Go Team

Celie's Visit to Ashland...

2006-08-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

Go Celie!!!!

More photos soon!

2006-08-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

Hey there, All...

I'm spending a wonderful weekend with my brother, his daughter, and my parents. I'll post more photos of Switzerland once I get back home.

Go team!
Mike O.

Inside a Glacier

2006-08-10T05:12:00.000-07:00

Near the Matterhorn Observatory, they had built an ice sculpture exhibit inside the nearby glacier. Some shots from within....

The Matterhorn's Observatory

2006-08-09T06:28:00.000-07:00

Turned around to see a bundled up group headed back down. We decided we should put some warmer stuff on. We couldn't see the Matterhorn because of clouds, but we could see other stuff...
Like these two dashing hikers...

And some amazing views....

More tomorrow...Oh, yes...Oh, yes...

The Cable Car to the Base of the Matterhorn...

2006-08-08T04:59:00.000-07:00

After the gondola we switched to a cable car. We rode a ways and finally could see the last station... It's the little grayish square on the upper right peak below...

Looking off to the left on this last bit of the journey...

And then getting closer to that last station...And then looking back from whence we came...

The journey continues tomorrow!

Love,

Mike

The second half of that first hike...

2006-08-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

Mountain goat! And slate roofed Zermatt...

The Matterhorn from our hotel window and a corner of a barn from the hike down...

And the gondola ride up to the base of the Matterhorn... More tomorrow!

But before Switzerland: Andrew's flat & the opera...

2006-08-06T05:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning after RADA was over, I finished packing and took the tube to Andrew's flat. The first shot is of he and his girlfriend, Nikki, putting up with me in the kitchen. And then that afternoon we took a train to Glyndebourne (http://www.glyndebourne.com/). Once there, we set up our picnic spot and went to change into our formal wear. We returned to the picnic, devoured amazing food and went for a walk around the grounds. The estate house and opera house are pictured in the 3rd picture. The opera was Fidelio. It was excellent. A great afternoon and evening. And then the next day, Andrew and I got up early and traveled to Geneva and Zermatt, Switzerland.

More pictures on the morrow...
Hope all are well...
Mike

Back home! And shots from Switzerland: The first day...

2006-08-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

Hey friends...

I write to you from Abingdon, Virginia, USA. Wow. What a trip. I just woke up a couple hours ago from my first long night's sleep - of which I'll be taking many in the coming days. Andrew and I had an amazing week in Switzerland. I posted a few shots from the first day. Traveling from London to Geneva via plane, then taking a train to Zermatt and the base of the Matterhorn. As soon as we got there we checked into our hotel/lodge and went for a 4 hour hike. Probably the hardest one of the trip. But maybe also because it was the first one. About half way up we were wondering what we got ourselves into. But we took a break and then the rest of the way was easier. Or at least seemed so. I'll be putting more shots up over the coming days...maybe even weeks as I took a little under 500 shots on this trip. Oh, yeah. Go digital cameras with huge memory cards!

It's great to be back, but weird as well. On one hand it feels like I never left. On the other I feel like I've been gone for years.

Hope all are well...
Let me know how things are going...
Mike

The last day of RADA...

2006-07-29T00:22:00.000-07:00

Hey there...

Crazy day yesterday. Lots of emotions. Sad to leave. Proud of our final performance of Pericles and of the work of the summer. So sorry to leave new friends. But very excited to see my people back home again...

The first four shots are from a simple graduation ceremony where we all got certificates for finishing the course. The last shot was taken at a restaurant afterwards.

I'm madly packing and then headed to Andrew's flat to then head to the opera. And then tomorrow to Switzerland!

Have great days!
Mike O.

Penultimate Day

2006-07-27T22:57:00.000-07:00

Great day yesterday. We had the morning off and then started a warm up session around 1pm.

And then got into costumes to take some archival shots. Those not in shots stood behind the lighting designer (who was taking the proper photos) armed with our own digital cameras.

After the show, we went to the RADA bar and...you know...celebrated...

And then to dinner. The amazing Mayumi (3rd from right) took us to a Japanese restaurant and ordered for us. Indescribably good. Easily one of the best meals I've had in London. And a perfect ending to the day.

And today I'm off for my final walk to RADA. Katy sent me my tuxedo so I'll be able to properly attend an opera with my friend Andrew and his girlfriend tomorrow afternoon. I'll be dropping it off on the way to be pressed. Then breakfast with my peers, then we see the other half of the program's production of Richard II, then lunch, then we do our final Pericles. We'll be done by 4:30pm. Then celebration at the RADA bar.

Today's the last day...

"I am amazed and know not what to say."

Good days to all...

Mike

Opening Day of Pericles!

2006-07-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a huge day. We worked some scenes in the morning and then did a final dress/tech run. It went well. Then we took a quick lunch break, got some notes, and did the first show - which also went well. The audience seemed to really enjoy it. There was a talk-back afterwards followed by a note session by our director and then a bunch of us celebrated at a great dim sum restaurant near the school. We were such a large group that they gave us a private room the second floor (which is called the first floor here - our first floor is their ground floor). Some shots from the day...

The ship upon which Pericles sails...

O speckled floor of sea and sand...

