F 7th Grade.

So, people are wondering what a Pittsburgh Pod is and why I've being seen around some social media outlets unmasked or masked but dangerously close to the likes of Jill Sobule and Julie Wolf. I felt it was appropriate to address people's concerns for my health and safety, as well as to just let you know what the f*ck is going on. 

So, here it is.

Singer/Songwriter Jill Sobule has created an autobiographical theater piece about how traumatic her seventh grade year was. The play is called F*ck 7th Grade (book by Liza Birkenmeier, music by Jill, directed by Lisa Peterson). The one and only Julie Wolf is the musical director. Jill basically details stories from her life through dialogue and song, so she is backed by an onstage band. That's where I come in. I have been cast as "the drummer," who also does get to fart my way through a monologue and a couple of flashback scenes to Jill's childhood. 

We all Covid tested before we got here. Then we Covid tested once we got here. We have studio apartments on the same floor of an apartment building that only we have access to. We are the only people who come and go. We mask ourselves like mummies and rehearsed outdoors for most of the first week or so until we were abundantly sure we were all ok. All indoor rehearsals are conducted at an obsessively far distance from each other and we wear masks every day through rehearsals - including dialogue AND singing. It's horrendous, hysterical and humbling all in one foul swoop. We've been here close to three weeks and the only people we've seen or come into contact with are members of the Pittsburgh Pod. 

The show is in production only. The dream is that one day we will no longer be living in a pandemic, and we will actually be able to perform this show live to real people who are seated inside a theater. 

Maybe I will get Jill and Liza and Julie to do a video podcast to talk about the show one evening this week. I'll just have to be sure they don't have plans....that's a joke. We are each others only plans. We live amongst ourselves. So I do think I can convince them to chat with me about this creative endeavor we have embarked on together. 

Stay Tuned....

#Hendo 

 

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