If you are interested in hearing vet's stories than here is ticket info:
Telling: Portland 2014 Tickets September 10-13, 2014
Also will be available at the box office. $15, $10 for veterans.
I'm working 8-5, my call time at the theater is 5:30, no dinner, curtain at 7:30, show done by 9:00, maybe home by 10:00. All week except Tuesday which is dress rehearsals 12-5 and I will be missing as I have to work. 15 hour days. No over-time pay. I'll be glad next Monday when all this is done.
The stories we are telling are not tales of glory or conquest. Maybe a conquest of our own selves but not of how we did it to others. This is rated R. We are not recruiting. The sharper of you readers of my blog, that also go to the show, will catch the Easter egg I drop - a bit about the relation between the title of this blog and where that came from.
Further, this production has been wrought with drama. Not a bad thing but the five of us on stage and the production and direction staff... let's just say more people have walked on us than are actually involved in the final production. Some of them for great reasons that I understand and respect. Most though? Fuck 'em. I never got to be a SEAL but I did stick it out with what is left of these guys and I'm chalking that up as something.
I try hard not to "not like" people. Not enough room in my life for hatred of others and their silly little egos. I'm human though and also have a silly little ego and, sometimes, the Viking in me over-takes the Buddhist in me. All the shit these people have done to end our show and we're still moving forward and performing this week. Whether we sell 2 tickets or 200 I don't care. I'm going through with what I promised to do and they didn't; It's a tick against their honor, not mine. They get to live with themselves for the rest of their pretty little lives with dishonor hanging above their heads. Not me.
One thing a vet knows and may not admit, and I am far enough removed from that to see and admit it, is that 99.9% of us are not heroes. We'll soak it up when you give it to us but deep down inside we know we're mostly pieces of shit like a lot of other people. Most the guys I served with? Not your model human. Same goes with me. It's why we were there and not in college or doing something great that you end up hearing about on NPR. The military just beat "jail time" to the finish line.
All that said I'm excited to have an opportunity to stand before any willing to hear me out (and buy a ticket) and spill my guts about why I came home and was "so intense" when before I was just a big dumb jock that had some friends and a lot of hope but no direction and I liked to play Dungeons and Dragons and hang out with girls.
Did I just type 2 dichotomous actions in the same sentence? "Play Dungeons and Dragons" and "hang out with girls?". This was in the 80s.
Next week it's back to Varangian miniatures (done!), a few weekends of Saga, maybe another game of Savage Worlds, and some down-time with my wife and kid and reconnecting with my friends who I dearly miss.
Edit 9/9/14:
Soft opening is done and in the wind. Feeling much better about this. We all did well on the stage and no one fucked it up... especially me.
Added bonus is that a person we were told was in the "anti" camp actually came to the show and was impressed. So much so he invited us to perform on Veteran's Day at the big PSU auditorium. Cool. I'll think about that after this week is done. A few others did as well and gave us accolades.
After our performance we did a meet and greet. It was nice to be face to face with people, some of whom had similar experiences as us. We may do M&G or Q&A after our other performances.
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