Wonderful

I'm in a wonderful show. It's so wonderful it's called, "A Wonderful Life." You know the movie and love it. The cast is amazing, new friends I hope to hold near. I wanted this show so so bad since that ever-so-sweaty callback, dancing the Charleston in October. The choreographer said to us as we caught our breath between partner switches, "We appreciate you so much. Some of the best work in New York happens in these rooms and we recognize that. Thank you." Amazing! There was one catch. It's a holiday show and taking the contract meant no Thanksgiving, no baby Noelle sightings and no Christmas in CA. But a NY show...an Equity Theatre...what an opportunity! I took the gig and decided the wonderful show, the wonderful opportunity would give me the strength to survive the holidays without my family.

I've survived 5 Lessons and Carols services, 250 Redeemer Musicians Christmas Cards, CD tables at 15 services, missing my niece's birth all the while making 4 hour round trips to Northport, Long Island to sing and dance my heart out. It's been rough! I was so looking forward to December 24, my first real DAY OFF since the start of rehearsals. And then my flight to Chicago was canceled. No Sulayman family to help me forget I wasn't celebrating Christmas with my real family. And these 3 days OFF, this big finish that I was hoping to make it to have come and have been the most challenging of this entire crazy run. I'd rather be running from work to a train or crammed in a 15 person van in Long Island traffic than feel the depth of homesickness I've struggled with these last few days. Whose wonderful idea was this?


And yet in the midst of my own selfish "debbie-downer" feelings God is so gracious. As my mom tried to whisper to me in between my gulping sobs, I'm so lucky to have a family that I love so much whose distance makes me ache. I am so so so blessed. And I can only think of God's ache for us, and my ache for Him. This pull of my heart for my family is such a beautiful reflection of that ache we all have built inside of us for the feast with the Father. Thank you Lord for sending Jesus. I am weak and he is strong. He was born in that manger to be weak so that today, even flooded with homesick-laced tears, I can be strong.

Do you know that wonderful actually means to flee with wonder? TK's last sermon was on Jesus, Our Wonderful Counselor. He invites us to wonder in Him, to fill our hearts most with what our hearts most need. Certainly these three days have led me to the place I must go when I'm weakest, in the arms of our dear Savior. Wonderful Counselor indeed.

Settling into a new NYC life

Hi friends,
It's been so long since I've written, I know! I have many excuses. None of them are particularly good. I initially took a hiatus because since the title is "sharpstown in the city," I didn't think I needed to document Pennsylvania. But I've been back in the city since July 9 and I haven't written. :(
No more excuses. Bella-the-computer has been calling, whispering, "come back to your blog. come back to your blog!" There have certainly been plenty of blog-worthy moments. And a lot of change and grace and blessing and joy and stress and everything inbetween. I won't attempt to wrap up the summer of transition, of moving, of disappointment, of excitement. In fact, I'm going to try to keep my entries less epic.
I know what I'm thankful for today.
I'm thankful for a room that is finally coming together. It's huge and it awaits every and any visitor. Last weekend I spent several hours putting together a Euro Futon I bought at Target. It's screaming for some love.
I'm thankful for this home I get to share with Jenny. For wide open spaces and more square footage than we know what to do with.
I'm thankful for my neighborhood, colorful and vibrant in every way.
I'm thankful for my new connection with Operation Exodus, a mentorship program for kids in Washington Heights.
I'm thankful for my JOB! My first salaried job EVER and it's at the church I love so dearly. If you have to have a day job filing away for hours, I'd rather it be praise songs and hymns than anything else.
I'm thankful for my community that is being built here. For the Fellowship Group that is busting at the seams and the potential for a real family in Christ in my neighborhood.
I'm thankful for all my Millbrook buddies that live in NYC and who have become a network of support and laughter as we continue to audition and land the next gigs.
I'm thankful for my health and for all the ways God sustains me. For no longer coughing through the night and being able to sing again. I'm thankful for new hope and energy invested in singing and performing.
I'm thankful for this space to write out my adventures and dreams.
I've missed you, silly blog. It's good to be back.

Phantom and cleaning up!

Thursday I begrudgingly woke up after far too few hours of sleep. I dragged myself to the gym to try to trick my internal clock into believing I could actually sing an audition. It worked! I went to the Equity Building expecting to be turned away from the chorus call for "The Phantom of the Opera" but shockingly, every Non-Eq girl was able to sing! I had almost bagged the whole thing in the morning, assuming the worst, and I was so thankful I went for it. I hung out with Kat which was so fun. I will miss her most of the summer. She'll be in NYC while I'm in PA and by the time I'm back she'll be in CT doing "Joseph." The audition went well, I think, as they asked me what else I would sing as well as asking about my time in Lucca. Yay! I was able to fit in a coaching with John R., my acting teacher, on Mrs. Darling. I met him at his house near Central Park and 108th St. He is such a genius and gave me so many great ideas to work with on my character. Time and money well-spent! I headed up to Inwood and got the cheapest $18 mani-pedi in NYC while I waited for Jenny to get off work. She was headed home to show me her apartment. After a lot of prayer and discussion with the parents, I've decided to move up there in September. I really like the area and I'll have so much more space and be able to sustain myself better financially. I ended up spending some time walking around Isham Park where I saw lots of little ones playing....there are two big parks in Inwood! Yay! Jenny and I went down to 79th and Broadway after the tour where we met up with Adrienne. The three of us walked to the 79th St. Boat Basin Cafe which is only open during the summer. So cute but so hopping and we ended up walking along the Hudson for another idea of where to eat. Along the way, I ran into Arthur, a friend from Rice, who had just gotten married that weekend. They were watching the sunset as part of their honeymoon so I tried not to interrupt for too long! We ended up walking and walking and finally settled on a little Southwestern restaurant called, "Santa Fe." I was excited for Adrienne and Jenny, my two girls, to finally meet!
Adrienne and I came home and watched our favorite summer guilty pleasure, "So you think you can dance?" Love it!

Friday I spent all morning and afternoon cleaning and clearing my room. I was really stressed out most of the day, feeling an ulcer begin to form from the combined stresses of packing, cleaning, laundry, tying up loose ends, a 2nd date that night and most of all needing to talk to A about my plans to move out in the fall. There were some bright spots in the day and evening, including A's meticulous design of my date wardrobe and make-up but it definitely ended on a sorrowful note.

Recapping CO and CA!

I explained to Dad that since this blog is titled “Kristen in NYC” I’m off the hook for recounting my CA and CO adventures. But briefly, I had a wonderful time with the family. We got to visit with Aunt Shannon and Uncle Doug (and Murphy!) in Denver where I insisted we revisit Lola, an amazing coastal Mexican restaurant that Doug and Shannon had taken me last September. Charlie played the remote-garage game with such fervor, that the motor got off track, giving a perfect opportunity for “Vovo fix-it.” And he did! Lisa and I went on an exciting mystic tan adventure. Serious sister bonding! Thursday night Uncle Doug arrived from Nashville and we had a lovely dinner together of Aunt Shannie’s amazing pork tenderloin. Yummy!
Friday morning we packed the mini-van and headed towards Snowmass. We had one pit-stop in Vail and the drive through Glenwood Canyon was beyond stunning. We stayed at a 3 bedroom villa at the Snowmass Club. It was very sleepy there, as it is the off-season. It was a beautiful place and I enjoyed a few really nice walks. Aspen trees are my happy place. Friday night Sarahliz and Charlie hosted the rehearsal bbq at their amazing new house. It was so much fun to see all the neighborhood kids so grown up and beautiful! Charlie and I had a giggle-fest after “we almost got soaked” by a sprinkler. That phrase ended up cheering him for hours later that night and throughout the weekend. ☺
Saturday Mom and I scavenged Snowmass for breakfast and I took Charlie for a swim at the fancy pool. We had so much fun and stayed until his illegal, non-swim diaper started busting. We met Lisa at the Roaring Fork Resort in Basalt, the site for the wedding. She was all coiffed and beautiful and the two of us worked hard to get Char in his precious white shorts suit. “I don’t yant to wear it…!” There was a lot of that but thankfully, a golf cart and the bag-pipe player created enough of a diversion to get Charlie through his 4 step lesson on how to be the ringboy of the century. Filip gave him the 4 steps and he was a rock-star on the 1st three (walking towards the aisle with Mommy, taking ring box, handing ring box to Paul, the tall man and groom’s brother!) He just forgot #4: Run to Daddy! He was very cute and we were so proud of him. He nearly stole the show, until Sarahliz walked down the aisle! She was breathtakingly beautiful in her lace dress with large pink sash and the setting overlooking mountains could not have been more beautiful! Charlie continued to participate in the wedding as J.R. began his officiant duties….repeating “celebrate, celebrate” and various other phrases. He was getting a little loud so I rescued him and took him far away to the pool so he could “celebrate” his job well-done with gusto! The reception was wonderful, with a cocktail hour in the ranch clubhouse and dinner and dancing outside in a tent. I loved all the sweet and personal toasts as well as the slide-show! So fun! We left around 11:45 or so, knowing we were in for a short night of sleep. We left for Denver at 5:30 am and had an easy trip there. It was fun being on the same plane with Char. We did laps around the plane, ensuring that anyone that wanted to sleep on the flight could not. ☺ It was a great time of togetherness, even if 6 and a bike in a mini-van is a tight squeeze!
Sunday night I met a bunch of friends at Tied House in Mountain View and caught up a bit. I was so thankful to see my Highway family since I missed church!
Monday’s highlights were lunch at Crepevine in Burlingame with Pie and Bono and then a Memorial Day BBQ at Mary, Jean and Emily’s house. I stayed late and supervised Mary and Emily’s NYC flight purchases! Yay! They’re coming in July to visit.
Tuesday I got to play with Charlie most of the day and even took him to his gymnastics class where he was most interested in the water fountains and speakers. I took a break from the action and met Sheina and Becky for lunch at Beechwood. We picnicked in the garden gazebo, eating my favorite pb and banana sandwiches! Tuesday night I cooked for the family and we enjoyed our last night together until July.
Wednesday was a travel day and I arrived late in Newark and took the train and cab home. I think I got to bed around 1:30 am. Back in New York!

