More on fate and life from LA to Branson

Stormy BoyDerick Snow  is a firm believer in fate.

"Were you in the right place at the right time?"

I seem to be. Important people and events slip into my life and I can feel when these things are going to affect me, or I am going to affect them in important ways in the grand scheme of life. I've found when I open my eyes to the amazing world of Kismet, who I am doesn't change, the world doesn't change. How I live in the world changes and perceptions unfold, allowing me to see what I've been missing the entire time.

I used to think I kept running into people because I lived in a small town, or a small city. I don't think that way anymore. I've experienced the wheels of fate in France, California, England, Branson...

I see great opportunities all around me. The only control I have is to say yes or no to the adventure and I'm a yes man.

I'm in the midst of a great rush of water that gently keeps me in interesting circumstances that are always...perfect. When it's happening so constantly I fear a little but what great adventure isn't like that? It charges me.

Here’s a good example of a fate story.

http://d-snow.blogspot.com/search?q=everything+happens+for+a+good+reason

That man I helped turned out to be Josh Massad, a really amazing world beat percussion player skilled at tabla and sitar, and I had a few other adventures a few years ago after I first met him in the story found in the link above. Life's amazing how things link together.

I played in the torrential rain tonight, hair water-slicked and happy. Tonight was the kick-off of the weekly game night I missed since leaving Branson after Peter Pan had it's last run here. I had some time to reconstruct the recent month tonight to let you all know where and what I’m up to.

The last few weeks since I wrote have been really, really filled with adventure and art.

I finished up as a river pirate in Evernight to critical acclaim. We got a few nice reviews (one here) and after two weeks the show ended. That was a great chance to meet lovely folks in a theatrical setting and I loved hanging out in Oceanside. The playhouse was an old beauty with a nice feel. The crowds were nice and I had fun creating this character that never existed before I took it to stage. I combined many little accents for Thousand Summers, a vanity-stricken navigator that’s seen much of the world, thus giving him a complex characterization and costume. I knew I had found the right niche one I met a charming woman from Finland who was convinced I was from her country after seeing me on stage with the rest of the cast. That made me smile when I heard her say that and I wanted to go on with the ruse, but I couldn’t do that to her, so thanked her profusely for her kind words of encouragement. I think one of the best parts of being a player are the great moments between the show and bedtime, when I get to share real life moments with new friends made in the fires of community and love.

(Evernight Pictures)

I didn’t have any time for rest once the show was over. I spent the next three days packing up our little apartment in Norwalk, California, getting ready for a film shoot in a week. I tore through the house getting rid of as much as I could, and we found a nice little storage place not a mile from us for a great deal; they gave us three months for a song and threw in a moving truck without a horn for free! I took it. We packed the truck in three hours, moved it all into a 75 square-foot unit and somehow got two lives into a little rectangular space. It was like a long-distance sprint getting it all done within a finite time but I always do well in those weird little circumstances. And best of all, my back didn’t go out or anything! Woohoo.

Sam decided to quit her job with a possibility of a rehire  at Disney. We were able to secure a job for her running backstage for Peter Pan, so that was that. We packed all the goodies we were taking to Branson into her red car and I was blessed to find a kind lady in the cast I was in to keep my car until the end of August. By going this route, we’ll be able to save money by not paying rent, have two jobs at the same time and still have access to our stuff without tow issues. I’m totally over being towed in LA.

We didn’t have any time for the drive back to stop and smell the roses. We got to Tulsa in two days, thanks to a nap at a rest stop in New Mexico. Little Schmoopy did very well with the trip, as did several paintings I managed to stuff in the car I sold to some great folks that are fans of my work. In exchange for a 4-foot-long painting in the car (also with clothes, Sam, Schmoopy and camera equipment), I was able to pay for gas and get a little cash money for a while until we get a regular paycheck. Thanks paintings, and huge thanks to those who bought my paintings. I love to paint and I feel beyond lucky to be able to sell my work regularly. Sam and the dog stopped in OKC to have a grand time with her sister, while I went to T-Town. Once I got into Tulsa, I was invited to stay at the production house for the film I’m working on, tentatively called Teaching Faith. It was nice to rest for the night, even though we had to begin shooting the next day. It was all for the love of the art of acting, I say!

Amazing times, adventures and bonding later, the film continues to flow along with the end in sight. September is the month we finish up our scenes and I’m excited to see what happens after that. I know we’ve got some voice-work for the film but I’ve had some of the best times of my life thanks to this film. It’s like this child that’s grown and I’ve had a part in it’s creation; as it’s had it’s part in my own personal growth.

I came with Sam to Branson on the 30th of June and we’ve both been working on aspects of Peter Pan for the last few weeks. The shows up and running again, which with some turnover has been tricky but no huge problem for everyone working. I’m happy to be working again with Cathy Rigby, Robert Westenberg, Kim Crosby and the cast of Indians, Pirates and Lost Boys that Mr. J.M. Barry created. They’ve got me put up in a cozy condo on a golf course with a swimming pool, hot tub and a weekly cleaner!

Some pics of Pan 2010 on Facebook.

I’ve been posting little updates on my life on my facebook if you are interested, with many pictures not only from Pan, but the show in California, Independence Day and all kinds of other mysterious abandoned things found along the way.

On Independence Day Sam and I even put together a stop-motion film.

The art never stops.

That’s not even everything that’s happened. Jes came by for a few days and saw Peter Pan, we hung out and even went on a photo excursion to an abandoned hotel!

Abandoned Hotel

Cool, huh? More pictures on Facebook.

So it’s off to bed now. Our first day off all week will be sweet, if only to rest my Smee’d out body, though I plan on more artistic, spiritual fun. Life’s good.

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