I had to document this moment before it passed and so without time to dry the tears from my eyes, I'm writing this post. It's time to do it. I mean, I'm already doing it, I've been doing it my whole life. But it's time to stand up proudly, and live out the rest of my life as Justin Friesen. I know this is sort of a bizarre thought, but when you have had to take a moment to step back from yourself, and see what it really going on, this moment, the moment of re-entry, feels like jumping back into my life. The tears still wet on my cheek, are from a series I just watched, thanks to the OWN network (my dear Oprah, you continue to change my life) It was a series called "Why Not, with Shania Twain." I had been putting off watching it, because I was just "TOO BUSY" not a good enough excuse. Finally, after a giant push from my beautiful sister, who couldn't get enough of this series, I finally took the plunge and watched all 6 episodes in the last 2 days. Hearing Shania talk about all the pain and loss in her life, the break up of her marriage, finding a new love, and discovering how much she loves what she does, it all hit my heart right in the middle of the bullseye. I think it so easy to relate to this story because I too have felt like a lot of things are changing in my life, and quickly. Obviously I didn't loose my spouse, and all those other details involved in Shania's story, but when someone opens up, as humans we connected the dots of someone else life, and then parallel them to our own life (that is kinda like this, and this moment is kinda like that one, ohhhh, and that is totally how I felt when this happened to me, man alive, I swear I said that to myself too when this happened to me, or when i realized that) All these thoughts run through my brain, and I accept her feelings and emotions and relate them to my own life when I've felt those same emotions, or pushed certain emotions away. Shania's journey of asking herself why not do it, has opened her up to the world. She forced herself to do things that she was so uncomfortable doing, but she did them anyways, with vigour. It was so inspiring to watch. Now I know, she's Shania Twain, of course she can do it, that is was we all think, but this series really dug deep into the mind of Mrs. Twain, and shed light on many parts of her life that she kept completely silent. To see her struggle, to see her push, to see her battle with herself. These are all things any performer can relate too. She was saying words that have come straight out of my own head.
During the final episode she sings a duet with Lionel Richie, and it seriously blew me away. She said, after trying it quite a few times, "well, I'm just going to have to sing it like Shania would." And it hit me, I don't have to sound like anyone else. This is something I have been told before, but sometimes we don't accept information because we aren't ready to hear it. It's been a constant challenge accepting the voice that comes out of my body, sometimes i love it, sometimes i hate it. Today, I am accepting it, with love and light and laughter. I am accepting it and am going to use it, "Just like Justin Friesen would use it." It is my unique sound, no one else has it. Just ME. Isn't that amazing!! AHHHHHHH. How freaken exciting it that. Every time I open my mouth, it doesn't sound like anyone but ME!!!! OH my goodness, what a relief. I feel so much weight lifted off my shoulders. It doesn't have to be anything but me. I feel like I could shout that over all the rooftops in Brooklyn!!
The tears have dried now, but I still have the emotion surging through my body. To let yourself feel the emotion, for me, is half the battle. That right there is the ability to drop into, and accept the moment that is happening. When you let the emotion take over, your accepting where your body, mind and spirit are taking you! I have become so good at being the confident, nice, kind Justin Friesen, that when different parts of me shine through, I cover them up and make sure people only see what I want them to see. And it's worked this far, because the light that I let shine through is ONLY happy, kind, confident, easy going, and warm. Who doesn't want to be around that, AIHHHHHH, wrong, that can get fake and people start to read that. My teacher said to me, you have these more obvious qualities that radiate out of you, but what about the ones that you hide, those ones are just as important. They are what will make you YOU. What about the emotional Justin, or the Justin that gets annoyed with people, or the Justin that wants to throw things around sometimes because he can't handle how much people put themselves down, how much he puts himself down, AHHHHHH, or the Justin that wants to be chill for one night, or the Justin that wants to be sexy, or the Justin that just wants to be Justin! There is so much light to let through, and that is what the world wants to see. That is why I react when I see Shania Twain opening up to all of her fans and supporters, and it inspires me to sing all the different songs from my heart too! I am going to sing my song, in whatever key i want, and it's going to feel amazing. Today is My Day, and nothing can stand in my Way!!
There you go universe. My two precious cents for this, June 25th 2011, in my apartment in Brooklyn! (you don't know how long I've waited to write that, permanently) STAMP!!
TBC...
J
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Practically Perfect...in every way!
My dear blog readers, (and the universe that is always with us)
I can't believe how satisfying it is to clean up. Today I have a new roommate for the month on July. KINGA will be living with me, as my other roommate takes a leave to teach in another country. KINGA also attends the New York Film Academy, and we have become dear friends over the course of our program. She gets me, and I get her. It just works, and we love it!! I am so thankful to have a friend like her. So down to earth, kind, warm, beautiful inside and out, and much much more! I am so excited to be living together and I think it's going to work wonderfully. I know the whole roommate situation can be really hard on relationships sometimes, but Kinga and I run the same way! Today we spend the afternoon and evening cleaning, and boy did that feel good. The apartment feels different already. I just feel better knowing that things are organized, even if I can't see them. I truly don't know how to compare the satisfying feeling of cleaning something up, to anything else in life! It evokes such happiness in my heart.
