Thirty years ago today, John Lennon was taken from us. I took this photo in May 2007 while visiting New York City for a reading of my play, "Stan's Addiction".
My publisher just came out with its 2009-2010 catalog. My award-winning, 10-minute play, "Pass the Salt, Please." is now in it - as is my full-length play, "Stan's Addiction". If you're in any way involved your theater's play selection, get this catalog. It's FREE - call 1-800-950-7529. Check out Heuer's website here.
Incidentally, the lastest edition of my self-published photography book, Passion = truth, a photographic essay of life's truths, is available on this blog (check widget on right panel, near top) or at Blurb.com. It's 130 pages chock full of artsy pictures. You know, it's not too early to order that coffee table book for a Christmas gift. Softcover version is the only edition I'm making available - $49.00.
Totally unexpected! This check for $1.15 from my publisher - my cut from two copies of my play "Stan's Addiction". Man, I love our free-market economy! WHOOOOOO! (In case anyone from Heuer is reading my blog, you know I kid).
The $1.15 billion is the cost for the new Dallas Cowboy football stadium.
My cousin Scott started a new blog - This Is My World. Here's a recent post concerning his views on global warming.
He asked me what I thought about global warming. I said it seems to be a partisan issue - Democrats believe in it. Republicans don't. Imagine that. Hmmm. Read this teeny-tiny excerpt from my play, "Stan's Addiction" (2004 Heuer Publishing Co.):
STU
(His head in the paper.)
Paper says it’s supposed to be hot the rest of the week into next week.
PATRICK
(His head in the paper, fiddling with a pencil. Matter-of-factly.)
Hard work - being a weatherman. Stick your head out the window and say, ‘it’s hot’, ‘it’s cold’, ‘it’s raining’, ‘it’s snowing’. Stick your head out the window every ten minutes for your updates, and there you go – you’re a weatherman.
STU
I think there’s a little more to it then that, Patrick.
Is there, "Stu"? In a roundabout way, I sort of think like "Patrick".
I believe in treating this planet with respect. I believe in not littering and that recycling is good. I believe that it's almost certain that the pollutants from cars and manufacturers isn't good for the environment like I believe that smoking isn't good for your lungs. I believe the more trees we plant the better - that we should replace what we reap. I believe that man should not live by development alone. I believe the earth's climate changes and what we do affects the climate - to a degree.
That being said, how am I supposed to believe global warming proponents when they predict that specific actions by mankind TODAY will have THIS EFFECT or THAT EFFECT on the earth 25, 50, 100 or 200 years from now if weathermen can't get the weather forecast right for tomorrow?
Anyone? Buehler?
I was fortunate enough to see my high school friend, Tony Clements, in the show "The Spitfire Grill" at the Skylight Theatre in Milwaukee while home for vacation. The musical was written by a couple of guys from Wisconsin and is set in a fictional town in Wisconsin. He was great - plus I'd never seen him act or sing (he was in a national tour of Mama Mia for four years). After the show, I was snapping off shots of the ceiling which bore the quote:
"To forget some things, to remember others and to refresh the dry places in our spirit."
I got yelled out for taking pictures inside the theater ('cause you're not supposed) but I told them I didn't have a pen to copy the quote down. Fine - as long as you don't take a picture of the set. I lied.
I also saw "Frog and Toad", a delightful children's show that Tony directed at First Stage in downtown Milwaukee. That "Snail" is a card. It was great catching up with him- we last saw each other in March 2007 while I was in NYC for my play reading of "Stan's Addiction" (Tony read in it).
Come on - you know the movie.
I had a very nice phone conversation with Mark Metcalf today, known famously for his role as "Doug Neidermeyer" (in picture, right) in the movie, Animal House. Long story short, my actor/writer friend, Tony, who I grew up with(he lives in NY) is directing a play at First Stage in Milwaukee. Mark has worked with First Stage and he owns a restaurant in Mequon, Wisconsin (where he also lives) called, Libby Montana (coincidentally he just sold it today). So I called the restaurant; they leave word with Mark who calls me back WITHIN THE HOUR; I introduce myself and we shoot the shit about acting and theater and long story short again - I'm emailing him my play, "Stan's Addiction" (absurdist comedy about the last smoker on Earth) to read. He'd be perfect for the role of "THE CHAIRMAN". Mark is active in theater in Milwaukee and with the Milwaukee International Film Festival (networking, baby). You never know - I would love to have the World Premiere of the play in my home state.
I'd like to have it premiere anywhere, quite frankly.
"You're all worthless and weak! Now drop and give me twenty!" (Another quote from the movie.)
