It's been a crazy week. I'm seriously getting tired from all the work we're doing!
Ballet and jazz were today. One of the girls was gone in our jazz dance class, so the teacher needed someone else to fill into her spot with another group, as the "swing." For some reason, he picked me! But it was really fun to work with a new group and try to adjust to their dynamics. Plus I got a bit more exercise in. Always good.
Went up in Musical Scene Study with a scene from Little Women. We made half the class cry. =D it was a really good run, although we did miss a few key details for the scene. But now that we know them, we can fix it and it'll be even better.
Saw Ruined tonight. It was an amazing play. Just won the Pulitzer Prize, and I can see why. Great performances, good script, strong actors (apparently one guy went to USC! Yay!), and overall just a powerful experience. And even though I wasn't in the mood before the show for something that was slightly dark, in the end it didn't matter, because it was amazing.
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Friday, July 31, 2009
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Puppies and Normals and Hair, oh my!
Oh my goodness, today was SO AMAZING.
Started off with sleeping in. Which was fantastic, after all these crazy days of classes. Read a lot of my book, then decided to head to Times Square around 12:30 to try my luck at the TKTS booth. I decided that since I wasn't getting up before the crack of dawn to get in line for Twelfth Night, I wanted to definitely see a Broadway show that day!
I found TKTS and saw a bunch of shows that still had tickets, so I decided to pick between Next to Normal, Hair, Mary Stuart, the Marvelous Wonderettes (no idea what that is, but it sounds adorable), and Rock of Ages (just for laughs ;)). And when I got to the front of the line (which was in no time at all, I guess getting to the TKTS booth at 1:20pm isn't as bad an idea as I thought it would be), I picked Next to Normal. I got an orchestra seat, which usually would have been about $120, for about $75. It was a partial view seat, but that only meant that I couldn't see the third level of the set. And since the actors weren't up there a whole lot, it wasn't too big of a deal. My bigger problem was that I was freeeeezing cold. I forgot a jacket... Whoops.
The show itself was really good. It's about a not-so-normal family with a bunch of big problems. I won't say more, because it's very complicated and intense, but it was a great production. The actors were all really good. Most of them were the original cast--I think the son was a replacement. Alice Ripley was really good too; I can see why she won the Tony for best actress. I was a little too far away to really see their faces, but that's OK. I just wanted to see the show, find out what the hype is about. Now I want to buy the music and listen to it a bit more. I'll say, it's not my favorite musical ever, but I'm very glad I went to see it. It was quite the experience, and I definitely had a few WOAH moments as I watched the story unfold. And a funny thing that happened--before the show, I had purchased a pretzel and was eating it in front of the theatre, and I ran into my roommate and her friend! They were checking out the rush policies for other nearby shows. I just think it's crazy--what are the odds that, in this giant city of New York, in all the crowds of Times Square and all the shows playing this afternoon, I'd run into my roommate? Just insane...
After Next to Normal ended, I walked out of the theatre and ran into dogs. Lots and LOTS of dogs. I guess today was the 11th annual Broadway Barks event. There were raffles and silent auctions for different Broadway-related things, like dinners with cast members and giant dog stuffed animals, signed by the casts of different shows. Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore were the hosts, but I didn't get to see them. I only stayed until 5:30, and I think the part where all the different Broadway stars came by was later. I thought they were going to sing, but perhaps they were just showed off their puppy dogs and kitty cats and asked that people adopt the adorable little animals. Anyway, I stayed for a while, then went to the Hair box office to put my name in the lottery with Rachel.
I got there, wrote my name and zip code on a sheet of paper, and waited for Rachel to come by. And, again, I ran into my roommate and her friend! They were trying for the lottery too. While waiting for Rachel to come, I wrote her name down on a sheet of paper and turned it in. Then she showed up, and wrote her name down as Sophie. Just to help increase our chances ;). (Sophie was at another dinner and couldn't be there for the lottery itself.) But hey, we had a plan. If we didn't get Hair, we'd rush Blythe Spirit, which has Angela Lansbury. And if that failed, we'd attempt something else. We were seeing a show that night, and that was that!
Well, the lottery started, and the guy who was picking from the bucket told us that there were 28 seats available. And I swear, there were at least 100 people! I was starting to get nervous... He pulled out the first slip and paper and announced... ME!!! I WON THE LOTTERY!! TO HAIR!!! When he announced MY NAME I raised my hand and bounced like a school girl for a minute then started off the line of lottery winners. Because I was the FIRST PERSON to get tickets!!!!!
Sadly, neither Rachel or Sophie was picked, so it wouldn't be the 3 of us watching the show. But since I won, Rachel and I got tickets! After he finished announcing everyone, the guy went through our line and verified that I was indeed me, then I went up to the box office and we got our tickets. A1 and A2, box seats house right. It was a little after 6 at this point, and we had time before the show, so we went on a dinner hunt. On the way we passed Broadway Barks again, and I actually saw Bernadette Peters this time, as well as Alice Ripley, Stephanie J. Block, and J. Robert Spencer (who had been the dad in Next to Normal). They weren't performing, but it was still really cool.
We got dinner at this little place, where I got a sauceless cheese pizza, a rice crispy treat and Pepsi for under $10. Not bad, for the expensive tourist-land that is Times Square. We avoided purchasing the $18 hot dog! Then we went to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre to see HAIR! It was amazing. Our seats were in the box seats, but it wasn't like MVCPA's box seats. Instead, the balcony of the theatre extended all the way to the sides, so even though we were way above the stage we were in line with the front row of the orchestra. And right in front of our seats, which were the FIRST ROW (yay!!), was this little platform where the actors would frequently use. There were stairs right next to us, which the actors would go up and down to do various entrances and exits in the balcony. This was definitely a show that broke the 4th wall, but in an amazing way. They would talk to people in the audience, touch them (frequently in ways that, outside of this show would be awkward but in this show, was totally normal), climb over chairs and dance with the audience. And then some!
The show itself was amazing. I'm pretty sure this was the original cast, and there were no understudies, which is always awesome. The actors were FULL of energy and excitement, and just seemed like they were having the times of their lives! I had no idea what was going on half the time, but that didn't matter. The dancing and movement and pure emotion was overwhelming, in a great way. I was smiling the entire first act of the show. We were so close that we could see everything, pretty much, save what was far stage left and blocked by the platform. But when the people were on that platform, we couldn't get any closer. And it was cool, because the cast would look at the audience members, so we made lots of eye contact with the various members of the cast! And during the show, when they came up to the balcony and stood next to us, sometimes they'd give a little wave and I'd wave back.
And during the song Hair, some of them came up to the box seats and a few of them messed up my hair! There was one girl who came up and stuck her hair in front of Rachel and my faces, just playing around with it. And later, during the hallucination scene, there was this reenactment of the assassination of Abe Lincoln. The actress playing Abe Lincoln was onstage, and the guy playing John Wilkes Booth came up to our box, and he sat on my lap!!! He pointed his fake gun at Rachel and "threatened" the people around us, before "killing" Lincoln. Before he left, he apologized to the people onstage for killing Lincoln... but before going back down to the stage, he walked over and screamed, pretty much in my ear, "Not really!!" Or something of the sort. It scared me half to death, but it was amazing.
