Cross Delancey Street With Me Next Tuesday

Great Image, huh? Don't thank me,
thank Birmingham's Theater LJCC!

Hey everyone

Long time, huh?  I know, I know... I should really spend more time keeping up with the blogging, but most of my writing time has been consumed by OregonFilmandTVDollars.com... now that the year is winding to a close, however, I may get a few more chances to post some of my overly-long yadda-yadda about life, the world, etc... at least that's the goal.

That's not the topic of today's post, however... even though the year's winding to a close, I seem to be getting busier and busier.  Before I run off to the next appointment, I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be appearing in the Portland Civic Theater Guild's "First Tuesday" reading of Susan Sandler's Crossing Delancey.

You may remember the 1988 film version of Crossing Delancey with Amy Irving.  The film is based on the play we'll be reading at 10:00 AM next Tuesday December 6 at Portland's Old Church (1422 SW 11^th - click here for a map)  If you're not familiar with the story, it follows
Izzy, a single New Yorker who runs her own bookshop and day-dreams of a life with one of her customers, a celebrated author. Her Grandmother Bubbie, however, has other plans for Izzy's future - she conspires with  Hannah, a flamboyant matchmaker, to set Izzy up with the man they feel is the perfect match for her: Sam, the pickle maker.  It's a beautiful, sweet romantic comedy - a perfect way to kick off the holiday season.

I'm lucky enough to work with Karen Wennstrom, Mary Mcdonald-Lewis, Chrisse Roccaro, and Rick Sanders on the reading... oh, and the show's director is kind of fun to work with too!

I hope you get a chance to come down next Tuesday morning and share this light little comedy with us.  Take an early lunch - we'll provide the sweet!

Hope you're all doing well...

- Harold

It Can't Happen Here... Right?

Hey there everyone. Long time no talk, huh?  Yeah, I know, I know... apologies, Mea Culpa, etc (you can always tell how busy I am by how often I update this blog and OregonFilmandTVDollars.com... which hasn't been too often of late, so you can draw your own conclusions.)

Even with everything that's been going on, though, I wanted to take a minute today to let you know about a very cool project I'm going to be part of tonight, Monday, October 24 at 7:30 PM.  Portland's Fuse Theater Ensemble is joining theaters around the country to perform a staged reading of It Can't Happen Here - an adaptation of Sinclair Lewis' 1935 novel that was performed in 22 theaters (in 18 US Cities) as part of the Federal Theater Project in 1936.  The nationwide readings commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of those Federal Theater Project readings.

So, why should you care about a play written in 1936?  What possible relevance could it have to the world we're living in right now?  Well... the book (and the play) were written during a time when no one could find a job... when the median income in the united states had hit rock bottom and didn't look like it would ever rise... when people were taking to the streets to demand a change.  In a situation like this, it's easy to see how people could fall in line behind a charismatic leader who promised to make things better (no, I'm not going to put a current-events link on THAT one... I'll let you draw your own contemporary conclusions...) even though s/he could turn out to be a dictator.

That's what this play is about, after all... it envisions a fictional America where a powerful president becomes a dictator - abolishing labor unions, free speech, and the free press. His sinister allies, known only as "the Corpos," recruit unemployed and dissatisfied young people and intimidate anyone who opposes their agenda. "No one agreed on the play," Hallie Flanagan told an audience some months later, "but everyone had to see it. It was called good, bad, savage, mild, American, un-American, Fascist, communist, too far left, too far right, a work of genius, a work of the devil."

I hope you'll join me tonight at Theater! Theatre! (check HaroldPhillips.net for the address and a map link)  for this celebration - and cautionary tale.  Admission is free, though donations for Fuse Theater Ensemble and Occupy Portland will be accepted.

Back In Greece (And Back On Stage!)

Howdy everybody...

One of the reasons my day got out-of-hand yesterday was the news that an actor dropped out of a staged reading Trish is appearing in for Classic Greek Theater of Oregon... and that the Artistic Director asked if I'd step in to fill the role.

So, of course, I had to read the script, look over my schedule, talk details with the director... yadda yadda yadda. That's all over and done with, though - and I'm happy to let you know that I'll be appearing as Theseus in a brand new translation of Jean Racine's classic play Phaedra.

Now, don't worry - this isn't some old moldy costume drama with people standing around in togas sawing the air and (as my old theater teacher Michael Hood used to say) laughing at jokes no one gets. For one thing, we'll be sitting, not standing... and this fresh translation by Louis Fantasia brings the issues and drama of Racine's play to modern audiences (Really! No sleeping-pill replacement here!)

I really hope you'll make the time to join us at the Shoebox Theater (2110 SE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97214 - Map It) at 7:00 on Tuesday April 13 to check it out. I have to say, I'm really excited to be getting back on stage. I hope you'll join me!

Oh, yeah... and Giggity Giggity Giggity - awright!

-Harold