The view from the ship looking in the opposite direction. The seating was orginially going to be 100% in the round, but then it became 3/4. There is a large section of seats farther in the lower right hand corner of where the above photo would continue. The seats were specially designed for the space: The front ones have extra small legs. The middle ones are normal. And the back row ones are like giant high chairs. And they can all be moved about the space as needed. Really cool. (Can you tell I like the chairs?)

A note session afterwards...

And dim sum after that. A well deserved/needed outting...

Good days to all...

Mike

First Pericles Performance today! (and Slovenian Mountains thrown in for luck...)

2006-07-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

I hope all are well. Today we have our first peformance of Pericles at 4pm England time. So if you read this anytime between 11am and 1pm EST in the states, send a good thought across the sea. Looking forward to it. We had a pretty victorious dress rehearsal last night, considering we've only just started rehearsing it, but thankfully we have another dress this morning.

(And below are some more shots from Slovenia. The mountains were really unique. Right at the edge of flat flat valleys would skyrocket up these steep mountains. Beautiful. Also there's a picture of Bob and Kay's car. 5 adults and their gear squeezed in...allowing for much laughter. And parachuting off the mountain tops is a common extreme sport in Slovenia. Every once in a while you'd look up and see someone having a go.)

Conversation at the Bus Stop

2006-07-24T22:57:00.000-07:00

I was waiting for a bus late one night last week in the West End. A group had formed all waiting for a bus as well. Two little boys (8 and 9ish) were standing in front of me. As their double decker pulled up they turned around and looked up to me. One of them spoke up:

Boy: "How tall are you?"
Me: "6 foot 5."
Boy: "Blimey."
Me: "Yeah. I'm pretty tall."
Boy: "Who do you support?"
Me: "Who do you support?"
Boy: "Who do you support?"
Me: "Who do you support?
Boy: "Who do you support?"
Me: "Who do you support?"
Boy: "I support Manchester."
Me: "So do I."
Boy: "Cheers. Thanks, Mate."

And they got on the bus. I was still chuckling out loud as it pulled away.

Sunday Evening with Pericles, Antony, and Cleopatra

2006-07-24T15:20:00.000-07:00

I studied lines all day Sunday, but then went to The Globe to see Antony and Cleopatra. I went with a friend from RADA and we studied our Pericles lines before the show and during intermission. So we had Shakespeare coming from every direction that evening.

The Millenium Bridge is a footbridge crossing the River Thames. It made for some great evening London views.

Pericles, Pulled Pork, and the Matterhorn

2006-07-23T01:42:00.000-07:00

My friend Mathew contemplates sailing to Tyre during rehearsal of Pericles. This photo was taken in the black box theatre in RADA where we'll be performing the play starting this Wednesday. Only three performances, but that will at least give it some time to grow. The audience will be seated on cushions on the floor all around the playing space. So it's pretty much in the round. I'm spending most of today (Sunday) going over lines and blocking for tomorrow's tech. Later this evening I've a groundling ticket for Antony and Cleopatra at The Globe. Trying to work hard to earn the time off this evening.

Last night my friend Andrew Denny and I shared a meal at Boudine's Southern BBQ in Soho. It was fantastic. Really a great meal. To be honest, I wasn't expecting such authentic southern American food in London. It was really great. They even had honky-tonk music on in the background. I felt so at home. Cause you know...I live in roadhouses. The book I'm holding is a Switzerland travel book. Andrew and I are planning a trip there from this Sunday to the following Thursday. Can't wait. After dinner we found a cafe and took a closer look at the book. We knew we were going to fly into Geneva, but then hadn't planned anything else. We stumbled onto a section of the book about the Matterhorn and said, "Mmmmm. Matterhorn." So we'll be headed there first. Here's a link to an encyclopedia site about the mountain: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matterhorn Gonna be fun! I think it's a safe bet that we'll probably stick to its foothills.

Off to shop for lederhosen!

Mike

Saturday morning...

2006-07-22T00:14:00.000-07:00

Hey there...

Hope all are well. It's Saturday morning and I'm just about ready to head down to RADA for rehearsal. I haven't been doing much else other than learning lines, so I'm continuing to post some photos from my previous trips. But tomorrow's my day off, so hopefully I get into something interesting I can share. Good days to all...

Slovenian Appetizers...

2006-07-20T22:35:00.000-07:00

On our way to dinner on the first day in Slovenia, Bob stopped off at a little village to give us a short walk around its square and church. Some views which ensued...

Ljubljana, Slovenia

2006-07-19T23:03:00.000-07:00

Some photos from my trip to Ljubljana, Slovenia's capital. I spent the day with Sue and Tom and Kay and later joined Bob for dinner in a pizzeria right across the border in Italy.

Hobbit Dressing Rooms

2006-07-18T23:11:00.000-07:00

The facilities at RADA are great. And the dressing rooms are no exception. But minding my head is something I find myself doing often.

Advice from Kenneth and the RADA Zoo

2006-07-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

There is a wall of black and white photographs in the RADA bar. One of them is of Kenneth Branagh in rehearsal when he was a student here. I thought I'd consult him on some tricky scansion.

