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I am sitting on the BOLT bus which is a lighting designer’s emblem. A streak of lighting splash’s across the side of the red coach operated out of Dallas. You might be asking me where I am going, or where I have been. I am recently leaving Manhattan, after completing a two week stint on High School Musical II. I was in many ways a refuge in my own skin, a gypsy traversing the wilderness of the urban city. I stayed in Jersey with Erik, and West Village with Patrick, and LIC with Shari.

Now before I go into the generics of my daily life I need to take a moment to talk about my personal life. I would like to say that a few months ago Robert and I ended our relationship. It happened in a very controlled and calculated way. There was very little to discuss and we realized our lives where going in two different directions which no include each other anymore. That being said, I sing a song of forgetting, forgetting the way things where, and I instead choose to remember the way I was. Before, and what made me strong, what I have learned, and what I want to become.

I now look forward, I am booked through march 2010, I have doubled business in a year, and I am a resident designer for a few companies… Although it is not glamorous, I am ok with this. I sit outside an arbys waiting for my bus driver to eat and come back to drive me home.

I will be looking for a new apartment in the next two weeks, moving, and starting over…

LIFE IS GOOD,

~Mike

So clubs, wine, beer, brie, and a ha cha cha. Since we spoke last, bob and I toured the United States, we stopped in Florida, Vegas, San Francisco, san luis, Monterey, LA, NYC, and back to Boston. This was a double graduation, and engagement present made possible by his parents, south west airlines, and our own boot straps. We rented a snazzy car and got under way. It was in SAN FRAN, that I began to sit down with my opera materials, and conceptualize the magic flute. I also got contacted by the Company Theatre, and would later be signed to date for two shows.

We just keep spinning round round right round like a record. NYC allowed me some closure on my graduate experience; I interviewed at a few more schools, was warmly received, and warmly declined. We were able to get awesome tickets to SHREK the musical, and enjoyed the open doors of restaurant week.

Now my designs have gotten more complex, after seeking Shrek and talking with a good friend on Broadway I decided to try Vari Lites on for size. These Movers are bananas. They have vibrant colors, and good wash / spot capabilities, Which means they can practically do whatever I need them to do. I also loaded my opera with CXI’s to get fun color wash’s.

Now a note on touring… SPEED and SMILES… are the two s’s of success..

This is all my brain has for now… My writer brain is not well engaged… as spring comes I will be inspired to write more to you all… Until then hold tight to the idea of tulips rising from the earth like little colored fire birds.

So ding dong merrily not high, and I’m still gay-ly ringing. The holidays have truly descended upon and through us here. To say Florida turns is an understatement. We say in some families that life is like a soap opera, (like as the world turns for instance). So as I stated above we are going at 360rpm’s a min. down here. The rentals are ill with a flu, but the outlook is good. The sister is repainting her house, the outlook is good. Bob and I are scheduled to fly out jan 7^th, the outlook is long! I do have to say, I am thankful for coming down here and spending time with the family. Family always puts things into perspective, and it’s good to have love and warmth; especially when the warmth comes from the 80 degree weather.

Robert and I decided to get engaged, rings and all. Modest rings with a tension set diamond. They are tokens or statements of our choice to be with each other. My opera is fast approaching, and hesitantly I still await contract and footage to help inform my choices. In other news, I was contacted by a company in Boston, who is looking to hire me on for Godspell (can we say THRILLED!!!).

So what advice do I have for you when things get hairy, I guess I would say have a good exit strategy.

Robert and I have a vacation from our vacation. We will be flying out of Orlando early, and darting across the country to San Francisco. Then we will spend two weeks driving to LA, and then Fly to NYC to do interviews. (thanks to his parents as a graduation gift)

In a word we are

Thrilled!

Love light and licorice.

MIKE

Well, well, well.

I have arrived home safely from my duo Nutcracker’s. One was a design, and the other was over hire. Now I am listening to Mama Mia, and packing a suitcase ready to go to Orlando.

I am looking forward to 3 weeks of secluded family vacationing, and pre prep on the Opera. Now all I have to do is find spring and summer work!

Keep your ears to the ground, I will have a holiday post soon…

The seasons are amongst us, and it is quite chilly in the old bean town. After doing a lot of freelancy stage handish gigs I am pleased with the notch I have dug out for myself. It looks like my dream of becoming a regional lighting designer is coming in ahead of schedule. Recently, I found myself on the floor of my bedroom, cleaning off an old computer, while doing so I came across letters I had written almost three years ago. They where letters of intent directed at perspective graduate programs. Filled with my hopes and dreams, those words were intended to carry me into the future.

Now I was scheduled to graduate from Grad School this spring, and it had been my hope to be an international, Broadway, or regional lighting designer. Now as I sit typing to you, I thank myself quietly for unpacking my travel size suit case, for she is going to get a work out. I will be on a plane shortly heading across the continent to design!

Also I have an opera to look forward to, which will be touring New England. Now friends, all of this comes with extreme waves of caution and jubilation. I looked at my partner and said these jobs are both big and small at the same time, i.e. minimal equipment and manipulation for maximum effect.

