I've seen two Broadway shows in a week- WOW! For a local, that's impressive, but that's what happens when people visit, and I love it.
How to Succeed...
I start with How to Succeed... because I was in this show and feel that I can really have an honest opinion and different perspective having played "Rosemary" *ahem* 4 *ahem* years ago.
I am here to testify that How to Succeed... is worth your money! Daniel Radcliffe really surprised me. I almost didn't see the show at all, but two of my friends volunteered to stand in the ticket rush line at 6:45am to get tickets, so how could I refuse?
Daniel Radcliffe really blew me away. He was in no way "Harry Potter" on stage. He had the sweetest innocence and attitude, and brought so much more to the character than I could have ever imagined even existed in the script. You really felt that he was having the time of his life on that stage, and Radcliffe never gave less than 150% of himself every second he was onstage. And I forgot how exhausting that role is! Good for him for learning all that choreography within a year, it was so tough and non-stop sometimes, I was blown away, and finally understood why people were upset that he didn't get any recognition when it came to award season (apart from various audience awards).
I also have a heart for the girl who played Rosemary, who's name is actually Rose (I know!). This was her Broadway Debut and it must feel amazing. She is truly talented and seems very sweet. She was perfect for the role, and that means something because one is always more critical when watching someone play a role one's played before.
I could go on forever but I really appreciated the fact that no one when completely overboard on their characters, they all really hit the punchlines without sounding stupid or cheesy and I think that's a mistake we all made in our production in college. Everyone was so caught up in playing "up" the part, that it wasn't funny or as funny as it could have been, and we missed SO MUCH! There were so many times tonight that I thought, "Why didn't WE think of THAT!?" Watching the "big dogs" play gave me quite the perspective on this show and made me appreciate it more.
Watch my YouTube Video of what happened at the Stage Door after the show!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPquvl4FyUY
Jerusalem
All I can say about Jerusalem is WOW. WOOOOW. Seriously. Amazing.
We rushed tickets and sat in line behind the parents and family of one of the characters who didn't want to spend $130 to see their son in a show they had already seen him do in London, I thought that was funny.
Everyone was good, I have no complaints, although I have to say to must be patient and open to learning a new language, because you will be rewarded in the second half of the second act. Not that everything else isn't important, in fact it is SO important, but it all comes together at the end, and a big "light bulb" will go on in your head. Make sense? An emotional light bulb at that!
The lead actor, Mark, was just....I have no words, and when we left, all we could think was: How in the world is this man going to turn himself around and do ANOTHER show tonight??? (We saw the matinee) I just cannot imagine how he gets himself to that place 8 shows a week. Incredible.
NEXT:
I predict I will be back with Sister Act Notes next! I already saw it and LOVED it, especially our dear friend, Fred Applegate, and Marla Mindelle, but I saw it on "family and friends night" and it was still in previews, and I know for a fact a few things changed, so I need to see it again to be fair, before I put my two cents on the table.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
Since Tour...
Since the Oklahoma tour, I've been desperately trying to book the next job. I mean, I had been working consistently for about a year before that and really thought I was on a roll. It's been 4 months since, and because of political issues mostly, I have still to book another job, despite my many connections.
But not all hope is lost, when I got back, I took the next month to network like crazy through Actors Connection, which was really great. I made a lot of good impressions and got my name out there, and reminded casting directors and agents of who I was and where I was at. I got a TON of positive feedback and got many auditions and other interviews because of those meetings.
I got an interview with the casting director of the TV show "Royal Pains" and I'm hoping to be on this season! They said I had a great look for the show, and they would call me in as soon as they found a script I was right for- exciting!
I booked a commercial agent! I am now freelancing with Erica Moran at Avalon Artists!
My biggest success was being brought in for the lead role, Nellie Forbush, in South Pacific for the National Tour. This audition got me an appointment with Chris' legit agent, also at Avalon Artists, this past Friday. So if he doesn't have too many blonde all-American types on his roster already, I'd get signed! This is what I need so badly!
I haven't heard yet from South Pacific, but it went really well, and I know that they are just waiting to find their leading man, who is Nelly's opposite, so bring any Nellie's back in. Hopefully I'm still in the running!
This past month has been really slow otherwise, unfortunately. So I've been working and writing my book on babysitting- check out my new babysitting info:
Twitter: @bigcitysitter
FB: The Big City Sitters
Site: www.thebigcitysitters.com (which forwards to our blog right now, until it gets completed: www.thebigcitysitters.blogspot.com)
Show I've seen lately: Sister Act! It was a TON of fun, I recommend it!
Chris (my hubby) has been in Ogunquit, Maine at Ogunquit Playhouse for 2 weeks and has 3 weeks of shows left doing Avenue Q as Nikki/ Trekki.
Check out my FB page for my latest headshots and more updates!
Here's my favorite pic from my Memorial Day festivities in Central Park!
But not all hope is lost, when I got back, I took the next month to network like crazy through Actors Connection, which was really great. I made a lot of good impressions and got my name out there, and reminded casting directors and agents of who I was and where I was at. I got a TON of positive feedback and got many auditions and other interviews because of those meetings.
I got an interview with the casting director of the TV show "Royal Pains" and I'm hoping to be on this season! They said I had a great look for the show, and they would call me in as soon as they found a script I was right for- exciting!
I booked a commercial agent! I am now freelancing with Erica Moran at Avalon Artists!
My biggest success was being brought in for the lead role, Nellie Forbush, in South Pacific for the National Tour. This audition got me an appointment with Chris' legit agent, also at Avalon Artists, this past Friday. So if he doesn't have too many blonde all-American types on his roster already, I'd get signed! This is what I need so badly!
I haven't heard yet from South Pacific, but it went really well, and I know that they are just waiting to find their leading man, who is Nelly's opposite, so bring any Nellie's back in. Hopefully I'm still in the running!
This past month has been really slow otherwise, unfortunately. So I've been working and writing my book on babysitting- check out my new babysitting info:
Twitter: @bigcitysitter
FB: The Big City Sitters
Site: www.thebigcitysitters.com (which forwards to our blog right now, until it gets completed: www.thebigcitysitters.blogspot.com)
Show I've seen lately: Sister Act! It was a TON of fun, I recommend it!
Chris (my hubby) has been in Ogunquit, Maine at Ogunquit Playhouse for 2 weeks and has 3 weeks of shows left doing Avenue Q as Nikki/ Trekki.
Check out my FB page for my latest headshots and more updates!
Here's my favorite pic from my Memorial Day festivities in Central Park!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Notes on a few classes / seminars
Film Intensive w/ Steve Vincent, Casting Director/ owner of Palm Star Casting/ Entertainment
Use Actors Access, drop them a note and submit ONLY if you are completely right for the role. Make sure to submit for what's appropriate for you, otherwise, you wont be taken seriously the next time you submit.
Their offices: 36 E. 20th St. 3rd Fl. NYC
They open EVERY submission
In casting calls (this is HIS preference ONLY. Everyone casting person is different): Be as off-book as possible, be as familiar with the material & character as possible, ask questions.
Good opportunity: Be a reader, they're looking for readers all the time. Send them a note.
If there's a special skill that the submission requires and you have it- put a note in the submission so they don't miss it!
JOHN GALLAGHER- DIRECTOR - ACTING FOR THE CAMERA WORKSHOP (at The Network):
Notes:
* The camera will read you well in film, so you don't need to "act", let the camera do the work.
