Returning from Silence

I am typing this on my brand new computer. My last computer, the incredible Lady MacBook, passed away. But now that I have a new one, I figured today is a good day to catch up on blogging.


Antigone Now
Antigone Now was a crazy, crazy ride. In about 5 weeks, we did 41 performances of our show. We performed it all over.

Places like:
- high school gymnasiums
- college classrooms
- one high school classroom/hallway
- high school theatres/auditoriums
- college theatres
- our own theatre
- a botanical garden
- a museum gallery
- a museum courtyard (next to a manatee tank)
- a furniture store

I joked that when we started the tour, we were at "beginner" level, and the difficulty kept increasing. By the end, we were most definitely experts.

Challenges that were thrown at us included:
- Small spaces
- HUGE spaces
- low ceilings
- a set that was screwed into a high school stage, which we had to keep jumping over
- a REALLY loud air conditioning system in a high school gym
- a temperamental sound system that sometimes didn't work at the top of the show (which is when we have a sound cue of gunfire that we're supposed to be taking cover from... yeah, that was interesting)
- hot outdoor locations (and we were wearing trenchcoats)
- a tree that kept throwing nuts at us
- one transformative performance space with moveable walls (kind of like the theatrical version of The Room of Requirement from Harry Potter)
- audiences that meowed/laughed/yelled/heckled/texted/popped gum/etc.

And, one challenge that I faced:
Wifey got sick, and with about 40 minutes before call time, I learned that I would be playing her role. I memorized the lines in the van on the way there. I ended up playing her role for 5 performances while she recuperated. And I led the talkbacks for about a week or so past that.

All in all, the tour was a great experience. I learned a lot from it. I had touring experience. I had performed for young audiences. But what I really got a lot out of was the experience of fringe-style performance spaces. Having to adapt our show to each new space on the fly was really neat as a performer. It kept things fresh, even after all those performances.

For sake of comparison...
I'm going to be in Boeing Boeing later this season. It opens in January and runs through April. There will be a total of 28 performances (and I believe that's the longest run in the Rep this season). So 41 performances in 5 weeks? Intense.

I love my class. We did a great job of banding together and working everything out.


Talks
My program has been bringing in people to talk with us about the industry, which is awesome.

A couple of weeks ago, it was Steve Rankin, who got his MFA at my Conservatory and now has a successful career in Los Angeles.

This past week, it was a double header: Hal Linden (aka Barney Miller) and Tim Jerome, both of whom have had great Broadway careers.

Hal Linden graciously signed my 1962 Off-Broadway cast recording of Anything Goes, in which he played Billy Crocker. That recording was the first tape I bought with my own money, back when I was in 4th grade. I listened to it so much that I actually warped the tape. I can't tell you how many times I've sung duets with him on "You're the Top", singing along with the late great Eileen Rodgers.

It's interesting to hear people talk about the industry, although it also generally feels intimidating. So much of the positivity that has graced their lives seems to involve crazy luck. I'm praying that I fall into some of that luck myself.

But they've also had some good advice. Steve Rankin talked about how you have to mentally separate people who work in the industry into "buyers" and "sellers", which was enlightening.



Bonnie & Clyde
Last night was the opening of Bonnie & Clyde, which is a huge, Broadway-quality (and hopefully Broadway-bound) musical. I've seen it in rehearsals and previews. It's really fantastic. And the opening was a lot of fun.

Before the show started, the marketing department asked Two-Shots-Up and me to don period clothing from the Costume Shop and pose outside the theatre in front of some old fashioned cars. People occasionally asked to get their pictures taken with us. I had a good time.


Class
I brought a scene into class yesterday, but Head-Of-Program wasn't crazy about it. Several people have been bringing in scenes. I had one a few weeks back that seems promising, but the ending isn't great... Head-Of-Program said he'll look at re-cutting it for me.


Boeing Boeing
Rehearsals for Boeing Boeing, the next show I'm in, begin on December 14th. I have an Italian Accent lesson with Voice Professor on Tuesday. I've been listening to Paul Meier and trying to learn it on my own. But the Director (aka Head-Of-Program) says he wants my character to be adroit with English, and effortlessly multilingual... which means the dialect I've been working with is far too thick. Last year, I studied dialects as opposed to accents (which means I learned how native English speakers pronounce things in other areas, like NYC and the UK; I have not learned how people who learn English as a second language pronounce things...). Voice Professor says it's the same process of study, but it seems different in my head. It seems as though there would be greater room for variation. I guess I'll find out next week.

