Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Alas!!!

Alright, I think I've figured it out. Lucetta and I finally got some much needed counsel and we are going to be just fine! Haha, thank you Scott. I always try to remember that if I can't find the answer to my problem, I need to rephrase the question. You have done that for me! Now Lucetta and Julia have some new found perspective and can rock that stage til the break of day. :D

Also, reading Sparknotes has never helped me more than it has for this show. Really, I mean, it shared some good insight to Two Gents that I wasn't reading into by myself. It turns out, Shakespeare is kinda deep! But that doesn't mean we can't understand it. So, thank you Scott and Sparknotes for your guidance and 101 on Big Will. Now I can apply this insight to my performance and all will be awesome.

I really love the energy for this show. It's so big and so fun. And it makes me feel really groovy. Which, is the best feeling, of course! I'm not sure whether it's the show itself, or whether it's the people I get to work with everyday. But I am so happy every time I get to go to rehearsal. No matter how bad my day was at work, or how sick I feel, or how tired I am, or whatever else is going on in my life at the time; I get to New Line and nothing can bring me down. That's the kind of energy I'm talking about. We just feel good when we're all together. That's what I love about this theatre. It's what I love about the cast. It's what I love about Scott and Trish. We can have such a great time rehearsing, but still put on fantastic productions.
We can even party all night long with perfect strangers and still have a groovin' time. Thanks, Chuck Miller for throwing New Line that delicious event. I had quite a good time, and your wine was yummo!

Hell week begins in t-minus 5 days. But really, we shouldn't refer to it as hell-week. It's alot of fun! I love when a show finally starts to come together. When costumes, lights, mics, make-up, props, the band, the whole sha-bang is mixed together. Hell-week, honestly, is probably my favorite part of putting a show up. It's the point of no return. :)
and I like leaping without fear.

Let's do this already!
I am too stinkin' excited.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

to plead for love deserves more fee than hate.

Alright, Lucetta. You cynical bitch, you. You had better start working with me or I'm going to smack your face. Okay, okay, okay..so it's not your fault per say. One day, I think I've got this down. And then the next..it's gone! Lucetta is starting to experience multiple-personality disorder. And she'd better get on some psych meds soon, because opening night is 12 days! :/
I need to be meaner. I need to be more of a teenager. I need to be consistent. I need to focus.....I need a drink.
Lucetta, I know we aren't that complicated. Now just work with me, lady!

The thing I am most gracious for in theatre is this. When you hit a rough spot and can't seem to get something right on stage, you think it is far too late to fix it and everyone will smell your crap from off stage. And then the production goes up, and you think "Oh, goodness. I'm about to blow up in flames." But suddenly, somewhere-somehow-someway, you put on this spectacular performance that you didn't think was going to happen. Muscle memory kicks in, and you stop thinking so hard. Lucetta, my bitchy egotistical twin...the theatre gods better have us in mind. Starting NOW!
Evita, for instance...we were not Latino enough for the longest time. We felt like we were being ridiculous, but it just wasn't coming through. Then, suddenly, out of no where! we were the sauciest, baddest, hottest Argentines the likes of this stage had ever seen. I have faith. Lucetta will arrive.
(if you tell yourself something over and over, it eventually becomes true.)


I auditioned for 55 theatres yesterday at freaking Midwestern theatre auditions.
Not a single call-back.
What did I gain? A day off of work.
What did I lose? Dignity.
Nothing a cold beer and a wonder wienie from the hot dog man can't fix.
I guess this is just destiny telling me it's time to start my band, Lucetta and the Betrayers. Time to buy that accordion patiently lurking in my shopping bag on Amazon.com and just do the darn thing already.



55 theatres...

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

To see what folly reigns in us!


Here we go again, friends! Two Gentlemen of Verona, the rock musical, is headed your way March 4-th thru the 26-th. And it is ridiculous fun, I assure you!!

