Catching up with Murrah in Ohio...
Hello from Columbus, Ohio!
I have been so fortunate to be traveling these past couple of months and have landed my ass in a coffee shop in the middle-ish of the US. In January I got to see dear friends in Boston, Newfoundland, Washington DC and New Jersey. (I threw New Jersey in there just because, but let's face it, I took a train for the day and it's practically New York City but with curvy streets.) Then I was off to the land of BBQ and beer and music and art, Kansas City, MO. The song is absolutely true. I walked to the privy in the rain and never wet my feet. I then bounced back to NYC for a few days before heading to the Buckeye State. Not as much BBQ here, but great beer and people and vintage clothing. Also a lot of glass blocks and neon signs. Just saying.
It's been a bit of a whirlwind and I am happy the whirlwind will continue. But in the middle of the excitement I did find myself feeling a little restless. I called it homesick. I was a 33, almost 34, year old man who was homesick like I was back at camp when I was 10. How strange that was. But truly, it was a lovely reminder of the great friends and family in my life who keep me steady and happy by reflecting back to me, daily, that I am loved and needed and a part of something greater than myself. When that gets taken away, or is simply not nearby, it is important to look for those reflections in other ways. For me, it means stepping up to the counter at the coffee shop and saying, "Hello, how's it going?" instead of just ordering. It means asking for recommendations on restaurants or breaking your toilet so you have to find a hardware store before you leave your AirBnB. I am not usually good at doing things alone, but I have realized that being alone is a state of mind. We aren't, even when we are. We are surrounded by possible human interactions that can reflect the positive things in the world right back to us.
I just had to open my eyes a little wider to realize that.
All my best and more to come! Now check out what's going on below! If nothing else, read about Acting Manitou Scholarship Foundation's drive to support all kids who want to go to summer camp and experience a life changing session at Acting Manitou!
Chris
Here in Columbus, I am working with Anne Bogart and Ann Hamilton and the members of the SITI Company on the theatre is a blank page. Born from the questions of what it is like to have a room of people reading together and how we can create the spaciousness we feel when we read as a piece of theatre,blank page occupies the Mershon Auditorium in the beautiful Wexner Centeron the campus of OSU. The company is in the middle of rehearsals exploring and creating using the text from Virginia Woolf's To The Lighthouse.
Pictured above: Larry Marshall and the asses of the amazing cast of Hair: Retrospection
Congratulations to the amazing and brave and giving cast of Hair: Retrospection at Kansas City Rep! The show was a moving exploration and tribute to the very energy that surrounded the original production in 1968 and we were so lucky to work with talented actors who were there. It was a reminder to listen to generations other than our own and to engage in stillness long enough to let their stories impact our own lives. Thank you to Eric Rosen, Chip Miller and everyone at The Rep for including me in what will be a Hair to remember.