In less than two and a half weeks, I’ll embark on my third Fall orientation tour with GTC Dramatic Dialogues. We’re in the midst of rehearsing with a new moderator who has joined our team, Chris Kidder, who also happens to be a friend of mine and someone who’s directed me in the past. Rehearsal [...]

Raye brought a guest instructor into class on Monday: Thomas Prattki. He was a student of LeCoq and founder of the London International School of Performing Arts (LISPA). He had us for about two hours, during which time, we did some introductory mask work and explored the idea of tapping our id, our most basic [...]

If you’re involved in the Twin Cities’ small, independent film scene, you may know Dennis Steele. Aside from being involved in lots of projects, he operates www.mntalent.com, which is a good online source for the local film scene. Dennis recently invited me to participate in a sitcom script reading this past Saturday at Metropolitan State University. The instructor, [...]

David Wethern and family Part II: Red Wing, Minnesota On the short drive from Diamond Bluff to Red Wing, MN, I kept my eyes peeled for the Border Lounge in Hager City, as per my friend Scot’s recommendation. Alas, it was closed, depriving me of the chance to spend my Sunday afternoon watching strippers. Maybe next [...]

July 13, 1890 Captain David Wethern’s ship, The Sea Wing, capsizes in a storm on Lake Pepin, a wide section of the Missisippi River that borders Minnesota and Wisconsin. 98 passengers drown, including David Wethern’s wife Nellie and son Purley. The Sea Wing Disaster was one of the worst maritime disasters to happen on inland [...]

I was searching through Find A Grave yesterday, looking for dead relatives here in Minnesota that I could visit, and I decided to look for my great grandfather, the first Clarence Wethern (of which I am the fourth in a row). This grave is in Carson City, Nevada, so it’s unlikely that I’ll see it [...]

So, I just accidentally found out that I was quoted in Mark Peters’ blog Wordlustitude back in May. Now that I’ve discovered this blog, it’s one of my new favorites, by the way. Here’s how the author defines it:  “This blog (recently featured in New Scientist, Slate, and The Telegraph) is a growing dictionary of ephemeral [...]

“I just said hello. I don’t want to say goodbye.” – Lucas Brickman, Laughter on the 23rd Floor Laughter on the 23rd Floor closed Saturday night. It’s an odd phenomenon in Bemidji that, not only are Friday and Saturday nights their lowest-attended performances, but closing night always tends to be the least attended. Despite having the [...]

I’ve mentioned that doing this Neil Simon play has made me nostalgic for the last time I did a Neil Simon play, Broadway Bound, which was my very first play in high school ten years ago. It’s prompted me to reflect on the past ten years and remember how I got into this industry in the first [...]

Eric was recognized in a coffee shop this morning. Barista: Oh, you were in the show last night! You were so funny! Eric (self deprecatingly): Thank you. Well, Neil Simon is funny… Barista: Oh, yeah, he was funny, too. Everybody did a really great job!