Postscript: You know I've been given a lot of shit about my history of contacting celebrities for whatever the reason. 9 times out of 10, my motivation is acting or playwriting related (even my letters to Mel Gibson are somewhat "business related"). But for all those celebs I've written, emailed or called - maybe under 30? - I've heard back from Robert Conrad, (The Wild, Wild West) Earl Hamner, Jr. (creator of The Waltons), Robert Englund ("Freddy Krueger"), Gary Sinise, Daniel J. Travanti, Brandy Ledford, Karen Lamm, Robert Lamm (the group Chicago), Mark Metcalf - that's already a 30% success ratio. 2-4% is considered ideal in direct marketing. Granted, none of these people would make the Hollywood 500 list (Sinise might). That's not the point. Lesson: if you don't ask you will not receive.
As long as you don't stalk.
Look for this new link - situated on top of the right panel - that'll take you to Plays of Jeffrey James Ircink. You'll have access to a synopsis, setting, character breakdown, author notes and a 20-page dialogue sample of each play. Just click on READ MORE and a second window will open for that particular play.
Still working out a few little bugs here and there, but this is a good thing.
I originally posted a few pictures from the NYC trip (see May 25, 31 and June 5) and I said I'd post more. Well - here they are ('cause I knew you were foaming at the mouth to see these...am I right, huh, huh?).
Tulips in the Shakespeare Gardens - 4 acres reserved for "quiet time alone".
View of The Great Lawn from the highest point of Belvedere Castle.
Angel of the Waters Fountain (Bethesda Angel - 1868) - South End of Central Park.
Tony Clements and I go way back to high school in Waterford. We worked on the school paper - he used to have layout 
parties at his house (he was editor his senior year, then I replaced him the next year). Kick ass layout parties (that's all I can really say - what's the statute of limitations on....oh, forget it).
Great actor, singer, musician, musical theater playwright. He and his partner, Rob, live on the Upper West Side - two blocks from Central Park, and Tony read in Stan's Addiction. I stayed with he and Rob for a couple days and they showed me around the city. Great tour guides. Tony and I sorta stayed in touch and kind of knew what we were each sorta doing - he was with one of the National Tours of Mama Mia for four years and doing other acting stuff in Milwaukee and I was in Iowa acting there. Anyway, we hooked up again and I'm very happy. There are people in your life that, if you never saw them again, no biggie. And there are people you wish you could see more often. Tony's one of those people.
So is Michael. Me with Michael Harrington (center), director of Stan's Addiction and John having a Guinness at some Irish pub. I met Mike back in Cedar Rapids when I first got into theatre. I think he was a freshman in high school at the time, but already a fantastic tapper and dancer. He just received his Masters at NYU in directing. Good man. Fun guy. And I believe he's gonna be a helluva director. It had been a few years since we had talked as well (before this play reading came up). So, I'm glad the play brought us back together. Thank you, Michael.
The cast of Stan's Addiction outside the Manhattan Theatre Source in Greenwich Village (the East Village). The woman is Elena Shaddow - Mike's wife, who is an up and coming Broadway theatre actress and singer, having starred or performed in several Broadway shows, and most recently the National Tour of The Light in the Piazza. I didn't get to chat with her as much as I would've liked but a nice girl.
Times Square. Bright. Crowded. Loud. Nuts. Chaotic. Exciting. Busy. It's a sight, that's for sure. But I could never stay down there long.
More breaking news...I confirmed yesterday that I'll be flying out to New York in May for a private, two day reading of "Stan's Addiction" by the Bleeker Street Irregulars Theatre Company - sorta between Greenwich Village and the lower east side of Manhattan. A theater-friend of mine from Iowa, Michael Harrington (we were in A Chorus Line together) is one of the partners in this production company, along with the former president of NYU. Barring any unforeseen hitches, Bleeker Street will put up an Equity Showcase run of the play late summer. Stay tuned for more updates!
Hey - wait a second. That means - BROADWAY, BABY!!! Well...Off-Off Broadway, but hey - who's really gonna bust MY chops, right NOW? And I said I had no interest in ever visiting the Big Apple...
The April '07 issue of American Theatre magazine features an ad for my play, Stan's Addiction - page 86, lower left corner. Pretty cool. This national publication is widely read by theater professionals across the country (or we hope it is), so - we'll see. The ad includes an excellent quote by Leslie Charipar, director of the Urban Theater Project of Iowa, which first read Stan's last year (just click on the picture and it'll open up in a bigger window). And that's Scott Humeston tak'in a drag (which is part of the cover of the play book). I met Leslie and Scott in 1994 at Theatre Cedar Rapids in Iowa while the three of us were performing in a Broadway review called, Echoes.
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