Pat Tuesday: notes on a big weekend
Happy Pat Tuesday!
We’re officially two weeks into the Kickstarter for BIG BEAR and it’s going so unbelievably well. We’ve reached some really exciting goals, and we have even more that I can’t wait to get to—from cast raises to enhancements to the production and livestream, all of this money will be going toward making this show something we’ll all be proud of! Check the Kickstarter out here if you haven’t!
As for today…
A saying I like to say all the time, particularly about when you’re stressed about things in your career (from weird pitch meetings to frustrating notes on a screenplay from a well-known creative), is: “these are the problems we dreamed of having”. And I’m full of those problems lately, with one problem in particular: I am so, so tired.
This weekend was the epitome of “biting off more than I can chew”—a few completely separate creative endeavors came together to create a superstorm of business for me—three shows in three nights that I either directed, organized, wrote, performed in, or generally was the responsible party for. One was a pop-punk version of MAMMA MIA BUT DIFFERENT, an ABBA-inspired fever dream of a show with a full ensemble of musical theatre stars, written this month by the incredible Jess McKenna and Zac Reino —
Another show was CLEANING FEE, an improv show based on AirBnB listings, with the cast of the play BIG BEAR as a fundraiser for the Kickstarter (and the first time much of the cast was onstage together, so a de facto chemistry test as well) —
And the last is a show I’m deeply proud of from the sketch-group-turned-original-musical-one-stop-shop Moon Goon: a pro-Amazon propaganda musical that I directed, wrote lyrics for, and performed in for the entire show, starring ominously on as an executive who will fire anyone who screws up. That show’s called Prime! The Amazon Musical, and it was on Sunday—
Three shows that I put my whole heart into, back-to-back for an entire weekend. This happens sometimes—you throw a bunch of stuff out in hopes that it becomes something and it all does, and then you have to deal with it (Problem You Dream Of Having #493). I called it BIG PAT WEEKEND on the internet as a way to get people there—if they came to the show, I gave them a stamp. If they came to all three, they got a prize.
The shows themselves were incredible. Great crowds full of people who were really enjoying them. Mamma Mia was a masterpiece—the cast nailed the songs and the dialogues and my fancy light direction really came through:
CLEANING FEE was a blast—the entire crew gelled effortlessly and we raised some money for Big Bear which was the dream:
And PRIME was unbelievable—we build a picture-in-picture on the livestream so you could watch mine and Kylie Brakeman’s characters enjoy the whole show, and I got to do my favorite thing, which was fling myself into a pile of boxes live onstage as a way of moving them offstage:
There were a bunch of people who watched all three shows on livestream! And there were SIX PEOPLE who came to all three shows in person. So many intrepid BIG PAT WEEKEND warriors. Let me tell you something about starting out in performing—you have about a year when all your friends come and support you because it’s this “new thing” you’re doing. Then, you have about 10 years when those friends stop coming because “they’ve seen you”, and in that time it’s on you to turn your audience from a group of friends who love you regardless, to a group of strangers who love you only if you’re good. Then eventually, those strangers turn into fans, and sometimes even back into friends. I’m so grateful for everyone who came out and had a wild BIG PAT WEEKEND with me. I’m very very tired and my house is a mess—but it’s a problem I dreamed of having.
PAT’S PROJECTS - you can see all three BIG PAT WEEKEND shows as livestreams right now!
CLEANING FEE - AIRBNB IMPROV - proceeds go to the BIG BEAR Kickstarter!
PRIME! THE AMAZON MUSICAL (BY MOON GOON)
PAT’S PICK -
Cat Marina Sleepcast on the Headspace App - this is a podcast that helps you go to sleep about a marina filled with cats. It’s that kinda week.
Love you! Talk soon!
Patrick