Splatterings

Once again it has been way too long since I last posted anything.

What has happened????

Well, I graduated college. BA in Theatre, cum laude. So I guess that’s pretty exciting. It’s strange that it’s all over. And the latest news is that I’m making the big crazy jump to New York City. I’m moving to Tribeca late August. I’m going to pursue the career of waitress/struggling (hopefully not so struggling) actor. I’m pumped!

I also attended , a program run by Signature Theatre at the Kennedy Center. It was a two week intensive of master classes. It was really awesome and incredibly beneficial the kick in the butt I needed before moving to NYC. I made tons of new friends and Jon and I did it together so it was really great to get to spend time with him. We got to work with incredible teachers…Karma Camp, Eric Schaeffer, Andrew Long, Jane Pesci Townsend, and more. We also got to work with Emily Skinner and Marc Kudisch, which I’ll admit, I was a bit star struck at first, but they were incredibly instructive and patient with us and all our questions.

The entire workshop just really made me remember how much I love musical theatre. I think I got a little burnt out on it for awhile. I mean, it’s hard to say I was really burnt out because I wasn’t doing all that much of it, but I just wasn’t getting the musical theatre training I needed to feel completely capable so I sort of felt like I tossed it on the wayside…but I AM really passionate about it. I just had sort of forgotten how much I loved it all until I was up singing and dancing everyday. I hadn’t done anything since Bat Boy and this just reminded me how much I love it!

After working with Karma and Michael Gorman (he came in for half a day…works on A Chorus Line on Broadway) I can’t wait to get into ballet class and really tackle my technique. I know it’s not going to be easy, but I already have dance background, now I just have to take this step and push myself.

Towards the end of the two weeks we got to have a workshop/audition in front of Tara Rubins casting agent Eric Woodall. Eric was incredibly helpful. He was very very honest with us all. He questioned me on why I was singing the songs I was….tried to figure out my real range. He could immediately tell I didn’t feel as comfortable singing in the higher register of my voice. I told him it was true, but during this workshop they had given me these pieces to work and I was trying to expand my range and abilities. It was so nice to have him actually tell us the things that he’s usually thinking in an audition, but doesn’t ever have the chance to say.

Honestly, I feel like I could go on and on about the workshop. I gained a lot of valuable knowledge about the business, performing, auditioning, how to dissect a song, etc. etc. Jane said one thing that I loved, she actually has it tattoed on her. She says, “Never sing a ballad without hope.” I think in many ways that’s so obvious, but sometimes people tend to forget,
“Never sing a ballad without hope”

Marc Kudisch said some really great things that I wrote down as well:
“Life is simple, it’s just not easy”
“There’s no such thing as an obstacle, it’s a challenge”
“There is no difference between acting and talking, between singing and breathing”

Then we had a final performance at the end of the workshop where each of us sang one song we had been working on and did 3 group numbers. Gregg and a bunch of my friends were able to attend which was so nice. And I finally felt like I nailed the song I had been struggling with. It was a great feeling!

Anyhow, that’s all for now. Sorry this post was so rambling!

…Will update soon about my trips to NYC this summer and moving there!!!!!

Yay for photos! Hopefully this will work!

Here is the gang of us that got the chance to meet with James Earl Jones. He was so nice!

I’m so frustrated that I can’t figure out how to upload photos anymore, but I’m working on it so I should have some cool ones of James Earl Jones, auditions, and the like.

Only three weeks of school left. Things are busy, but I’m just feeling ready to leave. I’m a little scared of not being in the safety of school life, missing friends, and stuff, but I’m more excited at this point.

Jon and I got to go to NYC 2 weeks ago for a weekend. It was really unexpected for me, but Gregg was quite convincing and I ended up going. It was amazing. So nice to get out of Fredericksburg for awhile and to see really good theatre. We saw Spring Awakening, The Dying City, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Company. Spring Awakening was unbelievable. For anyone who doesn’t know anything about it yet, check it out here. There’s even a video clip from the play. I feel like it’s such an important moment in musical theatre history. It’s a rock musical–edgy and full of life. The musical is based on the German play by the same title. It tells the story of young people in Germany who are being oppressed by the authority figures in their life and what they go through growing up. It’s a coming of age story. The twist though is that it’s all in the correct period costumes wise and language wise until the songs. Then the actors pull out hand held mics from their jackets and sing contemporary songs with modern lyrics about what they’re going through. It’s awesome and the cast is all really young, 16-25 years old. So….they’re casting replacements for it and I’m going to go to an open call for it in Boston on the 20th. It’s pretty exciting.

Jon and I also did an open call a couple weeks ago at the Kennedy Center. That went surprisingly well. I felt like I nailed it. I didn’t hear back from them, but when I was walking out they said that I was good. So, that was encouraging at least.

