War Journal Entry #7: Happy Murhy’s Day
Many people are familiar with Murphy’s Law… here’s the definition on Wikipedia:
“Murphy’s law (also known as Finagle’s law or Sod’s law) is a popular adage in Western culture, which broadly states that things will go wrong in any given situation. It is most commonly formulated as "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." The law was named after Major Edward A. Murphy, Jr., a development engineer working for a brief time on rocket sled experiments done by the United States Air Force in 1949.”
So it’s with no surprise that theater is breeding ground for cautionary tales of people who have failed to heed Murphy’s Law. I am no exception. In fact, you’d think I’d learn to have more respect and fear about Murphy but alas… I too have been caught with my pants down when Murphy comes a calling. Next thing you know, there’s $20 on my dresser drawer and the stink of shame.
Last week was a mess. Morale was down. Energy was down. Confidence was down. And my little troop of actors and production members suddenly forgot that they were a team and little bits of mutiny, and insurgency raised its ugly head. I guess I should count myself fortunate that this occurred now instead of later. I should also look on the bright side that we’ve had 4 weeks of continuous high momentum so one slight derailment should be taken into context.
I should but it ain’t easy. Here’s a chronology of my internal monlogue in a given rehearsal period last week. Some bits are exaggerated for comic effect. Some are sadly too tru for words:
6:35PM – Yeah! I’m directing!
6:40PM – F*ck. I’m directing.
7:01PM – What the f*ck was that?
7:02PM – Okay. I hope someone finds that funny.
7:03PM – Wow. I didn’t write the line that way.
7:10PM – Hmm. Apparently people are going to think I’m a rascist.
7:11PM – Maybe I am a rascist.
7:12PM – What’s that on my shoe?
7:35PM – Crap. I’ve been staring at my shoe…what just happened? Don’t panic. Say something non-commital and affirming.
7:37PM – Sh*t. Was I staring at his calves? What’s wrong with me? I mean they are nice calves but still… focus Sang… focus.
8:01PM – Okay. It’s one line. One line. It’s not that hard to remember.
8:03PM – Wow. I didn’t know you could mis-prononce a word that way.
8:08PM – Same line. You just said it 7 minutes ago. Let’s try to remember it.
8:10PM – I wonder if he works out. F*ck. I did it again. Eye contact Sang. Eye contact.
8:15PM – Okay give them some direction.
8:16PM – Or you can just ignore it. That’s fine. I’m just sitting here to pass the time. Thanks guys.
8:20PM – Maybe it’s not too late to start a coke habit.
8:25PM – I need a cigarette. I actually need a loaded weapon but I’ll settle for a cigarette. Call a break.
8:40PM – Okay. Okay. Gut check time. Time to motivate!
8:41PM – F*ck motivation. I need to hit someone.
8:50PM – What country is that accent suppose to be from?
9:00PM – Note to self. Confirm our insurance coverage.
9:30PM – I’m taking my name off this thing.
10:00PM – Well. At least I’m a lawyer. God I can’t believe I just said that.
10:30PM – Go home everybody. I more than likely kill you in the morning.
