Don't be Afraid to be Theatrical

Professor R said it best to me, but the above title is a common note I get. Professor B says I'm honest and Professor L thinks I can deliver a truthful line with the best of them. They all mean the same thing. Professor R reminded me of it again today when my partner and I were performing our Hamlet scene, in which I (Hamlet) tend to rant in soliloquy. It was a very true note, but I must say Professor R makes it seem much easier than when I attempt it. Such is the life of a BFA candidate.

Well, I had a full last week. My dinner with Joy Haynes was great! I invited my roommate, and we went to a snazzy restaurant downtown to eat with Joy, the President of our college, the dean of my theatre department, my costume designer from Rabbit Hole, and one of Joy's old friends that works at the Okoboji Summer Theatre. We talked about Joy's documentary that is in the works, which is being filmed at a mental ward, and I got to hear a lot about Washington D.C. where Joy is currently working. I had heard most of it at the lunch I had with her, but it was fun to see where all the theatre alum were from the class of '93. Many of them have children, and many of them are highly successful in theatre. One is on Broadway, one is on TV, some come back to Boji to direct, and Joy works professionally in her field as well. Very interesting. You can see all about her at her personal website: www.joyhaynes.com


The castlist for All my Sons went up, and I was not cast. Some of my best friends got great rolls, and I'm very excited to see the show. I think it's going to be a challenge and a great experience for all of them, especially those First Year understudies.

I also had a film audition last week. It was awesome!!! It was the most professional one I've been to yet, mostly because it wasn't a student film. I got my sides early by e-mail, so I could look over the part. Then I prepared a monologue for the audition as well. All of the crew were really welcoming. I got to meet the writer and she and the director told me what they were expecting. The audition area was actually lit with lights and reflectors. I was surrounded to the point where it was hard to see the director when he was talking to me. It was great! They all knew what they wanted and it felt great to be surrounded by people like that. I did my monologue first, and then they had me sit and read a long monologue for the character I was auditioning for. After I read it, they gave me an adjustment--and here's the irony--it was to be LESS emotional! Which means I was being too big for the camera. Ah, the perfect balance needs to be found. However, they seemed to enjoy my second reading and they asked my availability and if I would be able to commit to the principle photography dates. They explained that callbacks would be this week from Wednesday to Friday if I got a callback. Maybe I will, maybe I won't. However, that was the funnest audition I've been to all year and I had a great time!

This weekend I started a list of the Top Ten Paid Internships I should look into. This is a really hard list to make, because each theatre is so different and so is the experience I would have there. So far I only have 3 internships. Professor D talked about Grad School in our last Nuts and Bolts lesson. He said you need to have a really good reason to attend Grad School, and they're going to ask you why you think Grad School is right for you when you audition. Wanting to go to GS because you're afraid of the real world or because you enjoy the classroom setting is not a good enough reason to attend. Professor D said he went because he didn't know his 'type', or the kinds of characters he could be cast in. One day I'll go to GS because I have more to learn, and I want to further my knowledge, and because those connections will take me to amazing places. However, I think at this point in my life I need to experience the real world.

Just some food for thought.

I got a new laptop this weekend. My last one died unexpectedly; the motherboard crashed. But now I'm up and running again, with a lot more work to finish before MOMMY GETS HERE on FRIDAY!

It's Like Christmas!

That's what Professor R proclaimed when handing out our Shakespeare scenes which, admittedly, I was excited to get. I'm playing Hamlet, and I have some lines to memorize tonight! It looks like it will be a really fun scene.

So, I meant to update before today, but there was so much going on. Last week went by in a flash. I had my first monologue to perform in our monologue class. Professor B told us all that we need to remember that saying a monologue 'honestly' will not set us apart from the 300 people auditioning for the same role. Anyone can do an honest line reading. We need to be unique. We need to tag (end with an action) it. She told us the only rules in an audition are the ones we make for ourselves. I thought that was great advice. Who really says you can't use a prop or a chair? Don't start in neutral, stand in a way that makes someone pay attention to you, and that gives you the option to move. If you stand straight on with your hands at your sides, the only place you can go is to step forward or wander aimlessly to the side, or to bring your hands up in a physically unappealing gesture.