Adrian from Mexico City shows us the RADA summer school student in his natural habitat: On a break from rehearsal, he plans his attack on the TKTS booth.

Blankets in the Grass

2006-07-16T23:27:00.000-07:00

Worked all day yesterday on lines, but did take a break to spend the late afternoon with some of my peers at Katya's flat and garden (only a fifteen minute walk away). Katya is one of our instructors at RADA. She teaches Alexander and Movement. We love her.

Steve from Spain relaxes in the wheelbarrow. Others chose blankets in the grass.

Oh, and one more...

2006-07-16T02:14:00.000-07:00

And you wonder where the loud American tourist stereotype came from.... I really have no idea.

More Venice shots...

2006-07-16T01:19:00.000-07:00

Hey there...

Our Pericles rehearsals are getting very intense so I'm going to be spending most of my days either at RADA or alone in some corner mumbling rhyming couplets. So more pictures of Venice and Slovenia will be appearing over the next couple days. I hope they are still of interest.

Mike

Photo catch-up...Venice

2006-07-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

I took a boat from Marco Polo Airport across the bay to Venice. Sentinels of wooden beams marked the way.

There is a huge main square in Venice. San Marco (I think. I have to look it up again. How embarrassing...). Every fifty yards or so around the square small stages were set up for live music. In the evenings, each of these venues held a different style of music. You wander in one direction and you wade into jazz, thirty seconds later you're moving through classical, then cuban, then into a different style of jazz. Such rich sounds bouncing off the walls of such old buildings. Here's one of these stages lit up from within.
And then a few more photos taken from the roof of the San Marco Cathedral.

Canopies and the Raising of Glasses...

2006-07-13T23:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning we performed our scenes, which went very well, and on the lunch break a few of us went for a walk to relax a little more before the monologue showing. We strolled around a small park near RADA and on the far end found this canopy sculpture. It was interesting in and of itself, but what was the most fun was just stumbling upon it.

And at the end of the day, much celebration was had by all in the RADA bar. Our classes are now over and this morning we start our rehearsals. All the students (28 of us) are divided into two groups each doing a different play: Richard II or Pericles. I'm in the Pericles group. We put the play up in about 10 days.

I'll be off to learn some lines now.

Have great days, friends...

Evensong

2006-07-12T23:48:00.000-07:00

You can't study all the time...

An Irishman's Birthday and The Paparazzi (sp?)

2006-07-11T23:15:00.000-07:00

Hey there...

The guy in the red and black striped shirt had his birthday yesterday. At the end of the day many of us went to a pub down the block from RADA to celebrate.

Also, there's a woman here for a four week Shakespeare course (which just started yesterday) who used to be on the OC. I don't recall her name. In any case, we were told to be prepared to encounter paparazzi and just to go along with business as usual. I guess in the morning there was indeed a flock of photographers and the like outside the school, but for the rest of the day, there was this guy on a motorcycle with all his camera cases parked outside apparently waiting for her exit. Crazy. I stood there for a long time, but he didn't take my picture. I was so hurt. :)

We have a run-through of our monologues and scenes today for a final showing tomorrow. Looking forward to it.

Hope everyone is doing well.
Good days to all!
Mike

Strawberries, Chocolate, and Happy Actors

2006-07-10T23:38:00.000-07:00

A great way to end lunch at Camden Market this weekend...

Bubble Swords in Camden Town

2006-07-09T11:58:00.000-07:00

Went to Camden Town Market for lunch today. Two women were outside of a toy store trying to sell some bubble swords (at least that's what I call them). So many people were stopping and pointing and taking photos, laughing, trying to break the huge bubbles floating above the heads of the crowds on their way to and from the market. But as you can see in the last photo, this particular bubble lady had a very different attitude regarding the whole situation.

A Trip to the National Theatre

2006-07-08T15:45:00.000-07:00

Hey there, friends...

I love encountering things during my day that I hadn't planned on. This afternoon I tubed down to the National Theatre to see The Overwhelming. Walking out of the Waterloo Underground Station, there was an elevated walkway that took you right down to the river. At the end of the walkway was Captain Jack Sparrow singing and playing guitar beneath the London Eye ferris wheel. Striking likeness, huh?

The Overwhelming is about the Rwandan genocide. Below is a poster for the show. Unfortunately, the poster was the best thing about the play. A couple of the actors were outstanding, but the play on the whole, wasn't wonderful. It tried to do too much, I think. But in the end, telling that particular story is something that should never stop. And I applaud them for it.

Just a section of a sculpture that was outside tube station and below the walkway.

Lot's of street performers along the river this afternoon. Painters, musicians, breakdancers, jugglers, puppet shows, even a dance party along the a beachy area of the river. Walked by Big Ben, Parliament, and West Minster Abbey as well. Full day. Looking forward to what'll happen tomorrow.

Poet's Day

2006-07-08T02:38:00.000-07:00

Hey, friends...

I walked into the lobby of one of the RADA buildings yesterday morning and I said hello to Jim, one of the handymen/receptionists. I said, "Hey, Jim. TGIF." And then I stopped and said, "Wait a minute, is that phrase even used in England?" And he said, "Oh, yes. Thank God It's Friday." And then he said, "Happy Poet's Day." I said, "Don't know that one." He leaned in a little. "Piss Off Early. Tomorrow's Saturday."

