Blogging elsewhere

This blog has remained a little dormant, but that doesn't mean that my online activities have. Of course much of the day to day stuff has moved to social networking, but the current things that I'm writing about online are located in other places. Here's an overview of my activities if you'd like to keep reading more from me.

1. The Man Who Was Thursday, with occasional blog posts chronicling the recording and ideas behind my new audio play based on the well known book by G.K. Chesterton. The project is a no-budget experiment, and will take a long time to complete, but I'm enjoying it immensely.

2. Downey Arts Coalition, news in the hyper-local world of supporting the arts in the city of Downey where I live. There is a small group of arts advocates that I've met, but we lack focus and organization. Lana and I are attempting, in our own small ways, to insert ourselves wherever we can. I've started a website and social following, that I hope will soon branch into monthly meetings.

3. Local Hero Post, my new workplace, and a job that is right up my alley-- post production for feature films. I know online I try to project an image of a creative writer & director, but at heart I'm at least 75% a tech nerd. I love the details of digital cinema and how movies come together from camera up through the screen. Local Hero is involved in advanced DI color correction for feature films, as well as visual effects, mastering, and many other project such as 3D broadcast. I'm the chief technologist and also leading the charge into social media and semi-regular blogging.

So to follow me, check out those blogs for now, until things start to end up back here. And of course, there's also twitter. I don't tweet much, but I do promote when I've written a blog post.

On a personal note, Lana and I have a baby due very soon, so beware a flood of new family pictures.

Theatre History in Downey, CA

I recently had some interesting conversations with a couple folks from the John Hume Performing Arts Foundation. Pauline Hume is the widow of John Hume, who was asked by the city to start the first production of what became the Downey Children's Theatre in 1955, starting at Rio Hondo Elementary school's auditorium. His successful programs then became the catalyst for the city building the Downey Civic Theatre in 1970. The theatre expanded widely into many different programs, including legitimate adult theatre, experimental theatre, marionette and musicals with what is now the Downey Civic Light Opera. With the passage of Prop 13 in 1978, the city was forced to withdraw funding for the theatre programs, which all but shut down all operations except for the profitable CLO. More of that history can be read at this link.

On Downey Avenue, the 800 seat Avenue Theatre began it's life in the 20's as a legitimate theatre before it became a movie house. It has a full proscenium, fly system and dressing rooms in the basement. It was also home to a ballet school for awhile.

Apparently next door, there was a store-front theatre run by a John Williams that put on shows like "Harvey," and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," from around 1954 to 1958. Larry Dusich, who has spent some time compiling the history of theatre in Downey, performed there as a kid. He remembers getting dressed in the back of the store, then heading out to the alley between the stores and the Avenue, walking around the corner of 3rd and Downey, past the entrance to the Avenue, and then enter the stage from the front, where they performed with their backs to Downey Avenue.

South of there, past 2nd Street, was a another small theatre that some have labeled the "El Teatro." It was in the building now occupied by the former Popcorn video and a beauty supply store. The space was divided up, but remnants of the original roof, skylights, and front office remain, apparently. I'm not sure what it was used for.

I'd love to see some version of a 99-seat equity waiver or store-front theatre back in Downey, putting on legitimate plays, both modern classics and "classic" classics like Shakespeare. Truth is that the Downey Civic Theatre, and the Avenue for that matter, are both too big to launch a small theatre company that wants to keep its costs down, its quality high, and hedge against the inherent risks. A smaller space, ideally on Downey Avenue or equally central to the city could find a regular audience, build a subscriber base, and then maybe eventually move into a bigger space.

The Man Who Was Thursday Audio Play

So my focus has changed for the new year, 2010. The project on the front burner is an audio-only production, a radio play adaptation of The Man Who Was Thursday, which is a classic mystery-thriller by G.K. Chesterton, published about 1907. I wrote the script, taking a couple liberties, but ultimately staying pretty close to the script.

My roommate-collaborators are Ben & David Stanton, musicians, composers and audio experts. Also on board the producing team is Ananda Dillon and handling casting, my wife Lana Joy. We're in the casting process right now, which so far has consisted of recruiting some wonderfully talented actors that we've met over the years, some that Lana has worked with, and one especially powerful actor that we saw at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I can't name any names, because nothing is done or set in stone. All I can say is I'm extremely excited about them.

The first casting session will be January 30th-- it'll be a protracted process, because of my fulltime job and the difficulty of scheduling busy people.

I'm also intimidated by the sound editing & sound effects process. There is a lot of stuff, the book is incredibly visual, and all that has to be translated into exciting sound and music.