*Many directors in auditions, even experienced directors, don't know what they're looking for until they see it.
*When you walk into an audition- OWN THAT ROOM!
* Directors look for actors who deliver lines in interesting and creative ways.
Helpful Exercises:
*Put your face in close-up on camera and record yourself doing an interview, talk, scenes, etc. You'll find things about your face you didn't know: your best angle, your facial expressions, etc.
* Look at a scene for 3 minutes then do the scene as an improv without the script. Then go back and do it with the script.
Other Notes: DO STUDENT FILMS (he recommends SVA) - ****Learn how to be GOOD in a BAD film! Be the actor who stands out, even when given bad material!
SVA's Program Director/ Teacher: Alexa DiCambio: casting@sva.edu
Make a reel with a Flip Cam if you can, it' HD and CHEAP. Record a monologue that's 1.5-2 minutes max.
Recommended Books:
-Harold Guskin "How to Stop Acting"
-Susan Batson "Truth"
ON SET: know the protocol, who's job is what, etc.
His website w/ contact info: JGmovie.com
Use Actors Access, drop them a note and submit ONLY if you are completely right for the role. Make sure to submit for what's appropriate for you, otherwise, you wont be taken seriously the next time you submit.
Their offices: 36 E. 20th St. 3rd Fl. NYC
They open EVERY submission
In casting calls (this is HIS preference ONLY. Everyone casting person is different): Be as off-book as possible, be as familiar with the material & character as possible, ask questions.
Good opportunity: Be a reader, they're looking for readers all the time. Send them a note.
If there's a special skill that the submission requires and you have it- put a note in the submission so they don't miss it!
JOHN GALLAGHER- DIRECTOR - ACTING FOR THE CAMERA WORKSHOP (at The Network):
Notes:
* The camera will read you well in film, so you don't need to "act", let the camera do the work.
*Many directors in auditions, even experienced directors, don't know what they're looking for until they see it.
*When you walk into an audition- OWN THAT ROOM!
* Directors look for actors who deliver lines in interesting and creative ways.
Helpful Exercises:
*Put your face in close-up on camera and record yourself doing an interview, talk, scenes, etc. You'll find things about your face you didn't know: your best angle, your facial expressions, etc.
* Look at a scene for 3 minutes then do the scene as an improv without the script. Then go back and do it with the script.
Other Notes: DO STUDENT FILMS (he recommends SVA) - ****Learn how to be GOOD in a BAD film! Be the actor who stands out, even when given bad material!
SVA's Program Director/ Teacher: Alexa DiCambio: casting@sva.edu
Make a reel with a Flip Cam if you can, it' HD and CHEAP. Record a monologue that's 1.5-2 minutes max.
Recommended Books:
-Harold Guskin "How to Stop Acting"
-Susan Batson "Truth"
ON SET: know the protocol, who's job is what, etc.
His website w/ contact info: JGmovie.com
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Commercial Improv Intensive Notes
This workshop was great and I recommend it to anyone thinking about getting into commercials! It was $99 for an all day intensive from 10am - 5pm.
Where: Actors Connection
Who: Barry Shapiro
We started out with a game called "Blank a Blank"- I was basically charades but you had to act out a phrase like "Bury a Body" or "Draw a Map" or "Change a Diaper".
This was great because it really got us going and was a great ice-breaker.
"Audition" 1 was for KMART. It was a speaking exercise. All we were told was to walk into the store, take it all in, and decide what we wanted to do.
What we learned was:
-we needed to establish a relationship when working with a partner.
- If you decide to go in the improv- go! Don't stand there waiting for the camera to turn off.
- Don't break character, just do what you say you're going to do.
-When speaking about a product or company in a commercial improv, don't use the work: cheap.
- Keep the joy throughout the commercial, stay positive
Exercise/ "Audition" 2: Facial Expressions
We were told that we would hear a voice-over with certain emotions, and we needed to convey them one right after the other as we heard them, within about 30 seconds. It was a close-up shot on our faces.
The emotions we had to convey were:
-Lost, smart, sweet, jealous, hopeful, horrified, ashamed, snobby, relaxed, whatever, sleepy, curious, tense, brave, grumpy, hurt, insane, sick, duh, in love, exhausted, zombie-like, secretive, conceited, confused.
-On callbacks:
- Do what got you there, don't change or decide to do something different unless you're told to make a change.
Pepto Bismol Commercial:
A: Uh-Oh...you have that look again.
B: What Look?
A: The diarrhea look
B: It's that obvious huh? I can't be more than 10 feet from the bathroom.
A: Pepto Bismol, my friend. Problem solved.
B: I think I'm gonna listen to you this time.
Instructions were given when we got in the room:
Sit down in the two chairs. Improv one line each before you start the written dialogue, then improv two lines each after the written dialogue is finished.
A note about auditioning:
-Questions can be annoying to the Casting Director because he's been doing the same thing all day. Listen first, but if you're really unsure about something, then definitely ask.
KRAFT Commercial:
You were sitting in a chair, driving, and there was a voice-over you had to lsiten and react to, telling you what was going on.
Notes:
- If you are given a prop, use it!
- If you use a prop and move it in the scene, put it back in it's original place when you're done! (You'd be surprised how many people didn't think to do this- I was one of those people! oops.)
- When driving in a scene, make sure you don't go overboard with your hands, while pretending to drive. You hardly have to move them at all.
- Make sure you know where your rear-view mirror is, it should be to your right and up a little.
- If you get an idea, they need to see the light-bulb go off on your face.
- Play the road to the side of the camera.
Note: Let them tell you, you're doing too much. Let them bring you down. If you don't give enough, then you come off as being a bad actor. They will tell you to take it down a notch, but they won't ask you to give MORE.
Haagen Daz Commercial:
We saw the script for 30 seconds, then we were told to get the basic idea of the script across, but make it our own.
Group Eating Exercise:
We were put in groups of 5 or 6 and told to eat a bowl of Sunchips.
Notes:
- The biggest mistake you can make when eating on camera, is the "furrowed brow". It comes off as negative, and looks like you HATE what you're eating! Your eyebrows should go up in satisfaction and/or surprise at the wonderful flavor!
- Stop and enjoy each moment of eating- which is not how you'd normally eat, but is good for the camera.
-Stay positive about the product
- Small bites are best, so you don't have to worry about chewing too much.
- Keep eating, don't take too long to talk.
- If the food isn't there and you have to mime, still take time to react.
That's all the notes I have for that workshop, I really recommend it! Everyone gets something different out of it. For me personally, it took me until after lunch to really get the hang of things. Because I had been told for so long to be careful about giving too much on camera, I was so afraid of giving too much, that I didn't give enough, and it didn't read well at all. SO I think that definitely still goes for tv/ film, but I think for commercials, you can always give a little more than you think. It was very enlightening to see myself on camera. I really enjoyed it, and will keep taking some of these great classes!
Where: Actors Connection
Who: Barry Shapiro
We started out with a game called "Blank a Blank"- I was basically charades but you had to act out a phrase like "Bury a Body" or "Draw a Map" or "Change a Diaper".
This was great because it really got us going and was a great ice-breaker.
"Audition" 1 was for KMART. It was a speaking exercise. All we were told was to walk into the store, take it all in, and decide what we wanted to do.
What we learned was:
-we needed to establish a relationship when working with a partner.
- If you decide to go in the improv- go! Don't stand there waiting for the camera to turn off.
- Don't break character, just do what you say you're going to do.
