20th August
I arrived in NYC yesterday evening around 5pm and it was amazing how cal, at home and easy I felt. Only the slightest niggle that I had to schlep a computer and two bags around the city all evening. Otherwise, I felt as though I'd come home.
I wasn't meeting Alice till around 8 in Union Square, so I thought ''It's Thursday night. I'm gonna hit Century 21" - my beloved department store where I get all the discounts on all the nice things. My budget was tight but I was determined to get there. In search of the cheap designer delight.
I didn't find ANYTHING. It was all tacky looking or over $400. However, I did pick up my 50ml Estee Lauder Moisturizer for $30 (instead of 90 back home!) and with a free gift!
Then I was subway bound.
Out at Union Sq, the sky was a bizarre purple grey and it was very, very hot.
A storm was a-brewin'
I had got the most glorious photo earlier at Ground Zero. You can't really see the sky from around there, but the new building they're putting up is completely metallic and quite impressive (it was flat last year) So I could see the skies doomy clouds rolling in in the reflection. Which I now realize is so people can see if a plane's coming at it. That made me rethink my awe at it's 'beauty'
Anyway, I plonked myself in Starbucks and on the free wifi, next to a young dude reading Proust and openly pouring gin into his Iced Starbucks juice. New York. You get used to it.
Alice turned up and it was so nice to see her. She is my ex-flatmate and a kooky but kind girl. We went two shops down to a restaurant called THE COFFEE SHOP (don't actually serve coffee...) ordered Blue Snapper, NZ wine and yarned about her Irish boyfriend, acting school, goals and dreams.
Back at her place, a great apartment all the way up in Washington Heights - which is like 180th street - most of the places you actually want to go are in 4th through to 75th streets -
we chatted for hours ate about 9 flavours of ice cream and finally went to sleep.
I was awoken around 8am by her psycho neighbours who scream at the top of their lungs at each other every morning. On this particular morning, they were throwing pans at each other. How pleasant. Cough, cough.
21st August
Yesterday, I did my usual schlep. Walking blocks and blocks, instead of opting to use the subway (which if you don't have a map on you, can be a right pain in the ass.)
I quite accidentally wombled into a raging street market. There was a dress I REALLY wanted in LA for about $65 - which I wasn't willing to spend that money on - I got for $10! It was 18 but I bartered!
Anyway, my schlep continued up to W45th street and Broadway where I used my charm as a 'Student from NZ' to get a $35 rush ticket to see 'Jerusalem' - about to close it's season and tony award winning.
INCREDIBLE
Mark Rylan blew my mind - really excited me in his larger than life character with a heart of gold. That's the sort of performance I'm aiming for in my comedy. Exciting, eccentric, interesting, oddball characters that are vividly drawn and believable.
The play, by Jez Butterworth, is very idiosyncratic English in it's humour (the guy from Jersey next to me didn't quite get it) but I fel very fortunate to have witnessed that.
Afterwards, I met up with Alice and we got wine, cheese and fruit and headed to Central Park where we met up with my dear friend Nick Demarest from Steamboat 2010.
We chatted, hung out and headed to my fave place the Shalel Lounge. It's a cute lttle Morrocn place on the Upper West. Blue cocktails, laughter and grilling (Alice to Nick on religion, sex, his girlfriend) after a while, he left (surprise surprise. Hehe) and we went to an Irish bar, then had a late night meal at my old haunt Gigi cafe. It's funny what sticks with you about a place.
Another storm is brewing in NYC.
LATER
Oh wow. I just paid a small fortune to see WAR HORSE. Absolutely magical, once in a lifetime, beauteous, divine, worthy experience. Absolutely magical. Delicatelly manipulated puppets - life sized horse puppets - I completely got sucked into the life of them. And so did everyone else - the woman next to me: wealthy, in her 50s - was whimpering when the horse got whipped. The story was very childlike with very architypan characters and at first that irritated me. Now I understand it was a device to aide the audience in suspending disbelief for the 3odd hours. In the horses, in the stylized war scenes.
The set was basic, with a plain, revolving floor, a strip or streak of projection gauze - basically they let the intricacies ofthe puppets to the word.
I'm now in a cafe watching it piss down outside, wishing Nick would call for where to meet -as I don't know what to do with myself! I want to give Alice some alone time -maybe I'll see a fillum.... or walk in the rain...
