12 Simply Poetry. This happened summer after my Freshman year of college. It was a series of videos produced by the Illinois State University media department about studying Poetry in High School. This was my first bit of “acting” outside of class since going to college. First semester freshmen were not allowed to audition, and I failed to get cast second semester. I failed at a lot of things freshmen year. Not class. But I certainly failed at endearing myself to the theatre department. In fact my Basic Acting teacher, Patrick O’Gara, suggested at the end of the first semester that he didn’t think “acting was for me.” I also was failing at making friends (I mean I had a couple) in the theatre department because I was too busy working hard (and failing) at trying to fit in with a group of people I knew from High School and people they met in the dorms. I had a few folks in my class in the department but that was about it. We shot over two days, and I had no one to stay with. Honestly I could have asked several people, none of which I knew well other than having seen them on stage, and I have been a lifelong “Don’t be a bother person.” So I got a room at the Motel 6 out on HWY 55 and spent the night there. I also saw Fletch Lives at the Normal Theatre that night. I think I also managed to get a parking ticket, so any money I made was lost to play “STUDENT 4” more commonly known as “JOE’S FRIEND”. But I wore the f out of those gray jeans. #simplypoetry #joesfriend #student4 #isutheatre #redbirds #1989 #isumediadepartment #motel6 #fletchlives #normaltheatre #bloomingtonnormal (at Illinois State University) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4M2PO_Jgkl/?igshid=127odnh3tuuhp
