GAVINCREEL.COM

SETBACKS AND NEW YEARS

Thu, 3 Dec 2009 17:34:45 +0000

OKAY OKAY OKAY

so. the news sucks. no other way of putting it.

sucks sucks sucks. ny state senate votes down marriage equality.

i'm not going to try to be some cheerleader right now. i personally think it is okay to be pissed or bummed or fired up or whatever you are feeling.

personally, i'm just disappointed.

BroadwayImpact has always been a grass roots thing. we haven't claimed to have all the answers. we aren't funded by some big corporation or grant. we were just the three of us, caring and trying to learn how this stuff works and then sharing the info we find with anyone out there who wants to care and learn with us.

we have grown INCREDIBLY in the past year.

YEAR ONE has given us a rally in times square that was covered nationally, months of volunteers coming together to phone bank with the HRC, teaming up with the True Colors Fund to bridge outward even more and raise some money to help us do more work, organizing 25 buses to march on dc with thousands of people, demanding justice....the list goes on and on.

and that is all because of YOU.

so now....what do we do?

why don't you tell US. send us notes, ideas, thoughts. keep in mind our theatre community and brainstorm interesting "outside the box" ways we can spread the message and involve more and more of us in our fight for equality.

because now...with the ny state senate's action, it IS a fight. the gloves are off. and we have work to do.

i want to wish everyone a happy happy holiday season. we will be meeting soon with our 'board' to discuss our own ideas.

2010 is a new year, and we will soon be unveiling what that year will bring.

until then, relax, be with loved ones, and keep that fire in your hearts.

much love

peace

g

KATE SHINDLE: Running for Equality

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:07:20 +0000

happy tuesday to everyone. oh wait. it’s wednesday. i missed the show yesterday because i couldn’t make sound with my little voice. i made a recording of myself trying to warm up to see if i could do the show...someday, i might just share that recording. for now...hell no. too frightening.

i want to send an invite out there for anyone who wants to join us in the equality fight. it’s gonna be a lot of fun.

broadway fav KATE SHINDLE is running the new york city marathon on sunday for BroadwayImpact !! she is trying to raise as much money as possible so that we can continue our work in bringing marriage equality to New York State and the rest of the country.

please join us THIS SATURDAY at Vlada Bar for “Carbs for a Cause,” help Kate carb-load for her big run Sunday, and thank her for making BroadwayImpact and marriage equality her focus.

all the info is here: http://runshindlerun.eventbrite.com

come on down....and come in costume. it’ll be fun.

peace

g

AUTUMN WISDOM

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:21:01 +0100

i am still buzzing from our march to washington dc. i am in awe of the love and heroism and open hearts and dedication from the younger generation who was labeled as apathetic and lazy. this is JUST the beginning. equality WILL be our future. but...

there is much work to be done. a march is all well and good, but taking ACTION is what will get us from dreaming to reality. and right NOW it is more important than ever for you to get over your fear of contacting your representatives and talk to them.

it is super easy. MAINE and WASHINGTON state are each facing vicious attacks and possible overturning of their historic same-sex marriage recognition bills. you can join BroadwayImpact to phone bank if you want. the NEW YORK senate is finally about to vote for the issue here at home. you must call your senator if you haven’t already. there is so much to be done....please get involved. if you want to know what more you can do...please go to www.BroadwayImpact.com start by finding out who your reps are....and get in touch...NOW! :)

the video above blew me away this week. just when i do the ignorant thing of assuming a certain political party or an entire generation can ALL think a certain way on this issue (i should know better....shame on me) something like this reminds me that it isn’t about any of that.

open mindedness and acceptance and love can come from any direction. this man is clearly a hero. he has served our country again and again. he has a big family. he loved his wife. he is proud to be an american. and...with the same conviction, he loves and accepts his gay son as much as his other children, and wants the same rights for all of them.

watch this. listen to his story. please.

none of us are asking for more than anyone else. we just want to be heard, seen, and accepted as equal. we do not want tolerance. i refuse tolerance. what i am and what i do in this world is not something that should be looked upon as merely ‘tolerated.’

i am here, contributing to the world, in a positive way, and full acceptance is the future.

love is the future.

equality is the future.

and it is coming soon...

peace

g

SUTTON FOSTER LAYS IT DOWN

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:20:25 +0100

holy crap.

it is ON now folks.

my friend, inspiration, colleague, and powerhouse belter SUTTON FOSTER has set the challenge.

she is starting a CHORUS CARAVAN to get people down to DC to march. all the info you need to know is at BroadwayImpact.com

i am beyond honored and excited to have sutton and her amazing idea onboard for this movement, and i hope you will click those little links and email, link, embed and share this video with as MANY people as you can in the coming 10 days.

the DEADLINE is sept 25 to get money and sign up for tickets.

