Gulliver's Tour

My dear friends. You have all been most patient with me: We pulled out of Boston, drove all the way over to Wisconsin...and then found ourselves lost in the mysteries, oddities, and kindness of the Midwest.

Or at least the incredible amount of work that laid ahead.

So, time flew by. We had our truck break down multiple times, I drank and ate wonderful local things with my cast, I managed to win at chess (whoo-hoo!), and even had time to take A LOT of pictures. Our adventures have stretched from the Great Lakes to West Virginia to Minnesota to Connecticut. Oh yeah, and there's a lot more to talk about...like my time at Niagara Falls and how we had to end a show early because of a teacher in a dancing chicken suit. It's so much more fun to tell stories when you know they're true...and thus I will have to find ways to catch you up with all of it. Of course, I'll break down my duties a bit more, too. I promised myself as a person and an artist to plunge more thoroughly into the world beyond the digital and have succeeded to the sharpest of my sleepy perceptions. The writing muse also needed some conjuring, but here I am! (Must've been all the turkey and ham I ate this past week that has revived my energies...thank you, to parents for a fantastic feast.)

As for today we were in Pennsylvania and then bounced back into Dover, DE, for our show tomorrow. We then head for Scranton. Hope you all had a great holiday weekend; I'll be talking to you all soon!
-Ben

More than A Feelin!

So you might be wondering what all my more mysterious, symbolic, highly dramatic talk is all about. Today, I ship up to Boston. And there's a touring company up there that I've been in conversation with for awhile, and at long last has come to fruition. It's another children's tour. I'll be serving as understudy/ house manager/ sound tech. But this time it's national: well, at least across the midwest (but that's a pretty big chunk of land right?), but it's a legit national tour for which I will be working. So excited and nervous and all of those things. This is just another step in the journey-march. It all began while auditioning for these fine folks right around the time I was accepted into Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.

It is here that I will live. Boston : the town is awesome. A lot of good friends and family have gone here for college (being that it's THE college town on the planet!). So different from NYC and that's part of its charm. No two East Coast cites are alike and that's the fun of the travel my friends. Oh and gettin' ready for some chowdah time (one of my all-time favorite bowl-meals of childhood). It's a complete 180 from where I was working close to this time last year.

Really. I can't wait.

New England and I aren't strangers in the least. I used to come through New England to Boston and part of Rhode Island and Maine. My family has even skied upon the Catskills of Upstate NY (if you count that as NE...) It's practically my second home.

So here I am on Bolt Bus (which if you don't know about you better, because it's next-to-nothing to travel through the BosWash corridor.

Now here's the even BETTER news. I'm getting a smart phone. Which means I will finally have a decent portable camera. Which means you'll be seeing a lot more pictures from me. Which is nice, because I wouldn't mind having a few for me-self.

Let's get green and jolly...and make the luck o' the Irish be with me.

10 Years ago today...

I saw people in this country show more genuine care about each other than I've ever seen before--strangers doing things for strangers that "best friends" might not even do.

Ever since, I've been wondering where that selfless spirit went.

I think today should be about helping someone else. And not just the person you find laying on the side of the road or at the Food Bank. Go out of your way to do something needed, maybe it's small...for someone who's not looking to be saved.

(A thought for today. More writing soon to come.)

-Ben

My American Dream

We're on the verge of a precipice.

Both at the apex of one mountain and the foot of the other.

The end of the valley and the beginning of the climb.

I've been auditioning again. I've been advertising my presence again. Like the early morning bulb of a train that meets the horizon, the light has come back. And with it, the echoes of opportunity.

Took awhile. Had to get through an earthquake, a hurricane, a recession, poorly paying survival jobs, long travels, and a slump. Had to swallow a lot of pride. Had to learn an awful lot. Had to make a good share of mistakes.

I couldn't tell if it's because I've payed my dues or that I'm just dumb lucky. But it appears I will get another shot.