-When speaking about a product or company in a commercial improv, don't use the work: cheap.
- Keep the joy throughout the commercial, stay positive
Exercise/ "Audition" 2: Facial Expressions
We were told that we would hear a voice-over with certain emotions, and we needed to convey them one right after the other as we heard them, within about 30 seconds. It was a close-up shot on our faces.
The emotions we had to convey were:
-Lost, smart, sweet, jealous, hopeful, horrified, ashamed, snobby, relaxed, whatever, sleepy, curious, tense, brave, grumpy, hurt, insane, sick, duh, in love, exhausted, zombie-like, secretive, conceited, confused.
-On callbacks:
- Do what got you there, don't change or decide to do something different unless you're told to make a change.
Pepto Bismol Commercial:
A: Uh-Oh...you have that look again.
B: What Look?
A: The diarrhea look
B: It's that obvious huh? I can't be more than 10 feet from the bathroom.
A: Pepto Bismol, my friend. Problem solved.
B: I think I'm gonna listen to you this time.
Instructions were given when we got in the room:
Sit down in the two chairs. Improv one line each before you start the written dialogue, then improv two lines each after the written dialogue is finished.
A note about auditioning:
-Questions can be annoying to the Casting Director because he's been doing the same thing all day. Listen first, but if you're really unsure about something, then definitely ask.
KRAFT Commercial:
You were sitting in a chair, driving, and there was a voice-over you had to lsiten and react to, telling you what was going on.
Notes:
- If you are given a prop, use it!
- If you use a prop and move it in the scene, put it back in it's original place when you're done! (You'd be surprised how many people didn't think to do this- I was one of those people! oops.)
- When driving in a scene, make sure you don't go overboard with your hands, while pretending to drive. You hardly have to move them at all.
- Make sure you know where your rear-view mirror is, it should be to your right and up a little.
- If you get an idea, they need to see the light-bulb go off on your face.
- Play the road to the side of the camera.
Note: Let them tell you, you're doing too much. Let them bring you down. If you don't give enough, then you come off as being a bad actor. They will tell you to take it down a notch, but they won't ask you to give MORE.
Haagen Daz Commercial:
We saw the script for 30 seconds, then we were told to get the basic idea of the script across, but make it our own.
Group Eating Exercise:
We were put in groups of 5 or 6 and told to eat a bowl of Sunchips.
Notes:
- The biggest mistake you can make when eating on camera, is the "furrowed brow". It comes off as negative, and looks like you HATE what you're eating! Your eyebrows should go up in satisfaction and/or surprise at the wonderful flavor!
- Stop and enjoy each moment of eating- which is not how you'd normally eat, but is good for the camera.
-Stay positive about the product
- Small bites are best, so you don't have to worry about chewing too much.
- Keep eating, don't take too long to talk.
- If the food isn't there and you have to mime, still take time to react.
That's all the notes I have for that workshop, I really recommend it! Everyone gets something different out of it. For me personally, it took me until after lunch to really get the hang of things. Because I had been told for so long to be careful about giving too much on camera, I was so afraid of giving too much, that I didn't give enough, and it didn't read well at all. SO I think that definitely still goes for tv/ film, but I think for commercials, you can always give a little more than you think. It was very enlightening to see myself on camera. I really enjoyed it, and will keep taking some of these great classes!
Voice-over workshop w/ Katherine Ryan (Don Buchwald & Assoc.)
These are a few notes that I took in my class, if you are interested in Voice-over work, these things may be beneficial to you:
*This workshop was held at Networks. It was supposed to be an intensive, but Katherine said herself that it was basically an open call for her, since they don't ever hold auditions or open calls. We read 3 or 4 scripts into a mic which was recorded into a computer and played back for the class to hear. It was really beneficial to those just starting out or looking for an agent (which Katherine is).
* She said the best way to get an agent and/or get work is first by putting a demo together, which should only cost about $300. She said if it's more than than be wary, especially when it's n the $1000 range- don't pay that. STAR TRAX is a great place to put a demo together. She prefers email submissions of demos at: katherine@buchwald.com and she is a commercial AND voice-over agent, but the agency itself will sign you across the board and also has a theatrical department, and is bi-coastal.
* If you want to do character work or animation, you need to be in LA, it's all out there. NYC is best for commercials, tv, and film voice-overs.
* Pay for voice-over work: you get a $426 session fee- this is standard for voice-over sessions. Then you get a residuals contract which could be for between $100-50,000, for every time the commercial airs, and for 21 months. When 21 months is over they either move on to a new ad or they re-negotiate your contract.
* As a non-union actor without an agent, you can look for work at: Voice Bank or Voice 123
Hope this is helpful!
*This workshop was held at Networks. It was supposed to be an intensive, but Katherine said herself that it was basically an open call for her, since they don't ever hold auditions or open calls. We read 3 or 4 scripts into a mic which was recorded into a computer and played back for the class to hear. It was really beneficial to those just starting out or looking for an agent (which Katherine is).
* She said the best way to get an agent and/or get work is first by putting a demo together, which should only cost about $300. She said if it's more than than be wary, especially when it's n the $1000 range- don't pay that. STAR TRAX is a great place to put a demo together. She prefers email submissions of demos at: katherine@buchwald.com and she is a commercial AND voice-over agent, but the agency itself will sign you across the board and also has a theatrical department, and is bi-coastal.
* If you want to do character work or animation, you need to be in LA, it's all out there. NYC is best for commercials, tv, and film voice-overs.
* Pay for voice-over work: you get a $426 session fee- this is standard for voice-over sessions. Then you get a residuals contract which could be for between $100-50,000, for every time the commercial airs, and for 21 months. When 21 months is over they either move on to a new ad or they re-negotiate your contract.
* As a non-union actor without an agent, you can look for work at: Voice Bank or Voice 123
Hope this is helpful!
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Tea Time!
I have been working really hard all day on a tea party that I'm hosting with a few of my friends. Ever since I visited London in July, I've wanted to come back and use some of my tea and cookies(oops, ate all the cookies before the party...but I've had them tempting me for 6 months! c'mon!).
So since the cookies from Harrods are all gone, I made my own Pumpkin Scones, with my favorite recipe from a Restaurant here in NYC called, "Alice's Tea Cup" and the secret to these is the clotted cream, but since I can't make it (they don't sell unpasteurized cream in grocery stores, which is the key ingredient in Europe), I made whipped cream from scratch, as taught by my mother (thanks mom!). I also made Earl Grey Tea Cookies, with a recipe from Real Simple, and I sprinkled snowflake shapes on each cookie with powdered sugar and a stencil!
The tea I'll be serving is Earl Grey from Harrods and a Vanilla Toffee tea from Tea Palace, both from London. Tea Palace is an amazing tea shop right in the middle of Covet Garden, I definitely recommend it!
I'll also be serving two types of tea sandwiches: Cucumber (duh, my favorite!) with a chive cream cheese spread, and a Chicken Guacamole sandwich. I'll have a fruit salad and some other small munchies too.
Oh I'm so excited to see some of the lovely people I've been missing for these past few months while I've been on tour!
Chris has been gone this weekend, in La (poor thing.) so I decided to have some girlie time! Pictures to come!
I also could not have done any of this without my sweet friend Kristin who lives down the street from me and is a cooking genius!
I'll have pictures up on Facebook tomorrow of our good times, and my Martha Stewart-Esq party!
