Fast Forward 13 months

Holy crap...my blog is still here. OK, so let's try this again...I did indeed get accepted into a PhD program. I just completed my first semester at Texas Tech University where I am working on my PhD in Fine Arts, with a concentration in Theatre, focusing on Theatre History/Theory and Criticism and Acting and Directing.

My family moved to lovely Lubbock in July, we've been here for nearly 6 months and so far so good...It has been a monumental year for us...Olivia (who now refers to herself as Livi) started Middle School and is attending the Arts Magnet program at O.L. Slaton. Aidan (who now refers to himself as Aidan) started Kindergarten at Centennial Elementary and Lara and I are wondering if and when you can enroll your kid in military school...

In my first semester, I had to prepare two different formal auditions (I don't act, so that was hilarious), I assisted on a mainstage production of Jane Martin's Anton in Show Business and directed a cutting of Sarah Kane's 4:48 Psychosis...I took 9 credit hours (Graduate Directing, Dramatic Analysis and Postmodernism which was the hardest goddamn class in the history of the entire universe) and generally had a fantastic time with things, even if I did occassionally bitch and moan about some of the inanities of academentia...I also served as the TA for a fabulous class called Crtitical Issues in Arts and Culture that was team taught by faculty from the music department, art department and theatre department. The theatre instructor was a PhD student called Kyle Conway and he was/is FABULOUS! Passionate about his subject matter, genuinely interested in his students, creative in his teaching...it was great watching him work this semester.

I finished up, grade-wise, with an A+ in Directing, a B+ in Postmodernism and the strangest damned B in the world in Dramatic Analysis...apparently despite the successes I have had as a director, if you ask me to analyze a script for you, there is a good chance I will only be able to handle 80-89% of it or something...anyhoo, moving on...

In the Spring, I am taking Theatre History, Teaching of Acting, and a Contemporary Music class (the program is interdisciplinary so I will take courses in Art, Music and Philosophy as well as theatre), I am guest directing Conor McPherson's fabulous play The Weir for a local company and directing a one-act play for the (R)ed-(R)aider (O)ne (A)ct (P)lay festival in March. The play is called Well It Ain't Ozzie and Harriet by one of my new peeps and fellow PhD student Michael Flood...I am also teaching an Intro to Acting class, so I am really looking forward to January.

So I am going to attempt to reconnect with this blog, I am actually pleasantly surprised I remembered how to log back in...time permitting we will be discussing the life of a 40 year old PhD student, his (slightly older) harried long suffering wife, my often endearing and sometimes ridiculous kids and just the world in general. I am in a much better place mentally than I was a year ago, I have settled some of the demons that were created by my leaving my AD job (LexArts are still fuckers though and I gotta ask when the hell is anyone gonna take a look at how absolutely poorly they are being run) and I am excited about the future. This week is Christmas, which we are celebrating here in Lubbock, followed by a trip to Dallas to see my great in-laws and then on to San Antonio for New Year's Eve on the Riverwalk with my terrific father and step-mother.


In the meantime, I wish you all a very very happy holiday season filled with joy and love...

I'm back bitches!! (We'll see for how long this time!)

Peace and love

Rick St. Peter

12-20-2010