Trip to Goodwill - McKnight Road

I went to the Goodwill on McKnight Road last Saturday to buy George's costume, and Matt was right - it is a very depressing place. I'm not sure what's more depressing, the run-down businesses or the big-chain stores that are taking their place right next door. It struck me while I was there that a lot, if not most, of the people that live around there, and probably most of the people that live in Ozone Park, have been there their entire lives. It is what they know, and it is likely that they don't know of anything else. Their entire lives are spent in this one type of existence. Their struggle to make a living defines their life.

So how can we bring this into Pig? I think we can keep it as an underlying thought in our minds, a fact of our given circumstances - that these are the circumstances in which we live. The question is, how do we react to it? For George at least, it is clear to me that he tries to make the most of it. He loves his "traditions," because he likes feeling safe - with his heart condition, he can't take risks. This life, for him, is enjoyable because it isn't a risky life; it's secure as long as he keeps his job. The only thing he has to worry about is his wife, because he has no children. But George is accustomed to his circumstances and doesn't want to get out in ways that Jack's kids might.

Traveling to McKnight Rd was also useful in the same way that traveling to Campayno's house was, and to some extent seeing pictures of Astoria. As a warm-up exercise, I find it useful to imagine what kind of a neighborhood we're in - is it dangerous or safe? Are there streetlights? How far does George live from Jack? Do they hang out all the time? (No...) This gives me a sense of where I am that can be easy to forget in a familiar space like Studio A. I think we all remember how our "where" can change our mentality and actions from Michael Chekhov's movement exercise, Watering Hole, etc. So although I'm not going to play "despair," remembering the kind of despair that surrounded McKnight Rd will help me ground George in his given circumstances.