Then Jon and I did the Overtures audition last weekend. It went alright. I didn’t impress myself too much though. We’ll find out the 16th if we got slots in the program, but I’m not holding my breath.

So…Spring Awakening is the last audition I really have lined up for awhile. Then I’ll be just traveling between RI and NYC auditioning in the city to try to get work before I move there. I’m going to try to save a lot of money this summer, but I want to take voice lessons and maybe a ballet or jazz class while I’m home too. I can’t be lazy this summer.

Well, that’s all for now. I’m going to work on uploading those photos too!

Oh, also, if anyone who reads this knows of anyone who needs roomies in NYC starting in Sept, I’m looking!

It’s been quite awhile, but I feel like I finally have something to say.

I’ve grown a lot over the past year since taking Ideas in Performance. I see it much more now that I did even a couple of months ago.

Only about 7 more weeks until I graduate now and I’m let out into the “real world.” It’s so scary. But I’m looking forward to it more than anything. It’s sad to leave what I know, but I’m hopeful about the future.

I’ve decided that I need to pursue a career in acting. I want it badly enough and I now have the drive to do it and am not fearful of admitting it to myself or anyone else.

I find myself mentioning it in all of my classes. Not that I’m bragging (it’s really not anything to brag about), but it’s like I finally am able to assert myself and proudly say that this is what I want to do with my life. And reactions are so varied, but it doesn’t matter. I want to prove to people that actors are smart. They are intelligent people who want to affect one another and move people.

This past month has been pretty crazy. I went to St. Louis for the Mid Western Theatre Auditions (MWTA) and then over Spring Break went down to Atlanta, GA for the South Eastern Theatre Conference (SETC). They’re these large conventions where you have 90 seconds to sing and do a monologue in front of a bunch of companies at once. Some are only hiring for summer seasons and others are for year round theatres. I wasn’t super happy with my audition at either convention. I was a little thrown off by the fact that it was an audition and not letting myself think that it was a performance instead. But I got callbacks…and in some I thought I really did well and others…not so much. A lot of the callbacks were for children’s companies, which I’m not at all interested in working for so I didn’t even bother going to most of those. Then the others were all over the board. I’m trying to be optimistic. If anyone decides to hire me, I should hear back from them in the next 2 weeks.

But now I’m sort of thinking that I want to go home for the summer anyhow, work a lot and save money to move to NYC. My boyfriend is probably going to be in NYC for the summer so I can go visit him and audition every other week or so. Maybe line something up for myself so when I move there in Sept. I’ll have a job and I’ll have to find a day job as well….

But I got my headshots and I think they turned out really well. I still have to order some in color for film and tv auditions.

I’m also auditioning for this thing called Overtures, a program through the Signature Theatre in DC. It’s a 2 week intensive training program for actors this summer. That audition is on the 31st. I’ll let you know how it goes.

I just can’t get discouraged. I may not get any work. That’s the toughest part right now. But I’m pretty good with rejection. I know that just because I wasn’t right for one company or a certain season, I’ll be right for another. I just have to keep on taking classes and continue to hone my skills, which is why the Overtures thing would be cool to do, but again, we’ll see.

I got to hear some really amazing theatre people speak recently as well. Marsha Norman, Tom Key, and James Earl Jones. One of the themes that really stuck out for me was the question of what is theatre? And what is art? Tom Key an actor, director, and playwright said something along the lines of, “Entertainment is not art, but theatre which stirs the soul is.” This really stuck with me. Key was stressing that theatre should affect people, not just entertain, but move them. It was interesting to hear him say that. I often find it hard to define exactly what theatre is. Is it just somebody doing something in front of an audience? I don’t think that’s all it is. But sporting events and things like that definitely have a sort of theatricality to them. I would argue it is telling a story to an audience. Maybe not an entire story or a linear one, but a story that can move a person. Marsha Norman talked about how people always claim that the world of theatre is dying and how it’s so untrue. There is nothing like seeing live theatre. But as we learned in Musical Theatre Performance Broadway certainly isn’t what it used to be…millions of people used to flock to NYC to see shows every year, now the numbers are way down. It’s sad in a way, but it’s also exciting that we have all these other mediums now like film and television. I would never want to get rid of them. They’re just new mediums for us to work with, but they don’t ever replace the power of live theatre. I was struck by how honest and insanely funny Mrs. Norman was. She kept saying that it’s true, people want to hear stories about sex, violence, and love. Things they care about. But she also said that there are some skills one can teach to a playwright, but there are other things one cannot, something like voice. My ears perked up immediately when I heard her say this as we’ve been discussing the use of voice in length in my Writing Process class. And everything we do in there, everything I learn about the writing process and writing, I continually relate back to the acting process and theatre. My paper on voice was actually called “The Actor in Me Won’t Shut Up”. But that’s not the point….the point is that Mrs. Norman thinks voice is something internal, something that you have and is not able to be taught. I’m not sure if I agree with her completely. I think voice is something that a person innately has, but the way you express your voice can be channeled and you can learn different techniques on how best to go about it.
Another amazing presence I got to hear speak was James Earl Jones. He came to our school and spoke for the Fredericksburg Forum. Some of us students actually got to meet him and ask him a few questions though this was after one of our students went out of his way to ask all Mr. Jones’ people if we could—it didn’t apparently occur to anyone at the university that theatre students would like to talk to a famous and incredibly talented actor who they were paying thousands of dollars to come here, which really pisses me off because I know that if a famous chemist or psychologist came to the university they most definitely would have set up a meeting with those majors for them, but anyhow…. He said the most gorgeous thing. He said that it is when all the actors, adults are waiting in the dark, in the wings, waiting to make their entrance there is this intense emotion as you know that you are the only one who can bring this character and person to life and the great responsibility you have as an actor to do this. I just thought it was so beautiful. Then he talked about how no matter what people say, if this is what we truly want to do with our lives then we should do it. And that’s really good to hear.

