Marley's Face!

"To begin with, Marley was dead," the Narrator said to begin the telling of "A Christmas Carol." Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the show has closed. I cannot sum up my entire experience of the show in words. So, instead, I will give you a few glimpses.

Strike & Load-In: After Miss Saigon closed, we did strike which means that we that everything went away. The costumes and props went back to their departments, the set pieces were broken down, and the light plot was put back to rep. Now, let me explain the light plot.  When you go see a show there are lights hung on a plot. If the theatre has a rep plot, it means that lights are added and subtracted but at the end everything is put back to normal.

During load in, we added in new lights. This included conventional and intelligent lights. We hung light and circuited. Then we focused and dropped color. We basically got everything done as we could. before tech.

Tech: Since this show has been a tradition for the theatre for 20 years most of the bigger details have been figured out. Basically all that is left is the smaller stuff and fine tuning until the show is perfect.

My role in this show was being a Spot Op. This means that during the show, I sat in the catwalk with three other spot operators and followed actors. My spotlight had six color frames, which meant there were six colors for me to use. At one point in the show, I would go from frame six to one and then all the way through the colors to six. During tech, the Lighting Designer and Assistant Lighting Designer figured out the details of the design--this included when the spots would come up and on who.

Pre-show: Before every show, I had a list of duties that I had to do. This included checking the practicals. In this show, the practicals were multiple electronic candles and lamps on tables. After my duties, I would standby and help the Assistant Lighting Supervisor who was also the board op. This sometimes included changing out bulbs and retouching focus notes.

If everything checked out, I would go and hang out in the greenroom with my fellow crew members. There we would play poker, Bananagrams, BS, and Cards Against Humanity. It was fantastic!

Show: My light turns on and I spot people. We did a ton of morning shows for elementary and middle schoolers. It was great. One of the best things was hearing the reactions from the kids. They would freak out and scream at the ghosts and clap at the end.

From "Miss Saigon" to "A Christmas Carol"

Theatre is AMAZING!!!! During the run of Miss Saigon, the understudy for one of the principle actors had to go on. Everyone was nervous-cast & crew-because it meant that there were a hundred variable that could go wrong, but nothing did. Instead, the actor rose to the occasion and performed brilliantly. His performance from the other actor was different but both were a privilege to watch.

Saying that, the show has closed. The video link above is the production I worked on. It was fantastic and it was wonderful to work with so many talented people. I've made some more connections and am feeling better about the future.

I have been hired to work as a Spot Operator on A Christmas Carol. A Spot Op moves a single spot light around and lights whatever the designer wishes. I'm really excited to work on this production and to see the final product.

In the spirt of Christmas and Tiny Tim, "God Bless Us, Everyone!"

Miss Saigon

So, not even a week after ending my job on the Cape I was hired by a theatre company to work crew for the musical Miss Saigon. Yay!

What is crew? My duties basically include tracking props and set pieces backstage. This means moving set pieces or props from one area to another. This can be something as simple as taking a prop (ex. plate) from one area on-stage to off stage. One the other hand, it can be having multiple people moving a set piece (ex. helicopter). I'm using the helicopter as an example because it's something that happens in the production I'm currently working on.

Before taking this job, I really didn't know anything about Miss Saigon. I knew sparse details about the plot but I didn't know the music. I'm enjoying the music. It's written by the duo, Claude-Michel Schönberg & Alain Boublil, that wrote Les Misérables. There are similarities in the music. Some of the music is very pretty and moving and then there are numbers that I could live without.

Saying that, I've been reading up on the plot and enjoying discussions about choices made interms of the performance. I'm not sold on Chris & Kim being deeply in love. I think it really depends on how the actors and the verbs played.

• Verbs: Actors should play verbs. As an actor, my character wants, needs, and must have blank. 
• Playing emotion is weak. Play the verb. The emotion will come.  

I am enjoying this production so far and am interested to see how it develops over the run of the show. 

No plan

This coming Sunday, October 13th, marks the closing of "Next to Normal" and the end of my time on Cape Cod. It has been wonderful to work with Cape Rep Theatre as it is a fantastic environment to learn and grow in. I am not sure what the next step is yet.

Here is my issue: I cannot decide where I want to be. I cannot decided between the different places that are possibilities of my next home. I could work regionally or in NYC, but for some reason I'm afraid. I'm a pretty confident person and I've always had a plan...but right now I don't have one and that scares the crap out of me. I thought I would have one by the end of the summer but I don't. All I know is that whatever happens next it will be an adventure.

Why I love Musical Theatre

The Mystery of Edwin Drood has closed. There are always mixed feelings when a show closes. Sometimes, it’s sad. Sometimes, it’s a relief. Whatever, the emotions the show runs its course and ends. Working on Drood taught me a lot and was a memorable experience.