So since the cookies from Harrods are all gone, I made my own Pumpkin Scones, with my favorite recipe from a Restaurant here in NYC called, "Alice's Tea Cup" and the secret to these is the clotted cream, but since I can't make it (they don't sell unpasteurized cream in grocery stores, which is the key ingredient in Europe), I made whipped cream from scratch, as taught by my mother (thanks mom!). I also made Earl Grey Tea Cookies, with a recipe from Real Simple, and I sprinkled snowflake shapes on each cookie with powdered sugar and a stencil!
The tea I'll be serving is Earl Grey from Harrods and a Vanilla Toffee tea from Tea Palace, both from London. Tea Palace is an amazing tea shop right in the middle of Covet Garden, I definitely recommend it!
I'll also be serving two types of tea sandwiches: Cucumber (duh, my favorite!) with a chive cream cheese spread, and a Chicken Guacamole sandwich. I'll have a fruit salad and some other small munchies too.
Oh I'm so excited to see some of the lovely people I've been missing for these past few months while I've been on tour!
Chris has been gone this weekend, in La (poor thing.) so I decided to have some girlie time! Pictures to come!
I also could not have done any of this without my sweet friend Kristin who lives down the street from me and is a cooking genius!
I'll have pictures up on Facebook tomorrow of our good times, and my Martha Stewart-Esq party!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
O Canada
Well, I was forced to go back on tour. I told the producers that I could not afford to stay on tour because of the additional lay-offs they gave us. After saying my goodbyes, writing thank-you cards, completely convinced by the "we'll work it all out" conversation I had with the company, alas, they have no mercy, no sympathy, and will not let me out of my contract.
It's a long boring story, but the contract stinks, and the bottom line is, I need an agent to represent me and help me deal with all of this in the future. I also feel ready to pursue getting my Equity Card (the actors union), so that I will be more protected in the future by the union rules. I've put in a lot of dues in the non-equity world, and I feel ready to move on to bigger and better things.
So we have 4 performances this week, 2 in Canada (we're waiting for our bus in the Toronto Airport as we speak) and 2 in Toledo, OH. Then we're laid off again for 3 weeks until the New Year.
I'll post an updated schedule for the rest of the tour, as soon as I get it, closer to the New Year.
Please keep us in your prayers, as we try to make the best of this trying holiday season, we'll stay positive, thankful to be going home to spend time with friends and family.
Merry Christmas!
It's a long boring story, but the contract stinks, and the bottom line is, I need an agent to represent me and help me deal with all of this in the future. I also feel ready to pursue getting my Equity Card (the actors union), so that I will be more protected in the future by the union rules. I've put in a lot of dues in the non-equity world, and I feel ready to move on to bigger and better things.
So we have 4 performances this week, 2 in Canada (we're waiting for our bus in the Toronto Airport as we speak) and 2 in Toledo, OH. Then we're laid off again for 3 weeks until the New Year.
I'll post an updated schedule for the rest of the tour, as soon as I get it, closer to the New Year.
Please keep us in your prayers, as we try to make the best of this trying holiday season, we'll stay positive, thankful to be going home to spend time with friends and family.
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Road Woes
Well it's been 2 months on the road, and we've run into more problems than I've ever had on any production I've ever been a part of. I recently had the opportunity to go to New York when we had a few days off, and I was able to sit down with some of the production people in the New York offices, and I thought it went really well. They were very happy that I was able to come in, and inform them of many things they had no idea about. Most of the problems we've had, were the result of a communication problem. It seems that there were changes made on the production side of things that the cast was not informed of, which made things very confusing for us.
Now, after thinking everything was resolved, we've been hit by an even bigger blow. Hopefully everything will be settled by tomorrow, but the company running our tour has asked us to take the week of Thanksgiving "off", in hopes that they would be able to cut our pay to less than half. We were supposed to go to Las Vegas, but that got canceled, and the company has been losing money. Probably because they also produce Spiderman on Broadway, and there has been a lot of money lost there, I'm sure...This of course, is not our problem, but we are trying to work something out so that we get our full pay and still get to be with our families for Thanksgiving.
I for one, cannot afford to not get paid, so if they do not pay us, than that could be the end of tour for me. But I doubt it would come to that, because after the meeting I had with the production office, I have a hard time believing they would do that to us. We may also be able to negotiate on an individual basis. It's times like these I REEEEALLY wish I had an agent!!!
Here is our confirmed performance schedule for the next week:
11/14 (tonight): Rocky Mount, NC 7:30pm
11/15: travel day
11/16: Jackson, MS - Thalia Mara Hall, 7:30pm
11/17: Jackson, MS - Thalia Mara Hall, 7:30pm
11/18: Montgomery, AL - David Theater, 7:00pm
11/19: Oxford, MS - Ford Theater, 8:00pm
11/20: Longview, TX - Belcher Theater, 7:30pm
11/21: Texarkana, TX - Perot Theater, 7:00pm
I'll keep you posted on what happens!
Now, after thinking everything was resolved, we've been hit by an even bigger blow. Hopefully everything will be settled by tomorrow, but the company running our tour has asked us to take the week of Thanksgiving "off", in hopes that they would be able to cut our pay to less than half. We were supposed to go to Las Vegas, but that got canceled, and the company has been losing money. Probably because they also produce Spiderman on Broadway, and there has been a lot of money lost there, I'm sure...This of course, is not our problem, but we are trying to work something out so that we get our full pay and still get to be with our families for Thanksgiving.
I for one, cannot afford to not get paid, so if they do not pay us, than that could be the end of tour for me. But I doubt it would come to that, because after the meeting I had with the production office, I have a hard time believing they would do that to us. We may also be able to negotiate on an individual basis. It's times like these I REEEEALLY wish I had an agent!!!
Here is our confirmed performance schedule for the next week:
11/14 (tonight): Rocky Mount, NC 7:30pm
11/15: travel day
11/16: Jackson, MS - Thalia Mara Hall, 7:30pm
11/17: Jackson, MS - Thalia Mara Hall, 7:30pm
11/18: Montgomery, AL - David Theater, 7:00pm
11/19: Oxford, MS - Ford Theater, 8:00pm
11/20: Longview, TX - Belcher Theater, 7:30pm
11/21: Texarkana, TX - Perot Theater, 7:00pm
I'll keep you posted on what happens!
Monday, October 25, 2010
From the road...
I'm currently writing this on the bus, and we're driving from South Carolina to New Albany, OH. It's going to be a long, rainy day.
It's someone's birthday today, so we decorated her bus seat and gave her a crown to wear, cuz it stinks that her birthday is on a travel day...but at least we don't have a show and we can party later!
Everyone is sleeping...we have "quiet hours" until noon every day, which is really great. We haven't had many bus behavior problems, but everyone, myself included, gets really restless towards the end of long travel days. Playing movies on the bus helps, if everyone can agree on what to watch, which is never. Today the birthday girl's pick is "Hocus Pocus", my closest claim to fame, for those of you who know the story.
The bus driver is really great, his name is Mike. Mike is a Southern Man, very chivalrous and polite. I don't know how he does it. This bus is enormous.
And now for my weekly vent/ rant:
We've been on the road exactly a month today, and I've been feeling a little homesick lately. Okay a LOT homesick. It seems that everyone has had family and friends come to the show, except me. There have been missed opportunities because we don't get the schedule until the last- minute (which completely violates our contracts, which say we're supposed to get our full schedule of the upcoming week the Sunday before that wee begins!). Bailey, for example, was coming to see a show that got canceled this week.
