Saturday, March 22, 2014

I'm Having a Party!

There are so many things to celebrate recently that I feel like I need to make a list! We know how much I love lists.

1. I'm the newest artistic associate for a wonderful Seattle theatre company called Theatre22. What does that mean? It means I get to learn from the best of the best how to run a small theatre company that wants to grow bigger. Paid staff? Equity contracts? A cool new space? Check it off the list folks, Theatre22 is here to stay.

2. Theatre22 is having a PARTY, and I want to share it with you! April 5. Come join the fun of celebrating this great new company. Did I mention there's a silent auction with fabulous gifts? And I'll be running it. So, seriously, go buy your tickets.

3. This Seattle casting site has listed my page of Headshot Photographers on their site. I mean...I feel famous. Or just really organized. And there's no reason for everyone to make their own list when mine is right up there on that navigation bar. Need new headshots? Click it!

4. The sun is out.

5. Have I mention that I'm the Development Director for Annex Theatre? That's the Gregory Award Winning Theatre of the Year for 2013. And they're about to start taking submissions for next year's season of brand new work. So get your playscripts in!

6. BIG auditions coming up. It's generals season, and I've just finished my first 'Equity Day' audition with TPS (thanks Book-It for the union status change!), and up next are the Village Generals and then Seattle Children's. Can you say time for some fun?

7. The sun is still out.

8. Thanks to a fantastic run of Frankenstein and my current unemployment status, I've been able to spend more quality time on me and the direction I want to go next. I'm looking forward to the research.

So basically, life is a party and everything is going really well in the world of Seattle.
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The Play that was Frankenstein

I started writing a few times during the production of Frankenstein. As my first 'professional'(I hate that word) experience, it seemed like I needed to write about it. I needed to get my thoughts out there in the world. But I was entirely too close to the experience, and there was a lot going on.

Instead, I'm writing about it now! Let me begin with why I hate the word 'professional' in relation to theatre. Since moving to Seattle two and a half years ago, I consider most of the work I've done professional. I graduated with a theatre degree from an amazing institution, moved here, and within six months was being paid for my work. I was offered so much work I had to begin turning it down within eight months. I started being called in for auditions by people who had seen me or heard of me by the end of my first year. All of that sounds great within that context, but I suppose the difference is in perspective. I wanted to see all my work as 'professional'. That is the level I aspired to be working at, and I was certain it was the level I was working at.

Then I got cast at Book-It Repertory Theatre. I was offered an hourly wage instead of a stipend. I worked enough hours for that wage to pay my bills. Suddenly, people that hadn't known my name were seeing me on a much larger stage working with a well-known company, and those people that had 'called me in' suddenly seemed like friends I went to play in the sandbox with. Granted--that's how I felt for much of the run. Wide-eyed, plucked from obscurity, and thrust into center stage so to speak. But I want to be clear, that in no way did I ever feel suddenly important. I did, however, suddenly recognize the difference between the work I had been doing thus far, and the work I was now being able to do.

The professionalism of my process and my ability was no different, but I was certainly affected deeply by the breadth of talent and experience surrounding me. The wealth of knowledge that comes from working with a company and a cast of theatre professionals who have made it their career and their lifestyle to work solely for theatres who profit from their shows, run smoothly on grants and a donor database, and are considered as known on a national scale was a completely different experience than just getting paid to do my work. That is how I used to consider professional theatre. If I was being paid in any capacity, I was doing well for myself. I was respected enough to earn some sort of profit, and my time was not being wasted. I suppose I had to have that mindset to continue to push myself forward. It was my way of being positive and optimistic about where I was in my career, and gave me that ability to continue to strive towards something. In a sense, the stipend work was the stepping stone to something greater, but it was also great in itself. I still be believe that a lot of fringe theatres do professional work or have a professional process. But having the operating budget, audience, and space is as important to the process of professional theatre as picking the right director.