Amazing how life goes on. How the first bird gets the worm...even if it's most likely that crazy bug-eyed feathered fiend was there the night before, watching. Or that the other fowl crossing the road needed courage because there really was no reward on the other side.

Sheer persistence and love of the pursuit: even in failure. When your reward no longer depends upon success, when your self-esteem has nothing to do with a popularity contest, you will be a force. That is why I'm still here. And that's why I'm still writing. It's also the reason why I'm being overly-dramatic. Because I'm dealing with feelings so big it's only natural to exaggerate.

I saw this movie for the first time a few months ago. I think when you take into account the probability of ever being a paid, liked, and respected (you should consider yourself in good stead to be any one of these qualities) actor, writer, director, producer, stage manager, stage crew, or friend of the arts, understand that the ones who stay, hopefully, aren't doing this just because they're looking to obtain something that will assure them they've 'made it'. I'd bet everything in my bank account that they believe they already have.

So, today, no matter what happens, I feel rich. I feel successful. I feel like I've climbed Mount Everest and I'm still on this couch. Where I'm writing to you right now. THAT'S the gloriously unrefined charm of creative optimism: blind and relentless. The survivors have it. The best at least emulate it. Or they're completely miserable (angry energy also seems to go far, but remember how Mr. Montana turned out?). And the rest of us struggle like mercury in the thermometer, hoping for a cooling rationale against a red roaring hunger to climb.

My life got dark. Like so many others out there, I've had to scratch and claw my way to September 2011. And the way I've made my march has been based upon the fact that I don't give a Hoover Dam about whether I obtain an accolade, a pat on the back, or some flimsy paycheck. Or whether or not you think I'm easy to deal with, or my writing's any good, or that I'm with the in-crowd with the big names, or can rock it with a Black Swan's grace. In the end, my choice is all that matters and where I am at any given moment ought to be enough for a celebration. Because even when I take judgement seriously, even when I have my moments of weakness, I'm still going to be here. Waiting for the next thing. Because this journey is the only reason for me why it's worth being here in the first place.

And I friggin' love it.

Irene, so mean!

Hi everyone,

The situation with this current Hurricane looks to be pretty serious for the east coast (at least FOR ONCE the news is not completely exaggerating). Make sure to pay attention to the info from the sites below if you're within 50 miles of the storm because there's a good chance some these reports will pertain to you. This is literally the biggest storm New Jersey has seen in over 110 years (!!??!!) with wind, rain, and storm surges starting to affect the shoreline and tributaries as far as 100+ miles from the eye. Don't kid yourself into thinking you know how this Lady's going treat you when she arrives for the party.

Above all, be save, and remember no possession is more precious to you or others than your well being.

As for myself, I've got a lot of good books, candles, batteries, flashlights, and water. Food too of course. I'm far enough inland that there's a good chance we'll be OK riding this one out. But fear not as my eyes and hears are glued for more information as it develops.

PLEASE BE SAFE AND CHECK THESE WEBSITES!

Dr. Jeff Master's WunderBlog
WunderGround Website (type in your zip code to find out what's going to happen in your area!)

-Ben

An Unfinished List

So here's the direct link to the movie I made. Hope you like it.

I, Digitized.

'Ello gov'nah. Or gov'ness.

Or whatever kind salutation you'd prefer.

I promised myself I'd take a true break from the acting world, but opportunity persists...

I found a role in a short film project offered through some friends of mine. It was hot and humid, but I got a look at some of the early footage and am legit excited about it. So, if you like a good thriller or two, click to see An Unfinished List. They were kind enough to give me a fun scene in there. As of now one is getting settled in the L.A. scene; the other will be soon. I consider myself lucky to work with them before they really get noticed, because they got the potential to do some big things.

Otherwise, you've all been sorely missed. I won't crown this my official return, but you'll be hearing from me every now and again. There's something so freeing when you can do what you love and you don't worry about whether it, literally, brings home the bacon. Nom-nom (those are eating noise if you weren't sure).

The Actor will Return. "Cheerio".

-Ben