It's Lie

I think I just threw up in my mouth.

The majority of things listed in this very persuasive litany would be considered "PTS to the middle class" or "other fish to fry"  Seriously ... shiny cars?

"PTS to the middle class" means that your basic purpose as a spiritual being (i.e., being a Scientologist) has been thwarted by your urge to "keep up with the Joneses."  In other words, you're being too materialistic.  This phrase is used to justify onerous demands on members, ("Saving money for your retirement?  Don't be so PTS to the middle class!  Spend that money on your next intensive of auditing!") and the extreme asceticism required of org staff.  ("New clothes?  Don't be so PTS to the middle class!")

"Other fish to fry" means you should get with the program and stop wasting your time pursuing what you may actually be interested in.  For instance, when my wife and I took tap dance lessons in St. Louis, we were excoriated for having "other fish to fry."

Transcript:

"Its shiny cars, wistful eyes and roast beef for dinner.
Its questions and answers and 'I dont knows.'
Its finding true love and losing it and finding it all over again."

A more accurate version would be:

"It's keeping your old, beat-up car running, blurry eyes and skipping lunch to get your stats up.
It's questions, being sent to ethics and Qual until you stop asking them, and toeing the line.
It's finding true love, but suppressing your romantic urges for fear of doing lower conditions."

I fell for the PR bullshit back when I first cracked the spine on What is Scientology?  I believed the glossy pages and staged photographs.  I took the testimonials to heart.

I've been to the puppet show, and I've seen the fucking strings.  Don't believe the hype.

TARANTINO BURLESQUE!

I'm going wig shopping real soon.  The last wig I bought was this cheap "Biblical Character" wig and beard combo.  It's my go-to for when I play Manson:

Charlie reads poetry at Jim Martyka's Dead Beat Poet's Society, hosted by Write/Act Rep.

Brolesque Superstar-in-the-making Steak N. Shake debuts at Peepshow Menagerie

And Red has worn the beard as a terrorist:

Dizzy VonDamn! shows a little patriotism with the help of Red Snapper at Victory Variety Hour's The Wrong Show.

But I'm looking for something a little more sophisticated.  Something a little more ... Vincent Vega.

Red and Mr. Snapper give the Monday Night Tease audience a little Jack Rabbit Slim's action at The Quentin Tarantino Burlesque Film Festival.

When we first performed the act at The Quentin Tarantino Burlesque Film Festival, I wore a clip-on ponytail. My hair was long enough, it worked.  The second year my hair was too short, and I went without.  The number didn't really suffer for it, but Vincent Vega's silhouette is defined by his hair.  Am I right?

A fellow burlesque performer and professional wig-wrangler gave me the address of a wig store that should have what I'm looking for. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find a men's black ponytail wig that doesn't look like complete shit.

Just one of the few commercially available men's black ponytail wigs.  They all pretty much look like this.

I mean, c'mon!

I've never gone serious wig shopping.  This will be a new experience for yours truly.  I'll be sure to blog about it.

More awesome Tarantino Burlesque Film Festival photos can be found on the Monday Night Tease website.

The Great Busking Experiment of 2010

George Burns did it.  So did the Flying Karamazov Brothers.  Penn & Teller, Steve Martin -- even W.C. Fields did it.  My homeboy, Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards did it.  Busking.  It's a tradition as old as the bards and troubadours of yore.  The word "busk" comes from the Spanish word "buscar," to look for.  And indeed, I'm looking for something.

As you may know, I get paid to make funny and play my ukulele.

I feel that I've hit a certain plateau as a performer.  I'm not getting any better.  I do what I do, and people like it, but I feel I am capable of much more.

I know a guy who is a professor of math education at a very prestigious math college.  He recently went on sabbatical after becoming tenured.  Did he rest on his laurals? NO!  He took a teaching position at an inner-city high school.  That's right:  He bucked up and put himself in the thick of things.  Rubber meets the road time, for certain.  Boy howdy, was it tough!  An emotional roller coaster, as he tells it.  I respect this guy.  He didn't have to do it.  He didn't have anything to prove, except, perhaps, to himself.

I want to experience the oldest crucible there is for what it is I do.  I want to be made or broken by the street.  I want to hang 'em out there, put myself at risk, and earn it.  I desire the chaos of busking; the unpredictable.  I want to know I can be entertaining in the worst possible circumstances.  I want to make money from strangers--absolute and complete strangers--who didn't even know they wanted to be entertained by me.  I want to bring my talent and skill to the public at large and have my efforts recognized in the roughest way possible.

Assuming I survive the experience, and don't hang up my uke out of shame, I expect to emerge a stronger performer.  I expect a surge in confidence and ease on stage.  I expect to hone what I do to a fine point.  And yes, I expect to make some extra scratch.

I will journal my experiences here.  The beginning of this journey will consist of talking to buskers I know, getting a sense of how to go about doing this.  Yeah, yeah: take your uke out to a street corner and play.  Look, I believe in "know before you go."  A little preparation now should save me considerable trouble later.

This is going to be interesting.

I had to post this.


As you may recall, I publicly quit the Church of Scientology this year. (For those of you who read the preceding sentence and went, “WTF?!?” I’d encourage you to read the original post.)

Since nutting up and giving the Church of Putting the Beat Down on People a public kiss-off, I’ve had the pleasure of telling church employees what I really think about the organization they support with their sweat equity.

Recently, I received an email from “HAPI Pers Procurement.” Let me translate that into English for you: HAPI in this case does not refer to the Egyptian god of fertility and the Nile river. Instead, HAPI is the “Hubbard Academy of Personal Independence” in Edinburgh, Scotland. This is an “Advanced Org,” which means this is where one first begins to study Ron’s confidential material. “Pers Procurement” is short for “Personnel Procurement,” sort of the HR rep at a Scientology Organization. The person who signed the email is the “HCO Area Secretary.” “HCO” is short for Hubbard Communications Office, the section responsible for personnel, communication (letters, bulk mail, etc.) and ethics. This is the section I was second in charge of when I was on staff in St. Louis. The HCO Area Secretary, or “HAS” (Yes, they abbreviate abbreviations) is the boss.

How the hell did the boss of the HR department for an org in Scotland get my email address? I ask the HAS that very thing. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Here is an excerpt from Gillian’s email:

Dear Reader,

Have you ever been asked to join staff before? Perhaps you have been asked many times. Maybe you have thought about joining staff or have signed up already or have been on staff before. Wherever you stand on the subject, this letter is for you.