And at the end of the show, after bows, they invited the audience to come onstage and sing and dance with the cast. We weren't sure if we should go at first, but after a few moments passed (and the cast member that was currently on the platform told us that we should go), we ran down the stairs and went on the stage!! (Of course, the minute we got onstage, Gavin Creel went on our little platform... Oh well, he had already performed earlier on that platform. Hehe!) It was crazy crowded with a ton of people, but it was so amazing. I could see the "Chris Cam" (which I could see from our seats anyway, but now I didn't have to twist around to see it), and the techies (of which there were no more than 3, pretty much--there was literally no backstage. From our seats, we could see everything), and all the cast members were there, and I could see all the people in the orchestra (which I hadn't been able to see from our seats), and the HUGE audience! Since they were all on their feet, clapping and dancing along, it just looked huge! And now I can officially say that I've performed on a Broadway stage! (Hehe...) After all, I was onstage dancing and singing (kind of) and all those people were watching. ;) Anyway, it really felt like a big group of love and joy and happiness. It was the most amazing experience I've had in a theatre, pretty much ever.
After the show I bought a t-shirt and we got a few autographs from a few members of the cast. They were really chatty and friendly. I feel like with this show, you can't have real major divas or cattiness in the cast. Now, I'm sure I'm wrong, considering that there's no such thing as an environment with zero cattiness whatsoever, but the things these people do seem to require so much confidence and community that I can't help but imagine that it would spill into their lives offstage too. (And a side note? Their bio's were fantastic. They were written as if they were in character, practically. Only a few of them list all the shows the individuals had done. For the most part, it was about the things they love and qualities about the actors unrelated to theatre.) We got about 4 autographs and then decided to head home.
And now I've been back over an hour and a half, and I'm still pumped up by this show and my day! This was the craziest and awesomest theatre day I've had in a long time, if not ever. And Hair was probably the coolest theatre experience I've ever had. I was talking to Rachel about it, and we both agreed that we had the best seats in the house. We could see clearly, front row, got to have lots of eye contact and interaction, and danced a while onstage! I'd be happy to see the show again, but I don't think it could live up to tonight's experience. I'm still all pumped up about it!
And now I've just downloaded the soundtrack from iTunes, so I'm going to give it a listen and see it again in my minds eye. Those crazy costumes, awesome energy, fantastic cast... Yay!!!!!!!
Started off with sleeping in. Which was fantastic, after all these crazy days of classes. Read a lot of my book, then decided to head to Times Square around 12:30 to try my luck at the TKTS booth. I decided that since I wasn't getting up before the crack of dawn to get in line for Twelfth Night, I wanted to definitely see a Broadway show that day!
I found TKTS and saw a bunch of shows that still had tickets, so I decided to pick between Next to Normal, Hair, Mary Stuart, the Marvelous Wonderettes (no idea what that is, but it sounds adorable), and Rock of Ages (just for laughs ;)). And when I got to the front of the line (which was in no time at all, I guess getting to the TKTS booth at 1:20pm isn't as bad an idea as I thought it would be), I picked Next to Normal. I got an orchestra seat, which usually would have been about $120, for about $75. It was a partial view seat, but that only meant that I couldn't see the third level of the set. And since the actors weren't up there a whole lot, it wasn't too big of a deal. My bigger problem was that I was freeeeezing cold. I forgot a jacket... Whoops.
The show itself was really good. It's about a not-so-normal family with a bunch of big problems. I won't say more, because it's very complicated and intense, but it was a great production. The actors were all really good. Most of them were the original cast--I think the son was a replacement. Alice Ripley was really good too; I can see why she won the Tony for best actress. I was a little too far away to really see their faces, but that's OK. I just wanted to see the show, find out what the hype is about. Now I want to buy the music and listen to it a bit more. I'll say, it's not my favorite musical ever, but I'm very glad I went to see it. It was quite the experience, and I definitely had a few WOAH moments as I watched the story unfold. And a funny thing that happened--before the show, I had purchased a pretzel and was eating it in front of the theatre, and I ran into my roommate and her friend! They were checking out the rush policies for other nearby shows. I just think it's crazy--what are the odds that, in this giant city of New York, in all the crowds of Times Square and all the shows playing this afternoon, I'd run into my roommate? Just insane...
After Next to Normal ended, I walked out of the theatre and ran into dogs. Lots and LOTS of dogs. I guess today was the 11th annual Broadway Barks event. There were raffles and silent auctions for different Broadway-related things, like dinners with cast members and giant dog stuffed animals, signed by the casts of different shows. Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore were the hosts, but I didn't get to see them. I only stayed until 5:30, and I think the part where all the different Broadway stars came by was later. I thought they were going to sing, but perhaps they were just showed off their puppy dogs and kitty cats and asked that people adopt the adorable little animals. Anyway, I stayed for a while, then went to the Hair box office to put my name in the lottery with Rachel.
I got there, wrote my name and zip code on a sheet of paper, and waited for Rachel to come by. And, again, I ran into my roommate and her friend! They were trying for the lottery too. While waiting for Rachel to come, I wrote her name down on a sheet of paper and turned it in. Then she showed up, and wrote her name down as Sophie. Just to help increase our chances ;). (Sophie was at another dinner and couldn't be there for the lottery itself.) But hey, we had a plan. If we didn't get Hair, we'd rush Blythe Spirit, which has Angela Lansbury. And if that failed, we'd attempt something else. We were seeing a show that night, and that was that!
Well, the lottery started, and the guy who was picking from the bucket told us that there were 28 seats available. And I swear, there were at least 100 people! I was starting to get nervous... He pulled out the first slip and paper and announced... ME!!! I WON THE LOTTERY!! TO HAIR!!! When he announced MY NAME I raised my hand and bounced like a school girl for a minute then started off the line of lottery winners. Because I was the FIRST PERSON to get tickets!!!!!
Sadly, neither Rachel or Sophie was picked, so it wouldn't be the 3 of us watching the show. But since I won, Rachel and I got tickets! After he finished announcing everyone, the guy went through our line and verified that I was indeed me, then I went up to the box office and we got our tickets. A1 and A2, box seats house right. It was a little after 6 at this point, and we had time before the show, so we went on a dinner hunt. On the way we passed Broadway Barks again, and I actually saw Bernadette Peters this time, as well as Alice Ripley, Stephanie J. Block, and J. Robert Spencer (who had been the dad in Next to Normal). They weren't performing, but it was still really cool.
We got dinner at this little place, where I got a sauceless cheese pizza, a rice crispy treat and Pepsi for under $10. Not bad, for the expensive tourist-land that is Times Square. We avoided purchasing the $18 hot dog! Then we went to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre to see HAIR! It was amazing. Our seats were in the box seats, but it wasn't like MVCPA's box seats. Instead, the balcony of the theatre extended all the way to the sides, so even though we were way above the stage we were in line with the front row of the orchestra. And right in front of our seats, which were the FIRST ROW (yay!!), was this little platform where the actors would frequently use. There were stairs right next to us, which the actors would go up and down to do various entrances and exits in the balcony. This was definitely a show that broke the 4th wall, but in an amazing way. They would talk to people in the audience, touch them (frequently in ways that, outside of this show would be awkward but in this show, was totally normal), climb over chairs and dance with the audience. And then some!