Heading to CA again...

Monday was home-improvement day. Since I don’t have much time in NYC before I go off to Millbrook I’ve started to feel the pressure of getting my room together for my subletter. Definitely a blessing and a curse! I walked to Home Depot, checked out the wares and then browsed the Container Store and Bed Bath and Beyond where I found bed-risers and rug tape as well as a dust ruffle that perfectly matches my bed! I lugged back to Home Depot and purchased a lamp and some underbed storage boxes and then spent most of the afternoon organizing, cleaning and actually, mostly stressing over how this was all going to come together. It’s not nearly done, of course. But at least I got a start. The weather was magnificent so I broke the stress and took a run around the reservoir. I seem to always gravitate to running in the park the days before I leave for CA, perhaps to hold onto my favorite place in NYC. My dreams of laundry were foiled by another dryer fire in our basement, placing our laundry room on a temporary hiatus. I went by Barnes and Noble to pick up a going away present for the Seals. They are moving back to Amarillo at the end of the week! Boo. I was thrilled to hear how well Adrienne’s event at Cornell went and had planned to celebrate with her and Jon. But I had also called Laura and asked if I could stop by. She ended up getting me to join them for dinner at Nick’s, a family-style pizza joint on my favorite avenue. I just love that family and they were appropriately excited and interrogating about my date and I heard how they had seen all of NYC that they had intended to in their year of adventure. I went back to their place for a little more play-time, with lots of stories exchanged with Tressa about Dora and Diego, and even the fish bathtoy I named “Elberta.” I had to scoop myself away to pack for this trip and I said goodbye knowing I have lost my most favorite neighbors NYC could have ever brought. ☹ Boo. But, again, soooooooo thankful that God reconnected us, after 10 years of no contact, at that silly subway stop in midtown in February. What a great, great blessing! I will miss them and even though I didn’t get to spend tons of time with them, just knowing they were across the street, was such a joy and a comfort.

I was up till about 10:30 packing for CA and CO and this morning the alarm woke me at 3:15. Not as early as the last trip but it turns out, a little earlier than necessary. I got in a cab and arrived at Penn Station before 4 which is tooooooooooooo early. It was one of the shadiest and scariest environments I’ve been in. The NJ Transit doesn’t open their gates until 4 and so there I was with my laptop and backpack and large red suitcase. A coffee stand employee at the place across the way from the station must have read my fear and offered to let me stay inside in the light with them until the station opened. Still, scary Larry. So, next time I’ll be aiming for a 4;15 arrival to hop on that first 4:20 train. I made it, and once again, I’m thankful. Can’t wait to be home and see Charlie and everyone else I love!!!!

2 meals with friends!

Even though I woke up plenty early for church, I still managed to leave the house later than I should and once again broke my record. 30 minutes and sweating! After a Saturday of rain and clouds, the sun was coming out! I was so blessed to find Laura B. in the back row and sat with her as well as Jenny and Joe. It’s so fun singing next to my mezzo friends! The brass quintet starring my friends from small group, Amber and Kyle, accompanied us and it doesn’t get much better or closer to heaven than that. Tim K is speaking on Deuteronomy in a new series that will take us through the summer. Sadly, this was my last Redeemer service for the next 6 weeks. I might have to subscribe to the mp3s online! The talk was on the Fire of God and one aspect that really hit me, in light of my intense reaction to the earlier date, were the things I hold as idols. I know, I know that I hold onto fining someone and/or marriage as an idol. I’ve always felt like as soon as I get there I’ll be complete and life will really begin. Tim offered that anything that occupies our thoughts more than God is an idol. Yep. That hit home and just like God, it came on a morning when I most needed to hear it.

In the muffin hour, I was really excited to reconnect with Melanie who has been pretty intensely investigating moving to LA to be in the same city with a man she met on-line! Craziness. I loved hearing about her recent trip and the ways she says, “God has had his hand” on every step of their relationship. After church I accompanied Jenny and her friend Chad and his former roommate David to our favorite midtown diner. I was meeting the Gees for lunch at 12:30 but went along with them for company and to whet my appetite for the food to come!

The Gees and I planned to meet at Grand Central where Mr. Gee knew of a seafood restaurant. They walked there only to find it closed and we had a fun game of hide and go seek. Well, I was walking towards them and they were walking towards me and would we ever find eachother? Well, we did and it was really great to see them. Mr. Gee is the current president of the Rice Alumni Association and had come into town for a Rice Alumni College event. I was especially excited to see Mrs. Gee, so healthy after a serious brain aneurysm last year. God is so good, indeed. We walked through the heart of Times Square and eventually ended up with the small “Oyster Bar” across from their hotel. On the way there, we literally ran into Karim and his mom, Aida. Busted! Karim knows how much I love my Chicago mom and he didn’t let me know she was in town?! He said there were just about to call me to go out with them. Of course, my day was full, but it was fun to see her however briefly. The Gees caught me up on Andrew’s gorgeous new baby girl, Isabella, as well as all of the characters at Mr. Gee’s law office, where I was once employed! I left them at their hotel and walked to Bryant Park. The weather had turned breezy and lovely and I wanted a little time of reflection and journaling before the next adventure.

I had a wonderful time with David and Penny. They are both graphic artists and just walking with them and noticing things with their eyes helped me see more than just buildings and sculptures. They had said the forecast called for “shower” in the singular and sure enough, around 5 pm there was a shower. We found a bit of scaffolding and watched the rain dance on the pavement. When it ended, we peered through several closed Chelsea galleries and walked our way eventually to their hotel on 46th, right across the street from Actors Equity. They took me to Mesa Grill, Bobby Flay’s restaurant. It was beyond delicious. I told them I would be writing every detail in the blog so here goes: First, I started with a yummy frozen margarita and they had these lovely blue corn muffins and another hand-made white roll which was outstanding. For appetizers we ordered a blue-corn pancake stuffed with barbecued duck and blue-corn (do you see a theme?) chips with a goat-cheese sort of fondue. Delicious! I ordered the cornmeal crusted chile relleno that was stuffed with goat-cheese and lying on a bed of a fig and quince chipotle chutney. Penny had the roasted pork tenderloin and David had venison chops. We shared a butternut squash tamale that was out of this world. So stuffed, we all dipped into one dessert, a coconut macadamia cake with cinnamon-crunch ice cream. Bobbly Flay was out of sight but I was recognized as a fellow audtioner by our actress-waitress. It’s a small world after all! I had such a wonderful day with Penny and David and bid them adieu on the N-R train.

Dancing what I feel...

Saturday morning I punished myself at Nia and the following dance class. Abby usually teaches the dance class in a very stand-up comedian, not-too-much sweating way and so I made sure to get all my “work” done in NIA. But then we had a substitute teacher and she just about killed us with repetitions and no break for air. Whew. I spent the afternoon cleaning and practicing and only nearly losing my lunch.
I came back from dinnere to the apartment and Adrienne was still working in her office. Her big event for Cornell was coming up on Monday and she managed to spend 10 hours of her Saturday tying up some loose ends.

Coram Boy!

When I last left you, dear blog readers, I was standing uncomfortably at the Performing Arts Library, typing away in my 20-minute allowance. Now I sit, perhaps, even more uncomfortably in an airplane headed for SFO, with an unknown allowance of battery life. The destination is more than comfortable, wonderful, in fact. It’s just the guy in front of me has his seat down and I can hardly raise the screen of Bella-the-Laptop. But, I like to write in these most extreme states! I can hardly complain and I’m joking, of course, When I think about the last 4 months and all the adventures and opportunities I have had I can only be really, really thankful and stop to pinch myself along the way.