[…]

Overall, the staff member has the satisfaction of knowing they have made a real difference - that they are helping to put there what LRH always wanted - a saner planet.

Thank you for reading... If you would like to apply to become a Hubbard Academy staff member, please reply straight away!

Much Love

Gillian Brown
HCO Area Secretary
Hubbard Academy, Scotland

And my response:

Dear Gillian,

Thank you for taking the time to send me a blind, cold email. And points to you for guessing accurately my relationship to the email (i.e. "Reader.")

I have no idea how an org in Scotland of all places got ahold of my email address. Is it likely that the orgs are out-Admin on CF policy, and have been sharing lists like teenagers share mononucleosis germs? Given the state of the Church, I'd say that's more than likely.

Regarding your invite to change careers, I'd like to counter with such an offer myself.

Quit. Leave the Sea Org.

You've seen outpoints. I was Cope Off for two and a half years at St. Louis Org -- an idyllic Class V Org in the Midwest. If I have seen outpoints in how the church is run, I know you have. I've read the stories from credible witnesses (I recommend Jeff Hawkin's story) of physical and mental abuse at Int Base. I watched the Anderson Cooper series, and saw a journalist with better TRs than the Church's spokesperson expose the truth: The Church does not live up to its stated aims.

I'm not asking you to believe any of this. On the contrary, DON'T believe anything. Look, don't listen. But for God's sake, LOOK.

In the meantime, consider routing out of the Sea Org. Consider creating a life for yourself in an environment where the able truly can prosper. You will be surprised at just how much your work ethic and dedication to the task at hand will translate to great professional success in the much maligned "wog world." The perks: No one yelling obscenities at you, insisting you miss sleep to hit some arbitrary stat goal. No more suppressive targets on hare-brained programs. No more chicken-scratch paychecks. Merely the expectation that you do a good job, and the freedom to actually do it.

And by the way: The Bridge is available outside the church.

The next time you have one of THOSE Wednesday nights, when you know you're on the chopping block, and you find yourself compromising your integrity to push your stats up, think about this email. Freedom is yours, if you want it.

You're a Scot, for Christ's sake. Get your back up and throw off the tyranny of little men with little minds who bark orders from half a world away.

-- Andrew

PS - On the off chance some HCO terminal intercepts this email before it gets to its intended recipient, what I said above goes double for you. Are there no men in Scotland? Bring order, damn it.

I throw around a lot of Scientologese in this email, but I think you get the gist. (That’s right, I’m not defining jargon, thus endangering my reader with dreaded misunderstood words! Oooooooo. Per the tech, you should all start committing harmful acts towards me, thus justifying your urge to leave. Because that’s what happens when you go past a word you don’t understand. Also, you should be yawning.)
And the response I get from (ostensibly) the person in charge of the Hubbard COMMUNICATIONS Office? The person in charge of the Department of Inspections and Reports, the ethics top cop at the org? Brace yourselves:

Bugger off

And there you have it folks, one of the modern masters of communication.  The sad thing is, I don't doubt Gillian's sincerity and willingness to help others.  You don't put up with all the bullshit that comes along with the corporate climate of Scientology without having your heart in the right place.  I hope Gillian recalls my email during the inevitible "Dark Nights of the Soul" that come along when you're on org staff.

I Believe.

[I'm not sure where I was (mentally) when I wrote this draft, but it's been kicking around for a while. I don't want to delete it, so I'm going ahead and publishing it.]

I believe in shoestrings, in raw talent and bruised knuckles.

I believe in not having all the answers, but not letting that get in your way. I believe in opening things up, stripping things down, getting in way over your head and putting it all back together in the end.

I believe in working parts. I believe in functionality and utility, but not at the expense of style, which is just another word for whimsy. I believe that if it isn't beautiful when you're finished, it wasn't the right solution to begin with. I believe in elegance, but I also believe in getting the job done, by hook or by crook.

I believe in leaping before you look, trusting yourself, and reaching for higher ground. I believe in failure, in the power failure holds. I believe in picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and starting all over again.

I believe in resilience, in the indomitable human spirit, in compassion and self-sacrifice. I believe in tolerance, but I believe in merit. I believe in teaching a man to fish, but giving a man a fish in a pinch. I believe in not being an idiot. I believe in trust but verify.

I believe that the most anyone can ask of you is your best.

I believe nothing gives a person the right to infect your space with their crazy.

I believe in liberty. I believe in the chaos 6.7 billion free individuals could potentially wreak.

I believe in "Soyez réalistes, demandez l'impossible!", in "Do I contradict myself?/Very well, then, I contradict myself;/(I am large—I contain multitudes.)" and in capax universi. I believe its all been done before, but that's no reason not to do it again.

I believe in time-binding, in standing on the shoulders of genius and reaching higher, in reading a good book or at least a trashy paperback.

I believe in taking the time to figure out what you believe, because if you don't, someone is bound to try and do it for you. And I believe that's pretty fucked.

Done.

Well over a decade ago, my wife and I stepped over the thresh hold of the Church of Scientology of St. Louis.  We both signed two and a half year contracts, and had the pleasure of working with some of the most forthright and honorable people we've ever met.  Still, there was a significant disconnect between the stated aims of the Church, and the corporate climate we found ourselves in. 

Although we never experienced the kind of abuse that is coming to light now, we certainly experienced the collateral effects of that abuse.  Hateful, screaming phone calls from "up lines" in Los Angeles; insane, micro-managing programs sent down from on high; and the incessant interference from stridently zealous Sea Org missionaires revealed an organization not run on high affinity, communication and reality, but rather a brutal, top-down, command and control tyranny.

There is a lot of good in the study of Scientology, a lot of useful tools -- particularly at the lower end of the Bridge.  There are many good people who genuinely want to help others and make this a better world.

Unfortunately, that technology and those people are beholden to a leader and a culture completely inconsistent with the stated aims.  As such, we cannot in good conscience continue to align ourselves, even tacitly, with such an organization.

I would apologize to any of our friends currently in the church, but I'm not sorry for the impact this may have on you.  I hope it upsets you enough that you decide to look for yourself, and apply your own personal integrity to the existing scene.  Outpoints abound and you're not the only one who sees them.  Look, don't listen.

