My acting resume
With all the acting & working going on, this sad little blog has been very lonesome lately. (Not nearly as lonesome as my virtual pet on Facebook, but let's not go there.)
I did recently update my acting resume, and am frankly putting a post here about it in hopes of getting some search engine love. So you can follow the link or not, totally up to you, and no hard feelings if your answer is "Feh!" Recent updates include a page with photos and some anonymized comments from others ... kind of fun for ME to read if nobody else! :o)
Showing posts with label theater. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theater. Show all posts
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
I'm a Miracle Worker!
... or, a little more accurately and a lot more humbly, I've gotten a role in the classic play The Miracle Worker! As Helen Keller's mother. It's not the lead, to be sure, but the lead needs someone who looks like she's twenty, and they found someone MUCH closer to that age to play Annie Sullivan. But Kate, Helen's mom, is a complex character and on stage a great deal of the time, and I'm delighted at the opportunity.
I don't mind not being the lead as long as I'm not spending most of the night backstage, twiddling my thumbs and waiting to go on. It's not a comfortable sort of waiting for me. If I relax too much, I risk not getting on stage on time or falling so far out of character that my acting suffers. If I keep my energies / nerves too revved up, I'm either hyper or exhausted when I finally do get on stage. Best to just be on stage, in character, all night long, as far as I'm concerned!
I also have signed up for a weekend-long acting workshop in mid-June, and am currently reading the text book, "The Power of an Actor" by Ivana Chubbuck. Good stuff. She has twelve steps (doesn't everybody?) that you apply as you prepare for a role, and while I'm waiting to learn what scene I'll be applying them to for the purposes of the workshop (I know it will be from "The Secret of My Success" but I haven't gotten the script yet), I've been trying to analyze the MW role. It's a whole new way to approach acting for me; up till now it's been pretty much acting by instinct ... and that only gets you so far. I feel like I'm stretching my acting muscles and so far it feels pretty good!
Anyway, the show goes up late July, rehearsals don't start till about 5 weeks beforehand. And more good news, friend Betsy has accepted a small role in the play, so we can commute to rehearsals together! Betsy is famous for being a scene-saver. If someone "goes up on" (forgets) their lines, Betsy is so quick-witted that she'll figure out a way to help them get back on track. An extremely valuable person to have around! We acted together in my first acting experience two years ago ... look for pictures of Nurse Ilsa here.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Theater news
Oh, boy, I haven't blogged in a while and now that I've started I can't seem to stop. Lots of pent-up blogging demand in me, I guess!
[Warning: loooonnggggg post]
I'm happy to report that my theater life has been busy. I just can't seem to get enough, at least not so far, although I'm beginning to be able to imagine that a time could come when I won't feel such a driving desire to keep doing show after show. Anyhoo, a while ago I mentioned that I had gotten a part in a show with a local director whose work I admired. It went live in November for three weeks, and overall the experience was a good one, albeit a bit stressful for a variety of reasons. I learned a lot about how to act in a farce:
So, if you ever have a friend in theater and go to see their show, if you really think they did well, say something specific so they know you're not just blowing sunshine at them, OK? We really don't know if we're doing well. We rely on you to help us know. If all we get is general comments, we're liable to conclude that we're not doing all that well. Of course, if you think they stink, just try to slink out the back door without saying anything so you don't have to compromise your ethics!
The director took some black & white still pictures & promised to share them with us. If he does I'll try to post some later.
So, what's coming up next? Next week I start rehearsals for another murder mystery weekend, or what the Huz calls "a life-sized game of Clue", to be produced the weekend of February 29. Our cast of 13 (ooo! unlucky! for the murdered one(s), that is, heh, heh) will be in character all weekend long, as murder(s) occur(s) and the guests at the resort attempt to discover who dunnit. You may recall I did one of these last year.
Here's the blurb from the resort's website
Isn't that amazingly inexpensive? This is a pretty nice resort. $206 per person includes all meals except one lunch, Friday dinner through Sunday breakfast. And this is no diner food, folks. The food is excellent.
Anyway ... this time I believe the director wants to do more improvisation and fewer scripted scenes, which is making me a little nervous! When you do improv, you're basically writing the scenes as you go along. It's not that you just show up the day of the show and spontaneously pull something together. It's that you rehearse and rehearse, try this, try that, and when you finally get it the way everyone thinks works well, then you have to keep trying to reproduce that or something close to it at subsequent rehearsals and on the day of the show. I'm much more comfortable with scripts!
And with a full-immersion show like this, you have to also get your back story figured out, because you never know what the guests are going to ask you, and if they ask you a question and you give one answer, and then they ask someone else the same question and get another, they might think that's a clue and not just that you've bungled the answer, and that's not fair to them. So we have to be fairly thorough about inventing our back story, too. Add to that the need to learn to speak with a Scottish accent, and that I'll be a character very different from myself (this one stern, dismissive, bossy ... OK, OK, I have a hint of bossiness in me :o) .. it's going to be a challenge. But that's why they call it acting! And one definite blessing is that I don't have to weep my way through the entire weekend this time. That got to be a bit of a downer last year!
(I also have to learn a Scottish accent for this MMW. The last 3 shows I've done have required foreign accents --Russian, British, and now Scottish. I have vowed that the next thing I do is going to be plain old American.)
Sunday I'm planning to audition for a 10-minute play festival, with another new director/producer in town who's done work in Hollywood and New York, and is sure to be a mover & shaker in the theater world hereabouts. He grew up in the area, graduated high school here, and then went on to be a professional. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing maybe he's moved back here to raise his family in a healthier environment.
Anyway, he recently produced & starred in a wonderful production of a little-known Arthur Miller play, "A View From The Bridge", and now he's producing these 10-minute plays, each of which has a different director. The festival is happening for two weekends in February, so if I'm offered a role I'll have to consider carefully whether I can do both this and the MMW. If I weren't working, too, I'm sure I could handle both, but I am, so we'll see. Wish me luck! Better to be offered a part and turn it down than to not be offered anything at all!
My sis says to me when she hears all this, "You're so funny." "Funny, or crazy?" I IM back. "Whichever suits you." she says. Yep. Whichever suits me.
P.S. Any new passions in your life?
[Warning: loooonnggggg post]
I'm happy to report that my theater life has been busy. I just can't seem to get enough, at least not so far, although I'm beginning to be able to imagine that a time could come when I won't feel such a driving desire to keep doing show after show. Anyhoo, a while ago I mentioned that I had gotten a part in a show with a local director whose work I admired. It went live in November for three weeks, and overall the experience was a good one, albeit a bit stressful for a variety of reasons. I learned a lot about how to act in a farce:
- Don't try to get a laugh. These people are deadly serious about their lives. Let the material get the laugh for you.
- Talk faster than you normally would, especially if you're playing an intense person or it's a tense situation.
- Keep the pace up. With very few exceptions, the dialogue has to be rapid-fire. If there's dead air, the humor will be lost. Serious plays have quiet spots. Farces have lots of noise and action.
So, if you ever have a friend in theater and go to see their show, if you really think they did well, say something specific so they know you're not just blowing sunshine at them, OK? We really don't know if we're doing well. We rely on you to help us know. If all we get is general comments, we're liable to conclude that we're not doing all that well. Of course, if you think they stink, just try to slink out the back door without saying anything so you don't have to compromise your ethics!
The director took some black & white still pictures & promised to share them with us. If he does I'll try to post some later.
So, what's coming up next? Next week I start rehearsals for another murder mystery weekend, or what the Huz calls "a life-sized game of Clue", to be produced the weekend of February 29. Our cast of 13 (ooo! unlucky! for the murdered one(s), that is, heh, heh) will be in character all weekend long, as murder(s) occur(s) and the guests at the resort attempt to discover who dunnit. You may recall I did one of these last year.Here's the blurb from the resort's website
Join Hector MacLean and his wife Gillian (that's me!), along with a clan of MacKenzies who have come to the resort for a family reunion. Little do they know that the Cameron family has the same idea. These two families have a long history of feuding. It's a situation ripe for murder. It falls to Detective-Sergeant Malcolm Hardasche of the Vermont State Police to unravel the tangled tartan of grudge, deceit, betrayal and Scottish passion that play out like an unmentionable drama in "MacDeath."
2-Night Package Main House $206 Terrace Wing / Suite $249 Avery Suite $407 2-Night Minimum Stay required. Package includes 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts, 2 nights lodging and amenities.
Isn't that amazingly inexpensive? This is a pretty nice resort. $206 per person includes all meals except one lunch, Friday dinner through Sunday breakfast. And this is no diner food, folks. The food is excellent.
Anyway ... this time I believe the director wants to do more improvisation and fewer scripted scenes, which is making me a little nervous! When you do improv, you're basically writing the scenes as you go along. It's not that you just show up the day of the show and spontaneously pull something together. It's that you rehearse and rehearse, try this, try that, and when you finally get it the way everyone thinks works well, then you have to keep trying to reproduce that or something close to it at subsequent rehearsals and on the day of the show. I'm much more comfortable with scripts!
And with a full-immersion show like this, you have to also get your back story figured out, because you never know what the guests are going to ask you, and if they ask you a question and you give one answer, and then they ask someone else the same question and get another, they might think that's a clue and not just that you've bungled the answer, and that's not fair to them. So we have to be fairly thorough about inventing our back story, too. Add to that the need to learn to speak with a Scottish accent, and that I'll be a character very different from myself (this one stern, dismissive, bossy ... OK, OK, I have a hint of bossiness in me :o) .. it's going to be a challenge. But that's why they call it acting! And one definite blessing is that I don't have to weep my way through the entire weekend this time. That got to be a bit of a downer last year!
(I also have to learn a Scottish accent for this MMW. The last 3 shows I've done have required foreign accents --Russian, British, and now Scottish. I have vowed that the next thing I do is going to be plain old American.)
Sunday I'm planning to audition for a 10-minute play festival, with another new director/producer in town who's done work in Hollywood and New York, and is sure to be a mover & shaker in the theater world hereabouts. He grew up in the area, graduated high school here, and then went on to be a professional. I'm not sure, but I'm guessing maybe he's moved back here to raise his family in a healthier environment.
