Today would....

have been a good day to be asked to sub at Friends, because I am committed to two projects there this afternoon: Jason Harris' book reading discussion and the the original plays at 5 P.M. Looking forward to both---the book that we are discussing, The Girl From Human Street is an interesting treatise on Holocaust survivors and those who are Jewish whose families left Germany, or other countries occupied by the Nazis, long before World War II, but who would have been annihilated had they remained. The writer also discusses his mother's bi polar effect and his father, who remained with her through all of her problems. Then the plays, the kids doing them seem to me very talented, should really be something interesting there. That should be over by 6:45---time for me to possibly wander over to the Kitchen where Mike I has a play that he is workshopping. Ambivalent about going, yet Mike was very nice to me when I went to see a play he was in at the Brick---and would like to support him because of that.
   As far as seeing plays go, I could go to one every day this week, and then only possibly have my list of "interesting plays" partially completed. Yes, cityboy really moves from place to place. Ah, such is life.
   Yesterday, returned to the upper west side from my work in Harlem, had to make a decision where to go---passed Second Stage uptown, toyed with the idea of seeing one of their summer productions, this one sounded interesting, although its subject----young adults faced with decisions, hardly seems original.Only $25.00, why not, but decided against it, instead went to Dive Bar on Amsterdam and 96th, where the bartender and a nearbye patron were talking about---what else...theater. The gentleman sitting next to me, Larry had written a play about the Black Sox scandal that I had seen in 1986---and we took it from there. Larry has had an interesting life---he is now the Principal of a City Alternative school---started off being an actor, but was able to join the city school system, and (I guess) work his way up to Principal----found a safe place or a safe place for income. Now he is in his last year and looking forward to retirement and rejoining the theater world. He must be about 57-60; sees his teaching or educational life as only a prelude for what he really wants to do---"act, direct write, etc- the whole deal, you have heard this story many times before. As opposed to you, cityboy, who could never consider "rising" in the school system to protect yourself economically; yet he was amazed at my memory for people and plays that he knew. And does he see in his retirement any kind of participation in the world of the city---the anti gentrification movement for instance---I would think not. Interesting contrast, perhaps what makes me so different from people like him is that my goal has been to "protect"  my passion for theater at any cost, so taking courses in education, which of course at one point I decided definitely not to do, would be an anathema to that. Heavy stuff---constantly reading about people who have made choices in their life that are so completely different from mine. And yet, I have always thought my family was so "normal"---how did I end up so differently?  Ah well, these questions must for now, go unanswered.
   Today should be interesting, will report back soon,..