We need to learn to engage our bodies, and the first step is giving yourself the opportunity to move. We need to pick pieces that showcase our abilities and set us apart from the crowd.

All of this is easier said than done. Nonetheless, it will be my goal of the year to come up with audition pieces that do all these things for me.

We had meetings with Professor D pertaining to our resumes. I only had minor critiques, such as including the names of my directors on my resume, because I never know when someone will know someone I've worked with, and that makes all the difference.

This weekend we had auditions for All my Sons. Saturday went great and I received a callback. Sunday's callback was a lot of fun. I thought, for once, that I might have been called back for the ingenue Ann. However, I was called back for Sue, which is the next door neighbor who has a really interesting part. I had a great time at the callback. Director L told us exactly what she was looking for and we tried our best to give her what she wanted. I didn't get any corrections, and we only ran the scene once. My friends all had great callbacks too, and the competition was especially fierce for only 4 female roles. We should be finding out Wednesday or Thursday, so we'll see how it goes!

I have another film audition this week, for an off-campus film this time. I'll be doing that on Thursday, and if nothing else it's great experience. It was an interesting weekend in the film department of my life. The trailer for some of my friends' movie has come out:

http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/movies/joe-williams/youtube_1e5b35f4-be21-11df-b689-0017a4a78c22.html

It's called A Horrible Way to Die . This movie is making it's debut at a couple different high end film festivals, and it's an amazing accomplishment for all the students involved. This is one I auditioned for but was not lucky enough to be cast in.

Along with this, my friend Melissa was cast in a film last year called A Face Fixed. It had it's premiere at The Ragtag Cinema this weekend, and I went with Melissa. Not only was it amazing to watch her on screen in a legitimate film (not a student film) in an actual theatre, but she was asked afterwards by someone involved in the movie if they could represent her as her agent! Talk about an awesome opportunity. She's got a bright future ahead of her.

So beyond all the amazing film related things that have been happening in my life as of late, I was asked by Professor R to meet an alumnae: Joy Haynes for lunch today. She graduated from here in 1993 (with an amazing group of girls, might I add) and has since gone on to get her law degree as well. So she's a part time practicing lawyer, and the other part of her time is spent acting and producing films in Washington D.C. She was incredibly easy to talk to and told me a lot of great stories about her time at my college as well as what it's like to do what she does.

She says D.C. is the best kept film secret. All of the voice overs in election campaigns, and airport recordings are done in D.C., along with many other opportunities that look great when building a resume. She also said that there is more film in D.C. than in Chicago. However, it is cheaper to live in L.A. (even with the driving) than it is to live in D.C., but she worked more acting gigs in 1 year in D.C. than she did in 4 years in L.A. Crazy right?

She was great to talk to, and I'll be going out to dinner with her tonight along with the Dean of the Theatre Department and the President of our college. What a fun evening I have ahead of me. I can't wait to talk to her more!

On the downside, I still have a ton of homework to accomplish. But I did finish printing the Warehouse Posters for distribution! Whoot!

Moving Forward

Last week went by so fast, and yet so much happened. Spirit Week really helped raise awareness of the Warehouse, at least in the theatre community on campus. We had a great Open Mic night, and our Speed Friending event was packed full of eager first years and upper classmen who were willing to be their mentors. We've all officially been paired up, and I'm excited to get to know my mentizzle.

Our Dance on Saturday was a big hit, and I had a great time after cleaning up all day. We had a nice turn out for the clean up and we were done and set up for the dance in no time. Everyone showed up Saturday night with great 90s costumes. I went as Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls and danced the night away.

Today was extra packed, and I'm still feeling a little behind.

We performed our sonnets in Shakespeare today. Professor R told me I was confident, clear, precise, and really handled the language well. He reminded me to emphasize 2 of my consonants on 'dooM' and 'erroR' so all the syllable could be understood. We performed once in the rehearsal room (where we have all our theatre classes this year) and once on stage. It's always fun adapting your piece to fit a larger space after being in a smaller one. I thought everyone did a great job with it, and with interpretation. I can't wait to move onto scenes!

Shakespeare Lit was just a discussion of Richard II, which we will be continuing to talk about on Wednesday.