For more information, I highly recommend both of Jeff Hawkins' blogs:  His personal memoirs of thirty-five years in the sea org at Counterfeit Dreams, and his current commentary at Leaving Scientology. His story is compelling and very well written.  If you're in the church and sensitive to such things, be advised that he does touch on the confidential materials.


And of course, you can always contact me if you have any questions: andrewmoore_[insert at sign here]hotmail.com.

TORRID AFFAIRE RETURNS!

The very first play Pamela and I produced in Los Angeles is returning to the stage starting Friday!

I softball this stuff in our official press, but this is my personal blog.  Torrid Affaire was an explosion of pent-up energy, frustration at watching (and being a part of) a couple of bad plays, and an expression of my potency as an artist after toiling in the salt mines of Hollywood for too many years. 

The breaking point was our acting class.  Doing what all good little actors and actresses do, we enrolled in an acting class taught by a well-regarded (in some circles) teacher who had a BIG, IMPRESSIVE list of former students.  Who knows how long any of those names studied with this teacher.  I do know that one "former student," an A-lister known for his "rubberface" comedies had his lawyer send my teacher a cease and desist notice over the use of the actor's name in promotional materials.

Pamela and I did an actors' showcase for this class and wound up spending much more moolah than should've been necessary by any stretch of the imagination. Pamela made a main drape that we then rigged, and I spent a full day and night hanging and focusing lights and programming the board. All that money and effort for a measly five minutes of stage time. Meanwhile, the jerk-off of the class who consistently showed up late for rehearsals was the "star" of the showcase, on stage about half the time. After the curtain call, Pamela and I had clean-up duties while our teacher introduced jerk-off to the only industry person who showed.

The hard-headed, DIY ethic that the gods install in all sons and daughters of "flyover country" kicked-in.  We quit our (overpriced, pretentious and poorly-run) acting class and struck out on our own.

I pulled together a cast with a certain published play in mind.  The rights holder, Dramatists, told me to "suck it."  That natural oneryness cranked up a notch, and I sent the following email to the individual members of my cast:

Thanks for your patience. I'm sorry to have taken so long in e-mailing you.

We did not get the rights from Dramatists. In fact, they said that we could not re-register for the rights until after May 2006! Well, we were distraught for a couple of days. Trying to figure out what to do.

Well, I decided to write a play. I've done it before (a few times) and I've even won an award or two.

So here's the scoop. I'm directing a play to be produced at the beginning of next year. We're no longer constrained by "rights" to stage this thing on a certain date. So it's just gotten much easier to schedule it. At the same time, I can't very well expect all of you ladies to just go along with this change in plans.

So I'm sending this e-mail to each of you privately. If you want to opt out now, no sweat. Time is a precious commodity in this town.

If you'd like to see where this will go and want to hang on for the ride, super! Just let me know how you feel about all this. Be honest - don't sugar coat it. I won't be hurt if you'd rather bag out. I'll totally understand.

We are going to have fun, though. I'm writing this play for you ladies. The characters are a custom fit!

I heard a resounding "HELL YEAH" in response.  The first draft was hammered out in a couple of weeks, and I workshopped it on the fly with my cast, like a quarterback calling plays from the line of scrimmage.  We played to packed houses, selling out our last night at the Two Roads Theatre in Studio City.  Not bad for a two night run.

Torrid Affaire got me other writing work and membership at a theatre company in Hollywood.  It went through further drafts, streamlining what was already a tidy comedy ostensibly about religion and sex toys.

Like the best of my stuff, it deals with relationships, regret, the power of communication, attraction, love, and the tiny little fuck-ups that add up to big, monstrous problems.  It's a romantic comedy, a "chick flick of a play," and pretty damned funny, if I may say so myself.  This time out it's helmed by Erin Scott.  Erin is a great person, a talented artist, and she possesses a drive and versatility that makes me envious.  I am so pleased that she took this on, and I expect great things.

This is an entirely new cast, and I can't wait to see what this talented group of actresses and actor do with the material.  I've been a bit too busy to attend rehearsal, it's true, but part of me wants to be surprised on Friday night.  I know my cohorts won't disappoint!

Torrid Affaire

Directed by Erin Scott

Written by Andrew Moore

Produced by Theatre Unleashed

SYNOPSIS:

Theatre Unleashed is bringing back the first full-length production from up-and-coming playwright Andrew Moore (Pin-Up Girls, Tracing Sonny). Torrid Affaire is a frank and naughty exploration of the lies we tell ourselves about friendship, love and sex. Five close friends, each with a secret to tell, gather together for an evening of sexy fun in this hysterical situational comedy. The reason d’etre for the gathering is a “Torrid Affaire” party, wherein the ladies review the scented body oils, lingerie and other…personal accessories…that the Torrid Affaire company has to offer. As the evening progresses, each shares her secret and we learn that there are some problems you can’t run away from, especially when they’re right down the hall.

DATES AND TIMES:
Feb. 19-March 6
Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m,
*Meet and greet with artists after each show
**Show contains adult content intended for mature audiences

LOCATION:
The Sherry Theatre
11052 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

TICKET PRICES:
General Admission: $15

INFORMATION & RESERVATIONS:
For further information, please call: (818) 849-4039
Or check out our website at: www.theatreunleashed.com

Top 5 Entertainment Experiences of 2009

I'm not a huge fan of "Top" lists. I'm more of a "human interest" kind of guy; I'm far more interested in the person who read the books than the books themselves.

Since '05, I've blogged a list of my top "entertainment experiences." This list does not cover just the source of the entertainment (i.e. books, albums, films, etc.) Rather, I take into consideration the entire experience surrounding the entertainment. It's far more personal, more all-emcompasing, and makes for more civil conversation than a list that might kick off with Avatar and end with Star Trek. Particularly in the company I keep.

Also, this gives me something to do while I wait for J.C. Maçek's "Dead Man of the Year" (Here's 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008)

The rules are simple: It's not just the source of the entertainment -- it's the experience surrounding that source. Although I enjoyed Avatar more than any of the Star Wars prequel trilogy, no amount of 3D wizardry can compete with the experience of catching Revenge of the Sith with Darth Vader and members of the 501st Legion of Stormtroopers out in force. No pun intended.

In no particular order:

1. TIGGER! This is why I love doing this list. This experience started with the Victory Variety Hour "Wrong Show" and culminated a couple of days later with the Monday Night Tease "Laugh-In" show, and it centers around boylesque performer extraordinaire, Tigger!