The word is spreading, and the social networking has started. First of all, the traditional website is http://www.manwhowasthursday.com, then on facebook the updates have so far mostly been quotes from my script, at http://www.facebook.com/ManWhoWasThursday. 83 followers as of this writing. I also just linked a twitter account, http://www.twitter.com/TMWWThursday.

So follow, fan, and stay-tuned. There's an email list starting on the website, as well as a link where you can donate funds to the project. We're doing this on our own, with our own pocket-books. Anyone who donates will get access to the podcasts early, or special edition CDs of the finished product. We'll need to purchase some recording equipment, some sound effects, and food for the days we're in production.

The Association has been a little back-burner for a little while, looking for some traction there. I have a new producer to collaborate with, so we're in discussions on how to get the ball rolling on a micro-budget film.

Also, check out The Jingle Boys, a house music project and super-sized Christmas card that our friends have all worked hard on the past couple months. You can listen to the album on the website.

Peer goes to work

Well, we moved, finally-- after nine years in our faithful Downey one-bedroom apartment. It's confirmed, it was awesome for a one bedroom, or so agrees the complex's new managers when they looked at it. They suspect it was originally intended as the apartment manager's apartment (#101), but was abandoned because it wasn't centrally located to the rest of the units.

We're now renting a house not 1/2 mile away, a four bedroom that we're sharing with 2 other roommates. We have the upstairs. It'll be nice to have a backyard for Peer to play in. Our habit at the apartment was to wander around the complex grounds, which was essentially one big backyard to play in. He likes to collect pine cones, rocks, sticks, pine noodles (needles)... and he especially liked throwing things in the pool. Which, after letting him for awhile because it was cute, decided to stop that habit before the managers came after us.

So by way of saluting the Brookshire Apartments and our many great memories there, Peer and I went on another photo journey. For his 2nd birthday, he got an awesome little suitcase from Gma and Gpa, which he immediately started carrying everywhere he went. So on this day back in August, Peer ceremonially announced his intention to go outside. "Where are you going?" I asked. "Werk," he said. "Really? I didn't know you worked. What do you do?" "Rocks." Ah, yes. His favorite pastime.


Here we go, out the front door to work! Bye bye!


Let's go in the main part of the apartment complex, just through these double-doors. Come on, Daddy!


"Broken Fountain!" He loves fountains, and recently the new managers have been giving our trusty fountain a little cleaning and re-painting.


Out the other doors and back out on the street. There's Daddy's car on the right.


"Walk," is what he says to demand that we let him out of our arms.


Ooh, look at the fancy animation that Daddy made! Cool.


Ah hah! A rock. Now we're getting somewhere.


Here you go, Daddy! This one's for you.


Ooh! More rocks.


I'll put this one in my suitcase.


There goes Daddy showing off again!


Ah, here's the back door to the apartment complex. Let's go in.


We like to call this little planter full of rocks the "coffin" because of its suspicious shape.


We have a lot of big panels of glass around.


And there's the pool! If Daddy didn't stop me I'd throw rocks in there all day. Even when there are people in there.


Hmm... anything here?


Let's go back this way!


Ahah! A pine cone! Originally known as a "Dee-joo."


Rest stop.


"Daddy! Sit." (as he pats the seat with his right hand)


Picture time!


I'm ready for my close-up!


Let's head back toward the exit.


A quick stop to climb these stairs. It's lots of fun counting stairs!


And back down again!


Sit for a second...


And now run!!!


Here's the main entrance.


And the mail boxes (ours was the upper left).


Contemplate the broken fountain again. It's not as fun throwing pieces of bark in there when it's empty.


And back home!


But first, a quick rest stop on the porch. Daddy! Sit!


Picture time again!


Mama! I'm home from work! Look at all the cool rocks I found!

So there it is. Thanks for watching!

1 year's difference -- part 2

I thought I'd finally post something here, with a revisit to an earlier motif, of matching up pictures from one year ago to their current counterpart. It's amazing how things change (and a little how they don't).

First, our 2nd annual Christmas ginger bread house kit from TJ's.

2008:


2009:


And now, USC playing in the Rose Bowl-- the only time of the year we watch football.

2008:


2009:

With special appearance by Elmo... as you can see, Peer has developed a nice football slouch.

And as a special bonus, another paid I decided to add last minute, playing the piano:

2008:


2009:


He's just about ready to start writing his own compositions.

For the latest commercials that I've been putting out for the LA Times, check out my YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/awahlquist/