thanks for reading along, ya’ll. I’ll do one more entry with random pix, but this is the end of the NY Fringe stuff.

OK - we’re boarding!

Probably my last late night balcony report. The show went quite well today. Audience was good and I had a fun, quirky performance. I got so excited when I saw Deniece at the skating rink that I actually took a little tumble. Also knocked Daddy over early on. But, those were just little blips – everything went really well and the audience was with me every step of the way.

After I took my stellar crew out for a burrito. It was fun to unwind with these people who were mere strangers a couple of weeks ago, but ended up holding me in the palm of their hands. I love theatre people. I love professionals that can just take a show and run it like it’s their own. I feel good that I chose wisely and lucky that my instincts about Gregory, Kwame and Caitlin were on the nose.

Today I said goodbye to Patty and Jeff. They leave town in the morning. It was so good to spend quality time with Patty. We’ve been through so much together, but haven’t really had any casual hang time for years. She’s like a sister to me.

Ditto for Jan on all counts. She left town today, too (if you live in Manhattan and it’s August, you leave any chance you get.) I may not have many people left here from my 80’s life, but the two I got are about as good as it gets,

Saw a modern adaptation of Trojan Women by an Irish Theatre company. It was quite good but I was quite tired. It was hard for me to keep up with even a well executed updated classic.

Caitlin and I met up with Laura Poe and her man Dan after that. Laura’s show, Mothers of Invention ended tonight as well. We all walked over to the East Village to some Russian Deli for perogis. I’m now suffering some late night indigestion. Surprising it hasn’t occurred more often.

As we walked east tonight I found myself drinking in the city. Laura was apologizing for taking us so far (she could only think of one place that was open…it’s just so funny to me…so many places are open in Manhattan) Anyway, I know my time here is coming to an end and I’m just reveling in this place and time. I’m so thrilled for this opportunity.

My blog absence has been noted by several of you and I must plead spotty internet. My balcony and Mr. Default have been unreliable as late and Starbucks closes at midnight. I don’t get whistful and reflective till after that.

Now I sit in Starbucks and have been here for two hours catching up on e-mails and doing promotional stuff - reminding New York people that there’s only one more show…that sort of thing. After two hours I still haven’t gotten to the blog and I’m feeling antsy. I need to get out there. New York is slipping through my fingers.
My good friend Mareli hates the whole blogging thing. Says people spend all their time writing about where they are instead of being there. Guess I’ve been spending the past few days being here. I’ve seen some great shows. Talked to some fascinating people. Seen some really cool things.

I’ve been vascillating about going to the WTC site - Ground Zero. I could perhaps use a good cry and that will be assured there. But Laura Park went and saw a family of tourists standing before the gaping hole smiling for the camera. Smiling for the camera. She’s sobbing and they’re saying “cheese.” That’s like propping up Grandpa in his casket to get one last shot… Thats like the kind of oblivious that has other cultures hate us enough to create big holes in the ground to pose in front of.

Caitlin says to go at night to avoid that stuff. It’s lit. It’s reverent. I think tonight’s the night.

I’m on the balcony – Jan is sleeping.  It’s almost one.  My shows went well this weekend, but audience was down.  I did have an off performance on Saturday night – I think that review was stuck in my craw.  Plus, I spent the afternoon resizing all my images to fit the new projector because our fancy venue one crapped out on us.  So instead of my usual mind-numbing nothing prep, I had my head in the computer, stressing I was leaving something out (which I did!)  Also, and this sounds silly, but I didn’t take my vitamins.

Anyway, today made up for all that, as I was realigned.  Which was great because Lois and Peter Heymann were in the audience.  I met Lois and Peter Heymann in Edinburgh when they picked my show out of 1800 choices.  They were the only two people who picked my show that day.  They got a private performance.  And I gave it right to them.  At the end, they gave me a standing ovation.  I felt like we had all been on this journey together.  We kept in touch all this time and they showed up today.  So glad they saw this particular performance.  I was really on.

After the show, Peter, Lois, Caitlin and I went to a café and hung out for a while.  We had great conversation and a fun afternoon.  Nearly every day I’m spending time with people I didn’t know prior to this trip and having a wonderful time.  This is my new New York and I love it.

So one more NYC performance. I really want lots of people on Thursday.    If you are out there reading this and you haven’t been to see the show, I hope you can make it on Thursday.  If you know someone that’s here, please send them the Backstage NY review and recommend the show to them.  Thanks to all of you who have sent people.

Saw my Fringe buddy Laura’s show today at 5:15 - she’s so good! REALLY love her work. What a relief, right? Wouldn’t it suck to hang out with this person then get there and not get their work? Her show, Park-n-Ride is a narrative of her road trip from Wisconsin to LA. She does lots of different characters brilliantly and cracked me up. She has great physicality with all of it. If you are here, go see her at the Flea Theater on White Street.

I’m at Patty’s tonight on 49th between 9th and 10th. If the place looks familiar at all it’s because this is where I lived in the 80’s - yes, the four-room railroad that Bruce got in 1978 that’s lease daisy-chained to life-long friend Patty Murray. It’s a great place and I will always feel at home here. People often refer to friends as family, but Patty really truly fits that catagory. So this apartment has been in the family since 1978. (There is more where this came from … )

[This post will embrace the verbal tenant I often employ of using the word “gestalt” as much as possible and following it up with “if you will.” Also entertaining is the combination of “milieu” and “so to speak”, but they are of course, not interchangeable.]

So I didn’t end up going to the party that night – it was late and I am old and sober, so I took the train home with Laura Poe, mother of “Mothers of Invention,” an outstanding one-woman show also showing at my venue. She plays several different characters brilliantly, many of which actually happen on video while she’s offstage changing. It’s about genetically modified foods. Yeah, and it’s hilarious. Anyway, we connected over the whole one-person show gestalt, (if you will,) and she lives in Hell’s Kitchen, so it was a pretty natural connection. Here is Laura Poe mere moments after purloining a South Beach Diet Bar from a well-stocked, yet unattended Craft Service table we passed in the Village on the way to the train.
Yesterday I saw “I Couda Been a Kennedy.” It’s a real, two-act play (There is more where this came from … )