Competing Shakespeare

Pioneer High School for the Performing Arts'

SHAKESPEARE COMPETITION TEAM 2012

I currently teach two classes at the new Pioneer High School for the Performing Arts--Theatre Foundations for Dancers and the Advanced Drama class/Shakespeare Competition Team. For several years I have wanted to be the full-time drama teacher at a high school (still working on that dream) and take my students down to the annual USF/SUU Shakespeare Competition in Cedar City (check). This year I was able to coach this amazing group of students and take them down to compete and they did AWESOME!! To quote the PHS Drama Academy director, "We really are in a very talent saturated pocket of Utah, here in American Fork. Lots of very passionate teachers and students, and PHS kept up with the best of them."

Being down at the competition was so much fun--such a positive experience for the students and myself. Being there also brought back some bad memories of my first and only showing as a student competitor at the competition many years ago when I did a duo scene from Shakespeare's Othello, playing the role of (drum roll please) OTHELLO....yes, you heard me correctly...my teacher chose me (perhaps the whitest, skinniest male on the planet) to play Othello, the MOOR of Venice. There is more to that story, but that should paint enough of an embarrassing picture, so we'll leave it at that.

The competition is a BIG deal--very competitive.  It was PHS' first year at the competition and I wanted to go down there and blow away the competition. I wanted to come home triumphantly carrying first place trophies from each category. Did we, you ask? No. Will we next year? Yes. How DID they do? They did amazing. They were well-behaved, professional, considerate. Such amazing attitudes and such hard work. We had 7 students and they filled up all possible categories (3 monologues, 2 duo scenes, and 1 ensemble scene). One of our scenes took first place, one monologue was featured in the production showcase, our ensemble scene took 5th place and we ranked 4th overall in our division. Considering how much time we had to prepare and that it was our first year, we killed it. Most importantly, I had the privilege of working with these students, learning from them, and seeing them grow substantially. We DID come home triumphantly in the ways that matter most, and with a nice trophy to boot.

It was indeed a success. And now we now what we must do to take it ALL next year.

Today PHS was highlighted as the "Cool School of the Week" on FOX News' Good Day Utah with Big Budah. Take a look at the drama segment, featuring our competition ensemble scene (and yours truly):

11 Questions

The Rules:

Post these rules
Post a photo and eleven random things about yourself
Answer the questions provided by the one who tagged you
Create eleven new questions for the people you tag
Contact those you choose and let them know they've been tagged

11 Random Things About Myself

1. My middle name, Robert, is a mix of both of my grandpas’ names, Roger and Albert.
2. I shot myself in the foot with a BB gun when I was 15 and it took three hours and three different doctors to get the BB out of my foot.
3. When I was about 11 or 12 I went on a white water rapids trip with the scouts. While we were rafting we were very crammed in the boat and the wet shoes of one of the scout leaders were rubbing against my shins the whole way (and I was too shy to say anything about it). Since then I have not been able to grow any hair on my shins—smooth and shiny shins.
4. When I was little I would always have to pick the lint out of my “piggy toes.” Okay…I still do.
5. I saw The Princess Bride 8 times when it was in the theaters. I believe that all 8 times were in the Alhambra Theater that used to be on Main Street in P.G.
6. I won 2^nd place in my high school lip sync contest two years in a row. First year: “Ice Ice Baby” by Vanilla Ice. Second year: “Friend Like Me” from Aladdin.
7. I assistant directed a very lame adaptation of “Beauty & the Beast” in high school and our drama teacher built a very cool purple grandfather clock for the show. He was going to destroy it after the show, and we (the cast and crew) being the very dramatic high school drama kids that we were, decided we couldn’t let the clock be destroyed. One night, after the school was all shut down, we all came and popped one of the school doors open and took the clock. Our drama teacher, of course, figured out who took the clock and called us in one by one and threatened us to bring back the clock. We did.
8. When I was elementary school age (can’t remember exactly how old I was), one day a couple of my friends and I mixed together a bunch of chemicals and had fun pouring our mixture in trails in the sand box in my friends backyard and then lighting the trails on fire. We also stuck the tips of our shoes in the fire, got a little flame on our foot and kicked it off.  It was all fun and games until my pant leg started on fire and I rolled around on the ground while my friends whipped my leg with a towel and I screamed (over and over again) “STOP, DROP and ROLL!!!!!”
9. Favorite toys from my childhood: MASK toys based on the 80’s animated television series.

