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An Empty Space?

Greetings.

It’s not as if I don’t want to write. I’d like to write much more. But for now it seems my days do not create enough space in them for writing. I think it’s a matter of discipline. I must learn to write smaller bits and be satisfied with that. This space is not empty, but I do have to compact it.

I am beginning rehearsals for Proof on top of everything else. There is an exchange between Catherine and Robert:

Catherine: Were you happy?

Robert: Yeah. I was busy.

So far I am finding that busy-ness may not equal happiness. Do we take the time to know the difference? -twl

Tags: by Tom Loughlin
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Odds and Ends

It seems at times that this blog gets the better of me in terms of being consistent in writing in it. My posts have dwindled down to about one a week or so, and I really can’t blame that on anyone but myself. Time seems to me to be turning into this amorphous entity which I can’t control. I think this had something to do with becoming an academic dean. I don’t quite know no other way to say this than it appears I have adapted to the time schedule of a traditional office worker, and that is something I’ve never really had to do up to this point in my life (or at least for the last 25 years). I found myself last Wednesday in something of a panic trying to slow myself down and breathe as I was driving to work. I had realized I was wound up and almost breathless because I thought I was going to be “late.” This is happening at 7:45 in the morning. Now I know a few of you reading this must think I am nuts, but honestly, seldom in my life have I ever had to be anywhere by 8AM. I am spoiled rotten, I know. So this entry is a mostly vain attempt to get down some thoughts and observations I’ve had over the past week which should have, but did not, make it in here. [Read more →]

Tags: by Tom Loughlin
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“They Killed All My Heroes” Day

This is the federal holiday marking the birth of Martin Luther King, but I celebrate it as “They Killed All My Heroes” Day. It’s a day for me to remember and honor all the political figures I admired as a young boy who were assassinated while I grew up. The roll call: [Read more →]

Tags: by Tom Loughlin
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A Place of My Own

For many years now I’ve harbored a secret desire to run my own theatre. I’ve applied for some AD positions in the past, notably for Shakespeare companies, and the closest I ever came was spending one summer as the Associate AD at Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival, which no longer exists. The year I spent with the American Shakespeare Center gave me another example of how something from such humble beginnings (students from James Madison University touring regional high schools) grew to become this. And here in Buffalo, the Irish Classical Theatre Company rose from its humble beginnings in an airport hotel lobby to having its own modern space within 10 years, in a staunch blue-collar city with a rotten economy to boot.

Within the past six months I have been mulling over in my mind the wisdom of starting my own theatre. But when I read posts like this, I scratch my head and wonder about the feasibility of starting yet another theatre in a society which does not place much value on live theatre. I find myself continually running up against the clash of reality and dreams. Is there any kind of realistic, rational reason for starting a new theatre in the city of Buffalo (my likely choice), or am I being too idealistic in thinking such a thing would fly? [Read more →]

Tags: by Tom Loughlin
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Getting Lazy

It’s not because I don’t want to write, but it’s a combination of taking things rather easy over the past week or so and waiting until I had a firmer grip on the new job, and also waiting until my son went back to Illinois. Don’t think this is going to be a long post, because tonight is the National Championship Game of college football, and I will probably tune it. Rather, this is merely a post simply to keep posting and people who read to stay interested. I am going up to see a couple of shows in Buffalo this coming weekend, but in the meantime I have things in my head which will find their way to a post in due time. Until then….  -twl

Tags: by Tom Loughlin
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The Meme Game

I have been tagged by Matt Freeman with the meme game apparently initiated by His/Her Blogness George Hunka. These are the rules:

  • Find the nearest book.
  • Turn to page 123.
  • Go to the fifth sentence on the page.
  • Copy out the next three sentences and post to your blog.
  • Name the book and the author, and tag three more folks.

And here are my results:

Meanwhile, Morris and his nephew wandered through the cool, white halls of the museum, did a quick appraisal of the War Between the States, and then got ready to leave. At first, they thought that they had misremembered where they parked the car, but after looking through the whole garage they came back to where they were sure they had left it. The Volvo, the viola da gamba and the dog were gone.

The book is The Best American Essays 2006 edited by Lauren Slater. The essay itself is entitled “Lost Dog” by Susan Orlean, and appeared in The New Yorker Feb. 14/21, 2005. Ms. Orlean is a staff writer for The New Yorker.

I tag Garrett (how has he been missed up to now?), Scott (our worlds seem to be getting smaller), and Don Hall (mostly because it’ll probably make him angry, and he writes best when he’s pissed off).  -twl

Tags: by Tom Loughlin
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No Big Deal

I’ve never really caught the New Year’s Eve spirit. Over the years I have been to a couple of parties or two, including one memorable one in which I played rhythm guitar in the evening’s band and had a good time doing that. And for a few years about four couples all connected with the theatre scene in Buffalo got together for an evening of food and such, stretching into New Year’s Day with breakfast. But all in all, I’m not a big fan of the New Year’s Eve celebration. I much prefer New Year’s Day, a holiday with no particular meaning (since the celebration happened the night before), and no particular obligations. Just a day of sitting around, maybe watching some football if you’re so inclined, and generally wasting about. This year brings a new twist for me, however, as for the first time in many, many years, I actually have to steel myself to return to work on January 2nd. I may not actually have the chance to vegetate today, as there are some things I need to prepare, most notably coordinating my new collection of clothes. Thoreau’s admonition to “distrust any enterprise which requires new clothes” has been haunting the hollows of my mind this past fortnight. [Read more →]

Tags: by Tom Loughlin
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