Now I understand a lot more, and while I consider all the work I've done professional, I consider the theatre that I just ended a contract with a much more professional experience than any I've had the pleasure of working before!

I've had a fortunate year of professional work! Getting cast in a SAG film, and getting cast in a theatrical production that offered me EMC (Equity Membership Candidate) was not an opportunity I expected to have all in the same year. But I'm counting my blessings and moving forward in the hopes of more good fortune!

What I learned from Frankenstein:
1. Daytime rehearsals are the best thing to ever happen to a theatre graduate. It's everything you've ever wanted and dreamed of and hoped for. When you wake up in the morning and realize that going to work means going to do what you love for the day--that is a special kind of amazing.
2. Sometimes you have the astounding opportunity to work with a phenomenal director who happens to have the magical ability to choose a cast that gets along so well that it's unbelievable. That's how I felt anyway.
3. Every day is a new experience. One day of rehearsal for a new work (world premiere play) can be completely dedicated to one three page scene. This scene may get rewritten five times in one day. Yes, you must know and remember all the line changes. But you must also bring something new every time you do the scene.
4. I had the distinct fortune to work with a director who was also the adapter. This meant that when I, as an actor, felt something off about the scene, we were able to work together to create a different word choice or a completely new line if needed. I had the most amazing time because the director allowed me as an actor to try a scene ten different ways and still never told me that I had to pick one yet.  This rehearsal process was the most freeing and creative experience I've had since college. I could come in and create anything, and if was stupid we'd scratch it, and if it was great--we'd try it again in that direction, just to see what happened next.
5. Safety and trust are the key to every great theatrical experience.
6. Bagels make you rehearse better.
7. Sometimes you will hate a costume piece. It will look fantastic, and will be exactly what everyone wants--but it will impede your ability to do a scene the way you've been rehearsing for five weeks. It doesn't matter. You'd better figure out how to make it work--and like it.
8. Sometimes it takes 23 years of your life until you are allergic to every kind of chapstick, and even if you desperately need that chapstick to survive a show in which you kiss someone in every scene you're in--thou shalt not use chapstick. And you will survive. Albeit, with chapped lips.
9. An all women's dressing room is something I have not experienced since highschool. It was grand!
10. Corsets are your friend. You must learn to breathe and move as one. And you must never eat before a show in which you must bend in your corset, because vomit is a real thing. See our promotional video here.
11. Enjoy every single day like it is the last day you will have the opportunity to do what you love for a living. Treat everyone with respect. Never be afraid to make a big bold choice. Always check in with your fellow actors, and don't be selfish. Love those you work with, and appreciate the work that is being done around you. Let it affect you and move you and take it with you when you are done, for it will help you move forward toward another great experience.








A list of reviews:
The Curtain and the Monster
The Stranger, 2/26/14
Nowhere to Hide at Frankenstein
Mode is Fashion, 2/21/14
Book-It conjures ‘Frankenstein’
Seattle Times, 2/21/14
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Saturday, February 1, 2014

Frankenstein: It's a Play About Chapstick

It's been almost 3 years since I spent an entire day dedicated to rehearsing theatre that wasn't a weekend. It's been almost 3 years since I could call my job acting. It's been almost 3 years since I've felt as completely fulfilled as I have for the last 4 weeks.

I get to wake up every day and do what I love and nothing else. Now that's not to say that I shouldn't be doing something else on the side. I'd certainly be making more money. But I wanted to know what it would feel like to only do theatre. It makes me feel poor in money, but rich in soul. It's a truly beautiful thing.

The reason it's so beautiful is because I've been given the gift of an extraordinarily brave cast. Everyday we go to new places to uncover the heart of this amazing piece of literature. There's something incredibly redeeming about the characters in Frankenstein--their hope, perseverance through despair, and the ability to know love. It's one of the most challenging plays I've come across because of the sheer depth of the story. It's written to show every up and down because the plot is centered around love. I highly recommend rereading the book before coming to see this one. It will only enhance the play.