10. I’ve always wanted to play the Pirate King in Pirates of Penzance.
11. I was on the P.G. High and UVSC ballroom dance teams once upon a time.

Emily’s Questions for Me

1. If you could meet one person in the world dead or alive who would it be?

Well, I’ve already met this person, but he died when I was about 11. My grandpa, Albert Lazenby. If I could meet him again and spend more time with him, that would be a dream come true. I’ve always looked up to him and he has been on my mind a lot for many years. I really miss him and feel that I could learn a lot from him.

2. What are three things on your bucket list?

Honestly, I’ve never made a bucket list, so this is my first attempt at making one. Off the top of my head I would say these three things would be on my bucket list for sure: Go on a mission with Katie; Write a full-length screenplay; Build/Buy a house with a really big backyard and build a super cool fort for my kids/grand kids; Write, direct, design, build a Halloween show to be performed in my very large backyard during Halloween time for anyone and everyone to come and see. Oops…that’s four.

3. Describe your perfect day.

I could keep trying to come up with my exact perfect day, but this post is already long overdue so I'll just post some perfect day possibilities: Disney Grand Californian, Disneyland, Bonefish Grill, White Chocolate, Acting in the Shaw Festival at Niagra-on-the-Lake in Canada, touring castles somewhere in Europe with my beautiful wife, playing with my kids in the forts I'm going to build in my future huge backyard behind my future mansion, waking up and deciding on the spur of the moment to fly out to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, cazookies at The Chocolate, the day my wife gets her six figure deal for her amazing book, house shopping. Those are just some possibilities.

4. What is your biggest pet peeve?

When I’m driving and the person in front of me doesn’t use their signals. Not sure if that’s my BIGgest pet peeve, but definitely one of them.

5. What is one of your biggest fears?

One of my children dying.

6. What is your favorite thing about yourself?

My comedic acting abilities.

7. If you could go back in time and give the child version of you any advice, what would it be?

 Your stronger than you think. Punch Lisa Westcott and Shelli Dean in the face. Stick up for yourself and believe in yourself. You can do anything, anything, anything, and never let anyone tell you or make you believe that you can't accomplish something. Or something like that. I'm guessing I would be much more inspired when I actually saw the young version of myself.

8. What is something that without fail always makes you laugh?

My brother Brandon. Even if I don’t want to laugh he can always make me laugh.  And when Bill Murray trips up the stairs on his way out of the restaurant in the movie Scrooged.

9. What is your favorite movie?

I would probably still have to say, after all these years and all of the great movies out there...Three Amigos starring Steve, Chevy, and Martin. There is so much that is SO great about that film.

10. What is one song that always brightens up your day?

“It Really Doesn’t Matter” or “A Paradox” from Pirates of Penzance.

11. If a robber broke into your house while you were there and you had no access to a phone to call 911, what would you do?

I would make Katie hide in the closet while I would run and get my kids and bring them back to our room, and then all of us would climb out our bedroom window. We would go to the next-door neighbors house and call 911.

I'm tagging the following peeps:

       Collin Barkdull

              &

          Amy Naugle

My Questions for Collin & Amy

1. What would you do if you found out that your husband/future wife was really a robot?

2. Describe your perfect vacation?

3. If you had one day to spend one million dollars, how would you spend it?

4. Who is one of your heroes and why?

5. If you had to watch one movie 10 times a day for the rest of your life, which movie would you choose?

6. If you could make your own new flavor of ice cream, what would it be?

7. If you had to be someone else for one week, who would you choose to be?

8. In your opinion, who is the best actor or actress of all time?

9. Gummi worms or gummi bears?

10. What is the best meal you have ever had?

11. If you were abducted by aliens and taken back to their home planet, how would you escape?

KATIE: My Happily Ever After

14 Groundhog Days ago I asked my beautiful wife to marry me as we were parked by a dumpster behind UVU's blackbox theatre. I didn't have an official ring to give her yet, so I gave her my glow-n-the-dark CTR ring to wear as an engagement ring until we could go pick out something better. Surprisingly enough she didn't run screaming from the car. She said yes and 14 years ago TODAY we were married in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. I can't describe just how amazing that day was. That was the beginning of the best 14 years of my life.

We were recently able to get away for a few days out toward St. George, in the lovely town of Hurricane, Utah. And, actually, the town IS quite lovely. I plan to purchase a vacation home out there some day. One of the highlights of the trip was definitely walking through Zion National Park with my sweetheart and talking together as we enjoyed the amazing beauty there. Anytime I get to forget about everything else and just be with Katie, is beyond the best. I married the most amazing woman that will ever live anywhere. She has made the past 14 years the beginning of my happily ever after. She is my once upon a time and my happily ever after.

