PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

JUST WATCHED FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF AGAIN...ONE OF THOSE MOVIES I LIKE TO WATCH EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE CUZ IT'S SO FUN...I REMEMBER SEEING AN AD IN THE SUN TIMES LOOKING FOR EXTRAS FOR THE PARADE SCENE BUT I HAD DONE PAID EXTRA WORK AND KNEW WHAT WORKING CROWD SCENES WAS LIKE AND PREFERRED SMALLER GROUP WORK ESPECIALLY SINCE IT WAS UNPAID CUZ THEY COULD NOT AFFORD TO PAY THAT MANY PEOPLE FOR A HUGE CROWD SCENE LIKE THAT SO I DIDN'T DO THAT MOVIE...IT WAS FUN TO SEE ALAN RUCK AND JENNIFER GREY IN THAT MOVIE. I USED TO SEE ADS IN THE CHICAGO READER ALL THE TIME THAT THE APOLLO THEATER WAS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEER USHERS FOR PLAYS. I OFTEN THOUGHT ABOUT DOING THAT SINCE IT WAS ON THE WAY HOME ANYWAY FROM WORKING AT WATER TOWER MOVIE THEATER DURING THE DAY...WHEN I SAW AN AD ABOUT A PLAY CALLED ALBUM THAT HAD ADAM BALDWIN IN IT I RECOGNIZED HIS NAME FROM  THE MOVIE MY BODYGUARD CUZ WE HAD IT SHOWING AT THE THEATER I WORKED AT SO HAD SEEN IT A FEW TIMES AND ENJOYED IT AND THOUGHT IT WOULD BE COOL TO SEE SOMEONE I HAD SEEN IN A MOVIE IN A PLAY. SINCE I HAD NEVER USHERED BEFORE I DIDN'T KNOW THAT MOST VOLUNTEER USHERS JUST USHERED ONCE FOR A PLAY TO GET TO SEE IT FOR FREE AND THEN USHERED AT OTHER THEATERS TO SEE OTHER PLAYS FOR FREE.. I FOUND THAT OUT MEETING OTHER VOLUNTEER USHERS THAT CAME TO SEE THE SHOW. WHEN I FIRST SIGNED UPTO USHER I ASKED THEM IF THEY COULD USE SOMEONE ON MONDAYS WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS AND THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T HAVE A MONDAY SHOW BUT DCOULD USE ME ON WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS SO SAID OK...SO I USHERED THERE TWICE A WEEK UNLESS THEY NEEDED USHERS ON SOME OTHER DAYS I WOULD COME AND HELP OUT CUZ I REALLY ENJOYED THE PLAY AND USHERING WAS FUN. I LOVED THE MUSIC IN IT...A LOT OF MY FAVORITE MUSIC WAS IN THE BACKGROUND PLAYING IN THAT SHOW CALLED ALBUM. WHEN I SAW IT ADAM BALDWIN WAS THE ONLY ONE OF THE CAST I HAD SEEN IN A MOVIE...THE OTHER THREE I HAD NOT SEEN IN ANY MOVIES YET...SO IT WAS FUN TO SEE ALAN AND JENNIFER IN FERRIS BUELLER... MEGAN MULLALY WAS THE FOURTH CAST MEMBER. I HAD SEEN HER AND ALAN IN A PLAY AT DRURY LANE  WATER TOWER AFTER ALBUM WAS OVER...AN OLD THEATER PAL FROM WHITNEY YOUNG ACCESS TO EXCELLENCE FOR THEATER PROGRAM WAS IN THAT PLAY TOO DON FRANKLIN HAD PLAYED DEATH IN ON BORROWED TIME WITH ME IN H.S. I PLAYED GRANNY....I WAS ALWAYS FALLING INTO THEATER JOBS. I WOULD START OUT VOLUNTEERING AND END UP GETTING HIRED TO WORK THERE...AT APOLLO THEY ALWAYS SAID AS SOON AS THEY HAD AN OPENING THEY WOULD HIRE ME TO WORK THERE ON SOMETHING AND MY FIRST PAID JOB THERE WAS WORKING PROPS BACKSTAGE ON TINTYPES...I MOSTLY DID ASSISTANT HOUSEMANAGING AND WORKED BACKSTAGE ON A FEW SHOWS THERE AND DID COAT CHECK AND EVENTUALLY BOX OFFICE DURING THE DAY AND HOUSEMAAGING AT NIGHT. I WAS ALWAYS DOING POSTERING AND PASSING OUT FLYERS FOR SHOWS TOO...I USED TO SAY I WORKED PART TIME FULL TIME....I USED TO HAVE THOSE HALLMARK LITTLE