Now I've been MIA for a few months, and it's because I've been busy with this show. You'd think after a month of rehearsals I'd have a lot to say--and I do! But I don't want to say half of it for fear of ruining your personal reaction to the piece.

I will say that for me it has been a month of 'profound labor', as Victor Frankenstein would say. A month of death and despair. A month of love and discovery. But mostly it's been a month of chapstick. If you're interested in experiencing the amount of chapstick I've bought and used in the last month, I encourage you to come watch the show, opening February 15th. Remember to imagine running the scenes multiple times in one day and I'm sure you'll understand soon enough.

If you want to take a look at some promotional footage, you can see it here.

I can say that there hasn't been a single moment I haven't been having fun. And I couldn't be more excited to be opening soon and giving this show to the audiences of Seattle. It's been a great gift to have worked so hard with such a talented cast and crew, and I hope to do it many more times here and many other places.  This show has retaught me what theatre is all about, and how important an experience it is to live through.

In other news, I've also seen a lot of shows and movies recently!
1. The Equation by Theatre 9/12
2. Black Like Us by Annex Theatre
3. A Great Wilderness by Seattle Rep
4. The Hounds of the Baskerville by Seattle Rep (which I saw in December but don't think I mentioned)
5. The Foreigner by Village Theatre

Of course, now that I'm not doing Fringe theatre I suddenly understand how unavailable an actor becomes when you want to see your friends' shows. Because of my crazy rehearsal schedule I can't catch everything I want to. But I'm so happy to have so many successful friends who are taking this theatre town by storm! Congratulations to everyone on their shows!



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Sunday, December 15, 2013

My first SAG film recap

My first SAG film began with an audition last August. I walked in to read for a role with one line, and ended up being asked to read for a role with more! Auditions can't go much better than that, so I walked out feeling positive. After not hearing for a little while though, I moved my mind forward to thoughts of the next audition, working hard not to focus on a job I didn't get.

A few weeks afterwards I received the call from my agent that I had booked a supporting role! I was stoked! We had a cast read through 2 months later, and a month after that we began rehearsals. We had blocking and stunt work rehearsals for 2 weekends, and it was my first time ever being paid for film rehearsals. I have to say SAG was looking good already.

We shot in late November. 3 days on location and 2 days on set in a studio. The location was a few hours away at an old fort. The production crew built an incredible set with a smithy, a graveyard, and a town square set to hang our favorite town witch. I had the best time meeting so many new important faces from the Pacific Northwest acting community. It was exciting to learn first hand about SAG regulations, and it was such a pleasant experience to be on a well-scheduled set with extremely high morale. I can't say I've ever had a better time!

The weather was really cold, and the first day it rained buckets off and on. It looked great on film! Our costumes were superb, and we were layered so well that I barely got cold! They made sure to have hand warmers and heaters on set outside to give actors and crew some relief during shoot breaks.

My scenes went smoothly and I really enjoyed trying new things. I won't give any spoilers, but I can say I'm excited for the release. We're crossing our fingers that the film is accepted into a local festival--and then beyond!

Already I can't wait for the opportunity to audition again for this director and his crew. There was a lot of freedom to try things, and be creative. Everyone was concerned about taking care of each other and making sure everyone had the best possible experience. It was a breath of fresh air after not working for a little while, and helped me feel like I was putting my best foot forward.

All in all I can only hope to have another experience as fun as this last one!
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Sunday, November 10, 2013

Sometimes life is so BIG

Sometimes it feels like life is so big. It can be overwhelming, exciting, fulfilling, crushing, embracing, beautiful and heartbreaking.

Life has happened a lot in the past couple months, and it's seemed so big that I haven't taken the time to sit down and write about it.