Friday night, Adrienne and I saw “Coram Boy” and it proved to be an amazing feast of fantasy and Jane Austen era romanticism. I LOVED it. In fact, I know I keep saying this, but it may be my most memorable and exciting theatrical experience EVER.
The acting was incredible, especially that of Xanthe Elbrick, a British girl my age, who had the task of playing two choir boys. In the first act she was a determined and driven 15-year-old about to grow out of his treble voice. In the second act she transformed into his son, 8 years old and full of spunk and wonder. Incredible! Another neat aspect was a choir that sat above the stage through the entire play and chimed in with Handelian choruses and music in that style. As broad as an epic movie, their interjections punctuated the scenes with Carmina Burana-like intensity. A girl from Redeemer that I met a few weeks ago was in the choir. I had tried to audition for the choir a few months ago but had no luck. I was only a little jealous! The end of the show may have been wrapped up a little too neatly but the entire company (40 in total, unheard of on Broadway!) gathered on the stage and sang the Hallelujah Chorus. Really, really thrilling! I was so sad to read on Saturday morning that the show is closing this next Friday after only being open less than a month. I guess without a film star like Kevin Spacey, a play can be a tough sell for the tourists. I am so glad that we saw it on Friday or I would have missed it completely. One more thing for which I’m thankful!

I'm makin copies....

So, hear I am at the most wonderful library in the world (also known as The Performing Arts Library), standing up at a shared computer and writing a few updates as a break from copying songs! I love this place. So, so fun to sift through every score imaginable but also exhausting. I am toast. I have a very exciting and fun project planned for the summer (it's also a surprise so I can't give details) and I've been copying my brains out with gleeful anticipation. This morning I shook my bones at Nia class and had the chance to tell Serena how much I enjoy her teaching. All the Nia teachers are sooooooooooo nice and encouraging and always say, "great dancing!" when really, we're awkwardly shaking our bones. I've been doing some home research on Peter Pan and J.M. Barrie...a great excuse to watch "Finding Neverland" again. For lunch, I celebrated with a dear friend from Rice days, Christine Hauptly, who is in town with her recently-affianced Matt. They met in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra where she plays violin and he plays the horn. We ate at Sarabeths on the East Side and I walked with them to the Met before heading across the park to the library. Tonight Adrienne and I are going to see "Coram Boy" a play on Broadway. Since signing up for the TDF discounts I've been thrilled to get some amazing deals to see all these shows! I'm feeling especially show-hungry because I'm worried some of them will close by the time I get back from Millbrook in July.

Yesterday (Thursday) was an internet-free day. Apparently God is sending me a message that I spend too much time on-line? but he punished most of the rest of the cable-inclined NYC as well. Collectively, we missed Season Finale Thursday!!!! WHAT??!!!??? What a great opportunity to go to ballet class and be verbally abused by the teacher. Seriously this class is called "Ballet Basics" for absolute beginners and yet she expects a lot and gets very frustrated with some of our (ahem, ahem) lack of natural talent. She even yelled at a girl who was readjusting her hair saying, "You should do that before class!! You shouldn't come to class unprepared!" Yikes. I am glad that she has a hard time remembering my name because poor new girl Claire was getting an earful. And still, I enjoyed the class. I think she's a great teacher and I feel like even after 2 classes, I'm improving. Luckily, Kat was there to share some raised eyebrow disbelief. Earlier in the afternoon I had a Laura B. session and worked on the Ricky Ian Gordon songs that I LOVE. Laura said that when I get them fully-prepared we'll book an hour with her friend and Broadway superstar Judy Blazer, who is a good friend and muse of Ricky Ian Gordon. Won't that be fun???? In the morning I had a brief and somewhat silly rehearsal for Millbrook's Royalty Dinner that I'm participating in. I get to sing "Little Fat Girls" from Black Patent Leather Shoes. Cute song but I wish I could change the words to "Big Tall Girls" because the guy I'm singing with is about a foot shorter than me. Oh well. I guess that's why I got cast as a nun in that show and not a kid!

Wednesday I went to a special NIA masterclass with a Nia-master from Sweden. She was awesome and about 6'5". I guess she was an olympic medalist in swimming at some point. Sometimes I think about getting certified in Nia and teaching as a survival job. Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmm....
Karim gave me his superstar guest spot at his opera's dress rehearsal. He's doing "Castor et Pollux" by Rameau with Opera Francais de New York. I so enjoyed seeing him onstage again...his character is the whimsical Mercure. Unfortunately he didn't get to sing all that much but he definitely lit the stage whenever he was on it! The singing was mostly great and I especially enjoyed the sopranos and the baritone. On my way out of the theatre a torrential rain storm hit and I realized that my outfit choice of white skirt and flip-flops was a bad one. I still made it to Union Square and grabbed a quite bite to eat at Whole Foods before sloshing over to class. I will really miss the Gym these next few months. John was hard on us this last class and tears were flowing. I'm thankful to have so many notes and so many new ways of looking at communicating my songs. Hooray. Tom, the guy who looks like Matt Damon and sings like an angel, was back in class, so that was delightful. :) We also had a visitor, a guy named Aaron, who is clearly a character actor and sang a rousing "I want to be a Rockette." So fun.

Okay, well, I have just a few minutes before the library closes. Love to you all!!! By the way, it's 53 degrees for a high today!!! Can't wait to get home to sunny (please!) CA!

I'm makin' pies...

It's been a lovely few days here in NYC....
I'll start with the latest excitement and work backwards.
I just took Adrienne on a musical adventure. I recently joined "TDF" a group that supports theatre and gives special discounts to non-profits and artists. I got $25 seats to a new musical off-broadway built around the songs of Patty Griffin, one of the best singer-songwriters in the world (in my opinion!) It was at the Atlantic Theatre Company in Chelsea which is a small theatre, about 160 seats, that was started by William H. Macy and the playwright David Mamet. Well, tonight, Adrienne and I were in two of those 160 seats and William H. Macy was in one of them! He was sitting a few rows back, on the aisle, no Felicity in tow, and we even walked right past him. I held my tongue, wishing I could ask him why "Wild Hogs?"
The musical was beautiful. I love the songs, of course, and the acting was amazing. My favorite was Mare Winningham, known best to me as Meredith's recently-deceased step-mom on Grey's Anatomy. She can sing! And she played several different characters with different flavors that all broke my heart. Two favorite moments were "Kite" and "Makin' Pies." a-mazing! Did I mention that we were in the second row and that she was six feet away? A-mazing! I was also very excited to see Matthew Morrison, the original Fabrizio from "The Light in the Piazza" (my favorite musical of the past 3 years!) as Duane. His voice and his looks are very, very nice. Irene Molloy was refreshing and real as Molly and she captured Patty Griffin's style with ease. The 4th and final player was Skip Sudduth, best known for his starring role on 3rd Watch. He was a great character actor but his overly-measured singing seemed a bit stiff. Still, what an evening! I hope the show does well! The last musical that Atlantic produced was "Spring Awakening" which has since moved to Broadway and just picked up 11 Tony Award Nominations today!
Other highlights of today, Tuesday: Being turned away at two auditions, renting studio space and trying to teach myself how to belt before my coaching. I had a great coaching with Michael F. who assigned me 6 new songs that I'm totally stoked to learn. It was like being a kid in a candy store, really.

Monday was a long day of auditioning. I got in right away for "White Christmas" which my new friend Zach played for (more on him to come) and had the joy of sitting and waiting with Hannelies for our chance to sing for "Spelling Bee." I was 8th in line and ended up getting to sing late in the afternoon. Hannelies didn't make it in. :( I was really bummed, because she is better for the show than I am and she had taken the day off of work. I decided that I would try to make "Unexpected Song" comedic for my audition. The thing is, as I was singing it, I realized, it's just not funny. It's Andrew Lloyd Webber, and well, he's not very funny. Oh well. I was really glad for the time spent with Hanne. And I can finally say I auditioned for a genuine Broadway show! Monday night I made dinner and then went to a citilights (Redeemer's post-college parallel) coffeehouse night that was in my neighborhood. I met some nice people including a guy that works at People magazine on the "nightclub beat." He was saying he had to work later because, well, "Lindsay's in town." Lindsay, being Lindsay Lohan. Crazy, right?

Sunday was a glorious day. I booked it to church and made it in record time. I've shaved the walk from 38 minutes to 32. Wihoo. After church, Jenny and her friend Tom and I hung out in the Sheeps' Meadow in Central Park for awhile before Tom had to leave to see his Mama. Jenny and I dined at Whole Foods and I was meandering through the Park, heading home, when Karim called me and convinced me to frolic with him downtown. I met him at Union Square and helped him shop at Paul Smith and Diesel, and later Prada in Soho, which is really more of a museum than a store. Very fancy. We enjoyed a lively ragtime band complete with swing dancers in Washington Square Park (officially one of my new favorite spots.) It's the NYU center of action (where Felicity graduated) and it has a lot of life and beauty to it. The ragtime was especially fun and as Karim suggested, just one of those 1000 reasons why I love living in NYC. After Soho Karim and I walked to the Village and had some yummy Italian food at an outdoor cafe. We parted ways at Columbus Circle (because none of my friends live on the East Side!!!) and I enjoyed, again, walking in the park, even tearing up a bit as I walked past my favorite angel statue accompanied by a duo on violin and guitar. Ah, bliss.

Saturday was an early morning after a very, very late Friday end. I was happy to get up and at 'em for a seminar at Redeemer about Beauty and Image and the Christian Woman in NYC. It was a great morning of reflecting on image and identity and I learned a bunch. I may post some of my notes soon! Jenny, Hannelies and Elizabeth were there and we enjoyed debriefing over a picnic lunch in Bryant Park. I went home for a much-needed nap before heading out again to a Redeemer Dance Network Salsa lesson and party. I knew only one person, Russ, and met some really socially awkward men. It was kind of rough, to be completely honest, and I slipped out a bit early, missing my dancing partner-in-crime, Katie!

