h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Might have been better if I had written "mind" of a computer, but I dislike overusing punctuation.

Chucks plays go from sublime to ridiculous, pardon the chiche. One of the best known, among CPers, is called Transit Gloria, about a person who is at the Pearly Gates and has to answer questions about how he/she lived before going to meet God. One of those get it right before it's too late type of plays. On the opposite end he wrote children's plays based on Charlie Brown and Lucy type characters. Even asked Charles Schultz for permission because they were so similar, though the names were completely different. (Stanley Blodget and Cleo) Many of his plays were fun to perform. Others were too stressful. In training, new CPers were taught to act using The Method. Frankly, I've come to despise that mode of acting and tend to agree with David Mamet. Stanislavsky came up with theories that can't be put into practice consistantly.

Yes I've heard of Ladino. Heard it spoken once or twice and found a newspaper written in it.

From your recent name change, I gather you are a Frank Zappa fan. What do you think of his kids' work lately?

The Zappa family is going to be one to watch.
Gail and Frank raised their kids to think.
I may not agree with some of their directions, but I'm not completely aware of where they are coming from.
Just as Frank came from a corner pocket of California society and culture that is an anthropology project waiting to happen, his kids grew up in a seventies and eighties that I could only watch from afar. Most of the people I grew up around never got farther than '76 in their brains. Rolling around in Explorers, chatting on cell phones about the same dreck their mothers were in '65.
Stanislavski was a jerk. The Actor's studio is funky.
I like the way improv groups work, like the Groundlings, Compass Players, Second City...
On the other hand, I had a conversation with one of my daughter's grade school principals last year. She said that if she could fix the qualifications for her teachers, she would demand that they have some experience in front of an audience. She said too many of her teachers would rather put up an overhead and dim the lights and talk from the back of the class or pop in a video and pop a quiz afterward or stick to the received text down to putting paper clips in their copy of the text and leaving them there for the rest of the life of the book.
She said she would like acrobats, comedians, debaters, actors, improvisational speakers, anything but what she was getting. Which was mostly MRS degree holders.

Funny, I learned more about teaching by being on stage and by working with horses than from most of the university education courses I had to take. Mime has been most valuable, particularly when no one knows what it is I'm trying to say. Too bad I don't do elementary or I might apply at your daughter's school.
Teenagers are a tough enough audience.
After a year and a half with CP, 2 years as part time wrangler and 6 years in the classroom, I'm not nearly so fearful as I used to be. Sometimes being in front of a crown is easier than one on one.
The Actor's Studio was almost like a cult. Some people think the same about CP, even some former CPers. I haven't decided yet.

I've heard of Second City, but am not familiar with the Groundlings or Compass Players. We have a mime troup at Wichita State U. called the Alethea Players. They hosted Marcel Marceau not long ago.

Now, there's a fascinating fellow.
I worked as a stage hand and a lighting tech in several productions in the small theatres of Austin, TX. I've never acted outside some skits in Church choir musicals. We used to go cross-country during spring break.

Marceau is definitely fascinating. He's in his 70's or 80's and still performing. May we all do so well for so long.

I saw him perform several years ago in Taiwan. Have his autoghraph on a Chinese language ticket to prove it too.

You've written some interesting things about Christmas on your page. Hmmm. Must consider further before comment. But I think you are right about some things. Particularly about the notion that Mary lived in some perpetual state of bliss and joy. Too often we try to water down the Bible so that its just a bunch of interesting stories that entertain us, but don't disturb us. And we must never be disturbed. (yeah. right.)

Okay. Will await further comments with baited breath.
I'm going to go take the kid to the library.