The show itself was amazing. I'm pretty sure this was the original cast, and there were no understudies, which is always awesome. The actors were FULL of energy and excitement, and just seemed like they were having the times of their lives! I had no idea what was going on half the time, but that didn't matter. The dancing and movement and pure emotion was overwhelming, in a great way. I was smiling the entire first act of the show. We were so close that we could see everything, pretty much, save what was far stage left and blocked by the platform. But when the people were on that platform, we couldn't get any closer. And it was cool, because the cast would look at the audience members, so we made lots of eye contact with the various members of the cast! And during the show, when they came up to the balcony and stood next to us, sometimes they'd give a little wave and I'd wave back.
And during the song Hair, some of them came up to the box seats and a few of them messed up my hair! There was one girl who came up and stuck her hair in front of Rachel and my faces, just playing around with it. And later, during the hallucination scene, there was this reenactment of the assassination of Abe Lincoln. The actress playing Abe Lincoln was onstage, and the guy playing John Wilkes Booth came up to our box, and he sat on my lap!!! He pointed his fake gun at Rachel and "threatened" the people around us, before "killing" Lincoln. Before he left, he apologized to the people onstage for killing Lincoln... but before going back down to the stage, he walked over and screamed, pretty much in my ear, "Not really!!" Or something of the sort. It scared me half to death, but it was amazing.
And at the end of the show, after bows, they invited the audience to come onstage and sing and dance with the cast. We weren't sure if we should go at first, but after a few moments passed (and the cast member that was currently on the platform told us that we should go), we ran down the stairs and went on the stage!! (Of course, the minute we got onstage, Gavin Creel went on our little platform... Oh well, he had already performed earlier on that platform. Hehe!) It was crazy crowded with a ton of people, but it was so amazing. I could see the "Chris Cam" (which I could see from our seats anyway, but now I didn't have to twist around to see it), and the techies (of which there were no more than 3, pretty much--there was literally no backstage. From our seats, we could see everything), and all the cast members were there, and I could see all the people in the orchestra (which I hadn't been able to see from our seats), and the HUGE audience! Since they were all on their feet, clapping and dancing along, it just looked huge! And now I can officially say that I've performed on a Broadway stage! (Hehe...) After all, I was onstage dancing and singing (kind of) and all those people were watching. ;) Anyway, it really felt like a big group of love and joy and happiness. It was the most amazing experience I've had in a theatre, pretty much ever.
After the show I bought a t-shirt and we got a few autographs from a few members of the cast. They were really chatty and friendly. I feel like with this show, you can't have real major divas or cattiness in the cast. Now, I'm sure I'm wrong, considering that there's no such thing as an environment with zero cattiness whatsoever, but the things these people do seem to require so much confidence and community that I can't help but imagine that it would spill into their lives offstage too. (And a side note? Their bio's were fantastic. They were written as if they were in character, practically. Only a few of them list all the shows the individuals had done. For the most part, it was about the things they love and qualities about the actors unrelated to theatre.) We got about 4 autographs and then decided to head home.
And now I've been back over an hour and a half, and I'm still pumped up by this show and my day! This was the craziest and awesomest theatre day I've had in a long time, if not ever. And Hair was probably the coolest theatre experience I've ever had. I was talking to Rachel about it, and we both agreed that we had the best seats in the house. We could see clearly, front row, got to have lots of eye contact and interaction, and danced a while onstage! I'd be happy to see the show again, but I don't think it could live up to tonight's experience. I'm still all pumped up about it!
And now I've just downloaded the soundtrack from iTunes, so I'm going to give it a listen and see it again in my minds eye. Those crazy costumes, awesome energy, fantastic cast... Yay!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
First 2 Days of Class
First two days of class, and I'm already exhausted. It's going to be a loooong summer... a good long though!
Vocal Tech: basically all about the technique of singing. It's a small class, only 8 of us, which is nice. It wasn't superbly exciting, but I feel like it's going to be extremely useful, especially for stuff that I'm not sure if I'm singing correctly or not. She actually told me that I was one of the few who was using breath correctly for belting, which was exciting, but obviously I can do more. The weirdest part for that class is the stuff she asked us to bring in--gauze, a mini-flashlight, and a small mirror. I found gauze and a mirror at the drugstore yesterday, but I'm still looking for the flashlight...
Tap 3: Somehow I got into Tap 3 (there are 4 levels total for the dance classes), so I'm glad I went to the placement for that class. I have it with Sophie, and OHMYGOODNESS after only one class I was totally exhausted and all shiny with lovely sweat. It's such a workout. We pretty much spent 45 minutes straight tapping a variety of combinations across the floor. And tomorrow we work on timesteps and learn the beginning of 42nd Street. This is, so far, definitely the hardest class. But it's kind of fun too. (Yay!)
Vocal Performance: So far, it's a lot like Parmer's class during the year--acting out the song, using his 10 Basic Questions (or "The One" and "The Two", as we did with Parmer) to create circumstances for ourselves. I've been assigned to work on "Someone to Watch Over Me," which I've already sung (for Parmer's class, actually!), but I like it so I don't mind.
Acting: It was very interesting. We talked a lot about ourselves and our training, then did a yoga-based warm-up to center ourselves. After that, a few people went up and did some basic improvs. I'm not sure how I feel about this class yet, but once we get our scene assignments I think I'll be more excited. It just seems a lot like what I've done in Acting 101 and 252ab, which is great repetition of the techniques, so that's good. And the strange thing is, this and my Vocal Performance class, as well as Musical Scene Study, is the same group of people--all girls. Not one guy. Sophie and Rachel are both in it with me. Everyone seems pretty friendly, so it should be good. I'm looking forward to working together!
That was yesterday. Today, we started with Ballet. The teacher called me out on not wearing a leotard and tights (but of course, the only leotard I have right now is skin tone and back at home! So I'm making a Capezio's run this weekend... When my mom comes to visit. She gets to pay for me, hehehe!!). She said she was treating it like a complete beginner class (and it's level 2). At first I thought, well I've taken ballet, so what's the point? But it's good because we're all on the same page, and she's very specific about how she wants the technique. And she was helping me, giving adjustments, but in a positive manner. So as much as I love ballet (....) I'm actually looking forward to working the form. It seems like it's going to be a legit class, unlike so many of the ballet classes I've taken before.
Jazz 2: We also did a long introduction about ourselves, then did a long warm up (which included both push ups and sit ups--ick!) and a few across-the-floors. That class seems really friendly, and everyone seemed nice. We also reviewed our audition routine.
Musical Scene Study: I was particularly looking forward to this class, because I want to work on acting that is bigger than the acting I'm working on at USC. And it's cool, because it sounds like we'll be doing the scenes into songs, possibly duets with others. Our teacher is super friendly and nice, and I really liked her. We all did selections from classical musicals to "introduce" our voices. I had Cain't Say No and Mister Snow both ready... Then when someone didn't have a contemporary song ready, she had them do part of Cain't Say No! Of course. But they stopped right where my cut began, so I thought it was an appropriate transition. And then, when I mentioned I had a soprano range too, she had me sing the last page of Mister Snow, just to show off the high notes. So we'll see what I'm assigned for that class. I really liked it though, and I'm excited for that class.