I should have done this forever ago and I never did, but I was cast in “Bat Boy, the Musical” as Shelley Parker and I attempted to document my entire process online in a blog for my Senior Project (like a senior thesis). Check out my blog here.

And now that I’m pretty much done with Bat Boy, I’m going to try and continue to write on this blog…or some blog. I’ll keep you posted.

The last two days have been pretty exciting… auditions and callbacks for our fall main stage productions. I auditioned for the musical Bat Boy that we’re doing on the main stage in November. For those of you who know the show, I got cast as Shelley! I am so excited about it; it’s the role I originally proposed for my Senior Project (kind of like a senior thesis). Things seem to be coming together for my last year here. I am so excited! I don’t know the entire cast yet, but from what I can tell it’s going to be a kick ass show. I can’t wait to get started. Rehearsals begin tomorrow night…I’m thrilled! It feels like forever since I’ve been working and I just am ready to get back into it.

So, being the dork that I am… I did a little online searching for info about the play, to look at old photos, to read some of the articles from The Weekly World News where the playwrights originally got their idea for the musical. Well, I stumbled upon something pretty interesting… Brian Flemming’s blog! (He and Keythe Farley wrote Bat Boy).
Anyway, take a look: Brian Flemming’s Blog
He has a lot of reviews posted about Bat Boy, photos, etc. There are some Bat Boy groupies called “Batophiles”. haha. I don’t know…

The last two days have been pretty exciting… auditions and callbacks for our fall main stage productions. I auditioned for the musical Bat Boy that we’re doing on the main stage in November. For those of you who know the show, I got cast as Shelley! I am so excited about it; it’s the role I originally proposed for my Senior Project (kind of like a senior thesis). Things seem to be coming together for my last year here. I am so excited! I don’t know the entire cast yet, but from what I can tell it’s going to be a kick ass show. I can’t wait to get started. Rehearsals begin tomorrow night…I’m thrilled! It feels like forever since I’ve been working and I just am ready to get back into it.

So, being the dork that I am… I did a little online searching for info about the play, to look at old photos, to read some of the articles from The Weekly World News where the playwrights originally got their idea for the musical. Well, I stumbled upon something pretty interesting… Brian Flemming’s blog! (He and Keythe Farley wrote Bat Boy).
Anyway, take a look: Brian Flemming’s Blog
He has a lot of reviews posted about Bat Boy, photos, etc. There are some Bat Boy groupies called “Batophiles”. haha. I don’t know…

So the first day of classes of my senior year are over. Weird.

It is so good to be back. I feel like I could type that a few more times… It’s just really nice to see all the familiar faces and find out what everyone’s been up to. I was getting pretty bored and stifled back home. Don’t get me wrong, if you know me…you know I am obsessed with where I’m from, but it did get kind of boring not doing any theatre.

And I’ve been pretty amped up about Bat Boy all summer & had no one around me who shared my feelings about that. I am so excited we’re doing this show!!! I just feel like it’s time for us to do a musical that’s new and funky, a little wild, and definitely more student oriented than the past few. I want to get the buzz started around campus about it early. I’m just thrilled with our entire season. I am a little bias considering I was on the selection committee, but personally, I think it’s AMAZING.

It’s pretty cool to see all the freshman on campus and stuff. I had to help a girl get out of duPont & into Pollard today. I can only hope we get a lot of new majors who are really excited about being here. I’m trying to be super friendly and welcoming. I’m crossing my fingers that it’s a good class with a lot of talent. Auditions are tonight & tomorrow for our first two shows so break a leg to anyone who is auditioning!!!!!!

