It's time for a non-theatre related post! Crazy stuff, huh? Here's a list of a few geeky-girl things I'm obsessed with right now:
1) My iPod Shuffle. It's not the brand new one with the controls in the headphones (horrible idea, personally. I like having buttons to press!); in fact, I'm pretty sure it's 2 generations old. It's the small rectangular one, in a beautiful sea green color. I bought it with Christmas money a few years ago, always intending to use it at the gym (which didn't seem to happen, considering how often I go to the gym these days!), but since I never seemed to make it, it just sat at the bottom of my bag. Until recently, when I saw someone carrying it to walk around. In that moment, I realized I could use it as my new primary iPod. It's super lightweight and portable, fits in my pocket without a problem, clips onto whatever I'm wearing and holds enough music to last me a good long while--definitely enough for a day's outings. And when I come back, I can load it up with new music and new podcasts, and have fresh new listening material for the next day.
I really, really like the fact that I can put podcasts on it, because I can listen to stuff on the way to class or while doing my theatre costume shop hours, without it taking up too much room in my limited purse space. When I load up my Baby iPod, I just make sure to put podcasts first, then my hour long track of "ocean music" (fantastic to study to-it makes great white noise), then music. Right now it's a combination of Sutton Foster's new album Wish, Kelly Clarkson's new album All I Ever Wanted, and the new Best of College Acappella--BOCA 2009. Reviews coming up soon, I believe. It's perfect! I love it I love it I love it. Yay music. Yay podcasts. Yay study "tunes."
2) Another technology-related thing, though it's not something I love: the new Facebook. Or should I say the New New Facebook, since the prior version was the "New Facebook." Well, whatever. I'd seen the warning post on Facebook earlier this week, so I was more prepared than most, but it definitely was jarring--at 12pm today I was using the old New Facebook, and at 3:30 it was something completely different. It's interesting, but it's definitely something to get used to. I don't think it's horrible though. I just think it's hilarious that people are so passionate about it--so many status' are complaining about how ugly and annoying it is.
But honestly? You guys got used to the old New Facebook. You complained, bickered, tried to get the old Old Facebook back, and joined groups to petition a change back to how it was. And eventually, you got over it. You learned the new system, and you liked it. Well, you must have liked it, considering how many of you are now complaining about getting the old New Facebook back. But just give it time. It's only the first day! You'll learn how it works and eventually you'll grow to love it. And if you don't... It's just a website. Not the end of the world.
3) Speaking of first days... Spring Break has officially begun! (This is not gadget-related at all, btw. But that's ok, haha!) I flew back home from school on Thursday night, then had to send in a paper about Artaud and Brecht by 5pm on Friday, so until about 4pm I was still in semi-school mode. But now I'm totally free, and I'm going to enjoy it to the fullest! Dorothy said it best: There's No Place Like Home.
4) Twitter. I got a Twitter a while ago and never used it, but the other day I decided to give it another go. (I'd been talking with a friend about it, and she convinced to give it another try.) I like it! It's the style of Facebook statuses without feeling embarrassed about changing it too often. If you have one, find me as onehappykat, or go to twitter.com/onehappykat. Hopefully I'll find some friends of mine to twitter about with!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Being an Actor is No Excuse
I don't do sports. Partially because I've never enjoyed them, partially that my lack of athletic skills makes me suck at them, and partially because I'm an actor. I dance onstage, I don't run. I enjoy bouts of yoga far more than sprints or goals.
But last weekend I realized that being an actor is no excuse for not being in shape. I was filming a student film with my friend. In it, my character was chasing after this guy who stole a purse. We were running all over campus, shooting short chase scenes in at least 5 or 6 locations. And each time we changed locations, we'd shoot it at least 3 or 4 times, just so that our director had a good shot.
Well, after all those locations and sprinting as fast as I possibly could (the guy I was chasing was ridiculously fit and incredibly fast! It was just insane!), I was sore for the entire week. We shot both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday, I was pretty sore, but Monday and Tuesday? Horrible. It hurt to stand up, it hurt to sit down, it hurt to walk and it hurt to move. Made the dances in our acappella competition exhausting, and Furies rehearsal also rather painful.
Moral of the story? Being an actor is no excuse for being lazy. I gotta get going to the gym more often, dance even more, try a bit of yoga once in a while. And maybe, just maybe, try running on the dreaded track. Because honestly, I don't want to have to go through all that again! It just hurt too much. =(
But last weekend I realized that being an actor is no excuse for not being in shape. I was filming a student film with my friend. In it, my character was chasing after this guy who stole a purse. We were running all over campus, shooting short chase scenes in at least 5 or 6 locations. And each time we changed locations, we'd shoot it at least 3 or 4 times, just so that our director had a good shot.
