It's been a while since I've updated this thing... Oops. But there's lots of news to report, so let's get crackin'!
1) I've been cast in a show! It's a cabaret in San Francisco with the theater company Not Quite Opera, which focuses on developing and producing new musical theater. Round One is an evening of songs from new musicals, all composed by local Bay Area composers. There's music for all tastes: some songs are folksy and laid back, others are almost choral in their intricate harmonies and stunning textures. Others are almost Sondheim-esque in the words and thoughts. It's been challenging to learn all this new material, especially since we were cast about a month before the show itself, but I'm really enjoying it. The cast is top-notch and the music is so much fun to sing. It's a real pleasure to be able to make my Bay Area debut in this production!
Obviously this whole paragraph is also an advertisement, so if you're intrigued by this idea of seeing the show, tickets are available here. October 13th and 20th, 8pm, in San Francisco. Half-priced tickets are also available at Goldstar.com
2) I'm approaching my final two weeks at Cal Shakes, which is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. I've been working here since the day I've graduated college - almost literally! (I graduated May 13th, drove from USC to Northern California the 14th, and had orientation on the 15th.) At this point most of my internship assignments are dealing with the student matinees that we produce. We've had one already, and four more are coming up the next two weeks. The show this past week was fun and ran smoothly, so hopefully the following shows will be so as well. *Knock on wood*
3) When I'm not interning (which is fairly often, considering I'm only interning 3 days a week nowadays), I'm working in Cal Shakes box office 5 days a week. It's another side of the theater that I've never done before, but I enjoy it a lot! I like the customer service, even despite the occasional cranky person. But it's satisfying to make someone's afternoon by getting them great tickets to the show, or have someone tell them that I was a pleasure to work with. And then I'm at the theater all the time, so I have a better idea of the goings-on, making new friends, and just feeling more in-tune with the Cal Shakes world. It's a good time.
Hard to believe it's almost over...
4) If you're at all local to the Bay Area, you need to see Cal Shakes' Taming of the Shrew. Seriously. It's amazing. Super modern, a surprising and thought-provoking interpretation, talented cast and incredibly accessible to even the Shakespeare-loathers (I know you're out there!). There's some Lady Gaga and Madonna and Kiss Me, Kate music in there too, which makes me happy. And dancing. And intense chemistry. And hilarious costumes. Hilarity in general.
Go ahead. Watch the trailer. You know you want to!
If my raving of the show has convinced you, then tickets can be bought here. And if you buy them and leave them at will-call, there's a chance I'll be there to say hello and give your your tickets! Probably not the main selling point of the show, but it's a fun little perk ;)
I realize now that this whole blog post is pretty much a giant advertisement... but at least they're for projects that are AWESOME and SERIOUSLY WORTH CHECKING OUT. I hate obnoxious spamming, so if I blog it here, it's because I deem it worthy. And I can be a tough critic, so trust me here. ;)
Okeydokey, that's all I got for now! Expect another blog post soon! (Though I will admit, my definition of "soon" may differ from your definition. Some might define "soon" as "within the next week." For me, it's more like "whenever I get some time to decompress and unwind from life's crazy adventures." Let's hope these definitions can merge into one relatively, well, SOON!)