Happy Post Poet's Day!

Mike

Photo catch-up...the Slovenian Adriatic Coast

2006-07-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

Hey there, friends...

While in Slovenia, we took a day short trip one evening to a town on the Adriatic coast. I've already forgotten the name of the town. So sorry. But here are some shots from our walk around the city....

Icelandic Absurdists at the Barbican

2006-07-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Two days ago, a few of my peers and I went to see an Icelandic theatre company perform Woyzeck at the Vesturport Theatre in the Barbican Performance Complex. The complex was really interesting. It's like a preplanned community of luxury skyrise apartments and a mulitmillion dollar multi-theater performance art space all with a river/canal side park. It felt a little like upper-class planet of the apes when they go back to the future in one of the later sequels: Very clean and efficient and civilized, but not homey at all. In any case, the show was great...and incredibly weird. But imaginatively staged. Very brave. Bungy cords and swimming pools galore. Odd and therefore surprising and fun. And bleak - which is the nature of the piece, I suppose.

Man, I sound smart, don't I?

I haven't written much this week as I've been crazy busy. Will post more soon.

Take care,
Mike

An Evening's Canal Walk

2006-07-03T15:07:00.000-07:00

I got home from class today about 8:15pm and found it cooler outside my room than in. By 9:15 I decided to take a walk to cool down. Camden Town has a canal running through it with a brick footpath along its bank. I asked a few of my friends if they'd like to join me. They said yes and I set off with friends and camera in tow.

In the lower right hand side of the the photo above, you'll see a small section of water glowing green. The green comes from the neon lights under the bridge with the white rectangles. We went under several bridges, all of which had different neon lighting under their bellies. The photos below are the water's reflections of the belly of the bridge above.

The walk made for a great end to the day. Looking forward to more of them.

Oh, and I made a mistake about the priest's charity timeline in the previous posting. I had said that he was staying up on his roof for only 24 hours. It turns out he'll be up there a total of 10 days. There is a website describing the fundraiser. Thought you might enjoy it: www.anightonthetiles.org

Sleep well, friends...

Mike

A Newly Minted McKernan! (and a priest of a roof...)

2006-07-02T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hey there...

First of all, the McKernan clan has a new member. Everybody check him out at: http://www.raisedbyanteaters.blogspot.com/ Congrats, Mike and Tara!!!!

I really don't have anything as exciting to share with everyone as Baby Jose, but I did see a priest on a roof yesterday. One of my instructors had invited a few of us to tea Saturday afternoon and as I was walking to the Camden Town tube station to make the journey, I passed by some people collecting donations outside of a church. They said they were raising funds to reroof their church. They pointed up and there was their parish priest on the roof, in the middle of his 24 hour marathon roof-sit.

I gave them two pounds.

TGIF

2006-06-30T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody...

So it's Friday night. And I'm wiped. Wupped. Outta steam. Zonked. You get the idea. It's a been another long, but good, full week. Very much looking forward to not having to be anywhere tomorrow morning. I will use the morning to do some reading and writing and relaxing, but it's all on my own time. There's such freedom in that thought. Around 3pm the students in my scene study class will be making a short journey north to visit our scene studies teacher, Bridget (An incredible teacher. We're learning tons from her.), who was kind enough to invite us to her home for tea and scones. And get this, when she was explaing how to get to her place, she used Keats' home as a marker. Can you believe it? Keats' home. Perfect, huh? So I'm definitely looking forward to tomorrow.

I've found that spending time in someone's home while traveling adds such richness to the overall experience. You become someone other than a tourist for at least a little while. Even just a taste of this goes a long way. While driving about with Bob, Kay, and my aunt and uncle in Slovenia, we stopped by the home of one of their teaching friends for a moment just to pick something up. Their friend invited us in for some homemade wine. And how does one refuse the partaking of homemade Slovenian wine - and in the winemaker's kitchen, no less? That's right. One doesn't. It was a highlight of the trip.

Change of subject...

The picture to the right was taken a few days ago at the end of a lunch hour in the refractory on the top floor of one of the RADA buildings. We were all pretty punchy and therefore it felt like the perfect time to share The Amazing Disappearing Finger Trick that my grandfather taught me ages ago. In seconds, I had a few of my classmates trying it out. Diana (a Manhattanite) is helping out Samantha (a native), while Matthew (from Canada) overjoys in his newfound conversation piece.

Grandpa would have been proud.

Maybe I should let the U.N. in on the limitless barrier removal powers of The Amazing Disappearing Finger Trick. Who knows how many conflicts could be defused by such an experience.

You think I'm kidding...

Refreshing weekends to all,
Mike

The Woman in Black

2006-06-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

Hey there...

As I may have mentioned before, I've realized that my best forecast of evening free time for the rest of my stay in London is this weekend and all of the next week, then we get into some final projects including the mounting and performing of Pericles as a final of sorts. Half of the students in my program are doing Pericles and the other half Richard II. Long story short, I'm trying to see as much theatre as I can over the next week and a half incase I don't indeed have time later.

