Today I had a lunch date with one of my favorite people after her rehearsal :). I was driving over to meet her when she texted me, letting me know that some of her castmates were going to join us. No problemo, except that I was slightly nervous about grabbing lunch with my one friend and a whole bunch of people I don't know.
I mean, getting to know new people! Yay! (I guess.)
Except I get there and see the five people there. My friend, obviously. A friend who I did theater with in high school. A girl who I've seen on auditions. And two others, both who turned out to be wonderful people!
Moral of the story: theater community is small. (No duh Katherine.)
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Monday, December 26, 2011
2011 In Review
I don't tend to be terribly superstitious, but there are some things that I always do. I always say Break a Leg. Never say MacB's full name in a show. And I have this thing about odd-numbered years vs. even-numbered years. For some reason - maybe it's fate or maybe it's just by chance - odd-numbered years tend to go fairly well, while things go less well in even-numbered years. For example, in past even-numbered years, I've had family members pass away or major breakups, which, in a word, just sucked. By contrast, in many odd-numbered years I've gone on amazing trips or had great learning experiences.
2011 was an odd-numbered year, so for the most part it was pretty awesome. Here's a few highlights of the year...
Here's what else I hope will come my way in 2012:
To all you bloggy readers out there, I hope you enjoy the rest of the holidays, and hope that the curse of the even-numbered years passes you by! Here's to a fantastic 2012!
2011 was an odd-numbered year, so for the most part it was pretty awesome. Here's a few highlights of the year...
- Graduated from college. Some might say this is good, others say it's not-so-good, but I say it was pretty exciting.
- Left college and went straight into an amazing internship at Cal Shakes, where I learned a lot. I felt like a major part of the theater company, was involved in making some amazing educational work happen, and met a lot of great people. I also started to learn what it means to be an adult - not just in responsibility, since I'd say I'm a fairly responsible, hard-working person in general - but in my relationships with other adults. Since I'm no longer merely a student, I shouldn't feel inferior to others based solely on age. Does that make sense? Basically, I'm learning it's OK to have friends who are adults. It's kind of a new concept for me.
- Went on an epic family trip to Europe. Spent a lot of time with the family, saw some beautiful cities, ate some delicious food, and had a wonderful time.
- Started auditioning a lot, and was fairly successful fairly quickly! I did a cabaret of new musical theater in San Francisco, which was a definite learning experience (not as hectic as Spider Baby was, but still a crazy adventure). I had to learn material quickly and on my own, but it was fun to be back onstage again. I auditioned a bunch for local musicals and actually got to turn some projects down. That was definitely a new experience for me, especially coming from USC, where I was frustrated at the lack of stage-time I was getting. But of the first 6 auditions, I was cast/called back/creating a new, good relationship for 5 of them. I think that's a pretty good place to be, 5 months out of college.
- Got a leading role at a local theater company, whose work I really respect! We have yet to start rehearsals, but come January, I'll be back in full-time rehearsal mode, which I miss. I haven't been in a show that rehearses regularly (as in, more than twice a week) for probably three years. Plus, my part's an awesome one: I'll be playing Natalie/Ed in Foothill Music Theatre's production of All Shook Up. It's a character! With motivations! And some really fun music!
- Laughed a lot. Fell back in love with reading. Started a significant workout routine and started working on general health and fitness.
Here's what else I hope will come my way in 2012:
- Find a day job that I enjoy and that doesn't murder me in the process
- Strengthen ties with my friends, and develop a greater social circle in the area
- Continue to work as an actor and musician
- Complete my goals for my health and fitness - maybe move on to some new goals, and curtail that never-ending sweet tooth in the process!
- Stay close with the people I love
To all you bloggy readers out there, I hope you enjoy the rest of the holidays, and hope that the curse of the even-numbered years passes you by! Here's to a fantastic 2012!
Monday, October 3, 2011
An Itty-Bitty Update
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!)
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!)
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