My performing and creating "hiatus" is officially officially officially OVER.  Some of you may be asking, "You were on hiatus?"  To which I would respond, "YES.  And it was HORRIBLE."  Sometimes I get overwhelmed by having so much stuff to do. This is usually a result of my lack of planning ahead.  You know that saying, "If it weren't for the last minute, I'd get nothing done?"  I hate that saying, but it's kinda my M.O.  TILL NOW.

I've been pretty good within the past couple of months at looking ahead at least a month and planning my Twin Cities world domination... which is how I completely pwned the Rockstar Storyteller Sexy Fun-Time Romance N Stuff show last night.  I had been making my lists and checking them 19 times (because I forget I've already checked them 18 times).  I made sure I had almost all the ducks (the pretty ones) in a row by Saturday night so that I could go enjoy some improv at Huge.  And on Sunday morning, I woke up with just a few finishing touches for that evening's show and accomplished them with plenty of time to work with one of the Annas from CMC&TDC on a recording of a song we'll be releasing at the end of this month.   And the whole process of setting up the show at the theater was so relaxing.  I also had our magic tech on my side, who never fails to be an expert professional.   We had five amazing storytellers on the show*, Me & The Curls played 4 songs including the killer "Safe Words" (How will I ever top this???), The Leading Man** and a few others provided hilarious or poignant videos for breaks in the live action, and we raffled off three books donated generously to us by The Smitten Kitten.

There's no drama in this post, just ass-kicking.  We had a great show.  An overflowing handful of people approached to congratulate me on a job well-done.  Everything felt great.  And then someone gave us tape in the dressing room:

The two Annas and me, photo by Tom Reed, courtesy of Anna W.


* Joseph Scrimshaw, David Mann, Rob Callahan, Laura Bidgood, and Tom Reed!
** the nickname for my current boyfriend, who is also my ex-boyfriend from college, who moved from California to Minnesota to be with me.  Just like in a romantic comedy.  Hence... The Leading Man.

Minneapolis' First Encyclopedia Show

This Sunday, my buddies Mike Fotis & Allison Broeren are hosting the first Encyclopedia Show in this part of the country.  They have asked me to play "The Gummi Bears" theme song... you know the one:



I also wrote a song about Bears.  As in... Gay Bears:

I Think I’m In Love With A Bear
lyrics & music © Courtney McLean 2012

V1
When I was 17, I had this fantasy
Someday I’d lay a man much heftier than me
Then you came along, you came along

I dreamt ‘bout this big stud ‘n’ me
1 part Hell’s Angel, 2 parts Cuddly
But you said, “Girl, You got me all wrong.”

BRIDGE
“Girl, I know what’s on your horny mind.
And I’m flattered - no really, you are too kind.
But this face ain’t got no room
For a beard like you”

CHORUS
Oh then, I’m going home, I’m gettin’ surly
Cuz now it’s clear he’s way too girly
He’s hairy, big, and burly,
I’d’ve never guessed his name was Curly

Where was my gadar before I overshared?   
I think I’m in love with a bear.

Timelines

On Thursday, June 23, after teaching a two-hour theater class to five kids at Fridley High School, I bounced over to St. Paul to pick up my first-ever check for professional on-camera work from one of my agents at Talent Poole. Tom Poole was in the office, but my check was not. I had to go pick it up from his wife and partner in the business, Geanette Poole, whom I had never met. But before I left, Tom asked if I had a little time to chat with him about a project for which he thought I would be a great addition. Inside my thought factory, I had a blip of "I just want to grab my check and get back to getting my stuff done!" My stuff, to which I always escape when I don't want to do something else. But then I reconsidered: "I better stay and talk. He is my agent, after all, and he is talking about a job." What proceeded was a conversation that had me almost in tears of laughter and slack-jawed with all the ideas bandied about. I left there bubbling with excitement for my coming relationship with this agency and with Tom, who was clearly enchanted with my work and my potential and my talent.