I really love musical theatre because I feel it’s one of the purest art forms that exist. Yes, one can sing a song and have excellent technique but if the singer’s heart isn’t in it, then there is nothing for the audience to connect. Instead, all the audience hears is a sound coming out of a person’s mouth and the band playing a beat. Thus, we have most of the commercial music of today.

Saying that, it’s wonderful to watch someone sing and be fully immersed in the lyrics and emotions of the song. It’s like watching fine acting. I always like to think of Susan Boyle and how she stunned the judges of Britain’s Got Talent. If you watch her closely, you can see her whole body transform and she has an emotional investment in the words she is singing. I only bring this up because the theatre had a benefit in which performers from past shows came back and sang songs from past musicals performed at the theatre. There was a number from Sunday in the Park with George, which blew me away and reminded me of why I am a performer. I used to sing, and am going to take it up again.

My favorite musical is Next to Normal. I love the show because it is both musically beautiful and a deeply moving story. It’s a show that I would never want to be in but I’m privileged to be working on it an ASM/Stage-Manager-in-training. The cast is incredibly talented and the designs of the set are beautiful. I’m excited to see the other designs (costumes, lights, and props) tie in together.

Working in Theatre

Here is delayed update on my life. So, I arrived on the Cape and started my job. The first day I arrived, the theatre company was doing tech for their latest show. For those of you who don’t know, tech is the weekend before a show opens.

I often get questions about what tech is so I will explain. Tech is when all the technical aspects (lighting, sounds, and transitions-going from one scene to another) of the show come together with the acting. The actors will have been rehearsing and know all their lines and blocking-where they move from one place of the stage to the next-and then they will have to fully interact with everything. It’s also a time for the designers to figure out the looks/sounds of the scenes. Actors will also have access to all of their props, costumes, makeup, and set pieces, as this doesn’t always happen during the rehearsal period. Things can be struck during tech too.

Example: We really liked that couch but it doesn’t work in the scene, so we find something different.

Tech is also long because there are often holds. Holds can be called when something is going wrong, a safety issues arises during a moment or the director wants to see a transition again. It’s also long because programming and tweaking cues takes awhile.

Example: The lights come up on a five count but the director decides he wants it to be a long or shorter cue.

Therefore, I showed up during tech and was asked to be an ASM-Assistant Stage Manager. The Stage Manager-SM-is the one who’s in charge of the actors. He/She will setup the rehearsal schedule with the director, be the intermediary between actors and props/costumes, call the show, and basically it’s a thankless job. The ASM is the assistant, again a thankless job but both are important skills to know which is why I’m doing this even though my specialties are Performance and Lighting.

So, I showed up and was suddenly an ASM. The production was fantastic to work on, as the cast, director, and stage manager were all super welcoming. Moreover, it was an AMAZING show. The show, 9-Ball, is about two young men during the Vietnam War. Larry, the smart but socially awkward kid, has just been drafted and doesn’t want to go so he approaches Richie, the tough kid of town who can’t join the army because he has a criminal record, about swapping places. They switch but with the condition that in five years, they swap again. In the five years, Larry ends up going to prison and Richie goes to Vietnam. Five years pass and Larry is running drug swindles and has become a hardened criminal while Richie has become a decent person but suffered from a head injury. Through the play, the audience comes to love and hate the characters. The hard thing is that everything in the play is real and based off the director/writer’s experiences during the war.

So, 9-ball closed and now I’m working on The Mystery of Edwin Drood. It is a musical based off the Charles Dickens novel and big on audience participation. Every night the audience decides on who will be the Detective Datchery, the Murderer, and the Lovers. It’s a fun show and I’m enjoying it.

Adventure Time!

Hello!!!

It has been a couple of crazy weeks but I will start at the beginning. So, I did the whole graduating from college thing and was waiting to hear back from different job interviews and such when one of my mentors suggested I apply for a theatre job on Cape Cod.

The Cape is a beautiful place and a place of tradition for me. When I was little, my family would camp on the Cape for a week. Each day had a specific meal or activity attached to it. We would go to the beach every day, except for Thursday when we would go play Pirate Cove Miniature Golf—this was primarily because I was obsessed with Pirates as a child plus it was an activity that the whole family (my Aunt, Mom, and two boy cousins) could participate in without driving each other insane. Another example is that on Friday we would go to the drive-in and watch the double feature.

Therefore, the idea of living on the Cape and working in theatre was super appealing. I ended up getting the job. YAY!! Saying that, I had two problems: housing and transportation. Well, transportation was easier to solve. Upon my graduation, my Grandmother gave me her car. It has been a huge blessing and I am incredibly thankful for it! But my car was in Arizona and the job in Massachusetts. After much planning, I was able to buy a cheap plane ticket to Arizona.