I was in the audience for VVH. Great wrong show, just phenomenally funny. (There's another wrong show right around the bend!) Highlights included Red Snapper as a terrorist -- twice, the ventriloquist stylings of Bob and Al, the Fuxedos, and a bunch of very attractive women taking their clothes off. What could possibly make it any better? Oh yes ... this guy:

An iconoclastic boylesque performer who both challenges striptease conventions and pays homage to the very meaning of burlesque, a word that means "comedy" and "parody." Known to me only by reputation, I was blown away by his performance. He created a character, fully fleshed-out, with a staggering level of commitment. He brought the house down.

The next evening, I meet Tigger! at a little soirée Lili VonSchtupp threw, a combination birthday party/rehearsal for the upcoming Laugh-In show (there's another Laugh-In show coming up, as well!) That was Friday. Saturday evening, back to El Cid for Penny Starr, Jr.'s birthday party and another Tigger! performance. Sunday afternoon, I'm in a special Striptease Symposium class taught by Tigger! Everything he says is right-on. And Monday Night, at the Tease, sharing a bill with the man:

Just an outstanding experience. If you have seen him perform, you know what an electric stage presence he has. That effervescence carries offstage, where I found him to be a genuine mensch, a considerable and considerate person; a true showman of the old school.

2. Acting our Age

A 24-hour play festival to celebrate the one year anniversary of Theatre Unleashed's incorporation! It's a delightful bit of kismet that our paperwork was processed by the Secretary of State on April 1st, 2008. We're a very gregarious bunch, prone to partying for the slimmest of reasons. For our birthday, obviously we had to do something huge! Erin Scott pulled the strings, and we danced. I directed one of the plays in the festival. The evening was put on as a birthday party for the company, complete with decorations and games. Our Director of Publicity was Daddy and our Managing Director (in drag) was Mommy. The jokes veered frequently to the inside, but the audience was mostly friends and family so everything landed. We drank, we laughed, we engaged in social intercourse. What a great night!

3. Comic-Con/Super Nova A Go-go

Me at Comic Con, flanked by two Orion gals.

My first trip to Comic-Con! That would be enough. Running into friends at Comic-Con ... okay, awesome. Knowing people who had booths at Comic-Con, even better. Joe's Crab Shack and "Crachos?" Awesome. Drunk off my ass before 2pm? Ah ha ha ha. Kick ass. Dressing up like Han Solo and taking my clothes off for a bunch of screaming sci-fi fans? Priceless.

Han Solo ...
sexy hero or sexy mercenary?

Next year I'm doing some panels. I'd like to have my own booth, but "Pulp Graveyard Readers Theatre" didn't take off quite as I had planned. >:-)

4. Burlesqueland All three days!

It started with kismet. The band scheduled to open Peepshow Menagerie on day one canceled at the last minute. Co-producer Chris Beyond offered the slot to me and Mr. Buddy (no doubt in a moment of weakness.) This led to our first long set:

Singin' in the Rain. Mr. Buddy's tearing it up on his big cornet solo!

And what a great line-up! The very lovely Ana Fur Laxis from the UK, hosted by Dizzy Von Damn! as Ursula the Sea Witch -- a magical evening. Dita Von Teese was in attendance, and Red performed her "Hannah Montana" number. That was the first night.

The second night at Monday Night Tease brought a bevy of buxom beauties from San Francisco and San Diego. Sizzle Dizzle wowed us with her ... package ... as Pinocchio. (A real boy! Sort of!)

Day three, we took Disneyland!

But Mr. Buddy, I'm already married!

Mssrs. Snapper and Buddy goofing around on Burlesque Day at Disneyland, day three of 
"Burlesqueland." We were the opening act on day one, performing our first long set.

I was full to bursting!

5. The Magic Castle The first trip for Pamela and I, I believe it was after the Tarantino show. There with so many awesome people! Funny Eddie toured us around (if you have never been, go with someone who knows the place. It helps!) and we saw some fantastic magic -- hell, the best magic I've ever seen live! And it ended with a private show with Micah down in the WC Fields bar.

You know, 2009 was a good year. Narrowing down so many wonderful experiences to just these five was very difficult! The common theme is friendship. I have awesome, talented friends. You all rock! And I'm looking forward to making many more memories in 2010!

Newsflash:  I'm a bad blogger.

Other than my mom, I'm not entirely sure who ever reads this thing!  Leave some comments, you big bunch of lurkers!

Anyway.

My last post was in August, and many things have happened between that post and this.  (I'm going to mine some of my Facebook notes for this update.)


THEATRE UNLEASHED

Friends Like These, a new play by Gregory Crafts had an incredible run at The Sherry.  The play is "about" school violence, but it explores much deeper territory:  Acceptance, personal and otherwise; the need for a haven away from "the real world"; the many complexities of friendship; and finding the strength to stand your ground when confronted by a bully.


Greg's dialogue crackles with life. He has an ear for how people talk, and that makes me giddy. Although the action is focused on a tight microcosm, the impact of the larger high school society are very present. There are times when the cast size seems much larger, thanks in part to prerecorded tracks that never seem pasted-on or artificial. (If you've ever been to a show that utilizes pre-recorded tracks, you'll know what I mean by "pasted on" and "artificial." It's an effect that rarely seems to work, but is quite effective in Craft's play.)

Greg got a "Go" from LA Weekly, which makes me jealous!

Landscaping the Den of Saints, a new one from our associate artistic director Jacob Smith opened in October.  An eccentric rich guy gives a struggling writer an offer he can't refuse, and like all "too good to be true" offers, it quickly turns sour.  The relevance of the production made it almost painful to take in -- I've lived this story, too. Oh, not the exact chain of events. Rather, it is the promise of something wonderful that, in a moment of euphoric abandon, sweeps one away with thoughts of "How am I going to spend all the money?" This mirage of career fulfillment evaporates, and you wonder what you can salvage from the work you did. (Kudos to Smith for salvaging something, BTW.) His characters are real -- often real in their unreality. Hey -- that's Hollywood.


Tales of an Unsettled City: Exodus, Die Grüppe's GBLT: Gays, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato, and Holiday Hangover: An Anthology for the Seasonally Affected all enjoy brief and remunerative runs.  These three offerings featured work written by our members.  Oh yeah -- we did another 24-hour play festival in October, The Artist's Nightmare.  We have some incredibly talented people in our company, and our original works are top notch.  I'm not just saying that because I'm one of the writers.  We all strive to do our best, to really bring our best to whatever we do.  It's that commitment to quality that's going to pay off in the long run.

