Friday, October 30, 2009

"Soldiers' Stories" OCT 29th 2009...

...went great.
alway nice when something you write in the confines of your self-imposed dungeon plays out well in front of an audience.
in front of people. breathing. sweating. engaged.
PEOPLE.
and that's theatre.
and that's why i'll always remain active in theatre in some form or another.
just watching/listening to an audiences' reaction is a whole school of education in itself.
really.
can't see how dramatic writers do without.
just sit in front of their Mac's and type, type, type away and churn out anything of value.
-more skill then me, i suppose.
but the funny thing is, it's the simple stuff that always work.
always.
the tried and true 'beats.'
drama borrowed from Euripides;
comedy gleaned from Aristophanes.
nevertheless, kudos to all involved.
good shit indeed.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

CCC's

something my gramps would talk about till the day he died,
the CCCs. glad i took some time and lent an ear.
again, PBS is on the ball...
check out the entire doc here.

the lobotomist

always had this foggy idea about a future where lobotomies were the norm.
a story about a world where people bypassed anger, fear, and hate, with brain surgery.
but it's just an idea.
or was it...
close your blinds, turn off the lights, and crank up the volume
check out the PBS teaser here:



and the entire program care of PBS's American Experience

Sunday, October 25, 2009

oh, Sarge...



Genesis, illustrated

i've read the Bible. can't say i've gained too much from it. it's a good read. piece of history 'n such, but it's always left me empty. maybe because i was raised Catholic and had to deal with all the horse-shit associated with the Church.
hypocrites;
evil fairy's in white robes - telling me to act like a "man," as they count their cash;
sexually repressed staff, explaining sexuality;
Catholic schoolgirls' snorting meth in the bathroom - singing "ave maria," in the choir...
blessed football coaches 'knowing' their students, sometimes their daughters.
not that i haven't come across some truly stand up individuals, but they're few and far between.
and they know. but what are they gonna do?
but i recently came across R. Crumb's illustrated version of Genesis...
and truth be told, i'm starting to come around.
too bad the Church is lost in the sauce.
- they coulda been somebody...

Friday, October 23, 2009

'soldiers' stories' press release!

ON THE FRONT LINE: Three Generations of Soldiers' Voices

Los Angeles, CA - The stories of a diverse group of California veterans from World War II through Iraq: gathered from interviews by Los Angeles actors/writers and told in a dramatic narrative to be shared with the veterans themselves and with us, the citizens they served. Their experiences touch on issues of equal rights, self-identity, and the long-lasting consequences of war in the hearts and minds of the soldiers who fought in them. This project was generated by a California Council for the Humanities “California Stories” grant and will be performed October 29 on the Loyola Marymount University Campus, and November 10 and November 11 (Veteran’s Day), at The Actors’ Gang Theatre in Culver City.

The "Soldier's Voices" project will produce a dramatic evening based on the stories of eleven California veterans from three different war generations: World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Using a workshop format developed by project staff, and informed by the insights of consulting humanities experts from several disciplines, the project allowed the vets to articulate their stories. The veterans, all drawn from Southern California residents and/or veterans from the WLA VA Center, were paired with professional writers who helped them find their "voice" and communicate their experiences through the means of dramatic narratives. The piece will be professionally produced and performed in three performances only, October 29, Murphy Hall, Loyola Marymount University, Westchester/Los Angeles; and November 10 and 11 at The Actors’ Gang Theatre in Culver City.

Each performance will include post play discussion and opportunity for audience dialogue with project participants, staff and humanities experts.

Importance of the project: VA volunteers have identified a key problem among the veterans they work with as the lack of understanding among veterans from different wars. The thematic purpose of the Soldiers' Voices project, therefore, is to show not only the differences between "war cultures," but also the experiences they share, from the battlefield to the impact on their lives at home.

Importance of the project to California: over 500 dead, 3300 other casualties - that is the price paid by Californians in Iraq and Afghanistan - more than any other state in the U.S. These sobering statistics show how important and timely it is to bring Soldiers' Voices to the people of California now. For ourselves as well as for them, we must do all we can to share and preserve the stories of our California veterans from the several generations of war in our times. For our younger veterans, particularly those recently returned from combat, the storytelling and dramatization process will become part of their reintegration into life at home by providing them with the opportunity to relate their experiences to each other and other generations of veterans and to re-connect with civilians, project writers and actors, as well as audiences in the Los Angeles area where our performances will take place.

WHAT:
ON The Front Line : Three generations of soldiers voices
The stories of a diverse group of California veterans from World War II through Iraq: gathered from interviews by Los Angeles actors/writers and told in a dramatic narrative to be shared with the veterans themselves and with us, the citizens they served.

WHO:
True stories from: Mike Baldrige (Marines, Vietnam), Thad Rasuli Ballew (Navy, Vietnam), Wendy Baranco (Army, Iraq), Abraham Salazar Beruman (Marines, Iraq), Col. Franklin J. Henderson (Army, Korea), J.W. Holman (Army, Vietnam), David Jennett (Navy, WWII), Chris Mandia (Marines, Iraq), Vincent Migliazzo (Army, WWII), George M. Omi (Army, Korea), Delton Sutherland (Army, Iraq).

Contributing Artists: Directed by Judith Royer, C.S.J., edited by Doris Baizley. Contributing Artists: Linda Bannister, Doris Baizley, Catharine Christof, Harry Cronin, April Fitzsimmons, Johnny Garofalo, Joyce Guy, Jim Holmes, James E. Hurd, Jr., Greg Koppenhaver, Howard Lavick, Michaela Lavick, Luis Jimenez, Chris Mandia, Ken Narasaki, Marsha Oseas, Nicole Rossi, Scot Smith, Christopher Sweeney, and DeSean Terry, and Alex Van Doren.