I'M YOUR HUCKLEBERRY

Well, I had a great idea for a blog post, but now I'm not feeling it, so I'll put that one on the shelf and post about something else for today.

I'll post about cowboys.

I am in no way an expert on cowboys. I've ridden a horse on...well, maybe two occasions (one where the horse was tied to a post and someone led it around). I've shot a gun on even fewer occasions. One pair of boots, I think, when I was 5 (or maybe that was a dream). But there is a cowboy living somewhere inside me, there must be. One word: Lazenby. One of my greatest heroes is my grandfather, Albert Lazenby, whom I consider a true cowboy. He died when I was about 11 and perhaps that is part of why I have this cowboy void that needs to be filled.


I loved to dress up like a cowboy and play cowboys when I was little. I've always loved watching cowboy movies. Two of my favorite movies of all time: Young Guns and Tombstone. I've always wanted to be in a Western.

For many years, I have toyed with the idea of writing some kind of cowboy story--a screenplay, to be specific. Well, I've talked about it for a long time, even started one story or another, but last night I actually finished my first step down the cowboy screenplay path--a very small step, but a step nonetheless. Last night I finished writing a very, very short screenplay about cowboys. A comedy Western short. I wrote it very quickly, so it's not perfect, but I knew that if I didn't just write it and stop waiting for the perfect idea that I wouldn't ever write it. I wrote it. It's written (well...typed). It's currently being reviewed by a few trusted critics, and next week we'll shoot it (starring the Redux Brothers).

Now on to the next step, a much bigger one. I begin my journey now to write a full length screenplay about a cowboy. As I write and discover the story, I will post about my progress and experience from time to time. I'm hoping this will help keep me motivated. I will keep posting about it until it's out of theatres and released on DVD (if I maybe so bold).

I can't believe I'm actually doing this. Thrilled. Excited. Anxious.

More to come--I'll keep you posted.

Happy Birthday to Isabelle!!!

http://purdiepeople.blogspot.com/2012/02/original-monkey-brains.html

ANOTHER EARTH

My wife and I had planned to go out to see a movie this past Saturday, but at the last minute we decided we would just do the Redbox thing. Katie looked through the local Redbox selection and came up with a few options. In the end, a successful Sundance film caught our fancy and, in my pajamas, I drove down to pick it up.

Long story short...I loved it. I love those surprise movies (one of the greatest things). I liked the lead guy (William Mapother--Ethan Rom from Lost) in parts (he actually had some great moments--loved the Wii scene), but in some key moments he fell short for me. The main actress (and screenwriter), Britt Marling, was fabulous. From what I've learned, she actually taught herself how to write because she didn't want to have to...well, let me just quote her.

"How terrifying to surrender your life to being chosen all the time. Having to be chosen and re-chosen. Writing so that I can act became a way of having not more control over my future but not having to wait for permission. You can choose yourself. Hmm, who should play this part? I nominate me!"

So, I'm going to do the same. End of story. Thanks, Brit Marling, for inspiring me to go after my dreams.

The Power of Shyness

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout.

My Favorite Zorro

The best Zorro movie of all time! Ron Leibman and George Hamilton are so brilliant together. I've included a couple of my favorite clips below.

Fast forward and then start watching this first clip at 4 minutes into the video--this is the scene that always jumps into my head when I think of this movie.



This next scene is also fantastic! Sorry about the weird subtitles--this was the only clip I could find online. Start watching this one at 0:50 into the video.



If you haven't seen this movie, go rent it and watch it tonight. These youtube clips don't do it justice at all.

Moneyball

#1 life-changing movie of 2011: Moneyball.

This movie had a HUGE impact on me. It made me think. It inspired me. The acting was great. A great story, and more importantly, such a great execution of a true story on the big screen. I don't want to spoil it for anyone that hasn't seen it, so I won't say too much. I will say though that I loved the way they tied it to the importance of family in the end. As my brother put it, in the end you saw that the game that was being played wasn't baseball, it was life and Brad Pitt's character won. I couldn't stop thinking about this story and the message for weeks. So many great messages!!!

And on an exciting acting note: Jonah Hill, who I always think is hilarious, was so much more than just hilarious in this movie--he was a legitimate actor. I'm excited to see more of this from him.

If you haven't seen this movie, see it.