I had my second voice lesson today, though, and I had a blast. Voice Professor T warmed me up and we covered some Alexander exercises. Alexander technique is something we covered our first semester in college. It's a technique that properly aligns your body to get a healthy, natural sound that vibrates and carries. Many exericese are similar to yoga positions. It's a very useful technique and it carries into voice lessons well (imagine that).

We picked two ballads and one (AWESOME) up-beat song that I can't wait to start on.

I've written my response to the moral dilemma assigned in my Ethics class. Here's the dilemma, if you're interested:

You are a journalist for an American newspaper on assignment in a remote African country. Your job is to objectively gather information about rumors that the country’s government is planning genocide by stockpiling weapons and closing roads out of the country. You have been given clear instructions to report but never to intervene, and you have sworn that you will comply with this request. While doing your research you find a massive list of people that appear to be targeted for murder the next night. What do you do? In answering, make use of Kant’s ethical theories and specific terminology.

I've completed my personal inventory assignment for acting which will help me discover what type of characters I should be looking at for acting. I started the Warehouse Blog too! I'll post the link as soon as I'm more confident about it's appearance. I've also finished my Resume and had a meeting about the Costume Sale we're putting together as a Warehouse Fundraiser. Half the proceeds will be going to a women's shelter in town, so that's exciting.

Anyway, it's been a full day, and I haven't even begun to pick my monologue for All My Sons auditions which are happening on Saturday. It's on the top of my THINGS TO FINISH, HURRY UP list.

The most informative part of my day (in a day so full of learning, how could I possible choose you ask?) was the helpful discussion I had with Professor B about grad school. I asked her professional opinion about putting together an audition package for URTAs (the regional, combined auditions for graduate schools). She explained that sometimes you can go to the URTAs and never even see a college representative. They put you in front of a screening board first, and decide whether or not they like you enough to put you through. She thinks that if you have a place in mind, it's much smarter to visit the university and audition on campus. Smart advice! Especially since I'm undecided on what I'd like to do after graduation.

She suggested trying the nearby programs, such as UMKC and seeing if my package works for me. I could learn that I've picked the wrong monologues, and then I would know what to fix.

She reminded me that we shouldn't be so worried about being behind. We all think we have so much to do before we graduate, but we're graduating a year earlier than most people, and we can use that year to do whatever we'd like. She suggested studying abroad while I still have only myself to think about. She referenced some great internship programs (which, ironically enough, are the ones I've been most interested in throughout my research) and reminded me that both of these things could help me grow as an artist and a person.

Professor B made a point that I hadn't thought of, as well. She said that if I do go to graduate school, I need to be prepared to stay in the area a while. If I went to UMKC, after I graduate, the smart option would be to work in that area, where all of my fellow graduates, guest directors, and professors have connections. If I really want to work in NY or LA, I need to find a school in that area to meet those people. She said she knew amazing people that graduated from her program at UMKC and went to LA and never worked because they didn't have the contacts. Interesting point.

So, as of now, I will be looking into making two separate packages. One for the possibility of grad school which will include a classical, a shakespeare, and a modern realism monologue. And one for internships, which will include 2 modern pieces (because Professor B knows that's my strength) one comedic and one dramatic.

SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT!!!!!

Resume Building and Headshot Hunting

Resumes and Headshots--the two most important tools in an actor's kit. The Nuts and Bolts Advanced Acting class I'm taking this semester with Professor D is teaching me all about the real world and how's it done. Here's some of what I've learned:

Our assignment this week is to update/make our resume presentable to hand in and to research good headshot photographers that we'd like to shoot with. The proof is in the picture.

Professor D tells us our picture has to be eye catching. Our eyes need to hold secrets that make a casting director say "Let's call her in!" But of course, you have to be yourself because if you walk in the room and you don't look like your picture they won't want to talk to you. So this means that you need to market yourself in the way you want to be perceived to obtain the parts you'd like to act. If I want to be the girl next door then my picture shouldn't make me look too provocative, otherwise I wouldn't be called in for the part.

There is a balance. I wouldn't want to look like a crazy woman in my headshot just so I could play a psychotic role.

I found it all very interesting to hear about. We learn a lot in the class that seems like common sense, but I've realized I feel like I know what I'm talking about more because I learned it in class and not through my own research.