SCHEDULE BOOKS TO WRITE DOWN WHICH DAYS I WAS AT WHAT THEATERS TO KEEP TRACK OF MY CRAZY SCHEDULE... APOLLO THEATER WAS THE MAIN PLACE I WORKED THE MOST DOING THE MOST DIFFERENT THINGS BUT ALSO HOUSEMANAGED SOME SHOWS AT THE THEATER BUILDING AND DID RUNNING CREW ON ONE SHOW THERE...I DID BOX OFFICE AND HOUSEMANAGING AT IVANHOE LATER CALLED WELLINGTON THEATER AND THEN BRIAR STREET THEATER AND SUBBED AT A BUNCH OF OTHER THEATERS...I DID A LOT OF FILM EXTRA WORK ON MOVIES AND TV. I RAN INTO A LOT OF THEATER PEOPLE ON FILM SETS AND FILM PEOPLE AT LIVE THEATERS...WE ALL WENT BACK N FORTH BETWEEN THOSE PLACES...I ENJOYED EVERY MINUTE OF WORKING IN THEATER AND FILM. I MISS THOSE DAYS. WHENEVER PEOPLE WOULD COME UP TO ME ON THE STREET SAYING HI AND KNOWING MY NAME IF I DIDNT RECOGNIZE THEM I FIGURED THEY WERE EITHER A VOLUNTEER USHER OR EXTRA OR FILM OR THEATER PERSON OR MAYBE A JAMES DEAN FAN....IT USED TO BOTHER ME WHEN PEOPLE KNEW WHO I WAS AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHO THEY WERE OR WHERE I KNEW THEM FROM...I ALWAYS FELT LIKE IF THEY KNOW ME I SHOULD NOW THEM TOO...I USED TO THINK I WANTED TO GET INTO ACTING BUT JUST BEING AROUND IT WORKING ON FILM SETS IN THE BACKGROUND DOING EXTRA WORK OR WORKING IN LIVE THEATER JUST BEING A PART OF IT WAS FUN FOR ME...IT'S FUNNY WHAT  WATCHING DIFFERENT MOVIES MAKES ME THINK OF...BRINGS BACK A LOT OF MEMORIES...ANYWAY I LOVE FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF AND IT IS A FUN MOVIE TO WATCH EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE. I ALSO LOVE THE VERY END WHEN FERRIS SAYS ARE YOU STILL HERE IT'S OVER GO HOME...I WAS ALWAYS ONE TO SIT THROUGH ALL THE CREDITS AT THE END OF THE MOVIE AND STAY TIL THE VERY END SO IT WAS A FUN BONUS FOR ME...HA HA...OH YA IT WAS ALWAYS FUNNY TO ME WHEN  USHERS WOULD ASK ME WHAT MY REAL JOB WAS....LIKE YOU ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A JOB YOU GO TO IN AN OFFICE OR SOMEPLACE THAT FEELS LIKE WORK AND YOU DREAD  GOING TO...HMMM...I WAS VERY LUCKY THAT I SPENT MOST OF MY LIFE WORKING IN THEATER AND FILM AND MOVIE THEATERS TOO WHICH WERE ALL FUN  PLACES FOR ME TO BE AND I ENJOYED EVERY MIINUTE OF IT. I LOOKED FORWARD TO BEING THERE. I WAS ALWAYS FALLING INTO JOBS TOO WHEN I DID VOLUNTEER WORK...LIKE AT THE CHICAGO THEATER WHEN IT FIRST WAS A LIVE THEATER AGAIN AND I USHERED FOR A LOT OF STUFF THERE TO SEE FOR FREE THEY HAD A FANNIE MAE CANDY STAND IN THE LOBBY FOR AWHILE AND OFFERED ME A JOB THERE TO WORK THAT...HA HA...I REMEMBER ONCE GETTING A BETTER RAISE AT THE APOLLO DOING ASSISTANT HOUSEMANAGING AND SUBBING WHEN I MENTIONED I MADE MORE MONEY SELLING CANDY IN THE LOBBY AT THE CHICAGO THEATER THAN I DID HOUSEMANAGING THERE...I EVEN USED TO VOLUNTEER AT A LOT OF NEIGHBORHOOD FESTS AND FOUND OUT CHICAGO SPECIAL EVENTS HAD WHAT THEY CALLED PAID VOLUNTEERS WORKING THE GATES AND BEER TENTS AND STUFF...SO I DID A LOT OF THAT SEASONALLY TOO...GONE FROM VOLUNTEER TO PAID...IT WAS INCREDIBLE HOW I WAS ALWAYS FALLING INTO PAID WORK THAT WAY...OK ENOUGH RAMBLING HERE...THANKS FOR JOGGING THESE MEMORIES FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF MOVIE...