Anyway, he recently produced & starred in a wonderful production of a little-known Arthur Miller play, "A View From The Bridge", and now he's producing these 10-minute plays, each of which has a different director. The festival is happening for two weekends in February, so if I'm offered a role I'll have to consider carefully whether I can do both this and the MMW. If I weren't working, too, I'm sure I could handle both, but I am, so we'll see. Wish me luck! Better to be offered a part and turn it down than to not be offered anything at all!
My sis says to me when she hears all this, "You're so funny." "Funny, or crazy?" I IM back. "Whichever suits you." she says. Yep. Whichever suits me.
P.S. Any new passions in your life?
Thursday, August 02, 2007
bitten bad
As a wee person, I decided I would be a famous actress when I grew up, kind of like Marilyn Monroe but without the funny eyebrows. Life has no limits when you're wee. Of *course* I will be prettier than Miss M! At least if sheer determination could make it so. And I knew one thing for sure: I totally did not want to be a housewife.Fast forward lo! these ahem many years, past careers and moves and more years supporting myself than would ever allow any theatrical endeavors, and here I am, married, no kids, and finally, finally allowing myself to indulge those theatrical inclinations. (Parenthetically, but with parentheses --- I heard a young woman today lovingly describe her mother as "drama-free" --- and wondering where she herself came from, as being decidedly not drama-free. Isn't that a wonderful turn of phrase? Drama-free. I'm of the "decidedly not" variety.)
I started out in the spring of 2006 with a murder mystery benefiting a friend's non-profit organization. That summer I auditioned for and got a chorus a/k/a "extra" part in large community theater organization's production of Singin' In The Rain, complete with rain. That was a great learning experience and the source of a couple of new friends. Later that summer, I acted i
n a Neil Simon comedy in a small community theater in a nearby town, and then followed that up with another murder mystery that was staged in February at a resort for an entire weekend, the mystery stretching across several days. And that murder mystery was subsequently turned into a regular one-night play and produced at another local community theater's playhouse over a couple of weekends in early June, with the same cast. I really grew to love those guys, it was a really wonderful experience made more so by the opportunity to stretch it out a little longer than usual. (There are rumors we may re-unite for a second production, of a new mystery, at the same resort this winter.) Finally, I had a good-sized role in a reading of Samantha's Stars in July.April 2006.
July 2006.
October 2006.
February 2007.
June 2007.
July 2007.
Not bad for the first year or so! In all that time, I got a part in every play I auditioned for, leading me to have great confidence in my auditioning ability and, in fact, to really just relax and have fun auditioning.
Does one hear a bit of hubris in that statement? A touch of braggadocio? One hopes not. But ...
After the Neil Simon show, one of the board members for the community theater mentioned another play to me: Painting Churches. It's a fabulous script written by a woman named Tina Howe, and I just fell in love with it. Have had it in the back of my mind all year long, knowing that I would love to act in such a quality play, loving both the female lead roles. I talked about it, off & on, all year long. And encouraged my friends to try out for it too, reasoning that it was such a great play, it deserved to have the very best actors in it, even if it's not me.
So friend Robin decided to audition for it with me, but on the 40-minute drive to the theater she said she didn't want to do it if we didn't both get parts. Her main motivation was so we could hang out together, on the drives & otherwise. I appreciated it, but made sure she understood that I was making no such offer. I'd had my heart set on this play for far too long.
After the audition, on the ride home, friend Robin began waffling. Who could blame her? It's really THAT GOOD a script. The audition was a blast.
She got a part.
Guess who didn't. Yep, Miss Hubris herself.
Waaaaa!
Turns out, I was in that awkward in-between age. Not old enough for the retirement-age mother, not young enough for the daughter. Although I do believe I could have acted either role!
The woman who got the mother part did a wonderful job with it, but I can honestly say my friend Robin was the best actor up there. I was doggone proud of her. And by then, the sting had pretty much gone out of not getting a part, so I could just sit there and enjoy the wonderful, wonderful play. That was just this last weekend.
Which brings me to tonight. Auditions. For a play I'd dearly love to be in, with someone who has a reputation as a really good director. Can it be that I'm jinxed when it's something I really, really want? Will you keep your fingers crossed for me?
Friday, April 27, 2007
clouds on vacation
The Cloudy Monday feature has been on vacation for a while, as I spend days, nights and weekends dog-paddling madly to keep my head above water with work. I'm OK, in this case no news is good news! In fact, I was able to break away with a girlfriend, her daughter, and her friend's daughter to spend a week at their time share in Grand Cayman, where this lovely picture of clouds etc was captured from our balcony. We got to do lots of scuba diving and spent evenings in a devoted madcap effort to watch every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A good time was had by all. And then, of course, I returned to the work scene behinder than ever.
On a theater note, the murder mystery weekend was a success in nearly every way but headcount. That Saturday was a major snowstorm and lots of our participants stayed home. But it was actually kind of fun to have a smaller crowd, as we got to know each of the participants and were able to keep tabs on how well they were figuring out the murderers. (We had a "plant" in the participants who wasn't detected, so he was able to clue us in on who was catching on and what we might want to do to throw them off.) By the end of the weekend, we all kind of hated to say goodbye to each other ... although I have to admit, 48 hours in character is a stretch for me!
Well, the good news is that it was so well received that a local theater group agreed to have us give several performances of the murder mystery, condensed to a single night! So the first two weekends in June we'll be performing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons, and hoping like mad the folks who see it early don't tell the later audiences whodunnit. This will be a very different experience for us as actors from the previous one, which included lots of improvisation and ad libbing. This will be scripted like a play, but all the same actors are returning, with the possible exception of one substitution for a small part, so it's really going to be fun.
And we're hearing rumors there may be another murder mystery weekend next year ... :o)
On a theater note, the murder mystery weekend was a success in nearly every way but headcount. That Saturday was a major snowstorm and lots of our participants stayed home. But it was actually kind of fun to have a smaller crowd, as we got to know each of the participants and were able to keep tabs on how well they were figuring out the murderers. (We had a "plant" in the participants who wasn't detected, so he was able to clue us in on who was catching on and what we might want to do to throw them off.) By the end of the weekend, we all kind of hated to say goodbye to each other ... although I have to admit, 48 hours in character is a stretch for me!
Well, the good news is that it was so well received that a local theater group agreed to have us give several performances of the murder mystery, condensed to a single night! So the first two weekends in June we'll be performing Friday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons, and hoping like mad the folks who see it early don't tell the later audiences whodunnit. This will be a very different experience for us as actors from the previous one, which included lots of improvisation and ad libbing. This will be scripted like a play, but all the same actors are returning, with the possible exception of one substitution for a small part, so it's really going to be fun.
And we're hearing rumors there may be another murder mystery weekend next year ... :o)
Friday, March 23, 2007
dropping by for a quick visit
It seems odd to say I'm dropping by for a quick visit to my own blog, but gee, it's been a while since I stopped by, and I can't stay long! Have you missed me? I've been so doggone busy, but I do have good Simba news --- he's feeling much better! --- and the murder mystery weekend has come & gone with some photos that are dying to be shown, so I wanted to at least share that much with you.Especially the part about Simba. He suffered through several weeks of illness about a month ago, with high white blood cell counts, inability to eat, and other intestinal distresses too nasty to mention but which entailed getting me up in the night for help. Whenever I gave him his meds he became desperately clingy, so I'm certain they bothered his stomach terribly ... and they didn't help. So, after several weeks of this, I took him off all his meds, quit giving him the boiled hamburger and rice that the vet recommended and put him back on good ol' Iams dry dog food, and I'm not sure what did it but he's OK now. I have my happy little guy back! With a few bad habits from all the pampering he got while he was so sick, but hey! He's still my little guy.
It's been 4 months now since his spinal cord injury, and he's doing well. He still doesn't have as much strength in his hind end as he used to, and he slips & slides more when on the wooden floors, but he's not complaining and neither am I. If you didn't watch him verrrry carefully, you'd never know there was anything wrong. So I am more than willing to label this his happy "end"ing (sorry) and put this story to rest.
So this is my little shout "Hello" to my blogging pals who haven't heard from me in a while and, truthfully, I haven't been checking in with you, either, but life is slowing down a tad and I'm hopeful I'll be able to get back in touch with the goings-on in your lives now. Spring is coming! I hope you're loving it!
P.S. The MMW story will have to wait for another day ...
Our little dog Simba suffered a spinal cord injury in December. If you'd like to follow the story sequentially, start here. To see beautiful photos of him before the incident, go here.
Technorati tags: pomeranian simba sick dog
Sunday, February 18, 2007
so i'm a drama queen ... whatsamatta widdat?
[warning: long post!]
Back at the end of January, I said with regret that I was going to have to take a hiatus from the kind of blogging that takes time ... you know, the writing kind. I wasn't sure how long I'd have to lay off. Work was causing a perfect storm: two existing projects with approaching deadlines plus a big new project that required huge amounts of startup effort. And the utter foolishness of taking on a part in a play knowing full well that I might end up in a loony bin from trying to do it all. But now here we are, three weeks later, and things have settled down a bit. Whew! And I'm excited to share with you about my new theatrical venture!
I was under the mistaken impression that community theater dies down in the winter around here. Right about the time I got really, really busy with the perfect storm... and I don't mean "so busy I can't do personal emails from 8 to 5" but more like "so busy I can't have a life days, nights or weekends," a friend alerted me to these three different productions that were being auditioned.
The first was an all-female version of Twelfth Night, being staged by a well-respected local director/actor whose first love is Shakespeare. It would be a privilege to work with him, but I knew that it would take way too much time for rehearsals --- with Shakespeare, you really can't improvise the lines, they have to be letter perfect! --- so I went with my friend to the audition out of curiosity. And I'm glad I did, because she got a nice meaty part (Uncle Toby) and I can say I knew her when!
The second was very interesting, a series of 8 ten-minute plays on love, being staged the weekend before Valentine's Day. Teensy little plays like that presumably can be done with far less rehearsal time than a full-length play, assuming you were cast in only one, and I was seriously considered auditioning .. but, again, I was leary of taking anything else on, so I passed on that one, too.
And then came the third one that just did me in. A local writer/director/actor was producing an audience-participation murder mystery. A weekend-long murder mystery. The blurb on it said, "Join Paddy O'Toole, his estranged brother, Mike, his wife Bubbles, and personal secretary Siobhan Smith for a weekend of murder and mayhem. Can you assist Detective Sergeant Manning and Trooper Becca Willing in solving the crimes? Two-night package includes 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts, 2 nights lodging and amenities."