I was nominated for a couple of ADA awards.  That's the "Artistic Director Achievement" awards, awarded by the Valley Theatre League.  Here are all of the Theatre Unleashed nominations:

BEST ORIGINAL PLAY (COMEDY or DRAMA)
Pin-Up Girls

BEST AUTHOR – ORIGINAL PLAY
Andrew Moore – Tracing Sonny

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST (COMEDY or DRAMA)
Friends Like These – The Sherry Theatre

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (COMEDY or DRAMA)
Brian Gaston – Pin-Up Girls

BEST LIGHTING DESIGN
Yelena Babinskaya – Tracing Sonny

BEST SET DESIGN
Starlet Jacobs – Pin-Up Girls

We didn't win anything this year, but to be nominated was quite a thrill!

*     *     *

Making theatre is a learning process.  When Holiday Hangover opened, I shared a few things I learned in a note on Facebook.  Here it is:

"Forgive me for the honesty, but we’re all friends here ..." - Sylvia Anderson

Holiday Hangover: An Anthology for the Seasonally Affected has officially opened, and I thought I'd share a few random thoughts:

- Phil Kelly and I are good collaborators. The title of this show is a perfect example of how we work. I'm a nut for titles. The title of a show (book, restaurant, car model, album, etc.) is a "handle." It's the thing an audience member grabs hold of, and should carry the weight of the show (book, restaurant, etc.) In throwing ideas back and forth with Kelly, we decided on one rule: It had to be "Holiday" something, not "Christmas." Although a show about the day (and aftermath) after Christmas, it's not a "Christmas" show. Not really. (One of my favorite parts of the show is a Hanukkah horror story told by Josh Morrision.) I wanted to work in a play on "Seasonal Affective Disorder," the technical term for depression during the winter months. Two email exchanges later, and we had a perfect handle for our show.

- Casting really is 80% of the work. I don't necessarily mean casting certain "types" iin certain roles. I mean casting pros who do the work. It's easier to push and pull an unexpected performance out of someone who is present and willing to play ball.

- There are some people I have worked with enough, I can direct them like I direct my wife. At one point, I gave Lauren the note, "Fred Astaire." I know I did the same sort of thing with Josh Green and Sylvia. Working in a repertory setting with the same actors, I'm beginning to develop a shorthand with them. That's very exciting!

- I will never cast myself in something I'm directing again. It is only a small role in the last vignette, but it keeps me from watching the show from the house. Frustrating!

- Give an actor a chance to surprise you AND make the environment safe enough for them to do so, and they will.

- More and more I learn firsthand that the secret to GREAT, not just good theatre is HONESTY. It's been said by many people, and for the life of me I can't remember where I heard or read this last (Mamet? Tracy Letts? Maybe Lanford Wilson,) but we tell the truth in theatre by telling lies. Regardless of those little lies (I hate to break the news, but Erin Scott and Phillip Kelly are not really Josh Morrison's parents) the ideas they express must come from an unadulterated place. Only then can we connect with the audience, and that live connection is the selling point of live theatre. Because of the lies we do tell in the theatre, it's easy to forget to be honest where it counts.

- I know a thing or two about stage choreography. "Blocking" they call it. I also like the terms "Theatrical Yoga" and "Actor Feng Shui." (Artaud called it "Metaphysics in Action," but people get a bit nervous when I start comparing theatre to religion.) Kelly's been pestering me to do a workshop wherein I lay bare all my directorial secrets. I may just do that -- I'm felling cocky enough about my skills, I could use the humility of having to explain them.

I'm going for a certain relevancy in my theatrical work. Yeah, I'm a populist. I try to create theatre for the audience, not to satisfy some esoteric need. That kind of theatre ("esoteric need") is crazy street preacher theatre; yelling at the air in front of you while the people you should connect with drift past. So hey -- come out and tell me how I'm doing!

*     *     *

I'll post an update on the other areas of my wild and crazy life later this week.  I'd like to end this blog post about Theatre Unleashed with part of another Facebook note I posted recently:

As the end of the year draws close, we invite you to consider lending financial support to a new theatre company in North Hollywood that is dedicated to producing as much work as humanly possible. When we wrote in our mission statement "... to work together as one, passionately and professionally, in creating truly remarkable theatre," I'm not sure any of us really comprehended what we were committing ourselves to. Yet we have proven that commitment time and again, bringing a staggering array of productions to the public.

Our output belies the financial realities of producing theatre, particularly in a town such as Los Angeles. We are a dues-paying company, and we depend heavily upon our box office returns. It never quite seems like enough to really provide the kind of experiences we strive for. Somehow, against all odds, we manage. Chalk it up to the theatrical ethic of "The Show Must Go On!" and the financial support of our angels, without whom none of this would be possible.

To find out about how you can support Theatre Unleashed, visit our website, or drop me an email (andrew.moore[AT SIGN GOES HERE]theatreunleashed.com).  (That's assuming more than just my Mom and my sisters are reading this.  The support I get from my family has a value that cannot be place in dollar amounts.  The rest of you can pay! ;-)

Happy Holidays!

HOME SWEET HOME

I'm sure we'll have an official press release out in the next few days, but I feel like bragging. Theatre Unleashed has a home: The Sherry theatre in North Hollywood!

From our inception, we've been a nomadic group. Our first meetings were in a living room, then a Dennys in Hollywood. Erin and Jenn generously opened the doors of their tutoring operation in Sherman Oaks for company meetings, auditions, and some rehearsals. We began renting rehearsal spaces from churches -- Tracing Sonny and Pin-Up Girls were both rehearsed in the basement of St. Stephen Episcopal, a gorgeous gothic cathedral-like church on Wilshire.

We've bounced around Los Angeles -- from K-town to Venice to Silverlake to Hollywood -- with myriad fundraisers, fringe shows and mainstage productions. We've produced most of our mainstage shows in the Magnolia corridor (at The Whitmore/Lindley, The Avery Schreiber and The Sherry) so North Hollywood feels more like home than any other neighborhood we've been to.

It feels a bit strange to have a "home," but residency was inevitable. Linda celebrates five years at the Avery Schreiber in September. Maybe we can do a combo "Happy Anniversary, Linda/TU House Warming" party. We're a gregarious bunch that needs little excuse for a party, but we really should celebrate!