So tonight I saw The Woman in Black (www.thewomaninblack.com). I had read it a few years ago and had also seen the movie, but the play was better than both. It's a ghost story that starts out with a man coming to a theatre director with a manuscript of a story that the man needs to get off his chest. He wants the director to give him advice on how to speak publically. The director wants to take the story one step further: to fully act it out. After much painful prodding, the man agrees and they set about to do so.

Then things get creepy.

I've seen many scarey movies (although I don't really enjoy them that much), but never a truly scarey play. And it worked. At least on me, it did. And from what I gather, for most of the rest of the audience as well. I don't want to explain it too much for obvious reasons. So go see it if you can. Or read it. See the movie only at a last resort.

Not sure about what I'll check out tomorrow night. Right now it's between Whistle Down the Wind (Webber), Sunday in the Park with George (Sondheim), or the Tom Stoppard play I mentioned yesterday, Rock-N-Roll. The latter is sold out, so I'll be attempting to get returns or standing room if I go for that one. We shall see...

Any recommendations?

'Night, all!
Mike

Snapshot catch-up - Slovenia...

2006-06-29T15:41:00.000-07:00

There's a photo of a castle in Slovenia that I posted early on with my aunt and uncle and I smiling together in the foreground. I took the photos posted here inside that castle.

Kay (my friend who is living in Slovenia with her husband, Bob) and I were walking through one of the castle's many twisting hallways when we walked out onto a little balcony and heard the unmistakable roar of a small stampede of giggling children. There below us darting down some steps were these little kids undoubtedly coming from an art project with the education department of the castle, all sporting their homemade construction paper medieval crowns and battle gear. These photos don't do their utter cuteness justice...but you get the idea.

Dumbledore in a Beckett Play...

2006-06-28T15:30:00.000-07:00

Hey guys...

I saw Michael Gambon (Dumbledore in Harry Potter) in Samuel Beckett's Eh Joe tonight at the Duke of York Theater. It was great, but very different from the mainstream play - which one should expect, I suppose. It was only half an hour long and for the most part was just him sitting sideways on a bed (directly facing off stage left) listening to a voice in his head (a voice over) talk about suicide and various other topics. His face was filmed live and projected on a scrim between the stage and the audience so you could easily see his reactions to the voice over. Sounds very strange, but it was very effective. Thoroughly captivating.

Oh, and I saw a fox on the way to class this morning. In the middle of London! I must say that it did look a little lost.

But I probably did, too.

Wishing all good days tomorrow...
Mike

Derek Jacobi in A VOYAGE ROUND MY FATHER...

2006-06-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Hey, guys...

After class today, I went with one of my RADA peers to see Derek Jacobi in A Voyage Round My Father at the Donmar Warehouse Theater. It's a very intimate space. Three-fourths thrust stage. Only 6 or so rows on all three sides with one balcony with the same number of rows. The set was beautiful. Very simle. Dark hardwood flooring rolling at an angle upwards onto a scrim covering a brick wall 4 feet or so further upstage. At the floor between scrim and brick wall was a large slice of wildflowered garden. The costumes and other technical aspects were great. Derek Jacobi was amazing. Fully present. Free. Constantly surprising. The other actors were very good as well. But the play itself, the script, wasn't much to speak of. I liked it. It made me laugh, but it didn't generate much meaning. Not for me anyway. But watching Derek was worth the ticket price all in itself.

Also, the walk to the theater was beautiful. We walked directly from class only for about 10 minutes and there we were - right in the middle of the West End. The streets were endlessly interesting with the surrounding architecture (each building a distinguished scholar) and overlapping treetops. Cafes comforting pedestrians paused. Oddly angled streets sometimes redefining blocks as triangles. Finding your way makes your mind move differently.

I think I have time tomorrow night for another excursion. Some of my fellow students have found that they can get the best ticket prices by going directly to the theaters and showing their student IDs or getting return tickets or standing room tickets instead of going to TKTS in Leicester Square. At the moment, I'm thinking about the new Stoppard play, Rock-n-Roll. We shall see.... It's such a decadent gift to be able to just show up at any of your neighborhood theaters to see some great storytelling. I'm fully aware of how lucky I am. Very greateful.

Hope all is well in your worlds...

And since I'm using Katy's laptop while in England, I don't have access to my address book on my desktop back home. So even if you write a tiny message, please send me a quick email so I can put you in my address book. But if you want to write more, I'd love to read about what's happening with you all.

Off to review some lines and then to bed...

Mike

Sonnets and Pubs...

2006-06-26T23:39:00.000-07:00

Hey there...

It's Tuesday morning, about 7:30am, before I head off to class. It's a twenty five minute walk or a 20 to 40 minute bus or tube ride. So if the weather is good I usually walk. It's a great way to start the day.

Yesterday was an intense day. We had our sonnet presentation. Over the last three weeks, we attended a sonnet class where we each were given a sonnet to work on and each group (there were two of us) also had a group sonnet (there were 14 in each group). I thought it was a pretty victorious day for everyone. We performed them for each other and the staff. And then we performed the period dances we've been working on. Afterwards we got individual feedback from each of the instructors. Like I said, it went well. They are tricky, those sonnets. They ride the cusp of instense, complicated story-telling and generality.