Those of you who haven't read about my very first theatrical experience last spring, a murder mystery dinner benefitting a friend's non-profit organization, might like to read about it here. If you don't want to spend all THAT much time hearing about my introduction to acting, suffice it to say I was bitten by the bug, big time. I surprised myself by really enjoying the part where the scripted portion of the murder mystery was paused while the audience hunted for clues and interviewed us characters. I loved speaking my haughty British accent and displaying a posh superior attitude. I loved misleading them about the true murderer ... me! And most of all I loved hamming it up during the scripted scenes. It was all a huge blast, albeit a lot of work.
Since then, I've been in the chorus in a musical, Singin in the Rain, and I've had a moderately-sized role in a Neil Simon play, Come Blow Your Horn. That wrapped up in September, and I've done nothing since, assuming I would have to wait for warmer weather for the theatrical season to heat back up again. But when this murder mystery weekend (fondly monikered MMW) audition came up, I just couldn't resist.
I have to admit that I absolutely love auditioning. I've never had a bad experience. People have been uniformly gracious and encouraging at each one of the auditions I've done. Sometimes you audition more or less solo; other times it's in a group, but in any case it's always been a lot of fun. In fact, I have to be really careful what I audition for, because even if I have decided beforehand that I'm just auditioning for the experience and don't intend to take a part if offered, I have such a blast auditioning that I can't resist the part when it's offered! That's how I ended up in the Neil Simon play. So now I've learned not to audition unless I think I would take a part --- which is not to imply that I regretted taking that part then because it was an amazingly interesting experience. Check the links in the sidebar if you want to see why.
So, back to the MMW. The audition was really just a read-through, all of us sitting around in a circle reading lines. The writer/director, Dean, has a pleasant, mild personality, very easy to audition for. What made it especially fun for me was that the other plays had already been cast with a dozen women for 12th night and some number of women for the ten-minute plays. That meant that at our audition there were tons of guys and only a couple of women. So I got to read the lines for each of the women's parts a few times in support of all the guys auditioning. For a ham like me, that's irresistible!
One of the roles is for a French woman, so I got to try out my very bad French accent. Even bad, though, it was a laugh a minute. There was one line where the guy asks Helene if she is passionate, and she says, "I am French!" which now that I read it in black in white I see it doesn't sound like such a funny line, but the way it came out was both funny and sexy at the same time. You had to be there.
But the most fun was Bubbles. Husband Paddy is killed early in the weekend, so she goes through a wide range of emotions, including tears and indignation and even humor. She's not dumb, but she's a bit shallow, and a terrible flirt, so she's just a gas to play. Picture Marilyn Monroe at her most innocent and sweet. And she's a BEEEG role, too! So at the end of the evening, when Dean asked us all which part(s) we would be interested in, I said I really liked Bubbles, but I would do Helene too.
The very next day I got an email saying he had someone with a really good French accent for Helene, and would I like to be Bubbles? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
So since then, we've been rehearsing and working on our improvs. You see, this play takes place at a nearby inn over an entire weekend. If it were all scripted, the script would be the size of an encyclopedia and nobody would be able to learn all their lines. So there are about 6 scripted scenes, where the actors are on microphones. And there are about a dozen "improvised" scenes, not on mikes, where we manage to get out more information that either provides clues or misleads the onlookers. And the rest of the time we mingle, in character!
For every character in every show, you need to have some notion of who your character is, what her background is, why she would react the way she does. There's lots of thinking that goes on to flesh out the character in your own mind, even though none of the details you're adding to your mental picture of her will be made explicit on stage. But when you do a weekend of mingling with your audience, you have to know everything there is to know about the characters so you can respond immediately and naturally to any question or comment! Did Bubbles grow up with a religion? (yes, Methodist) Does she practice now? (no) Was her high school big or small? (medium, 400 kids in her graduating class, she graduated in the top 20%, which might surprise you until you learn that her parents were very strict so she had no social life to speak of.) Did she go to college? (yes, Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois.) Do she and Paddy live near Paddy's office? (yes, just a few blocks away.) And so on and so on. To help me start to think about Bubbles' life, I've begun a blog for her. Check it out at the O'Toole Tattler.
The people who have paid to attend the weekend can be relatively certain they will hear all the scripted lines. They have to be on their toes to hear all the improvised lines. In fact, it's possible there will be significant information going out at different places at the same time, so often participants will split up, with one person in the party assigned to follow one group of actors while another person follows the others; then they come back together to compare notes. Did I mention that their goal is to figure out the murderer(s)? On Sunday morning just before the final act, the participants submit their guesses as to who is the murderer and their motive. If they're correct, they win a weekend at the Inn.
Well, it's getting late so I need to sign off for now. Check back from time to time, I'll try to post updates as things get interesting!
Back at the end of January, I said with regret that I was going to have to take a hiatus from the kind of blogging that takes time ... you know, the writing kind. I wasn't sure how long I'd have to lay off. Work was causing a perfect storm: two existing projects with approaching deadlines plus a big new project that required huge amounts of startup effort. And the utter foolishness of taking on a part in a play knowing full well that I might end up in a loony bin from trying to do it all. But now here we are, three weeks later, and things have settled down a bit. Whew! And I'm excited to share with you about my new theatrical venture!
I was under the mistaken impression that community theater dies down in the winter around here. Right about the time I got really, really busy with the perfect storm... and I don't mean "so busy I can't do personal emails from 8 to 5" but more like "so busy I can't have a life days, nights or weekends," a friend alerted me to these three different productions that were being auditioned.
The first was an all-female version of Twelfth Night, being staged by a well-respected local director/actor whose first love is Shakespeare. It would be a privilege to work with him, but I knew that it would take way too much time for rehearsals --- with Shakespeare, you really can't improvise the lines, they have to be letter perfect! --- so I went with my friend to the audition out of curiosity. And I'm glad I did, because she got a nice meaty part (Uncle Toby) and I can say I knew her when!
The second was very interesting, a series of 8 ten-minute plays on love, being staged the weekend before Valentine's Day. Teensy little plays like that presumably can be done with far less rehearsal time than a full-length play, assuming you were cast in only one, and I was seriously considered auditioning .. but, again, I was leary of taking anything else on, so I passed on that one, too.
And then came the third one that just did me in. A local writer/director/actor was producing an audience-participation murder mystery. A weekend-long murder mystery. The blurb on it said, "Join Paddy O'Toole, his estranged brother, Mike, his wife Bubbles, and personal secretary Siobhan Smith for a weekend of murder and mayhem. Can you assist Detective Sergeant Man
ning and Trooper Becca Willing in solving the crimes? Two-night package includes 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts, 2 nights lodging and amenities."Those of you who haven't read about my very first theatrical experience last spring, a murder mystery dinner benefitting a friend's non-profit organization, might like to read about it here. If you don't want to spend all THAT much time hearing about my introduction to acting, suffice it to say I was bitten by the bug, big time. I surprised myself by really enjoying the part where the scripted portion of the murder mystery was paused while the audience hunted for clues and interviewed us characters. I loved speaking my haughty British accent and displaying a posh superior attitude. I loved misleading them about the true murderer ... me! And most of all I loved hamming it up during the scripted scenes. It was all a huge blast, albeit a lot of work.
Since then, I've been in the chorus in a musical, Singin in the Rain, and I've had a moderately-sized role in a Neil Simon play, Come Blow Your Horn. That wrapped up in September, and I've done nothing since, assuming I would have to wait for warmer weather for the theatrical season to heat back up again. But when this murder mystery weekend (fondly monikered MMW) audition came up, I just couldn't resist.
I have to admit that I absolutely love auditioning. I've never had a bad experience. People have been uniformly gracious and encouraging at each one of the auditions I've done. Sometimes you audition more or less solo; other times it's in a group, but in any case it's always been a lot of fun. In fact, I have to be really careful what I audition for, because even if I have decided beforehand that I'm just auditioning for the experience and don't intend to take a part if offered, I have such a blast auditioning that I can't resist the part when it's offered! That's how I ended up in the Neil Simon play. So now I've learned not to audition unless I think I would take a part --- which is not to imply that I regretted taking that part then because it was an amazingly interesting experience. Check the links in the sidebar if you want to see why.
So, back to the MMW. The audition was really just a read-through, all of us sitting around in a circle reading lines. The writer/director, Dean, has a pleasant, mild personality, very easy to audition for. What made it especially fun for me was that the other plays had already been cast with a dozen women for 12th night and some number of women for the ten-minute plays. That meant that at our audition there were tons of guys and only a couple of women. So I got to read the lines for each of the women's parts a few times in support of all the guys auditioning. For a ham like me, that's irresistible!
One of the roles is for a French woman, so I got to try out my very bad French accent. Even bad, though, it was a laugh a minute. There was one line where the guy asks Helene if she is passionate, and she says, "I am French!" which now that I read it in black in white I see it doesn't sound like such a funny line, but the way it came out was both funny and sexy at the same time. You had to be there.
But the most fun was Bubbles. Husband Paddy is killed early in the weekend, so she goes through a wide range of emotions, including tears and indignation and even humor. She's not dumb, but she's a bit shallow, and a terrible flirt, so she's just a gas to play. Picture Marilyn Monroe at her most innocent and sweet. And she's a BEEEG role, too! So at the end of the evening, when Dean asked us all which part(s) we would be interested in, I said I really liked Bubbles, but I would do Helene too.The very next day I got an email saying he had someone with a really good French accent for Helene, and would I like to be Bubbles? YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
So since then, we've been rehearsing and working on our improvs. You see, this play takes place at a nearby inn over an entire weekend. If it were all scripted, the script would be the size of an encyclopedia and nobody would be able to learn all their lines. So there are about 6 scripted scenes, where the actors are on microphones. And there are about a dozen "improvised" scenes, not on mikes, where we manage to get out more information that either provides clues or misleads the onlookers. And the rest of the time we mingle, in character!
For every character in every show, you need to have some notion of who your character is, what her background is, why she would react the way she does. There's lots of thinking that goes on to flesh out the character in your own mind, even though none of the details you're adding to your mental picture of her will be made explicit on stage. But when you do a weekend of mingling with your audience, you have to know everything there is to know about the characters so you can respond immediately and naturally to any question or comment! Did Bubbles grow up with a religion? (yes, Methodist) Does she practice now? (no) Was her high school big or small? (medium, 400 kids in her graduating class, she graduated in the top 20%, which might surprise you until you learn that her parents were very strict so she had no social life to speak of.) Did she go to college? (yes, Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois.) Do she and Paddy live near Paddy's office? (yes, just a few blocks away.) And so on and so on. To help me start to think about Bubbles' life, I've begun a blog for her. Check it out at the O'Toole Tattler.
