A few, brief thoughts on seeing "The Great Gatsby"

- Though I am usually not a fan of DiCaprio, I found myself charmed by the subtlety of his acting in this movie.  Probably because it was so vastly opposite Luhrmann's directing style of "Beat the Audience About the Head and Neck With Camera Tricks."  In Luhrmann's hands, Jerry Lewis would look like a nuanced actor.

- Nick Caraway in a Sanitarium is not acceptable.  Fitzgerald should be allowed to come back from the dead to nut-punch Luhrmann.  NOT.  ACCEPTABLE.

- Women who identify with Daisy Buchanan should be gently told that they're probably more like Myrtle Wilson.

- What happened to that dog?  

- In order for the term "Old Sport" to sound natural, one should not pause immediately before saying it.

- "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And then one fine morning—
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Oh God, it's true, isn't it?  We can't escape the past!  Our goals keep moving ever further away!  The green light is a sham! Is 2 in the afternoon too early to have a martini and go back to bed?

- Daisy Buchanan is a real piece of shit.

Students

I have been a teacher (of improv, of reading, of math, of acting, of theatre for social justice) for many years now and it is one of the single most gratifying jobs I've ever had.  I take great joy in watching people learn something new or learn a new aspect of an old skill.  It's the reason I went to grad school, actually:  so I could eventually teach at a university level and get to watch people make extraordinary discoveries on a daily basis.  With paid vacation time.  The beauty of teaching for me is also the fact that every student I've ever had in any program has left a mark on my life.  Every one is so ineffably unique.  I remember something of every student I've ever had and I love that so much.  My life is filled with a thousand small stories that other people have shared with me, simply by dint of being part of a class I've taught.

So, today I was standing in a cafe in Bar Harbor, waiting on a take-out order (a fantastic, life-changing turkey melt sandwich from Sidestreet Cafe, which offers gluten-free bread on request, fellow celiacs!) when I happened to notice one of the other patrons of the restaurant who looked very familiar to me.  After I got my sandwich (seriously, it's SO GOOD!), I approached her and asked if she had taken classes at the Improv Asylum.  In the next few seconds, I watched recognition break across her face.  I had been her instructor for more than one class.  We squealed, we talked, we hugged, we had a grand old catch-up.  It was wonderful.

Students, your teachers remember you and care about you long after you've finished studying with them.  They wonder about you and hold you in their thoughts.  They care.  They wouldn't be teachers if they didn't.

BTW, my former student has a pretty kick-ass business now. Maine Foodie Tours.  Check them out if you're in Portland, Kennebunkport or Bar Harbor!

Drama

Recently, a chancellor for the university system in the state of Georgia called "drama" the "wrong" major to pursue in college. Suffice it to say, that was a huge lapse in judgement on the chancellor's part.  Witness this lovely editorial here.  Also witness this badassery.  As a graduate of the University of Georgia system with said "wrong" major, I feel the need to defend my course of study a weensie bit.  Moreover, I feel the need to give a shout out to a company that I am particularly interested/invested in and rooting for.

Defending live theatre as a profession/resource/valid course of study: http://www.tcg.org/advocacy/impact.cfm

A theatre company that is kicking butt and taking names:  http://www.penobscottheatre.org/

And another theatre company nearby that I love beyond all sense and reason: www.improvacadia.com

In short:  Go into the arts, if you are so inclined.  Dream if you must, because the rest of the world is counting on your vision to pull us through.