Switching gears a little, I was talking to a friend Leo, who is coming to visit me in New York with his boyfriend and another friend and he asked me how things are going here in New York. In the heat of the moment, I said things were going great. The generic answer, which isn't untrue, but it doesn't hold any weight, and isn't really how I was feeling. Over the last month, and more specifically, the last week, I have really started to pay attention to what my life looks like from an arial view. How do people perceive me? How do I react, and act in a plethera of circumstances? How do I live in the now? How do I drop into a circumstance in order to accept the character I am playing in a certain scene? How do I live a normal life in New York City, as a farm boy? How do I be true to myself? All of these questions were spinning around, as I looked at myself from up above. It was such a crazy month. I was still enjoying classes, but found myself not wanting to be at school as much. After 5 months friendships start to change and evolve, which isn't bad, it's just part of our nature. We have to grow or else we will die. It's pretty simple when you think about it. And sometimes with growth comes discomfort, and that is okay. It doesn't make it easy, it's just okay, and I know I will get through it. Despite the discomfort, amazing things have happened to me over the past month. All in one night I went to a Broadway Inspiration Voices concert, which was basically like being in the Sister Act 2 movie, times 10, for 3 hours. It was so incredibly moving, and then from there I went to the Broadway Bares fundraiser for aids, which once again, made me remember that I am infact in New York City, and this kind of energy doesn't happen just anywhere. I am here for a reason, and it's never felt so right! Anyways, back to the reason this has all come up. Leo asked me how I was doing, and I said great. Awesome okay, nothing to crazy about that, but this is the beauty of feeling like you are exactly where you want to be, it's never a normal week. Even when I expect, from habits or the past, that it's just going to be a normal week, it never is. I saw to amazing shows last Sunday, and then on Tuesday, my life was once again transformed when I got picked from the Wicked lottery to see the show front row. I mean, come on. This is a show that I will be playing a role in as soon as possible. I absolutely loved it. The music, the acting, the staging, it's such a well oiled machine, and yet it has so much depth and heart. This is truly because everyone, and I mean everyone: from costume, to automation, to carpentry, to scenic design, to stage management, to actors, to choreographers, directors, and producers, to the guy who sweeps the stage before each show, it's all done with amazing passion and vigour. These people know they are apart of something extremely special. it's so much more than what we see on the stage. The magic is released because of all the behind the scenes people. Wow, it was such a magical experience. Something I will never forget!
Each week is never just normal. I also discovered the ability to drop into a circumstance when I sing a song. I never had a problem imagining things, but it's believing the situation your in that is my challenge. I know that it's not necessarily real, and even if it was, I would not let it phase me, so I wouldn't have to deal with emotion. I finally dropped in, and felt it, and it made everything better. This is the exciting work, I have been longing to be apart of. It's freaking amazing!! That is all i have to say.
I must get to bed, okay folks. ENJOY!!
TBC...
J
I can't believe how satisfying it is to clean up. Today I have a new roommate for the month on July. KINGA will be living with me, as my other roommate takes a leave to teach in another country. KINGA also attends the New York Film Academy, and we have become dear friends over the course of our program. She gets me, and I get her. It just works, and we love it!! I am so thankful to have a friend like her. So down to earth, kind, warm, beautiful inside and out, and much much more! I am so excited to be living together and I think it's going to work wonderfully. I know the whole roommate situation can be really hard on relationships sometimes, but Kinga and I run the same way! Today we spend the afternoon and evening cleaning, and boy did that feel good. The apartment feels different already. I just feel better knowing that things are organized, even if I can't see them. I truly don't know how to compare the satisfying feeling of cleaning something up, to anything else in life! It evokes such happiness in my heart.
Switching gears a little, I was talking to a friend Leo, who is coming to visit me in New York with his boyfriend and another friend and he asked me how things are going here in New York. In the heat of the moment, I said things were going great. The generic answer, which isn't untrue, but it doesn't hold any weight, and isn't really how I was feeling. Over the last month, and more specifically, the last week, I have really started to pay attention to what my life looks like from an arial view. How do people perceive me? How do I react, and act in a plethera of circumstances? How do I live in the now? How do I drop into a circumstance in order to accept the character I am playing in a certain scene? How do I live a normal life in New York City, as a farm boy? How do I be true to myself? All of these questions were spinning around, as I looked at myself from up above. It was such a crazy month. I was still enjoying classes, but found myself not wanting to be at school as much. After 5 months friendships start to change and evolve, which isn't bad, it's just part of our nature. We have to grow or else we will die. It's pretty simple when you think about it. And sometimes with growth comes discomfort, and that is okay. It doesn't make it easy, it's just okay, and I know I will get through it. Despite the discomfort, amazing things have happened to me over the past month. All in one night I went to a Broadway Inspiration Voices concert, which was basically like being in the Sister Act 2 movie, times 10, for 3 hours. It was so incredibly moving, and then from there I went to the Broadway Bares fundraiser for aids, which once again, made me remember that I am infact in New York City, and this kind of energy doesn't happen just anywhere. I am here for a reason, and it's never felt so right! Anyways, back to the reason this has all come up. Leo asked me how I was doing, and I said great. Awesome okay, nothing to crazy about that, but this is the beauty of feeling like you are exactly where you want to be, it's never a normal week. Even when I expect, from habits or the past, that it's just going to be a normal week, it never is. I saw to amazing shows last Sunday, and then on Tuesday, my life was once again transformed when I got picked from the Wicked lottery to see the show front row. I mean, come on. This is a show that I will be playing a role in as soon as possible. I absolutely loved it. The music, the acting, the staging, it's such a well oiled machine, and yet it has so much depth and heart. This is truly because everyone, and I mean everyone: from costume, to automation, to carpentry, to scenic design, to stage management, to actors, to choreographers, directors, and producers, to the guy who sweeps the stage before each show, it's all done with amazing passion and vigour. These people know they are apart of something extremely special. it's so much more than what we see on the stage. The magic is released because of all the behind the scenes people. Wow, it was such a magical experience. Something I will never forget!
Each week is never just normal. I also discovered the ability to drop into a circumstance when I sing a song. I never had a problem imagining things, but it's believing the situation your in that is my challenge. I know that it's not necessarily real, and even if it was, I would not let it phase me, so I wouldn't have to deal with emotion. I finally dropped in, and felt it, and it made everything better. This is the exciting work, I have been longing to be apart of. It's freaking amazing!! That is all i have to say.