And I can’t help but say it’s good to be back, but it’s weird to be the oldest. I miss everyone–you know who you are. I just want to set a good example for everyone coming in and have a good senior year. It’s gonna be crazzzzzy!!!!!!!!

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about theatre this summer… It’s frustrating that I’m away from most of the people who are educated about theatre, who really know the business and have a love for it, but it’s given me a chance to sit with my own thoughts for awhile, my thoughts on the world of theatre and where I fit in–which is really the question I’ve been trying to answer for awhile now. This past semester made it very clear to me that I’m not sure yet… this past semester and taking The NY Class made me want to figure it out, want to try new things, and want to succeed in theatre more than I ever have before. There have been times this past semester where I questioned what the hell I was doing in theatre to begin with, “Am I cut out for this? Could I be happy doing something else?” But those thoughts only came for what seems like a nano seconds and were totally gone after our trip to NY. And those thoughts haven’t come back. I know they won’t.

NY made me itch to be a part of it. To make the streets my home, to waitress and barely make ends meet only to run to a rehearsal later that evening, and wake up and do it all over again. It felt real. It’s not glamorous and it’s not the lights and the fame or prestige that I want. It wasn’t the Broadway theatres as much as the smaller spaces that were really calling to me. Wow, that sounds so cliche, but I have to get there. I need to be in that world. I’m ready. I didn’t think I was ready, but I know I am now. It’s about those human connections that can be made in NY, about the need to be in a community that fully embraces the arts, the desire to do theatre there, to say something, and make people feel something. If not there, somewhere, some city… A city to learn in, fall on my ass in, and keep on going in.

I came to see how much I want to make an impact on other people, but above all, I want to do something that will make me happy. Isn’t that what everyone wants??? Well, I’ve been reflecting on it all for awhile and today I sat down and did get to talk to someone who shares my passion for theatre, who didn’t realize what she wanted to do in the world of theatre until her late 40’s. And we talked and talked…and I eventually opened up and was able to say that I’m petrified of my love and interest for it, but I want to study directing more. I really want to direct. There, I said it. I even typed it. It feels formal now. It’s kind of scary to say that because I’m worried I’ll just be absolutely terrible at it or fail or make an ass out of myself, but I really really want to direct a play. I’m GOING to direct a play this next year. I have to. I need to find out if it’s what I want to do. I almost wish I could change my senior project to directing, but unfortunately it’s too late and I don’t have the experience necessary to make directing my project anyway. And I’ve found that my experience acting has helped me to understand the role of the director so much more. Directing also scares me because you have to know about everything. To be a good director you have to understand at least the basics of lighting, sound, scene, and costume design, etc etc etc. But beyond that, you have to have the life experiences to support you. You must be able to communicate. I think I’m an excellent communicator, but I’m not so sure about the rest…and still, I know now that I have to try it out. I think that energy that I love that happens between an actor and an audience member will be potentially even more thrilling between a director and an audience member. So, I’ll try and do my senior project first semester and get that done and then second semester focus on directing a play. Thus, my goal this summer is to find the show I want to direct. A play I’m passionate about that can work in Studio 115. I feel like I’m onto something… I could not be any happier that I took The NY class. I don’t think I realized what I was getting myself into when I sat in Gregg’s office back in November and we talked about whether or not I should take the class, but I think it just may have changed the course of my life forever.

It has been interminably long since I last posted. I’m not really sure why…I guess the end of school was pretty hectic and then I was off on some trips & not too focused on the world of theater for the moment. I was just living. Enjoying some time to spend with family & friends, but now I MISS IT. It’s really pathetic, but I’m not doing anything that has to do with theater this summer. I applied for a job at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, but they said that though they loved my resume and thought I had a great personality, they need someone for the entire year. Though it was encouraging to hear that a professional company was impressed by my resume & they said they’d keep it on file and to call if I ever was in the area for a long amount of time. I could always apply for an internship there when I graduate…it’s a theatre that I really respect and I would love to further the world of theater in Rhode Island, but after our big trip to NYC…I think that’s where I’d like to be for awhile at least.

Speaking of going to New York, I am in dire need to schedule a headshot appointment for this summer. I’d like to try and do it with Juliet Lafaro, the woman Tori and I met with while in NY…hopefully she’ll be able to fit me in. I’m going to give her a call in the next day or so. I also want to see if I can get tickets to see The History Boys while I’m there. My grandparents saw it when they were last in the city and raved about it & it certainly has gotten good reviews. Is there anything else that anyone strongly recommends I see while I’m in the city??? I’ll have to give Miss. Jess a call and maybe she can meet me for dinner & a show. Well, anyhow, I will try to be better about posting again… I’ve been reading a lot of plays & have some things I’d like to say about them etc. That’s all for now.