As many on you know, I am a person of adventure. This is a tale of adventure. So, I flew back to Az on Saturday with my cousin Nathan who felt like going for an adventure as well. We got to the house late, went to bed, and the next morning (Sunday) started driving to Lawerence, Kansas where my sister lives. Sixteen hours later, we arrived at my sister’s apartment in KS. We chatted for a little while and then went to bed since it was 3 am. We got up in the morning (Monday) and drove to see my cousin’s Grandmother for lunch—she also lives in Kansas. After lunch and visiting, we drove up to Minneapolis, Minnesota where my best friend is in graduate school—it is about a seven to eight hour drive. The next day, Tuesday, we hung out, saw the university, and just got to visit before heading out to Chicago—my Cousin had always wanted to visit so we got to check it out. We got to Chicago and had the best Deep Dish Pizza of my LIFE!!! It was AMAZING!!!  After eating dinner, we walked around a park for about an hour and then got on the road around midnight. Then we just drove in shifts. We drove the twenty-two hours back to Massachusetts non-stopping and got in on Wednesday afternoon.  I love driving across the country but this was one of the best trips I have ever had. It was tons of fun.

Then on Friday, I moved out to the Cape. I ended up moving into a basement room that I was sharing with another girl. It was overpriced and had bugs. :( I can stand most things but not excessive amounts of bugs. I shouldn’t be afraid to cook for fear of eating bugs!!! I’m sure the people renting the room were nice, it just wasn’t the right place for me so I started looking for housing. Where I work is awesome. The people are wonderful and ended up finding me housing!!! So, now, I am in a MUCH better living situation and over all life is great.

College Comes to an End

Earlier in the semester, a friend of me interviewed me for an article she was writing which I forgot about it until last night when I was up late, trying to Google something, and found the article. I was surprised when I saw that she had actually quoted me, but as I thought about it, it rang true:

“I think college is when many people find themselves and because MHC is such a supportive and empowering environment, students are able to voice their opinions without fear.” 

I could give you statistics on Mount Holyoke College but that would never fully describe the type of community I stumbled upon and am now a proud alum of. In many ways, Mount Holyoke is a fantasy world where strong young women study and speak out without worry of being ignored by everyone in the room or having a joke made at her expense because she has a brain. However, as one of our graduation speakers and alumna, Kavita Ramdas, reminded us of, the world is not always women friendly.

Saying that, I graduated. I have taken four years worth of knowledge and finished in three and a half years. Yes, I am a bit crazy and extremely driven. This is what gives me hope for the future. I know I will achieve my dreams it’s just figuring out the next steps that is scary.

Where Have I Been??

Friends! Fellow Bloggers! Family! Random Person Reading this!

Well, the last few months have flown by and I haven't updated!! So, I am aiming to fix this. Saying that, here is a recap of the last few months.

March:

I finished the show I was cast in, which was AMAZING!!! It was probably the best performance I have ever given and gave me a chance to flaunt my talent. I know that sounds snobbish--I don't mean to sound arrogant but...  Being an actor has it's good and bad points and being able to talk about one's performance without sounding pretentious can be difficult.

Continuing on the theatre route, I went to the NETC (New England Theatre Conference) Auditions. Basically, I auditioned infront of a bunch of theatre companies. The auditions went well and I got a few offers and am in the process of figuring out what happens next in life.

After NETC, I headed up to Maine for Spring Break where my roommate lives. We attempted to go to Acadia but it was closed for the season so we drove around and went to the ocean at one point. It was a nice trip and restful.

April:

So much theatre!!! Oh my!! I was a Lighting Designer for a show student written and directed on campus and then took a quick trip to New York. In the city, I visited my best friend and soulmate--I use the word in this definition:

It's a.. Well, it's like a best friend, but more. It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else. It's someone who makes you a better person, well, actually they don't make you a better person... you do that yourself-- because they inspire you. A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever. It's the one person who knew you, and accepted you, and believed in you before anyone else did or when no one else would. And no matter what happens.. you'll always love them. --Dawson Leery

It was a fantastic trip! After that, I was a Light Board OP for "Twelfth Night" and then was a performer in two things. The first, was a show that a group of my fellow seniors and myself worked on together. It was a piece of experimental theatre. The second was a showcase for my performance class. It went well.

Valentine's Day: The Test of Tests

So, I have a theory about Valentine's Day. It is the test of tests. People will either get to together, continue to go strong, or break up around Valentine's Day. The reason being? Relationships are hard and Valentine's Day makes people begin to really look at things and questions the nature of their relationships: Am I happy? Am I settling? How serious am I about this? Do I want to keep doing this?