The thing that keeps me going is that Chris and Millie are coming to see me in New Haven, CT in a week and a half! Counting down the days!
There have been a lot of frustrations about the logistics of this tour lately. Mostly having to do with the scheduling. The one-nighters are killing us. Not just because we're performing in a different place every night, but also because the drives are always so long. Our show is long, and we have late nights, and then early mornings because of travel, and the sleep we get on the bus is not restful. We don't have much of a turn-around when we get to the hotel before we have to be at the theatre, and then the cycle starts again.
This would be much different under UNION rules, but we're being taken advantage of because we're non-union, and they don't have to follow rules. It would make this production much more professional if they did. The tour I went on last fall was non-union, but they chose to follow the union rules anyway so that their cast/ crew were happy and had a good experience. THAT is a professional company.
Our hotels have been really nice, but for the last little while, they've been in the middle of NOWHERE. Literally. No food, no grocery, no stores, nothing in walking distance. I'm not sure what they expect us to do. I get instant meals from Wal-Mart for these such occasions, but a girl needs fresh food! I'm not asking for a Whole Foods everywhere I go (which would be nice, by the way) but at least give me a Piggly Wiggly!
Okay, enough of the negative. "keep it positive...", thanks Elle (Musical Reference).
It's someone's birthday today, so we decorated her bus seat and gave her a crown to wear, cuz it stinks that her birthday is on a travel day...but at least we don't have a show and we can party later!
Everyone is sleeping...we have "quiet hours" until noon every day, which is really great. We haven't had many bus behavior problems, but everyone, myself included, gets really restless towards the end of long travel days. Playing movies on the bus helps, if everyone can agree on what to watch, which is never. Today the birthday girl's pick is "Hocus Pocus", my closest claim to fame, for those of you who know the story.
The bus driver is really great, his name is Mike. Mike is a Southern Man, very chivalrous and polite. I don't know how he does it. This bus is enormous.
And now for my weekly vent/ rant:
We've been on the road exactly a month today, and I've been feeling a little homesick lately. Okay a LOT homesick. It seems that everyone has had family and friends come to the show, except me. There have been missed opportunities because we don't get the schedule until the last- minute (which completely violates our contracts, which say we're supposed to get our full schedule of the upcoming week the Sunday before that wee begins!). Bailey, for example, was coming to see a show that got canceled this week.
The thing that keeps me going is that Chris and Millie are coming to see me in New Haven, CT in a week and a half! Counting down the days!
There have been a lot of frustrations about the logistics of this tour lately. Mostly having to do with the scheduling. The one-nighters are killing us. Not just because we're performing in a different place every night, but also because the drives are always so long. Our show is long, and we have late nights, and then early mornings because of travel, and the sleep we get on the bus is not restful. We don't have much of a turn-around when we get to the hotel before we have to be at the theatre, and then the cycle starts again.
This would be much different under UNION rules, but we're being taken advantage of because we're non-union, and they don't have to follow rules. It would make this production much more professional if they did. The tour I went on last fall was non-union, but they chose to follow the union rules anyway so that their cast/ crew were happy and had a good experience. THAT is a professional company.
Our hotels have been really nice, but for the last little while, they've been in the middle of NOWHERE. Literally. No food, no grocery, no stores, nothing in walking distance. I'm not sure what they expect us to do. I get instant meals from Wal-Mart for these such occasions, but a girl needs fresh food! I'm not asking for a Whole Foods everywhere I go (which would be nice, by the way) but at least give me a Piggly Wiggly!
Okay, enough of the negative. "keep it positive...", thanks Elle (Musical Reference).
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Tour Fun
Just a few fun thoughts so far:
1. I can't keep track of what day of the week it is, or what time zone I'm in. We've been in all possible times zones in the last 2 weeks.
2. Every place we've been to has been new to me, I've never been to any of these places so far.
3. We've played two arenas with almost sold-out houses of about 1500 people, maybe more. Tonight's performance was in front of 1655 audience members.
4. Trying to sleep on the bus is tricky. Trying different positions every day, but can't sleep more than a couple of hours at a time at most.
5. I'll see Chris a month from today- yay? Not soon enough, counting down the days. I don't know what married people did without video chat on tour before these digital days. It really makes ALL the difference to actually see his face when I talk to him!
6. Best Place I've been so far: SEATTLE, WA!!!
7. Looking forward to: having people I know in the audience!
8. Trying to eat as healthy as possible, but we are limited by what restaurants/ shops/ grocery stores we can walk to. Pocketing all the free snacks at the hotels that I can!
9. WORST HOTEL ROOM so far: Butte War Bonnet Hotel in Butte, MT (we like to pronounce it BUTT, just to be immature). Just sketchy-looking in general.
10. BEST Hotel so far: Courtyard Marriott in Meridian, ID (the rooms were huge and nice, although there was no breakfast, there was the corn maze and it was awesome).
11. Best screw-up in the show so far: Last night in Butte, Montana during the "Dream Ballet", lets just say the you-know-what hit the fan:
The first girl who enters after Curly and Laurey start the dance, forgot her contacts and she's pretty blind. All the girls enter in a sequence that's only set to the music, so if we get thrown off, it all gets thrown off. Well, my poor, blind friend without her contacts couldn't see that she went into the wrong wing, got confused, and when we all tried to follow her, we were all behind the music. Eventually, we got back on, but then one of the other girls got her dress (and self) caught on the fence up stage, so we're all trying to keep from busting out laughing in this serious/romantic scene. We think the worst is over, when Ado Annie comes in with Laurey's veil and it also gets stuck on the fence, and she's trying to rip it off in the middle of the dance.
We've also had a few incidences where the "map drop" (which is actually supposed to drop in from the ceiling) had to be rigged to a pulley system instead when there was no "fly space" at the theatre (which just means the stage wasn't tall enough to drop scenery in). One particular incident involved a middle-aged tech-guy who actually pulled the map drop across the stage DURING scenes and dances. On top of that embarrassment, it kept getting stuck in very crucial moments, so where there was an important scene or dance, there would be this guy, YANKING on the map, trying to get it to pull across the stage. For SHAME!
Okay more later, phew!
1. I can't keep track of what day of the week it is, or what time zone I'm in. We've been in all possible times zones in the last 2 weeks.
2. Every place we've been to has been new to me, I've never been to any of these places so far.
3. We've played two arenas with almost sold-out houses of about 1500 people, maybe more. Tonight's performance was in front of 1655 audience members.
4. Trying to sleep on the bus is tricky. Trying different positions every day, but can't sleep more than a couple of hours at a time at most.
5. I'll see Chris a month from today- yay? Not soon enough, counting down the days. I don't know what married people did without video chat on tour before these digital days. It really makes ALL the difference to actually see his face when I talk to him!
6. Best Place I've been so far: SEATTLE, WA!!!
7. Looking forward to: having people I know in the audience!
8. Trying to eat as healthy as possible, but we are limited by what restaurants/ shops/ grocery stores we can walk to. Pocketing all the free snacks at the hotels that I can!
9. WORST HOTEL ROOM so far: Butte War Bonnet Hotel in Butte, MT (we like to pronounce it BUTT, just to be immature). Just sketchy-looking in general.
10. BEST Hotel so far: Courtyard Marriott in Meridian, ID (the rooms were huge and nice, although there was no breakfast, there was the corn maze and it was awesome).