Friday night I met up with Zach, Soon's great friend from Cincinnati, who is a musical theatre pianist in the city. He invited me to meet him and some friends at a bar called Port 41 near the Port Authority. I ended up meeting them at 10:45 and staying out till 3 am! I am way too old for them, I think! It was fun, because a few of them were CCM kids and we talked all about the dangers of the 'nati and the tastes that we missed...Graeters anyone? Zach is real sweet and was so thoughtful to invite me out and meet his friends. We ended up at Ben's apartment where I played Nintendo Wii for the first time. So fun, especially the bowling!!!

Thursday was my first coaching with Michael F., a recommendation from Kat. He works with loads of Broadway people and his whole deal is finding you off the beaten track rep. He was super-helpful and though he crushed my dreams of playing Clara in "Light in the Piazza" (says I'm too brunette, tall and womanly! :( ) he was really complimentary of my singing of her song. He's already having me work on my forehead wrinkling and is determined to get rid of many of my stale songs in my book! He has a wonderful spirit to him and I'm excited to work with him. He also owns every Broadway score in the world and happily makes them available to his special needs children, as he likes to call us. :)
I was able to audition for "West Side Story" at Actors Equity after my coaching and then headed home to cook up some quick lemon bars for the Seals. They had me over for dinner and ordered some yummy, yummy pizza from Nick's down the street. We had a fun time and I learned all about their extreme gift of hospitality!

And now, I'm caught up, however backwards that may be!

I love new york in may, how about yay?

I'm just cooling down from another wonderful session of "The Gym." My classmates are particularly engaging this time around. i found out that the one woman that I loved so much from last week (thanks to a little google research) has for good reason, been in several Broadway shows. I was really intimidated to sing tonight and ended up going very last. But it was a good experience and I felt connected to my material instead of trying to prove myself as a musical-theatre type. That's a much happier place to be! I find John's comments so stimulating and exciting and I find that I take pages and pages of notes. Some highlights so you get a taste of the genius!:

When approaching a song, it's all about narrowing in on the most dangerous person you could possibly have this conversation with...
Look at underscoring and interpret it on your terms.
Be strong and wrong! (Make strong choices!)
Auditors want to see someone make a choice.
Creativity is in my discomfort. Be courageous enough to be in that uncomfortable place.
Start shedding the "acting" and land on who you are---you are interesting enough as a person. Look for opportunities to put that special self into the work.
Find material that doesn't necessarily excite you musically but rather has ideas, characters and stuff to fight for. You have to be working through something in a song.

The weather has been beautiful here, although it turned a bit hot today. A mere foretaste of what Adrienne promises to be a hellish summer of sweat and smells. Yesterday, after hitting an EPA early and getting seen by 10am (yay!) I met Jackie and Jenny for lunch at the zoo. I then spent some time reading by the pond, which is apparently the popular site to film movies. So beautiful it feels fake! After bible study I went to a basic ballet class taught by a very NY woman. Clearly a former prima-ballerina, she did not mess around and expected a lot even from beginner-beginners. I was glad to reunite with Kat there and finally meet her boyfriend Danny after hearing so much about him.
Today I talked myself out of auditioning for the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Show after Danny's comments about how look-driven they are. I did a bunch of practicing and ended up walking across the park to pick up my scores for the Millbrook shows! Yay! I just found out I'll be participating in a Royalty Dinner the night before the rest of the Company arrives. I guess 4 of us will sing a bunch of excerpts to get the patrons excited for the upcoming season. I'm glad to get to know the staff better and let them know me better by pitching in in that way!
I did some shopping before grabbing a quick dinner at Whole Foods (do you know they have whole-wheat pizza? yummy! almost as good as mine.) I saw Jerry Mitchell, the director of the new Legally Blonde on Broadway, carefully selecting cuts of meat for his din-din. I wrote some cards and studied for class in Union Square and enjoyed all the buzz of kids careening towards the park and friends calling eachother and explaining which corner they were located. Balmy bliss, really.

Back in action...

I got back on the audition saddle today. Went traipsing around all the usual haunts and found that I totally misjudged the crowds. I could have slept in a bit. I could have done an arm workout at the gym. I could have made myself coffee before I left my houst at 6:15. But instead, I was in midtown by 7:45, racing around, for no real reason.
I sang for an Illinois dinner theatre who is doing "White Christmas." There pianist was a no-show and I ended up waiting 2 hours to sing to only be asked if I had anything much more belty. I answered an honest no and was sent away.
I then went to the Disney Cruise Line audition and had my first time of singing with Laura B. on the keys. It made me nervous. I really want to do her proud, you know? I sang "De-Lovely" because I had no idea what to sing. I was not called back and that entire experience took over 3 hours...for those 16 de-lovely measures of music.
And of course, since I left the house in such a rush I left my cell-phone behind and managed to miss about 5 calls, including a one-time job opportunity to do some Verizon promotions at tomorrow's Yankee's game for Carrie's boyfriend, Justin. Ah, next time!
I went on my first match.com date. I was not looking forward to it, dreading in fact, and deciding just to join a convent after all. I stopped by Jenny's office on my way to the bar where I was meeting him. She gave me a nice pep talk as she is a veteran of the match.com where she says "people who have no business getting together meet." Ah, funny. This initial meeting was friendly and easy and we'll see if it happens again. I'll save whatever not-so-juicy details for off-line.
I came home and had my special pb powder and dark chocolate popcorn for dinner. And I really ought to pack my gym bag and get my head together for my day of audition fun tomorrow!

Walking in the moments...

I walked by a few neat moments today:
1st, I barely made it across the park to church because of the 5-borough bike tour that was passing by.
2nd, On my way back to the East Side after church, I couldn't cross 5th Avenue because of some sort of huge Jewish/Pro-Israeli parade. I especially enjoyed a Jewish rapper on one of the floats. I was happy to find a subway station to cross under and I'll definitely be tucking that secret in tight, as I hear that now that spring is sprung, parades and 5th Avenue tie-ups are common.
3rd, After an orientation for working in the nursery at church I was walking down 3rd Avenue and just as I passed a French brasserie, Bar Julien, the entire crowd there errupted with joy at the news of the presidential victory.
Walking home with these 3 moments savored, I tasted once again why I love living here. Because sometimes, lately, I get sick of the crowds and the attitudes. But moments, they're pretty special.

In other news, I rearranged the furniture in my room and even did a little cleaning.
We just got home from dinner and tasti-D with Sarah and Eric. We went to an Italian restaurant a few blocks down whose awkward service kind of made us feel like the restaurant helps short-bus waiters find a job. That's not nice. I should erase that sentence. Maybe I will later.

i *heart* donna murphy

Many of you probably know that my favorite movie of all time is "Center Stage." Basically it's a movie about young ballet dancers auditioning to be company members of the "American Ballet Company." Its genius lies in the casting...real dancers from ABT and SF Ballet who can't act or use their words. And, ay mio, the words they have to use...well, the writing is so bad it's brilliant. One anomaly in the cast is a real actress and a Broadway legend, Donna Murphy, as the driven and seemingly heartless ballet teacher. In one of my favorite scenes, she encourages the sassy Harlem-bred Eva to drill at the barre. "This is your home," she says, "come back to your home." Ah, classic.
Well, this afternoon I was so lucky to see that same classy lady star in a new Broadway musical based on the lives of Kurt Weill and Lotte Lenya called, "LoveMusik." The musical's writer pasted Kurt Weill songs into a story about their love and escape from Nazi Germany. My friend Amy K, an excellent singer-actress herself and a moonlighting theatre reviewer, offered me her extra comp ticket for the matinee. I'm thrilled to have friends in high places! We had great seats for what turned out to be a master-class in embodying a character. Both Ms. Murphy and Michael Cerveris as Kurt Weill captivated me and drew me into their world. Highlights were "Surabaya Johnny" and "It never was you." What an amazing week of live theatre for me!!! I feel so, so lucky!
Amy and I grabbed some coffee and hung out in a neat courtyard on 47th and 9th. We gushed over our favorite parts and questioned some random moments in the ensemble. I just love hanging out with her and I'm so glad we've reconnected. I was excited to meet her boyfriend Don before we parted ways. They were on their way to see Audra McDonald in "110 in the Shade." Amy is doing double-reviewing this weekend! On my way home I made two discoveries. First, there really is a restaurant row on 46th street. I had heard about it and it is really just restaurant upon restaurant. So fun! Second, I think I successfully answered my first tourist question!!! Yay! Usually people ask me questions and I have NO idea but these folks were looking for the TKTS booth and I actually pointed them in the right direction. I'm becoming a NYC expert, eh?
I went home and had to make an outfit change because of a sudden chill in the wind. I met up with Karim for a giganto salad in midtown. We had lots of giggles and made copies of a rare Rameau opera fascimile he was borrowing before indulging in a little Haagen-Daaz. MMMMMMM.....I really am going to get back to that no-sugar idea soon. I'm really enjoying the one-on-one time with Karim...it's like the olden days in Houston.
Now it's time for bed! I'm 3 for 3 in the caught-up dept. Wihoo!