The rest of the day was a long one. Lunch, then a very quiet, but thorough acting class where we were working on our scenes. Then a couple of us went to an organic grocer just around the corner from RADA (which I just found yesterday) and unwound a little over dinner and coffee and then I went on to a tutorial with one of the directors in the program. The tutorial was great. We didn't do any work on our feet, but talked about the problem of extraneous movement in our communications on the stage. It's easy to want to be super still, but then you can be detached from the rest of your body. You can go too far in either direction.

Took a bus ride home for part of the trip and walked the rest of the way. Did a little email and then felt a huge need to go out for a beer. Which I never do. And haven't done yet. So a few of us went to a pub about a 5 minute walk away from the dorms. It's called The Abbey. It was perfect. I had a Guiness. Then came home and talked with Katy for a while and then off to bed. Now I'm off to class again. I'm pretty dopy, but excited for the day.

Go for a walk, y'all...
Mike

Some photos from Venice (pre-RADA)...

2006-06-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

A Regent's Park Evening...

2006-06-25T15:29:00.000-07:00

Spent the early evening in Regent's Park with many of my fellow RADA students. The park is about a 15 minute walk from our Camden Town dorm. We walked through an incredible rose garden. (Katy had found it as well when she was here last week.) I've never been much into gardens, but this was really impressive. Lush. Thick, tall rows of fully blooming roses everywhere.

Parks are well used here. It's such a universal, timeless activity to relax in the green. It's as if our bodies are hardwired to appreciate it. And yet, how easily we forget to allow ourselves to do so.

Hope all your weekends were green!
Mike

Snaps from the last few days...

2006-06-25T02:50:00.000-07:00

I just got highspeed internet in my dorm room. And so I'll be trying to catch up with photos and the like from the last couple weeks. Hope you enjoy them...

The Triumphant Traveler Newly London Landed! (In front of a park right around the corner from RADA.)

The Rat Pack at the Savoy Theatre where my friend, Allie Laurie performed Sammy Davis, Jr. He and I hanging out afterwards.
Franked Mail...I've been noticing so many little phrases, both spoken and written, that sound so interesting to me. Frank Green, I thought you'd like this one. What do you suppose is Franked Mail? (maybe you shouldn't answer that one... :) )

And the last photo is a view out a window. I was taking a shot of the reversed 40 and the books in the background, but right as I was closing the shutter, a double-decker bus drove by. Couldn't have timed it better.

And a visit to Cambridge a couple weekends ago...

2006-06-25T02:04:00.000-07:00

My aunt, uncle, cousin, and her partner and I spent an afternoon in Cambridge a couple of weekends ago. We took some time out to chill on the bank of the River Cam along with most of the rest of the student population. The guy with the pole in the first picture was punting (like a gondola in Venice) down the river. The guy in the last photo was just hanging out by himself in the grass (which is also a cow pasture by the way - which made for a more interesting task of choosing your place to sit/lay down) juggling and twirling a big stick. Seemed kind of timeless to me.

Leicester Square in the Late Afternoon...

2006-06-25T01:58:00.000-07:00

Going to see Allie Laurie in The Rat Pack last night and I stopped before the show to get a quick dinner. This is the view looking up the street to the southwest corner of Leicester Square and the TKTS booth in the distance.

The photo wasn't as vibrant as the scene in person, but you get the idea.

Saturday wanderings...

2006-06-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hey there...

Today was a great day...although it would have been better if Katy was still here. (She came to visit me last week! To say the least, we had a wonderful time. From what she tells me, she pretty much saw all of London while I was at class, and then after class, we met for dinners and shows and walks, etc. A great visit.) I woke up without an alarm clock and was about to spend most of the day working and then going to TKTS around 6pm to get tickets for something for the evening. Instead I took a moment to think about what I really needed for today and the conclusion was...NO WORK!!! You will all be very happy to know that for the most part, I actually took the day off. And the best part about it was the wandering...

I went to Camden Town Market with a friend of mine from RADA and we spent the blue-skied afternoon walking up and down the twists and turns of this enormous open air, weekendly market. The only thing I bought, although I was tempted by the goth leather ensembles and the body piercing advertisements, was an amazing lunch: curried goat over rice from the two women pictured below. It was excellent. If you find yourself in Camden Town Market on a sunny Saturday, I highly recommend it.

I'm trying to take more specific yet non-linear photos. It has become one of my new favorite things to do: to wander with my camera (how did we survive without digital cameras?) and try to see things that I wouldn't normally see. It really slows you down. It's a really catharitc/relaxing way to spend a small chunck of time. Or a long one for that matter. Hopefully they'll be more such photos coming your way...

I also saw The Rat Pack tonight with my friend, Allie Laurie, performing Sammy Davis, Jr. He was trained in at the last minute from a regional tour of the show back to London to the West End production at The Savoy Theater for this evening 's performance. He emailed me this morning about his trip. (He had just found out as well.) I got it just in time, called him, and he got me a ticket. The whole show was great, but I must say - as objectively as I can - he was particularly wonderful to watch and definitely my favorite of the cast. How magical to see this guy doing his thing in the West End of London. So exciting. Allie, if you're reading this - congrats, again, Man!!!

Hope you all are well...

Wandering...