I was taking a mini break this last little while. After I found out that my fall show had been cancelled, I barreled into the fringe fest full steam ahead. I knew I'd be sans work afterwards so I was giving it all I had. Unfortunately I had to stop my run early for some family business, but my amazing director and playwright were more than willing to step in and perform my role! Can we talk about how cool Seattle is?

After the fringe closed, I picked up a lot of shifts at work and decided to give myself a breather. Just this week I've finally dived back in. I've seen three shows!
1. Rope at Ghostlight
2. The Underneath at Annex
3. Animal Cruelty with Printer's Devil Theater

They were all fabulous, and it felt like such a relief to be back in a theater breathing the same airspace as the talented people of Seattle. I also attended my first master class with Acting Teacher. He invited me 6 months ago and I hadn't found a free Wednesday night, but this week I had one. I had a lot of fun watching the class, and I'm very excited to get down and dirty with some great scene work. It's been too long since I challenged myself outside of auditions and I forgot how much I thrive on it!

I've had a few rehearsals for my upcoming SAG film. I'm really stoked to start shooting in a week. It's been such a great experience so far, and I don't get to do nearly as much film work out here as I would like. We'll be filming on location for 3 days, and then be in the studio for 2. It will feel like a vacation since I get to take time off work!

Just last week I sat down for my first workshop of Frankenstein with Book-It Rep. We did a read through of the current script and I got a chance to meet all my fellow actors. I have to say that already this feels like the coolest thing I've done in Seattle yet, and we've barely even begun! I'll be starting rehearsals at the end of December, and I can not wait to dive into this script! It's graphic and beautifully crafted and very moving. And the cast is uber talented.

Currently though, I'm still mid-break (even with all the crazy filming, auditioning, classes, and such that I'm doing). So I'm taking a break from thinking too much about my break. Which means, I'll be back to write more come December! Happy Holidays to all!
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Friday, September 13, 2013

That something, that magic

Lately I've been getting little flashes of this amazing feeling. It's a feeling I forgot I could feel. Because it happens so seldom, it normally makes me feel nostalgic. But it's been occurring more and more often lately, and I can only hope that I can relearn to grasp it fully.

It's the way I used to feel at Stephens College. I'd wake up every morning knowing that I had somehow been lucky enough to find exactly where I belonged. I had a beautiful artistic family, and every class I took, every conversation I had, and every single moment I spent in those three years felt as if I was accomplishing something important and meaningful. I was impacting the people around me, and they were impacting me. I was so open.

Graduating was an adjustment, certainly. And I've never lost my passion for acting in the time I've sent out of school. But it's only recently that I seem to have rekindled that magical feeling of doing work that's important. To me, and potentially to other people. I walk the halls of TPS during rehearsals and I can hear other actors rehearsing their work and I think "How lucky am I to be surrounded by people who understand that what they do is important?"

Truly, how many people in the world think that their job matters? How many people work for more than a paycheck? How many people live their life in pursuit of something so intangible, but so powerful and overwhelming that they know they can't do anything else? I'm sure there are many. Politicians, scientists, researchers, teachers, and the people who discover new things every day.

It feels like magic when there's that moment in your day that reminds you that you're exactly where you should be, doing exactly what you should be doing. Right now, it's only a moment. It used to be a constant. I strive to rediscover the constant! It happens the more I push myself; the harder and deeper I throw myself into something new. And I love every second of it. Here's to the magic.
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Monday, August 26, 2013

My summer of 2013

I know I've been absent. Frankly I've wrapped my arms so tightly around too many projects this summer that my hands have not been free to write. I've just returned from a lovely vacation in Florida that afforded me some much needed perspective, and I think that was the key I was missing.

I've been shooting a lot recently for my webseries House of Glass. Here are some pics:







That's been a crazy process of scheduling, and trying to film in the rain with the wrong sound equipment, and long drives to location shots, and A LOT of bruises from legitimate sparing and hand to hand combat. But it's been fun! And I'm excited to see the footage. I'm not wrapped on filming yet until mid October, but hopefully this will be edited and released for the public at the beginning of the new year!