LET’S DO THIS PEOPLE!

in sutton’s words: GET ON THE BUS!!!

peace

g

RECENT FINDINGS

Sat, 5 Sep 2009 05:47:35 +0100

1. SNACK: lay’s natural Fruit and Nut mix
2. SONG: madonna CELEBRATION (the video version, not the single. why did they not match? annoying)
3. FRUSTRATION: wally eating his new bed
4. FRUSTRATION 2: wally eating the hall rug
5. FRUSTRATION 3: wally attempting to eat small children
6. IRRESISTIBLE CREATURE: wally
7. A/C TEMP: 76 (home) 68 (theatre)
8. EXCITEMENT: labor day trip upstate
9. PRACTICE: flipping the switch off
10. ADVICE: play the game you’re in
11. MOVIE: 500 DAYS OF SUMMER... i really want to see it
12. ANTICIPATION: tuesday
13. MOON: full

peace

g

GROWING UP

Wed, 2 Sep 2009 17:20:17 +0100

staying home from the matinee today. was planning on trying two shows, but my ankle thinks otherwise. so...being smart and taking it easy. will HAIR it tonight.

aunt pam and uncle ted (above) came to the show last weekend. so good to see them. then last night, jane and rosy (a couple of my parents’ best friends) (did i do the possessive right there? is that where the apostrophe goes? ah well) two beautiful ladies.

in all of them, i see my life. toddling around in diapers, them picking me up, watching me grow, going through vacations and picnics and hide & seek and puberty and “rebellion” and college and now ....“real world.”

where does it all go? all this life...all this stuff. little intersections of familiarity... of history... comes around to remind you how fleeting and yet how perfect.

the kinetic stillness in one afternoon, slightly groggy, a little under-slept, imagining and trying to take things slowly and create new ideas and new possibility.

i just let the my thoughts float. fearless.

peace

g

FUTURE HAIR STAR

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:33:49 +0100

they are really starting them young.

there are so many great moments in this: the syncopated HAIRs, the head voice on the bridge, the toga part.

watch it all the way through.

sure to lift your spirits.

bravo buddy.

peace

g

PATIENCE

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:44:05 +0100

i just tested my ankle a little. it hurt. that means it isn’t time yet. patience.

i bought a couch today. it is an unusual color. i am excited to see how it will look in my new place. but it won’t be delivered for 10 to 12 weeks. patience.

i am getting excited about the march in dc. there’s much that i could probably do between now and then, and it seems like a lot. gavin....patience.

there is so much quiet brain time when sitting around icing one’s ankle, watching wally be restless. i try not to think too much. but it’s a weakness of mine. and i do.

everything in front of me seems infinite. i’m an optimist at heart, but there are still moments when i find the endlessness daunting. sometimes, the past just looks perfect and better. it looks so clean and ordered. but i have to remind myself, it’s the past. it is all done, and it can’t be done again. so i suppose there is nothing to do but surrender control, summon patience, stare into the infinity, and hope.

so....i hope.

and hope
and hope
and hope
and hope
and hope
and hope
and hope
and hope
and hope
and hope
and hope
and hope
and hope
and hope

g

LET GO LET GO LET GO

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:11:09 +0100

this is a LEVIS ad that is all over town right now. i had to take a picture of it. because it is true. it is right.

when i was in london, i guess i was going through a tough time or something, but i made up my own little version of this sentiment, and when i saw this ad, it reminded me of it.

“i need what i have, and i have what i need”

now, when i really think about that....really think....it is true. and if i TRULY believed it, i wouldn’t spend much time in sadness or worry or stress. i’m human, so, hell, it is bound to creep up on me sometimes. but, thanks to the jeans sponsor of HAIR, i am reminded...

LET GO.

what you have, you have. and you actually need it. for something. lesson, distraction, slowing down, speeding up. whatever.

i want to switch my thinking now. i want to let go. of the control. there is no control. let go of it.

i’m going to watch the finale of TOP CHEF masters and then go to bed.

good night wally. good night puffy ankle.

peace

g

MOBILIZATION MEETING

Tue, 18 Aug 2009 19:33:31 +0100

i’m back from vacation. it was incredible. it’s embarrassing how i under-appreciate the beauty of our country. i need to travel around it more and get INTO IT! so amazing.

i want to send a quick plea to everyone out there:

friday august 28, at 2:30 at the DELACORTE THEATRE in central park, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, BroadwayImpact, The Cast of HAIR, and The Public Theater are calling our theatre community together for a ‘Mobilization Meeting’ for the marriage equality movement.

i have a favor to ask everyone in new york in the theatre biz and people in new york who are FANS of the theatre biz....