11. Best screw-up in the show so far: Last night in Butte, Montana during the "Dream Ballet", lets just say the you-know-what hit the fan:
The first girl who enters after Curly and Laurey start the dance, forgot her contacts and she's pretty blind. All the girls enter in a sequence that's only set to the music, so if we get thrown off, it all gets thrown off. Well, my poor, blind friend without her contacts couldn't see that she went into the wrong wing, got confused, and when we all tried to follow her, we were all behind the music. Eventually, we got back on, but then one of the other girls got her dress (and self) caught on the fence up stage, so we're all trying to keep from busting out laughing in this serious/romantic scene. We think the worst is over, when Ado Annie comes in with Laurey's veil and it also gets stuck on the fence, and she's trying to rip it off in the middle of the dance.
We've also had a few incidences where the "map drop" (which is actually supposed to drop in from the ceiling) had to be rigged to a pulley system instead when there was no "fly space" at the theatre (which just means the stage wasn't tall enough to drop scenery in). One particular incident involved a middle-aged tech-guy who actually pulled the map drop across the stage DURING scenes and dances. On top of that embarrassment, it kept getting stuck in very crucial moments, so where there was an important scene or dance, there would be this guy, YANKING on the map, trying to get it to pull across the stage. For SHAME!
Okay more later, phew!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Oklahoma National Tour - Idaho
We took a very early flight from NYC to Salt Lake, a small plane to Butte, MT, and then a 5 hour bus ride to Idaho Falls, ID. But we're here, and we open tomorrow night! It' been a rush of costumes, music, lights, sound, hair, and makeup ever since we got here Saturday night. Although it's been crazy, only one of us has gotten sick from all of it, which is good that it wasn't more of us, I guess. It's very dry here and the altitude is high, so we have a lot to adjust to. Our hotel is nice here, the outdoor pool is nicely heated, and there's a 24 hour gym with a sauna and hot tub!
New schedule info to come!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Chicago
Here's the WHOLE story if you're interested in my crazy adventure:
We had just arrived back into the US from our European trip at midnight the night before. At noon, I received a call from a friend who had done a show the summer before at the Summer Theatre in Meredith Village. She said the director was looking for an emergency replacement for the role of Velma in Chicago. The catch was: there was only 3 days until opening night! I said I'd love the chance to put this role on my resume, but I had never done the show before. She said she would just tell the producer I had done it. I said "No! Don't say that!" but it was too late. The producer called me to offer the role, and I told her that I actually had performed some of the songs for cabaret shows and was very familiar with the music, but had never done the show itself. I assured her I thought I could do this and would love the opportunity, so she told me to get on the next bus to Boston and they'd pick me up from there.
I called around everywhere trying to find the script to the show, but no one had it. Finally I found one at the Marriott Marquis Broadway souvenir shop in Times Square, so after coping the score (which was over 200 pages) I lugged my suitcase to Times Square, picked up the script, and caught a cab to Penn Station. On the bus, I listened to the soundtrack, highlighted my script, and tried to memorize the music as much as possible.
When I arrived in Boston, I was picked up by one of the staff members and we drove 2 more hours to Meredith, NH. By the time we got to where I was staying, it was almost 3am. The accommodations, were less than sanitary, but that's another story. Welcome to non-union regional theatre.
My schedule for the next two days went something like this:
I woke up at 7am for an 8am rehearsal. That's 4 hours of sleep people.
I worked with the director until the cast came in for rehearsal at 11am.
We ran through the show at 1pm, and plugged me into the scenes.
We had our first non-stop run-through at 6pm. I worked with the band at 10pm.
In bed by 1am.
Up at 8am, 2 dress rehearsals.
Finally Tuesday, we had our final dress rehearsal in the morning, and opened that night!
I finally got a hang of things, and was able to actually enjoy my work at about Thursday of the first week.
Then we ran the show one more week and I was done, two weeks total. It literally flew by in a flash.
I really enjoyed working with everyone there, everyone was so encouraging and helpful to me, it was amazing how everyone joined forces to get it done.
It was a great personal experience too, I am so glad I was able to test and push myself to my limits, and find out that I am capable of doing more than I ever thought I could do! I am proud of my performance and proud of myself. It was a priceless experience, and I'd do it again!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Dillon, Colorado
Well, here I am in Dillon, Colorado, getting ready for my first rehearsal for the play I'm in. The plane ride over was pretty turbulent, and if you know me, you know it was a rough ride and took lots of courage! haha. But I have Millie here with me, so that's really nice.
Below are a few pictures, one of my room, one of the living room, and one of the view of the ski slopes from our balcony. We have a great condo, I'm rooming with the other actor who came from New York City. His name is Reymundo, and we're going to get along great for the next month! Our condo has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (thanks GOODNESS I don't have to share a bathroom!!), a huge kitchen with all the pots and pans, and appliances we need, and a great living room with a big balcony and a big flat screen tv! The complex has an indoor pool and hot tub, and general laundry on the first floor (takes quarters).
The weather is not what I expected. Unfortunately it has been nothing short of a snowstorm since we got here. It's beautiful to look at but not fun to run around in. The theater is pretty tiny, seats about 65 people (which was the size of the theatre in the west village I just performed in, so I'm used to it). It's also about a 7 minute drive from our condo, so not walking distance like we were led to believe.
We are anxious to meet the two other members of the cast who are Denver locals, we have rehearsal today at 2pm (Mountain Time!).
I am jet-lagged for sure, and having a hard time breathing in this altitude. I got two migraines yesterday and kept waking up totally dehydrated, although the condo came equipped with humidifiers, which helped.
It's going to take some getting used to, and I hope this weather gets nicer, but I'm excited to get started.
Below are a few pictures, one of my room, one of the living room, and one of the view of the ski slopes from our balcony. We have a great condo, I'm rooming with the other actor who came from New York City. His name is Reymundo, and we're going to get along great for the next month! Our condo has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (thanks GOODNESS I don't have to share a bathroom!!), a huge kitchen with all the pots and pans, and appliances we need, and a great living room with a big balcony and a big flat screen tv! The complex has an indoor pool and hot tub, and general laundry on the first floor (takes quarters).
The weather is not what I expected. Unfortunately it has been nothing short of a snowstorm since we got here. It's beautiful to look at but not fun to run around in. The theater is pretty tiny, seats about 65 people (which was the size of the theatre in the west village I just performed in, so I'm used to it). It's also about a 7 minute drive from our condo, so not walking distance like we were led to believe.
We are anxious to meet the two other members of the cast who are Denver locals, we have rehearsal today at 2pm (Mountain Time!).
I am jet-lagged for sure, and having a hard time breathing in this altitude. I got two migraines yesterday and kept waking up totally dehydrated, although the condo came equipped with humidifiers, which helped.
It's going to take some getting used to, and I hope this weather gets nicer, but I'm excited to get started.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The Sound of Music
I auditioned today for The Sound Of Music which will be rehearsing in New York City, then previews in Tampa and finally goes to Atlanta TOTS (Theatre of the Stars), which is a HUGE equity house, and a lot of Broadway alums have performed there. I have heard amazing things about this director so it was a big audition for me.
I went to the Equity Chorus Call audition on Tuesday, only to hear at 6:30pm that they weren't going to see non-equity. However, as a reward for waiting all day until the very end, they took our headshots and said that they would call us in to audition Friday (today), and that's what happened- this NEVER happens!!! Very exciting.
So today there were probably 50 or so non-equity girls auditioning, and they were having kids and equity callbacks later that afternoon and into the evening, so who knows how this whole process works.