Friday, October 1

It's October? Seriously? How did that happen?


Class

I read a scene with All-the-Way that I used for a competition when I was in undergrad. Head-of-Program seemed to like it (and thought that it was a particularly good fit for me), so he said to keep it around as a possibility. I have to tell you, I felt AWESOME about that.

All-the-Way & O.D. did a scene that was quite funny, but Head-of-Program thought it was too prop-heavy to bring to Showcase. He also said that he thinks someone has suggested this scene every year, and they always have to rule it out in the end.

Thrill & Iceman did a scene that required too much background information.

Two-Shots-Up & Wifey did a scene (perhaps the only non-comedic scene that anyone has brought in thus far). It was a good scene, but Head-of-Program didn't think it was evenly split between the two characters.

Killer & All-the-Way did a scene that Head-of-Program liked, but he thought it wasn't right for All-the-Way. He said to hold onto it, and maybe try it again in the future with Wifey.

Dude, this is complicated.

We've been having conversations about headshot photography as a class, but it's complicated. We have different ideas about what headshots should be (and how much they should cost). And we all have different schedules. I don't know how this is going to work out. I'm praying that we have a good solution for everyone.


Antigone Now

My notes include:

- The 1st prologue was weak

- After Creon's intro, move with motivation, not just because we're obediently following our blocking ;)

- By "naturalistic", our director seems to mean "struggle to come up with the words you're about to say"

- During the prayer, get more charged as it goes

- The final run (of three) was the best run we've done so far

- We shouldn't be working to make a word into something that it already is (or, as the director put it, "making butter buttery")

- Change the word "mama" to "mother". Change the word "daddy" to "father".

- After the prayer, get determined on the lift
(we all come together to lift Two-Shots-Up in a crazy cool way)

Friday, September 17

3rd-Year Class

We have such a long to-do list before Showcase.

I'm in charge of getting the wheels rolling on our website. We might have to purchase Dreamweaver, or another sort of website design program. Or we might end up hiring someone to make it for us. So I'm looking into that.

The Student Rep Board traditionally allocates some funds to the 3rd-years being able to buy some new plays to read for Showcase scenes, provided that the plays then get donated to our Conservatory Library, so that all three classes can benefit from them. We have to figure out what plays we'd like to request.

We're still figuring out head-shots... I hope we can all agree on everything.

We also have to discuss as a class who we might want as a graduation speaker (far in advance, I know... we don't graduate until May). It can be someone we've worked with, or an alum of the program, or even just someone in the business whom we'd like to meet. We have some ideas, but no consensus as of yet.

Also, we have to coordinate how to set up brunch after graduation. All-the-Way is heading up that project.

We read a few scenes to try them out for Showcase. One was pretty good, but needs to be cut. One was way too long. A couple of them were too much exposition.

A sent a few scenes out to some of my classmates last week, but I don't know how right they are for our needs. It's hard for me to read a play and know how something will work out of context.

Fundraising/Late Nights

Next week, there are going to be three performances of Red Light Winter by Adam Rapp. It's a student-produced Late Night event (although they're not always all that late...). Iceman directed it, and it stars All-The-Way, D-Train, & Killer. Two-Shots-Up & I will be appearing in non-speaking roles.

Antigone Now

Today was (finally!) our first day of rehearsal.

We started things off with a short "meet-and-greet", of all the cast, crew, & production team. It was fun. And it made me feel really good about this project.

Antigone Now by Melissa Cooper is an updated version of Sophocles' classic play, Antigone. The theatre is putting it up as an educational outreach project. We will be touring it around the area, mostly to area high schools. In the past, it has been difficult for schools to get the funding to get buses to come see theatre, so we're going to them! We'll be performing throughout the month of October (and rumor has it, the show is quite popular and we might end up booking into November). There will be a talk-back after every performance.

We started rehearsal with a read-through. The cast is:

Antigone: Two-Shots-Up

Ismene: Newbie

Creon: Iceman

Chorus Leader: Wifey

Chorus: Angela, All-the-Way, Killer, O.D., & Thrill

We did a read-through first. After that, the chorus wasn't needed much. We ended up getting out a bit early. A pretty successful first day, I thought.

Thursday, September 2

Class
We had a short class.

Iceman and O.D. brought in a scene to read (for potential Showcase use). It was funny, but Head-of-Program cut them off halfway through. He said they were too young for the roles. Oh well. He did say that the tone was great, and that they're on the right track.

