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Rhawk
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Name: Rob
Birthday: 6/2/1978
Gender: Male
Interests: I enjoy theatre, music, dance, nature, reading, and history. Oftened called the musical theatre encyclopedia (or Scary Rob).Currently working on props for "Der Fledermaus", directing "Dracula", and in preproduction for "Into The Woods"
Expertise: Having done over 100 shows I'm an expert/near expert in all areas of theatre (acting, directing, singing, dancing, choreography, set designer, et al)
Occupation: Student
Industry: Entertainment
Message: message meEmail: email me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  CabaRob
Member Since:
10/27/2004
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| Tech week soldier's on. Not horrific, not great, but the show is coming together. Of course the sleeplessness that goes with it has returned. Seriously gotta find a way to get health insurance of some sort - I'm starting worry that I'm going to become dependent on the ibuprofen. I already can't use Tylenol cause back when I was younger I used so much of it I became immune - don't want to knock another pain reliever off the list. Still in shock about Ryan. It seems so unfathomable. A lot of surprising reactions on that one. Carmike continues to be a good job even if I want to hurt some of the co-workers (but don't we all feel that way at some time?) Mom got a clean bill of health from the doctor today. She's not up to full speed - but she's walking without the aid of her walker on most days and is taking care of herself for the most part. Older sister has blocked arteries in her feet and may have to have a toe amputated. Younger sister got the doc's okay to go back to work for 4 hours a day as long as there's no heavy lifting involved. Younger sister, mom, and nieces came to see the runthrough tonight and could understand the show so that worry is off my mind (biggest problem with the last production other than music was that I over-choreographed and over-joked the show and in the process buried the story so much it was hard to follow.) Realizing I was a total idiot to book auditions for Damn Yankees as the weekend this one opens. Thanks to some wonderful helpers though - we should have all of the props, costumes, and set fully finished before final dress - the way it's supposed to be - something I have not pulled off with my Comtra shows in the last few years (total blame goes to me, I know.) I'm getting better at saving money and I should have a car by the end of the summer, and hopefully my own apartment by Halloween. Got a lot of deep thinking to finish working out about the present and the future - but it's just gonna take time. But I will say - I get some pretty funky dreams with all the pain meds I'm taking before bed! On the review front: The Incredible Hulk was a decent flick, far superior to the last film version, but not as strong of a movie as Ironman so it gets 3 & 1/2 stars. Get Smart as a movie was pretty cool, though as an update of the TV show it was kinda weak since they flipped the romantic status (In the movie Max is smitten with Agent 99 and she's not remotely interested in him as opposed to the TV show where 99 was in love with Max and he was oblivious to it.) But it did make me laugh. A lot. 3 and 1/2 stars as well. That's it for now. | | |
| Real update will happen in the not too distant future (probably after Seussical hell week is over). But for now.... THE HAPPENING by M. Night Shyamalan Rating: 2 & 1/2 stars (out of 5) The director has referred to this movie as an ecological nightmare and that's exactly what it is. He makes no real effort to conceal what's going on and conveniently gives us the moral of the whole thing in the third scene. Anyone looking for a big twist ending will be disappointed. M. Night has moved away from his usual gimmick with this one. It is R rated for graphic situations and there are many of them in the first half of the movie (including an homage to Maximum Overdrive). There is suspense and the score is used to decent effect to keep up said suspense. Sadly, many of the actors involved here (including theatre vets Betty Buckley and Victoria Clark) turn in less than their best work. It's not that they're horrible, they're just not that good partially because of the material and partially because of their presentation of it. A lot of people are really gonna hate this movie - it has a Spielbergian ending followed by a brief forray into "here's the setup of the sequel" territory (though I don't think it's his intention to make a sequel). It also isn't quite the thriller that was advertized. There are graphic situations and several moments of "no, stupid don't do that!" but it lags several times between such scenes. And the "lesson" is put across pretty heavy handedly. It's a very middle of the road summer popcorn movie.It's not nearly the disaster that Semi-Pro or Witless Protection was, but it's not as nearly well made as Ironman or Kung Fu Panda. Prediction is that The Incredible Hulk will smash this in the box office this weekend and sadly mark a second financial flop in a row for M. Night - and it is good enough to deserve better than being a flop. | | |
