Looking For Patrick.....
Patrick and I met on our orientation tour of University of the Arts in Philly. He was in his natural environment...making quick friends in a group of total strangers with his presence of commanding cheer. To everyone around him at U of A, he was the dynamic center of any group....and also an incredibly efficient brown-noser of faculty (which they loved...).
We ended up in the same acting studio the first year with Johnny Hobbs Jr. instructing. Johnnie is one of my artistic heroes and was an Army Drill Sergeant (no kidding here) before finding his true calling at Freedom Theatre. A serious and challenging instructor, Johnny was incredibly perceptive and could peg a guy (or girl) after 5 minutes with them. Johnny certainly perked up to Patrick's talent. Our first day of Acting Studio was an all around introduction where we each, essentially, gave a monologue about ourselves.
To my 18 year old self this was an intense day...I can recall every second of it.... everyone's intro.....The acting studio was on the 3rd floor and had wood floors painted a brightish gray with tall windows in deep sills looking down onto South Broad Street. (This building was right next to the church there across from the new Orchestra complex....it was torn down almost 6 years ago....).
Patrick began his monologue by jumping into the deep sill of the window and reminiscing about his mom and his own dreams of coming to U of A. The afternoon sunlight was streaming through the windows, the shadows of the room and the sounds of the city street below filtering into the studio made his monologue especially focused. Patrick had that knack.....the ability to have the sunlight be just right.....the ability to have things around him work for him...almost super-natural. After the first class Patrick took the unusually open step of inviting all 15 of us to his apartment to read plays and just hang out.
So there we all were, 15 strangers who had just tried to describe ourselves while impressing everyone else in the Broad and Wharton apartment ...smoking pot, drinking beer, ordering pizza. We were strangers no more after an hour, and all intimate friends by the end of the night. It is people like Patrick who can make an entire artistic community....he helped us all thrive...himself too.
He has that special ability to recognize and effusively support the talent he saw in others around him. He made Dancers switch to Acting and Actresses start singing out at open mic nights. This is a, seemingly, endless well of cheer and "got-get-em" for everyone he met who showed promise.....But he's a harsh critic too....believe me I was in Studio with him!
Some memories of Patrick: Singing at the Triangle Tavern, singing at the Tin Angel, reading Shakespeare in the middle of Broad st, sailing in the rain on the Delaware with my grandfather, walking through desolate 3AM streets in the bitter cold to reach the P&P, sitting out in back of Jesse and Robbie's apartment in the summer, stage make-up class with Clista, meeting endless people out and about with him, does he know EVERYONE in Philly?!, riding up to New York City on a cold fall night, an impulse trip with a mutual friend....far too many fond memories to list....
I found myself writing paragraph after paragraph about Patrick this week. It is a testament to the passion with which he perused life that there are likely hundreds of people across the world doing the same thing.....remembering, writing, laughing and crying at experiences with Patrick and how he had a defining effect on us all...and the world.
Sadness at his loss doesn't even come close to what can describe finding out of his passing. Fran is sending out a CD, can't wait to give it radio airplay....I only deeply wish it were a live performance.
Chris Goldstein
note:
I recieved an e-mail from Chris a few weeks ago...He was looking for Patrick to do a live interview on his radio station in New Mexico. Only to find that Patrick had passed. I invited him to write and post to the blog. The above is what he asked me to post. Chris is going to let me know when he is doing his tribute to Patrick in New Mexico and I will post it on the blog. Thanks Chris
We ended up in the same acting studio the first year with Johnny Hobbs Jr. instructing. Johnnie is one of my artistic heroes and was an Army Drill Sergeant (no kidding here) before finding his true calling at Freedom Theatre. A serious and challenging instructor, Johnny was incredibly perceptive and could peg a guy (or girl) after 5 minutes with them. Johnny certainly perked up to Patrick's talent. Our first day of Acting Studio was an all around introduction where we each, essentially, gave a monologue about ourselves.
To my 18 year old self this was an intense day...I can recall every second of it.... everyone's intro.....The acting studio was on the 3rd floor and had wood floors painted a brightish gray with tall windows in deep sills looking down onto South Broad Street. (This building was right next to the church there across from the new Orchestra complex....it was torn down almost 6 years ago....).
Patrick began his monologue by jumping into the deep sill of the window and reminiscing about his mom and his own dreams of coming to U of A. The afternoon sunlight was streaming through the windows, the shadows of the room and the sounds of the city street below filtering into the studio made his monologue especially focused. Patrick had that knack.....the ability to have the sunlight be just right.....the ability to have things around him work for him...almost super-natural. After the first class Patrick took the unusually open step of inviting all 15 of us to his apartment to read plays and just hang out.
So there we all were, 15 strangers who had just tried to describe ourselves while impressing everyone else in the Broad and Wharton apartment ...smoking pot, drinking beer, ordering pizza. We were strangers no more after an hour, and all intimate friends by the end of the night. It is people like Patrick who can make an entire artistic community....he helped us all thrive...himself too.
He has that special ability to recognize and effusively support the talent he saw in others around him. He made Dancers switch to Acting and Actresses start singing out at open mic nights. This is a, seemingly, endless well of cheer and "got-get-em" for everyone he met who showed promise.....But he's a harsh critic too....believe me I was in Studio with him!
Some memories of Patrick: Singing at the Triangle Tavern, singing at the Tin Angel, reading Shakespeare in the middle of Broad st, sailing in the rain on the Delaware with my grandfather, walking through desolate 3AM streets in the bitter cold to reach the P&P, sitting out in back of Jesse and Robbie's apartment in the summer, stage make-up class with Clista, meeting endless people out and about with him, does he know EVERYONE in Philly?!, riding up to New York City on a cold fall night, an impulse trip with a mutual friend....far too many fond memories to list....
I found myself writing paragraph after paragraph about Patrick this week. It is a testament to the passion with which he perused life that there are likely hundreds of people across the world doing the same thing.....remembering, writing, laughing and crying at experiences with Patrick and how he had a defining effect on us all...and the world.
Sadness at his loss doesn't even come close to what can describe finding out of his passing. Fran is sending out a CD, can't wait to give it radio airplay....I only deeply wish it were a live performance.
Chris Goldstein
note:
I recieved an e-mail from Chris a few weeks ago...He was looking for Patrick to do a live interview on his radio station in New Mexico. Only to find that Patrick had passed. I invited him to write and post to the blog. The above is what he asked me to post. Chris is going to let me know when he is doing his tribute to Patrick in New Mexico and I will post it on the blog. Thanks Chris
posted by Fran | 10:41 AM