The people who have paid to attend the weekend can be relatively certain they will hear all the scripted lines. They have to be on their toes to hear all the improvised lines. In fact, it's possible there will be significant information going out at different places at the same time, so often participants will split up, with one person in the party assigned to follow one group of actors while another person follows the others; then they come back together to compare notes. Did I mention that their goal is to figure out the murderer(s)? On Sunday morning just before the final act, the participants submit their guesses as to who is the murderer and their motive. If they're correct, they win a weekend at the Inn.
Well, it's getting late so I need to sign off for now. Check back from time to time, I'll try to post updates as things get interesting!
Thursday, September 07, 2006
more theater!
Those of you who know me only through my blog haven't heard this yet. Those of you who know me in person are probably tired of hearing about it. "This" and "it" refer to the fact that I'm involved in another theatrical production! Yeah! This time with a real part! YEAH! With lines to memorize ... oh yeah ... :o)
It's with a small community theater in a town about half an hour away. Small is good ... I'll try this out without a large crowd and lots of expectations on me, not to mention without having the financial success of a show riding on my shoulders. Half an hour away is not so good at first blush, but it actually works out pretty well, as I've taped my scenes with big blanks where my lines go, so I'm a bit ahead of the curve in memorizing my lines.
So what's the show, you ask? It's the first play of Neil Simon's that ever made it to Broadway, and it was a smash hit. It's called "Come Blow Your Horn." The movie starred Frank Sinatra, Jill St. John, Lee J. Cobb, and Barbara Rush. It's a fun story about a swingin' bachelor (guess who) who deals with a demanding dad, a fledgling younger brother just leaving the nest, a bevy of sexy ladies who keep him hopping socially, and the one woman who's different and who's out to win his heart --- c'est moi. The girl who's different. Yup, that fits!
I'm having an absolute blast with rehearsals. My, oh my, am I ever a ham. And I'm enjoying playing a show from the days when the whole dynamic between men and women was "He chases her till she catches him." Guys were "after one thing and one thing only" and there was a double standard about sex and it was all a big game to try to figure out how a "girl" could get a "man" to commit to marriage. It makes for some very entertaining theater! Layer on top of that Neil Simon's wit, and a nice group of actors and director, and this is really a lot of fun. Even with nightly rehearsals a half an hour away from here.
Of course, it COULD mean I'll be posting a bit less frequently ... but I already know you guys, you're a patient lot! :o)
But I do know I owe you a post about the mystery dish, and I promise it will be up by tomorrow! Till then ...
It's with a small community theater in a town about half an hour away. Small is good ... I'll try this out without a large crowd and lots of expectations on me, not to mention without having the financial success of a show riding on my shoulders. Half an hour away is not so good at first blush, but it actually works out pretty well, as I've taped my scenes with big blanks where my lines go, so I'm a bit ahead of the curve in memorizing my lines.
So what's the show, you ask? It's the first play of Neil Simon's that ever made it to Broadway, and it was a smash hit. It's called "Come Blow Your Horn." The movie starred Frank Sinatra, Jill St. John, Lee J. Cobb, and Barbara Rush. It's a fun story about a swingin' bachelor (guess who) who deals with a demanding dad, a fledgling younger brother just leaving the nest, a bevy of sexy ladies who keep him hopping socially, and the one woman who's different and who's out to win his heart --- c'est moi. The girl who's different. Yup, that fits!I'm having an absolute blast with rehearsals. My, oh my, am I ever a ham. And I'm enjoying playing a show from the days when the whole dynamic between men and women was "He chases her till she catches him." Guys were "after one thing and one thing only" and there was a double standard about sex and it was all a big game to try to figure out how a "girl" could get a "man" to commit to marriage. It makes for some very entertaining theater! Layer on top of that Neil Simon's wit, and a nice group of actors and director, and this is really a lot of fun. Even with nightly rehearsals a half an hour away from here.
Of course, it COULD mean I'll be posting a bit less frequently ... but I already know you guys, you're a patient lot! :o)
But I do know I owe you a post about the mystery dish, and I promise it will be up by tomorrow! Till then ...
Monday, July 17, 2006
sing | tap | move arms | smile
Fellow blogher Marla tells of a sign she once saw in the print shop that said
Good | Cheap | Fast
Pick Two
Pick Two
Ha! When it comes to the big finale number, for me it's
Sing | Tap | Move arms | Smile
Pick 3
In our rehearsals, I've been able to get the tapping (mostly) and arms moving. As we got into the dress rehearsals, I added smiling, face front. But whenever I tried to add the singing, the dancing went all to heck.
Unfortunately, it appears there are others who are in the same boat, and when we all don't sing, the sound drops off considerably. The sound tech added microphones to the leads, who sing in the wings while waiting for their smashing entrance (the crowd goes wild!) in the middle of the finale. But we still were encouraged to really belt out that Singin' In The Rain.
Friday night, I didn't sing, and I did pretty well with the finale. Saturday night I took the exhortations to heart and tried to sing. Big mistake. It totally threw me off during what a fellow cast member calls "the booger measures" because they're a booger to do. And when you get thrown off there, it's pretty noticeable, because there are four leaps in those 32 beats, two to each side, so if you leap at the wrong time or to the wrong side, you stick out like a sore thumb.
Waaaa! Saturday night there were quite a number of folks in the audience who know me, so their eyes were probably on me as I leapt wrong! Waaaaa!
Yesterday I resolved that my one little voice doesn't mean that much to the grand total of the sound. I smiled really hard, sang when I knew I could do it without messing up, and hit all the leaps and steps. So, sorry, music director, I'm gonna have to not sing. The crowd won't notice if I'm not singing, or at least not in any way that's directly attributable to me, but they sure as shootin' will notice if I leap left when everyone else leaps right!
I think there's a good chance of getting some shots of the show so I'll post them if I do. I intended to get a shot of the green room for you last night, but when I pulled out my camera I discovered the batteries were dead, so that'll have to wait till next week. Meantime, I leave you with this somewhat posed shot of me in my clown costume. Check out them fake eyelashes, man!
Now I'm off to H0me Dep0t to see if I can get my countertop order straightened out. Grrr.
Pick 3
In our rehearsals, I've been able to get the tapping (mostly) and arms moving. As we got into the dress rehearsals, I added smiling, face front. But whenever I tried to add the singing, the dancing went all to heck.
Unfortunately, it appears there are others who are in the same boat, and when we all don't sing, the sound drops off considerably. The sound tech added microphones to the leads, who sing in the wings while waiting for their smashing entrance (the crowd goes wild!) in the middle of the finale. But we still were encouraged to really belt out that Singin' In The Rain.
Friday night, I didn't sing, and I did pretty well with the finale. Saturday night I took the exhortations to heart and tried to sing. Big mistake. It totally threw me off during what a fellow cast member calls "the booger measures" because they're a booger to do. And when you get thrown off there, it's pretty noticeable, because there are four leaps in those 32 beats, two to each side, so if you leap at the wrong time or to the wrong side, you stick out like a sore thumb.
Waaaa! Saturday night there were quite a number of folks in the audience who know me, so their eyes were probably on me as I leapt wrong! Waaaaa!
Yesterday I resolved that my one little voice doesn't mean that much to the grand total of the sound. I smiled really hard, sang when I knew I could do it without messing up, and hit all the leaps and steps. So, sorry, music director, I'm gonna have to not sing. The crowd won't notice if I'm not singing, or at least not in any way that's directly attributable to me, but they sure as shootin' will notice if I leap left when everyone else leaps right!
I think there's a good chance of getting some shots of the show so I'll post them if I do. I intended to get a shot of the green room for you last night, but when I pulled out my camera I discovered the batteries were dead, so that'll have to wait till next week. Meantime, I leave you with this somewhat posed shot of me in my clown costume. Check out them fake eyelashes, man!
Now I'm off to H0me Dep0t to see if I can get my countertop order straightened out. Grrr.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
opening night
Opening night was fun! It's nearly time to leave for the theater, and tomorrow between church and the show I'll be pretty much straight out. Thanks for stopping by, and I'll have some comments up on Monday, at the latest!
Friday, July 14, 2006
our first performance
First of all, I want to thank those of you who are adding those wonderful, encouraging comments on my posts. This theater first-timer needs all the encouragement she can get, and you guys are fabulous! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
We had probably 300 senior citizens in the audience last night as we
ran through our final "dress rehearsal." I guess we call it that to lower expectations for our first night, as well as to have an excuse to do the show for free for these wonderful folks, who probably saw Singin in the Rain when it first came out as a movie. The photo at left is a shot of the interior of the hall; isn't it wonderful? It's a little hard to tell from the picture, but there's a wide center section and then two narrower side sections. It seats 800 if you include the balcony; we don't expect to need it. There really aren't any bad seats in the house. I wouldn't want to be too close to the front because the orchestra could be a bit too loud, but even those seats aren't bad.
No opening night jitters for me, I'm happy to report! It's not surprising, considering how little of the show's success depends on me, but you never know how you're going to respond when you step onto a stage in front of an audience, until you've done it. My little mystery theater experience was very different from this. We had maybe 80 people there, and we were right on the floor in the midst of the tables. In some respects, that made it more difficult. But, obviously, we weren't expected to be professionals in that situation. While this theater is labeled "community" for a reason --- they don't hire professional actors for the productions --- nonetheless that distinction is a fuzzy one in the audience's minds. We're in the Opera House, they're paying $20 per ticket, and we need to make it worth their while.
Bottom line is, we did OK! There were no big glitches. The scenes all came together appropriately except for one rough spot where the wait for a scene change was too long and the audience was left wondering what the heck just happened and why isn't something else happening now. I'm not onstage the whole time, of course, but I didn't see any awkward pauses while people had to think of their lines (of which there were plenty during rehearsals!). I had an autograph-hound scene (where I speak my one assigned line: "Oh, my GOSH! It IS Don Lockwood!") where my pencil was knocked out of my hand as we all pursued Don off the stage, but I ad-libbed "my pencil!" and scurried back for it and the director complimented me afterward. She said there are people (and she's one of them) who will focus on the dropped prop until someone picks it up, wondering if anyone's going to step on it, was it dropped on purpose, etc., so she was glad I got it off the stage.