Business of Theatre: The required class about things all working actors should know: about agencies, management, Equity, networking, and more. Boring stuff, but extremely important things to know. A lot of things we mentioned today sounded familiar, because of the books I've read and that event that TSA put on end of last semester, where a casting director came in and gave a lot of information. But a lot of the stuff I don't know, so while I'm not excited for it, I'm really glad it's offered.
And that's it for classes! I spent yesterday evening running errands, on foot (owie!!), and tonight I relaxed, watched TV, attempted to buy a mini-flashlight but failed... I went to Washington Square Park, since it's literally just outside the building, and watched some guys play chess. It's amazing how fast they were moving those chess pieces, and watching them think! I felt like I was in that old Pixar short film, except way cooler. And the people watching were pretty friendly, because a few people had questions and some other people answered them, no sweat. I know nothing about chess, so I had nothing to say. Then I sat by the fountain and read on a park bench for about half an hour, until it got too cold, and I went back to the dorm. On the way in I saw some people watching So You Think You Can Dance, so I joined them, which was entertaining. I think there was more conversation about the show than actually watching it, but it was cool. And one girl I met is taking another acting conservatory in NYC, which was cool, and she's roommates with someone in my program! And then I came up here, and wrote this out.
Now it is time for me to do my homework for tomorrow (yes, homework. I'm back at school, I swear! We get a syllabus and assignments and everything) and figure out the recording device I bought last night. Bye all!
Vocal Tech: basically all about the technique of singing. It's a small class, only 8 of us, which is nice. It wasn't superbly exciting, but I feel like it's going to be extremely useful, especially for stuff that I'm not sure if I'm singing correctly or not. She actually told me that I was one of the few who was using breath correctly for belting, which was exciting, but obviously I can do more. The weirdest part for that class is the stuff she asked us to bring in--gauze, a mini-flashlight, and a small mirror. I found gauze and a mirror at the drugstore yesterday, but I'm still looking for the flashlight...
Tap 3: Somehow I got into Tap 3 (there are 4 levels total for the dance classes), so I'm glad I went to the placement for that class. I have it with Sophie, and OHMYGOODNESS after only one class I was totally exhausted and all shiny with lovely sweat. It's such a workout. We pretty much spent 45 minutes straight tapping a variety of combinations across the floor. And tomorrow we work on timesteps and learn the beginning of 42nd Street. This is, so far, definitely the hardest class. But it's kind of fun too. (Yay!)
Vocal Performance: So far, it's a lot like Parmer's class during the year--acting out the song, using his 10 Basic Questions (or "The One" and "The Two", as we did with Parmer) to create circumstances for ourselves. I've been assigned to work on "Someone to Watch Over Me," which I've already sung (for Parmer's class, actually!), but I like it so I don't mind.
Acting: It was very interesting. We talked a lot about ourselves and our training, then did a yoga-based warm-up to center ourselves. After that, a few people went up and did some basic improvs. I'm not sure how I feel about this class yet, but once we get our scene assignments I think I'll be more excited. It just seems a lot like what I've done in Acting 101 and 252ab, which is great repetition of the techniques, so that's good. And the strange thing is, this and my Vocal Performance class, as well as Musical Scene Study, is the same group of people--all girls. Not one guy. Sophie and Rachel are both in it with me. Everyone seems pretty friendly, so it should be good. I'm looking forward to working together!
That was yesterday. Today, we started with Ballet. The teacher called me out on not wearing a leotard and tights (but of course, the only leotard I have right now is skin tone and back at home! So I'm making a Capezio's run this weekend... When my mom comes to visit. She gets to pay for me, hehehe!!). She said she was treating it like a complete beginner class (and it's level 2). At first I thought, well I've taken ballet, so what's the point? But it's good because we're all on the same page, and she's very specific about how she wants the technique. And she was helping me, giving adjustments, but in a positive manner. So as much as I love ballet (....) I'm actually looking forward to working the form. It seems like it's going to be a legit class, unlike so many of the ballet classes I've taken before.
Jazz 2: We also did a long introduction about ourselves, then did a long warm up (which included both push ups and sit ups--ick!) and a few across-the-floors. That class seems really friendly, and everyone seemed nice. We also reviewed our audition routine.
Musical Scene Study: I was particularly looking forward to this class, because I want to work on acting that is bigger than the acting I'm working on at USC. And it's cool, because it sounds like we'll be doing the scenes into songs, possibly duets with others. Our teacher is super friendly and nice, and I really liked her. We all did selections from classical musicals to "introduce" our voices. I had Cain't Say No and Mister Snow both ready... Then when someone didn't have a contemporary song ready, she had them do part of Cain't Say No! Of course. But they stopped right where my cut began, so I thought it was an appropriate transition. And then, when I mentioned I had a soprano range too, she had me sing the last page of Mister Snow, just to show off the high notes. So we'll see what I'm assigned for that class. I really liked it though, and I'm excited for that class.
Business of Theatre: The required class about things all working actors should know: about agencies, management, Equity, networking, and more. Boring stuff, but extremely important things to know. A lot of things we mentioned today sounded familiar, because of the books I've read and that event that TSA put on end of last semester, where a casting director came in and gave a lot of information. But a lot of the stuff I don't know, so while I'm not excited for it, I'm really glad it's offered.
And that's it for classes! I spent yesterday evening running errands, on foot (owie!!), and tonight I relaxed, watched TV, attempted to buy a mini-flashlight but failed... I went to Washington Square Park, since it's literally just outside the building, and watched some guys play chess. It's amazing how fast they were moving those chess pieces, and watching them think! I felt like I was in that old Pixar short film, except way cooler. And the people watching were pretty friendly, because a few people had questions and some other people answered them, no sweat. I know nothing about chess, so I had nothing to say. Then I sat by the fountain and read on a park bench for about half an hour, until it got too cold, and I went back to the dorm. On the way in I saw some people watching So You Think You Can Dance, so I joined them, which was entertaining. I think there was more conversation about the show than actually watching it, but it was cool. And one girl I met is taking another acting conservatory in NYC, which was cool, and she's roommates with someone in my program! And then I came up here, and wrote this out.
Now it is time for me to do my homework for tomorrow (yes, homework. I'm back at school, I swear! We get a syllabus and assignments and everything) and figure out the recording device I bought last night. Bye all!
Monday, June 29, 2009
First 2 Days in NY
Well, I can officially call myself a New Yorker.
Not really. But in the last 2 days, I managed to get stuck in major parade-created traffic, get forced out (sorta) of my dorm room, watch an (off?)-Broadway show, take the subway several times (successfully!!) and, oh yeah—go to CAP21.
But let’s begin with yesterday. My day started at 6:30, when I woke up, got dressed, packed up a few final things, and drove with Dad to SFO. We get to the airport no problem, and I get through security and all that pretty quick. Then I grabbed a breakfast sandwich from the food place and wait for the airplane to start boarding people.
