WAY DOWN IN LOUISIANA

Close to New Orleans...(Go! Go, Ronnie, go!)

Baton Rouge, to be precise. I'm off to my second and final audition for grad school, this time at LSU. I'm not quite as nervous as I was for my CalArts audition (LSU is good but they're not an elite program, and it's nice to already have one of these auditions under my belt), but I am nervous. So, wish me luck, or tell me to "break a leg" as we say in the theater. My audition will be at 10am on Saturday, so, like last time, send out your good vibes or prayers or whatever. Every little bit helps.

Anyway, no blogging until Monday most likely, just like last time. For fun, I'm re-posting my statement of purpose, but with an alternate ending, just for LSU. Enjoy:

FULL CIRCLE
A Statement of Purpose

Acting teacher Sanford Meisner used to say, “it takes twenty years to become an actor.” This makes a lot of sense to me: twenty years ago, as a high school freshman, I started taking myself seriously as an actor. When I was a child, seeing Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl started a process that would eventually result in my investing much personal identity in a romanticized concept of “actor.” It wasn’t until my first high school play, however, that I encountered others who focused more on the work than on themselves. That was when I first began to understand that acting is about creating great shows, rather than self-aggrandizement. Indeed, this sense artistry in theater, of professionalism, is what now drives me to seek a Master of Fine Arts in acting.

A few years ago, while watching a television series on the history of jazz, I had a realization. Trumpeter Miles Davis was attempting a comeback in the late 1950s following personal troubles that had sidelined him for a while. During this time, he saw Joe Louis box: Louis’ no-nonsense, professional approach to boxing greatly impressed Davis—this experience inspired him to treat his own career as a musician in the same way. That is, Davis was revitalized, achieving greater artistic heights, because he focused thoroughly on the work, no distractions, no fooling around. Davis’ newfound philosophy of consummate professionalism rekindled my excitement about acting: seeing his resuscitation gave me the wherewithal to overcome the cold feet that had steered me away from pursuing an acting career when I was younger. It made me want to be a professional actor.

I’ve always loved acting. I’ve spent my years since college finding ways to be on stage, working with the theater people I love. In situations with untrained actors, I’ve tried to use my own training to set an example. Indeed, I’ve been fortunate enough to work recently with two other trained actors in a local amateur company; the three of us have set a standard of artistry that has helped to improve the company’s work overall. I have also been teaching high school theater for the last five years. The job has provided unexpected rewards: gradually, I have gained a firm intellectual mastery of acting basics that I first learned when I was getting my BFA—developing and using multiple strategies to explain such fundamentals has forced me to ponder these ideas in ways that I would not have otherwise.

Twenty years after my first high school play, I have come full circle. That is, as a student, I first began to explore the artistry of acting; as a teacher, I continue that exploration. However, I think I’ve learned as much as I can in that realm: now I want to go to graduate school.

Indeed, LSU’s MFA acting program offers learning opportunities that could result in my becoming a great actor. I am excited by the chance to extend both the voice lessons of Berry, Linklater, and Skinner, and the stylistic repertory work that I began as an undergraduate. I am also excited by LSU’s professional focus: internship experience and an audition portfolio are invaluable to a working actor. Furthermore, I have also studied television production and film criticism: exploring on-screen acting offers the chance to extend my understanding of those media. Beyond the benefits of a top-notch training program, LSU would be a really nice place to study. I love Louisiana—my wife and I have spent a great deal of time vacationing in New Orleans, and Baton Rouge is always a nice place to linger on the way. I also love Louisiana food and culture—the fact that my favorite music, jazz, was born there is also compelling. In short, LSU can give me the environment, skills, and knowledge to prepare me to attain what I so very much want, to be a professional actor.

Okay, so it's only the final paragraph that changed--I'm just self-involved and wanted to see my statement in cyberspace again. Think of it as a remix. I did work my ass off on it...

Cue the Real Art theme song: "Solfeggio" go.

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