Take the Week!

Last week I performed an excerpt of my new solo show “All the Great New Things to Come” about being a fourth generation Bay Area native. It went better than I thought it would. I got laughs in unexpected places, yet not where I thought I might. Late night joke writers confess that they “never know where the laughs will be” and they do it FOR A LIVING. This relieves me. But what made me the happiest was that my ending went well. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to pull it off because I have three characters talking to each other and my acting coach told me I needed to slow the scene down, but the comic in me was worried it would drag, but it worked. Moral of the story: trust your acting coach.

And then I took the rest of the week off. Whenever I perform new material that I have been working on for a while, I take a little mini vacation to reset:

And then I invited my sister:

I tend to escape to the coast and I stay in Pacifica quite a bit. It’s a sleepy little town that is too cold for some people, but just right for me. The fog keeps the tourists at bay, but I love it.

Then the sun came out on my final evening just in time to get some sunset pics:

Pacifica Pets:

That bird on the right was singing its heart out on the Devil’s Slide Trail, while the panhandler on the left was working its charm at Rockaway Beach.

I love writing about my family history. Apparently in each generation, there is usually one person who is into genealogy, and I am that person; who also happens to be a writer and actor. Instead of drawing charts of family trees, I am doing theatre instead. I love the research part of it all, digging into the past.

And lastly, the phrase “Take the Week” isn’t mine- I borrowed it from comic Michelle Wolf. She is my new favorite comic.

All The Great New Things To Come

Back in March 2020, during the “shelter-in-place” mandate, I was cleaning my apartment one day when I came across a photo album that my father had given me years ago. I had tucked it away and had forgotten all about it. On the cover was a picture of my paternal Great Grandparents dated 1912:

Not only did this photo album have pictures, but it had letters, lots of them.

From my Great Grandma Katie, dated 1970 (the year I was born):

“I was born in 1893- and to have known San Francisco in the horse and buggy age; then to have looked down on it from a hilltop while flames were rising high from its buildings. Then to have walked through its ashes after the 1906 earthquake….“

I just read these letters and thought, “I have to write a show about this!”

“All The Great New Things To Come” – a show about being a fourth generation Bay Area native.

Monday, May 1st (an excerpt)

Berkeley Marsh Theatre – 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley

Doors at 7pm, Show at 7:30pm

BUY TICKETS HERE

There will be four performers total (20 min each) and I will be going on first!

Hope to see you there!

Three Years Later…..

I meant to post this as soon as I got the email:

Three years ago, I posted this on my blog:

Early pandemic motivational flyers posted on the streets. To be honest, I do not miss this. Even though it’s such a positive sign, it only reminds me of being couped up in my apartment. The only thing I miss about the early pandemic days was there was no traffic. That was glorious. Other than that- nothing.

And in current events:

NOOOOO!!

This is my local coffee shop. I have been going here for years. Shoot, this Starbucks was in this neighborhood long before I was. It has weathered the storm while other businesses folded especially during the pandemic. During my tenure here in the Grand Lake neighborhood since 2007, I watched the tea shop on the corner become a Korean fusion restaurant, while the burger joint became….well another burger joint, and the smoothie shop become a gourmet popcorn shop then back to a smoothie shop. Yeah, okay, it’s not that bad.  But Starbucks? Them closing will mess with the entire ecosystem of the neighborhood. It’s next to Noah’s Bagels! It’s always next to Noah’s Bagels. They’re a package deal! You get your bagel, and then when the cashier asks you if you want a coffee, you say no, and then go next door! It’s a ritual. And now it’s going away. Okay, I know there’s another Starbucks around the corner over on Grand Avenue across from the movie theater, but I don’t like that one as much. It’s smaller.  And yes, I know I can walk to Peet’s but, I dunno. I don’t like their simple syrup as much. And besides, where is Eric, the friendly homeless guy, supposed to panhandle? Starbucks was HIS SPOT. Although lately there have been complaints about him …

“Hey, Theresa!”

“Hey Eric.”

“Why don’t you hook me up with a pancake breakfast?”

(Yeah, okay, he was getting a little out of hand, but he’s harmless)

Everything’s changing!

