The Five: Thought Nuggets

Anthony R. Miller checks in to abuse the format of his article to enable his own laziness (again).

Hey you guys, It’s one of those days. For the life of me I just couldn’t think of one topic that could merit 5 dedicated thoughts. So today you get a bunch of random, somewhat theatre-related thoughts. And predictably, there are five.

Shotz!

If you’re looking for some theatre-tastic fun on a Wednesday night, you need to go to Shotz. Every month, a pool of writers are assigned actors, a topic and a few requirements for a script that have only a few days to write. September’s installment will be a hoot for a few reasons. 1) A lot of the same people working on TERROR-RAMA 2 are working on this Election edition of Shotz. Colin Johnson, Jess Thomas, Claire Rice, Alandra Hileman, and I are all contributing in one way or another. My play is titled “I Hope We Can Still Be Friends after the Primary” and it was probably the first positive thing I’ve done to channel my frustration with this hobo trash can fire of an election. Go see Shotz! At PianoFight Wednesday September 14, DO IT!

KO Mania

Being a Pro-Wrestling fan can often be an exercise in patience. Because when it’s bad, it’s bad, but when it’s go, it’s amazing. Usually it’s just, pretty good. Now for those of you not in the know, there has been an obscene amount of wrestling to watch these days. Honestly, by last night I was experiencing WWE-fatigue, there was a big match for the champeenship and honestly it felt all too predictable, but of course I watched. Then something magical happened, there was a huge swerve (surprise ending) and it resulted in Kevin Owens become WWE Universal Champion. KO is one of my absolute favorites and he’s a beast of a human being, he doesn’t look like a typical wrestler and does moves that he just shouldn’t be able to do. He’s a brilliant bad guy, he’s funny, a great performer, there was no way HE was going to win last night, but he did, and it was total shock. I hooted and hollered like I was 10. The thing is, we know it’s pre-determined, we know it’s not “real”, but the best moments of being a fan, is when you forget that, and it feels real.

TERROR-RAMA TIME!

With TERROR-RAMA 2: PROM NIGHT Just 45 days away, things are starting to get exciting. Set construction has begun, costumes are being purchased, and we have super pretty flyers. I cannot wait for this show and rest assured, I will not be shutting up about it. Also, on the subject of flyers, aren’t PSPrint sales like, the best?

I Really Need A Window

Unlike most of my writer friends, I’m fairly laptop adverse, I actually prefer to be in a room alone with my computer, a shitty desktop PC with a giant screen, located in what many would call my “Man Room” but it’s really just a big closet that turned into an office and put on display all the things my girlfriend does not want displayed in the more public parts of our home. This room is my sanctuary. You will probably never find me writing on a laptop at a café, too distracting. I have always preferred to be alone, unbothered by the outside world. The down side is the cat boxes are also located in this sanctuary of mine, so it kinda always smells like cat poo, and a little day light might be nice too, I’m just sayin, I really need a window.

Nowhere Special, I Always Wanted To Go There

OK, this could of merited like, a trillion thoughts. But there will be plenty of long wordy think pieces celebrating Gene Wilder that will be better than anything I could write. But here’s my contribution to the many remembrances of a guy who was by all accounts a comic genius and a brilliant actor; for a lot of people, I think Willy Wonka will always be the character the majority of people will remember Gene Wilder for, but here’s the thing. When I was 7 I saw the film for the first time, and when the girl turned into a blueberry and was rolled away, I was mortified. I was scarier than anything I had or ever will encounter in life. I ran out of them room and never watched the film again. In fact I still refuse, it’s fucking terrifying. However, I will always remember him for Blazing Saddles and The Producers. Much like the film Airplane!, I have watched Blazing Saddles about 4 trillion times. There are bits he does that still make me giggle uncontrollably, (Like seriously, that “This is my shooting hand” bit never stops being funny.) Maybe it’s the soft gentile quality he brings to the humor. Comedy these days is very aggressive, Wilder just let the joke happen, and he always gave his characters passion and empathy, no matter how silly. So here’s to one of the greats, he had a great run.

Anthony R. Miller is a Writer, Producer and Educator. His show TERROR-RAMA 2:PROM NIGHT Opens October 14, 2016, keep up with everything at www.awesometheatre.org.