Dancing in the streets

Friday! Yay! There were no fun or even eligible auditions today so I took the opportunity to go to Nia and a tap dance class. I just read an article in Backstage that said that Nia is a really great excercise class for actors. Well, yes, of course! Today was all about bringing the body out. When I fully commit to the silly directions in that class, I get really lost in the movement and it's an AMAZING workout. But I have to dive into the pool. Just yesterday, Laura was giving me that advice in my coaching, to dive into each song and when I do...wow, what an amazing experience and joy! So Nia is helping me rehearse that feeling while I sweat it out!
I walked across the park on this perfect spring day and took a few pictures of amazing pink-blossomed trees. I made it to Steps and took Scott T's tap class...I definitely feel like I'm improving but pullbacks across the floor still made me want to disappear.
Late in the afternoon I met up with two friends from the women's retreat, Ji and Corinne. They are sweet, sweet girls that live in Staten Island so I haven't seen them since the retreat but Jenny has kept up with them and even visited. We hung out at a Starbucks near the Empire State Building before Jenny met us and we meandered around Chelsea. I ran into an audition "friend" who gave us a great recommendation for sushi, a place called Mamayo on 21st and 7th. Shumai, Edamame, California Rolls, Veggie tempura....yum and yum.
Jenny and I hopped on a train back and here I am, all caught up on my blog. Day 1. Can't you feel a brand new day?

Catching up with May!!!

Okay friends, I've been bad, bad, bad....so I'll be brief, brief, brief...I know you're thinking, yeah, right. When is the last time she's been brief. But yesterday at the gym, I was reading Vanity Fair which has this amazing article on Ronald Regan's presidential diary...and he was really great about being brief.
So this one, Ronald, is for you!

Since I last wrote, many celebrations occurred.
Highlights of my visit to CA:
*Time with Charlie, the brainy baby who literally has memorized his "Lisa in New York" book that I bought him for last visit.
*Two hikes at Rancho San Antonio, one with preggers Christa and Katie, and one an amazing solo time in the most beautiful spot in the world (okay, one of the most...)
*Family time at Lisa's house
*Creating Amy and Steve's Snickerdoodle Dandy for their wedding dessert contest and receiving feedback from the family and Sheina and Bob.
*Outlet shopping extravaganza day with Sheina
*Doing my taxes with Dad (well, thanks Dad, anyways!)
*Steve and Amy's wedding....so so fun, and such a spirit of family in every detail...it was the community sending them off and it was a really joyful and happy event
*Not making the finals of the dessert competition (okay, okay, this might be a little sarcastic)
*The after-party... being with my Highway friends, I was struck by how much I feel they are such a part of my family and home
*Going to church on Sunday and manning the Start Here table for a few minutes and causing confusion!!
*Hanging out with Mary, buying strawberries and stuffing our faces at Los Charros.
*More family time at the house. Charlie: "Go outside? Go outside?"
*Reconnecting with voice teacher Pam
*Story hour with Mom and Charlie...."Only Nana, only Nana!"
*La Bodeguita visit with Seri and field-trip to pick up Bella, my new-old computer
*Fun, slow dinner at Kapp's pizza (all of a sudden, I've decided pizza is my favorite food) with Mom and Dad.
*Showing up 1.5 hours late to OAG and getting away with it!
*Leaving was not a highlight. :( Especially at 4:40 in the morning. :(

Highlights of life back in NYC:
*A new session of the Gym began the night I got back (after a 3 hour super-shuttle drop-off...when will I ever learn?) I was a zombie and an idiot, I think, but I still took down some good notes!!!
*Jenny and Jeremy Kitchen were in town visiting...and I somehow conned them into treating me to breakfast at the Central Park South Sarabeth's
*A really fun evening with Jenny and her friend Jackie, eating in WA Heights, walking through my new favorite, spring-blooming park (Fort Tryon) and watching a friend from church play jazz sax at a hip little restaurant called "New Leaf Cafe." It was an evening of much frolicking and skipping and pure joy. Good times!
*The Mag 7 weekend!!! The girls came out to celebrate Jenny's upcoming marriage (Aug 18!!!) to Billy. Adrienne was sooo nice to vacate the apartment so all 6 of us could stay. I was worried it would be way too crowded but I actually loved every minute of the fullness in the apt. It was so warm and happy....and some of the stories told, were not my favorites (ahem, ahem) but we had a blast, all in all. We ate a lot: Sarabeths, Patsy's Pizza, Pinkberry twice, Alice's Tea Cup, Brother Jimmy's...not to mention ice cream and cheese and beer, yes, these girls like beer! It was the most beautiful weekend yet...perfect weather and we did pass through the park a bit, but also spent time just lounging, shopping and painting memory-filled tanktops!
*Elina's extra day of fun. I was with Jenny all day Monday for her knee surgery...(she did great!!!) and I loved being called "her family"....that's what it's all about! But when dinner came, I came home and went out with Elina. We had some yummy Vietnamese Food on my favorite 2nd Ave., stopped by Brad H's apt to get him to sign her a note saying her ankle was sprained so she could push her trip up, and then literally put a cherry on top with the "I just can't say no" sundae at the famous Serendipity where we sat next to Frank Langella, Broadway and movie star.
*Tuesday night I got a free ticket to see Midori at Lincoln Center from Elina's friend Karen. She has bad wardrobe choices but wow, can she play the violin!
*Back at the Gym class on Wednesday...where an older woman with a "process" was worth more than the price of admission.
*Indian food with Megan and Adrienne...getting duped into the "bread basket" that probably really could have fed the 5000, and then going to hear musicians from Megan's small group at a local Starbucks.
*My favourite Canadian Tawnya's multi-media chamber group "VisionIntoArt" playing at the Whitney Museum. Ali and her boyfriend Mark joined me to look at weird art and to listen to some even weirder art. But cool, too.
*Saturday through Monday Adrienne and I took a road trip to Cortland, the town where she grew up, for her Dad's marriage to Anna. One highlight was stopping at Friendly's...my favorite restaurant from Tanglewood days. We stayed with some really, really lovely people, the Ames', in their gorgeous three story house. It was like a mini-retreat...Mrs. Ames set out all sorts of breakfast every morning...so sweet! The rehearsal dinner was at a place in Ithaca called "Antlers" whose walls are covered with well, antlers. I was delighted to get to know Adrienne's Dad's cousins who were Presbyterian foreign missionaries....we had a lot to chat about and much in common. I really enjoyed them! Adrienne and I had fun doing little wedding errands as well. Sunday morning I went to church with the Ames' and the cousins and loved the intimacy of such a small town coming together there and also, at the wedding. I sang a few wedding hits, the wedding was lovely and the party was at a family friends' large house that also had a room full of animals' heads. Must be a central NY thing! Monday morning we made our drive back...and hit lots of traffic. :(
*Being a tourist with Laura Balzano. She was in town for a nerdy engineer conference and we went to see the Statue of Liberty! We took a boat out to Liberty Island on one of the windiest days of the year. So much fun catching up with her! We met up with her longest friend, Kristy, for Thai food at the very trendy Union Square "Republic" and finished a weekend of debauchery (for me! at least) with a peanut-butter and chocolate sundae at the West Village "Peanut Butter and Co." The biggest and best sundae I've seen in NYC for only $6. Danger!
*Being typed out of Evita on Tuesday and then again West Side Story on Wednesday. What happened to me being generically ethnic looking??? :(
*A Fellowship Group mixer at "Stitch", a bar in the garmet district where a fellow musician Heather plays fiddle.
*A matinee of Kevin Spacey in "A Moon for the Misbegotten" on Broadway. AAMMMMAAAAAAAAAZZZZZZZING! The acting was really incredible. What was not so great were all the patrons that left during the second act. As each one got up, their chair would swing, the back curtain would screech, the door would slam and light would rush into the theatre. It literally happened 20 times. AH!
*Grace and Don enjoyed pizza night with us at the apt. Eating too much...including creeping crust cobbler!
*A great coaching with Laura B., a perfect day at Bryant Park with Karim, and winning a 1st row $25 lottery seat to "Spelling Bee" so I could see my friend James' Broadway debut!!! Watching him with all his young fans after the show was such a thrill!


Okay, all caught up!!! I'll try to be better, promise!

not-so-fair lady, delta cake and easter dinner, all over again!

