these are the children i am currently in line to adopt. (should i gain any regular, well-paying employment, a nanny, a new home and a doctor that hands out anxiety medication prescriptions without asking me a lot of questions.)

hospital 2008

so this episodic play i'm doing is getting some rave reviews, which is awesome. it's called HOSPITAL 2008 and it's playing at axis company on sheridan square in NYC.

http://axiscompany.org/index2.php

here are the nytheatre.com reviews.

Martin Denton · June 5, 2008
Episode 3 (July 3, 2008)

This series just keeps getting better and better: Episode 3 is more intense and more all-consumingly involving than its predecessors. The opening prologue on film—which I think provides enough information so that any newcomer to Hospital 2008 can follow the story, even if s/he missed the first two episodes—contains some footage we've already seen plus some new footage; what I was aware of, throughout, was a sense of mortality. I thought: what would it be like to realize that the day you're going through was the last day you'd spend on Earth fully conscious and alive?

The live action scenes that follow, in the tunnel and then in the hospital, are now all clearly the distorted memories of the play's protagonist, a man in a coma who is revisiting that last day I just alluded to—revisiting it in his mind while a team of doctors perform a surgery on him that does not go well at all.

Director Randy Sharp and her remarkable collaborators (on and off stage) balance an eerie dark humor with a mood that's at once supremely frightening and richly (and oddly) life-affirming, especially in the burlesque-of-a-hospital scene that occupies the center of Episode 3 (and the actors portraying the hospital staff give performances that are accordingly deeper and more resonant than in prior weeks; particularly Laurie Kilmartin's human, oh-so-fallible Nurse). This evocation leads us brilliantly into the final sequence of the evening, in which the recurring strangers in the tunnel (see below) appear once again, this time in the guises of Charon, Hades, and Persephone. Our hero is starting to understand what his fate is, following his catastrophic accident. I, for one, am ready to return for the final chapter of Hospital 2008, to experience it through his eyes. I sense transformation ahead...
Episode 2 (June 21, 2008)














Episode 2
Episode 2 of Axis Company's Hospital 2008 is even more riveting than Episode 1 was. It's spookier too; one of the most astonishing things about this serial show so far is how effectively it renders, in an intimate indie theater space, the complete netherworldly phantasmagoric environment that is inside the protagonist's sub/un-conscious memory.

We acquire some new information about what happened in the catalytic tunnel accident. And we learn more about the comatose traveler's state of mind at the time of the accident with the visitation of two new characters in a scene set in the tunnel—the legendary John Henry himself, with an assistant in tow, providing clues about the way out of danger. (Of course, this probably isn't actually John Henry.)

At the hospital (still rendered, ingeniously and eerily, on the same tunnel set) we meet someone who the doctors and nurse think is applying for a job. But she is obviously trying to find out what's happening to the man in the coma. And we understand, better than in Episode 1, that everything the doctors and nurse say is being filtered through the limited processing capability of said man in coma.

George Demas plays John Henry and is at once frightening, funny, and ineffably sad. Britt Genelin is the "applicant." Other cast members are as in Episode 1; all are spectacularly good.

Director Randy Sharp and the rest of the folks at Axis have created something that's entertaining, engaging, and—so it now seems—utterly addictive. I'm looking forward to Episode 3!

Episode 1

Axis Company's annual serial Hospital has been going on for nine years, and somehow I had never seen it until now. The first episode of this year's four-part play, which is set inside the mind of a comatose man seriously injured in the collapse of a tunnel (part of New York's underground water system), is arresting, thrilling, tantalizing, and—in terms of its physical production—spectacularly impressive. So far, I'm hooked.

The one-act drama plays out in three scenes plus a filmed prologue. This prologue is fascinating, interweaving scenes in what appears to be the apartment of the protagonist (where various details and seeming trivialities foreshadow what's to come) with scenes in the tunnel where the protagonist (called "Traveller" in the program) works. What follows is a quick and alarming representation of the accident: we don't know its exact nature, but we do know that afterward, the Traveller plus two of his colleagues are lost in the dark, underground. They radio for help but it's not clear that any is forthcoming.

