Classes Are Done!

Hooray! I'm done with classes. But not done with the work for those said classes. Luckily, I don't have a lot of finals: I have one actual final (for my pass/no pass class), a presentation of my Directing scene, a final lecture, and a jury performance for piano. And a couple of easy reflection papers, talking about my processes and stuff like that. So finals week is looking pretty easy going for me.

But I definitely don't feel officially finished yet. Still hunting for an internship that will take me over the summer, despite the many conflicts that Spider Baby has brought up. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled to be doing the show, but it's hard to find something that'll keep me busy despite the two weeks plus three weekends of being out of town's worth of conflicts. I have hope though. I have to.

I've actually been doing some research on fringe festivals and they sound really cool. The Toronto Fringe, for example, hosts about 150 companies over 12 days of performances. The shows rotate around in the spaces, and with so many shows, there are multiple performances going at once, all day. Tickets are cheap so audiences can spend a day going from show to show to show. These festivals give smaller companies chances to work in front of an audience, and don't judge the shows themselves--entrance into this particular festival was by lottery, and others provide spaces on a first-come-first-serve basis. Our performance times are all over the place--one is at 10pm, another at 5:15, a couple at 8ish... So we'll have plenty of time to check out the rest of the Fringe and see a bit of Toronto too. Yay! I'm getting excited.

But also sad. I won't be in the country to celebrate July 4th! Well, technically it's still the 4th of July, but it just ain't as fun when you aren't in the United States. Oh well, it's a small price to pay.

Another cool tidbit: The Drowsy Chaperone got its start at the Toronto Fringe Festival. Which is awesome. It starred Sutton Foster. Who is awesome. And who I MET!!!!!


Not my best picture... but it's not the end of the world.

She performed a small concert at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. We were sitting really close--like, 4th row close. We were all the way to the side, but the theatre is rather small, so it didn't matter. And she was so good! I love her voice. After the show she did a meet-and-greet, so we, well, met and gret (meeted and greeted? I dunno). She was really nice and friendly. I forgot to bring my CD from the car =( so no signing of my CD. But I got a photo, which I've wanted since we went to see Shrek in New York last summer and I was mad that she ran off. So that made me happy. And then we went to grab food in downtown Culver City and as we were leaving, I saw her on the other side of the restaurant with the pianist, eating a late-night snack. I didn't say anything--didn't want to be an obnoxious fan--but it was cool.

I really should study for this Chinese final. Even though I'm taking it pass/fail, I still want to make sure that I'm going to pass, you know? And considering I only have one legitimate final, it's not that big a deal to actually study for it.

Well that, or I can do some research for my internship interviews coming up! Yay interviews! I hope they like me! And to quote the show that was the source material for one of my Writing 340 papers (YESSSSSS I'M DONE WITH WRITING 340 FOREVER!!!)...

God I hope I get it!

Summer Goals

1. Learn, grow, and become an even better singer/dancer/actor at CAP21. And, by the end of the 6 weeks, be not only a stronger performer, but have an idea if I'd like to live in New York. And learn the subway system without getting lost 24/7. (Believe it or not, it's the second two parts that I'm worried about! haha.)
   
2. Play more guitar. I want it to be something I enjoy again, instead of merely something that takes up space. I don't want to be fantastic, I just want to be decent!
3. Don't lose all my Chinese. This means reviewing all my flashcards, rewriting my notes (I had the worst notebook this semester, and I'm planning on moving it all to a new one), maybe listening to some Mandarin podcasts...
4. Finally finish that Picaboo album with my pictures and journal entries from my Europe trip. The trip was 3 years ago. I seriously need to finish it!
5. Ride my bike more. (Technically speaking, my mom's bike. Mine's still at USC.) I need the exercise, and it'll be good to get fresh air.
6. Get on an earlier sleep schedule. Right now, that's not looking to promising, considering it's almost 2am and I'm nowhere close to being ready for bed.
7. Get started on being an awesome KP Business Manager. That means getting things organized, schedules collected, and maybe a gig or two ready.
8. Blog more. Obviously I'm working on that now. ;) But I'll probably keep this up for CAP21 too!
9. Get lots of audition material ready. This means monologues (I desperately need new ones) and contemporary, pop-style music (Eden Espinosa style, anyone?) that show off my belt voice.
10. Read lots of books and scripts, listen to lots of Broadway soundtracks, and keep my mind moving. I can't afford another summer where all I do is sit and watch TV. This summer is possibly the busiest summer I've ever had (CAP21, teaching theatre classes and camps and making money, living in NY...), and it's going to be fantastic. I'm so excited, and I'm going to avoid being bored as much as possible!
11. [Bonus Goal] Keep better connected with my friends! I'm not so good at keeping in contact, but I don't like that. I'm going to try to keep in contact with my USC friends better, and not lose touch with high school/PYT friends, as much as possible.