Mike

A Saturday off... (Camden Town Market)

2006-06-24T16:57:00.000-07:00

Half-hour at The Globe's production of Coriolanus...

2006-06-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

I watched Jeremy Irons in a play last night...

2006-06-17T11:20:00.000-07:00

Hey there, guys...

I saw Embers at the Duke of York Theater last night. It was a three person show: Jeremy Irons and two other amazing actors. It was beautiful. So simple. Pretty much it was Jeremy Irons talking to a long lost friend about something that happened to them forty years earlier, but they had never spoken of until this night. I don't want to spoil it for anyone, so I won't go into details, but trust me...it was really wonderful. The second act was pretty much a 50 page monologue for Jeremy while his friend sat and listened....but so much was going on. Such a reminder of what magic can be created by a human speaking well chosen words upon a bare stage.

Thinking about Titus Andronicus at The Globe for this coming weekend. Supposedly around 9 or 10 people have already fainted in the groundlings section as a result of both the extreme heat they've been having in London and the gore from the stage. Should be fun!

Off to memorize a sonnet and read Pericles (which we've just been told we'll be performing for our final project) and get my life together so as to start the week off well.

Take care, All!
Mike O.

Thursday of Week 2

2006-06-15T05:14:00.000-07:00

Hey there, y'all...

(Man, it feels good to say/write "y'all". I haven't hung out with that word in a while. Although I've heard "reckon" a lot.)

Yesterday I walked into one of my classes and a few my fellow students were breathlessly retelling their story of how they just met Alan Rickman walking into the building. He is a graduate of RADA and is on the Board of Trustees. I guess he is very active in the position. I didn't see him, but I'll let you know if I do.

Classes have consitently been really great. Very challenging and practical. They take a very physical approach to acting here. It's great. Not necessarily new to me, but new to the far extent they are taking it.

Gonna try to see Embers this Sunday with Jeremy Irons. I know nothing about it. Just that he's in it. I'm planning on seeing something Friday night as well. Just gonna show up to the TKTS booth and see what's on the boards. Also trying to see Hayfever with Judy Dench. Wow, huh?

I'm off to lunch and then a singing class and a voice class and then a movement class and then hours of reading and learning lines. Oh and my group will be performing Pericles as a final exam of sorts. Looking forward to reading it for the first time.

Go team!
Mike O.

Daytrip to Cambridge...

2006-06-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hey there...

I went up to Cambridge today with my family. It was incredibly hot - hotter than normal as I understand for this region of the world - but we hiked all over the old part of the city, nonetheless, like tried and true travelers. It was great coming back after eight years had past since my study abroad semester at Selwyn College. Everything pretty much looked exactly as I remembered it. I guess such old old places are supposed to stay the same or they wouldn't be so timeless. We spent a bit of the afternoon laying under a tree along the River Cam with tons of other towners, gowners, and visitors. People were punting and picnicing (sp?) and just hanging out. It really felt like a little bit of summer. I hope to do more of that over the next few weeks.

I hope everyone else is planning on doing the same...

Sorry no photos yesterday or today. I'm having a heck of a time getting them uploaded. I do it and then they don't show up on the blog. Hmmm.... I'll try tomorrow at a different internet location.

I'm off to finish reading Antony and Cleopatra and memorize a sonnet.

Wishing all sunfilled afternoons beneath shade trees...
Mike O.

My first week at RADA...AMAZING!!!

2006-06-10T05:17:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody...

Sorry it's taken me so long to write, but as you can imagine there was a lot to get used to. And the days at RADA have been really long. But it's all be amazing. Really amazing. There is so much to talk about, I don't know where to start. We got here last Saturday. I stayed with my Aunt and Uncle in a hotel in South Kensington and then Sunday they helped me move into my dorm. It's in Camden Town, about half hour's walk to RADA and about a 20 minute bus or tube ride. There is a famous market on the weekend in Camden town, but I haven't checked it out yet. I will, though. Sunday night we saw Coriolanus at The Globe on the Themes. It was wonderful. I'm going to try to attach some photos at the bottom of this blog from The Globe. Hopefully this will work. Sometimes this site is finicky.

This first week has been so intense. All the instructors are so excited to work with us and so challenging and supportive all at the same time. The other students (there are 28 of us) in the program are also eager to learn. It's made for a great environment. Vigorous and energizing.

Thanks for all the comments and postive vibes. I'm off to read another act of Antony and Cleopatra (I'm working on a couple scenes from it for a scene study class) and then I'm meeting Sue and Tom to see Blood Brothers in the West End. Then we'll have some dinner and I'll tube back up to Camden to read some more and call it night. Tomorrow when we're off to Cambridge for the day. I haven't been there since I was studying there at the end of my undergraduate time at Miami. Looking foward to strolling about.

I'll write more later. I promise. And hopefully with a bit more regularity. I've got more photos, too, that I'll sprinkle about.

Oh, I had dinner with Allie Laurie the other night. He's a Barter-ite from my first season. He's doing Sammy Davis, Jr. in a European tour of The Rat Pack. He looked great. We had a ball catching up.

As I said, much more later...Go team!
Tons of love,
Mike O.

A couple photos while I pack...

