JINX's Best 2007 EVER

JINX is my improv troupe. Come see our show!

What a year! You got your dream job, popped the question, lost those 15 pounds, and ended several armed conflicts across the globe. Well done! Your astounding good fortune and real-life triumphs just might be the inspiration for JINX's completely fictional show as they present the unabashedly improvised Best 2007 EVER!

P.S. If your year sucked, they can use that too.

When: Fridays, November 30-December 28* at 9:30pm
Where: The Source Theater, 1835 14th St. NW
Why: To laugh, perchance, to dream
How much: $12...buy tix in advance here

[*Note, yours truly won't be in the 12.28 show]

Best 2007 EVER is part of Washington Improv Theater's holi-times extravaganza. Learn about other shows in the lineup here.

Wanna paint a storefront?

If you have the time and inclination (and skillz) to paint a storefront in NW this week (think "quirky holiday-themed"), let me know asap. Sorry if I can't reply to all, but know that your interest is very appreciated!

Memo to "Black Friday"

Read the list of ten things, courtesy of Keri Smith, and learn more about "Buy Nothing Day".

Happy Thanksgiving

I am grateful for so many things. I wish for you the space to recognize the abundance in your life, whatever form it may take - if only ("only") the abundance of your creative potential.

Death Star Cake

...as in, a cake that looks like the Death Star:


The artist: My friend Jen
The occasion: Her boyfriend's birthday
Materials used: Step-by-step instructions here
More Star Wars-inspired art: Check it out

On a Hill They Call Capital

My friend Katie's brother, Virginia native Matt Carson, recently published this book - On a Hill They Call Capital - and I promised I'd mention the book signing party....and then promptly forgot. D'oh. But I can still tell y'all about the book itself:

"On a Hill They Call Capital is the story of eight Virginians in their late twenties who decide to mount a revolution against the United States Federal Government based on their grievances with the Patriot Act, excessive taxation, and irresponsible pork barreling."

For more info, check out the author's website, or read the reviews on Amazon.

Viva la revolucion!(?)

Open Mic Night on Mondays at Chief Ike's

My buddies over at DC Comedy 4 Now are kicking off a weekly open mic night at Chief Ike's tonight, as part of their efforts to grow/bring more attention to DC's comedy scene. Check it out!

"Now What?" at Woolly Mammoth

I'm intrigued by "Now What?," an "autobiographical monologue" playing at Woolly Mammoth through December 9. The artist, Josh Lefkowitz, is 26 and debuted his first monologue, "HELP WANTED: A Personal Search for Meaningful Employment at the Start of the 21st Century," in 2006. It seems to have resonated with audiences quite a bit, and now he's back with monologue #2, contemplating - as the title suggests - what to do next...how to follow and move forward from an early success. In the video interview above, he says he's inspired by the likes of Spaulding Gray. ...something that, according to DCist, is apparently pretty obvious if you see his work. If you've seen him perform, I'd love to hear what you thought. I plan to check out "Now What?" over the weekend...

A Quote

"Art is nothing but a synopsis of nature made by imagination."
-Jose Maria Eca de Queiros, a Portuguese writer
(found on a website for a resort in Portugal's Douro Valley)

Picture Poems, and How Learning HTML Under Duress Helped Me Lead a More Creative Life, or, Thank You, Al Filreis

I came upon this "picture poem" by Kenneth Patchen on the website of my former English professor, Al Filreis. I love Patchen's story (which Al tells) because he didn't let physical limitations keep him from creating. Hearing stories about people with that much determination to create inspires me, and and reminds me that sometimes our limits push us to express ourselves in unexpected and beautiful ways.

Incidentally, Al is the reason I learned HTML, despite ardent protestations at the time. I was in his Literature of Community class, and our final assignment was to create a website reflecting our definition of community. "But we don't know HTML!," half of us protested. This was in '97. "Figure it out," he told us.

Knowing HTML got me in the door at my first job as an online content producer -- which, despite my technophobia, allowed me to do far more interesting work at the age of 22 than I could have done in most other industries. That job led to another, and so on and so forth, which led to me being able to work for myself at the age of 31, and lead a creative life with space for all kinds of projects and passions... so -

Thanks, Al.

UPDATE
Read Al's response to finding this post.

Caught Some Fish

Hi everyone,

Sorry I was off the air for the past week. Once again, my relationship with this blog ebbs and flows - sometimes I'm all over it, other times I'm caught up with other things. I think that's okay, and I hope you do, too. I'll try to be better about posting "Gone Fishing" notices and the like, though. (Since I know you were all desperately wondering when I'd be back!)

I've been playing with the idea of a one-woman show. For a long time, my main public-facing art has been improv, and I'm craving the opportunity to build off that to say something more deliberate -- something partly improvised, partly written, that plays with multimedia. This has been in the back of my head for a long time, and only recently have I started to coax it out of hiding. If not now, when - right?

Have you ever developed a one-person show, or other performance piece? If so, any advice on how to hone my concept, and rehearse it? I'm thinking I need to find a coach - someone who will work with me to brainstorm and then be my director. I'd love your suggestions.

Good to be back -
Amanda

P.S. Just decided to look at Miranda July's website for inspiration. Other sources?