every girl likes a bad boy

Happy Monday, and welcome back! In case you didn’t notice, I’ve been MIA the past couple days of blogging. I was actually in Sonoma, enjoying a few days off from the craziness of the world. If you didn’t get a chance to read my last blog post from Friday - “thank you! Maxim round 5!” - you can click here to catch up and read about how grateful I am to you for helping in my journey to become the next #MaximCoverGirl! Prior to the post on my gratitude for you, I wrote about my experience running the Dublin Half Marathon! Since I’ve had a few days to rest and relax, I’m ready to dive back into some European adventures. What do you say?! Let’s buckle up and dive back in!

Since I was living in Dublin in order to get my Masters Degree in Philosophy, Theatre, and Performance from Trinity College, I got to see a lot of interesting theatre and some remarkable Irish productions. I’ve written before about the time I saw Unwoman Part III as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival, but today I’d like to pivot to an experience I had seeing Richard III at the Abbey Theatre, Ireland’s National Stage, as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.

Do you ever notice that more often than not that it is the polarizing experiences that you’re able to recall more quickly than others? For instance, I am personally able to remember so much of Unwoman Part III rather vividly because of how uncomfortable it made me feel at the time (which was its intention). I was looking back through my journal and some old photos while mining for inspiration for today’s post when I came across a candid photo of me taken by a fellow Master while we all hung out in the upstairs café area at the Abbey before seeing Richard III. It's me mid-conversation with another friend, unwrapping a piece of chocolate while waiting for my tea to cool (everything about this scenario is very me).

What I remember about Richard III that sticks out in my head most prominently is that our class actually got to do a backstage tour earlier in the week where we got to see the various props and wardrobe for the show, as well as an up-close look at the setup of the stage. The character of Richard III during the performance was actually that of a punk rock bad boy. He was Trouble with a capital T with his badass attitude and his studded leather jacket, and every female audience member definitely had some feelings about it.

The show, itself, was also structurally sound and well-performed given its cast and the fact that Druid Shakespeare Company is one of the top-funded theatre companies in Ireland. Without getting too political or economic about the allocation of government funding for the arts in Ireland, I’ll just say that one can tell who receives additional funding for shows and who does not. It is also apparent when two of the top theatre companies decide to collaborate for performances (i.e. Druid and the Abbey). That aside, however, I was so happy to find the photo while looking back through my memories. Although seeing theatre in and of itself was always an experience I enjoyed so, so much while living abroad (see: Unwoman III, Wicked, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), walking down memory lane via a candid photograph was a nice reminder of just how much I enjoyed the relaxed quality time I got to spend with my classmates, as well. Some of my fondest memories involved meeting up for pints or hanging out at my flat with a cuppa tea with them.

Have you ever encountered a bad boy like Richard III? Or seen that archetype on screen and felt the urge to side with him given his role as the ‘lead’ or the ‘narrator?’ Other examples that spring to mind for me about narrator reliability include Joe from Netflix’s “You” or Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye. I’d love to know who springs to mind for you! I only hope it isn’t someone you dated (lol, amiright? ladies, we've all been there)! Let me know! Subscribe in the e-mail submission box below and reach out, follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and reach out to me on the “contact” page. I’m so happy you're here and that I’ve been receiving a lot of really incredible stories, questions, and feedback from a community all over the globe! Other people’s stories that I’ve gotten to read via e-mail, text, tweet, DM, etc. recently bring me such smiles, and I am so grateful for all of it! I hope I get to hear all about whatever stories you’ve been thinking about as we’ve been on this virtual journey together! Also, I've said it before and I'll say it again, if you have any restaurants/eateries/pubs/coffee shops/ice cream joints/theatres you would recommend in other countries or even in your current home town or city, I'm absolutely 100% all ears!! I couldn’t do this without you! So THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart, truly, thank you.

And please, if you have 10-15 seconds to spare, I would really appreciate your daily vote for me to be Maxim Cover Girl 2020. Click here to vote! Voting for round five ends this coming Thursday July 2nd, and I need to be in first place by the time voting is over in order to advance to the quarterfinals !! I would really appreciate your help and support as I continue to try and become the next #MaximCoverGirl by moving ahead into round 6/the quarterfinals of the competition! Thanks for your support! Click here or on the photo above to vote!

Sincerely,

Johny

P.S. - If you want to catch up from the beginning on this series of adventures, here's a cheat sheet to the posts (in order in which they were published):

1. Won't you join me?

2. grateful for starbucks and sandymount strand

3. Once Upon a December in the National Gallery

4. plant a smooch for that gift of gab

5. may the 4th be with you: Dingle style

6. cinco de mayo: the best Mexican food in Dublin

7. pizza in roma

8. mussolini’s window and the philosophers’ metro stop

9. father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife

10. it's the vatican, not the vatican't

11. spoiler alert: i did not lose my hand

12. more pizza and gelato and Neptune, oh my