But I'm saving the big zinger for the last, for those of you who have stuck with this little monologue this long (thank you!).
The only scene where I'm on stage with just one other person comes in the first
scene of the first act of the play. Don Lockwood is being interviewed about his history, and he's telling bald-faced lies about his supposed cultured background and how his parents gave him and his pal Cosmo the finest education at conservatories, etc. Meantime, in the background, the truth is being acted out. First we see them as children, hanging out in taverns and dancing for nickels. Then everyone leaves the stage and we see the young adult Don and Cosmo doing a not-very-good clown act as Flick and Flack. Lastly, the adult Don and Cosmo come onstage and do a silly vaudeville act to "Fit as A Fiddle."
During the clown act, the Don and Cosmo actors run backstage to get into plaid suits for the vaudeville act. The clown act is basically buying them time to do that, and I'm one of the clowns! We're onstage for somewhere between one and two minutes, depending on how quickly the actors can get into their plaid suits. It's probably my favorite scene in the show, speaking as an actor and not as an audience member; I'm sure there are much more memorable scenes for the audience. But for me, not only is the spotlight on me (and my partner, of course), but also I get to indulge my inner ham with way over-large gestures and hee-haw knee slapping and general over-the-topness. It's just plain fun!
Well, just before I left for the theater at 5:15 last night, I got an email from our church prayer chain saying that Doug C had gone into the hospital with chest pains.
Doug C is the other clown.
It's 5:15 before a 7:30 appointment with the audience.
Gulp.
I'm a little embarrassed to tell you that my first reaction wasn't concern for Doug. (By the way, he's apparently OK. I don't have the whole story, but someone spoke with him and he thought he could come perform tonight.) My first thought was, how on earth am I going to get someone else trained in the time we have left? I can't do it alone; it has to be Don (me) & Cosmo (Doug). Doug and I have rehearsed our shtick many, many times, and it includes him doing juggling and me harassing him in a fairly rigorously choreographed act. Were we going to have to chuck that whole thing and come up with something different?
I went straight to the director, Linda, when I arrived, and apparently nobody on the production staff had been notified yet. She was very calm, and began thinking through who could pinch-hit on short notice. "Who can be funny?" she asked. Of course, I haven't a clue! I went around talking to a few folks about the situation, and our hairdresser suggested Dan F, who is locally well-known and has starred in a few of these productions but who chose to take a smaller role this time to reduce his time commitment. Because I was there so early, I spent quite a few anxious minutes waiting for him to arrive so I could ask him if he would be a clown on such short notice. Bless him, he was amenable. And also very calm. (I have a feeling calmness is a hugely important characteristic for folks who want to be in plays!) He could fit into Doug's costume, and was willing to do a bumbling juggle so we could keep the same routine, and very vigorously filled in for Doug and it was, as far as I can tell, great! He even figured out a way to fit a rubber chicken into the act.
Whew!
Here's hoping for a less eventful evening tonight! One of these days when I have a little more energy and time, I'll share some thoughts about what it's like backstage and in "the green room" where we all hang out between face time onstage.
Meantime, one last note ... what's that I hear? ... beautiful sound ... my dishwasher is running for the first time in weeks! Huzzah!!
We had probably 300 senior citizens in the audience last night as we
ran through our final "dress rehearsal." I guess we call it that to lower expectations for our first night, as well as to have an excuse to do the show for free for these wonderful folks, who probably saw Singin in the Rain when it first came out as a movie. The photo at left is a shot of the interior of the hall; isn't it wonderful? It's a little hard to tell from the picture, but there's a wide center section and then two narrower side sections. It seats 800 if you include the balcony; we don't expect to need it. There really aren't any bad seats in the house. I wouldn't want to be too close to the front because the orchestra could be a bit too loud, but even those seats aren't bad.No opening night jitters for me, I'm happy to report! It's not surprising, considering how little of the show's success depends on me, but you never know how you're going to respond when you step onto a stage in front of an audience, until you've done it. My little mystery theater experience was very different from this. We had maybe 80 people there, and we were right on the floor in the midst of the tables. In some respects, that made it more difficult. But, obviously, we weren't expected to be professionals in that situation. While this theater is labeled "community" for a reason --- they don't hire professional actors for the productions --- nonetheless that distinction is a fuzzy one in the audience's minds. We're in the Opera House, they're paying $20 per ticket, and we need to make it worth their while.
Bottom line is, we did OK! There were no big glitches. The scenes all came together appropriately except for one rough spot where the wait for a scene change was too long and the audience was left wondering what the heck just happened and why isn't something else happening now. I'm not onstage the whole time, of course, but I didn't see any awkward pauses while people had to think of their lines (of which there were plenty during rehearsals!). I had an autograph-hound scene (where I speak my one assigned line: "Oh, my GOSH! It IS Don Lockwood!") where my pencil was knocked out of my hand as we all pursued Don off the stage, but I ad-libbed "my pencil!" and scurried back for it and the director complimented me afterward. She said there are people (and she's one of them) who will focus on the dropped prop until someone picks it up, wondering if anyone's going to step on it, was it dropped on purpose, etc., so she was glad I got it off the stage.
But I'm saving the big zinger for the last, for those of you who have stuck with this little monologue this long (thank you!).
The only scene where I'm on stage with just one other person comes in the first
scene of the first act of the play. Don Lockwood is being interviewed about his history, and he's telling bald-faced lies about his supposed cultured background and how his parents gave him and his pal Cosmo the finest education at conservatories, etc. Meantime, in the background, the truth is being acted out. First we see them as children, hanging out in taverns and dancing for nickels. Then everyone leaves the stage and we see the young adult Don and Cosmo doing a not-very-good clown act as Flick and Flack. Lastly, the adult Don and Cosmo come onstage and do a silly vaudeville act to "Fit as A Fiddle."During the clown act, the Don and Cosmo actors run backstage to get into plaid suits for the vaudeville act. The clown act is basically buying them time to do that, and I'm one of the clowns! We're onstage for somewhere between one and two minutes, depending on how quickly the actors can get into their plaid suits. It's probably my favorite scene in the show, speaking as an actor and not as an audience member; I'm sure there are much more memorable scenes for the audience. But for me, not only is the spotlight on me (and my partner, of course), but also I get to indulge my inner ham with way over-large gestures and hee-haw knee slapping and general over-the-topness. It's just plain fun!
Well, just before I left for the theater at 5:15 last night, I got an email from our church prayer chain saying that Doug C had gone into the hospital with chest pains.
Doug C is the other clown.
It's 5:15 before a 7:30 appointment with the audience.
Gulp.
I'm a little embarrassed to tell you that my first reaction wasn't concern for Doug. (By the way, he's apparently OK. I don't have the whole story, but someone spoke with him and he thought he could come perform tonight.) My first thought was, how on earth am I going to get someone else trained in the time we have left? I can't do it alone; it has to be Don (me) & Cosmo (Doug). Doug and I have rehearsed our shtick many, many times, and it includes him doing juggling and me harassing him in a fairly rigorously choreographed act. Were we going to have to chuck that whole thing and come up with something different?
I went straight to the director, Linda, when I arrived, and apparently nobody on the production staff had been notified yet. She was very calm, and began thinking through who could pinch-hit on short notice. "Who can be funny?" she asked. Of course, I haven't a clue! I went around talking to a few folks about the situation, and our hairdresser suggested Dan F, who is locally well-known and has starred in a few of these productions but who chose to take a smaller role this time to reduce his time commitment. Because I was there so early, I spent quite a few anxious minutes waiting for him to arrive so I could ask him if he would be a clown on such short notice. Bless him, he was amenable. And also very calm. (I have a feeling calmness is a hugely important characteristic for folks who want to be in plays!) He could fit into Doug's costume, and was willing to do a bumbling juggle so we could keep the same routine, and very vigorously filled in for Doug and it was, as far as I can tell, great! He even figured out a way to fit a rubber chicken into the act.
Whew!
Here's hoping for a less eventful evening tonight! One of these days when I have a little more energy and time, I'll share some thoughts about what it's like backstage and in "the green room" where we all hang out between face time onstage.
Meantime, one last note ... what's that I hear? ... beautiful sound ... my dishwasher is running for the first time in weeks! Huzzah!!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
tomorrow!
.. or, technically, tonight, since it's after midnight as I write this. We had our last dress rehearsal tonight. Tomorrow we open before a houseful of senior citizens who get to help us get the rough edges off our show in exchange for half-price tickets. I'm strangely calm. I do feels as if, with the exception of the doggone tap dancing, I know what I'm doing and it's not as if the show is resting on my narrow shoulders. I think I'll have a ball. I know the leads are looking forward to it all.
Rehearsal went well tonight. Tempers flared a bit, and I got caught in the crossfire of one, but by the end of the evening everyone had acknowledged that we're all tired and some of us are tense and we really, really like each other no matter what. We reached out to help each other with fast costume changes, and one sweet guy brought in beautiful yellow roses tinged with orange for each of the women. And Lindt chocolates. What a sweetie he is.
Stage makeup is a little scary to someone like me who wears lots of makeup for the express purpose of looking as if I don't need much, if you know what I mean ... natural is the look I'm shooting for. So I feel incredibly garish with bright pink cheeks and heavy black eyeliner and dark, dark eyeshadow. The most fun part is the false eyelashes. I have to restrain myself from batting my eyes all the time!
I did end up having layers cut into my hair today. I put some intense curls in with my hot curlers, hoping that they could be transformed into finger waves. Instead the stylist piled it on my head in a style that looked vaguely Mickey Mouse-ish to my eye. By the end of night things had shifted around enough that it wasn't so pronounced. She promised me that tomorrow she would try to come up with something that would allow my curls to hang down if at all possible.
I hope I don't regret all these layers when this play is over ... I haven't had great luck with them in the past.
Many people have told me to break a leg. The ironic thing is, I nearly did today, walking around a construction worksite without watching where I was putting my feet!
Well, off to bed for now ... zzzzzzzzzzz
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
two days till a live audience!
Yikes! Tonight will be our first full dress rehearsal. There will be one more, tomorrow, and then a dress rehearsal before a live audience of senior citizens who get to see the show for half price. They're typically a VERY encouraging crowd, I hear, so it should be fun even if I flub stuff.
