Harry Potter's Birthday and First Rehearsal

It is quite the final day of July. I am rocking my Hairy Otter shirt in honor of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter's birthdays! I absolutely love the series (I still need to venture into Fantastic Beasts, but that'll come soon enough). I have yet to visit Harry Potter World (or as the muggles call "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios"). I was supposed to go after college graduation as my present/vacation, but I just HAD to get a job. It's okay. Soon.

I'm currently sitting in my town's local coffee shop rocking out to the Hamilton soundtrack (I'm late to the listen-to-the-entire-Hamilton-soundtrack party). I have to say it's brilliant and easy to get into with its historical references and parallels to how our country is today...except we kinda want England to take us back if Canada doesn't want us. Basically, I'm just picturing Stewie Griffin as King George III (see pictured).

I'm updating my personal website (bradenmills.com) because I have some exciting projects coming up soon. The Spotlight Playhouse (thespotlightplayhouse.com) is producing The Carol Burnett Show and Charlotte's Web: the Musical as its first two Players shows. I am in both show, with rehearsals on alternating days through the week. It's going to be so much fun, especially after almost two months without rehearsal or performing. 

I'll be very busy juggling my day job with two shows all while trying to get my license (if I can actually get my test appointment scheduled...goodness). Oh yeah, I also get my wisdom teeth pulled next week. Fun. Times!

I'm writing a play!

I have started to write another play. I wrote one about a couple of years ago about a brother and sister ringing in the new millennium and being transported through time to present day. They were faced with the reality that their lives and society would change completely as touch screen technology and the in-person socialization of humans would diminish. It was a pretty cool concept and story to develop. It is technically still a work in progress aptly titled Happy New Decade. 

The new play I am writing is based on my current life. It is set at a small-town mom-and-pop restaurant called Mom & Pop's (also the working title of the play). Basically, it follows the employees and managers as they go about a single Saturday in late summer. My main intention was to write how a normal day at the restaurant where I work would go, but I got a few more ideas as I created the characters and their respective situations. 

I am a big fan of plays that takes place within a single day or a short period of time because it shows that the playwright can really show conflict and the evolution of the characters' relationships in real time. In life, even a dull day for somebody is really eventful for another person. I find myself thinking about how people I know or complete strangers in other parts of the world are going about their daily lives. There is always something going on somewhere, and that's what makes living on this planet interesting. 

I am still just a few pages into Act 1 (Day Shift) right now. I have decided to be real about what I would say or how a co-worker would act while at work. At the same time, I have realized that some of my frustration has been pent up and this is a fun and healthy way of releasing that tension. So far, it's started to become quite the cathartic experience because there are certain things I really want to say to a few of the customers that come into the store from time to time.  Because I like money and able to afford rent, I censor myself and stay calm, cool, and collected...on the outside. 

I am really looking forward to seeing how the Day Shift ends, how the Evening Shift begins, and what will happen during closing time. This is mostly a project for myself. If I let others read it and the consensus is positive, I may just release it to the world for many more people to enjoy (hopefully). Let's see where this takes me. In the meantime, I get the joyous opportunity of closing the store tomorrow night and opening the next morning during a craft fair weekend. Oh boy!