I must get to bed, okay folks. ENJOY!!
TBC...
J
Monday, June 20, 2011
All is well in Justin Land!
Well folks,
Tonight has been a memorable one, that is all I can say in words. I almost don't know where to begin. I guess I should start at the beginning, a very good place to start (thanks Maria). This past week I was asked, along with 3 more of my classmates, to participate in the 7th inning stretch fundraiser for a local Hoboken Theatre Company. Every year they do a baseball themed night of theatre (10 minute pieces). Each year there are commissioned by local writers and then performed as a fundraising event. I discovered a new love: Hoboken, which is just across the Hudson River, in New Jersey. It's like a smaller, quiter, Manhattan, just across the river (just around the riverbend: Thanks Pocahotus) The whole experience was wonderful. The cast of our play was so much fun to work with, and I really loved performing our play. It had heart and was still really funny! With Baseball as the theme, the playwright chose a high school setting with a crazy teacher, a nerd, a few dumb jocks, and some pretty high school girls. The nerd brings in a presentation for someone that inspires him. He choses Charlie Waitt, the man you invented the baseball glove. Now when baseball started, no one use gloves, and there were injuries left right and centre, so Charlie thought of using a glove to protect his hands from getting hurt so often. Seems obvious, but it took 21 years for people to catch on, and stop calling him Sissy, queer, fagot, and a whole slew of other degrading words. People wanted to be tough, but in the end they were just to preoccupied trying to look cool, and as a result they were injured all the time. Finally people started following Charlie's trend and now we would never think to play baseball without gloves. It was such a cute little story, but had great heart and courage! I was very proud to be apart of something that meant something to me personally. So that was a huge part of my week and weekend.
I've also been viewing the world from a different angle these last few weeks. It's been a growing experience, to say the least. These things tend to creep up on us, when we least expect it. It's amazing when you look back , and wonder how you lived any other way then the way you are living now. I look back to before i came out of the closet and I think, WOW, how did I even do that, and even looking back to life before NYC, how did I do that. Sometimes it's incredibly important to take a step back and take the birds eye view of yourself, not an easy thing to do. you basically have to look at yourself from everyone else's perspective. How are other people viewing you. To clarity a little, I don't mean you have to worry yourself to the enth degree about how people are judging you, but it's good to know how you are being read. Sometimes we loose sight of who we are, this is just the human condition. We aren't perfect, and sometimes we put a lot of focus on one thing and then forget about another thing, something that we care about a lot but didn't notice we were neglecting. We often focus on certain parts of our lives, in search for a balance. I think the balance comes when you surrender to the power of the universe (or whatever you believe is greater than we are) I think that it is the grace of that which is Higher, that allows us to find balance in our lives. My mom reminded me of the word grace, and how important it is. I don't think I've ever really understood it, despite hearing it all my life in church. Grace; it's not quite the same ask thankfulness and gratefulness. Grace is surrounded by trust, humility, peace, love, respect and honesty. Grace is something we give and receive through love! It is a gift. Tonight I went to the Broadway Inspirational Voices concert, and I was literally knock of my rocker. I mean, literally, I don't even know what to say. It was a cleanse, it was a rejuvenation, it was a dunk in the deep end of the water, it was powerful, mighty, joyful and courageous!! The choir was made up of broadway stars, and they were raising their voices to the LORD, AMEN. It brought me back to my roots. All I could think about was my mennonite roots and RJC, and CMU, and my home church. All those memories came a flooding back. It was a great reminder of where I come from, and what I am still connected to. It gives me a solid ground to stand on, and I am so grateful for that. The music stirred my soul and re lit a flame of passion, openness, determination, grace, love and joy. Joy in what I do, Joy in being me, joy in loving others, joy in all the emotions we feel everyday (happy, sad, mad, angry, annoyed, mortified, nervous, scared, exuberant, brilliant) All of these emotions are apart of everyday, and we need to let them surface.
After the concert I, along with some friends, went to the Broadway Bare 21st fundraiser for Broadway Care/Equity Fights Aids. Without going into too much detail, i have to say it literally changed my life. The fearlessness of all the dancers and performers was, once more, incredibly inspiring, and a reminder than I can, and need to do the same. Let was is most deep within out into the world. Share the you that we often keep at home behind closed doors. I challenge you and myself to open your front door and walk out with the you that is inside you, being transparent with the world. Allowing your inner self to lead you!
That is my prayer for the week. Take care, ya'll!!
LOVE LIGHT AND LAUGHTER
TBC...
j
Tonight has been a memorable one, that is all I can say in words. I almost don't know where to begin. I guess I should start at the beginning, a very good place to start (thanks Maria). This past week I was asked, along with 3 more of my classmates, to participate in the 7th inning stretch fundraiser for a local Hoboken Theatre Company. Every year they do a baseball themed night of theatre (10 minute pieces). Each year there are commissioned by local writers and then performed as a fundraising event. I discovered a new love: Hoboken, which is just across the Hudson River, in New Jersey. It's like a smaller, quiter, Manhattan, just across the river (just around the riverbend: Thanks Pocahotus) The whole experience was wonderful. The cast of our play was so much fun to work with, and I really loved performing our play. It had heart and was still really funny! With Baseball as the theme, the playwright chose a high school setting with a crazy teacher, a nerd, a few dumb jocks, and some pretty high school girls. The nerd brings in a presentation for someone that inspires him. He choses Charlie Waitt, the man you invented the baseball glove. Now when baseball started, no one use gloves, and there were injuries left right and centre, so Charlie thought of using a glove to protect his hands from getting hurt so often. Seems obvious, but it took 21 years for people to catch on, and stop calling him Sissy, queer, fagot, and a whole slew of other degrading words. People wanted to be tough, but in the end they were just to preoccupied trying to look cool, and as a result they were injured all the time. Finally people started following Charlie's trend and now we would never think to play baseball without gloves. It was such a cute little story, but had great heart and courage! I was very proud to be apart of something that meant something to me personally. So that was a huge part of my week and weekend.