My Shakespeare acting class is in full swing now. We've performed our Romeo and Juliet scenes for the class. They all went well. It was an exercise in language, and now that we've gotten hold of that we're moving onto Sonnets. I'm performing Sonnet 116 in class on Friday for Professor R, and we'll perform them for everyone next week. Personally, I really enjoy sonnets because they're so personal. Here's my sonnet, if you'd like to read it:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O, no! it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth’s unknown, although his height be taken.
Love’s not Time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
With his bending sickle’s compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error, and upon me prov’d,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov’d.

The Warehouse has been busy this week, as well. It's spirit week! We had Superhero Day, Lady GaGa Day, today is Disney Princess Day, and tomorrow is Twin Day. Last night was our first Open Mic night, where all the students gather and perform original works and hang out. Tonight is Speed Friending where we're going to pair upperclassmen (Mentors) with compatible lowerclassmen (Mentizzles) through a series of conversations in a rotating circle. In otherwords, it's like speed dating...but not! This has been the week for the underclassmen to put up declarations for class representative to join the Warehouse Board. Only one from each class can be chosen and we'll be having elections on Saturday after our Cleanup. We have a cleanup every year where the Warehouse members clean our performance spaces in time to kick off our first Dance! This year our theme is 90s music video! It's going to be a fun weekend for sure!

I'm also planning on seeing Equus this weekend in St. Louis with some friends. We have some recent graduates in the show and we're excited to see them at work. My friend Nancy is also doing a show in Kansas City and I hope to drag the old Rabbit Hole cast out to see her for lunch and then watch her show!

Gotta run to class!

Still Alive and Working Towards that Degree

I'm here! I'm breathing!

And apparently I'm a horrible blogger, but I will definitely whip myself back into shape. I left off so long ago, but I'll try to recall things as best as I can.

So I left off with the run of Unnecessary Farce and the rehearsal of Rabbit Hole. Rabbit Hole was truly the most challenging piece of literature I've ever worked on in my life. Which is the point, I do believe. Farce ended with a bang. We had a great run, the audience loved it every night, and the biggest technical difficulty we had was one night when the lights decided not to go out at intermission, so we had to hold the intermission for an extra 10 minutes or so, and finally we had to turn the lights off manually instead of fixing the problem with the board. It was great immediacy for the actors, who had to walk on stage with the lights up to get into position, instead of in a blackout. They stayed in character and had a blast doing it. We finally had the lights fixed half way through Act II in time to make them come up for curtain call from the light board.

Talk-back for the show was nice, and the cast did a beautiful job of showing their support of our director by singing his praises about his work on the show. He really did a fabulous job, and we sent him a video copy of the performance so he could see it.

The last night my parents were able to come up and see the show, and they enjoyed it a lot. They stayed long enough to watch The Chalk Garden and the opening night of Rabbit Hole, which I couldn't have appreciated more.

I spent the next week rehearsing Rabbit Hole full time before opening, and I ushered in the evening. The second week was much more difficult than the first. The strain of being inside Becca's head was beginning to grow. I've realized that had I been in a place where I could have gone 'home' after rehearsal, or taken the time to compartmentalize my feelings and Becca's before moving onto the next job, or if I had had a longer rehearsal process to sift through the emotions--then the process wouldn't have been as difficult and emotionally taxing. But that was the beauty of Boji. It taught me that I had the strength to fight through all that, and give a performance to the best of my ability.

Director L was constantly reminding me of the psychology behind Becca's decisions, and Howie's (my husband in the play) choices. I learned a lot by listening, and I worked hard to take everything she said and employ it the next time we repeated a scene. I stressed a lot over a breakdown scene I had, where I had to cry without the help of being able to speak or move. I was able to produce the necessary emotion in the beginning, but by the middle of the rehearsal process I was straining to reach tears every time. The emotional upheaval was so constant that, as a human being, I was having a hard time bringing myself to the same climax every time.

That is the hardest lesson I learned at Boji. The perseverance and endurance it takes to play these amazing roles is indescribable. And what's more, I could only do what I was capable of at that point in my life. When I'm truly 36 years old, if I ever have the opportunity to play this role again, my life experience would lend itself so differently, and probably with more desirable results.