I went in and sang "Sixteen going on Seventeen" since I'm too young for any adult role and too old for any other child roles. I knew the accompanist, (which is always a help and a relief) Julie Bearden, and she said they actually hadn't heard that song much, which was a huge and wonderful surprise to me!
After I was done, they asked me my height. I figured they wouldn't ask if they didn't like me, because they would care. I went out and asked the girl who went in before me (who was very good but not my type), if they asked her the same thing. She said yes. Then I asked the girl behind me, (whom I didn't hear but is the same type- blonde, same height, etc). She said no, they didn't ask her height. So I figure that's a good thing for me! Yay! Success!
So we'll see if anything happens from here...
I went to the Equity Chorus Call audition on Tuesday, only to hear at 6:30pm that they weren't going to see non-equity. However, as a reward for waiting all day until the very end, they took our headshots and said that they would call us in to audition Friday (today), and that's what happened- this NEVER happens!!! Very exciting.
So today there were probably 50 or so non-equity girls auditioning, and they were having kids and equity callbacks later that afternoon and into the evening, so who knows how this whole process works.
I went in and sang "Sixteen going on Seventeen" since I'm too young for any adult role and too old for any other child roles. I knew the accompanist, (which is always a help and a relief) Julie Bearden, and she said they actually hadn't heard that song much, which was a huge and wonderful surprise to me!
After I was done, they asked me my height. I figured they wouldn't ask if they didn't like me, because they would care. I went out and asked the girl who went in before me (who was very good but not my type), if they asked her the same thing. She said yes. Then I asked the girl behind me, (whom I didn't hear but is the same type- blonde, same height, etc). She said no, they didn't ask her height. So I figure that's a good thing for me! Yay! Success!
So we'll see if anything happens from here...
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Grease National Tour Auditions
Here is the scoop from the Grease call today.
I got there at 7:00am, and was done at 5:00pm.
The first thing they did was type-cast everyone because there were over 500 people there in the end. After they typed, we guessed there were about 80 people left.
They brought us in to dance in two groups for 40 people each.
The combo was fast-paced but technically easy, it was to the hand jive. We performed the dance in smaller groups of 4.
Then they made another cut, and I was asked to stay and sing 16 bars of a pop song appropriate to the show. I sang a cut from "One Night With You" from All Shook Up, and I felt that it went really well. They were cutting some girls off early, but they let me sing the whole thing. Not sure what that means, but they asked me to stay and dance again!
It was now down to 39 people I counted in the room. The choreographer added on to the dance combination we learned earlier, about 4 8-counts more. Added a high kick, some more rhythm stuff, and after each group was done, each person was asked to do a double pirouette. We performed the dance this time in groups of 3.
After we were done dancing we gathered in the holding room. A casting assistant called up some girls to read and sing tomorrow, mostly Jan-looking, none of them my type as far as I could tell. Dave Clemmons came out with two groups of headshots. I was in the first group, and a friend of mine was in the second. Dave told my group that that's all they needed today, he's not sure where we'll go from here but he is putting us in his file for this show and for future shows as well. The second group was told that they needed to sing for the director because he wasn't there when they sang before. Not sure if he saw me already or not...
So I'm concluding that I didn't get anything, at least for now, because I got the impression that they weren't looking for all the roles, although I think they were looking for ensemble, but I'm still confused. You never know, I guess.
The choreographer happened to be the assistant to Kathleen Marshall from the workshop that I did just about a month ago! She is super cool and it'd be amazing to work with her, she's been on Broadway since she was 18! Not sure if she recognized me or not, but she kept me for a long time.
I am proud of myself for getting that far, it was definitely a big step for me, and I feel like it was a great audition day. Back to the grind tomorrow.
I got there at 7:00am, and was done at 5:00pm.
The first thing they did was type-cast everyone because there were over 500 people there in the end. After they typed, we guessed there were about 80 people left.
They brought us in to dance in two groups for 40 people each.
The combo was fast-paced but technically easy, it was to the hand jive. We performed the dance in smaller groups of 4.
Then they made another cut, and I was asked to stay and sing 16 bars of a pop song appropriate to the show. I sang a cut from "One Night With You" from All Shook Up, and I felt that it went really well. They were cutting some girls off early, but they let me sing the whole thing. Not sure what that means, but they asked me to stay and dance again!
It was now down to 39 people I counted in the room. The choreographer added on to the dance combination we learned earlier, about 4 8-counts more. Added a high kick, some more rhythm stuff, and after each group was done, each person was asked to do a double pirouette. We performed the dance this time in groups of 3.
After we were done dancing we gathered in the holding room. A casting assistant called up some girls to read and sing tomorrow, mostly Jan-looking, none of them my type as far as I could tell. Dave Clemmons came out with two groups of headshots. I was in the first group, and a friend of mine was in the second. Dave told my group that that's all they needed today, he's not sure where we'll go from here but he is putting us in his file for this show and for future shows as well. The second group was told that they needed to sing for the director because he wasn't there when they sang before. Not sure if he saw me already or not...
So I'm concluding that I didn't get anything, at least for now, because I got the impression that they weren't looking for all the roles, although I think they were looking for ensemble, but I'm still confused. You never know, I guess.
The choreographer happened to be the assistant to Kathleen Marshall from the workshop that I did just about a month ago! She is super cool and it'd be amazing to work with her, she's been on Broadway since she was 18! Not sure if she recognized me or not, but she kept me for a long time.
I am proud of myself for getting that far, it was definitely a big step for me, and I feel like it was a great audition day. Back to the grind tomorrow.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Audition MADNESS!!!
It's been awhile since I've blogged, and here is the reason why: I've been auditioning like CRAZY!
In the past three weeks, I've calculated that I've been to about 20 auditions, callbacks, dance calls, etc. All the while, trying to make rent whenever I can fit work it in, and my weekends have been busy with Cabaret in the West Village.
These past few weeks of auditions have been particularly stressful and time-consuming because it's spring break for many schools this month, so we've been invaded by high school and college-aged kids, dreaming of getting a summer job. BUT I HAVE ALREADY GRADUATED, PUT IN MY SCHOOL DUES, and I NEED A JOB!!! I just want to scream at them. They show up at 4:00am (or earlier in some cases), and sign up themselves, along with 20 of their friends who don't show up until the audition begin at 10am. So When I show up at 6:00am, I am somewhere in the 120s! It has been mass chaos, unorganized mayhem. But I am forced to put up with it so that I can get a summer stock job.
I just want a few EMC points (points towards my Equity card) so that I can get into Equity calls, and avoid the open calls at ALL COST. But I have to get into Equity calls to get the Equity shows, to get Equity points. So it' a vicious cycle!
Chris and I have had the opportunity to audition together a few times (one of us goes in before the other, and it's obvious by our names and rings that we're married). It's funny, casting directors usually love it, but we've found a few people that seem to not go for it. Boo. It'd be nice to work together.
It is our final weekend of Cabaret, our final performance is Sunday at 3pm. I have several friends coming this evening which will be fun! There are also a number of agents and casting directors attending this weekend.
I was cast in a regional theatre production of the play The Little Dog Laughed, in Dillon, Colorado (on Lake Dillon). It's about 1 1/2 hours outside of Denver, and the contract is from April 24- May 30th, and it's pretty good pay for a non-union theatre, so I'm excited! I'm also excited to be in a play again.