I've also been viewing the world from a different angle these last few weeks. It's been a growing experience, to say the least. These things tend to creep up on us, when we least expect it. It's amazing when you look back , and wonder how you lived any other way then the way you are living now. I look back to before i came out of the closet and I think, WOW, how did I even do that, and even looking back to life before NYC, how did I do that. Sometimes it's incredibly important to take a step back and take the birds eye view of yourself, not an easy thing to do. you basically have to look at yourself from everyone else's perspective. How are other people viewing you. To clarity a little, I don't mean you have to worry yourself to the enth degree about how people are judging you, but it's good to know how you are being read. Sometimes we loose sight of who we are, this is just the human condition. We aren't perfect, and sometimes we put a lot of focus on one thing and then forget about another thing, something that we care about a lot but didn't notice we were neglecting. We often focus on certain parts of our lives, in search for a balance. I think the balance comes when you surrender to the power of the universe (or whatever you believe is greater than we are) I think that it is the grace of that which is Higher, that allows us to find balance in our lives. My mom reminded me of the word grace, and how important it is. I don't think I've ever really understood it, despite hearing it all my life in church. Grace; it's not quite the same ask thankfulness and gratefulness. Grace is surrounded by trust, humility, peace, love, respect and honesty. Grace is something we give and receive through love! It is a gift. Tonight I went to the Broadway Inspirational Voices concert, and I was literally knock of my rocker. I mean, literally, I don't even know what to say. It was a cleanse, it was a rejuvenation, it was a dunk in the deep end of the water, it was powerful, mighty, joyful and courageous!! The choir was made up of broadway stars, and they were raising their voices to the LORD, AMEN. It brought me back to my roots. All I could think about was my mennonite roots and RJC, and CMU, and my home church. All those memories came a flooding back. It was a great reminder of where I come from, and what I am still connected to. It gives me a solid ground to stand on, and I am so grateful for that. The music stirred my soul and re lit a flame of passion, openness, determination, grace, love and joy. Joy in what I do, Joy in being me, joy in loving others, joy in all the emotions we feel everyday (happy, sad, mad, angry, annoyed, mortified, nervous, scared, exuberant, brilliant) All of these emotions are apart of everyday, and we need to let them surface.
After the concert I, along with some friends, went to the Broadway Bare 21st fundraiser for Broadway Care/Equity Fights Aids. Without going into too much detail, i have to say it literally changed my life. The fearlessness of all the dancers and performers was, once more, incredibly inspiring, and a reminder than I can, and need to do the same. Let was is most deep within out into the world. Share the you that we often keep at home behind closed doors. I challenge you and myself to open your front door and walk out with the you that is inside you, being transparent with the world. Allowing your inner self to lead you!
That is my prayer for the week. Take care, ya'll!!
LOVE LIGHT AND LAUGHTER
TBC...
j
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Middle of the Week, plus some same sex marriage
Hey ya'll,
We've reached the middle of the week and what an exciting one it's been. Lots of stuff going on at school, and then in the evenings I have been rehearsing a show I am apart of with the Three Mile Theatre in Hoboken, New Jersey. I am apart of 1 or 7 1- minute plays all to do with baseball. Every year they have an event called the 7th inning stretch, and they commission 7 different 10 minute plays about baseball. There are 3 others from my NYFA class that are also apart of it. It's great to meet new people outside of school, and to get your name out there, no mater how small the gig is. you just never know who is going to be watching. In New York City, YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO!! This is just absolutely true. Word of mouth is the fasted way to get something around and have everyone believe it. I don't care how awesome emailing, and texting are, the human mouth is still more reliable.
So this week has been a little more busy than usually having rehearsals all evening, and school all day. But it's worth it. Another great credit on the resume and getting to work with a great cast and director and creative team. I love it!!!
Oh and it's extremely exciting that the Marriage Equality Act was passed and is now heading to the senate. To read more about this follow the link: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/15/new.york.gay.marriage/index.html?eref=igoogledmn_topstories
Coming from Canada we take for granted the ability to get married as a same sex couple. In New York State, this is not recognized yet, but it's getting really close!! People are really rooting for change, which is amazing. Especially since I feel like half of the population of New York City is gay!! haha:) Let them get married!! STAMP:)
I will talk more about this in my next Post, but there have been amazing leaps in our acting classes that I would love to share. We are always kept on our toes, growing and learning new ways of thinking. I must get to bed, it's late, and each night I've gotten less sleep, so tonight i'm breaking the chain!
Night Night all, Lots of Love, Light and Laughter all the way from NYC!!!
TOBECONTINUED
j
We've reached the middle of the week and what an exciting one it's been. Lots of stuff going on at school, and then in the evenings I have been rehearsing a show I am apart of with the Three Mile Theatre in Hoboken, New Jersey. I am apart of 1 or 7 1- minute plays all to do with baseball. Every year they have an event called the 7th inning stretch, and they commission 7 different 10 minute plays about baseball. There are 3 others from my NYFA class that are also apart of it. It's great to meet new people outside of school, and to get your name out there, no mater how small the gig is. you just never know who is going to be watching. In New York City, YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU'RE TALKING TO!! This is just absolutely true. Word of mouth is the fasted way to get something around and have everyone believe it. I don't care how awesome emailing, and texting are, the human mouth is still more reliable.
So this week has been a little more busy than usually having rehearsals all evening, and school all day. But it's worth it. Another great credit on the resume and getting to work with a great cast and director and creative team. I love it!!!