Tuesday was a day full of logistical nightmares. It was the first time I had to transport some serious desserts across town in a subway. Melanie hosted a wonderful southern dinner party for our fellowship group in her lovely country chic midtown apartment. Before the dinner, I had a My Fair Lady national tour audition to attempt, and Melanie was so kind to let me drop my delta cake and creeping crust cobbler off at her house before I headed to Actors Equity. When the non-equity folks were released, I was strangely relieved to not have to fit the audition in an otherwise crazy over-scheduled day. The party was a lot of fun and Melanie's roast was delicious. With her extravagant fruit display and buffet of goodies, Melanie was quite the hostess with the mostest. Rose-Marie led a group of us to an Easter dinner for the homeless that she was helping out at. My new friend Megan came along and we sang some gospel songs to entertain the folks and also had some nice opportunites to chat with them. It was such a nice way to continue celebrating Easter and also to remember how truly blessed I am with the family and home that I'm able to live in. I'm excited to start helping Rose-Marie on a more regular basis with the choir she leads as a homeless ministry. Her heart for people and for God is so amazing and I admire her tenderness and passion so much!
I went home with my heart full and my bags still unpacked for my trip home! And the bad news was that with a 6:30 flight out of JFK, my super shuttle scheduled a 3-3:15 am pick-up!!!! Ah!
Flash forward a few hours and I get a call at 2:41 in the morning!!! Super shuttle was early and at my door. Luckily, I had fully packed and just threw on my pants and went downstairs. I then settled in a short van ride to LGA and then, JFK, where I was dropped off at 3:30, 30 minutes before the airport actually opens. Fully garbed in CA spring attire, I was fffffffrrrrrreeeeeezing and reflected further on the homeless folks I had met the night before, and what little comfort they must feel.
What a lucky girl I was to be headed towards Mom and Charlie's pick-up!

He is Risen Indeed!

Happy Easter! The Lord is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
On the coldest Easter morning I can ever remember in the requisite all-black attire, I walked to the Hunter College Auditorium, feeling not the least bit kissed by the Easter Bunny. But, oh, what glorious music and stories awaited! When we arrived Megan, the soprano soloist, was rehearsing her “I know that my Redeemer liveth” with full orchestra which included my friends Kyle on trumpet and Louise on violin. Glorious! Megan’s creamy soprano was just the right flavor and she handled every peak and valley with amazing ease. She is my new friend, so yes, Jenny, I believe the count is back to 40 to 1. We rehearsed our pieces with the orchestra, so much more exciting with all their colors and precision. Do I really get paid to sing this favorite music with all these amazing singers and instrumentalists? I love my job! We sat up on risers on the stage which allowing us to see all the cute Easter dresses underneath layers of bundling from the outside cold. We sang both morning services, the first mostly full, the second ripping at the seams with folks trying to enter the auditorium at every door. It is not a small job to usher a Redeemer service, let alone on Easter Sunday. Yikes! The services were amazing and I was blessed to hear the sermon twice about the empty tomb and the assurance that Jesus lives and forgives. I especially enjoyed the testimonies that three different members gave about coming to Christ and didn’t tire of those the second time. I have to say, I was a little bit nervous singing our last song with Tim Keller a few feet away. But mostly, I just felt my cup running over in thanksgiving for the opportunity to express in such lavish music the awe and wonder I feel ever Easter. It was amazing and the two services filled me to overflowing. I joined Laura and her husband Joe as well as the rest of Jenny’s small group for an Easter brunch at Pershing Square, a cute restaurant across the way from Grand Central Station. We had a great time reflecting on the various services and quirks in each (Jenny and others had sung at the West Side) and I ate the best whole-wheat pancakes I’ve ever met. YUM. We all had to jet pretty quickly afterwards, many had more rehearsals and services to come and I had a train to Pawling to catch! I raced home and collected a few things for my overnight adventure as well as the treats I’d prepared and took a cab to the Harlem Metro-North station on 125th Street. Even on a day as filled with light as Easter Sunday, shadiness abounded! And snow was falling as I waited on the platform for my Wassaic train to arrive.

We all had to jet pretty quickly afterwards, many had more rehearsals and services to come and I had a train to Pawling to catch! I raced home and collected a few things for my overnight adventure as well as the treats I’d prepared and took a cab to the Harlem Metro-North station on 125th Street. Even on a day as filled with light as Easter Sunday, shadiness abounded! And snow was falling as I waited on the platform for my Wassaic train to arrive.

I was on my way to meet Heather Gilles, a dear friend from CCM days, and to enjoy an Easter dinner with her family and friends. She has recently moved into an amazing loft apartment on the property of one of her voice student's where open space and horses abound! I loved getting away and seeing the stars, not to mention meeting all of the funny horses! Abby, Heather's longtime friend and fellow singer was there and it was nice to catch up with her and have her serenade us with some Tori Amos and original songs at the piano after dinner. Heather's parents were also a hoot and overall, it was quite a lively time. We ate all sorts of interesting things, including a wild goose that Heather's dad's friend had shot. I have to say, I don't have a favorite new meat to report on...it was strangely dark in color. Heather and Abby made some delicious sausage risotto and of course, there were tons of desserts to share!

Abby and I spent the night. Heather's funny dog, Chipka, spooned me on the coach and kept Abby up with her snoring and farting. It's so nice to have a little animal around on which to blame all those unattractive functions. :)

The three of us enjoyed a leisurely morning of coffee and dishes from the night before (no dishwasher!), only mildly cursing those who had left pieces of salad on their plates. We ate the leftover cherry tart and the girls measured me for my Millbrook Playhouse costume information sheet. Heather was so kind to drop us at the train station where the real adventure began. I guess the day after Easter is the best day to start construction on the Wassaic rail line...and because of that we took shuttle busses for an hour or so until we got to the next big station that took us to White Plains and finally transferred onto an NYC bound train. It was long but it was nice to be with Abby and share stories. Abby and I first met in Aspen in 2000. She and Heather were best friends at Juilliard. It's so nice how all these worlds collide and we keep meeting eachother's favorite people in this crazy business. Heather, a wonderfully talented singer, has turned her amazing brain towards directing opera and she's fixing to move back to the city soon to reimmerse herself in that world. yay for us!

I arrived in Harlem after 1 in the afternoon, much later than anticipated, but such is life. In the short half-a-block walk to the subway from the train station I'm pretty sure I walked through two "transactions." It was pretty scary, even at that hour of the day. Definitely not Kansas, or even the UES. I was happy to get home and collect myself.

I had to race across town to turn in my Millbrook materials and took the opportunity to do some Fairway shopping. I also "drove-by" Jenny's office for a lemon bar delivery and later, after fixing the sunday, now monday pizza as per tradition, dropped by Chris and Laura's. I had made them a box of Easter treats as well and hadn't the time to drop them by earlier as I wished. I just love hanging out with those two. Tressa and Ellie sadly had to go ni-ni. Chris and Laura are the kind of couple I want to be someday and their honesty and listening and vulnerability is so refreshing and inviting. It's funny because I remember where I was spiritually and socially when I knew them at Rice and how I wasn't at that time ready for the kind of Kingdom people they were and continue to be. I love that I totally stopped by without notice and they welcomed me so genuinely. Why do they have to move so soon? :(

Anne with an "e"

I punished myself a bit at the gym before heading out to midtown for Easter Choir rehearsal. I was glad to see Kathy and John K. again and also happy to meet several new Redeemer singers. We knocked out “Lift up ye heads” and “Worthy in the Lamb/Amens” for two hours. I was reminded of how much I miss singing in choirs and how painfully out of practice I am! And just a note…I think in all those years of singing the entire Messiah at Rice, I never really sang all the notes of the Amens….wowsers, it was 11 pm by then and most of the audience was gone. I was probably thinking about the next day’s music history exam! With this ensemble of 5 to a part, there was no hiding and it was both thrilling and terrifying to sing those crazy passages!
I walked a few blocks to an audition for a children’s theatre company where three really sweet girls about my age listened to my short “Mr. Right” monologue and asked me to sing a bit acapella. It was a pleasant and encouraging few minutes and I was glad I had made the stop.
I then headed to meet Amy K, my friend from Rice, who as a musical-theatre performer but now full-time copy editor, moonlights as a theatre critic. She had an extra ticket to an off-off Broadway musical version of “Anne of Green Gables” that I had been dying to see. Who doesn’t heart Gilbert Blythe after all? I was to meet her at the theatre in the West Village and on my way down Thompson Street I stumbled upon a Cuban restaurant which had a bright mural inside with a large “La Bodeguita del Medio” trademarked sign! The super sly Cuban spy is back in action! I took a picture and their glossy and incriminating to-go menu as souvenirs and patted myself on the back all the way towards Amy. The show was delightful, tuneful and aimed at children. A precious one behind us, on cue, gasped “Ew” at the less than steamy Anne and Gilbert kiss and a dad was wiping his eyes at the same moments as me, to the snickers of his young family. Always a kindred spirit, Amy’s company brought even more delights than raspberry cordial, or blackberry wine, for that matter, and we wiled away the afternoon hours dreaming of our Village mansions to come and catching up over coffee and Brazilian cheese puffs. You can read Amy’s review here:
http://www.offoffonline.com/reviews.php?id=991
After parting, I walked to Union Square for some last TJ wine and some last-minute baking supplies and headed home to begin the sugar extravaganza. I made the world-famous brownies, Mom’s now NYC famous lemon bars and some sugar cookies in the shape of eggs to share with Heather Gilles and family who I would be visiting the next evening. As always, it took far longer than expected to bake all the goodies and I didn’t get my Easter choir voice to bed as early as I had hoped.

Good Friday...