Saying that, I've ended my most recent and one other previous relationship around Valentine's Day. Now, don't start crying. Relationships sometimes just end. It doesn't mean anything bad has happened they just end. Reba says it best in her song, "Faith in Love."

We felt this coming onWe've seen it for a whileBut there are no regrets between usWe can leave here with a smile
We have to talk about itWhat we've always knownThe hardest part about todayIs tonight we'll be alone, alone
We were just two heartsBound for different roadsOh, why they didn't lead us to foreverWe may never know
Oh, I will carry you with meI will hold on to our memoriesDon't let the dreams we didn't findMake you feel like giving upKeep holding onAnd don't lose your faith in love
Life's gonna move onAnd the pages have to turnWe'll be stronger people nowFrom the lessons that we learn
This one's gonna hurtIt's a little deeper breakBut just know I'm praying for youAs I watch you walk away
We were just two heartsBound for different roadsWhy they didn't lead us to foreverWe may never know
Oh, I will carry you with meI will hold on to our memoriesDon't let the dreams we didn't findMake you feel like giving upKeep holding onAnd don't lose your faith in love.
It can hold you, it can save youFrom anything or anyoneAnd heaven knows who's waiting for youWhen two hearts come undone
Oh, I will carry you with meI will hold on to our memoriesDon't let the dreams we didn't findMake you feel like giving up
Keep holding onAnd don't lose your faithOh, never ever lose your faith in loveDon't ever lose your faith in love

Also, I am NOT a huge fan of country music but for some silly reason, I have been listening to it...
A lot.

Movie Review: Les Misérables

The Sounds and Sights of Les Misérables

I recently went to go see the movie adaption of the musical Les Misérables. Let me begin by saying that adapting musicals for the screen is difficult. For some reason, Hollywood has not been able to do this successfully lately, at least in this production; all the actors could sing relatively well—the 2004 adaption of The Phantom of the Opera­ has issues with this concept. However, there were other issues in the movie.

First, I understand that the cast was good looking—Hugh Jackman played the protagonist Jean Valjean and Russell Crowe played the antagonist Inspector Javert—but that does not mean that a close-up is needed for nearly every shot of the movie. By having so many close-ups, the audience lost a sense of the actors’ playing spaces. For a movie with a budget of sixty-one million dollars, every crevice of the barricade and shots of the city of Paris deserved screen time. The movie had about a total of seven wide shots.

What did the rest of the ship where Fantine—played by Anne Hathaway—poured out her heart look like? How big was the barricade? What did Paris look like during the student’s revolt? How high was the bridge in comparison to the river? These were all questions that arose due to the close-cut frame chosen. It would have been nice to have a better sense of the sets and to be able to appreciate the craft that went into their design and creation.

Additionally, by primarily seeing head and upper body shots the costumes and actors interacting with the space was lost. What did the rest of Cosette’s—played by Amanda Seyfried—dress look like? The finer details were lost and it was a pity.

The musical, as a whole, is not the best musical in the world. It has some amazing songs—I Dreamed a Dream and On My Own—and some less than amazing songs but lacks in some plot areas. Most of the subplots found in Victor Hugo’s book Les Misérables—which the musical is based on—offers insight to the complexity of the society and help with the plot development. In this adaption, Marius’—played by Eddie Redmayne—back-story was lightly touched upon—this does not happen in the play and was refreshing.

In 1998, a dramatized version and non-musical adaption of Les Misérables came out—starring Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush. That production filled in the lacking plot of the musical and created a greater sense of the characters and their relationships, in compassion to the lacking character development and arcs in the musical. It would have been wonderful if this adaption could have combined the best part of the musical and dramatized version to create a full palate instead of a half colored painting.

One of the artistic choices in the new adaption was for the actors to take their time and fully allow their emotions to overtake them. This was wonderful but it terms of the clarity of the voices words were sometimes lost or unclear. Actress Samantha Barks who played Éponine did a fantastic job of not only allowing her emotions to fully take over but her voice was clear as day.

Overall, the cast did a wonderful job singing the music of Les Misérables but the filming of the movie lacked. The soundtrack—which will only be highlights of the movie—will be enjoyable when released but that is all.   

Quick Update

So, I flew home to Arizona on the 19th of December and haven't stopped to breathe yet. I legit have been so busy that today was the first day I was able to sleep in. In fact, I was so busy that I ended up staying up for 36 hours straight!!!

It has been a good time but busy. Saying that, I haven't gotten to se many friends on this trip back home. It's really weird. I got to hang out two of my highschool buddies for a couple of hours before one of them headed back to school.

Also, it's freezing cold here! Literally. Every night it has either been in the single digits or below zero. ast night it was negative sixteen. I'm hoping it will warm up soon.

Happy Holidays! More to come!