This Halloween it will be 3 years since moving to Central New York. A lot has happened between the time I uprooted myself and now... but all of it is good. Those of us who fear change ought not because it ultimately works out for the best - but when we're in the throes of it, it isn't always a rose-colored world.
Scrooge was a big success... so much so that I'll be directing it again this Christmas and we'll be presenting it for 2 consecutive weekends! I am now also a member of the board of The Auburn Players - a second home and family for me. I'm very pleased to be associated with these folks!
I've been hired to teach Musical Theater at SUNY Cortland this Fall! I approached them toward the end of Spring and went out to meet with Deena Conley and Kevin Halpin and they gave me a tour of the department and then I returned to do a master class session with one of their students. Apparently it was enough to persuade them to add me to the faculty. I'm happy to say I begin teaching there part-time at the end of August! And for the first time in my professional career, I will actually be eligible for health insurance - which is something I've not been able to afford since I was in my 20's. I'm looking forward to a happy association with SUNY Cortland as well as becoming a visiting artist at Wells College in Aurora, New York. Siouxsie Easter and I have met several times and we've come up with a way for me to become involved in the work she does with her students as a visiting artist. (If you've never visited the campus, it's gorgeous with a student body of only 500!)
So between traveling to Nazareth College in Rochester and the other two schools, I will be a busy boy this academic year!
This summer I self-published the first of my novels through BookBaby.com. It's entitled "Two Rights" and I use the pen-name Billy Allen. I write gay fiction, primarily - coming of age and romance. Writing has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager and there are some fifteen books, currently, in line for publishing. The plan is to release two more before Christmas. Doing all the prep work has been a learning curve - editing, designing the cover, marketing - but it's been rewarding and the reviews, so far, have been raves! BookBaby is the sister company to CDBaby which also handles my CD library. They make their author's work available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and all the major e-book outlets.
Having the time, finally, to enjoy the thousands of records I've collected over the years; making a ritual of writing/editing every day; going to auctions and flea markets; working on the yard (ugh) or making improvements around the house... all of these things are the rewards I'm afforded for having trusted that the next phase of my life would be best lived outside of the busy demands of NYC. Although I'll always love it - I am now very much at home just a few hours north.
More to come...
Scrooge was a big success... so much so that I'll be directing it again this Christmas and we'll be presenting it for 2 consecutive weekends! I am now also a member of the board of The Auburn Players - a second home and family for me. I'm very pleased to be associated with these folks!
I've been hired to teach Musical Theater at SUNY Cortland this Fall! I approached them toward the end of Spring and went out to meet with Deena Conley and Kevin Halpin and they gave me a tour of the department and then I returned to do a master class session with one of their students. Apparently it was enough to persuade them to add me to the faculty. I'm happy to say I begin teaching there part-time at the end of August! And for the first time in my professional career, I will actually be eligible for health insurance - which is something I've not been able to afford since I was in my 20's. I'm looking forward to a happy association with SUNY Cortland as well as becoming a visiting artist at Wells College in Aurora, New York. Siouxsie Easter and I have met several times and we've come up with a way for me to become involved in the work she does with her students as a visiting artist. (If you've never visited the campus, it's gorgeous with a student body of only 500!)
So between traveling to Nazareth College in Rochester and the other two schools, I will be a busy boy this academic year!
This summer I self-published the first of my novels through BookBaby.com. It's entitled "Two Rights" and I use the pen-name Billy Allen. I write gay fiction, primarily - coming of age and romance. Writing has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager and there are some fifteen books, currently, in line for publishing. The plan is to release two more before Christmas. Doing all the prep work has been a learning curve - editing, designing the cover, marketing - but it's been rewarding and the reviews, so far, have been raves! BookBaby is the sister company to CDBaby which also handles my CD library. They make their author's work available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and all the major e-book outlets.
Having the time, finally, to enjoy the thousands of records I've collected over the years; making a ritual of writing/editing every day; going to auctions and flea markets; working on the yard (ugh) or making improvements around the house... all of these things are the rewards I'm afforded for having trusted that the next phase of my life would be best lived outside of the busy demands of NYC. Although I'll always love it - I am now very much at home just a few hours north.
More to come...