Random: the hand dryers in the SFO bathrooms are so cool! They’re like the traditional hand dryer, but instead of a big fan, you stick your hands in a little machine and, as you slowly drag them out, a “blade” of really fast air blasts at your fingers. Sounds strange in writing, but it was cool.
Anyway, I got on the airplane in what must be the family section, especially since I’m seated right next to this little boy. Now, I know what you’re thinking—uh oh, crying baby time! But I was pretty lucky, because he was, for the most part, pretty quiet. Sure, he shuffled around and talked a little too loudly and watched TV on his daddy’s laptop without headphones, but it wasn’t too bad. And the other little kids weren’t horrible. No more than half an hour of wailing, I’d guess.
The plane wasn’t as cool as I thought it’d be. The entertainment system got old really fast, though it was pretty cool using the touch screen to order my food. I didn’t want to pay for movies, and the little games were pretty lame. There was TV, but it didn’t list what was playing at the different times, and I’ve definitely been spoiled by TiVo and not-TiVo. So I watched a lot of Law and Order: SVU, since it was on reruns on USA, and America’s Next Top Model, on Oxygen. Both were on reruns.
Now, yes, I did try to sleep, I promise! But I didn’t get much, maybe an hour at most. I was just too easily distracted. Add that to the four and a half hours of sleep I’d gotten from the post-alumni show dinner, and I was pretty fatigued. Oddly enough, though, I didn’t feel terribly tired. I just was pretty low energy.
I did eat a steak sandwich, after picking out the veggies. It was surprisingly decent. I also had an Airborned water bottle, a mini-water bottle (plain), and a Coke. But that’s it.
5 hours later we land at JFK, and I take my time getting out of the terminal. I get my luggage quickly and found the Ground Transportation desk, where I “called” SuperShuttle to get picked up. 20 minutes+1 phone call home later, the guy gets me and we get on the shuttle.
Now here’s where it got sticky. It’s about 5:30, and he still has to pick up a bunch of other people in the (huge!!) airport. I need to check in before 8pm, or else call ahead and explain that I’ll be late. We get all our people by 6, and I’m hoping to be in by 7. I figure, worst case, once 7:30 runs around I’ll call them and say I might be late.
Well I forgot about traffic, and now it’s 7:30. We only have 3 of the 9 people left, so I’m hoping he’ll drop me off before 8pm. But when he doesn’t, and it’s 7:45, I try to call NYU Summer Housing. Sadly, I don’t have the number for the specific dorm, and the general office is closed. So I call Mom and Dad frantically and finally get the number (thanks Dad!!). The receptionist tells me that if I come in after 8, the security guard will let me in. It might be the unconventional way, but it will work.
The driver guy takes a bunch of side streets, because the Pride Parade is taking over the major streets, but we finally get there at 8:15. Hooray! I go inside and am greeted by a very crabby-looking security guard. When I tell her I’m there to check in, she says that the security guards can’t. Which is when I start to panic. Does this mean I have no place to stay for the night?!? But she calls down an RA, who gets me the forms I need.
Or does she? Because she can’t find the key. And she’s looking around the office but she can’t find my little envelope with room 406 on it. And she can’t find a spare. Apparently the people who lived in that room last never returned the key. Perfect. She actually finds the receptionist (or whoever runs the check in’s etc) and they talk, and they give me an option. Either they find me another room for the night, just so I can get some sleep and put my (extremely heavy!) backpack down, or they’ll use the 4th floor master key to let me in, and then hopefully my roommate will let me back in, should I choose to leave (which I planned to do—I desperately needed food!). At this point, I was really frustrated, so I said I didn’t care. So they brought me up to the room and unlocked the door.
Except… for some reason, the door wouldn’t unlock. So she bangs on the door loudly for a while. After what seems like an eternity, an Asian girl in PJs and bushy hair opens the door. She was probably asleep. I walk in, the RA still behind me. The room is strange. It enters straight into the bedroom, with a hallway in the back and then another room behind this one. As in, anytime someone wants to go to the back room/bathroom, they have to go in the first room. Sounds like a complete lack of privacy!
It gets better. This sleepy girl tells us that there aren’t any empty beds; that the room is full. At this point, I’m so tired and frustrated that I barely can think. We walk into the hallway, and I stay there while the RA gets the binders with all the information. Turns out that one of the girls extended her stay, and only half the stuff was updated. I’m listed for being checked in a week early (which is bizarre, since I’m definitely not), and I’m listed for room 1716. We make our way downstairs, where another girl is now at the reception desk and she gets me a key to the room. And I make my way up the elevators.
I open the door to 1716 and find 2 open beds. 1 is a bunk. My roommate Elise’s already there, apparently has been for at least a week. I am beyond relieved, you have no idea!!! I start to unpack, then call home. Then I realize I desperately need food, so Elise and I walk to a quick hot-dog store and I grab a hot dog, fries and a mango drink. Apparently the restaurant is famous-was in Sex and the City or something-and the food isn’t bad. The hot dog is a little small, and by the time I eat the fries they’re a little cold, but the mango drink is sweet and cool. We go back to the dorm to eat, and then I finish unpacking. It takes me forever to set up my computer, since the Ethernet cable only works with half the phone connections—there is 1 phone line and 1 data line on each phone connector thing—and one of them is broken while the other is in use. But I set it up, get my computer registered (took a while, though), and am now connected to the internet! Hooray!!
After that, I quickly review my audition material for the next day, and go to sleep. I set my alarm for 7:00, so that I can have plenty of time to shower and eat breakfast before I get to CAP21 at 9AM.
Well… I couldn’t get to sleep. And my alarm clock either didn’t go off, or I turned it off or something, because next thing I know it’s 8:30 and I’m in major panic mode. I take the shortest shower ever (less than 5 minutes) because I feel gross from the airplane and I need clean hair for an audition!! Then I walk as fast as I can to CAP21, without stopping for food. Which was really, really stupid.
I get to CAP21 and go up the elevator. I’m a little late, but it’s actually not a huge deal. I change into my (really baggy) dance pants and sit in “The Shop,” which is one of the studio rooms. I find Sophie and Rachel, which was a relief, and fill out some paperwork and listen to some orientation blahdeblah. Then we start the dance audition—sorry, “placement” tests.
The combinations are actually really easy. Fast sways, chaînes, grapevines, a pirouette. It was just crazy-fast. And I’m running on empty. I have to mark it a bit during the reviews. I’m not hungry, actually, but I think it’s because I’m beyond hunger. I’m just drained.
The ballet and jazz placements were first, and then those who said they had No Tap got to leave. I said I’d had tap (which I did! I swear!), so we did that. It was surprisingly easy—flaps, ball changes, and time steps. Now, I’m not saying I did the steps well, but I got the basics, at least. But then we had to do something called a rolling shuffle, which looked easy but was rather challenging. I think I managed not to make a huge fool out of myself though, thankfully. I got at least 4 mostly-correct, mostly-in time rolling shuffles in, out of 16. That may sound lame, but it was actually pretty good. Some people in that room weren’t very good. (It was the beginner’s room, so I’m not trying to be rude—I’m just trying to be honest.)
We finished, and Sophie, Rachel and I went to this overpriced bakery place down the street. It was actually quite good. I had catfish, broccoli, watermelon and honeydew. It felts good to have something healthy, especially after all that dance. Then I walked back home, since the singing/acting placement wasn’t for 2 more hours.