I jest of course.

Speaking of changing….

I am working on a new solo piece about how the SF Bay Area has changed since my family first moved here. We go way back.

I am 99% sure the pic on the left is at Lake Merritt. I know those street lights well.

Both sides of my family grew up here and I am having fun sorting through old letters and photo albums. There is something magical about going back in time.

Alright, back to creating magic…

Good night.

The Cat Nanny Diaries

Meet my latest clients:

Fiona and Jaz!

It seems that everyone is getting their post-covid travel in, and I am the official cat-nanny of the neighborhood! The one on the left is a lap cat and the on the right is the climber:

I swear these two could not be more different.

One of the skills I must learn as a cat and house sitter, is how to navigate the remote control of the owner’s television. I have never come across the same remote twice. You got your Roku, you got your Dish TV, you got your Apple TV and this latest house has Direct TV. I am always re-learning the channels. I just want my NBC, CBS, E! and Comedy Central. One cannot live off Netflix alone. I do actually like to watch network television – I’m old school.

Speaking of Netflix, I have found my latest favorite show to binge…

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is so funny. It came out in 2015, pre-Covid, but it’s so relevant now because the main character was living in a bunker for 15 years and then finally gets free. Talk about shelter in place. In some ways this show is almost therapeutic.

I didn’t realize that I am still sort of coming out of whatever psychological mind trip the pandemic did on me. Like I didn’t realize how much I missed dancing until I saw a cover band playing R&B music in downtown Oakland and it felt like my heart was going to explode. And last month I felt motivated for the first time in a long time to go shopping for new clothes and try on new things rather than just sitting around in yoga pants all the time.

All the rainstorms this month almost triggered my shelter-in- place trauma all over again. But knowing this time it would only last a few weeks and that the sun would eventually come back made this waterfall in the dog park worth it:

All this rain made me feel lazy and here it is, January 20th and I still haven’t put up all my Christmas cards on my refrigerator! Well, that’s mostly because I haven’t been home. I have only slept in my own bed seven days in December and only 12 days in January. That’s a lot of cat-sitting!

But they’re worth it.

The Holidays, Part Two

Well, by my math, this December, I only slept in my actual bed for a whole seven days. You would have thought I was out on tour, traveling or something, but I was just cat sitting the entire time.

Bo Diddley

It’s a tough job loving all these felines, but somebodys’ gotta do it and it might as well be me, the official cat nanny of all my friends and acquaintances. And besides, I can always use the extra cash, especially around the holidays.

I spend Christmas Eve in Berkeley and we had the most perfect weather, it was unbelievable how gorgeous it was that day and night.

But then God said, “enjoy it now cuz it’s about to get craaaazy!“. Then the clouds came in, threatening my travel plans for New Years Eve-Eve. I had plans to go to SF to visit friends and shoot our Annual New Year’s Rap Video. A tradition we have been doing since 2020. No rain was gonna stop me now! This year, instead of parodying Rapper’s Delight, we decided to mix it up, Run DMC style:

I’m Picky Picky Picky!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0u4QfQD2n5twyfEjvkRDb9H5umStwchCV5tgqHvcMizmJJYRqvqjur4x9yxYzSkcsl&id=1047947811&mibextid=Nif5oz

Turns out that little downpour on Friday evening was NOTHING. I woke up Saturday morning to this:

I was sort of freaking out because my sister and I had plans that night – IMPORTANT PLANS!

We went to see my new favorite cover band, The Neon Playboys in Auburn and can I just say it felt so good to get out and celebrate after hunkering down these past couple of years?

Now where the heck is Auburn California you ask? Well, it’s two hours away from Oakland and I only know where Auburn is because I drove through it on my way to Grass Valley to attend my Uncle’s wedding a few years ago (and also to attend our Annual Donahoe Dominoe Tournament the one year he hosted).

I initially wasn’t going to go to this show and was ready to have another mellow NYE, but then I casually mentioned it to my sister to see if she would want to join me and SHE DID. And she drove through the atmospheric river to get us there! Okay, it wasn’t raining that hard on our way up, but still. This weather has been crazy!