Last night we did a "costume rehearsal", which means we tried to run through the play including doing our costume changes. It's a great idea, because we discovered lots of places where it's not possible to change costumes without holding up the progress of the show. So now, I will be a character who apparently goes to a party one night and shows up for an interview the next day in the same dress. Hopefully nobody will assume I had an illicit assignation that night!
I also discovered that I'm probably going to have to duck out of that interview early if I'm to make
my next costume change.Flexibility is key! We'll probably still be changing things even after the first live performance, as we discover/think of better ways to do things.
I didn't dance too badly last night. I still made mistakes in both my dances, but they were relatively small ones. One of them I can easily remedy. The other is what one of the cast calls "the booger measures." Four measures where the steps are just plain hard. I can't be sure I won't continue to flub
those, but I sure as heck intend to smile so hard that they'll look at my face and nothing else!!Just because I made few mistakes doesn't mean I look like a pro, of course, but at this point I'm ready to settle for not embarrassing myself!
Now I'm off to a meeting with the hair & makeup gal. I may decide after this that I have to shorten my hair dramatically (a little theater word, you know
), but I'm hoping she has better ideas than that! I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Tha Theata
[warning ... this is a long post. Pictures, such as they are, are at the bottom ...]
So, a while back I promised some musings on my experience as an actor in a murder mystery play. Having never been in a theatrical production in the past, I found the whole experience fascinating, and somewhat unnerving. It was a real test of my ability to adapt to a completely foreign culture ... a test that I only partially passed, I'm afraid.
You see, I've worked in the business world for many, many years. For the past twenty or so years, my work has been as a programmer, glorified programmer, team leader, etc. on large business system/software projects. In that world, you live and die by collaboration. Nobody can possibly know everything. The work is divided up among various individuals based mostly on their expertise. Even then, you will without fail come up against a question you cannot answer. And that's when you turn to your colleagues for advice, brainstorming, and sometimes outright handouts of programming code that will solve your problem. Regardless of rank, everyone is a resource and everyone needs help from time to time. When you do find yourself inventing something that you think might be useful to others, you offer it. They can take it or leave it, but you put it out there in hopes it might save someone else reinventing the wheel.
Now, our little theater troupe was pulled together from volunteers, with varying degrees of experience in community theater productions. Three of our cast members had done community theater. Two had done only college or high school plays. Yours truly was truly green. Nothing, nada, since grade school.
Naturally, the three with experience were our guides. One of them was given a chance to try her hand at directing our little group. And here's where things started to get interesting.
Did you know the director is god of her universe? Apparently, whatever the director says, goes. Any suggestions or comments must be made respectfully --- nay, reverently! --- and preferably in private. Did you know that actors belonging to the Actors Equity union can be fined if they make a suggestion to another actor?
It was, to me, an incomprehensibly arcane way of working. In my little programmer's universe, which I have inhabited for decades, everybody is eager and grateful for suggestions. Suggestions make our little world go 'round. Suggestions make our product better. In tha theata, suggestions are occasionally tolerated and often punished. Even though our director did her best to recognize where we non-professionals are coming from (and to be honest, I had more trouble with shutting up than the other two did), it was really, really difficult for her to let this be a collaborative effort. Understand, she had been in many, many situations where the director was in fact the dictator, so she was experiencing a culture clash of her own. So when she did accept a suggestion from me, it was always with some statement about how "in the real world" this sort of thing wasn't acceptable.
Argh. I hate being lectured. And obviously, I made the suggestion in a spirit of helping, improving our product. Argh.
It's actually amazing how much of what goes into a production doesn't appear anywhere on the script. If you read a script, it might have some directions regarding what the actor is doing at the time s/he is saying the line, but in most cases it does not. There's this whole dimension of the production that involves the use of three-dimensional space. Where am I standing? Where do I move to? What is my body doing during the line ... leaning in, out, waving, bobbing? Where is everyone else and what are they doing? How do we arrange things so that I naturally end up where I need to be when I have a physical interaction with another actor?
Likewise, the script does not often give guidance re: why the person is saying what s/he is saying. Am I surprised or disgusted when I shout "No!"? How am I reacting to the lines I'm hearing? Why did he say that, and do I care or am I just bored and waiting for him to finish so I can move the conversation along to where I want it to go?
And then there's the general ambience of the production. Is it going to be silly? Portentous? Clever? Goofy? Over the top? Subtle?
All these things are the purview of the director. The director has a vision for what she's trying to achieve, and the actors are just there to make the vision a reality. If you have a problem with the vision ... tough. Unless you're Meryl Streep, you don't have a say.
Actually, I didn't have a problem with the vision. Thank goodness! It was in the details that I wanted to ask questions, understand, react, think about what's going on. I have never been able to do anything halfway, which probably accounts for why I often end up being in charge of whatever I'm involved in. So, as you can see, not only was this a culture clash for me, it was also a temperament clash. And folks, while I didn't entirely succeed at turning myself into someone else, I also didn't entirely fail. I spent many rehearsals standing around waiting for direction when I could have just done something that made sense to me. I bit my tongue. I did what I was told. And, occasionally, when I forgot myself, I made a suggestion. Or asked a question that had a suggestion in it. Sigh.
So, that was the most difficult part of the whole experience. Now let me tell you about how much fun it was! So fun, that the director had to tell me to quit smiling so much. So fun, that we all cracked up when Ilsa the German nurse spoke her lines. It was a challenge to learn my lines (I had LOTS of them!) but way fun when I could get through a rehearsal nearly perfect. It was fun to learn so much about how a production comes together. It was fun to hang out with friend R and fun to get to know the others in the troupe, one of whom I had never even met before. Even when we were rehearsing nearly every night for the two weeks before, and I found myself not wanting to drag myself to the rehearsal, even then it was fun to be there and all my reluctance was forgotten.
But, people, most fun of all was being in front of the audience.
We had a dress rehearsal the night before. Everybody did very well ... except me. I froze on two of my longer monologues (does 4 consecutive lines constitute a monologue?). Absolutely could not remember the lines. Heart pounding, realizing it's the dadgum DRESS REHEARSAL and I am BLOWING MY LINES! Everyone was very kind, reassuring me that a bad dress rehearsal means a good play. I wish I were the type of person to be comforted by stuff like that, but I am not. I went home just feeling sick, wondering if I was going to ruin this play for everyone. Remember, I have no experience of success, no clue how I'm going to feel when there are 80 people looking at me.
I totally vented with The Huz. He tried once to say, "You'll be fine," and my response was "You can't know that." After that, he just listened as I whined. I didn't WANT a big part, I just wanted to have a small part! I have more lines than anyone else! And I have to say them with a British accent! And I have to be a different gender than my own! And on top of that, I'm responsible for the food, too! For goodness sakes, it's too much for a new actor!! What if I ruin the whole thing??
I was exhausted at the end of all that whining, which was a good thing. Against all odds, I slept like a baby. Woke up refreshed. Calm.
The play was structured so that my character makes an entrance after the others have already been rolling along for a couple of minutes. That night, as I waited, I paced and breathed and thought over my lines. I had one or two moments when I could sense my heart speeding up a bit, but I just took a breath to calm myself, and I waited.
The play was done in a community center, no stage. We had set up the tables in a circle around the "stage", like the spokes of a wheel. I was to enter through the kitchen's swinging doors. The kitchen was dark, and the house was quiet but for the play, so I could readily see through the window in the door and hear the lines. When it came time for me to enter, I was ready. Calm.
"Oh, Doctor! P'haps you should hold up there a moment!" in my best British accent. All eyes swung toward me. And, folks, I don't mind telling you, I completely loved it! And I was off & running. I only flubbed one line, saying ".. sounds familiar" instead of ".. rings a bell", which caused an awkward moment for the person who was supposed to follow with "It rings a bell for me, too!" but we recovered, thanks to M. Not only that, we discovered a critical prop was not where it should have been, but was actually downstairs! Friend R realized it, ad-libbed, and ran downstairs to grab it. And I was inspired with a tiny monologue, walking around the circle and diverting attention till she could return! And even managed to cover someone else's forgotten line at another point. Completely amazing!
Friends tell me they prayed for me. Based on my performance the night before, I readily believe I had lots of supernatural help that night. Thank you, friends, and thank you, God!
I have found my inner ham.
So, here, are some pics, such as they are. As I mentioned, I'm not featured in them at all, but you get a glimpse of the getup from the last one; that's me in the bowler & trench coat.
Next time, the photographer will have explicit instructions to get shots of all of us during the play! And hopefully we'll be able to videotape it, too.
So, a while back I promised some musings on my experience as an actor in a murder mystery play. Having never been in a theatrical production in the past, I found the whole experience fascinating, and somewhat unnerving. It was a real test of my ability to adapt to a completely foreign culture ... a test that I only partially passed, I'm afraid.
You see, I've worked in the business world for many, many years. For the past twenty or so years, my work has been as a programmer, glorified programmer, team leader, etc. on large business system/software projects. In that world, you live and die by collaboration. Nobody can possibly know everything. The work is divided up among various individuals based mostly on their expertise. Even then, you will without fail come up against a question you cannot answer. And that's when you turn to your colleagues for advice, brainstorming, and sometimes outright handouts of programming code that will solve your problem. Regardless of rank, everyone is a resource and everyone needs help from time to time. When you do find yourself inventing something that you think might be useful to others, you offer it. They can take it or leave it, but you put it out there in hopes it might save someone else reinventing the wheel.
Now, our little theater troupe was pulled together from volunteers, with varying degrees of experience in community theater productions. Three of our cast members had done community theater. Two had done only college or high school plays. Yours truly was truly green. Nothing, nada, since grade school.
Naturally, the three with experience were our guides. One of them was given a chance to try her hand at directing our little group. And here's where things started to get interesting.
Did you know the director is god of her universe? Apparently, whatever the director says, goes. Any suggestions or comments must be made respectfully --- nay, reverently! --- and preferably in private. Did you know that actors belonging to the Actors Equity union can be fined if they make a suggestion to another actor?
It was, to me, an incomprehensibly arcane way of working. In my little programmer's universe, which I have inhabited for decades, everybody is eager and grateful for suggestions. Suggestions make our little world go 'round. Suggestions make our product better. In tha theata, suggestions are occasionally tolerated and often punished. Even though our director did her best to recognize where we non-professionals are coming from (and to be honest, I had more trouble with shutting up than the other two did), it was really, really difficult for her to let this be a collaborative effort. Understand, she had been in many, many situations where the director was in fact the dictator, so she was experiencing a culture clash of her own. So when she did accept a suggestion from me, it was always with some statement about how "in the real world" this sort of thing wasn't acceptable.