PULP GRAVEYARD READERS THEATRE

I am very excited about this project! It's our next late night show, running in rep with Gregory Craft's Friends Like These (more on that, real soon!)

This is just a taste of what we have in store next month. I'll be posting more about this going forward, but I thought it would be best to get the "who, what, where" out of the way first!

Directed by Andrew Moore
Produced by Theatre Unleashed

SYNOPSIS:

Theatre Unleashed is digging into the Pulp Graveyard to exhume lost classics from the golden age of comic books. Pre-Comics Code horror, crime and war stories in all their sensational glory! Romance, science-fiction and adventure stories that delight! Theatre Unleashed brings all of this to you in the fashion of Readers Theatre, a curious hybrid of live stage and radio drama. Each week, a new anthology of stories and vintage advertisements is brought back from the dead for your viewing pleasure. Come down to the Pulp Graveyard. You never know what you may find…or what may find you!

DATES AND TIMES:

Sept. 12-Oct. 17
Saturdays, 10:30 p.m,
*Meet and greet with artists after each show
**Immediately following Saturday performances of
The TU original Friends Like These

LOCATION:

The Sherry Theatre
11052 Magnolia Blvd.
North Hollywood, CA 91601

TICKET PRICES:

General Admission: $10
*$5 for repeat audiences
*$20 for both Friends Like These
and Pulp Graveyard

INFORMATION & RESERVATIONS:

For further information, please call: (818) 849-4039
Or check out our website at: www.theatreunleashed.com

Vote for Manifestations!

One of the shorts featured in Theatre Unleashed's "Something Awesome Animated Short Festival" is in the running for the Reel 13 Shorts Competition. The winner will be aired on PBS in New York!


I fell in love with this short when first screening it, earlier this year. The artist, Giles Timms has created a kaleidoscope of life, love and longing. Welsh composer Ceri Frost's music provides an aural treat as tasty as the visual.


Click here to watch Manifestations and VOTE!

Red Snapper and Mr. Snapper channel Uma and John at the Monday Night Tease.

Some Random Thoughts on the Past Week

The marathon week that started with Monday Night Tease's 2nd Annual Quentin Tarantino Burlesque Film Festival on the 20th, ran through Comic-Con and Victory Variety Hour's Super Nova A-Go-Go in San Diego on Thursday, and up to Universal CityWalk for some hot marionette action on Saturday culminated in the bloody, sticky, loud and rollicking reprise of the Tarantino fest last night. [Note: As usual, I'm omitting the name of the marionette gig because it's for kids, and this blog certainly isn't!]

Mr. Snapper as Han Solo at Super Nova A-Go-Go, Comic Con weekend in San Diego.

Those pants are about to be torn off.

Some thoughts:

• Burlesque is a perfect theatrical artform. A burlesque act is a distilled microcosm of everything live theatre has to offer. I could go on and on about this (and probably will at a future date) but performing rough and tumble popular (populist?) theatre is good for the soul.


• There are enough photos and videos in circulation of me taking my clothes off to effectively bar my entry into politics. That is, unless I run as an LP candidate. In that case, the most I could hope for is local office. ("Councilman Moore" has a nice ring to it.)


• Comic Con was equal parts intimidating and inspiring. The light post banners characterized the event as "a celebration of the popular arts," or something like that. Carve me off a piece of that!


• I really enjoy puppetry, but I'm not sure what more I want to do as a professional. There was a time when I pursued an active interest in breaking through to the "next level" career-wise; working towards major TV, film, and commercial shoots. Now I'm afraid that might suck all the fun out of it. I like that it's not my main "job," rather it's something I'm good at that I get paid to do on occasion. I think that's good enough for me.


• I've had the opportunity to chat with people about that new play I'm working on. It may seem strange -- particularly in Hollywood where every writer seems afraid to so much as breath the title of their work-in-progress, lest some unscrupulous so-and-so steal it -- but I get a lot out of hashing the story out to friends whose opinions I respect. Had a chat with Teo (a fellow burlesque dancer's husband) last night, and his reactions gave me a good sense of what story elements are the strongest.

That's all pretty random, but I'm in a random mood after the last week! Here are some photos from that marionette thing:

Photographer: Alright ... everyone do something wacky!

Me: How about you just take the damn picture?

Backstage. Nothing says "Summer" like long-sleeve, black t-shirts.

That's me on the far right.

Our audience. Huge! This concert was at Universal CityWalk, a noisy outdoor mall on the front doorstep of Universal Studios Theme Park. Out of frame, and to the right is a jumbotron monitor on which our spaceship is seen landing. A hot day, but a great day!

Hello, Mom!

The only thing that keeps me blogging at all at this point are the text messages I get from my mom: "Hey my son! Time to update the blog so I can have a clue what's going on! Lov u!"

I realize how bad this sounds. As if I never call my mother -- HA! I do call her. As my wife and I have discovered, the blogging format is the perfect way to keep a large body of people up-to-date on the goings-on in one's life. This form of blogging has been criticized as "pet cat blogging," a self-indulgent blathering on of the minutiae of a person's day-to-day activities, as in "this morning, my pet cat did such and such."

Well, we don't have a cat (but Pam's dog has a blog,) and I'd like to know what the hell this medium of blogging is for if not self-indulgent blathering. I suppose I should blog about hot-trending topics, and pack the margins with advertisments and other revenue streams. Maybe you'd like to read yet another nobody's uneducated opinions on the news of the day.

Whatever.

So here's the update, Mom:

A couple of weeks ago, I made my solo debut as a burlesque performer. I got paid to take my clothes off for an audience of (mostly) strangers. Ergo, I am now a professional stripper. Technically, I've been paid to strip as a part of the "Pulp Fiction" number Red Snapper and I perform. But there was something about striding out on stage by myself that seemed to make it more ... something. Je ne sais qua. I don't know what.

I performed as Han Solo to Jerry Reed's classic song of smuggling awesomeness, "East Bound and Down." You may remember that song as the theme from Smokey and the Bandit.

Red is performing as Leeloo in a number inspired by the movie The Fifth Element.

We're reprising our numbers, along with the rest of the cast of Super Nova A-Go-Go, in San Diego for the throng of people attending Comic Con. Comic Con is HUGE! They average upwards of 125,000 attendees. That's THREE TIMES the population of Hot Springs!


Strangely, I'm not nervous.

