Everything!

My blog has fell by the wayside. Well, so has Buzzkill Cinema, Quotent Quotables, my HaikuOfTheDay tweets on my twitter page, and a handful of other responsibilities. It has been one hell of a month. I've been traveling a lot, working a lot, and opening myself up to new opportunities. I guess the good thing about having all these sites to manage is that it gives me something to do, when ever I'm not working. Unfortunately, the summer is gearing up and my schedule is keeping me away from home on a more frequent basis. Everything is so exciting. Though, the time I do have off, I would rather be doing something else than just sitting on the couch. There is always something to do, you just have to find the motivation to do it!

Well, it started in mid-April. My boss at Georgia Ensemble Theatre & Conservatory called and informed me of the camps I'll be teaching at this summer. It's kind of old news, I knew I'd be teaching something there again. GET is my home and, no matter where I'm at in my career, I will ALWAYS go back if they offer the opportunity. (Last summer, I had no other option for summer work and they reached out took a chance on me. It turned out to be one of the best gigs EVER and it opened so many doors and connections to the Atlanta theatre-scene. I will forever be in debt to that company.)

Then, I got the call to be the theatre instructor at a company called Arts Clayton. Elise, my roommate, will be the art instructor. This will be a super fun gig. I'm very excited about teaching at this camp because I'll actually be directing a small show. With these two gigs and a handful of weddings and birthdays, my summer is officially booked. Mission: accomplished. With the exception of some weekends, every day of June and July is packed. Luckily, the paychecks are very reasonable, so I can actually go on temporary leave from my retail job. Sweet!!!

It was about this time last week that I received the email from another company. I interviewed for a stage managing position at Fabrefaction Theatre Company. It's a brand new company in Atlanta, with a new state-of-the-art theatre complex. It's absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I'll go into specifics about the company in a later blog, but the interview I had went very well. It took about two weeks to get confirmation, but I was offered a four-show opportunity contract. I took it. I'll begin in October 2010 and the final show will conclude around late-March 2011. Half a year of stability? Hells yeah! I'll be working on Frosty the Snowman: The Musical, Widows, The Mousetrap, and a world premiere production. One of these will go on tour, as well.

It's been an overwhelming month to get this load of information. I am so thankful and honored to be working with these companies and I cannot wait to get the ball rolling. Another perk is that this year's schedule still has a few holes in it. There's plenty of room for other gigs (acting, teaching, stage managing, etc.). I want to try and branch out and work with as many people as possible. My ultimate dream is to work alongside friends again. I would KILL to be in a show with the Summer McCuskers, the Lena Thomas', the CSU alumni of the world. It's going to happen!

In case you didn't know, I withdrew from Actors' Equity Association about a month and a half ago. It was one of the most terrifying and difficult decisions I have ever made. But, as you can see, it was for the best. Now I can totally audition and open myself up to the companies that could not afford to hire union actors. The last four paragraphs might not be big news to most actors, but once I withdrew from Equity, the opportunities multiplied by a thousand. This is what is overwhelming to me. It was the smartest career-decision I have made, as of late; once I left, I almost immediately got work. I only wish I had made this decision sooner.

This could seriously go on and on. The situation is bit more political and justified than just "I left". So, I'll stop now and save it for another day. I'm just incredibly grateful for the opportunities that have been given to me, both as a union and non-union actor. It's been a long wait for this moment, but it was worth every bead of sweat. I just wanted to check-in and let you know what I've been up to. I've been kind of hush-hush about these gigs until I got confirmations that they're officially a go. And they are. So, here I go...

Much love,
Jono