Oh and it's extremely exciting that the Marriage Equality Act was passed and is now heading to the senate. To read more about this follow the link: http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/06/15/new.york.gay.marriage/index.html?eref=igoogledmn_topstories
Coming from Canada we take for granted the ability to get married as a same sex couple. In New York State, this is not recognized yet, but it's getting really close!! People are really rooting for change, which is amazing. Especially since I feel like half of the population of New York City is gay!! haha:) Let them get married!! STAMP:)
I will talk more about this in my next Post, but there have been amazing leaps in our acting classes that I would love to share. We are always kept on our toes, growing and learning new ways of thinking. I must get to bed, it's late, and each night I've gotten less sleep, so tonight i'm breaking the chain!
Night Night all, Lots of Love, Light and Laughter all the way from NYC!!!
TOBECONTINUED
j
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Today is your day:)
Hello everyone,
Well, i just experienced my first ever TONY AWARDS. Kinda hard to believe, when this is the career I am in. But you have to start somewhere.
I just love award shows. They seriously make my heart jump up and down! Some of the speeches were amazing. Book of Mormon did amazing, and they deserved it. I can't wait to see it! I mean, at the end of the day any of the nominations could win. It's all so subjective at that point. Obviously there are times when it's clear who should win. But most times once the nominations are posted, who cares who wins. I would love to win a TONY, and don't think I'm not shooting for one, because I certainly am. I want a TONY, GRAMMY, JUNO, EMMY, PEOPLES CHOICE, OSCAR and GOLDEN GLOBE. It's not really about winning, but I'm a competitive guy, always have been (thanks mom and dad). I think it's part of what makes me work my ass off. Awards are not the be all end all of life, but it is something to push harder than you might normally push yourself for. All of those awards equal an olympic medal in show business world. And I've wanted an olympic medal since I was able to watch the olympics and understand what they were.
Man, this weekend has been such a rejuvenation for me. I feel ready to take it all on. I've been so inspired by so many things. The last of the 3 musicals in one week was "Catch Me if you Can." This freakin blew the top off the cake. Shaiman and Wittman, who wrote the music for Hairspray, teamed up again for this project, and it was completely magical. The music is genius, pushing all the right buttons. The dancing, the men and women. The airline hostesses, are glamazons from mount olympus. Aaron Tveit, and Norbert Leo Butz killed every second they spent on stage. I basically melted in my seat every time Aaron opened his mouth as Frank Abagnale Jr. As a male, I am very critical of a male voice. It's much easier for me to enjoy the sound of a woman. I don't know why this is, but it's just how I've always been. But Aaron, ahhhhhh, now that is music to my ears. He has played a lot of roles that I want to play, including this one in Catch me if you Can. I also love how brilliant the story is. There was singing when I wanted singing, there was action when I wanted action, there was sentiment when I wanted to feel something. It was all there. Again, I was transported into another world. My eyes couldn't believe the overstimulation. It's a crazy story, with some wonderful themes. Behind all the stealing, is the story of a boy who is trying to figure out what is really important to him. It's also about shooting for exactly what you want, and that can change over time. This, combined with the TONY's, Mary Poppins, A Normal Heart, and a wonderful day alone yesterday equals something Shania knew how to articulate brilliantly. "Today is my Day." I feel a new sense of ownership over the body I live in. I can't wait to see what the week brings! Alright, it's time to get some sleep! Also important. This week is about owning the body that I was given and loving every inch of it....and.....GO:)
TOBECONTINUED...
j
Well, i just experienced my first ever TONY AWARDS. Kinda hard to believe, when this is the career I am in. But you have to start somewhere.
I just love award shows. They seriously make my heart jump up and down! Some of the speeches were amazing. Book of Mormon did amazing, and they deserved it. I can't wait to see it! I mean, at the end of the day any of the nominations could win. It's all so subjective at that point. Obviously there are times when it's clear who should win. But most times once the nominations are posted, who cares who wins. I would love to win a TONY, and don't think I'm not shooting for one, because I certainly am. I want a TONY, GRAMMY, JUNO, EMMY, PEOPLES CHOICE, OSCAR and GOLDEN GLOBE. It's not really about winning, but I'm a competitive guy, always have been (thanks mom and dad). I think it's part of what makes me work my ass off. Awards are not the be all end all of life, but it is something to push harder than you might normally push yourself for. All of those awards equal an olympic medal in show business world. And I've wanted an olympic medal since I was able to watch the olympics and understand what they were.
Man, this weekend has been such a rejuvenation for me. I feel ready to take it all on. I've been so inspired by so many things. The last of the 3 musicals in one week was "Catch Me if you Can." This freakin blew the top off the cake. Shaiman and Wittman, who wrote the music for Hairspray, teamed up again for this project, and it was completely magical. The music is genius, pushing all the right buttons. The dancing, the men and women. The airline hostesses, are glamazons from mount olympus. Aaron Tveit, and Norbert Leo Butz killed every second they spent on stage. I basically melted in my seat every time Aaron opened his mouth as Frank Abagnale Jr. As a male, I am very critical of a male voice. It's much easier for me to enjoy the sound of a woman. I don't know why this is, but it's just how I've always been. But Aaron, ahhhhhh, now that is music to my ears. He has played a lot of roles that I want to play, including this one in Catch me if you Can. I also love how brilliant the story is. There was singing when I wanted singing, there was action when I wanted action, there was sentiment when I wanted to feel something. It was all there. Again, I was transported into another world. My eyes couldn't believe the overstimulation. It's a crazy story, with some wonderful themes. Behind all the stealing, is the story of a boy who is trying to figure out what is really important to him. It's also about shooting for exactly what you want, and that can change over time. This, combined with the TONY's, Mary Poppins, A Normal Heart, and a wonderful day alone yesterday equals something Shania knew how to articulate brilliantly. "Today is my Day." I feel a new sense of ownership over the body I live in. I can't wait to see what the week brings! Alright, it's time to get some sleep! Also important. This week is about owning the body that I was given and loving every inch of it....and.....GO:)
TOBECONTINUED...
