From the Inside Out

The cast and crew from Pirates of Patmos reconvened tonight for one last event, the cast party. Now that it’s over, we can officially close the door on Pirates. It was a fun ride and part of me will miss it, but I have some great memories that will follow me forever.

One of the great things about our cast parties is that we hold a special advance screening of the DVD. It allows us to re-live some of our most enjoyable moments from the play, and it’s the first time that the actors get to see their performances. Watching the DVD with the cast is lots of fun, but there’s a bit of humiliation mingled in there too as we poke fun at ourselves. I especially liked the fact that Amy said it was the only time she saw me act girly. I’m still not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult. The “non-girly” side of me is taking it as a compliment.

Now that the final act is over, we can focus completely on the next show, Saturday Night Life. The creative team has been writing for a few weeks now. We have our final list of sketches in place (although a couple are still pending approval…gotta make sure they aren’t too controversial). Casting requirements are almost complete, and auditions will be held next Monday night. Rehearsals begin the first week of August.

I’m sad to see Pirates go, but I’m already looking forward to SNL. We’ve got a great line-up of sketches, and it’s going to be a blast. I can’t wait!

Pirates of Patmos is featured in an article on the Ninetyandnine Webizine this week.  It includes a Q&A format interview with “yours truly” and also showcases a few pictures of the play. 

Thanks to Josh Lewis for making it happen. 

Check out the full article here.

The pictures are pouring in now!  I’ve uploaded more photos into my gallery (courtesy of Mark Henry).  The new pics include cast shots and tech week rehearsals.  Check ‘em out.

As we bask in the glow of Pirates, we embark on the next journey this week.  Brainstorming with the writers for SNL begins on Thursday.  Wish us luck!

After a week in San Jose, I’m happy to report that I’m back in Dallas again.  Tonight we went to Studio Movie Grill to celebrate my return home.  We caught the 7:40 showing of Wanted.  It’s not a movie for everyone.  I call it a combo between the TV show, Chuck, and The Matrix.  I think it’s more appealing to men than women, but with that said, I did enjoy it.  The action was good (violent, but good), the plot was unique, and the main characters were well developed.  I’m not necessarily a fan of Angelina Jolie, but she does tend to play strong female roles, and I like that about her.  This movie is no exception.  Plus, as Gary points out, “She even bleeds cool.”  If you enjoyed The Matrix, you will probably like this movie too.

Now for something completely different.  If you are a fan of Pirates of Patmos, check out the new pictures from Saturday’s show.  Thanks Derrick!

Wow, I can’t believe it’s already Sunday night.  This weekend passed so quickly.  I guess the saying is true – time flies when you’re having fun!  And when you have that much fun, it makes you really tired so here’s my brief “weekend in review” summary:

• Nicolas’s Belt Test:  We got up early Saturday morning to watch my nephew’s black belt test.  Gary received his black belt a few years ago, and it’s a big deal.  Anyway, I’m really proud of Nick.  He’s a great kid, and it’s so cool to see him achieve such a special accomplishment at a young age. 

• Pirates of Patmos:  After the test, we headed back to the church to prepare for Saturday’s performance of Pirates.  I’m happy to report that it was a great night.  We had a terrific crowd, outstanding energy and no major missteps.  A couple of the cast members were still battling sickness, but they made it through the entire performance.  You would never have known they were feeling terrible.  After the performance, we received rave reviews.  We even had kids and adults taking pictures with the pirates and the “princess”.  It was really cool.  The best thing is that one of the ladies who helped build the set made a decision to be baptized last night!  That makes it all worthwhile.  Isn’t God amazing?
• Sunday morning came quickly.  I had to be at church at 8 am for praise team practice.  I was wiped out — physically and mentally.  Somehow I managed to make it through both services even though I was close to losing my voice (please remind me to not sing after doing a play next time).  Jeff Manning preached today on “Jaws” (all of our sermons this month have been related to the ocean, pirates or boats to coincide with the Pirates production — they called it our Summer Blockbuster Sermon Series — cool, huh?).  Anyway, I really enjoy hearing him minister.  He’s just so entertaining, and he always manages to weave a great message into the midst of the entertainment. 
• One Life:  After church, we rushed home and prepared for the One Life young married’s group meeting which was being hosted at our house tonight. 
• Travel to San Jose:  Unfortunately, I had to miss the One Life meeting.  I really wanted to be there because Ben Sanders was speaking about faith.  He’s a good speaker, and I was looking forward to his discussion, but that pesky thing called a job was sending me elsewhere.  After cleaning the house, I had to get packed and ready to fly to San Jose.  I’m here now and will be here for the rest of the week.

Well, there you have it…my weekend in review.  It was amazing!  I can’t believe Pirates is actually over.  I have been working on it since January.  It doesn’t seem real yet, but I know it is. 

Now we move on to the next event:  Saturday Night Life, October 4, 2008

Have a great week everyone!