I drove to Tom & Geanette's home just a few blocks away to pick up my check, which Geanette had accidentally taken home in a flurry of some sort. Wiggling up to me came their little dog, by which Tom warned me against getting licked. Geanette was younger than I imagined... she actually reminded me a lot of an old high school friend's hip and gentle mother. I retrieved the payment and shook hands, exchanged smiles and was on my way.

Four nights later, June 27, I emailed Talent Poole to ask about getting my voiceover career ramped up: getting my demo done, being placed on their website, doing my own website? I received a response from a woman I've never dealt with before telling me the agency was on hold due to a medical emergency and Geanette would respond when things calmed down, probably after a month. I was worried for the Poole family, but my slowly budding career was more on the forefront of my mind.

See, about 9 days prior to my email, on June 18, I ran into my buddy John at a mutual friend's wedding. John informed me that he had taken a job as an agent at Nuts, a "rival" agency in town (I refuse to believe that anyone is actually in rivalry with anyone else... unless they are, but that Minnesota Nice gets in the way. Yeah, I'm sure that's it). He was a little bummed I had gone with Talent Poole, an exclusive agency, meaning I couldn't also be with Nuts. Nevertheless, John called me a couple days later, maybe on June 20, to ask me to come in to audition anyway. I returned his call and said, "sure, why not?" I like being wanted.

Skip to June 23, meeting with Tom. Skip to June 27, email from Talent Poole re: medical emergency. Which brings us to the next day, during which I found out the medical emergency was that Tom had been hit by a car on June 24 or 25... I have read two different dates.

I *just* saw him. It's so weird when that happens. I just saw him the day before an accident that fractured his skull, resulting in severe brain trauma and a coma.

Tom passed away on July 6.

I had my audition with Nuts on July 7. I was melancholy and felt like I was betraying my agent in a time of need, but that's my M.O. Taking on guilt when I don't need to.

July 11, I received the letter from Nuts offering representation. A week later, I mailed off my acceptance with 12 headshots/resumes. I promptly emailed Geanette (a draft I had been saving till I knew it was what I wanted to say) to let her know that I was making a business decision to go with the other agency because Talent Poole was on hold and because I wasn't sure exclusivity was the right choice for me to make as a newbie to the business here. She emailed me back almost immediately wishing me luck and letting me know that I always had a place there should I choose to come back. And also that Talent Poole wasn't "on hold!" I guess I was misinformed, or just assumed because I hadn't heard anything further since my email on June 27, the status remained. Oh well. The point is that bridges were not burned. And my decision feels right.

I had only had two conversations with Tom in person: the aforementioned, and on the day I came over to their office to sign on as talent. On both occasions, Tom's Arkansian drawl and playful distaste for being indoors out of the sun struck the "kindred spirit" chord in me, as weird as that might seem. But I can't really talk much about him, having not truly known him, so I suggest you read this and this and this to get an idea of what a loss this is to Tom's family and the Twin Cities theater community.

I've Got A Crush On You: Episode 1

I think I fall in love with someone new, like, every other week. These people come into my life, whether they know it or not, and infuse me with drive and a renewed sense of purpose.

My latest, and the first profiled for this feature that I may or may not keep up with (to be determined), is a local actress, playwright, and historian (yup), Dawn Brodey.

I officially met Dawn a couple of weeks ago at the Bryant Lake Bowl when we were both involved in the Bill Clinton show of Salon Saloon. She presented a historical timeline piece on the controversial presidencies throughout U.S. History, ultimately positing that Clinton's Lewinsky scandal really wasn't so bad, in comparison with the Commander-In-Chief company he keeps. It was hilarious AND educational.