I get back and change into a slightly better outfit, then run to the music practice room and review my music. I was planning on singing Cain’t Say No and Meadowlark, but I realized that I just didn’t have the belt to finish Meadowlark, so I traded it for Mister Snow. It worked out that way—Cain’t Say No showed off the belt, and Mister Snow showed off the soprano. And I reviewed my monologue, which I put together from my scene in my Acting 252b class with Beth. Considering the time constraint, it would have to do.
Walked back to CAP21 and got there 15 minutes early. Once they called my name, I went in and showed the pianist exactly where I wanted to start. He told me they’d probably cut me off, so I eliminated the patter-ness of the songs and went straight into the refrains. I started with the monologue, which went well, and they seemed interested in watching. I almost wish this were an actual audition—they were so friendly and nice! Then Cain’t Say No. I got through the whole cut. I got through the first half of Mister Snow—not the best part, but it was fine. Then they asked me a few questions about where I was from and where I was staying, and then I left!
I knew I was going to have to take the subway when I went to The Wiz with Sophie and Rachel, so I took a practice ride down to my dorm. (It’s apparently the same amount of time to walk between CAP21 and my dorm as it is to take the subway. BUT it’s a lot less walking… ;D) I got in OK, took a little while as I got confused between the F train to Coney Island Exp vs… well, one without the Exp. But I got on it fine, and got off on the very next stop (naturally). Found my way back by recognizing the stores we passed when we got dinner the night before, then went back to the room to find directions on getting to The Wiz and unpacking the small amount of groceries that I’d purchased before getting on the subway (Special K bars, a Campbells microwavable soup, salted almonds… and Oreos. =D)
Before leaving for The Wiz, I stopped at the hot dog store again. This time I got 2 hot dogs, and the guy at the register was calling me “pretty lady” and said I had a “beautiful smile.” It was very nice and almost embarrassing!! But then I got on the subway, headed Uptown, and managed to grab a seat for myself. Then I got off at the correct stop and proceeded to get myself to the theatre.
It was 6:10. I’d left really early, just in case I got lost, so I arrived 20 minutes before I thought I’d meet Sophie and Rachel. Luckily, I brought a book. Unfortunately, I was on the last 10 pages. I finished within 10 minutes, so I just sat around and waited. I thought I saw someone who miiiight have been Sutton Foster walk in past me—she walked so quickly that I didn’t see her for more than a second, so it very well could have been someone else—but you never know! ;) I finally decided to head in at 6:45. Of course, at 6:47, Sophie calls me and asks if I’m there yet. So I wait at the stairs and we head in together.
Our seats are in the balcony, pretty far left. It wasn’t terrible, but we were surrounded by people who didn’t have proper theatre-going habits: they crinkled wrappers, talked during the show, took pictures (including FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY!!!) and apparently sang along to the songs! It was straaaaange. But we moved up during intermission, and it was a lot better then.
The production itself was really good. There was a huuuge orchestra, the set was awesome, the ensemble dancers were great and the singers were really good. Ashanti as Dorothy was a great singer, but not my favorite actor. (Not like that part is particularly challenging though.) LaChanze as Aunt Em/Glinda was great, I love her voice!! And James Monroe Iglehart, who’s based in the Bay Area and has been in shows that I’ve seen there, was really good too. He was the Lion—I’d expected him to have an ensemble part, but nope, he was a lead! 2nd to last bow, Sophie noticed. He was really good.
After the show, we waited at the stage door and then said hi to James. He was really nice! Hooray! At that point I was totally exhausted, so I found the subway station (or rather, I told Rachel the intersection and she told me it was down the street), waited what seemed like forever for the subway to come (they come far less often at 10:30 than at 6pm, I’ve learned!), and came back to the dorm. And spent the last hour typing up my day.
Tomorrow, the real fun begins. First day of classes. Then I’ll get my official ID card and get some real groceries, instead of just these snacky foods. (On the plus side, because of the massive mess of getting a room, the security lady knows me. I show her my temporary ID, and she just winks at me. So she knows my face. And the receptionist girl+RA both have run into me and asked how I was doing.)
So if you want to send me lotsa presents (and I KNOW you do!!), here’s my address:
33 Washington Square West #1716
New York, NY 10011
Not really. But in the last 2 days, I managed to get stuck in major parade-created traffic, get forced out (sorta) of my dorm room, watch an (off?)-Broadway show, take the subway several times (successfully!!) and, oh yeah—go to CAP21.
But let’s begin with yesterday. My day started at 6:30, when I woke up, got dressed, packed up a few final things, and drove with Dad to SFO. We get to the airport no problem, and I get through security and all that pretty quick. Then I grabbed a breakfast sandwich from the food place and wait for the airplane to start boarding people.
Random: the hand dryers in the SFO bathrooms are so cool! They’re like the traditional hand dryer, but instead of a big fan, you stick your hands in a little machine and, as you slowly drag them out, a “blade” of really fast air blasts at your fingers. Sounds strange in writing, but it was cool.
Anyway, I got on the airplane in what must be the family section, especially since I’m seated right next to this little boy. Now, I know what you’re thinking—uh oh, crying baby time! But I was pretty lucky, because he was, for the most part, pretty quiet. Sure, he shuffled around and talked a little too loudly and watched TV on his daddy’s laptop without headphones, but it wasn’t too bad. And the other little kids weren’t horrible. No more than half an hour of wailing, I’d guess.
The plane wasn’t as cool as I thought it’d be. The entertainment system got old really fast, though it was pretty cool using the touch screen to order my food. I didn’t want to pay for movies, and the little games were pretty lame. There was TV, but it didn’t list what was playing at the different times, and I’ve definitely been spoiled by TiVo and not-TiVo. So I watched a lot of Law and Order: SVU, since it was on reruns on USA, and America’s Next Top Model, on Oxygen. Both were on reruns.
Now, yes, I did try to sleep, I promise! But I didn’t get much, maybe an hour at most. I was just too easily distracted. Add that to the four and a half hours of sleep I’d gotten from the post-alumni show dinner, and I was pretty fatigued. Oddly enough, though, I didn’t feel terribly tired. I just was pretty low energy.
I did eat a steak sandwich, after picking out the veggies. It was surprisingly decent. I also had an Airborned water bottle, a mini-water bottle (plain), and a Coke. But that’s it.
5 hours later we land at JFK, and I take my time getting out of the terminal. I get my luggage quickly and found the Ground Transportation desk, where I “called” SuperShuttle to get picked up. 20 minutes+1 phone call home later, the guy gets me and we get on the shuttle.
Now here’s where it got sticky. It’s about 5:30, and he still has to pick up a bunch of other people in the (huge!!) airport. I need to check in before 8pm, or else call ahead and explain that I’ll be late. We get all our people by 6, and I’m hoping to be in by 7. I figure, worst case, once 7:30 runs around I’ll call them and say I might be late.
