Unique Breeds

On Sunday, Stephanie and I partook in our first true New York adventure. With us both being theatrical and curious kids (with a secret love for mischief), we had signed up to receive updates from the infamous Improv Everywhere group a while back. Known for "causing scenes of chaos and joy in public places", this is the organization behind such fun (and notably, harmless) pranks as "Frozen Grand Central" and the annual "No Pants Subway Rides". Naturally, we were pretty stoked when we got our first top secret mission. All they sent was an address and a time to meet, so when Sunday rolled around, we hopped on the A train and headed for Cobble Hill Brooklyn. For those of you unfamiliar with New York geography, it's about an hour long subway ride from Inwood, so we had plenty of time to speculate about what we'd be doing. We had deduced that we were meeting in an art gallery of sorts, so we hoped it might involve some kind of art project. When we finally got to our destination we tried to act casual, stroll around a bit. It soon became pretty obvious that we weren't the only ones though; everywhere we went we overheard snippets of conversation, all centering around "What do you think we're going to do?!"

Finally, it was time. We made our way to the gallery, which turned out to be an old belt factory that had been acquired by this awesome organization called No Longer Empty. They basically take old industrial spaces and turn them into spaces for art:

"NO LONGER EMPTY is an innovative project involving a group of artists and curators who are interested in exploring a new paradigm for making and presenting art. It was conceived specifically to encourage an artistic response to our present economic condition and the effect on both the urban landscape and the national psyche. The numerous vacated buildings in New York City provide an opportunity for artists to revitalize these spaces with thoughtful, sustainable art installations."

I would absolutley love to be part of an organization like that, or in the umbrella sponsoring organization Fractured Atlas, which "facilitates the creation of art by offering vital support to the artists who produce it. [Fractured Atlas] helps artists and arts organizations function more effectively as businesses by providing access to funding, healthcare, education and more." Wonderful, innovative missions... totally worth donating to if you're in a position to give back.

But now, to get back to our adventure: We finally got inside the space, and it was jam packed with some of the coolest, most outgoing people you'd ever care to meet. There were lots of young twenty-somethings, but also a lot of middle-aged people, and a surprising number of kids. Everyone was packed in pretty tight, but there was a smile on every face; the whole room was literally buzzing with anticipation. The cool art installations strewn about gave us all something to look at at least, something to keep our mind off the burning question of what we were about to participate in. After what seemed like ages, a bearded, 30ish looking guy in jeans and a Tshirt stood up on a wooden pallet and quieted the crowd. I was amazed at the instant hush that feel over the group once he started explaining about the mission. It actually turned out to be pretty brief and straight forward. The space we were standing in had at one time been a belt factory, but had also come to be the birthplace of the popular "Invisible Dog" toy - a stiff leash with a muzzle on the end that, when held at the right angle and viewed with the proper amount of imagination, made it look like you were walking... you guessed it... an invisible dog. Thus, the crew of NO LONGER EMPTY had found themselves in possession of around 2,000 of these things, packed away in every nook and cranny of the place. And so of course, they called Improv Everywhere, because I mean come on...

... what could be better than 2,000 people out for a Sunday stroll with their invisible dogs?

The crowd went nuts. Fun, non-confrontational, and just quirky enough, the prank had all the makings of a great time. Surprisingly, everyone was very patient and calm about getting their "dogs". We had all been told to simply tell anyone who asked that we were just out with our puppies, totally ignoring the fact that "some" people might not see them. And so, after retrieving our retrievers (we decided they were Golden puppies, from the same litter) Steph and I started off.

The range of responses we ran into was AMAZING. Some folks we ran into were angry; they just couldn't understand what was going on and why no one they asked about thought something was going on. Lots of people played along, complementing our pooches, or excitedly pointing them out to their slightly more dubious children. It was great walking around Cobble Hill too, an area that I really hadn't explored at all. There are some beautiful shops and lovely tree-lined side streets that almost made you forget you were in New York City. All in all, we had an amazing time. We returned our doggies at the end, and slowly made our way back up to Inwood. But the adventure didn't end there! After a short break, we were back on the streets, this time headed to karaoke at the Piper's Kilt. I was, admittedly, less than enthused at first. But after some tasty sweet potatoe fries and some irrestiable songs, I was hooked. We ended up singing along until our voices were hoarse, and leaving completley happy with our Sunday adventures.