Well, after all those locations and sprinting as fast as I possibly could (the guy I was chasing was ridiculously fit and incredibly fast! It was just insane!), I was sore for the entire week. We shot both Saturday and Sunday. Sunday, I was pretty sore, but Monday and Tuesday? Horrible. It hurt to stand up, it hurt to sit down, it hurt to walk and it hurt to move. Made the dances in our acappella competition exhausting, and Furies rehearsal also rather painful.
Moral of the story? Being an actor is no excuse for being lazy. I gotta get going to the gym more often, dance even more, try a bit of yoga once in a while. And maybe, just maybe, try running on the dreaded track. Because honestly, I don't want to have to go through all that again! It just hurt too much. =(
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
My crazy week... and it's only Tuesday!
Wow. These last 2 days have been insanely busy, and it's not going to get any lighter. But it's been a good busy! A very good busy. In fact, this is pretty much going to be a brag post. Usually I wouldn't brag so much, but it's a blog! My blog, in fact. =) So indulge in my happiness. And if you'd rather not... well, you don't need to read it. Regardless, I'm full of smiley faces. =) =) =)
Monday, I woke up at 9:00am. My first class on Monday is at 11:30, which means that I willingly got up 2.5 hours earlier than I needed to. And for a college student, that's not so normal! Hah. But I got a lot of homework out of the way, which I needed to do.
Luckily one of my classes was canceled, which meant I had a little extra time for a rehearsal for a directing scene that I'm in for a friend. Unfortunately, now this scene has a bunch more rehearsals than I'd anticipated, at least one every day this week. It wouldn't be that bad, but with The Furies rehearsal, Kosher Pig rehearsal, and a full day of classes as well as other miscellanious commitments, it was more than I anticipated. Not to mention that the part she had me play was in the scene for, almost literally, 45 seconds. But today I got promoted to the Cardinal, who's in the whole scene. Odd, considering it's a male role, but that's theatre for you!
In my musical theatre audition class I sang Meadowlark, from The Baker's Wife, and my professor was impressed. He said it was one of the first times he'd seen this song and understood the whole emotional story. (This is coming from a Tony-award winning Broadway actor, who missed class once because he was filming for a major TV show. This is pretty awesome!! =D) It was really gratifying to hear, because I love this song and put a good amount of work into it.
Our first real rehearsal for The Furies went well. The chorus members each picked out the lines we liked to speak. Unfortunately, many of the lines I liked were snatched up by others before I got them, but overall I'm pleased with the lines I do have. And I'm really excited to get started. The translator of the play (it's a brand-new translation of the world's oldest play, heehee) is adorable! And the cast is pretty chill.
Today I had a midterm for the Theatre Scene Shop Studies class. It sucked. I probably should have studied more than just 2 hours after my midnight rehearsal. Haha... oh well. I just need to pass. A good grade is optional.
After that I had another short rehearsal for this scene, in which we read through the whole play, and I was reminded of how horrible I am at reading out loud. I always stumble over words or lose my spot. Once it's memorized I'm golden, but in the meantime... Not so good. Alas. (A lass. Alas. Alack.)
After that rehearsal, and 2.5 hours of sewing for my THTR shop class, I got back and got the most exciting email of, probably, my life. I GOT INTO THE CAP21 SUMMER PROGRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm SO excited! 6 weeks in NY, studying nothing but musical theatre in the musical theatre capital of the WORLD! (Or at least the USA.) I get to check out NY for a while, go to tons of shows, and just work my butt off. And I'm so incredibly thrilled.
Tangent Time: Right now, I'm at a spot where things are starting to click. I'm really happy to work on my material and get stronger. For example, last semester I was having problems picking material to work on. I'd sing songs because I had to, not because I was particularily excited to sing them. And my MT professor would tell me to work on my tone and quality, but I wouldn't, because I saw it as homework instead of making myself that much stronger. But this semester, I've been picking songs I love and, instead of singing soprano material, I've been using songs that use my belt range.
Basically, I've been doing stuff that works for me, which I love, and it's paying off. I can feel myself improving. It's a great feeling.
Anyway, I sang Meadowlark in my MT class, and got only positive reviews. The professor that I've been working to please for a while had nothing but great things to say.
A few quotes from class:
"That was excellent."
"I'm consistently stunned by that huge voice from that tiny body."
"Just sing Meadowlark from now on. You don't need to sing anything else."
"Excellent work today. Instead of grumbling that you had to take this class again [the intro MT class, instead of moving up to advanced], you worked on what you needed to improve on. That's great. You deserve... [something. Heehee, I forget.]"