j
Getting better at this
Well, I did write a whole thing about seeing Mary Poppins, but I lost it. So that kinda sucks. But it's been a while since i last posted something, and so much has happened since, I just have to start somewhere and go for it. Life goes in cycles, we all know this, I think. Even the things you don't think go in cycles, it's most likely that they do in fact go in a cycle. Like going to see shows in New York City. This week I saw three shows. That's practically unheard of for me. There was a dry spell before this that lasted almost 2 months, and then all of a sudden, BAM, 3 shows. It kinda caught me off guard. On Sunday I saw Mary Poppins with my dear friends Amanda, and Nathan, whom are now engaged after Nathan's romantic proposal of marriage in Central Park. It is something extremely special to see a couple right after the proposal. It's like a magical mystery; completely unsolvable. The energy was crazy, i loved it!
So we went to see Mary Poppins and I was completely blown away. Everything about the show was brilliant. I mean, I knew I would like it, but they exceeded my expectations exponentially. The tap dancing, the chimney sweep roof top scene, the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious scene, the way the sets moved, the magnificent dancing, and singing and acting. I wasn't even thinking about how good it was, I was just immersed in the world of Mary Poppins. There was this one moment when she arrives at the house, and starts settling into the room upstairs with the Banks children. She pulls all of her stuff out of this bag. And we're talking big things, so it looks really cool, but then she took out a bed sheet, and as she flung the bed sheet open across the empty stage, a bed appeared underneath and the sheet covered the bed. It was completely magic, I swear. I was shocked, utterly shocked. I didn't even know what to do in my chair. So if ever there is a chance to see MP, do it! You won't regret it. It's Disney's Magic and it's finest.
Then I went to see a show called "The Normal Heart" on Wednesday, which I have been meaning to see for a long time. Finally it was time to check it out. I knew a bit about it going into it, but also knew that it was going to change my life because of the what the subject matter is. It's all about Larry Kramer and beginning of the AID's epidemic in New York City, 1981. AIDS is something that I knew very little about, in terms of it's history. I knew that it wasn't good, and that there is no real cure. It was supposedly only suppose to be a GAY disease, but Africa proved that to be completely false, and now it is something that all sexual orientations have to deal with. "The Normal Heart" was a knock the wind out of you kind of experience. It was a wave of information hitting you like the ocean tide, knocking you out and then sweeping you underneath the surface, spinning you around until you catch yourself on the ground and push yourself up and out of the water, gasping for air. Every scene was so full of energy and the actors playing on stage were beyond what I could explain in words. For 2 and a half hours I was in a different world. The emotions were all over the map. It was funny, until it wasn't. Society treated this AIDS thing like it was a joke, it was completely, and still is, swept under the rug. Over 35 million people have died of AIDS and they still aren't accepting it as an epidemic. When the swine flu broke out, the medical world went nuts, thinking this was going to be a pandemic (or something crazy big) and it was nothing compared to the way AIDS has taken millions of lives. During the 80's this disease hit the Broadway crowd extremely hard. People where dying left, right and centre. It was insane, like flies. Some didn't know how the Broadway world would recover from loosing so many actors. I mean, to try and comprehend this is mind blowing. And to think that it was only apart of the Gay community when it first arrived in America. WHY?? is my question. It's absolutely crazy that even when people were dying, sexual orientation was the deciding factor between life and death. How can that be true, but it is. Because of being Gay, no one would want me to help me, or more specifically, no one would want to be seen helping me. We all care way to much about what everyone else thinks of us. What happened to that fact that we are all human beings, with a heartbeat, just trying to make it on this earth. That is hard enough, why do we add all of this extra stress and pressure to our lives. We are who we are, it's as simple and as complicated as that. PEOPLE, you must try to understand this, people literally died because others didn't want to be associated with the Gay community. There was one line that still sticks with me; it hit me like an arrow in the heart: (I'm paraphrasing) "why do we even look back at our history, we don't learn anything from it." I realize this is a general statement, but in many ways it rings true. 6,000,000 Jews were killed in the Holocaust. We now know see this as one of the biggest tragedies in history, and it is. But you think we would have learned from it. 35,000,000 have died of AIDS. It just blows my mind. If people would just let go of there freakin ego and pride and just help each other, AHHHHH!
Well you can see how this play has affected me. So, if you ever get the chance to see "The Normal Heart" do it!!
Switching up the mood dramatically, on to the final musical...it was a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. He ran around chasing women, and money, and told any story he could to get what he wanted, whether it was true or a complete lie. I'll CATCH you after the break.
Time for some breakfast!
TOBECONTINUED...
j
So we went to see Mary Poppins and I was completely blown away. Everything about the show was brilliant. I mean, I knew I would like it, but they exceeded my expectations exponentially. The tap dancing, the chimney sweep roof top scene, the supercalifragilisticexpialidocious scene, the way the sets moved, the magnificent dancing, and singing and acting. I wasn't even thinking about how good it was, I was just immersed in the world of Mary Poppins. There was this one moment when she arrives at the house, and starts settling into the room upstairs with the Banks children. She pulls all of her stuff out of this bag. And we're talking big things, so it looks really cool, but then she took out a bed sheet, and as she flung the bed sheet open across the empty stage, a bed appeared underneath and the sheet covered the bed. It was completely magic, I swear. I was shocked, utterly shocked. I didn't even know what to do in my chair. So if ever there is a chance to see MP, do it! You won't regret it. It's Disney's Magic and it's finest.
