Off to see...

Now that I've finally gotten that off my chest, I need to start talking about this new amazing opportunity. Up next, I will be performing in The Wizard of Oz, directed by Jonah Hagans. Jonah is such a visionary, in that he sees visions of a play no one else can imagine and trusts his team to make it happen. I like that in a director, someone who dreams big and has to scale it back (although I can see clearly how the more practical people such as the stage managers and producers of the world could be troubled by all this). It's why I admire Julie Taymor, to the chagrin of many peers. It's easy to fail, but at least fail while trying to fly.

In this production, I am playing The Tinman, which is possibly a cosmic joke. A few years back, in order to process a breakup, I wrote a poem casting myself as the metallic friend of Dorothy. It is common knowledge among my friends that sometimes I devalue emotion responses to situations, preferring to see the logical side and find rationale in seemingly irrational things. Thus I can come off as heartless. But I do have a heart, one so big that I need to protect it from the sharp arrows and knives of the world. So I think he is kind of an inspirational figure for me. And it is an honor to try to insert my feelings into a shell such as this.

I don't want to give away too much about the show and the look, as it will be undoubtedly "mindblowing" (since steam will erupt from the top of my head) but I will say that I had never heard of the phrase "steampunk" before this (although as a huge Final Fantasy fan I knew it existed) and I am in awe of what is to come from this show, visually with the talented team of artists working on it, and with some amazing performances from all. If the first read was any indication of how the show will be, prepare yourself for a hilarious and touching journey of four friends searching for their dreams in a land where anything can happen. Blurb.

We're off.

(PS: puns intended unless otherwise noted)