Just in awe! Of that show! That was terrific. Visally phenomenal. Stamped in my brain. And at the end I thought of my granddads and their friends. And how the war must've affected them. How it changes people back home. Oh life. What we do.
22nd August
Last night I ate all the cheese. And the ice cream. And the crackers. Alice made a feast of sorts in her little apartment in Washington Heights. We talked and talked and talked. Funny Alice and I mostly end up talking about 3 subjects: Men, Acting and Goals. And we always feel extremely intelligent, deep and genius when we do this. Very uplifting person to hang around.
I was thinking about what I'd achieved since I was last here. Last year. And seeing as I've written down some very specific goals I'm going to achieve by next year I thought I'd share last years achievements. Here is my list:
- DARRYN EXISTS
- CHRIST ALMIGHTY
- FUNDRAISING MONEY TO GET HERE
- TEACHING AT TOI WHAKAARI
- MOUNTING THE LOVE OF YOUR LIFE
- DIRECTED BIRD SONG
- GOING TO THE GYM REGULARLY
- COMPLETED A DETOX
- WORKING WITH LONG CLOUD YOUTH THEATRE
- WORKED IN CASTING
- DIRECTED BADJELLY THE WITCH
So there you go.
I am now sitting in a cafe on the corner of Lafayette and Prince eating Frittata and hot coffee on this muggy day. Foolish but somehow necessary. I'm enjoying writing in my diary. The process of reflection is a wonderful one. And what's more - I like re-reading it. My memory is not great... and maybe I want to document my stories one day. Maybe.
23rd August
I met up with Darren yesterday for lunch in the East Village - in a part of Manhattan I hadn't been too before. He is going to help me facilitate a program (through Charlotte's exciting, new company) to get young NZ practitioners internships in NYC. Very very cool. Also great to catch up with such a lovely, divine, good chum.
After that I met Greg R and Tiff at Tectonic - they were uber stressed but it was nice to pop in.
That afternoon I sat in Central Park for a couple of hours reading and writing Frenchie. Felt good.
Then.... I did the mission to Brooklyn to meet Leigh Fondakowski for dinner. She was one of the directors of THE LARAMIE PROJECT. Never mind I missed the stop because I was writing whimsy in my workbook, I wasn't late. She met me at the subway and we walked down to a great Thai place. Brooklyn is super charming, and very homely. More spread out than Manhattan - I think if I moved here - I'd be inclined to live in Brooklyn.
Leigh is a very warm, interesting and interested person. She was no holes barred - is that the expression? - about the experience of Laramie last year and the people. Nothing was bitchy, she just talked specifically about what worked and what didn't work.
I think the basic thing that I got from her was that she keeps investigating. She is a perfectionist, so she's always aiming to strike the right balance and not settle for shit. We talked about the company of actors, the stage management. She told me she thought I should come back for the tour next year. October. GIVE ME A VISA AND I"M THERE! I felt like shouting. She said 'You're a very hard, passionate worker Kate. That's hard to find.' She asked me questions about my acting, NZ, aspirations, inspirations. (She asked about you Mum, and what you think about your daughter being an actor. I said you weren't over the moon initially but that you are a very proud, supportive mother. And that my Dad is too - a great parent. Lucky girl I am.)
Leigh and Darren are very much worth keeping in contact with because they are interested and they care. About the craft but also of me, personally. Alice too. Surrounding myself with good people is really good!
I caught the train back just as the city was starting to sparkle. Last night in NY for another year maybe?
Back in Washington Heights on the other edge of New York City, Alice and I went up to the 360 view rooftop, sipped Bacardi and Diet Coke and giggled all night.
This morning I woke early - but not to the soothing sounds of the retarded next door neighbours. They are violent and throw stuff at each other. I nearly called the cops the night before.
Alice and I mosied down the road to get $10 Manicures. I - for some reason - got Yellow. I'm not sure about it. I think it was a fail.
We then caught a subway and schlepped around the Upper West for the good part of the morning, trying to find a breakfast place. Finally, we got to an OK cafe on 2nd Ave. I got into a cab - and here I am now at JFK - delayed because of the earthquake in Virginia (no one died, thank goodness) and stuck here for an extra 2 hours which means I have to drive Charlotte's 2011 Prius in the dark on the Freeway. Saying multiple prayers right now. MULTIPLE. Saint Christopher's got my back.
Back and through LA baby.
Tata NYC. You're always there for me.
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