The play then cuts to a hospital room, which is depicted on the same tunnel set simply by the arrival of a pair of doctors and a nurse; it's also shown to us on three video monitors above the stage that alternately provide the comatose patient's P.O.V and his heart monitor. This scene melds the eerie surreal qualities that permeate the edges of what we've already witnessed with a more blatant absurdity. When we return to the tunnel, characters from Alice in Wonderland turn up—the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and the White Rabbit—and the Traveller, though surprised to encounter new people down here, is nonchalant vis-a-vis their startling identities.

It's all very discombobulating and very magnetic. Nothing is entirely clear and yet the elusive nature of a subconscious dream state is thrillingly conveyed. There's a cliffhanger ending, inviting us to return for Episode 2.

Director Randy Sharp's expert story-telling is only the beginning of the roster of remarkable accomplishments on display in Hospital 2008. The cast does expert work, with Brian Barnhart, Ian Tooley, and Marc Palmieri entirely convincing as the possibly abandoned (and, in some cases, possibly deceased) tunnel workers; George Demas, Edgar Oliver, and Britt Genelin are wonderfully daffy and creepy as the Wonderland figures; and Laurie Kilmartin, Paul Marc Barnes, and David Crabb are comically off-kilter as the hospital personnel.

The film work—by cinematographer Ben Wolf and editor Laura Weinberg—is exceptional. And the design work for the live stage production are exemplary, among the best of its kind I've seen for theatre in any sector in NYC. Kyle Chepulis has transformed the stage into a believable tunnel, with craggy and convincingly damp stone walls and nooks and crannies leading off rather spookily. David Zeffren's lighting and Steve Fontaine's sound complete the ambience, combining realism with horror-film scariness in a manner that keeps us engaged and on the edge of our seats throughout. Matthew Simonelli's costumes—whimsical for the Wonderland characters, naturalistic for the Travellers, and somewhere in between for the hospital staff—are excellent.

The overall effect is to transport the audience to a world we've never been to for about 35 minutes...and to leave us hungry for more of the experience. Check back here for a report on Episode 2 in a couple of weeks.

Roses are Red, Valentines are GREEN

Send a little eco-love to your valentine!

Share some love with the earth by checking out these great green
postcards to send to all your loved ones!

You can also check them out and send them to your loved ones here.

X-Games

This month, ItYourNature went to Aspen to cover the X-Games. They've got quite a system set up as far as their recycling, composting, and sustainability goes. The event leaves behind almost no carbon footprint.
In this video, 3-time X Games gold medalist Gretchen Bleiler shares her tips for stopping global warming and protecting the sport she loves.
X Games Gretchen Bleiler and Global Warming

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Here's an excerpt from the article located at ItsYourNature:

"The Ski Industry has been hurting for some time now because of Global Warming. In Aspen/Snowmass alone, winter has started 18 days later and ended 10 days earlier over the last 50 years. In addition to less snow and fewer ski days, other changes include canceled races/events and fewer jobs for resort employees, which means higher unemployment and less tax revenue for important services such as health care and education. Now Aspen/Snowmass is one of the lucky mountain resorts with their base elevation at almost 8000 feet, but they are not immune to the effects of GW. Ski-resorts in low-lying mountains are putting more and more money into their snow-making programs, some as much as 20% of their overall budget. Internationally, glaciers throughout the Alps are reportedly losing one percent of their mass every year to warmer temperatures; two-thirds of the world-wide skiing market is found outside of the United States. The resorts rely heavily on the glaciers to provide the best international skiing and snowboarding possible, so more time and energy are put into making snow. As we all know, Global Warming affects us all. But for Skiers and Snowboarders, they take it personally. And they're doing something about it."

Check it out and make sure to sure to sign IYN's global warming petition here.

crabbtown at itsyournature.org

hello all,

my new blog area at NRDC's itsyournature.org is up and running. you can find it at:

http://www.itsyournature.org/crabbtown

NRDC is awesome because of what they do:

1. Taking on corporate polluters and government indifference in court;
They sued the U.S. Navy and stopped them from blasting the world's marine mammals with deadly hi-frequency sonar.