1. please COME
2. please visit the FACEBOOK EVENT PAGE and rsvp
3. go to MY FACEBOOK PAGE, take my pic, and make it your own for the next two weeks. you have no idea how much that helps get people talking about the event
4. post the EVENT to all your friends’ walls

we are going to gather together on the 28th to figure out how we can use our collective voice as the biggest tourist industry in New York City to effectively spread the word about the National March for Equality happening on OCT 11, 2009.

There will be kick ass speakers from all different corners of the community like Public Theater Artistic Director OSKAR EUSTIS, Producer DAVID STONE (Wicked, Next to Normal, Spelling Bee), veteran Broadway Stage Manager NANCY HARRINGTON, yours truly GAVIN CREEL, and world-renowned human rights activist, and the man who has called for this national march, CLEVE JONES.

tell EVERYONE and get ready to make history.

peace

g

FLOATING FLIPPING

Tue, 4 Aug 2009 01:14:15 +0100

happy monday everyone.

this pic is me practicing my acrobatics on the railing of the TONIGHT SHOW. unfortunately the camera dude only got my kick ass banister slide on tv (no, i didn’t hurt myself.....it was meant to look like that :) but this was an accident that happened while we were rehearsing, and i thought, i should put this in!! i was practicing....and notice how rick miramontez (our head press agent for HAIR in the red tie) is not at all impressed. hilarious.

i wanted to share a quote my friend danny sent me. he is a very wise and wonderful man and this really hit home. been dealing with stuff and this couldn’t have come into my conciousness at a better time. thank you danny.

it is from poet and authore, rainer maria rilke:

" I want to beg you, as much as I can, to be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves like locked rooms and like books that are written in a very foreign tongue.

Do not seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer."

be gentle with yourselves this week. i am trying to be so with myself.

and LIVE THE QUESTIONS....if you can.

peace

g

PUB JAM

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 18:45:04 +0100

to all you out there who came to the pub on monday, thank you! it was a great night of trying out a bunch of new stuff, new covers, and new journeys. parts exciting, parts painful, parts healing....all grateful.

robbie heads home tomorrow sadly, but we are writing more today and hopefully will come up with some new stuff.

i said this in the gig, but i can only really write about where i am. and....i sometimes wish i was in a different place, but...that ain’t life. just working through and sharing the discoveries.

it is about 714 degrees out today. the a/c is pumping and wally and i will be chilling with roth indoors after a quick walk. right now, the pooch is decimating a yarn toy and loving it. oh, to be a dog.

does he worry? is his day saddened by a facebook post? does he toil about his future? is he frustrated with his own inabilities? does he want anything other than my love? possibly...he wants my patience.....i need to learn to give it to him more freely. and...to myself.

a hot, thinking day today...me and my thinking....

peace

g

PERSPECTIVE

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:17:32 +0100

breathing....

SLEEPY LA TIME

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 17:55:56 +0100

well it has been 100 years since i have posted here. sorry about that. we have a had a whirlwind few weeks.

just got back from our los angeles adventure with the cast. flew out for the tonight show. and...the bigger news is...we joined trailblazing activists cleve jones and oscar winning MILK screenwriter dustin lance black to announce the national march for equality on washington DC OCT 11. life is truly imitating life and our tribe, producers and creative team are in it to win it. more soon on that. JOIN US....

i have been battling this stupid neck problem. the short of it is i have strained it in a couple places and it hurts a lot. hopefully soon it will stop hurting with physical therapy and all that, but for now...tiger balm, pt, and prayer.

i moved into a new apt and it is a little bigger place so the wally-bear and i have some more room to spread out. he’s been so patient with me lately. i have had so many commitments that have forced me to take him to day care, but the truth is, he loves it so much and doesn’t blink an eye when i drop him off. the last time i was saying goodbye, he ran away from me to go in. ah they grow up so fast...

good news about JULY 27th...both shows have sold out and i am excited to play a bunch of new music for all of you who are coming. it is going to be a great night. if you didn’t get a ticket and want to see, i have more gigs planned for the fall and i’ll be making an announcement at the pub about a new collaboration BroadwayImpact is forming that will involve another really exciting performance opportunity...so stay tuned here and at BroadwayImpact.com.

that is enough blabbing for now. i hope everyone out there is great. soon, my new webmistress, kayla and i, will be revamping this site a bit to make our online GC experience more fun, organized, and up to date. (i’m not so good at it...she is WAY better)

until then

peace

g

I’M THAT GUY

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:12:46 +0100

yes. i’m that guy who puts a video of a baby on his blog.

