The End and Beginning

So, I'm sitting here sore, tired, and with a thick layer of hair-spray all over my body. I'm too tired to actually try to fix any of the afore mentioned ailments, so I decided to blog before I pass out. So, if this doesn't make sense or I pass out before I have a chance to finish, meh, too bad. I'm sure you'll be able to continue living your life.

I just wrapped up a 2 show run. Yup, that's right, only 2 shows, a Saturday evening and Sunday matinee. It was gone in a flash. I have never done such a short run in my entire life. Well, now I take that back, the operas I did at a vocal arts symposium were a one shot deal, but we learned them each in about 4 days, so they don't count. Now I'm older and my mind is not as absorbent as it once was so projects are much more time consuming. Anyway, we started rehearsals right in the beginning of August, and had 4 nights of rehearsal a week, which was a lot. It was fast and furious, but good that it was short so it didn't take all summer, and it was only for 2 shows.

When we finally got to the performances, it seemed like we needed to have like just one more final dress... too late, it was show-time. We had an amazing audience on Saturday which made everything go smoothly. I would say we all brought our A game, and it was fun and intense, and amazing. You could tell everyone was pumped, since the cast party raged on until 3 a.m. Today's performance was great for the first act, which consisted of a number of different Gilbert and Sullivan pieces. Then the second Act of Trial by Jury arrived. It arrived and skipped and bounced and went in all sorts of directions. Needless to say, it wasn't the performance to end on... But the end did come.

This weekend was the opening and closer of a great show. I wish that we had another weekend at least to really perform. There are things I would love to fix and there are moments that change with each audience, I just wish there were more performances, but there's not. It's 2 shows and done. Opening nights are always special, matinees will always be hard, and the last shows are always full of mixed feelings. This one was such a unique show to be a part of, that I am not ready for it to be done yet. The rehearsals yes, but the performances, no.

When doing a show, you meet a lot of really neat people and you start to form a strange symbiotic bond with them. You spend every night together for rehearsal, you go out after rehearsal and are just thrown into a daily relationship with them. It's easy, because you all have to be there for rehearsal, so, there's no plans to be made, no times to be set, it's pretty much a planned out, no effort relationship. Now that the show is over, you might never see some of these people again, and you definitely won't see them every night (although I am out of groceries, so I might stop by for dinner). So, as I said goodbye, I had my usual regrets of either not getting to know someone better, or realizing I didn't put forth the effort to make future plans with them. But now it's over and time to look ahead.

So, what's next? Oh yes, I'm starting the cycle all over again. Rehearsals have already started and my first one is tomorrow. Ai carrumba! What am I doing? But this next show, I anticipate will be all gravy. I have a small part, so I'm thinking a lot less rehearsal time and I have a trip planned for a week (which is good for the break, and the time to learn my stuff mid-rehearsal) and the show runs 3 weekends. Perfect, right? We'll see....

OK Say good night Gracie. Good night Gracie.

Musical Momentum

So, as I do my daily... erm... bi-decade update, I thought I would tell you about the new show I'm in.

I took another break after Seussical to live my life outside of theatre. Then I realized I didn't have a very interesting life. I tend to throw myself into the main thing in my life, and after the shows, that's work. So, I spent a lot of time at work and expanding my voice lesson clients. But, it just wasn't the same. Work is work, and fun is fun. Soooooo, another audition with another new theatre was in order. I auditioned for Woodbury Community Theatre who is doing the Best of Gilbert and Sullivan and Trial by Jury back in June. I got the role of Angelina in Trial by Jury. Woo! But rehearsals didn't start until August, so it was nice to have the summer free.

Now rehearsals are fast and furious since we only had a month of rehearsals and the show goes up this coming up weekend. Eep! We're going to be performing in a brand new theatre, which we will see for the first time on Tuesday when rehearsals resume. The theatre seats 900. I'm a bad guess-timator about number of people and sizes and seats, but I do know that most of the theatres I've been working with seat about 250, give or take. So, that's a bit scary, but hopefully will be thrilling... if I don't trip down the stairs in my costume. Another scary/exciting bit is that Patrick Healy is flying in from Ireland this week to whip us into shape for the performances. He is a world renowned G&S specialist, and I'm shaking in my boots. It will be incredible to learn from him and to work with an expert in this genre, but I already feel my inadequacies adding up. But, it will be fine and amazing and everything will go well. Right? Right. No, it seriously will be. The cast and directors have been incredible to work for, and I hope to do more shows with Woodbury. They're a great group and I've had a wonderful experience. The talent in this show is incredible. There are soprano divas extraordinaire, beautiful song bird tenors, earth quaking basses, and luscious altos. The cast is amazing. I love listening and learning from all of these people and it's going to be a dynamite show, so if you're around, you should go. And if you're not around, you should come back and come to the show.

Onto the next role! What? Yes, another role. This is another first for me, a show overlapping another show. I auditioned for Annie with Ashland Theatre Company, and I have been cast as Lily St. Regis. I'm very excited to play yet another sassy female. (My current role Angelina is rather a handful as well.... and I was a sassy Bird Girl before that.... hmmmm. Pattern?) So, I will miss the beginnings of Annie rehearsals for the performances of G&S. I've never missed rehearsals before, and I have a trip planned in the middle of rehearsals too, so I feel like I'm going to be missing out on so much. It will be interesting to see if I'm the girl lost on stage while everyone is doing a big dance number which they've all perfected. Could be a new comedy sketch. Hilarity might ensue.

So, that's what's been going on with all of that. *whew* No details, because the days all blur together for me now: work, teach, rehearsal, sleep, work ,teach, rehearsal, sleep. I can't really tell you what day it is on any given day, but no work or no rehearsal today! That is something I do know.

Tireless Theatre

Wow. I just read my last post that was published before the Kennedy Administration. The good news is, is I think I'm "back" in the theatre world. Since doing the Sound of Music, I finished a run of Seussical the other weekend. It was fantastic! I met so many amazing people and I love the theatre company. I had an extremely positive experience and will audition for that company in the future. I also have had an audition and decline my first role. I felt bad, but I had to stick to my guns. My next project is to audition for a Gilbert and Sullivan production. *crosses fingers* I think that I have given up on my Minnesota Opera ambition. I love doing musical theatre, and if I can get some legit roles, that's where I'd like to stay. So that's what I've been doing every night and weekend since my last post. (Okay okay, there was a break in between performances, but shhh, I had to catch up on sleep and other obligations.)

So, I'm going to bust out the ol' blog and give it some use. I will admit that after my last post, I joined Facebook and that has consumed my life and free-time. But who says I can't have another vice? Plus, on my blog I can write more than a sentence.

That's all for now, I don't want to overwhelm the viewers who might not believe their eyes when this new post appears on my blog. I'm sure they've left this screen up on their computer since last August and clicking refresh every 10 seconds. You're computer doesn't have a virus, I'm really posting again. *gasp*