Now as I emotionally prep for my journeys ahead, I ask the universe for hubris, strength, and wisdom. I will need all of these things, and a dash of luck to keep moving forward.

A little over a month has passed since our last connection. When I last wrote I was surrounded by the southing scents of wild valerian, sea air, and mountain mist’s. I would wake up with the sun and the sound of psychotic rooster. I accepted a show at the Boston Center for the Arts with the Up You Mighty Race Company. The show was a quick breath of life sustaining fresh air, and I do mean quick. Faster than torrents of rain which precede an ominous gust of chilling wind and the stampeding sound of droplets hitting the ground I found myself back in the city I love. I was surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of students and “adults” on moving day. After a hectic almost Broadway class load in “to our apartment” I had little under four days to see the rehearsal, choose color, and make a rental lists. I brought back my friend and amazing electrician Erik, and together with the help of some dedicated friends we got the show loaded in.

In the continuum is receiving amazing press. It would appear the new resident company at the BCA has a strong future in front of it http://www.mwonson.com/p_inthecontinuum.shtm . In the same breath I look ahead to being Keri Fisher’s spot light, over hire is my bread and butter after all.

With all that is going on, I find myself needing to take a break from writing. I will send more out very soon, but for know the bed in the pent house calls…

Good night!

Deep thick fog, blue berries, and non disfunctional family…  8.8.08 found me at the Gregor family reunion.  Bob and I trecked up to Maine in the middle of the night, escaping the fires of a hell filled apartment..

Now we sit poised to start a two week film shoot, and I have a beautifully design for our new bedroom… all under 1,000.00.

I will right more in the upcomming days, but we are saying good bye to family, and We just celebrated an early birthday for myself…

Much love

MORE TO COME SOON, I OPEN TWO SHOWS FRIDAY, MAYBE SOME OF MY BEST WORK TO DATE…

MY SISTER GAVE BIRTH TO EMA…

WRITE SOON IN TECH

GOT TO GO!!!!

Hello and how are you?

A little over two weeks later and I find myself sitting in the theater again, waiting for the carpenters to finish up on the stage. As clouds of sawdust and waves of spray paint accost my nostrils I breathe in and smile. “This is the true high of theater” I think to myself. There is an orchestration of the Dresden dolls playing softly in the background, as my fingers dance across the key board typing my past days to you.

Grease opened and closed with a successful attendance and pleased patrons. I hustled up the coast of New England to have lobster, family relations, and to relax. Only when you are riding your bicycle down the street at 11 o’clock guided only by moon light do you realize how quiet and peaceful this planet can be. Also the magnificence of open space allows thoughts to pour out and be dealt with on their own time. There are less walls and wave lengths to trap the mental chatter in your body.

Speaking of walls, we have found the perfect ones to shelter us through this up coming year. A four floor brown stone on mission hill. Bob and I will be residing on the fourth floor with a Mansard roof made of glass and lounging in a whirl pool tub. I am speechless and quite happy. The neighborhood is a little rough, but we all suffer to make greatness in this life.

I have begun the job search process. It looks like I am signed onto a documentary for august, and the freelancing will pick up again in September. I am awaiting news on a fashion show, and I hopefully will be getting a few regional theatre gigs before I ship off to NYC.

Well that is all for now, leave me your love, and I will shout out to ya in my next post!

Leave comments to if you have any…

Focus was a smash hit, the team and I focused about 170 lights in 10 hours, which is roughly 17 an hour. I was rather pleased with the whole process, very quiet, intimate, just what grad school had prepared me for.  Not to say there weren’t any snags along the way. When you have a 10+ hour day in a dark theatre with tiny little hieroglyphic focus sheets and people looking to you for guidance you can get run down. Thankfully, the day was full of coffee breaks, and snacks. I prepped the tech table with an assortment of candies to keep blood sugar and moral up through the day.

Post focus a designer usually writes a wish list of things they would like added and house work which needs to get done. As part of this wish list, I had to deal with one let down which, all together was a good character building exercise. I had to show the directors the foot lights, which are large clonking instruments that look as awkward as the dinosaur. As I sat with them in the theatre house I realized that I needed to say goodbye to my beloved front wash. I quietly remind myself there is a silver lining to this experience; I am learning how to make compromises. So I have cut the fat from my design, much like the fat I am cutting from my body.

Robert and I had a wonderful day yesterday followed by a whole foods excursion. Many brands of Tea’s where purchased; so hopefully as I warm my body and mind I can also warm up to the idea of staying healthy. I think it is important to stay moving as an artist. We can be a moody breed, full of dark rooms, and lots of sitting. So it is helpful to get up and shake around once in a while, remove the mental cobwebs from the dark corners of a creatively rich brain. On the note of creativity I still have the bed to look forward too.

Our bed will hopefully be arriving this weekend. Now like a freshly hatched sea turtle I scramble to gather the elements that make up a bed room, the perfect sheets, pillow tops, memory foams, and other accoutrement. What are your favorite bed room items? Perhaps I will feature them in my upcoming bedroom design.

I have a doctor’s appointment coming up, so I will let you know what the bill of health is.

Coming up is designer run through of GREASE, then I will be in my fortress of a theatre designing all weekend.

Looking forward to talking to you again.

Michael