2. Helping companies and institutions see the 'green' light;
They've partnered with Warner Music Group to revolutionize their music label into the greenest on earth. They've also "greened" this year's Grammy and Oscar ceremonies.

3. Making smart sustainable policies the law of the land;
We ensured that a half million kids in California are getting tested for lead poisoning every year.
If you're into environmentalism, check it out. If not... then check it out.

-peace

Vincient, Buddhist Part 1

Here's a fun video in which I play Vincient Haroldson, an unorthodox and sometimes hypocritical Buddhist, who teaches (badly) how to attain enlightenment.

His first lesson: inner growth through volunteering

directed by Daniel Califf-Glick

OK Polluters: Radiohead

This is an article by Ben Jervey from www.itsyournature.org. They've got a great blog at their myspace page. Ben's a great writer and I just haven't quite gotten my fix of heaping compliments on the world's best band. Enjoy.

OK Polluters: Radiohead, a band that gets global warming
by Ben Jervey

Radiohead's an easy band to love. Not just because their the best rock band on the planet (IM-not so-HO), but because they take serious issues seriously, and talk about them with candor, intelligence, and thought. Like global warming.

Consider these tidbits:

--For their upcoming US/European tour, they're partnering with the Oxford-based company Best Foot Forward to reduce the ecological footprint of the band's tour--right down to the collective impact of fan's travel. From a Treehugger post:

After gathering lots of information about their own environmental impact, Radiohead wanted to include their fans' footprint too. Best Foot Forward has analysed the two different types of tours Radiohead recently did in Amercia; the big gigs held out of town versus the smaller ones in city centres. This way they could find out which type of touring has the lowest impact 'per person entertained' as bassist Colin explains on their web site, based on transportation, food consumption and waste left behind by the fans.

Because the transport mode of the fans makes a big difference when it comes to carbon emissions and environmental impact, Radiohead encourages people to use public transport to get to their shows. They therefore have decided to play as many gigs as they can in cities because those provide better transport possibilities and don't require private cars to get to the event.

--Or Thom Yorke's conversation in Wired with David Byrne, during which they touch upon these same touring concerns:

Yorke: ... [At] the moment we make money principally from touring. Which is hard for me to reconcile because I don't like all the energy consumption, the travel. It's an ecological disaster, traveling, touring.

Byrne: Well, there are the biodiesel buses and all that.

Yorke: Yeah, it depends where you get your biodiesel from. There are ways to minimize it. We did one of those carbon footprint things recently where they assessed the last period of touring we did and tried to work out where the biggest problems were. And it was obviously everybody traveling to the shows.

Byrne: Oh, you mean the audience.

Yorke: Yeah. Especially in the U.S. Everybody drives. So how the hell are we going to address that? The idea is that we play in municipal places with some transport system alternative to cars. And minimize flying equipment, shipping everything. We can't be shipped though.

--Or, more metaphorically, Yorke's comments about "sustainable urban planning" through the lens of record contracts:

Signing a new major-label contract "would have killed us straight off," he added. "Money makes you numb, as M.I.A. wrote. I mean, it's tempting to have someone say to you, 'You will never have to worry about money ever again,' but no matter how much money someone gives you -- what, you're not going to spend it? You're not going to find stupid ways to get rid of it? Of course you are. It's like building roads and expecting there to be less traffic.

--And let's not forget Yorke's 2006 solo effort, The Eraser, which was entirely inspired by global warming. Or, actually, on the lack of political action to address it. As he told the LA Times:

In the paper one day, [Friends of the Earth activist] Jonathan Porritt was basically dismissing any commitment that the working government has toward addressing global warming, saying that their gestures were like King Canute trying to stop the tide. And that just went "kaching" in my head. It's not political, but that's what I feel is happening. We're all King Canutes, holding our hands out, saying, "It'll go away. I can make it stop." No, you can't.

IYN is no stranger to bands that back up their beliefs with action, and we're pretty fired up to see that one of the most influential and (to be blunt) awesome bands of our era is so hip to the real issues of our times. Maybe we'll catch them at All Points West. It is, after all, just a short train ride from IYN's NYC HQ.