My birthday, their benefit.
I got confirmation on the space the evening of January 9th and had a little less than two weeks to pull everything together. I had a solid line up by the 14th, most of the logistics nailed down by the 17th, thought I was going to have a heart attack on 21st, and then managed to pull off an amazing show with my incredibly talented friends on the night of the 22nd.
We had an audience of about 50/60 people, and raised around $500 for the space.
In honor of my performers, here's a (slightly edited) version of my emcee notes from the night:
Cristian and Kristen - stage combat
The groin fight.
Cristian flew out from South Carolina to let me kick him in the groin!! Cristian is an actor and an accomplished stage combatant.
Gabriella - song
Dream a Little Dream w/ a kazoo interlude.
"Gabriella was raised in the wilds of California's wine country on a small farm surrounded by vineyards at the end of a long dirt road. Growing up, she spent her days barefoot in the yard singing songs to the goats and the chickens, and in the evenings she would while away the hours practicing the Jews harp and listening to The Shadow and Inner Sanctum on the radio. Her head is full of random song lyrics and the names of old movie actors, and she frequently can't find her keys."
Gabriella is one of my favorite people. She constantly surprises me with all of the wonderful things she can do -- she can skateboard, she's been a drummer in a band, she's a great dancer, and she sews a lot of her own clothes. She seems to know a little bit about everything, and is one of the most stylish people I know.
Stephen - stand up comedy
Stand up comedy act.
"Stephen started off doing stand up comedy only 6 months ago and in South Korea (telling it to foreigners, not Koreans)"
I met Stephen in a pool hall in Berkeley one night, and he mentioned to me that he was about to move to Korea to teach English... and then, he randomly kept saying "platypus" to me the rest of the night... ? ...which was strange and hilarious! When I heard that he was back from Korea and doing stand-up comedy I had to go see him -- and he was fantastic.
Rebecca - modern dance
"Sunken Crux" w/ music by Thom Yorke.
Rebecca was the first friend I made in California. I met her at Sony, where I worked as a temp for three weeks. One day we went to get burritos for lunch and ended up having this deep personal conversation. After I left Sony, we kept in touch and Rebecca started inviting me to her dance shows. She blew me away with her talent and, because of her, I soon fell in love with modern dance.
Cristian - monologue
"My Personal Journey to Find My Mostacho".
"In middle school, Cristian was enrolled in girls PE for the sixth and seventh grades. The ladies that made the schedule thought his name was Cristina because he spells his name without the 'h'. In his eighth grade year, he decided to put on a wig for his yearbook photo and listed himself in the yearbook as 'Cristina'."
I was at a week long stage combat workshop in LA, and Cristian and I were paired up in the groin shot workshop. Cristian grew up in Texas, moved to LA to be an actor, and now works as the technical theater director at a small college in South Carolina. He wrote this monologue for the show!!
Intermission
Joan and Kristen - stage combat
Ninja butter knife fight.
"When Joan thinks of mustaches she inevitably thinks of Burt Reynolds circa early 80s, and the fact that she somehow managed to convince her parents at the ripe old age of 11 to take her to see her first rated R movie: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, starring Burt, his mustache, Dolly Parton and her breasts. She's not sure which she wanted more - his mustache or her breasts."
I love Joan! Joan lives in the warehouse and is a big part of why the space is happening, and why the party is happening... she is trained in circus arts, stage combat, acting, is presently working on putting together a one man show, and can do a handstand forever... I want to personally thank Joan...for everything.
Sky - literary reading
Excerpts from her thesis.
"Sky is married to a Canadian named Dan. They met many years ago in Costa Rica and had a love affair by the beach. Three years later, he friended her on Facebook. They wrote to each other for many months before she booked a ticket to Vancouver to see him. The rest, as they say, is history."
Sky is a constant source of inspiration. She's the kind of person who displays so much passion and depth in her life and in her writing that you can't help but find yourself caught up in whatever she wants to share with you. She just finished her masters degree at SF State in creative writing.
Audrey - comedy act
Kitten puppet and song.
Audrey lives in the warehouse and is trained in circus arts. The first night I met Audrey, I thought, this girl is so cute and charming I can barely stand it! One night, I was going to a clown show to see another friend perform, and when I showed up Audrey was greeting the audience playing the ukulele and singing, and she did this wonderful piece that she's going to share.
Keenan and Matt - bass and sax
Improv music.
"Keenan has never seen Raging Bull, Titanic, or The Notebook. He's also not wearing underwear."
I met Matt in 1999, and he quickly became a great friend and one of my favorite musicians. It means so much to me that he's a part of the show. Matt and Keenan used to play music together in Colorado, which has a lot to do with why we're all here -- but that's a longer story than I can get into. Keenan is also an amazing musician and friend, and one of the tallest people I know.
Nikolas - trapeze
Trapeze burlesque piece.
Nikolas lives in the warehouse and is trained in circus arts. Nikolas and I bonded over crepes one night and since then I've been continually impressed with his views on the world, his creativity, and his generous nature. He can tell you great stories about couch surfing and kindergarden detectives.
Special thanks to: Joan, Audrey, Nikolas, Natty for the use of the space, Dave for bartending, Rob on sound, Ikenna on video camera, and for all of my friends who helped me with thinking and planning - Aria, Michael, Maureen, Isabel, Cristian.