Then I went to see a show called "The Normal Heart" on Wednesday, which I have been meaning to see for a long time. Finally it was time to check it out. I knew a bit about it going into it, but also knew that it was going to change my life because of the what the subject matter is. It's all about Larry Kramer and beginning of the AID's epidemic in New York City, 1981. AIDS is something that I knew very little about, in terms of it's history. I knew that it wasn't good, and that there is no real cure. It was supposedly only suppose to be a GAY disease, but Africa proved that to be completely false, and now it is something that all sexual orientations have to deal with. "The Normal Heart" was a knock the wind out of you kind of experience. It was a wave of information hitting you like the ocean tide, knocking you out and then sweeping you underneath the surface, spinning you around until you catch yourself on the ground and push yourself up and out of the water, gasping for air. Every scene was so full of energy and the actors playing on stage were beyond what I could explain in words. For 2 and a half hours I was in a different world. The emotions were all over the map. It was funny, until it wasn't. Society treated this AIDS thing like it was a joke, it was completely, and still is, swept under the rug. Over 35 million people have died of AIDS and they still aren't accepting it as an epidemic. When the swine flu broke out, the medical world went nuts, thinking this was going to be a pandemic (or something crazy big) and it was nothing compared to the way AIDS has taken millions of lives. During the 80's this disease hit the Broadway crowd extremely hard. People where dying left, right and centre. It was insane, like flies. Some didn't know how the Broadway world would recover from loosing so many actors. I mean, to try and comprehend this is mind blowing. And to think that it was only apart of the Gay community when it first arrived in America. WHY?? is my question. It's absolutely crazy that even when people were dying, sexual orientation was the deciding factor between life and death. How can that be true, but it is. Because of being Gay, no one would want me to help me, or more specifically, no one would want to be seen helping me. We all care way to much about what everyone else thinks of us. What happened to that fact that we are all human beings, with a heartbeat, just trying to make it on this earth. That is hard enough, why do we add all of this extra stress and pressure to our lives. We are who we are, it's as simple and as complicated as that. PEOPLE, you must try to understand this, people literally died because others didn't want to be associated with the Gay community. There was one line that still sticks with me; it hit me like an arrow in the heart: (I'm paraphrasing) "why do we even look back at our history, we don't learn anything from it." I realize this is a general statement, but in many ways it rings true. 6,000,000 Jews were killed in the Holocaust. We now know see this as one of the biggest tragedies in history, and it is. But you think we would have learned from it. 35,000,000 have died of AIDS. It just blows my mind. If people would just let go of there freakin ego and pride and just help each other, AHHHHH!
Well you can see how this play has affected me. So, if you ever get the chance to see "The Normal Heart" do it!!
Switching up the mood dramatically, on to the final musical...it was a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio. He ran around chasing women, and money, and told any story he could to get what he wanted, whether it was true or a complete lie. I'll CATCH you after the break.
Time for some breakfast!
TOBECONTINUED...
j
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Wow, what a day!
Tuesday has come and gone here in NYC. And guess what, I have a TV that works now. I have set it up in my room, mostly for news in the morning. I'm not sure how i feel about having such a big TV in my room. I mean, it's kind the first thing you notice when you come in the room, and I don't think I like that. It might have to be moved to the Living Room. I don't like the idea of my room revolving around a TV. Don't get me wrong, I'm kind of excited to have a TV in my room. Like I said, I will be watching Good Morning America for sure. Which is a good thing, because sometimes I feel like I would love to be up to date with what is going on in the world. I think it's important that we are aware of what is going on around us, locally and globally.
School was a good, even though I really didn't get enough sleep last night. It's all about energy. I mean, you can't go too long only getting 4 hours of sleep, but when you are in a place that gives you energy, just by taking class, you know you are in the right place. I wasn't at my best today, but at the same time, one learns a lot about themselves when you feel "OFF." We were talking about our BRAND in business class today. And it is one of those things that takes some finessing. You have to carefully craft the right words to create a master line. Something that encompasses at least three areas that represent me.
There will be more about this whole BRANDING thing another day. Right now it's time to head to bed. Today was about awareness. Awareness of many many things. Awareness is always a part of change. Things are always changing:)
Embrace the change and move forward!
TOBECONTINUED...
J
School was a good, even though I really didn't get enough sleep last night. It's all about energy. I mean, you can't go too long only getting 4 hours of sleep, but when you are in a place that gives you energy, just by taking class, you know you are in the right place. I wasn't at my best today, but at the same time, one learns a lot about themselves when you feel "OFF." We were talking about our BRAND in business class today. And it is one of those things that takes some finessing. You have to carefully craft the right words to create a master line. Something that encompasses at least three areas that represent me.
There will be more about this whole BRANDING thing another day. Right now it's time to head to bed. Today was about awareness. Awareness of many many things. Awareness is always a part of change. Things are always changing:)
Embrace the change and move forward!
TOBECONTINUED...
J
Two in a Row
Hello all!
This on is a little late night, due to a little Monday Night DIVA show at Industry. It was a wonderful and inspiring show. There were three gorgeous women performing, as well as a special guest. I loved it! These women, not only could they sing to the heavens, they could sing together to the gods! It was unbelievable. I was literally in heaven. There is something about women's voices singing together, it melts my heart. I can hardly explain it in words. I've always been so intrigued by the woman's voice. A man, yes they can sing too, but a woman, now that is something I could listen to for a long time!
This week is now it full tilt. I had a Jazz and Ballet class today, and it was amazing. Learned a little routine from Dreamgirls the Musical: it was Fierce, and a ton of fun. And then in Ballet, like always, we work out so hard, by shirt is literally drenched, and could be squeezed out with sweat. I love it. It brings me back to my track days in High School, and Volleyball too!