| Well, I finally have the time for an update. So, the big change - I'm staying in Cranberry until August. The main reason is simply that I have a job here where I'll get 34-40 hours a weekand I am destitude. I just need to take the time to get caught up on my bills and take care of important things (like replacing 4 yr old glasses, getting dental work done, etc.) Plus, my mom's health has taken a major downturn in the last 2 months. Since I have her power of attorney, I kinda need to be close. She actually said she came to Christmas dinner this year because she was afraid it was her last. We don't know that it will be - but that's still scary to hear. I'm going to miss my life at IUP terribly - but if it's important it will still be there in September. Plus, college is transitory and I"ll be heading to NYC (or at least grad school in general) in 18 or so months anyway - I can't pretend that my IUP life is a permanent thing. If I had a decent job to go back to up there - I'd maybe try to stick it out - but since I don't I need to take the sure money. Since I'm here, of course that means Comtra. I'm going to be playing Bobby Franklin in a play called Run For Your Wife. It's hysterical. it opens Feb 15 and then I'm directing (again) Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) for the Easter show. I'm only having one audition date for it (Jan 19 at noon)- and that kinda scares me cause I've only done that for kid's shows before - but it's the only time I can get the space. And of course the summer is gonna be Seussical, Guys and Dolls, and Damn Yankees. It's nice to know that I have cds for all of them and that worry doesn't exist. BTW - if anyone who reads this wants a staff position on any of the ones I'm directing - let me know. I'd like to have a strong support staff for all of them before they start rehearsals. So at least I still have theatre. As much as I hate not being in Indiana (and that isn't a swipe at the people in my life in Cranberry), I'm trying to look at the silver lining (though I'm REALLY gonna miss seeing Seth, Andy, Jack, and Sam on a regular basis). This is a chance to hopefully fix some things about myself, to maybe reconnect with good people I've let drift away, and to atone for past mistakes. I don't know that I'll be able to fix everything, but I'm gonna try - and hopefully not fail as I have done in the past. My sister and I are both starting a weight loss plan (again.) We're hoping that by doing it together it'll work better. Her goal is to get back to a size 8 before a trip to Mexico in July. My goal is to lose weight the right way - with out starvation, or any of the other "less than healthy" methods I've used in the past. And sicne I'm on the board of directors for the players now - I will have to go up to visit Indiana at least twice a month so it's not like I won't see my friends there. So for a change, I'm being optomistic. | | |
| I have spent almost every moment of the last 3 weeks either working at the Playhouse on A Christmas Carol or sleeping - with a brief 48 hour sojourn home for Thanksgiving (which sucked). If this show is not an amazing success - I will be imploding 2.3 hours after the show is open. I am exhausted - but if we pull it off it'll all be worth it. | | |
| Wow, I've gotten really bad at this whole updating thing. Well, the big news is I've decided on my 3 summer shows - pending Marie approval of course. The shows will be Cabaret, Guys and Dolls, & Damn Yankees. In that order. Cabaret in late June/early July, Guys and Dolls after that and Damn Yankees over Labor Day. I'm trying to talk her into applying for Chicago and if we can't get the rights (there only letting 10% of applicants do it) then doing Cabaret instead. Cabaret will be a departure for me though. In the past, when I've directed a show for the second time I've avoided casting someone in the same role they had in the prior production. This time - I can see myself recasting a few people in the same roles if they're interested - because let's face it - with one exception that cast was pretty close to perfect for their roles. But I think it should be a fun summer. I can't wait for summer because my apartment is SOOOOO cold. The landlady has the thermostat in her office downstairs so we have NO CONTROL over the temperature in the apartment which has been warmer than outside but not by much at times. That sucks. This whole no job thing also sucks a lot. Ramen noodles have become my life blood. Sordid Lives was well recieved even if I wasn't very happy with it. My own performance was adequete, but I wish it were more. We had 2 cast members who never got all of their lines down, but the audiences seemed to enjoy the show a lot and they've laughed a lot. We have an offer to perform the show (for pay) at the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce in Pittsburgh. That'll be January if it happens. Our director revealed at the cast party that he was Miss Gay North Carolina in the late 90s. Though I didn't like him as a director, he was kind of inspiring. He and his partner have been together for almost 20 years. Kinda nice to know that some gay men can have the fairy tale ending (no pun intended.) A Christmas Carol is actually going well - although the rehearsal schedule is rather scary trying to work around all of the conflicts I have to deal with. But I do hold high hope that it'll be an amazing show. It needs to be. I need a good show. I have a sudden 7month old special needs grand nephew that we just found out about (a result of an orgy) that my nephew just learned about. The kids mother was so abusive that at 7 months old he's already had a broken leg, a broken rib, and has had enough brain damage that he is now "special needs" - though I don't know what that entails just that my nephew has to go to special classes before he gets custody of the kid so he can take care of him. We're trying to figure out how exactly to break this news to my mother. Should be an interesting Thanksgiving at the Hockenberry table (although, considering I'm the only blood Hockenberry at the table - can we really call it that?) Well, that's it for now. | | |
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