This past Monday night, Red and I reprised our "Pulp Fiction" number for the Monday Night Tease's 2nd Annual Quentin Tarantino Burlesque Film Festival. I don't have pictures from this last performance yet, but here are a couple from last year:

We also reenacted the famous "ear" scene for a massive Reservoir Dogs group number! due to popular demand, we'll be repeating the show next Monday night. The show was mentioned on the radio as a must-see, and we were featured on the local NBC affiliate's website!

This weekend, I'm performing as a part of that certain marionette show, the name of which I omit so that kids searching for it online don't wind up here! we'll be on the mainstage at Universal Studios CityWalk.

That's pretty much it for now. I'll sign off with a few photos of me and my partner Phil Kelly as Mssrs. Snapper and Buddy. The first few are from a burlesque show, Peepshow Menagerie where we opened with a forty-five minute-long set of music and comedy. The last photo is from Theatre Unleashed's "The World's Smallest Renaissance Faire."

"Old McBuddy Had a Farm." One of our newer numbers, prone to technical difficulties, but hysterical! Audiences love it. Mr. Buddy never speaks, so his part in the song is pre-recorded on cassette tape.

"A Whale of a Tale," from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Each lyric is about a different girl, and Buddy acts each one out. This is the last verse, for "Harpoon Hannah." Buddy dons a tiki mask: "There was Harpoon Hannah, with a face that'd make you shudder/Lips like fishhooks, and a nose just like a rudder/If I kissed her and held her tenderly/There's no sea monster big enough that'd ever frighten me!"


Breaking out the big gun for "Buddy vs. The Dragon." This was a song we performed at the Ren Faire. It was so well received, we put it into our "normal" repertoire. I like it because I get to play the guitar. Buddy likes it because it makes him out to be a dragon-slaying hero.

It's hard to say, but I think we're performing "Whale of a Tale" here. It looks like I'm playing the little solo run on the uke while Buddy retrieves the Harpoon Hannah mask.

How I Write a Play

I am in the midst of writing a new play, but I'm taking a break for ...

Andrew's Biggest Playwriting Secrets ... Finally Revealed!

1. THE IDEA: People always ask, "Where do you get your ideas?" Sometimes I'll just hit "Random Article" on Wikipedia or type in some random words on Google and hit "I'm Feeling Lucky." If that doesn't turn up something good, I'll either swipe a premise from a far better playwright ("Tracing Sonny" was in fact a rip-off of Glengarry Glen Ross) or just crib a plotline from old episodes of Felicity!

2. THE DIALOGUE: I really suck at dialogue; it's the hardest part of writing plays for me. But plays are 97% dialogue! In the words of Charlie Brown, "AAAAUUUUGGGHHHH!" So what to do? Sometimes I'll just have the actors talk in character until they say something I like, and then I'll tell them, "That! Do that!" Other times, I'll use Babel Fish to translate Spanish language "Novellas" and just change the names. And other other times, I'll dress up like one of my characters, and put myself in the actual situation in the real world, carefully tape recording everything said! On a play like "Pin-Up Girls," I'll use all of these tricks and more!

3. THE SCENE: It's important to describe the scene in painstaking detail, because theatre people have a hard time visualizing how a play should be produced. That's because the theatre is not a visual medium, like the superior art forms of television, film, and YouTube. Also, three to four pages of description make you look like a professional!

4. THE FORMAT: Some people make a big deal about the format of the finished script: Dialogue should run margin to margin, parenthetical descriptions should be indented, blah blah blah. I find it's easier to just use the movie script format. Also, by putting the dialogue in the middle of the page like a screenplay, it takes up more pages! Win-win (win)!

5. THE OPENING NIGHT: As a playwright, it's important to be recognized by the public. That's why I make a point of wearing a sash that says "Playwright" on it, and I always join the actors on stage for their curtain call. Bonus points if you pay someone to throw roses at you when you take the stage! I did that for "Torrid Affaire," and it made all the difference for the reviewers. Nothing says "class and talent" like having roses thrown at your feet! Hey ... it works for Rick Springfield!

6. THE REVIEWS: It's important to listen to everything the reviewers say, and to try and implement their notes by the next performance. One time this reviewer criticized the character of Slappy, the slap-happy ex-boxer turned custodian at the High Jinks Burlesque. Slappy had this gag where he'd stare at the girls while they were changing their clothes and drool into his mop bucket. The girls would see this, puts their hands on their hips and say "Oh, Slappy!" It happened, like, twelve times in the first act alone. After the review came out that called Slappy a "weak, two-dimensional crutch for otherwise humorless moments," I was sure to cut the character and replace him with "Seaweed," a cute creature from Atlantis who aspires to someday strip! Poor Seaweed -- he needs water to breathe!

7. FINAL THOUGHTS: Drink. Drink, drink, drink. Drink some more. You should be so drunk when you write that you're laughing at prepositions. That's how you write comedy.

My Top Ten Entertainment Experiences of 2008

This is waaaay over due at this point. Believe it or not, this post has existed as a draft since January 5th. What has taken me so long to finish it? "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans," man.

A refresher on the rules:

This encompasses not only the source of the entertainment (i.e. movie, burlesque show, concert, etc.) but also -- and more importantly -- the experience surrounding the event in question.

For instance, I really enjoyed Role Models, the movie starring my twin brother Paul Rudd and Seann William Scott. One of my favorite movies of 2008. However, the experience of going to see the film was average. Compare this to when we caught Revenge of the Sith a couple of years back at the Arclight in Hollywood, and representatives of the 501st legion of Stormtroopers were in attendance with Darth Vader. That was an entertainment experience to write home about!

So I realize this is a bit late, but here goes (in no particular order):

1. Kubrilesque

There were so many good burlesque shows in 2008, it is truly difficult for me to pick just one. But Kubrilesque was an incredible experience for a number of reasons. First, it was pretty early on in our journey into burlesque. We were still meeting people, getting to know the scene. Red performed in a couple of group numbers, as Alex in the tribute to A Clockwork Orange (and she's the hottest Alex ever) and in the Busby Berkeley-inspired 2001: A Space Odyssey extravaganza. So we were right in the thick of it, meeting new people.

Kubrilesque was presented at Cafe Fais Do-do, one of my favorite venues in Los Angeles. (I wrote glowingly of it in my review of Sound and Fury's Sherlock Holmes and the Saline Solution.) Red and I cajoled a large number of our theatre family to attend both nights, so there was that social aspect of the thing, the opportunity to share something we enjoy with people we love.