Argh. I hate being lectured. And obviously, I made the suggestion in a spirit of helping, improving our product. Argh.
It's actually amazing how much of what goes into a production doesn't appear anywhere on the script. If you read a script, it might have some directions regarding what the actor is doing at the time s/he is saying the line, but in most cases it does not. There's this whole dimension of the production that involves the use of three-dimensional space. Where am I standing? Where do I move to? What is my body doing during the line ... leaning in, out, waving, bobbing? Where is everyone else and what are they doing? How do we arrange things so that I naturally end up where I need to be when I have a physical interaction with another actor?
Likewise, the script does not often give guidance re: why the person is saying what s/he is saying. Am I surprised or disgusted when I shout "No!"? How am I reacting to the lines I'm hearing? Why did he say that, and do I care or am I just bored and waiting for him to finish so I can move the conversation along to where I want it to go?
And then there's the general ambience of the production. Is it going to be silly? Portentous? Clever? Goofy? Over the top? Subtle?
All these things are the purview of the director. The director has a vision for what she's trying to achieve, and the actors are just there to make the vision a reality. If you have a problem with the vision ... tough. Unless you're Meryl Streep, you don't have a say.
Actually, I didn't have a problem with the vision. Thank goodness! It was in the details that I wanted to ask questions, understand, react, think about what's going on. I have never been able to do anything halfway, which probably accounts for why I often end up being in charge of whatever I'm involved in. So, as you can see, not only was this a culture clash for me, it was also a temperament clash. And folks, while I didn't entirely succeed at turning myself into someone else, I also didn't entirely fail. I spent many rehearsals standing around waiting for direction when I could have just done something that made sense to me. I bit my tongue. I did what I was told. And, occasionally, when I forgot myself, I made a suggestion. Or asked a question that had a suggestion in it. Sigh.
So, that was the most difficult part of the whole experience. Now let me tell you about how much fun it was! So fun, that the director had to tell me to quit smiling so much. So fun, that we all cracked up when Ilsa the German nurse spoke her lines. It was a challenge to learn my lines (I had LOTS of them!) but way fun when I could get through a rehearsal nearly perfect. It was fun to learn so much about how a production comes together. It was fun to hang out with friend R and fun to get to know the others in the troupe, one of whom I had never even met before. Even when we were rehearsing nearly every night for the two weeks before, and I found myself not wanting to drag myself to the rehearsal, even then it was fun to be there and all my reluctance was forgotten.
But, people, most fun of all was being in front of the audience.
We had a dress rehearsal the night before. Everybody did very well ... except me. I froze on two of my longer monologues (does 4 consecutive lines constitute a monologue?). Absolutely could not remember the lines. Heart pounding, realizing it's the dadgum DRESS REHEARSAL and I am BLOWING MY LINES! Everyone was very kind, reassuring me that a bad dress rehearsal means a good play. I wish I were the type of person to be comforted by stuff like that, but I am not. I went home just feeling sick, wondering if I was going to ruin this play for everyone. Remember, I have no experience of success, no clue how I'm going to feel when there are 80 people looking at me.
I totally vented with The Huz. He tried once to say, "You'll be fine," and my response was "You can't know that." After that, he just listened as I whined. I didn't WANT a big part, I just wanted to have a small part! I have more lines than anyone else! And I have to say them with a British accent! And I have to be a different gender than my own! And on top of that, I'm responsible for the food, too! For goodness sakes, it's too much for a new actor!! What if I ruin the whole thing??
I was exhausted at the end of all that whining, which was a good thing. Against all odds, I slept like a baby. Woke up refreshed. Calm.
The play was structured so that my character makes an entrance after the others have already been rolling along for a couple of minutes. That night, as I waited, I paced and breathed and thought over my lines. I had one or two moments when I could sense my heart speeding up a bit, but I just took a breath to calm myself, and I waited.
The play was done in a community center, no stage. We had set up the tables in a circle around the "stage", like the spokes of a wheel. I was to enter through the kitchen's swinging doors. The kitchen was dark, and the house was quiet but for the play, so I could readily see through the window in the door and hear the lines. When it came time for me to enter, I was ready. Calm.
"Oh, Doctor! P'haps you should hold up there a moment!" in my best British accent. All eyes swung toward me. And, folks, I don't mind telling you, I completely loved it! And I was off & running. I only flubbed one line, saying ".. sounds familiar" instead of ".. rings a bell", which caused an awkward moment for the person who was supposed to follow with "It rings a bell for me, too!" but we recovered, thanks to M. Not only that, we discovered a critical prop was not where it should have been, but was actually downstairs! Friend R realized it, ad-libbed, and ran downstairs to grab it. And I was inspired with a tiny monologue, walking around the circle and diverting attention till she could return! And even managed to cover someone else's forgotten line at another point. Completely amazing!
Friends tell me they prayed for me. Based on my performance the night before, I readily believe I had lots of supernatural help that night. Thank you, friends, and thank you, God!
I have found my inner ham.
So, here, are some pics, such as they are. As I mentioned, I'm not featured in them at all, but you get a glimpse of the getup from the last one; that's me in the bowler & trench coat.
Next time, the photographer will have explicit instructions to get shots of all of us during the play! And hopefully we'll be able to videotape it, too.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
caption recap
This is probably the longest my blog has ever "gone dark." The murder mystery dinner Saturday took all my time up till then and even the day after. Since then, I've been catching up on all the things that were put on hold in the runup to the play ... which was a complete hoot, by the way!
I've been waiting to post about it until I could get the pictures from the photographer. I was dying to post one for you all so you could see me in my disguise. Imagine my disappointment, then, to discover that there was NOT ONE PICTURE of my bewhiskered face! Most of the pictures that he took were of the audience during the clue hunt, not very many of the play. I must admit, I was crushed ... but I got over it. I'll post some musings about "the theatuh" experience and a couple of photos in a later post.
What is Simba saying?
Meantime, look at the fun captions everyone came up with for Simba's photo of uplifted arms. His previous owner called this his "Praise The Lord" posture; in fact, that's the command he knows. The command is nearly always followed by a treat, so he's very "faithful" in obeying it! He can usually stay up in that posture and wait until he can take very gently take the treat in his little teeth. This is a very fun dog, if you will allow me a little bragga-doggio!
Ok, enough bad wordplay, let's see what the clever folk had to say!
And we welcome a new contributor, My (Mike? Is that you?) who mistook my fluffy little guy for a girl (happens all the time) and said ...
I've been waiting to post about it until I could get the pictures from the photographer. I was dying to post one for you all so you could see me in my disguise. Imagine my disappointment, then, to discover that there was NOT ONE PICTURE of my bewhiskered face! Most of the pictures that he took were of the audience during the clue hunt, not very many of the play. I must admit, I was crushed ... but I got over it. I'll post some musings about "the theatuh" experience and a couple of photos in a later post.
What is Simba saying?Meantime, look at the fun captions everyone came up with for Simba's photo of uplifted arms. His previous owner called this his "Praise The Lord" posture; in fact, that's the command he knows. The command is nearly always followed by a treat, so he's very "faithful" in obeying it! He can usually stay up in that posture and wait until he can take very gently take the treat in his little teeth. This is a very fun dog, if you will allow me a little bragga-doggio!
Ok, enough bad wordplay, let's see what the clever folk had to say!
Ok, ok, they're covered. I wonder if anyone can see me. Yooo whooo. Anybody there?
- Margaret of the itchy back chimed in with ...
-
Oh, its that itch right in the middle of the shoulder blades that is SO hard to get.
- I just couldn't resist adding my own two cents worth ...
-
"Yes, please, a treat, please, but please, no pictures! My hair's a mess today!"
And we welcome a new contributor, My (Mike? Is that you?) who mistook my fluffy little guy for a girl (happens all the time) and said ...
In doggy language (or is it "doggie"? I'm never quite sure!) she's saying I'm in my happy place here at home so I trust things enough to lie on my back, but also my mommy raised me right that a lady keeps her dignity at all times!Thanks, everyone, for your comments. Even during the countdown to the play, I took a few moments to enjoy the comments as they came in. You gave me some normalcy in the midst of all the craziness! And now, I sign off, to return soon with some Easter pictures and the promised theatuh musings. Till then ...
caption recap
This is probably the longest my blog has ever "gone dark." The murder mystery dinner Saturday took all my time up till then and even the day after. Since then, I've been catching up on all the things that were put on hold in the runup to the play ... which was a complete hoot, by the way!
I've been waiting to post about it until I could get the pictures from the photographer. I was dying to post one for you all so you could see me in my disguise. Imagine my disappointment, then, to discover that there was NOT ONE PICTURE of my bewhiskered face! Most of the pictures that he took were of the audience during the clue hunt, not very many of the play. I must admit, I was crushed ... but I got over it. I'll post some musings about "the theatuh" experience and a couple of photos in a later post.
Meantime, look at the fun captions everyone came up with for Simba's photo of uplifted arms. His previous owner called this his "Praise The Lord" posture; in fact, that's the command he knows. The command is nearly always followed by a treat, so he's very "faithful" in obeying it! He can usually stay up in that posture and wait until he can very gently take the treat in his little teeth. This is a very fun dog, if you will allow me a little bragga-doggio!
Ok, enough bad wordplay, let's see what the clever folk had to say!
I've been waiting to post about it until I could get the pictures from the photographer. I was dying to post one for you all so you could see me in my disguise. Imagine my disappointment, then, to discover that there was NOT ONE PICTURE of my bewhiskered face! Most of the pictures that he took were of the audience during the clue hunt, not very many of the play. I must admit, I was crushed ... but I got over it. I'll post some musings about "the theatuh" experience and a couple of photos in a later post.
Ok, enough bad wordplay, let's see what the clever folk had to say!
- Eva Alice over at Running Home said...
-
"I totally love the new Denise Austin workout video. I've got to get these abs and thighs toned before swimsuit season."
- Lynne at From Lynne to Lean carried on the healthy body theme with ...
-
"This doggie yoga is doing wonders for my flexibility! I can hold the 'downward dog reverse position' for hours while I contemplate the meaning of life!"
