relationships

i had a new realization recently that has caused me to rethink a previous thought. not really sure if i've written about this, but new york is full of people that seem to work out their relationships in public places. there have been a number of times riding the subway that i'll see, and hear, a couple hashing through the finer details of who was self centered, and who is paying for it. occasionally it happens on the sidewalk under my window. those are the best ones...good and loud! every now and then i think i should offer my services as a certified prepare/enrich counselor of couples.

it's not hard to understand why various public venues become the location for these discussions. we all live on top of one another, so it's either inside the apartment next door with the thin walls, or in the open air, or taking advantage of the public transportation. i think people use public space because whoever hears you air your matrimonial displeasure will never see you again. but your neighbors who hear you through the walls will always be aware that something is not going so well.

anyway, i have a new explanation for public relational conversation. my new explanation comes from a personal experience on 57th street between 5th and 6th avenue at the wonderful rizzoli book store. i'm shooting a small web series there right now called "blank paige" and having a lot of fun. very fun cast and as soon as the first few episodes get edited, they'll be on youtube for fun viewing.

this past tuesday morning, several of us were waiting outside the book store and running lines for the day's shoot. my character, dewey, has a scene in which he is confronted by rosemary about something that happens in the store. as we ran our lines, the confrontation became heated. of course we were just acting, but it was on the sidewalk outside the store...in public. heads started to turn.

that's when it hit me. all these couples i had seen managing their relationships were probably just actors running lines for some one-act they were doing, or a scene study for a class, or a student film they were getting ready to shoot. i mean, the city is full of actors. i'm sure that's what i've been seeing.