I've started rehearsals for the Seattle Fringe Festival. I'm doing a new play called Operation Hibernation which is an in depth look at the lengths people will go to believe what they want. I'm incredibly excited to be a part of the Fringe Festival for the 2nd annual year of its comeback! Here's our postcard and poster:



It's going to be a wild ride. 

I'm really starting to feel like the work I'm doing matters again. I was working my way up for so long, and now the roles I'm being offered are finally starting to feel good again. After the Fringe Fest I'll be doing two Noel Coward one act's in British dialect, which I couldn't be more excited about. And then I'll finally be joining the Book-It Theatre in Frankenstein!

I've also recently booked my first SAG film through my agent, and I'll be getting my time period clothes on since it's about the Salem Witch Trials.

I've spent this summer relaxing in the sun, reading books, and seeing as much theatre as I can around my crazy schedule.

Some shows I've seen:
1. The Wild Party by Sound Theatre
2. A Keiko Green original that I can't remember the name of
3. Gruesome Playground Injuries by Azeotrope
4. Gloucester Blues by Harlequinn
5. A Midsummer Night's Dream by Greenstage
6. Picnic by ReAct Theatre

And now the marathon starts. I'm booked until mid March, and you can stay tuned for all the adventures that are sure to unfold!

Until next time: Some food for thought for the women of the theatre:
http://abderian-aeolist.tumblr.com/post/59347833397/i-once-had-a-guy-tell-me-tw-sexual-assault-in-my

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The Clockwork Professor post mortem

The Clockwork Professor reached it's kickstarter goal startlingly fast. The show was a complete hit--not only with the steampunk crowd of Seattle (of which there are many), but with the general public as well. It was a great gift to work on a show where I could feel the magic happening. The cast was tight, the belief in the playwright and the script was flawless, and our ability to pull together and make it work (under fabulous direction I might add) made the show soar. There were kind comments all around, and I don't think I could have picked a better show to work on for the summer.

Here are some of the reviews I could scrounge up, for my own records:

http://artsstage-seattlerage.com/2013/the-clockwork-professor-at-theatre-off-jackson/
http://www.dianavick.com/?p=919
http://copiouslove.wordpress.com/2013/07/30/copious-love-suggests-the-clockwork-professor/
http://www.broadwayworld.com/seattle/article/BWW-Reviews-THE-CLOCKWORK-PROFESSOR-at-TOJ-Offers-Fun-Steampunk-Melodrama-20130726

And take a look at some pictures!




I suppose now that the show is done with I can release the secret that I did in fact play a robot! It was incredibly fun and challenging to keep my eyes from never blinking, control myself from brushing hair out of my face, and trying to conceal my breathing. Any erroneous movement was a break of character, so it was exciting to keep my body so controlled for the duration of the show. And I've never had to be dead on stage for so long. Whew!

The challenges I faced:
-My contacts falling out on stage. Luckily most of the time I was able to grab them in my gloved hands and put them in my mouth to keep them moist. But you try saying your lines with a contact in your mouth and a blind eye. There was one night where I was not able to catch it. It fell out after my deactivation and I spent the rest of act 1 blind. My SM went on stage at intermission and miraculously found it unscathed even though it had landed in the main traffic pattern. Crazy!
-The amount of enunciation on our crazy new world language was definitely hard. I've never done so much vocal warm up and stretching before a show!
-Matching all my movements precisely to my fellow Robot. Especially the one moment when we both have to flick out a feather duster at the same time. If we were off on a movement it was so noticeable and the humor was lost. Luckily it barely happened!
-Popping my rib out of place during a show. That was rough. And then subsequently coming back two days later for industry night and having to do all of my contortion and gymnastic choreography. But I survived and my cast couldn't have been more encouraging and supportive! And my mom was there for those shows..so that was cool. Fun memories, mom, right?

It was an absolute blast. Miss you guys!




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