Sugared Vegetables

Last week, my roommate Stephanie and I decided to sign up for Urban Organic home produce delivery. Basically, every week they deliver a box full of whatever fruit and vegetables are ripest right to your door. It's a great way to ensure you get plenty of tasty green things, and it's always fun to see what all you'll end up with in the box. For example, after the first delivery, Stephanie made some hearty soup with all the kale we got, then used the leftover veggies in a pasta dish. This week, among other things, we had quite a few carrots. Naturally, we figured the only proper way to treat this super healthy root was to smoother it in sugar and cream cheese frosting.

Yes, it was carrot cake time.

Now, Steph and I are close friends. And we get along very well. But if there's one thing I've learned over the last few weeks it's that I am no match for her in the kitchen. Sure, I can whip something together, but she can cook. So I've come to accept my role as su-chef, focusing primarily on preparation, and she's agreed to (mostly) look the other way at my unique and sometimes messy ways of cooking. Thus, I was put to work grating our giant bag of carrots. With both of us on the project, it actually all mixed up pretty quick, and the baking itself flew by too (with the help of a few episodes of Dexter). The frosting turned out to be a bit of an issue though. We probably needed at least twice the powered sugar we had, but neither of us wanted to head out for more (even though the store's only on the corner). So it sort of turned into a cream cheese glaze. The runniness wasn't helped by our impatience to ice it either; hot cakes equal runny frosting. But it tasted delicious nonetheless, and it even looked pretty decent in the end, right before we dug in (see Stephanie about to have at it with the knife, above). My hands are still faintly orange, and we're still finding tiny shreds of carrot all over the kitchen, but it was so, so worth it.

Is That Man Wearing a Cat on His Head?

Yesterday was wonderful. After sleeping in good and long, I finally got to go back to the Inwood farmer’s market (one of the sad truths about working as a PA: the inability to get to fresh produce). Even at 11:00am, it was bustling with activity. Children and dogs were getting tangled up underfoot, and the smell of sizzling turkey sausage filled the air. The colors alone were overwhelming; I had to circle a few times before diving in to make my purchases. I came away with some red and yellow tomatoes, a few apples and pears, a bunch of fresh cilantro and some sheep and cow’s milk ricotta. I also picked up a bottle of fresh cider for the walk home, the cool crispness of which removed any doubt of fall’s arrival.

When I got home, I quickly set about using my food finds to make some lunch. It really is amazing the difference that fresh produce makes. Everything tastes so rich and distinctive! I threw together a sliced tomato and ricotta salad with a balsamic vinaigrette, and I could pick out the flavors of each different type of tomato I used. It was lovely.

Afterwards I made my way down to Christopher Street to see MCC’s production of STILL LIFE (this excursion made possible by a generous comp offer from my friend John). I met up with another MTC intern, Annah, and was mostly happy with the new work, at least for the first act. But I won’t go into details here, as the last thing I want this to become is a theatre criticism blog! So, moving along, Annah and I wandered into a street market after we got out of the theatre. It was a lot of fun strolling down the packed streets, looking at all the cheap purses and bizarre knick-knacks for sale. We both got fruit smoothies and laughed at a man walking around with a cat on his head, then parted ways. As I had to see a show on 54^th at 8:00pm, I headed up to Central Park to kill some time and enjoy the day. Thick, creamy sunshine and long cool shadows – some of my favorite things about September afternoons. It was made even better by a funky trio of jazz musicians playing near the statue I was sitting under. They got the crowd into it; tourists and locals alike paused for a few moments and smiled. Some stayed. A few even danced. It was the perfect way to wile away the hours.

The next show I saw was fairly unremarkable. I stopped by another intern’s (Madeline’s) birthday party on the way back to the train though, and was warmly welcomed by her group of theatre friends. It’s funny to see a group of people identical and yet entirely different to one that you yourself are a part of, like peaking in on a parallel universe. The cupcakes were delicious though, and the hotel itself was wild (see the picture of some of the crazy backlit murals above).

Today has been much tamer, involving an early morning start and seven hours of manning the front desk at MTC. It was good to have some forced productive time, read some plays, pay some bills. I also had some excellent Thai food delivered. But I was feeling worn down and so passed on seeing another show tonight, opting instead for a home cooked meal (eggplant and tomato casserole with garlic sautéed broccoli on the side) and getting some laundry done. A good choice.