However, that was the magic of this show. I was given the opportunity to stretch myself so much farther than I'd ever been allowed before. And what's more, I was allowed to do it with this amazing cast that did have the life experience. D couldn't have helped me more. It was so amazing to watch his process every night. What I learned from most, I can say now, was his physicality. I felt confined, playing this emotionally introverted character, and it was so easy to let my body stay stiff all the time. But watching D (my husband) move so naturally in the space really helped me move more fluidly. Though, generally speaking, my physicality is something I still have a lot of work to do on.

ANYWAY, that was a long way around saying that Rabbit Hole was easily the hardest but best part of my summer. I still haven't been able to think about everything completely, but I know I will look back on it for a long time to come.

Opening night was a great show, with great energy. It was technically our first full run as well. By Saturday we were doing runs, but I still had to call 'line'. Monday's tech process went until 4 AM, and we didn't actually dress the show. By 3 we were doing a cue to cue (which means you only say the lines right before a light or sound cue, and don't actually perform the full scenes). It was a blast for me, and, surprisingly, I was awake and ready to work the whole time. Working with the slip stage was AWESOME. The change-over from The Chalk Garden took us until 4 AM, AKA Sunday Night (and then Monday night was until 4 AM, and then Tuesday we opened. Thanks Boji for introducing me to the real world!), and getting the slip set up was long, but putting up the incredible set for Rabbit Hole took even longer. We couldn't even start our tech on Monday until after dinner, because the set was still being built. I'll have pictures up soon. A slip stage means that the stage moves left to right, so we had 3 separate sets that moved on and off by moving the actual stage instead of moving set pieces individually.

So, Tuesday was our first full run, and, considering, it went great! We got an instant standing ovation, which really surprised me. I felt really awesome about the show. I felt like I had accomplished something bigger than myself, and I had grasped the character in a way I hadn't previously. It was progress, and I was proud of that.

The next couple nights I felt like I was fighting to achieve something that I didn't necessarily reach, but each night I discovered something I hadn't before. I found new ways to win an argument, and we played different emotions in a couple scenes. If there's one thing that Boji did for me it was to show me a study of character. At school, sometimes, the performance just seems like a culmination of work, and it becomes this piece of show art that you put on to impress faculty or to show peers. But Boji was such a process and I never stopped learning. Every night was something new. And you never had the time to step back and evaluate anything. Which was great because, as many of the faculty tell us, we're a generation of thinkers and rule followers, and those are habits you have to break sometimes to reach truth.

By Saturday we were in a swing of sorts. I never felt the same as Gamma Rays. I didn't feel like I could do this performance every night with consistency. This role was so human that it constantly changed, and the script lent itself more to different choices. I was incredibly sad when the run ended, and it was incredible how fast the set came down.

Talk-back was great. There were many interested patrons, and we got more positive feedback than I had expected. We were praised on handling the difficult subject matter, on projecting louder than the other shows of the season, and on remaining real. I've realized how odd it is to try and explain your process or character to other people when it goes so deep. I had difficulty trying to tell the patrons that, while it was hard and emotionally draining, it was also one of the best experiences I'd ever been through.

The rest of Boji went by in a blur. Beauty and the Beast went up, and I got to House Manage. I spoke to many of the patrons and it was so heartening to hear how much they appreciated theatre, and our hard work. Our society has come to expect that anybody can be an actor, and so we teach ourselves to be under appreciated. These patrons were probably the nicest I will ever meet. The show was great! I got to spend the week in the costume shop, learning new skills. I made Lumiere's boots, and sewed skirts for all the napkins. It was a blast. We also spent the week cleaning up the lot, and I earned myself a shop tool belt (which is awesome)!

Somehow I got everything packed up, finished my last clean-up crew, and made it to the last strike. I injured my back slightly, so I wasn't allowed to do heavy lifting for the night, but I spent the night with great friends, finishing up what we love to do. All the spaces were cleaned out, the awning was taken down, the signs were unscrewed, and the truck was loaded!

We ended strike with some great speeches that left me thinking about everything I had learned and the things I'd come to respect. We got paid, which was an added and unexpected bonus, and then we said our goodbyes. Strike ended at 3:30 AM, and I was on the road by 7:30! I made it to Columbia with Gillian in time to unpack and race over to our departmental dinner so I could be present for the Warehouse Board Member speech.