The benefit of waiting so long to fill in this blog is that I can’t remember anything before the Good Friday church service. I was excited to meet Jenny at church and especially so because she saved me a seat while I was stuck on a slow cross-town bus. This service was full of worship that brought tears and short reflections by the associate pastors on Jesus as prophet, priest and king. The highlight was a time of meditation accompanied by Louise’s string quartet playing my most favorite of all Beethoven Op. 131 selection. Like the perfect Pinot Noir paired to the choicest dish, this music in that moment of reflection of Christ on the cross was a combination unmatched. The transition from prescribed stillness and silence in our exit to the bubbles of friends uniting and catching up on the street outside was jarring, but indicative of the “alleluias” to come! Jenny and I lingered for a bit looking for friends from her small group to meet for dinner. She was tired and not finding them, we headed to Whole Foods in the Time Warner building for some quick soup. Jenny’s sister Katie is a bona-fide rockstar and I had listened to some of her songs on Jenny’s ipod and loved them! Jenny had been out to visit her in Nashville and returned with my very own Katie Herzig CD! Yay! Check her out on itunes and Myspace....http://www.myspace.com/katieherzig…a little bit of alt-rock, a little bit folksy, very beautiful songs and sounds…my favorite is the one she wrote for Jenny…”Jennylynn.”

Maundy Thursday

They say you should have a headshot and resume with you at all times. I admit I’ve been guilty of forgetting one or the other at home and either ripping into submission envelopes I’ve happened to have in tow or trekking back home between sign-ups and auditions to retrieve one. For the record, I haven’t done that since at least February. I had spent most of the morning preparing for my coaching with Laura and was thrilled to discover some glorious art songs that could almost be disguised as musical theatre pieces (or vice-versa) by Ricky Ian Gordon. I gave myself an hour to make copies at Staples, hop on the subway and arrive at the 411 Space, a “church” that looks an awful lot like a blackbox theatre that Laura uses for her lessons. Small miracles along the way allowed my passage in record time and I found myself catching my breath on one of the couches in the performer’s lounge, a sort-of oasis for the worn-out auditioners that frequent midtown, with 20 minutes to spare. The space was missing the usual squeals of pre-school aged kids waddling about in tutus and ballet slippers, and other than Laura’s lesson, all was still. As I organized the 10 or so songs I was eager to try out, a man stepped into the lounge and comfortably settled into the desk where the computer sits. As he turned it on and started typing away he immediately began a conversation with me, asking if I was an artist. I explained I was there for my lesson and asked him if he was an actor, so unassuming and frank was his manner. He was a producer, director and artistic director of a small theatre company, he said. He mentioned “Fritz and Froyim” a play he was going to be auditioning next week and then asked if I had a headshot and resume with me. Well, what do you know? CA girl is learning something. He looked over it briefly, counseled me to not join Equity in any hurry and then asked if I had a monologue. Well, what do you know? I did and I ended up following him to his black box theatre on the same floor where I performed “Popo Martin,” my schizophrenic, teenaged cheerleader monologue whose propriety I’ve been questioning. He engaged me to try it again as “me” truly communicating the points, waiting until they landed on him, until I moved on. He worked with me for about 10 minutes, encouraging me to use my own voice and to allow the material to be infused by me. Without any prodding, he told me I was “quirky” which is officially 3/3, and that I didn’t need to add anything to the material but find my path within it. So, for arriving early at my coaching, I managed to work in an audition and a mini-acting lesson!!! I love this city! John, the director, was so generous with his time and even offered to help me any other time I was in the building and he happened to be around. I don’t even think he is shady because I looked his company up online and saw that his mission is mentoring young people and producing theatre for public good.
My coaching was wonderful, of course, and Laura convinced me that while not audition-appropriate, my Ricky Ian Gordon songs were treasures to be laid out at a future recital or recording. Exciting! I also made the discovery that I’m never going to be an Ethel Merman belter. I don’t need to be Ado Annie and Laurey in Oklahoma. I realized I was looking for material for all types instead of honing in on what my specific gifts allow me to do…plenty, by the way! What freedom there is in knowing I don’t have to do it all!
So, it does seem like you’ll never here this girl do any brassy Broadway belting…can you settle for a high mix? ☺
After my coaching I dropped some of my heavy music books off at my favorite home away from home, the performing arts library, before hoofing over to the Ethical and Cultural Society for the Maundy Thursday Service.
Max McLean is an amazing Christian actor who travels the world presenting different readings of the Gospels and selected Christian literature to churches and in theatres. This night, he performed the book of Mark, memorized, as a sort of one-man show. He embodied every Pharisee and disciple, and changed from Jesus to the people and back to Jesus with just a flip of his posture. I don’t have enough words for these 90 minutes…totally transfixing each of us, I wish everyone I know could have seen it. We laughed (it’s really funny, some of it) and yes, I cried and I wondered at the arc of the story, of the transformation of the people and the constancy of Jesus. After collecting the applause from enlivening all these pages in a perfect Scottish accent, Max began to address us and answer FAQs…in a perfect American accent! Ha! I loved that for the sake of the drama, he turned up the McLean aspect of his character. It was an unforgettable event and was made richer from the context of weeks of Tim Keller’s sermons on Mark. I’ve always loved the power of God’s word and its capacity for drama…and this, well, he definitely took it to the next level!

on an airplane...

I’m on the plane, headed towards JFK, armed with a new/old computer that might have more than 10 minutes of battery power. I won’t let this extended battery life get the best of me and wax poetic on the 10 plus days of adventures that I’ve left undocumented. Instead, I’ll try to boil down the highlights. One of the greatest highlights of the past few days in CA, was the Joh wedding, of course! At that celebration, I was so happy to see my church family as well as faces from the families of my past. Greg Mitchell, Steve’s best man and a long-time friend of mine “used his words” so well to animate the best of Steve and Amy. A blogger himself who admitted he’d read mine, (OH NO! people read this besides Lis and Jenny???) Greg reminded me, “Quality over Quantity.” And with that, I’ll try my best and briefest.

Disappointment and...guests of the star

I realized that this is a slow week in the audition circuit, probably because casting directors are on vacation like everyone else in the country! So, again, I didn't go out for any auditions but instead went to Nia class and did some library research before heading midtown to meet Jenny for lunch. It was a miserable, miserable rainy day. Like I've said before, rainy days in NYC are not very pleasant...between navigating around dangerous umbrellas and flooded subway stations, it's just not a lot of fun. At least Jenny is fun and I loved hearing all about her weekend with her sister in Nashville and plans for her upcoming knee surgery. I took a crosstown bus and then the subway to get to my tap class with Germaine. So fun! I recently switched over to heeled tap shoes and it makes life so much harder but apparently you are a sissy if you are still in flats. No sissies here. I met Kat for coffee after class and we had such a great talk. It is so nice to have her support and friendship...we are both trying to navigate life out here and beyond opera together and we are always trading tips and coaches, etc. While we were together I got a call from Melanie. She had mentioned on Sunday that she might have an extra ticket to "Die Agyptische Helena" at the Met starring Debbie V. I had been waiting to hear from her if her "friend" had been able to get her tickets. Well, her "friend" came through and I made plans to meet her at 7:30 at the box office.
I rushed home to change and grab a bite to eat. Earlier in the day I had gotten my contract for Millbrook via email and had inquired about the fact that it said, "Mrs. Darling in Peter Pan and nun in Do Black Patent Shoes..." whereas he had offered me Sister Helen specifically over the phone. I emailed him back and asked for clarification to which he replied that IF he had said that he was very sorry and mistaken and that I was indeed going to be playing the soprano nun but was down for the Sister Helen cover. He said he would understand if that changed my decision. My stomach turned under me with disappointment. I know that Sister Helen wasn't a big role but something about it was really exciting to me and who wants to be "nun" when you can have a name? I'm so glad I called Mom and received her sweet words of encouragement as well as precious Charlie telling me he loves me. What more could a nun wish for? You know, I am disappointed, because I feel like I just got demoted, but I also recognize that it's a three-week show and is not going to determine my future. God is taking care of me and even in this He reminds me that I'm not on earth to be a star or even a semi-star in the middle of PA, but rather to be his child and bring Him glory in the face of disappointment and success. And boy did He have a sweet gift to soothe me in store!