I've decided I want to start going out for cruise lines. I think if I'm going to do it at some point in my life, I want to do it now, because we need the money. One 6-month cruise could put us completely out of debt. AMAZING! The pay is incredible, you get an end-of-contract bonus, and everything is paid for- everything! All you do is save and come back with a huge wad of cash!
Okay that's my update. More later. Off to Cabaret.
In the past three weeks, I've calculated that I've been to about 20 auditions, callbacks, dance calls, etc. All the while, trying to make rent whenever I can fit work it in, and my weekends have been busy with Cabaret in the West Village.
These past few weeks of auditions have been particularly stressful and time-consuming because it's spring break for many schools this month, so we've been invaded by high school and college-aged kids, dreaming of getting a summer job. BUT I HAVE ALREADY GRADUATED, PUT IN MY SCHOOL DUES, and I NEED A JOB!!! I just want to scream at them. They show up at 4:00am (or earlier in some cases), and sign up themselves, along with 20 of their friends who don't show up until the audition begin at 10am. So When I show up at 6:00am, I am somewhere in the 120s! It has been mass chaos, unorganized mayhem. But I am forced to put up with it so that I can get a summer stock job.
I just want a few EMC points (points towards my Equity card) so that I can get into Equity calls, and avoid the open calls at ALL COST. But I have to get into Equity calls to get the Equity shows, to get Equity points. So it' a vicious cycle!
Chris and I have had the opportunity to audition together a few times (one of us goes in before the other, and it's obvious by our names and rings that we're married). It's funny, casting directors usually love it, but we've found a few people that seem to not go for it. Boo. It'd be nice to work together.
It is our final weekend of Cabaret, our final performance is Sunday at 3pm. I have several friends coming this evening which will be fun! There are also a number of agents and casting directors attending this weekend.
I was cast in a regional theatre production of the play The Little Dog Laughed, in Dillon, Colorado (on Lake Dillon). It's about 1 1/2 hours outside of Denver, and the contract is from April 24- May 30th, and it's pretty good pay for a non-union theatre, so I'm excited! I'm also excited to be in a play again.
I've decided I want to start going out for cruise lines. I think if I'm going to do it at some point in my life, I want to do it now, because we need the money. One 6-month cruise could put us completely out of debt. AMAZING! The pay is incredible, you get an end-of-contract bonus, and everything is paid for- everything! All you do is save and come back with a huge wad of cash!
Okay that's my update. More later. Off to Cabaret.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Cabaret Rehearsals
Tonight will be my second rehearsal for Cabaret in the West Village. I really like the choreographer. She has a lot of connections at a lot of union theatres, so I will definitely stay on her good side! She is also giving us discounts to take her dance classes on Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons for Tap and Theatre Dance. That's exciting, because classes normally run $15/ class, and now we can take them for $7/ class!
Yesterday we learned the opening number and the "money" song, and now we will review those numbers and hopefully start another number. I think overall this will be a good experience, even if it's just networking with people in the business, you never know who you will meet.
Yesterday we learned the opening number and the "money" song, and now we will review those numbers and hopefully start another number. I think overall this will be a good experience, even if it's just networking with people in the business, you never know who you will meet.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Cabaret
Should be an interesting experience. I only hope the 4 and 1/2 hour callback doesn't reflect what our rehearsals will be like. We don't get paid anything except that we'll recieve a ticket code, so that when we advertise, we tell people to use that code, and we'll get $5 per ticket (at $25 per ticket). I'm a Kit Kat Girl, one of the Klub girls, and it will be a good dance show for me, ANDI will be playing the violin as well. There will be beer and wine service, and it's in a good location (the West Village). They are very understanding about conflicts since they're not paying us anything, which seems fair. There were a tons of girls who auditioned, so I feel lucky to have an opportunity to perform in the city, even though it isn't the biggest credit of my life. Experience is experience, and exposure is good.
I'll be blogging a bunch, I'm sure.
Plus, I'll be auditioning for summer theatre at the same time. Cabaret goes up the second weekend of March runs 3 weekends, Thurs, Fri, and Sat at 8pm, Sun at 2pm?
I'll be blogging a bunch, I'm sure.
Plus, I'll be auditioning for summer theatre at the same time. Cabaret goes up the second weekend of March runs 3 weekends, Thurs, Fri, and Sat at 8pm, Sun at 2pm?
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Student Films
Today I auditioned for 3 student films at the New York Film Academy in Union Square, and I have another on Monday. It's always kind of awkward auditioning for student films because you never know who you'll be working with, or if the script you'll be handed will be any good at all. I've had good and bad experiences, and I have to say that this was actually a good experience!
They were all very professional, encouraging, and friendly.
The reason I am auditioning for student films is to get as much on-camera experience as possible, and to get some good-quality material for my reel, which will eventually be on my website.
They were all very professional, encouraging, and friendly.
The reason I am auditioning for student films is to get as much on-camera experience as possible, and to get some good-quality material for my reel, which will eventually be on my website.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Bad Audition Day
Today was a bad audition day, but I am not discouraged! I knew it was too easy that I had gotten all the way to final callbacks on the first audition back from tour...
First I auditioned for the Jenny Wiley Theatre in Kentucky. One of their shows is Cinderella, which I thought I'd be good for now that I'm blonde. I also thought I could just pull "In My Own Little Corner" out of my pocket, without ever hearing the piano part, and use it for the audition. BAD IDEA! The accompanist was not very confident, and I was NOT confident, so it was the softest, quietest version ever. My friends outside the room couldn't even hear me- WHAT? It wasn't bad, but it wasn't hear either...
So I took it as a "warm up" and decide to kick some butt at the next audition.
I had an appointment for 2pm for FAME at Nola Studios. I was singing Vanessa Carlton's "Ordinary Day". The character I was auditioning for was shy and sweet, so I thought the song was appropriate. After I finished what I thought was a great audition, the director looked at me and said, "Kelsey, that was a great acting piece, but I would recommend using a song that showed more range, because I can tell there is a lot more to your voice. That said, it was a GREAT vocal audition, but I think you could find something that showed a bigger range vocally". SO I thought he was going to call me back because I thought if he was interested, he would want to hear me sing something else to prove that I had something with range. But NO. No callback. Weird.
So I guess that song will be taken out of my book. Right now.
Bad Day. Moving on- Yay!
First I auditioned for the Jenny Wiley Theatre in Kentucky. One of their shows is Cinderella, which I thought I'd be good for now that I'm blonde. I also thought I could just pull "In My Own Little Corner" out of my pocket, without ever hearing the piano part, and use it for the audition. BAD IDEA! The accompanist was not very confident, and I was NOT confident, so it was the softest, quietest version ever. My friends outside the room couldn't even hear me- WHAT? It wasn't bad, but it wasn't hear either...
So I took it as a "warm up" and decide to kick some butt at the next audition.
I had an appointment for 2pm for FAME at Nola Studios. I was singing Vanessa Carlton's "Ordinary Day". The character I was auditioning for was shy and sweet, so I thought the song was appropriate. After I finished what I thought was a great audition, the director looked at me and said, "Kelsey, that was a great acting piece, but I would recommend using a song that showed more range, because I can tell there is a lot more to your voice. That said, it was a GREAT vocal audition, but I think you could find something that showed a bigger range vocally". SO I thought he was going to call me back because I thought if he was interested, he would want to hear me sing something else to prove that I had something with range. But NO. No callback. Weird.
So I guess that song will be taken out of my book. Right now.
Bad Day. Moving on- Yay!
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