These guys are really good and are worth the drive. When I was in my 20’s it was very “uncool” to see a cover band, (and quite frankly that’s because a lot of them suck) but not these guys. They play old school dance music, and I can’t tell you how bad I have needed to dance these last couple of years since my weekly hip hop classes went away after my gym shut down and then reopened to only limited hours. I don’t think I realized how much I have been mourning that part of me.

I have to say though, I think my favorite part of the evening was when this drunk chick got up on stage and tried to grab the mic from the singer. It was funny the first time, but the second time….

We danced until 1:00am and I didn’t get to sleep until 2:00am and then I automatically woke up around 6:00am! ARRGGHH! But the rain had finally stopped and it was the most beautiful New Year’s Day morning.

Here’s to 2023! Happy New Year!

December 23, 2022 – January 1, 2023

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The Holidays – Part One

I love the holidays. I know many people find them stressful, but I take comfort in traditions and pretty lights. And this time of year always goes by too fast for me, so I thought I would recap my December 2022 so far…

Wuthering Heights and Cat Nanny Season Has Begun!

On November 30th, I saw the play “Wuthering Heights” at Berkeley Rep. and then dashed off to move into my first cat sitting gig of the holiday season.

Meet Wolfie, Bushy Mama & Mochi:

Three different cats, three different personalities, and lots of poop to scoop!

They would be my new roomies for the next 21 days.

RAIN!

We got a ton of rain at the beginning of the month and even though it put a damper on my morning walks, it made everything pretty and the waterfalls were flowing at the Piedmont dog park again.

Dickens Fair!

I went to my first ever Dickens Fair and as a Bay Area thespian, that is pretty much illegal. I had nothing to wear, so my tripod hooked me up.

San Francisco Holiday Filmmaker Mixer

I don’t normally go to these type of events, but my friend Tony’s company, Bravemaker, was a sponsor and he is so good at promotions. So I stopped by his red carpet and caught a few short films.

We’re Makin a Movie Here!

Speaking of films, I don’t normally do extra work on movies these days, but when I found out they were filming an 80s movie at the Grand Lake Theater right by my apartment, I thought it would be fun. And then I forgot that I was cat sitting nowhere near my apartment and by then I had already committed. I thought it would be a quick shoot and I would be out of there at a reasonable hour, but we ended up working a 15-hour day and I wrapped at 5am. And then I remembered why I don’t do extra work on movies anymore. But I probably will again.

Local Tourists

Every holiday season my sister and I visit Union Square in San Francisco to look at all the pretty lights. This was the first time, since the pandemic, that it felt festive again in the city. We shopped, dined, drank, and were merry.

This is My New Favorite Thing

I have watched this video several times. It is exactly 100% my humor. I think Amy Schumer’s earlier material wasn’t my thing, but I am digging her new stuff. Oh, and I now have a celebrity crush on Kevin Kane, who is not only a hottie, but is crazy funny in this.

So that’s my December 2022 so far. I just finished my first cat sitting gig of the season and will be moving into my next cat sitting gig on Thursday. Gotta unpack and repack. Happy Holidays!

December 1st – 20th, 2022:

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Birthday Weekend Round Up

Life really feels like it has gotten back to normal lately. Very few masks being worn around town – however, I still put one on in crowded spaces because I have learned that I didn’t have a cold for two years during Covid and I liked it. So from now on during cold and flu season- Theresa comes with a mask!

Like Joey Comes with a Bag!

*Always make a FRIENDS reference whenever possible*

In other news, I turned 52 years old yesterday and it feels really weird typing that out. It looks like such an “old” number, but I don’t feel old. Well, I don’t feel 18 anymore either, but I’m doing alright.

On Friday I went over to my parent’s place in Martinez and we hung out for awhile, I opened presents and then we went out for dinner:

I’ve always been a meat and potatoes girl. Then we had dessert back at the house and watched 3/4 of “Love Actually”. We don’t always finish movies, but they are comforting to have on in the background.