And then rehearsal. It was pretty much a lecture on all things Ancient Greek. It sounds like it could be boring, but our translator is so passionate and knowledgeable about the subject that it was really interesting! I actually enjoy learning about ancient Greece--so far my favorite philosophers are Plato and Socrates, both ancient and Greek. And I enjoy hearing about the mythology. It's really interesting.
So I'm extremely excited for this play. And this summer. And EVERYTHING!! I'm incredibly tired, considering I'm running on 5 hours of sleep, but I'm so full of happiness that I don't mind.
Monday, I woke up at 9:00am. My first class on Monday is at 11:30, which means that I willingly got up 2.5 hours earlier than I needed to. And for a college student, that's not so normal! Hah. But I got a lot of homework out of the way, which I needed to do.
Luckily one of my classes was canceled, which meant I had a little extra time for a rehearsal for a directing scene that I'm in for a friend. Unfortunately, now this scene has a bunch more rehearsals than I'd anticipated, at least one every day this week. It wouldn't be that bad, but with The Furies rehearsal, Kosher Pig rehearsal, and a full day of classes as well as other miscellanious commitments, it was more than I anticipated. Not to mention that the part she had me play was in the scene for, almost literally, 45 seconds. But today I got promoted to the Cardinal, who's in the whole scene. Odd, considering it's a male role, but that's theatre for you!
In my musical theatre audition class I sang Meadowlark, from The Baker's Wife, and my professor was impressed. He said it was one of the first times he'd seen this song and understood the whole emotional story. (This is coming from a Tony-award winning Broadway actor, who missed class once because he was filming for a major TV show. This is pretty awesome!! =D) It was really gratifying to hear, because I love this song and put a good amount of work into it.
Our first real rehearsal for The Furies went well. The chorus members each picked out the lines we liked to speak. Unfortunately, many of the lines I liked were snatched up by others before I got them, but overall I'm pleased with the lines I do have. And I'm really excited to get started. The translator of the play (it's a brand-new translation of the world's oldest play, heehee) is adorable! And the cast is pretty chill.
Today I had a midterm for the Theatre Scene Shop Studies class. It sucked. I probably should have studied more than just 2 hours after my midnight rehearsal. Haha... oh well. I just need to pass. A good grade is optional.
After that I had another short rehearsal for this scene, in which we read through the whole play, and I was reminded of how horrible I am at reading out loud. I always stumble over words or lose my spot. Once it's memorized I'm golden, but in the meantime... Not so good. Alas. (A lass. Alas. Alack.)
After that rehearsal, and 2.5 hours of sewing for my THTR shop class, I got back and got the most exciting email of, probably, my life. I GOT INTO THE CAP21 SUMMER PROGRAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm SO excited! 6 weeks in NY, studying nothing but musical theatre in the musical theatre capital of the WORLD! (Or at least the USA.) I get to check out NY for a while, go to tons of shows, and just work my butt off. And I'm so incredibly thrilled.
Tangent Time: Right now, I'm at a spot where things are starting to click. I'm really happy to work on my material and get stronger. For example, last semester I was having problems picking material to work on. I'd sing songs because I had to, not because I was particularily excited to sing them. And my MT professor would tell me to work on my tone and quality, but I wouldn't, because I saw it as homework instead of making myself that much stronger. But this semester, I've been picking songs I love and, instead of singing soprano material, I've been using songs that use my belt range.
Basically, I've been doing stuff that works for me, which I love, and it's paying off. I can feel myself improving. It's a great feeling.
Anyway, I sang Meadowlark in my MT class, and got only positive reviews. The professor that I've been working to please for a while had nothing but great things to say.
A few quotes from class:
"That was excellent."
"I'm consistently stunned by that huge voice from that tiny body."
"Just sing Meadowlark from now on. You don't need to sing anything else."
"Excellent work today. Instead of grumbling that you had to take this class again [the intro MT class, instead of moving up to advanced], you worked on what you needed to improve on. That's great. You deserve... [something. Heehee, I forget.]"
And then rehearsal. It was pretty much a lecture on all things Ancient Greek. It sounds like it could be boring, but our translator is so passionate and knowledgeable about the subject that it was really interesting! I actually enjoy learning about ancient Greece--so far my favorite philosophers are Plato and Socrates, both ancient and Greek. And I enjoy hearing about the mythology. It's really interesting.
So I'm extremely excited for this play. And this summer. And EVERYTHING!! I'm incredibly tired, considering I'm running on 5 hours of sleep, but I'm so full of happiness that I don't mind.
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