And ever since then, it's been just as crazy as Boji. It only ended a week ago, and it feels like forever ago. I'm taking Global Ethics, Shakespearean Literature, Shakespeare Acting, Nuts and Bolts Acting Seminar (where we learn about the world), Monologue Class, and Private Voice. I love every class I'm taking, and the course load is already crazy. We had auditions for Our Leading Lady which I received a callback for, but wasn't cast in. I had a really great time auditioning though. And we recently auditioned our Warehouse show 5 Women Wearing the Same Dress, which I didn't audition for. I've spent my afternoons running around attempting to find sponsors for our season, and it's been a great experience so far. I've met some great people.

We've been assigned our Major City research assignment, where we have to research major markets that we'd like to move to to start our careers. I'm doing Houston and Austin, and I'm excited to get started. We had our First Warehouse Meeting today, as well, and all the first years are really interested in being involved. Already we have 61 members, and 97 showed up to the meeting--that's a record, I'm sure of it!

Anyway, it looks like it's going to be an amazing year, and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with this so it's not just an info junk heap. Onto homework!

Where Did My Oxygen Go?

7/24/10

Breathe? Who needs to breathe? Certainly not me.

So we left off at Tech of Gamma Rays. Tech was long, but no where near the length of a musical. So we got out around midnight. The set looked amazing, filled with all sorts of junk from the family's years of abuse. We spent the tech respacing our blocking (movement patterns) since there weren't a lot of sound or light cues.

So Tuesday night came and it was a great opening night! Many association members come on Tuesdays, and they're some of our biggest supporters. And mom was there. The energy was high, the lines were correct, and we got a standing ovation! It's difficult to get a standing O for a drama in Boji.

Wednesday and Thursday were our learning nights. We found great moment to moment work, which means that we found new interpretations of scenes and characters to play with, but the audiences were lower energy and we had to learn to not let it affect us. Thursday we also had 'the laugher' come. He's usually the person that laughs at really inappropriate moments, which we prepared ourselves for. What we didn't prepare ourselves for was his outrageous yawning! He was bored to death the whole show, and made sure his neighbors knew it. That was an interesting challenge to face.

Saturday and Sunday were our best performances. It was an amazing run of a show. I finally understood what it would be like to run a show consistently. By Sunday I could tell that I would be able to wake up and give the same performance the next day. There wasn't anymore blaming energy on the audience or saying we had an off day. I really didn't feel like a student giving a limited run anymore. I felt like I could have kept going. It's comforting to discover that I think I could sustain a professional theatre job.

I had so much fun with this play. I thought maybe doing a drama in such a short amount of time would be a downer since it was total immersion. But I just focused on character, and on the story we were trying to tell, and I felt like I was doing something right. I was so excited to open the show. I was excited to have a seizure every night just to bring a reality to the stage.

I wish I had more time to dwell on the performance I gave and the experience I had and really decide what it means to me, but time moves so fast here I've barely even thought about it. Maybe I shouldn't think about it.

Right after the show was done I went into rehearsals for Unnecessary Farce which I'm assistant stage managing. I was so excited to be ASM because I wanted to work with a guest director, which isn't something I've gotten to do this summer. And I would be working with actors that aren't in my other shows. First off Director B is phenomenal. He's the most amazing man I've ever worked with. He's a master of farce and he knows how to communicate exactly what he wants. He's one of the most unassuming, good natured people I've ever met and I truly hope I get another chance to work with him.

That being said--the play will be amazing. We actually open on Tuesday, and we tech tomorrow night, so I have a busy week ahead of me. I start Rebbit Hole rehearsals this week so it will be rehearsal morning and afternoon, and performance at night. Much the same as this past week has been. I've been the Light Board Operator for Company, so it was the same schedule. Company has been a blast as well. I've gotten to work with a very talented lighting designer and a great crew. I love learning about lights. I've taken a lighting design class in college and done a couple light crews, so I know some about the subject. Designers are always interesting people to talk to. They have such vision. And we had an interesting conversation about the pros and cons of New York vs. LA. Thanks JH.

I wrote this in two parts of my non-existent spare time. Here's the second:

Unnecessary Farce has opened now, and the run has gotten great audience feedback. We haven't had too much maintenance on the set yet, so that's nice. We've only broken 4 doors and the molding a couple times, which is better than we expected I think. With the energy and pace of the script, I honestly expected there to be even more upkeep. The cast is having a fun time being loved, and the audience energy is really making great things happen for them. We're planning on sending a copy of the show and photos of the show to our director as a present. I hope they find him well.