Presented by:

Loyola Marymount University College of Communication and Fine Arts,

Department of Theater and Dance and Playwrights Center Stage in association with The California Council for the Humanities, California Stories Project.

WHEN and WHERE:

October 29th @ 7:30 PM , Murphy Hall, Loyola Marymount University

1 LMU Drive Los Angeles, CA

November 10th and 11th @ 8:00 PM

at The Actors’ Gang Theater

9070 Venice Blvd. Culver City, CA

HOW:
Reservations and information call 310-670-0362 or by email jroyer@earthlink.net

TICKETS:
Admission Free – ALL VETERANS WELCOME

Monday, October 19, 2009

march 4th 2002

'the days go on and so do i.
busy day today. always busy, busy.
lots of bullshit. but thats the norm.
normal.
my normal.
i miss it. bad. badly.
Marines think they're such men.
such goddamn exemplary specimens.
it ain't the case.
but nothing ever is. nothing.
and now, right now as i stand my five hour post aboard the uss pearl harbor. as i look over the port-side gunnel, and there's the .50 cal suspended over the persian gulf, and i know, i really do know this because i heard the ruckus where the zeroes smoke their stogies and muse von clausewitz...
we are fucking Afghanistan's world up.
just now.
RIGHT NOW!
a warthog's 25mm is streaming white and orange. it must be cool. real fucking cool man.
but some other Marines are already there:  1st Battalion/1st Marines ;"first on foot, right of the line."
in the shit. 
just like me, but different.'


amazing how some things change, and others...well, they don't.
(2009)

Monday, October 12, 2009

cris mandia (based on nothing)

i went for a walk in the canyon today. it's behind my house and filled with a bunch of shit. old TV's, shopping carts, tires, and the such.
a little lake is down at the bottom. forms from run off, i guess. it's all green and dead looking. no frogs. no fish. maybe some skeeters. 
half the canyon is covered in spineless (for the most part) cacti. 
yes, i said 'cacti.'
i used to cut off the cacti and feed it to my tortoise. now, i just buy romaine lettuce.
chuck it in his pen every once in a while.
and since we're on the topic of food - lets talk binges.
as in, food binges.
i go through stages. stages in which i eat/drink/smoke a certain product for a couple months, then get completely disgusted by it.
strange.
let's see, there was:
coke zero;
healthy choice ice-cream bars;
99cent store turkey chili;
99cent store sugar free wafers;
dryers non-fat ice-cream;
big red soda pop;
pumpkin seeds;
werthers original hard candy;
diet coke;
lentils;
pita bread pizza;
black olives;
peach flavored diet snapple;
macanudos mini-cigarillos;
baked doritos;
baked cheetos;
goats cheese;
vegetarian pita w/bean sprouts;
wild cherry slurpees;
cherry Icee;
and most recently - banana slurpees.

thats about all i got right now. thanks for the read. 

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

"On the Front Line" aka "Soldiers' Stories" UPDATE

playing this month - "Soldiers' Stories."
come see my monologue (Vincent's Story), along with several other stirring real-life narratives, @ LMU - OCTOBER 29TH - 7:30pm
and hell, it's free!




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Saturday, October 3, 2009

"august: osage county"

took a trip to the ahmanson's yesterday with tina-bear.
29 minutes up the 110, exit Temple St. and you'll find yourself at the Center Theatre Group's stage. 
saw August: Osage County, by Tracy Letts.
best piece of theatre i've seen thus far. think it's the way Letts weaves the comic with the tragic that does it. 
disarms you. 
makes you set down the shield, and WHAM!
 - you're on your ass.
great technique - won Letts the Pulitzer in 2008. 




Thursday, October 1, 2009

pissed off christoff is pissed off

since i've begun self-medicating, my anger, my pissed-off-ness, has declined considerably.
a few prescriptions later and life is kosher for mandia.
my jaw unclenches.
the blood flows freely.
although every once in a while something/someone really fucking pisses me off. 
draws me outa my zone.
claws its way free. fangs dripping yellow and red.
and it happened today.
happened when i stumbled upon a facebook entry regarding a blogger; stephanie walker, for "Chicago NOW."
in short, it chronicles this gal and her financial woes.
she attempts to equate combat with fiscal fuck-ups.
s' what i hate most about America.
s' what i hate most about writers (im sure she and the literati-types are chagrined with this brilliant analogy).
but it's just bad business all around. cheapens every man/woman who's ever been in combat. 
ever traversed a battlefield brimming with IEDs, muj snipers, and crazed jihadi's.
to be fair, she claims a Marine espoused similar sentiments. 
and i don't doubt it.
they're dipshits everywhere.
ever see that Jarhead toss the puppy off a cliff? 
but the depths in which people try to rationalize their jacked-up existence nowadays makes me wanna double my dosage...
take a gander: 

website of the month, sonny

ever wonder if that creepy guy down the street who sports a constant bulge in his pants, has an underground lair in which he holds captive children to satisfy his perverse sexual appetite? 
i sure do. 
and now i can verify my suspicions @:

- you can literally search a map and find every registered sex offender; pedophile, rapist, animal bugger, and exhibitionist on your block (CA only). 

here's a few winners that live near me (can ya figger out which one's a gal?).

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