Saturday was my actual birthday and after cleaning up my apartment all day I went over to a friend’s place for more meat and potatoes – or more specifically – “Three Alarm Chicken and garlic mashed potatoes.” What is three-alarm you ask? It’s just enough spice for this supertaster to handle, for five-alarm would be too much. And then dessert of course:

I was so full. I participated in gluttony for sure. But this morning I woke up, went to church and repented. I can’t eat like this too many days in a row because it really catches up to me.

That’s right – I went to church. I have decided to start visiting neighborhood churches. Last week was the Baptist Church down the block from my apartment, and this morning I attended a Community Church in the neighboring town over of Piedmont. Both of these churches sing hymns and have rituals- and I haven’t been of part of that sort of tradition since attending Mass in the 7th grade. I confess singing hymns make me a little sleepy, but the sermons were pretty good and the people are incredibly welcoming, which is huge.

This afternoon I went for a walk (and let’s face it- geocache) on the Lafayette-Moraga Regional Trail and can I just say I love this trail? The weather was perfect. You see, I can’t go for walks on that side of the Caldecott Tunnel during the warmer months because I will pass out from heat exhaustion, but cool November days are just right.

And I found eight geocaches. A very productive day.

52……..hmmmm…..you’re alright. I think we can be friends.

Birthday Weekend 2022:

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Last Week Tonight w/ Theresa Donahoe

Last Sunday, October 30th, I had the pleasure of performing my solo show, “Born Again in Berkeley” at Crosswalk Community Church in Napa. Now, I’m not really a morning person, so I am trying to discipline myself to go to bed sooner. It seems the doors God has opened for me lately have been mostly church gigs. I feel like I am entering a new season of my life.

I think the show went well, and then afterwards we had a Q&A, or what some call, in certain circles, “a talk back”, which apparently has become all the rage. Every time I perform and get questions afterwards, I learn so much. I have performed for a variety of audiences. From liberal Berkeley folk to Trump supporters as well, and I never know what feedback I am going to get, so it’s a bit of a highwire act. I just want us to see each other’s humanity because, at the end of the day, if we don’t, we will kill each other. That’s how people justify war, by not seeing the “other” as human.

Then on Monday I went to my friend’s dad’s memorial service. It was a beautiful tribute for a beautiful person on a beautiful day at Tilden Park:

On Tuesday, after work, I took my final writing class at Piedmont Adult School. I hope I learned something. Time will tell if it affects my writing in a good way.

On Wednesday I went over to my friend’s place and she cooked for me. The neighbor’s cat came wandering into the kitchen and wanted to join us:

On Thursday as I was leaving work, I caught the sunset from our 14th floor windows:

On Friday, I saw my new favorite cover band, The Neon Playboys.

I have to say, I don’t normally go out of my way to see a cover band, but these guys are that good. I stumbled upon them back in September when they were playing for the Oakland Summer Series at City Center during my lunch break at work. I was just walking through when I heard this incredibly tight band cranking out Michael Jackson and to my surprise, it turned out to be four funky white guys. I actually stopped to listen. Then they won my heart over when they went from Michael Jackson to Earth, Wind & Fire, effortlessly. I would have stayed and danced through my entire lunch break but I had to get back to work. I vowed to seek them out the next time they were back in the Bay Area (they’re from Sacramento).

I had so much fun Friday night dancing to their music. I was super exhausted the next day, but it was so worth it. I felt like I was finally living again. I needed this. I needed to dance.

On Saturday I went to a solo performer friend’s show at the Marsh Theatre in Berkeley – The Mark of the Minotaur. I highly recommend it.

Today I chilled. On the seventh day, she rested.

This Past Week:

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New Untitled Solo Show (First Draft)

It’s 1987 and I’m a junior in high school. Mr. Jameison, my ultra-liberal opinionated pacifist of a history teacher, is going on and on about something. I’m in the front row and super bored.

“Now the Gold Rush brought hundreds of thousands of people from all over, and while the sudden influx of gold into money supply reinvigorated the economy, the sudden population increase ended up having severe effects on the Native Californians.”

 I feel my eyes getting more and more heavy. I put my head down on my desk and begin to drift off. Mr. Jameison comes over to my desk, kneels down, and looks up at me.