This is first time I've ever actually performed Shakespeare. I was required to read it and analyze it all throughout school, but I really never found it that interesting and certainly didn't consider performing Shakespeare...until I saw Forbidden Planet at our's truly, New Line Theatre. What an influence you've been, Bad Boy of Musical Theatre. :) Needless to say, I've had way too much fun with this script. I am in no way uninterested with Shakespeare any longer, that's for sure! It's loud and obnoxious, and yet is has real content within. I'd say the script for Two Gents is pretty parallel to the personalities of its actors. :))
I play the role of Lucetta, Julia's handmaiden and partner in crime. She's irrationally carefree! Well, at least until Proteus screws over Julia and fires up her cynical-bitch mode. Lucetta is really an interesting character for me. The first few times of reading my script, I didn't feel any connection to her. I don't know what kind of booze I was drinking at the time to make me think that because it turns out Lucetta and I are incredibly alike. Haha, and I'm not sure how I feel about that yet!
Lucetta has such good intentions behind everything she does. She is a proud, loyal servant. She doesn't just work for Julia; she loves her like a best friend would. I really appreciate that about Lucetta. I think she understands love and believes it should be unconditional. There is a realness to her that I really relate to. Lucetta grasps love and its freedom, but she struggles with staying on the path of her own theories. I mean, she goes from telling Julia to love whomever she wants as long as she believes it's worth it- to telling Julia to abort an unborn baby just because Lucetta hates Proteus so much for what he did to Julia. Haha, she is really a ridiculous woman. But..I think that may have been Shakespeare's point..Lucetta is essentially Julia's guide to wisdom (poor Julia!). But Julia definitely transforms by the end of Two Gents, deciding to keep the rotten Proteus and his unborn child. And as angry as Lucetta may be about Julia's decision, she realizes that she was the one who encouraged Julia in the first place to be loving and carefree.
I think the entire purpose of Lucetta's change in disposition was to highlight that women may get frazzled in the pain and chaos of betrayal and deceit, but after it's all said and done women still have their heads on straight with open arms.
I really like that about Two Gents. I feel like there is so much reality in every scene. It's so real, you can feel it in your veins. Falling in love for the first time, being cheated on, doing the cheating, being banished, feeling lost and alone, forgiving, fighting, and finding your way after all the destruction. It's all there in Two Gents. And I think somewhere in the loudness you get distracted with funky-groovy music that you just can't help but dance to, and all that painful realness is lost. I only say that because it took me several weeks to figure out how much content was really there. I loved the music the first time I heard it and it made me feel so loose and happy. But I forgot about all the bad stuff that was going on in the story once the music started. Come to think of it...maybe that was done on purpose. I feel like the main point of Two Gents is that sometimes life is going to be a big meanie bitch, but that doesn't mean we can't still be happy. Like, anything can be made easier just by the way you take it. Hopefully you catch my drift.

I'm a little behind on the blogging of Two Gents. I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not..But here I am, allowing my fingers productive activity and making my thoughts available for debate. I love that music and theatre is interpretive. And everyone can have their own opinion.

So, in a nut-shell, I'm thoroughly enjoying the rehearsal process for Two Gents. I love goofin' off with my girl, Jeanitta! And everyone else in the cast. We're all so much fun. It's been a while since I've been in a comedy and I really miss it. I am such a silly person and I love getting any chance to share that with an audience. This show is going to be great! I cannot wait to see what kind of madness we can cook up.

Enough about Lucetta already! This is my blog. Which means, I can also discuss my vivacity. :)

I moved into my new apartment in January, which I'm quite excited about. It's been an interesting experience, living with a new roommate and getting settled into each other's likes and dislikes. We'll see how the year goes! I've also started a new job at Once Upon a Bash in Maplewood. I basically dress up as a chosen character for children's parties. I've been Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, and Pinkalicious so far....and I'm feeling a little stereotyped! It's a fun job. When I'm not a character, I'm a party host at the store. And I lead kids in crafts, games, or karaoke. Depends on the party and how old the kids are. It's a fun job! I wasn't sure how I'd handle it; I'm not really a fan of little humans. But I am an actor! And they never know they difference. :D
I've been auditioning for other theatres: Stages, Midwestern Theatre Auditions, Muny. It's been a stressful process! And honestly, I'm really scared to see where I end up. I really love theatre. It does something for me personally. And I run into alot of people that don't feel the same way about theatre the way I do. I don't want to work somewhere that the people don't love theatre too. I don't do it for the paycheck. I don't do it for recognition. I'm just nervous I'll get stuck some place with big fake-o's who don't appreciate theatre for what it is.
Not only am I scared about whether theatre is the right route for my life, I'm scared that I still have no direction for it in general. I've just been living. Working, partying, dating, being adventurous. Ya know, the typical 21 year old's life. It's an interesting life I lead, no doubt. I'm in no rush, though. I'll just put my seat back and enjoy the scenery for now.

Live like there's no tomorrow, but believe you'll live forever.