but, this is robbie and michelle’s beautiful boy, oliver.

and if you need a little joy on this saturday afternoon, i think this will help immensely.

i do think it is funny that he is literally sitting in the mecca of overstimulation, and the actual thing that is truly entertaining him is michelle acting like an a-hole.

gotta love it! 
peace

g

TONY TONY TONY

Mon, 8 Jun 2009 21:11:05 +0100

i’m pooped. but happy.

last night was incredible. i can’t thank you all enough for the notes and texts and emails and everything before, during, and after the tony’s last night. i took my friend scarlett strallen to the awards, and we both had a blast. it was a bit nuts as the cast performed in both the opening (that guy from poison is find btw) and our number HAIR (so that meant me doing the red carpet, getting to my seat, sitting for 30 minutes, going to change into costume for the opening, doing the opening, getting back into the tux, sitting down for a couple hours, getting back into costume, doing our show’s number, accepting the award for BEST REVIVAL! (weehoo), quick changing back out of costume into tux, and heading back to my seat (sweaty as hell) to be there for the award.

now, sure, i wanted to win. who doesn’t? but i kinda knew i wasn’t going to. and if you caught those boys’ speech, that kind of made it amazing. i was watching them standing there, visibly moved, and excited, and overwhelmed. and ...i saw myself in them. (only i can’t dance half as well as they can! DAMN!) and....everything happens perfectly, and as it is meant to.

we went to the gala afterward at the rockafeller plaza, ate a little bit, said hello to angela lansbury and anne hathaway (as you do :) collected our gift bags, and hopped a ride with jujamcyn vice pres, jordan roth to the HAIR party at tavern on the green. (thank you jordan and richie...happy anniversary!)

there, it was mayhem and joy spreading. i think i stood in the same place for over two hours, met a boatload of people, visited with some of the cast, and had a little champagne.

super tired, i had to call it a night around 3, and was in bed by 3:30, aided by a little nyquil.

it was an incredible night. this picture above was taken from the balcony during our number by BroadwayImpact co-founder, jenny kanelos. if you look closely, you can see little me in my white shirt, standing on eddie falco and jeff daniels’ chairs. rock.

peace

g

EPISODE 5: BroadwayImpact

Fri, 5 Jun 2009 20:59:33 +0100

CLICK HERE

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Wed, 3 Jun 2009 05:09:06 +0100

i am chilled out right now. truly.

i don’t think i have felt this way in a long while. i came home from the show tonight, (early show tuesday!) walked my pup and then ordered sushi from my favorite place. i popped on some HGTV (still going in the background as i type this...MY FIRST PLACE) and dove into my piles of email and notes that i am WAY behind in responding to.

i just want to say something to ANYONE OUT THERE who has written me notes on the website or on facebook.

THANK YOU. you can’t know what it is like to have complete strangers reach out and thank you or congratulate you or root you on or whatever. i wish i had time to write each and every one of you back, but i do hope you accept my sincerest THANKS!

life keeps presenting cool new opportunities and blessings, and the best way for me to be grateful and humbled is to bring everyone along for the ride and blog/tweet/facebook/interview/talk about it all!

like...the steak i had last night at cipriani was INSANE. i got to watch hugh jackman sing and barbara cook KILLED me with her “send in the clowns.” i felt like a little kid, just in awe of my luck and so hopeful that beauty keeps pouring out.

peace

g

A PIECE OF BEAUTY

Sat, 23 May 2009 15:12:49 +0100

it is the most stunning day today. i just got back from taking wally to day care and i cannot believe how beautiful it is outside. god is good, people. god is good.

i wanted to share this video with you all. my wonderful friend danny sent me this link and it blew me away. these are students from a public school here in new york city. first of all, they sound amazing, ..but more impressive to me is the level of commitment with which they are all singing.

i couldn’t help but think how untouched these little spirits are in this moment. untouched by jadedness, by fear, by anger. they are just reveling in the music and being connected to one another by this beautiful song and this amazing teacher. (bravo!)

i watch and wonder....when will they learn about what is “uncool?” when will they start making fun of the ones who keep singing? when will the cliques begin? who will quit music, thinking it isn’t what the popular kids do? and which child will rise above it all and keep singing? keep dancing? keep open?

i hope all of them do. because in THIS moment, that they captured so simply and perfectly on video....

THIS MOMENT is what it is ALL about.

peace

g

MAY 17th

Tue, 12 May 2009 17:27:31 +0100

calling all trailblazers.

it is the most important time yet in new york state.

join us....

MAY 17 : NYC Action=Marriage Equality Rally

5-7pm 45th st and 6th ave

peace

g