Here I am

Alright... so I'm tired of paying for my domain http://www.pdev.us, so I decided to start my own blog here, under the advice of my old roommate, Eli, who keeps his own blog, Rust Belt Philosophy.

So, about myself: I am the son of Dutch immigrants and I grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts. Theater is my main passion in life. I tried to deny that for a while. I tried taking a safer route in life and attended many job interviews for positions I didn't want. But the Recession has taught me that there is no safe route in life, so I might as well pursue what I love.

I know. I'm gambling with my future. But every choice is a gamble. I could be offered guaranteed employment pursuing something else, but I might run the risk of excruciating boredom. I also know that there is probably no woman out there who would want an aspiring actor, but I've tried being loved for who I'm not. Nothing could be lonelier.

I'll tell you how it happened. I had given up theater after acting in two Hampshire Shakespeare productions in the summer of 2008. Instead, I tried very hard to be someone's boyfriend. I decided I was a writer, instead, and tried writing a novel. The relationship ended, and I still thought I was a writer, not an actor.

Then my good friends at the Hampshire Shakespeare Company gave me a call in February. They needed an MC for their fundraiser "Sleeping with Shakespeare." I decided to do it. It all came back to me. This was where I belonged. And I needed to get into one of their summer shows.

And so I auditioned for Hamlet and got the part of Laertes. And this part is going to be the bulk of the subject matter of my entries from now until the end of July. And then, hopefully I can write about other acting experiences.