I was reminded to get on the Internet stuff.

We got a few more playwright suggestions to look into.


Fundraising
Everyone met at my house and we had a potluck, giving us a chance to talk about some matters at hand.

Primarily, we discussed fundraising whatnot that we're going to attempt throughout the year. We have a ton of ideas, which is great because we have huge goals. It was nice to have everyone there at once, so that we could attempt to get on the same page.

We also started discussing headshots and group photos. Two-Shots-Up has been doing research into it, which is awesome. It's tough, because people want different things out of their headshots. Additionally, we have different ideas of what an appropriate amount of money to spend on headshots is. So this might be a tough thing to get organized. *fingers crossed*

Friday, August 27

Today we had our first class. I don't even really know what this class is called, to be honest. We have it once a week. We discuss issues with showcase, the Rep season, and the business of being an actor. It's just the 3rd-years.

Traditionally, the class is held on Fridays from 9am-12pm (although it often gets shortened). But this year, Wifey and Newbie are teaching a class at a local high school some mornings. So some weeks our class will be scheduled on Thursday instead of Friday in order to accommodate their needs.

So here's basically discussed.


1. We all need to find scenes for Showcase.
- They should be 2-person scenes, and we will each do two of them.
- If someone wishes to sing in lieu of one of their scenes, they may. But they should only do that if they really want to put themselves into the casting pool of trained singers. (Our program is NOT a musical theatre program, so Head-of-Program doesn't seem ecstatic about the idea.)
- We got a huge list of playwrights to look into (which I have decided not to post, as I don't want to give away our leads; people in other grad programs can do their own research)
- The scenes should be from plays that are fairly recent and have not been performed much
- They should not be from shows that are currently running in NYC (or have had recent runs)
- Each scene should have a sharp and focused beginning, drive through the scene, and have a clear ending.
- The scenes should be well balanced and good for both partners.
- They should not be dark and dramatic, as that rarely plays well in a 3-minute scene.
- Look to show your range, but don't try to take leaps. We want to show what we're good at, not what we'd like to try.
- Not too dense.
- When asking for advice from people, ask for HONEST OBJECTIVE RESPONSES.

2. We have a lot of responsibilities to take on as a class
- Website for the class, including headshots/résumés (they assigned this one to me... I guess I shouldn't be surprised)
- Mailing List of casting directors/agents/theatres to be compiled from Ross reports (D-Train & O.D.)
- Communicate with the other theatre we partner with for Showcase, and also work on our Postcard design. (All-The-Way)
- Headshots! Research photographers, group rates, etc. (all of us)
- Group Photos for our postcard and other materials (Two-Shots-Up has done some modeling in the area and knows some edgy local photographers, so she's going to look into that)
- Get local Showcase well-attended (invite theatres/reps from Miami, Atlanta, etc.)
- Get other communities out to our NYC showcase (Newbie is going to work on New Jersey and Pennsylvania; I volunteered to do Connecticut)
- Set up an RSVP line (which we might be able to do through Skype... Does anyone know anything about that?)
- Figure out who we want as a graduation speaker
- Sort out a graduation brunch (we need at least 3 bids... and it's all about the $ for us)

3. Potential Other Showcase?
We're DEFINITELY doing a Showcase in NYC. But we've decided to also look into:
- Flying important agents out to see us here
- a Chicago Showcase
- a Los Angeles Showcase

4. Fundraising (which we'll ESPECIALLY need if we're having an extra showcase!)
We have a lot of ideas, but we're going to need even more.

Our first fundraiser is a Used Book Sale on September 6th, from 10:00am-2:00pm. (We're accepting book donations!) Add it to your calendars, all ye locals!


5. Head-of-Program is going to bring in people to talk to us throughout the year about the business...
- Equity stage managers
- agents & casting directors
- professional actors
- a Tony-winning director




And then we got an instruction from Head-of-Program to go forth and behave well. He said that this year, we are going to be working with people whom we want to hire us again. Additionally, the people we work with WILL talk about us with others in the future. He said that we're already great actors, and we will be able to prove that to them easily. Our task now is to be people that they will WANT to be with in a rehearsal room. We must always know the demands that are being made on us, and be able to achieve them in a non-aggressive, non-defensive, non-threatening, sociable way.

And then he said, "actually, with this group, I'm not worried about that."

I'm glad to hear it.


It's going to be a good year.


Much love,

~A~