Well I forgot about traffic, and now it’s 7:30. We only have 3 of the 9 people left, so I’m hoping he’ll drop me off before 8pm. But when he doesn’t, and it’s 7:45, I try to call NYU Summer Housing. Sadly, I don’t have the number for the specific dorm, and the general office is closed. So I call Mom and Dad frantically and finally get the number (thanks Dad!!). The receptionist tells me that if I come in after 8, the security guard will let me in. It might be the unconventional way, but it will work.
The driver guy takes a bunch of side streets, because the Pride Parade is taking over the major streets, but we finally get there at 8:15. Hooray! I go inside and am greeted by a very crabby-looking security guard. When I tell her I’m there to check in, she says that the security guards can’t. Which is when I start to panic. Does this mean I have no place to stay for the night?!? But she calls down an RA, who gets me the forms I need.
Or does she? Because she can’t find the key. And she’s looking around the office but she can’t find my little envelope with room 406 on it. And she can’t find a spare. Apparently the people who lived in that room last never returned the key. Perfect. She actually finds the receptionist (or whoever runs the check in’s etc) and they talk, and they give me an option. Either they find me another room for the night, just so I can get some sleep and put my (extremely heavy!) backpack down, or they’ll use the 4th floor master key to let me in, and then hopefully my roommate will let me back in, should I choose to leave (which I planned to do—I desperately needed food!). At this point, I was really frustrated, so I said I didn’t care. So they brought me up to the room and unlocked the door.
Except… for some reason, the door wouldn’t unlock. So she bangs on the door loudly for a while. After what seems like an eternity, an Asian girl in PJs and bushy hair opens the door. She was probably asleep. I walk in, the RA still behind me. The room is strange. It enters straight into the bedroom, with a hallway in the back and then another room behind this one. As in, anytime someone wants to go to the back room/bathroom, they have to go in the first room. Sounds like a complete lack of privacy!
It gets better. This sleepy girl tells us that there aren’t any empty beds; that the room is full. At this point, I’m so tired and frustrated that I barely can think. We walk into the hallway, and I stay there while the RA gets the binders with all the information. Turns out that one of the girls extended her stay, and only half the stuff was updated. I’m listed for being checked in a week early (which is bizarre, since I’m definitely not), and I’m listed for room 1716. We make our way downstairs, where another girl is now at the reception desk and she gets me a key to the room. And I make my way up the elevators.
I open the door to 1716 and find 2 open beds. 1 is a bunk. My roommate Elise’s already there, apparently has been for at least a week. I am beyond relieved, you have no idea!!! I start to unpack, then call home. Then I realize I desperately need food, so Elise and I walk to a quick hot-dog store and I grab a hot dog, fries and a mango drink. Apparently the restaurant is famous-was in Sex and the City or something-and the food isn’t bad. The hot dog is a little small, and by the time I eat the fries they’re a little cold, but the mango drink is sweet and cool. We go back to the dorm to eat, and then I finish unpacking. It takes me forever to set up my computer, since the Ethernet cable only works with half the phone connections—there is 1 phone line and 1 data line on each phone connector thing—and one of them is broken while the other is in use. But I set it up, get my computer registered (took a while, though), and am now connected to the internet! Hooray!!
After that, I quickly review my audition material for the next day, and go to sleep. I set my alarm for 7:00, so that I can have plenty of time to shower and eat breakfast before I get to CAP21 at 9AM.
Well… I couldn’t get to sleep. And my alarm clock either didn’t go off, or I turned it off or something, because next thing I know it’s 8:30 and I’m in major panic mode. I take the shortest shower ever (less than 5 minutes) because I feel gross from the airplane and I need clean hair for an audition!! Then I walk as fast as I can to CAP21, without stopping for food. Which was really, really stupid.
I get to CAP21 and go up the elevator. I’m a little late, but it’s actually not a huge deal. I change into my (really baggy) dance pants and sit in “The Shop,” which is one of the studio rooms. I find Sophie and Rachel, which was a relief, and fill out some paperwork and listen to some orientation blahdeblah. Then we start the dance audition—sorry, “placement” tests.
The combinations are actually really easy. Fast sways, chaînes, grapevines, a pirouette. It was just crazy-fast. And I’m running on empty. I have to mark it a bit during the reviews. I’m not hungry, actually, but I think it’s because I’m beyond hunger. I’m just drained.
The ballet and jazz placements were first, and then those who said they had No Tap got to leave. I said I’d had tap (which I did! I swear!), so we did that. It was surprisingly easy—flaps, ball changes, and time steps. Now, I’m not saying I did the steps well, but I got the basics, at least. But then we had to do something called a rolling shuffle, which looked easy but was rather challenging. I think I managed not to make a huge fool out of myself though, thankfully. I got at least 4 mostly-correct, mostly-in time rolling shuffles in, out of 16. That may sound lame, but it was actually pretty good. Some people in that room weren’t very good. (It was the beginner’s room, so I’m not trying to be rude—I’m just trying to be honest.)
We finished, and Sophie, Rachel and I went to this overpriced bakery place down the street. It was actually quite good. I had catfish, broccoli, watermelon and honeydew. It felts good to have something healthy, especially after all that dance. Then I walked back home, since the singing/acting placement wasn’t for 2 more hours.
I get back and change into a slightly better outfit, then run to the music practice room and review my music. I was planning on singing Cain’t Say No and Meadowlark, but I realized that I just didn’t have the belt to finish Meadowlark, so I traded it for Mister Snow. It worked out that way—Cain’t Say No showed off the belt, and Mister Snow showed off the soprano. And I reviewed my monologue, which I put together from my scene in my Acting 252b class with Beth. Considering the time constraint, it would have to do.
Walked back to CAP21 and got there 15 minutes early. Once they called my name, I went in and showed the pianist exactly where I wanted to start. He told me they’d probably cut me off, so I eliminated the patter-ness of the songs and went straight into the refrains. I started with the monologue, which went well, and they seemed interested in watching. I almost wish this were an actual audition—they were so friendly and nice! Then Cain’t Say No. I got through the whole cut. I got through the first half of Mister Snow—not the best part, but it was fine. Then they asked me a few questions about where I was from and where I was staying, and then I left!
I knew I was going to have to take the subway when I went to The Wiz with Sophie and Rachel, so I took a practice ride down to my dorm. (It’s apparently the same amount of time to walk between CAP21 and my dorm as it is to take the subway. BUT it’s a lot less walking… ;D) I got in OK, took a little while as I got confused between the F train to Coney Island Exp vs… well, one without the Exp. But I got on it fine, and got off on the very next stop (naturally). Found my way back by recognizing the stores we passed when we got dinner the night before, then went back to the room to find directions on getting to The Wiz and unpacking the small amount of groceries that I’d purchased before getting on the subway (Special K bars, a Campbells microwavable soup, salted almonds… and Oreos. =D)
Before leaving for The Wiz, I stopped at the hot dog store again. This time I got 2 hot dogs, and the guy at the register was calling me “pretty lady” and said I had a “beautiful smile.” It was very nice and almost embarrassing!! But then I got on the subway, headed Uptown, and managed to grab a seat for myself. Then I got off at the correct stop and proceeded to get myself to the theatre.
