Ned Donovan - Ithaca ‘12

Please be warned, this post will be profane.  If you do not enjoy that kind of language, do not keep reading.  Much of the profanity will be quotes.

Hey everyone,

I am posting this to educate some members of the Portland community to a situation that is arising that I have been angry about all day.  I don’t know what else I can do but try to help and get the word out.

So there is a man in this nation.  A man who makes me boil with hate with every fiber of my being.  A man named Fred Phelps.  He is a reverend who associates himself with the Westboro Baptist Church.  Now this particular Baptist church (which is not to say all of them) is home to a lot of hate, and has caused a lot of pain and anguish for various families and organizations.  They are the owners of the GodHatesFags.com, and as of February 20th, 2010 they have brought their fight into my life.

How is it that they have entered my life?  Well, on February 20th, 2010 they had a press release on said website, which shall no longer be stated by name or linked to in this post.

Hey everyone,

Just writing to let you know that I have some new videos up.  Three of the videos are from my performances at Anthony’s Italian Kitchen, one being a duet with the wonderful Jessica Ernest (Point Park ‘11).  The other video is the first of its kind on my site, but hopefully soon there will be more like it.  It is a video of the fight sequences from Fenix Theatre Company’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the park, for which I co-fight directed the show with Sally Wood (who by the way is amazing).  I saw the show tonight and my god, it is wonderful.  Everyone should go see it if they have the time, and it’s free in Deering Oaks Park only for the next 3 nights starting at 6 o’clock each night.  It then moves to Damariscotta where you have to pay $17 for admission, so I would see it here in Portland!  The fights turned out pretty well if I do say so myself, yes there are problems, but there are always problems.  Check the video out and let me know what you think.  I have the moments in order of where they come in the show, so the first parts are more stunts, and quick slaps, but at the end is the big lovers’ brawl, which I think is very cool.  There was a great review of the show by the Portland Phoenix, which can be found here.

The school year is over.  It’s weird to look back and think that I have completed one quarter of my time in college.  Weirder still to think that I only have three more years of schooling to go (that is unless my life plan changes drastically and I head off to grad school).  It’s amazing to me that this year has actually happened, that my life has actually been altered in the way it has.  Over the next week or so I’ll be posting on my experiences in the last 3 weeks, from review to getting ready to leave.  I won’t do it in one long post, that just seems silly.  All I will say about review, however, is that I got what I expected, and I am continuing as a Musical Theatre major for now, as always I will have to work as hard as I possibly can in order to remain in the program, but that is true for everyone, not just me.  In this post I want to talk a bit about an experience I had right at the end of the year, on the last night that Dillingham was open to students.

Hey everybody,

I have some exciting news.  I’ve been cast as the understudy to the Minister in William Finn’s “A New Brain”!  This will be my Ithaca College Mainstage Debut, which is very exciting.  I’m thrilled because this is the show I was hoping for, and I was not expecting to be cast.  Kudos to the Ithaca College BFA class of 2012 however, we were cast in every show, and in many cases, in prominent roles.  A New Brain is about Gordon Schwinn, a composer who hates his job as a writer for a children’s television show featuring an annoying frog, Mr Bungee.  While at lunch with his agent Rhoda, he collapses and is rushed to the hospital where he finds out he has arteriovenous malformation and needs brain surgery.  Surrounded by his lover Richard, his agent, his neurotic mother, a contemplative and insightful homeless lady, and a whole mess of doctors, nurses, (and the hospital minister) he attempts to recover from his predicament.  The music is exciting, and the story touching, hilarious, and downright scary in some cases.  For me, this is William Finn’s masterpiece, and I am so happy that I will get to be a part of it.  The show previews on tuesday, march 24th, then opens thursday march 29th with a run through sunday april 4th.

Hello everyone!

It’s that fantastic time of the year where I eat entirely too much food, and then feel sick for about three days afterwards.  I’m so excited.  Today my grandmother and uncle are coming up and we’re going to go out to thanksgiving dinner.  I haven’t seen either of them in a while so this will be fun.  Did I mention I get to eat unbelievable amounts of food?  I thought I did.

I’ve been home for about five days now, and let me tell you, it’s kind of weird.  I’m used to life up at Ithaca, where I have my space, and a routine.  It’s actually more hectic when I’m at home supposedly relaxing because I have no routine and I have to plan things quickly.  Ah well.  I’ve seen so many people in the last few days, it’s been awesome.  Monday I went out to brunch with Addie and Anando after seeing some people at Waynflete.  We took a tour of the new arts building at Waynflete, and dear god.  I’m glad I’m at a theatre school so that our facilities are beautiful, because otherwise I would be more than jealous…I’d probably be homicidal.  Monday night I went bowling with Anando, Harper, David, and Lizzie.