Jet Planes and Doctors

Somehow, during the two days I just spent in Philadelphia, fall has come to New York. There's a chill in the air and the sweaters are coming out; I can't wait for the leaves to turn!

It's been a busy few weeks. Highly exhausting but hugely entertaining too. Lots of fun things to report... First, I'll back track a bit to labor day weekend. I got off early from work that Friday, so I met up with my roommate Stephanie for some lunch in Bryant Park. We ate at a small table and watched the old men play chess while in the background the Fashion Week crew set up the enormous tents that house the famous shows. Then we wandered around a bit, poking into different stores and finally lounging on the steps of the New York Public Library. After some good people watching, I made my way to the airport and boarded a flight for Columbus, OH. My parents met me there and we got a chance to catch up in person, which was great. The dogs were both happy to see me too!

The next morning I headed out early for Ann Arbor. It's an easy drive, a straight 2 1/2 hour shot up Route 23, and there's nothing better for a road trip than lazy sunshine and Saturday morning NPR. Between "Car Talk", "All Things Considered" and "Wait, Wait - Don't Tell Me" the miles flew by. Soon enough I was literally leaping into Aidan's arms and cooking up a labor day barbecue with friends. Later on, we visited the Humane Society and looked at some very adorable kittens and puppies. Somehow, we managed to leave without an extra passenger; I was pretty impressed by our restraint. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing, then met up with more friends for dinner and pints of ice cream enjoyed in front of a good movie. Sunday and Monday were more of the same - visiting theater friends (at Pizza House of course, our regular haunt), taking in Ann Arbor. On Monday, Aidan also had some headshots taken by Angie Cesere, the same girl who shot my production photos for Kiss of the Spiderwoman and The Full Monty, plus my own headshots. As you can see from the picture above, I managed to sneak my way into a few...

I drove back down to Columbus on Monday night. It was hard leaving, but it was nice to have some more time with my family, get to see them a little before my very, very early flight the next morning. I crawled out of bed slowly at 3:00am, sleepily enjoying the similarities between Ohio crickets and New York traffic, and then managed to get packed up and ready. Dad drove me to the airport, and my busy week began.

Before I go on to explain this busy week, I feel a little explanation is needed. Back in August, right before I moved in to my apartment in New York, I worked as a Production Assistant for the Dr. Phil show. A good friend had called me and offered me the position, and what with a generous stipend and all expenses paid, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. So for three days I went along with the director, the location manager, and the executive in charge of production scouting different locations to shoot the opening of Dr. Phil's eighth season. These included Kleinfeld's Bridal in Manhattan, and numerous places in Philadelphia, like the U.S.S. New Jersey battleship (see picture to the left), the "Rocky" steps of the Philadelphia art museum, and Liberty Plaza. We also shot a commercial spot in Times Square and ate some wonderful food at The Waterworks restaurant. Needless to say, it was a lot of fun! Now, although I was (and am) currently working as an intern at MTC, when the Dr. Phil people called and offered for me to work on the actual shoot in September, I was really eager to help out (and make some extra money!). Luckily for me, my boss was very understanding and gave me quite a few days off to take advantage of the opportunity. And so, that Tuesday morning after Labor Day I arrived in New York at 7:15am, just in time to hop in a taxi and dash off to the 7:30am production meeting on Central Park South.

More to come on the Dr. Phil adventures!

Inner Life of an Intern

I've been working as a casting intern at Manhattan Theatre Club for just about two weeks now, and there hasn't really been a dull moment since I started. Besides fielding phone calls and filing headshot/resumes, there are lots of other tasks to be done, like finding out actor availibity for an upcoming project, putting together audition materials, and assembling sides (sections of the script that an actor reads during auditions). It's a great office to intern for because everyone is really willing to take the time to teach me what needs done. I also work some nights at the front desk of MTC, which is a really nice way to make some extra money. And today I had lunch with one of the other new interns from the Literary department. Lots of fun; I think we're going to try and get all of the interns together after work on Thursday night, get to know each other and relax before the long weekend.

In other news, I checked out the new gym that opened up near me yesterday. It's nice, though a bit crowded (no surprise at 7:00pm). It's very basic, only sporting cardio and weight equipment, which lets them charge only $10 a month - a great thing for a new grad like me! After that, I settled in for some script reading... a task which I return to now...