“Ms. Donahoe, please listen, you’re going to want to know this stuff when you get older.”

I roll my eyes.

—————-

It’s March 2020 and my world has been reduced to two things: staying home inside my small Oakland studio apartment for hours on end, or waiting in long lines outside the Trader Joe’s. This is my life.

It doesn’t take too long before, I, too, like so many others trapped in their houses catch the purging bug. I survey my apartment.  How come I never noticed how much crap I have? I look in my hall closet- why do I own so many coats? I start a Goodwill bag.  I look at my old loveseat couch that I only use as a place to throw my stuff on at the end of the workday.  Do I really need it? It’s basically a shelf on the ground. I call 1-800-Got-Junk.  I look at my overcrowded bookshelf. Why do I have so many bibles? I’ll put them in a box for curbside.  Maybe my neighbors will find Jesus.  I continue digging into the shelf.  Wait a minute, what’s this?

I pull out a white photo album that was given to me by my father years ago. I had tucked it away and forgotten all about it. On the cover is a black and white picture of my great grandparents, my dad’s maternal grandparents. “The Nobles” it reads, “Starting with the Marriage in 1912 of James Edward Noble to Mary Kathryn Connelly.”  My Great Grandma Katie has short brown curly hair and is wearing a light-colored lace blouse. Great Grandpa James has on a dark suit and tie. They look so serious. Were people not allowed to smile in photos back then?

I open the photo album and not only are their pictures, but there’s letters.

From my Great Grandma Katie dated January 21, 1970 (the year I was born):

“I was born in 1893, and to have known San Francisco in the horse and buggy age and to have looked down on it from a hilltop while flames were rising high from its buildings. Then to have walked through its ashes after the 1906 earthquake with my father, a proper permit, and a stick, probing the ashes of the very house I had lived in just a short time before. Now at the age of 77, as I drive across the Bay Bridge and see the skyline changing with taller and taller buildings, I feel a sense of pride, like the success of my own children and grandchildren. The city seems to be a part of me and my own family. I am left wondering if all the great new things to come will ever equal some of the ease and comfort in the lives of my great grandchildren.”

Great grandchildren? Hey, that’s me!

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It’s 1999 and I am working in San Francisco on the corner of First and Mission Streets. It’s 3:30pm on a Friday and horns are honking as cars crawl up First Street on their way to the Bay Bridge. I have learned that if you don’t get out of the city by 3pm, you will be stuck in traffic. But I take BART most of the time, so I rarely have to deal with this. Or sometimes I take AC Transit.  The C Bus will drop me off at the terminal that is kitty corner from our office.  And then, every once in a while, I drive and park in the insanely expensive parking garage nearby. This is where my boss parks his BMW every day. He never takes public transportation. And almost every evening, because we work such long hours, we’ll get a call, from Raj, the parking lot guy, yelling, “tell Beau to get his car out!” And then Beau throws me his keys and yells, “Theresa, move my car and pick us up some chicken burritos from El Faro!”

“El Faro? That place has cockroaches! What about Porticos?“

“Porticos is closed, go to El Faro!”

To Be Continued…

And in other news, my sister and I went to the “FRIENDS EXPERIENCE in San Francisco” last Friday, and here’s the slideshow. Enjoy!

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Has Solo Show, Will Travel

I booked another show for October 30th in……..NAPA!

Details to come, but to be fair, it’s at a church service in the morning, so um, yeah. I guess you can say I rock the flock.

I felt a strange void after my final show this summer. I was so exhausted and yet grateful for the break but then after maybe two weeks I was like, uh oh, I need another deadline, another goal. Or I just sort of wither away with the autumn leaves….

Speaking of goals, I am taking a writing class at a nearby adult school on Tuesday nights. It’s only an hour and a half and it’s super close by. I am in it for the convenience of it all and maybe I will get some inspiration. I do have another idea for another story and tomorrow I will go to SF to visit the Sales Force Tower seeking that inspiration. It will make sense later, I promise.

Here are some pics of my show from September 2nd in Redwood City from photographer Lili Muntean. Which ones are your favorites?

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