It's short but that is what happened today folks. I must get some much needed sleep. Bon Voyage!!
TOBECONTINUED...
j
This on is a little late night, due to a little Monday Night DIVA show at Industry. It was a wonderful and inspiring show. There were three gorgeous women performing, as well as a special guest. I loved it! These women, not only could they sing to the heavens, they could sing together to the gods! It was unbelievable. I was literally in heaven. There is something about women's voices singing together, it melts my heart. I can hardly explain it in words. I've always been so intrigued by the woman's voice. A man, yes they can sing too, but a woman, now that is something I could listen to for a long time!
This week is now it full tilt. I had a Jazz and Ballet class today, and it was amazing. Learned a little routine from Dreamgirls the Musical: it was Fierce, and a ton of fun. And then in Ballet, like always, we work out so hard, by shirt is literally drenched, and could be squeezed out with sweat. I love it. It brings me back to my track days in High School, and Volleyball too!
It's short but that is what happened today folks. I must get some much needed sleep. Bon Voyage!!
TOBECONTINUED...
j
Sunday, June 5, 2011
And We are BACK
Okay Folks,
Justin Friesen is back in the blogging world. I just had a fantastic day, getting lots of work done, while at the same time, seeing some fabulous live art on the Broadway Stage: Mary Poppins. Now, yes it was good, and I expected it to be good, but it was actually more than good, it was excellent. It was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. (if that's how you spell it) seriously people, you under estimate the power of Mary Poppins. The story is one that is worth telling. We miss things in life, they pass us by because we are too busy to notice them. I love the way Mary Poppin's is all about organization, and yet having so much fun while doing it. She is my kinda gal. The world could take a few lessons from this beautiful woman. Ashley Brown did a fabulous job of portraying Mary Poppins. The perfect combination of, like I just said, excitement and yet order. The kids learn how to make regular things more interesting. And isn't that something we all could try sometimes. There is life in everything we do, and I think it's worth digging for. We have been snuffing out our play candle for years and years. I, only 23, already feel the pressures of society to work work work to get money money money, so you can what, be happy? Happy? Happy? I have to do what I love, it's plan and simple. Some people don't seem to understand that, and part of me thinks its because of the generation they come from. I have thought the same things myself. You can't possibly do what you want do to do? What happens when the money runs out? How do you expect to always LOVE what you do? This is unrealistic? You need a real job, so you can support yourself and your family! All of these thoughts have ran through my head, and a million others, all limiting the way I think about life. Why is the glass have to be half empty, when it could just as easily be have full. We choose to think of the positive, just like we choose to think of the negative. Life in New York City is not just a piece of Chocolate Pie (although I can get Chocolate Pizza at Max Brenner, that alone, is worth coming to New York City for) It's hard being away from home, and being completely alone, I can't denny that, but at the same time, the feeling of finally fitting in, finally feeling like you belong somewhere, that feeling trumps anything else. I want to be here because it constantly makes me happy. I don't know how all the bills are going to be paid, I honestly don't but I know they will somehow! It's amazing when you let go of something that seems to control so many peoples lives. Yes I'm human and I still worry about money and how things are going to work out, but I remind myself daily to let go of this stress and just live. Anyways that's my two sense today. All brought upon by the wonderful Mary Poppins. Who would have thunk, eh! (oh the Canadianism is still there, eh!)
Enjoy the Regular things this week, you never know what surprises you might find!!
TOBECONTINUED...
Justin Friesen is back in the blogging world. I just had a fantastic day, getting lots of work done, while at the same time, seeing some fabulous live art on the Broadway Stage: Mary Poppins. Now, yes it was good, and I expected it to be good, but it was actually more than good, it was excellent. It was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. (if that's how you spell it) seriously people, you under estimate the power of Mary Poppins. The story is one that is worth telling. We miss things in life, they pass us by because we are too busy to notice them. I love the way Mary Poppin's is all about organization, and yet having so much fun while doing it. She is my kinda gal. The world could take a few lessons from this beautiful woman. Ashley Brown did a fabulous job of portraying Mary Poppins. The perfect combination of, like I just said, excitement and yet order. The kids learn how to make regular things more interesting. And isn't that something we all could try sometimes. There is life in everything we do, and I think it's worth digging for. We have been snuffing out our play candle for years and years. I, only 23, already feel the pressures of society to work work work to get money money money, so you can what, be happy? Happy? Happy? I have to do what I love, it's plan and simple. Some people don't seem to understand that, and part of me thinks its because of the generation they come from. I have thought the same things myself. You can't possibly do what you want do to do? What happens when the money runs out? How do you expect to always LOVE what you do? This is unrealistic? You need a real job, so you can support yourself and your family! All of these thoughts have ran through my head, and a million others, all limiting the way I think about life. Why is the glass have to be half empty, when it could just as easily be have full. We choose to think of the positive, just like we choose to think of the negative. Life in New York City is not just a piece of Chocolate Pie (although I can get Chocolate Pizza at Max Brenner, that alone, is worth coming to New York City for) It's hard being away from home, and being completely alone, I can't denny that, but at the same time, the feeling of finally fitting in, finally feeling like you belong somewhere, that feeling trumps anything else. I want to be here because it constantly makes me happy. I don't know how all the bills are going to be paid, I honestly don't but I know they will somehow! It's amazing when you let go of something that seems to control so many peoples lives. Yes I'm human and I still worry about money and how things are going to work out, but I remind myself daily to let go of this stress and just live. Anyways that's my two sense today. All brought upon by the wonderful Mary Poppins. Who would have thunk, eh! (oh the Canadianism is still there, eh!)
Enjoy the Regular things this week, you never know what surprises you might find!!
TOBECONTINUED...
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