2006-06-04T02:53:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple photos from Slovenia to upload while I pack up...

- Mike

London!

2006-06-04T02:45:00.000-07:00

Hey there...

Sue and Tom and I made it safely to London last night. We checked into their hotel and had an amazing Indian meal around the block. The best I've ever had, in fact. We took a walk around South Kensington and then retired for the night. This morning I am up and repacking so I can get my stuff to my dorm so I can unpack. Then we're off to see a dear friend of mine living in the south of London. Then we see Coriolanus tonight at the Globe. What a way to start the summer, huh? Then back to my dorm room to get settled in some more so I can be ready for RADA's orientation tomorrow morning.

Sorry I haven't written much the last 48 hours. Crazy busy traveling and seeing the sights. But I'll get on a schedule soon.

I hope you all are well. And I promise...photos will be coming soon. For some reason, it takes forever for thme to upload on blogger.com.

Take care,
Mike O.

From the Alps to the Adriatic Sea...all in a daz...

2006-06-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hez there...

Just finished a great daz. Bob, Sue, and Tom and I started out the morning bz heading up the narrow winding roads to the Alps in the northern part of Slovenia. Breathtaking doesnćt begin to describe it. We tried to take a cable car to the top of one of the mountains, but the place wasnćt open. So we drove up to a WWI fort, hiked around a bit. Checked out this amaying little museum about WWI and learned how much of the major fighting of the war happened in those verz mountainsides. Kaz told me that Earnest Hemingwazćs FAREWELL TO ARMS is about this area. Had lunch at a piyyeria in one of the villages (piyya with prosciutto!) and headed back down to Goriyia. We picked up Kaz and headed down to the Adriatic coast (kind of like the Slovenian riveria) and had dinner. Then drove back to Gorizia, dropped Sue and Tom off at their hotel and Bob and Kaz and I came back to their flat. Another full daz. Tomorrow we head to the Capital.

Mike O.

Slovenia!

2006-05-31T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hez there, friends...

Ićm writing to zou on a computer in mz friendsć home that the Slovenian school board let them borrow as thez spend the zear teaching English in the school szstem here. The kezboardćs lettering is slightlz different than ours - as zou can see - and I thought it would be fun to just keep on tzping like I normallz do. Zeah_ Prettz fun, huh_

O.K. So I got up this morning in Venice, had breakfast with mz aunt and uncle and then got on a train to Triste, one of the last stops in Italz right before the Slovenian border. After two hours humming along past green fields and tall narrow evergreens, we met mz dear friend, Kaz Raplenovich (check out her site for an amaying blog about her time with her husband, Bob, here in Slovenia: www.kayraplenovich.com) at the station and then preceded to spend a wonderful daz walking and driving around Gorizia.

It is so pristine here. The vallezs are so green. Lush. Almost tropical feeling. 50% of the countrz is still forest. And their homes are beautiful. Built with brick and poured concrete. Verz sturdz. No wooden frames. And lots of solar panels. Thez have a different mentalitz about their environment than most of America. Itćs refreshing. And inspiring.

Ićll post photos tomorrow morning. For the moment, Ićm off to sleep.
And thanks for all the comments, everzbodz. IĆm so glad that zou are enjozing it.

go teaming...
Mike

Venice!

2006-05-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

Hey there from Venice!

I got here safe and sound, but the trip was a long one...(Tri-Cities, Cincinnati, Paris, London, Frankfurt, Venice) but totally worth it. I got off the final plane, got on a boat, floated over to Venice, met my aunt and uncle in their hotel near San Marco square, and then we set off for the most amazing meal. So surreal. One day Í'm in the Appalachian Mountains, and the next I'm dining in Venice. Wonderful. Truly magical.

This city is amazing. To say the very least. I will post photos soon. I've taken tons, but I found this internet cafe while wandering about the canals and wanted to post something as soon as I could.

So much more soon. Thanks for reading! Send me your thoughts when you get the chance. I hope you all are well!

Much love,
Mike O.

Song Writer's Night

2006-05-27T01:25:00.000-07:00

Ok guys...

Katy and I just got back, and we checked out the amazing photos Amelia took at tonight's Song Writer's Night/CD Release party, and we have to post some. Before we get to them, though, thanks to everyone for coming... and for buying cds! We raised just under $300 for the scene shop tonight and almost $150 for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Abingdon. Go Team! Tell all your friends to pick up their copy of "From the Ground Up" at either of Barter's gift shops. And one more thing--- someone out there bought a cd case without a cd in it. Go to the Mainstage Barter gift shop to pick up your cd. Sorry 'bout that!

Um- just tried to upload photos and couldn't figure out how to do it. I'll work on it tomorrow and post some photos for you soon.

Goodnight, friends.

Mike O.

Photos

2006-05-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

My first Blog...

2006-05-20T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hey there...

Go team! I'm in the Barter Cafe with Ms. Katy Brown. We're both online. Each on a laptop. Wireless. Dude. Wow.

I've one more week to go before I get on a plane to Venice (Tri-Cities to Cincinnait to Paris to London to Frankfurt to Venice - in 26 hours! AHH!!!). So much to do...but fear not! I'll make it.

Go team...oh yes...go team.....

Mike O.