Rabbit Hole rehearsal has been a blast so far. As intimidated as I was by the depth of this script, I'm having so much fun jumping in and wading through the different emotions of this character. I've never been so challenged before, but I couldn't be surrounded by a more talented group of people. We're all striving to give this story the justice it deserves, so people can walk away from this play changed. The strength of these characters is uplifting and the way that they deal with their problems is so true to life. Everybody should see this play sometime in the life. Of course, it's being made into a movie this year, so at least they'll see it in some capacity.

So, as a wrap up: I've been involved in 4 plays in the last 4 weeks, most of them at the same time, and they've all been great. I'll reflect on that later though. After I breathe.

Tech Day, Then Opening

This has been one crazy rehearsal process. We blocked the show in two days. We were off book by Tuesday. We were working Act 1 by Wednesday and Act II by Thursday (which is 1 week of rehearsal). Then by Friday we were running the show! We ran the show twice on Saturday. The first time we performed it for our designers so they could get a last minute look at things they needed to consider, and for some of our production staff.

Instead of doing a full run the second time through, we did a line-through. Director B is really great about trying not to wear down the cast since it's such a heavy show.

I'm happy that I was able to get off book on schedule. Working in the Box Office for the week helped since I could study lines in my down time. I had a ton of costume fittings this week as well. My character wears really tight clothes and so our Costume Designer C, the same designer I had for Playhouse Creatures, decided that she wanted to build all my pieces. So she spent the week measuring me and making my costumes by hand.

They're amazing. She had a lot of help from our guest designer for Company that has been watching my process--she's a great teacher. So I had two skirts and a dress constructed for my character, and then distressed to look older on stage. It was really cool to be a part of the process, since at school they usually pull from stock whatever they want you to wear. I'd never had someone take the time with me to build my costume. That's real dedication there.

Last night was Strike and Change Over, and it went pretty fast. We were out at 1:30 again. The set looks great, and today we get to dress it. The house is full of junk, so it's going to be a fun job for props to throw things around and make it look messy. Today is Tech Rehearsal as well. So starting in the afternoon we'll do that, and by late tonight, probably around 9 or 10, we'll start our Dress Rehearsal. It's going to be a long fun night. This is the one night we have to see if we need to change blocking now that we're on the set, or costumes now that we're moving in the real space. We'll see how it goes!

And Mom gets here tomorrow!!!!!!

50 Posts, 7 shows, and 6 more days of Rehearsal Left

This will be my 51st blog post; can you believe it? I can't believe I've managed to keep up with it so far. Though I suppose the term 'keep up with' can be used loosely since I've arrived at Boji.

I had a really great week of rehearsal and by Saturday we had finished blocking the whole show, which is great progress. This next week we'll be working scenes and running the show. Tuesday opens the run of See How They Run, a British Farce, which will be hilarious. And then next Tuesday my show will open! Just one more crazy week.

Saturday we had two shows and then we kicked off our 4th of July celebration with a bonfire and fireworks show. It was a lot of fun, and it made up for me not being able to watch fireworks on the real 4th of July.

Then Sunday we had a parade in the morning. The company all dressed up in festive American gear and we grabbed some flags and drums and marched our way around the lot. When we got to the end the staff had set up a kiddy pool with a sign that said 'Boston Harbor' and we all threw tea bags into the water...and then dunked people. After that there was a volleyball tournament. It was students versus students and then staff versus the winning team. My team lost before the staff round, but we had a lot of fun getting the line officials to give us points.

I went off the lot for a bit with Katie Mac to find a flea market that one of the staff had told me about. It was HUGE and I found some really cool things there.

Of course, last night was also strike/change over night, so we had a long night. I was assigned to the scene shop to dismantle the in-going set and then the out-coming set. The only bad thing about the night is that the mosquitoes were horrendous! I literally have about 15 bites, and that's after spraying my clothes and myself 5 times throughout the night. It was ridiculous. I hope the next strike isn't so bad as that.

Today I did box office for the first time. I really enjoyed it, and I'm excited to spend the rest of the week in box office as well. I like that I get to rotate and be around different people every week.