The Eyes Wide Shut number really hit on the second night, and was a transcendent experience for me. Crystal Swarovski's emergence towards the end was made all the more dramatic by the stark, flat lighting in the main ballroom.

2. Underbelly screening

Princess Farhana is a rock star, and to be invited to this screening was a distinct honor. The documentary is fantastic. We also met up with Celeste, one of Red's buds from the belly dance scene.

Putting on the sports jacket and driving out to a Hollywood landmark (The El Cid was reportedly built by D.W. Griffith) for the L.A. premiere of documentary film ... there was a moment there where I thought, "Wow! We've arrived. This is the sort of thing you do in Hollywood!" What a great night, schmoozing with friends and fellow artists and enjoying the belly dance acts that Farhana presented after the screening. That's what I call a night out on the town!

3. Xmas Smackdown

Kismet. That's how I describe this evening. Red had the opportunity to fill in for Penny Starr, Jr. for one night of this fun show. It was an evening of music and comedy with the very funny Mike Nutter and Cynthia Carle, featuring the Smackdown Singers, and storyteller Cindy Caponera. Red stripped to "Silver Bells" as performed by the Singers.

This all took place at Hallenbeck's General Store in North Hollywood, and I hope I get the invite for the next go 'round. I've since seen Nutter perform his twisted song "Baby Shredder" at Penny Starr, Jr.'s Victory Variety Hour. He's my kind of nut.

4. John Mayer

Yeah, I'm cheating. There were three John Mayer events this past year, and it's impossible to pick just one for this list. They did have one thing in common: The Fans.

First was the screening of Where the Light Is, his latest concert film. In December 2007, John Mayer played a concert for Toys for Tots. Three sets: John Mayer acoustic, the John Mayer Trio, and John Mayer with his full concert band. A remarkable evening that we missed due to a holiday office party. Naturally, when the opportunity presented itself to watch the concert on the big screen, we jumped at the chance.

The screening was at the Bridge multiplex, a cinema down towards Long Beach. Maybe it's in Venice ... I'm a little fuzzy. I know it's to the south and west of where we live. Great place! Some of the theatres have wait staff to fill your popcorn and soda orders. But they serve "real food" as well, and sell adult beverages. Very classy!

This was a fan club event, so we saw the film with John Mayer die hards. Met some really cool people that night!

The second morsel of John Mayer awesomeness came in the form of his Irvine concert. Fan club seats, and we were close to a fan club member who we've run into several times at concerts. She's great! It's so cool to make that kind of friend. The only thing you have in common is this one interest (John Mayer) and that's reason enough to be effusive when you see them again.

I also got to meet Brett Dennen when he autographed his cd for me. I have a newfound respect for people who ask for autographs.

Finally, we got to attend the second annual John Mayer holiday show. It was just Mayer onstage, no band, keeping us entertained for a couple of hours. It was our first journey to the Nokia Center and the new LA Live. Very slick place, completely and utterly disconnected from the rest of the city.

John Mayer, onstage alone, for a few hours. Really, no description would do it justice, but it was a bit like hanging out with that friend (or brother, or cousin) who's insanely talented at something and just watching them play through a set list. Very low-key and casual. The fans were incredible; I found myself chatting with complete strangers before and after the show like they were old friends.

5. Weezer Hootenanny

For a few hours, Pamela and I, along with dozens of other geeky Weezer fans, were members of Weezer. It's true: Rivers told us so.

6. Polly Peabody's show at Tangier

This was a stand-out event for one reason: Jewel of Denial. She's an English language teacher by day, and invited some of her students to the show. They were incredible; supportive and proud of their teacher. Burlesque can be so heartwarming at times!

7. Toy Puppet Theatre day at Disney Concert Hall

I got an email from a puppeteer friend telling me he was performing as part of a Maya Angelou poem-brought-to-life at this festival. That was enough reason to go. When I saw that Chicago's Redmoon Theatre would be performing "Once Upon a Time (or The Secret Language of Birds)" AND Laura Heit would be performing with her matchbox circus, the deal was sealed. Toy theatre is magic. The Disney Concert Hall is a beautiful place, and a wonderful setting for these miniature masterpieces.

8. The Bernini exhibit at the Getty Center

The last time I saw Bernini's work, it was summertime in Italy. The time spent examining these gorgeous marble sculptures was meditative and refreshing.

9. Tarantino Night at the Monday Night Tease

This is sort of cheating, but not quite. Although I was a part of this evening, I was able to enjoy most of it. It was my first introduction to the comedy stylings of Michael "NSFW" Schmidt, aka "The 40 Year-old Boy."

10. Pin-Up Girls

Without a doubt, the most incredible entertainment experience of 2008 for me. It's not that I wrote and directed it. Sure, that was cool. It was watching the show every night (I missed Act I twice) and watching the cast grow into their parts. It was seeing the faces coming and going from the house.

So that's that. Really freaking late, but done.

Tracing Sonny Photos

Sonny and Luci share a moment.

Dad is making the calls while Sonny tries to carry on a conversation with Luci.

They just won't let up! Mom and Dad make their presence known to Sonny, while Luci struggles to understand what he's going through.

Why the argyle sweater? Since Dad and Mom are really manifestations of parts of Sonny's personality, and they tag in at different times during the play, I needed a shorthand way of tipping off the audience. At the time I was writing this, Pamela bought me a smashing argyle sweater: Above you see Theatre Unleashed treasurer Gregory Crafts and myself, after a reading of "Torrid Affaire" back before TU was so much as a twinkle in our eyes. *sigh*. We were so young and naive back then.

So there's the sweater.

As I worked with this choice, something became clear to me: Los Angeles isn't exactly a sweater-friendly town. Oh, we have our cold nights, our overcast days, but most of the time a sweater is a bad choice. "Tracing Sonny" takes place in Los Angeles over the course of a year. And Sonny has that damn sweater on non-stop.

But this works. One of the themes of "Tracing Sonny" is how useful tics, habits and traits picked up from others can become hindrances in the wrong situation. For instance, a firefighter's full regalia including oxygen tank and mask is incredibly helpful when rescuing people from a burning building. But imagine if that firefighter didn't remove his uniform at the end of the day, and tried to go bowling in it! Sometimes it's helpful to use learned behavior; sometimes that learned behavior overrides personal judgement and self-determination.

So the fact that Sonny wears a sweater on a hot, summer day at the Los Angeles Zoo is a "real-world" nod to his psychological state. Or, in short, "I meant to do that."