- Barbara (Biscuit Girl) was the essence of brevity...
-
Peek-a boo!
- And the ever-charming Mike said...
Ok, ok, they're covered. I wonder if anyone can see me. Yooo whooo. Anybody there?
- Margaret of the itchy back chimed in with ...
-
Oh, its that itch right in the middle of the shoulder blades that is SO hard to get.
- I just couldn't resist adding my own two cents worth ...
-
"Yes, please, a treat, please, but please, no pictures! My hair's a mess today!"
In doggy language (or is it "doggie"? I'm never quite sure!) she's saying I'm in my happy place here at home so I trust things enough to lie on my back, but also my mommy raised me right that a lady keeps her dignity at all times!Thanks, everyone, for your comments. Even during the countdown to the play, I took a few moments to enjoy the comments as they came in. You gave me some normalcy in the midst of all the craziness! And now, I sign off, to return soon with some Easter pictures and the promised theatuh musings. Till then ...
Friday, April 07, 2006
in the countdown!
The banquet and murder mystery play are tomorrow night. This week, our two male actors both fell ill with the flu. One has been unable to rehearse for most of the week, barely able to get out of bed. The other just fell ill last night; I haven't heard how serious his illness is. They're both troopers, though; if they can be there, they will. Friend R hurt her back gardening this week. Friend M just began having a sore throat last night. I'm fighting a UTI and significant arm pain. I haven't seen a doctor, but I'm fearing it might be carpal tunnel.
Only one of our little troupe is physically whole going into this little adventure. So far.
But never fear! The show will go on, even if we have to hand scripts to audience members! We've promised a murder mystery dinner, and a murder mystery dinner it shall be.
P.S. If you're a praying person, you know what to do! (Please?)
Only one of our little troupe is physically whole going into this little adventure. So far.
But never fear! The show will go on, even if we have to hand scripts to audience members! We've promised a murder mystery dinner, and a murder mystery dinner it shall be.
P.S. If you're a praying person, you know what to do! (Please?)
Friday, March 31, 2006
murder and simba, a harmonious blend
We're in the runup to the murder mystery dinner, which will be next Saturday, the 8th. Which means we're heading into Hell Week: 3-hour rehearsals every night starting tomorrow. I'm surprised and delighted to find that my spirits are still pretty good! Despite constant rehearsals, negotiations, suggestions for improvements in performances, changes this way, changes back, all my co-thespians apparently still like each other! or at least, I still like them ... and my stress levels aren't doing too badly.The latter situation has been greatly aided by being able to complete a few projects and get them off the list; and also by having a fabulous co-laborer in the banquet arena. She's so calm, so competent, and so experienced, that I just feel as if I have nothing to worry about, nothing that comes up will faze her, the show will go on!
So far we have a little over 70 folks signed up for the banquet, and there is usually a last-minute rush of signups, so hurray! We should have a full house for the benefit. Any my acting debut. Ahem.
Anyway, all this lightening of the load (and consequently of my spirits) left me feeling as if I had time to enjoy watching Simba as he wandered up our hill this morning. The sun was peeking over the hill behind him, and he is a wonder to behold with sunlight coming through that red-blond fur. I got lots of fun shots for him, which I will edit and post later, but for now I just had to share this beauty with you!And this will be my entry for Sweetnick's Weekend Dog Blogging. For a riotously funny, touchingly poignant, loving look at canine friends, check it out this Sunday night.
Monday, March 20, 2006
weekend fun and drama
Yesterday I did the last entertaining that I will do until Easter weekend. GASP! Did you hear me say that? My heart flutters at the thought. But it's true. I have a really good reason, but even the reason makes me gasp: I'm going to be in a play. A fact I alluded to in a previous post, casually, as if it were something that occurs on a routine basis, blasé little thespian am I.
Not! I haven't been in a play since grade school ... and I didn't have the lead role in that one. No, I was Mrs. Smith. I had one line. "Really, Jimmy!" pronounced very huffily after having sat in a chair to find little Jimmy suddenly there. Yep, I remember it vividly for a couple of reasons. One: in every rehearsal, I very casually sat in that chair without once looking back to make sure my fellow actor had gotten scooted into the chair behind me. Because, of course, I needed to be surprised. But for the play? You guessed it. Nerves. I looked. Kind of blew the surprise bit.
The other reason is that after the play, my big sister (a/k/a "Seester") helped me take my makeup off. You might have noticed from my photo that I have a rather prominent mole on my right cheek. My sister kept scrubbing and scrubbing at it, and I thought she was having trouble getting the makeup off it. Come to find out, my sister had seen that mole so much she forgot it was there, and she was trying to scrub it off! LOL!
Anyway, this play is a short one, only about twenty minutes total. But! I have a lead role. And! I have to play a man! A **British** man! So in addition to learning lots of lines, and where to move when, and what sort of reaction to have while others are talking, I have to learn a British accent, and I have to refrain from letting my hips swing or my wrists flop or my eyelashes flutter (which I evidently do more than I realized, because people keep having to remind me!) I have a feeling the audience will be expecting that part of the mystery is that my character is, in fact, a woman. But, no, it's just that we couldn't find a guy who would commit to doing the part, and I'm the tallest woman. Really. It's the only thing I've got going for me.
Can you spell S-T-R-E-T-C-H?
So, every spare minute between now and then will be spent practicing this play, which I suspect I will be calling "this wretched play" before it's all over. I'll post some pics of me in drag when I have some. Should be good for a laugh. Hopefully not a snicker. :o)
Editor's note: See the wrapup on the murder mystery.
Anyway, yesterday we had some old friends, Jim and Debbie, over for brunch after church. I didn't have time to get creative, so I served a brunch menu that I blogged before because, with some prep the day before, it is so amazingly easy to pull together the day of the brunch. We had a lovely time, sitting over coffee long after the food was all eaten, nibbling on extra fruit and scones when the spirit (I'll let you guess which one) moved us. It was great to touch bases with these guys. Way too much time had gone under the bridge or over the dam or wherever time goes when you're busy.
So, I guess the social me will have to draw nourishment from fellow cast members, or memories of yesterday's lovely brunch, to tide me over till this play thing is done. And then watch out! Much pent-up entertaining energy will be released. You might want to stay clear of the area for a while.
Not! I haven't been in a play since grade school ... and I didn't have the lead role in that one. No, I was Mrs. Smith. I had one line. "Really, Jimmy!" pronounced very huffily after having sat in a chair to find little Jimmy suddenly there. Yep, I remember it vividly for a couple of reasons. One: in every rehearsal, I very casually sat in that chair without once looking back to make sure my fellow actor had gotten scooted into the chair behind me. Because, of course, I needed to be surprised. But for the play? You guessed it. Nerves. I looked. Kind of blew the surprise bit.
The other reason is that after the play, my big sister (a/k/a "Seester") helped me take my makeup off. You might have noticed from my photo that I have a rather prominent mole on my right cheek. My sister kept scrubbing and scrubbing at it, and I thought she was having trouble getting the makeup off it. Come to find out, my sister had seen that mole so much she forgot it was there, and she was trying to scrub it off! LOL!
Anyway, this play is a short one, only about twenty minutes total. But! I have a lead role. And! I have to play a man! A **British** man! So in addition to learning lots of lines, and where to move when, and what sort of reaction to have while others are talking, I have to learn a British accent, and I have to refrain from letting my hips swing or my wrists flop or my eyelashes flutter (which I evidently do more than I realized, because people keep having to remind me!) I have a feeling the audience will be expecting that part of the mystery is that my character is, in fact, a woman. But, no, it's just that we couldn't find a guy who would commit to doing the part, and I'm the tallest woman. Really. It's the only thing I've got going for me.Can you spell S-T-R-E-T-C-H?
So, every spare minute between now and then will be spent practicing this play, which I suspect I will be calling "this wretched play" before it's all over. I'll post some pics of me in drag when I have some. Should be good for a laugh. Hopefully not a snicker. :o)
Editor's note: See the wrapup on the murder mystery.
Anyway, yesterday we had some old friends, Jim and Debbie, over for brunch after church. I didn't have time to get creative, so I served a brunch menu that I blogged before because, with some prep the day before, it is so amazingly easy to pull together the day of the brunch. We had a lovely time, sitting over coffee long after the food was all eaten, nibbling on extra fruit and scones when the spirit (I'll let you guess which one) moved us. It was great to touch bases with these guys. Way too much time had gone under the bridge or over the dam or wherever time goes when you're busy.
So, I guess the social me will have to draw nourishment from fellow cast members, or memories of yesterday's lovely brunch, to tide me over till this play thing is done. And then watch out! Much pent-up entertaining energy will be released. You might want to stay clear of the area for a while.
Monday, February 20, 2006
I've done it again ...
I've overscheduled myself. In my defense, I had no possible way to know when I committed to all these things that they would all land in this little section of my calendar. What things, you may ask? Thanks for asking; I've been wanting to whine!
Isn't that just depressing? But, this too shall pass! So, I'm ducking out of any more postings this week, and will be back middle of next week with, I'm sure, stories and/or pictures and/or recipes. And will look forward to hearing the same from you!
- Cooking for a group of 20(!) for four days the end of this week, in a small kitchen with no commercial equipment and marginal ergonomics, a dining room barely able to contain that number, with only part-time help, in a town 75 miles north of here.
- Cooking as much as possible for said group in advance of going there.
- Practicing for a play for a murder mystery dinner benefit scheduled for early April.
- Learning lines for said play.
- Acquiring a disco outfit for said play.
- Contriving and learning a dance routine for said play.
- Chairing a heap big meeting (ugh!) Wednesday with the building contractor for our church construction project. I chair the committee, keep the notes and follow up on most of the items.
- Meeting tomorrow with said contractor and interior design committee at local building supply company to view furnishings, wood trim, window styles, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera
- Teaching a cooking class next Monday night
- Shopping for said cooking class
Isn't that just depressing? But, this too shall pass! So, I'm ducking out of any more postings this week, and will be back middle of next week with, I'm sure, stories and/or pictures and/or recipes. And will look forward to hearing the same from you!
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"I totally love the new Denise Austin workout video. I've got to get these abs and thighs toned before swimsuit season."
"This doggie yoga is doing wonders for my flexibility! I can hold the 'downward dog reverse position' for hours while I contemplate the meaning of life!"
Peek-a boo!