It was 6:10. I’d left really early, just in case I got lost, so I arrived 20 minutes before I thought I’d meet Sophie and Rachel. Luckily, I brought a book. Unfortunately, I was on the last 10 pages. I finished within 10 minutes, so I just sat around and waited. I thought I saw someone who miiiight have been Sutton Foster walk in past me—she walked so quickly that I didn’t see her for more than a second, so it very well could have been someone else—but you never know! ;) I finally decided to head in at 6:45. Of course, at 6:47, Sophie calls me and asks if I’m there yet. So I wait at the stairs and we head in together.
Our seats are in the balcony, pretty far left. It wasn’t terrible, but we were surrounded by people who didn’t have proper theatre-going habits: they crinkled wrappers, talked during the show, took pictures (including FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY!!!) and apparently sang along to the songs! It was straaaaange. But we moved up during intermission, and it was a lot better then.
The production itself was really good. There was a huuuge orchestra, the set was awesome, the ensemble dancers were great and the singers were really good. Ashanti as Dorothy was a great singer, but not my favorite actor. (Not like that part is particularly challenging though.) LaChanze as Aunt Em/Glinda was great, I love her voice!! And James Monroe Iglehart, who’s based in the Bay Area and has been in shows that I’ve seen there, was really good too. He was the Lion—I’d expected him to have an ensemble part, but nope, he was a lead! 2nd to last bow, Sophie noticed. He was really good.
After the show, we waited at the stage door and then said hi to James. He was really nice! Hooray! At that point I was totally exhausted, so I found the subway station (or rather, I told Rachel the intersection and she told me it was down the street), waited what seemed like forever for the subway to come (they come far less often at 10:30 than at 6pm, I’ve learned!), and came back to the dorm. And spent the last hour typing up my day.
Tomorrow, the real fun begins. First day of classes. Then I’ll get my official ID card and get some real groceries, instead of just these snacky foods. (On the plus side, because of the massive mess of getting a room, the security lady knows me. I show her my temporary ID, and she just winks at me. So she knows my face. And the receptionist girl+RA both have run into me and asked how I was doing.)
So if you want to send me lotsa presents (and I KNOW you do!!), here’s my address:
33 Washington Square West #1716
New York, NY 10011
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Oops
Guys and Dolls is closing next week.
And of course, Guys and Dolls is one of the shows my family planned on seeing when they visited me.
I should have figured--with their $7.77 with one full-priced ticket offer, it couldn't have been doing well, so I'm actually not surprised. Bummed, yes, because I would have liked to see Lauren Graham, but so be it. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise--my parents keep commenting on how we should have gotten tickets for Billy Elliot, especially since it won so many awards.
So looks like we'll be looking into other options for a show on the 4th of July!
And of course, Guys and Dolls is one of the shows my family planned on seeing when they visited me.
I should have figured--with their $7.77 with one full-priced ticket offer, it couldn't have been doing well, so I'm actually not surprised. Bummed, yes, because I would have liked to see Lauren Graham, but so be it. Perhaps it's a blessing in disguise--my parents keep commenting on how we should have gotten tickets for Billy Elliot, especially since it won so many awards.
So looks like we'll be looking into other options for a show on the 4th of July!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Movies, Musicals, and Scripts
I just got back from watching the movie Up with my boyfriend. All I have to say is, GO SEE IT!! I loved it. I'm still smiling from it. It's heartwarming and funny and sad and sweet and wonderful, all at the same time. And the short film at the beginning is probably my favorite Pixar short yet. I'm not quite sure if Up was as good as Wall-E, which I adored beyond words, but it's definitely up there. And hopefully I'll be seeing it again!
In other news, my family got tickets to see some shows in NY the 4th of July weekend. (They're going to visit me while I'm at CAP21--it's pretty much an excuse for them to see some shows! Hehe.) We got great seats for Shrek-row D. I'll actually be able to see their faces! Sutton Foster better be there that night, that's all I gotta say. We're also seeing Guys and Dolls and In the Heights. Those seats aren't as good, but I'm still thrilled. (Though I saw a video of Lauren Graham singing Marry the Man Today on YouTube and I have to say, I wasn't extremely impressed. Hopefully she has a strong character in the show, because I could see her voice working if it's in accord with her interpretation of Adelaid... But right now, I'm a little nervous.) Besides, I have all the rest of my time in NY to get great seats. I'm planning on getting some student rush/lottery tickets! Hooray!
I went to the library today and got a ton of plays to read: My Sister Eileen, I Remember Mama, Noises Off, M. Butterfly, Stop Kiss, and Wendy Wasserstein's collection of plays: Isn't It Romantic, The Heidi Chronicles and Uncommon Women and Others. I'm really excited. The first 2 plays I started reading at the library and they seemed like they might be good. Noises Off is something I've been meaning to read for a long time, and same for Stop Kiss. I always mean to read M. Butterfly in my theatre history class, but never got around to reading it.... Oops. But I'm super intreagued. And I've done a scene from Isn't It Romantic, and some other people in my acting class did part of The Heidi Chronicles... So needless to say, I've got a good reading list. Not to mention all the other books I've purchased/borrowed from the library these last few weeks. My reading list is rediculous! On the plus side, my TV-watching has gone down a lot, though I still have lots of delightful Bones on DVD to watch.
Alright. Off to sleep. Hopefully, since I biked to the library today instead of driving, tonight I'll be able fall asleep sooner. I've gotten on a horrible sleep schedule, and it needs to change! Soon! Good night all.
In other news, my family got tickets to see some shows in NY the 4th of July weekend. (They're going to visit me while I'm at CAP21--it's pretty much an excuse for them to see some shows! Hehe.) We got great seats for Shrek-row D. I'll actually be able to see their faces! Sutton Foster better be there that night, that's all I gotta say. We're also seeing Guys and Dolls and In the Heights. Those seats aren't as good, but I'm still thrilled. (Though I saw a video of Lauren Graham singing Marry the Man Today on YouTube and I have to say, I wasn't extremely impressed. Hopefully she has a strong character in the show, because I could see her voice working if it's in accord with her interpretation of Adelaid... But right now, I'm a little nervous.) Besides, I have all the rest of my time in NY to get great seats. I'm planning on getting some student rush/lottery tickets! Hooray!
I went to the library today and got a ton of plays to read: My Sister Eileen, I Remember Mama, Noises Off, M. Butterfly, Stop Kiss, and Wendy Wasserstein's collection of plays: Isn't It Romantic, The Heidi Chronicles and Uncommon Women and Others. I'm really excited. The first 2 plays I started reading at the library and they seemed like they might be good. Noises Off is something I've been meaning to read for a long time, and same for Stop Kiss. I always mean to read M. Butterfly in my theatre history class, but never got around to reading it.... Oops. But I'm super intreagued. And I've done a scene from Isn't It Romantic, and some other people in my acting class did part of The Heidi Chronicles... So needless to say, I've got a good reading list. Not to mention all the other books I've purchased/borrowed from the library these last few weeks. My reading list is rediculous! On the plus side, my TV-watching has gone down a lot, though I still have lots of delightful Bones on DVD to watch.
Alright. Off to sleep. Hopefully, since I biked to the library today instead of driving, tonight I'll be able fall asleep sooner. I've gotten on a horrible sleep schedule, and it needs to change! Soon! Good night all.
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