But I first discovered Dawn when I came out to visit the ex (and do Fringe) in August 2007 before I moved to the Twin Cities, he and I attended "We Gotta Bingo," one of those cheesy, interactive theatrical shows that gets suburbanites off the couch and "out on the town" to experience some "culture." I do not mean to be judgmental: there is something for everyone. And who am I to pick on this kind of entertainment anyway: I still have a day job that sucks my soul out. Dawn, with flaming burgundy hair and tattooed forearms, was clearly the coolest, punkest person in the cast... and clearly, she was A-OK with being involved in such a production. A production that Courtney-of-that-time cast off as artless and pandering. Maybe so. But Dawn was having fun with it, getting paid to be on stage, and - and perhaps this is me projecting - she was not taking herself so seriously that she couldn't do a show that made people I am way too quick to judge laugh and let go.

I remembered Dawn. I didn't really see much more of her afterward, nor was I looking, till I saw Facebook photos of her and another amazing actress about town, Mo Perry (another crush from before I started this blog), during a cross-country road trip on which they embarked together. Crush grew. (I did admit to her I had looked through these photos when we met. She responded with, "I would rather drive through Indiana than fly to some tropical locale" or something like that. I think I emphatically agreed with a dazed "Uh Huh." Wow, Court. Fountain of conversation. A geyser.)

Then there was Salon Saloon. She was on stage in a red and white-striped top and navy blue skirt like a sexy American flag, red lipstick, and earrings and bangles, CLASS all the way home. And her VOICE. Raspy, adorable, sexy, fun. Dawn seems like the kind of woman that never gets drunk or high and does or says things she regrets. It's okay if someday she ruins this image of herself to me because then that means we're partying together.

I also finally went to fellow Rockstar Storyteller Dave Mondy's quarterly BLB show, The Entertainment Machine, this past Sunday and there was Dawn again. I wasn't aware she was in this show, I wasn't sure she would recognize me from our meeting a few weeks prior in the same space, and I'm pretty sure she caught me staring at her on stage (she was on the "back line," not the focus of what was currently happening, so I "should have" been looking at whomever was talking... probably Dave). She looked amazing again! She was nautical American again! Cherry red lips and matching shoes! I was entranced and probably very creepy. Sigh.

Today I somehow stumbled upon her website (totally accidental, not stalking at all) and learned SHE LIVES ON A HOUSEBOAT. Thus sealing my utter girl-crush, seething envy, and desire to actually BE HER.

By the by, I texted The Leading Man right away and said, "Let's buy a houseboat on the Mississippi." "Okay" he texted back. AWESOME.

Seriously So Flattered!

... to be on the front of the Minnesota Fringe Festival website!!




You should also watch this cool video for which I did a little bit of voiceover (of three voices, I'm the last one):

Minnesota's Identity and The Arts

One of the most awesome organizations in the Twin Cities, Works Progress, hosted a night at Intermedia Arts called "Minnesota's Identity and The Arts." It was a really informative and inspiring program hosted by my buddy Andy Sturdevant.

Andy devised an interactive audience game: "Six Degrees of Minnesota Arts." The game went like this: everyone in the room had a name tag that included their favorite MN Arts experience. Mine was, of course, Fringe. Two people were chosen and the audience had to find the degrees of separation! We started with Art-A-Whirl and 1419.

In the video of the evening, below, we are trying to find a link between Walker Open Field, a summer of arts and performance at the Walker Arts Center, and 1419, an alternative arts collective of University of Minnesota arts punks.

I am the seemingly silent person in black that makes that "slam dunk" connection!

Watch live streaming video from mnoriginal at livestream.com

I love Andy's reaction! It made me feel SO SMART AND CULTURED! So, of course, the connection was Fringe! How? Well, Rockstar Storytellers is made up of Fringe performers and we just performed at Walker Open Field this year. Four Humors are also frequent Fringe favorites and they have a relationship with 1419 (the least of which is that we've rehearsed in their cold, cold basement).

BOO YAH.

The evening featured the intimidatingly stoic Wing Young Huie (an artist clearly and admirably comfortable in his own skin), Chuck Olsen of MN Original, Ananya Chatterjea of Ananya Dance Theatre, and longtime Minneapolis musician, Adam Levy. Good shit, man.