Sunday, September 21, 2014

Seize those moments that seize you...

I didn't coin that.
I recently saw the movie Boyhood; a solid movie that follows the life and literal growth of a young boy as he and his family negotiate their way through questionable choices and the unknown that is life itself. Anyway, that heading is inspired by a line from the film.

As I said, it's a solid film with a fascinating "hook;"we watch this kid grow up before our eyes. I have to confess however, I wasn't crazy about the boy himself. While he wasn't bad, I didn't get the sense that his "whatever" demeanor and attitude wasn't an acting choice, it was just the way this kid was, or grew up to be. It's a risk one takes when casting a 5-6 year old child and plan on filming him/her (he had a sister was was a little more engaging) for 12 years - you get what you get and find a way to make it work, which Mr. Linklater does successfully, by the way.

Anyway...lest this post begins to come off as a film review, I'll get to my point (is there one?).

The 2 "leads" are the estranged mother/father of said boy, portrayed with aplomb by Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke, respectively. Really lovely work from them. Anyway, one of the 2 moments that smacked me in the face was when the mother has the realization, upon her son's departure for college, that this might be "it." Not the end of her life mind you, but that "it" is really the compilation of moments and milestones. In addition, in her self-actualized state she also realizes that she expected "more" by this point in her life.

God, I get that one! I confess, I struggle with that very question more than I'd like:

"Shouldn't there be more?"
And, of course, that one has many cousins to it:
"What am I doing?"
"Is it worthwhile?"
"Am I successful?"

In this business/industry, success can too easily be defined not by the finding/getting work necessarily, but the kind of work, via mainstream industry vehicles (i.e. TV [co-star? guest-star? etc.] or Film [studio? indie?now web-series...blah, blah, blah...])
I could write a dissertation on the previous questions...but I won't. Not right now, anyway.

But back to the film...
The next moment that hit me (my guess- the director's subtle, or not so subtle response to the mother's question) is when the boy is out hiking with some new-found friends upon arriving to college (the circumstance feels a little forced, but file it under Mr. Coleridge's "willing suspension of disbelief"). He is sitting there with this cute-fellow first day of college-girl, looking out at the desert and they are conversing about their cobbled life philosophies. She makes a point about how we are used to being told to seize the moment. She continues to extrapolate that maybe it is, in fact the other way around...?

That too, got me thinking (which is what art is supposed to do, right?)...

How do we know which moments to "seize" and which ones we shouldn't?
My best guess? Perhaps we should merely be open to the moments that happen, or "seize" us, and take them?
That was the best I could come up with...so, I'm going to do my best to give that a shot.

I'm nearing the completion of the first month of the Fall'14 semester.
3 Acting classes between Rutgers and Rider Universities
So far...? it is the best bunch I've had in a long time - throughout all classes
They possess eager, open and willing attitudes.
We are having fun.
I think they are learning...?

Next week, I begin rehearsal for Love and Intrigue, to be directed by Christopher Cartmill; a production going up at Rutgers. Yes, I will be performing in the Levin Theater again; I never expected that. There is a new guard at Mason Gross and they are changing things a bit. One of those changes includes the current classes to work with alumni; providing a secondary benefit of working with working professionals. I am truly flattered and complimented by the invite to participate. I hope to be able to live/work up to their goals.
Naturally, I welcome the opportunity to continue working.

In addition, overtures have been made to me to secure classes to teach in the spring.

Right now, I feel like a success.
I am seizing this moment....