I feel like I need to set this chapter apart...because this may have been the most amazing experience to date in NYC!!!! So, I knew that Melanie had recently become friendly with Debbie V. but when she was dangling the carrot of these tickets via her "friend" she never made that connection clear. Well, when she walked in armed with 2 dozen tulips for her "friend" my question was answered. Debbie hooked her up with two tickets on the front row, on the center aisle!!! Soooooooooo awesome! I LOVED being so close because not only could I see every breath each singer took, I could also see every breath each instrumentalist took, not to mention hear the sighing and grunting of the conductor engrossed in the Strauss score. I read in the program notes that this opera, one of Strauss' less famous works, had not been seen at the Met since 1928 and was in fact by Ms. Voigt, considered the leading interpreter of Strauss. She was amazing, illustrious, beautiful, so composed and in control of the stage in each moment she was on it. I also fell in love with Diana Damrau singing the lighter, more coloratura part of Aithra. Beautiful, beautiful voice and such an actress. I am so excited to follow her career and hearing her inspired me to practice my Strauss! The production was "interesting" with an extremely raked stage and a harsh set with cutouts of oversized doors and running men with extreme colors in the costumes pointing to the different worlds of mortals and gods. My favorite costumes were the chorus of elves in bright blue with white wigs and beards. At intermission we saw Karen and Mark and chatted with them. I think Mark introduced me to someone really influential in the opera world but I have no idea who she was. I guess Mark had done the opera before at Santa Fe and neither he or Karen were big fans of the work. It's not particularly tuneful but the performances alone were just amazing. I couldn't get over the long phrases that were sung with such ease and all the colors and depths and heights that Debbie had to navigate. At the curtain call someone actually threw a bouquet of roses from the 4th balcony and nearly missed Diana D's head. Melanie opted not to throw her heavy tulips to Debbie. Dangerous! We made our way to the backstage entrance where we had to pass through 3 different guards before being shuffled to the artists' guest lounge. On the way there, we ran into mezzo Jill Grove who played the strange Mussel character and Melanie introduced me to her. We waited for quite a while for our "friend" to get out of costume and make-up and I enjoyed the time chatting with sweet Melanie. She is a singer as well and such a character! I mean, how lucky am I that she chose me of all people to share this opportunity. I enjoyed watching Debbie take the fawning compliments from her fans with such grace and humility. She is so down-to-earth. I tried not to gush too much but thanked her for the ticket and then she invited us to go eat dinner with her at Fiorello's. Weighed down with bouquets Debbie led us out to where her car was waiting. As we got to the parking garage a group of about 12 die-hard fans were eagerly waiting to give her gifts and have her sign programs. She knew many of them by the name because they come to EVERY single performance and wait for her each night. One man had a stack of 6 programs and he named each one that he had missed getting her autograph...I was thinking "EBAY!!!" as he brought out each program. One woman is from Poland and was wearing a home-made t-shirt with her picture on it. She travels all over the world and sees every one of her performances. WHOA! I wish I had videoed the whole scene...it was amazing. We got into the black car and literally drove across the street to Fiorello's where we (because we were with SHE) were treated like royalty. Prosecco and antipasti brought to the compliments, via the management, etc. But other than several interruptions of adoring fans, the four of us chatted mostly about the perils of dating, online and otherwise. I really liked Debbie's friend Jane as well. I had a piece of Debbie's yummy pizza margherita even though it was midnight...and Melanie and I ate some fruit. I hugged them good-bye as they were whisked off to mid-town in the black car and headed home on the subway and then via cab because it was after 1 and apparently the bus wasn't going to come for another 20 minutes. As I sat in the cab I just kept thinking, did that really happen? I mean, how did I go from singing Strauss in my shower to dining with the star of the Met? WHOA. I guess the short answer is the church. Another reason to go to church, folks, in case you needed one! :)

On strike

Tuesday I went on strike and didn't go to any auditions. Honestly there weren't any that were right for me, now that I have June and part of July set apart for Millbrook. But the non-jaded me might have gone regardless. This morning I did a bunch of errands that had been hanging over me, worked out, organized my life and made it to Bible Study armed with my world-famous brownies. We met at Rose-Marie and Louis' apartment near Lincoln Center. They are such a neat couple. I especially adore Rose-Marie. She is French and has some European quirkiness mixed in her very loving and transparent heart. She also uses some fun translations and pronunciations that make me grin. Louis and R-M have a little blue parakeet that was making all sorts of noise while we were reading a passage from Romans. I totally got the nervous giggles but was glad that Amber, sitting across from me, was similarly distracted. The bird who had been swooping over our heads was relegated to the bedroom. Amber had told Mark that I had gone to see the show so as soon as I walked into the apartment he chastized me for not letting him know I was coming and that he would have put me on the list to go backstage. Well, I don't know the protocol of these things. I've never had a friend who stars at the Met! It was a really great study and I feel like I'm getting more comfortable sharing with these new friends. I had to jet right away because Chris and Laura had invited me over to dinner at 6:30. It was already 6 and it was going to be a serious stretch getting back uptown and crossing to the East side. Melanie really wanted to walk with me towards the subway and so I lingered a bit longer than I probably should have. I ended up taking the subway from Columbus Circle and I was so frazzled that I ended up on a downtown train! When we got to 50th Street I decided to hop out, call Chris and Laura and tell them what an idiot I was, and hoofed it to the East side. Of course every tourist and travelling business person is out on the streets of midtown at the same time, so it was quite a challenge. I just hated to be late because I know how hard it is to delay dinner when you have little ones. I finally got to the 6 train and made it one stop to 59th when they held the doors open and announced there was a police investigation regarding an unruly passenger at 77th and the train would be indefinitely held! GREAT! I hopped out and thought about walking the 35 blocks before opting for a quick cab.
On the elevator ride up to their apartment a really cute boy saw my tupperware of brownies and said, "Somebody's lucky." I told him, yes, they were and all about my wild ride to deliver them, yada, yada. He lives on the floor above Laura and Chris and we joked that I should have given him one or gone up to his floor and rung every doorbell until I found him. Ha ha. His wife probably would have answered the door. I had so much fun playing with the girls, setting up a tent, meeting their neighbor, Howard, and his son Eli while Laura prepared an amazing dinner. Howard has a Wheaton named Bernie who was soooo sweet. Howard said I could come borrow him sometime which actually sounds so fun. Whenever I go to Central Park and see all the dogs I get jealous and yet it would be really hard, well, impossible at this stage, to have one of my own. But just to borrow one occasionally, I love it! I loved seeing the neighbors all together and witnessing the Seals doing what I know them to do best, creating community and depth. What an amazing thing that little Eli would be the same age as Ellie. We talked a lot about how it is hard to meet your neighbors unless you have kids or a dog. Thus, I'll borrow Bernie! Dinner was so good...Laura made this chicken on a brick, where she stuffed garlic and rosemary and all sorts of deliciousness between the skin and oh, was it tasty! I even got to take home the left-overs. I'm so thankful for the Seals, for God showing his kindness and care for me in the form of their family, and for reminding me that though the city is big, there are neighbors and friends all around.

7 hours and waiting in line with the die-hards!

Monday morning I was really excited to go to an audition for a Rodgers and Hart revue being performed in CT in the month of May. Apparently I wasn't the only one excited! I was first on the EMC list and because of that, I was determined to stick it out. Again, the pianist was late and the delayed start didn't help my chances. I was still hopeful after the lunch break, however, because they were blazing through the alternates. During the lunch break, I did a quick tour of the Jeff Wall exhibit at the MOMA and visited some of my favorite paintings on the 5th floor. I'm still so thankful for my membership there, and for the opportunity it allows me on an otherwise disappointing audition day to see some beautiful and strange things! It was raining and the MOMA was busier than I've ever seen it. I think this is probably a big spring break/tourist week in NYC. I have learned how to walk around the meandering tourists on the sidewalk and I slithered past them back to the Equity building. I was so confident that I was going to sing that I got back into my cute spring dress and heels. I was happy to see Dani and help her get ready for her two auditions. She is just a ray of sunshine every time I see her with her encouragement and great attitude! I love her! At about 3 the doom was settling in and I saw that the alternate list had gone up to 92. I changed out of my dress and packed up my stuff, grumpy and annoyed, and a migraine began to set in. It just pains me that I wasted a day, more than anything. Maybe I'll just have to be smarter about which auditions are going to be impossible but it's such a gamble. The past week I had been really successful in being seen for the Equity calls...so you never know!
I spent the rest of the afternoon heading towards Lincoln Center where I was going to see "Andrea Chenier" at the Met. On the way I celebrated my pitiful self with a Tasti-D cone and a short stop to get my favorite nephew some Easter treats. I arrived at the Met around 4:30. They have a new program, as of this year, that releases 200 orchestra tickets for $20 2 hours before every weekday performance. Orchestra tickets generally run around $250 so this is quite the deal! Since I am a professional stand-in-line girl, this was a great opportunity to see my new friend, Mark from my bible study, starring in the opera. I was probably about 50th in line, with an hour and a half to wait. There were some interesting folks assembled, and of course, most of them were much, much older. It was nice to see some other young starving artist types sprinkled in. I got the seat the furthest to the side on row L, ran home (well, you know, train and bus) to change and drop my backpack, before hopping back on the bus to Lincoln Center.
The opera, an Italian verismo (realistic style, like Verdi) by Giordani, was AMAZING!!!! I think it may have been my most favorite. The costumes of gold were stunning and the 3 leads (Mark, Ben Heppner and a Lithuanian soprano named Violeta) were so committed and glorious. I ended up being able to slide closer to the middle of the row and it was so fun to be up close and really be able to watch the mechanics of how these singers were producing such beautiful sounds! I was so proud to know Mark and especially loved watching him take the shouts of "Bravos" knowing what a godly man he is. I took the bus home and continued to reflect on how in all these great performances that I have been so fortunate to see, there is nothing casual happening. I feel like sometimes I go into auditions and just sort of apologize for what might be special instead of bringing something truly artistic and energized from my soul to my face. I was definitely inspired!

All Caught UP!

So, I'm writing this on Sunday night, about Sunday. Wow! So exciting. A night babysitting allows for all sorts of catching up.
This morning I made my walk across the park, dodging dogs of every sort, to church and barely arrived dry. The rain was just about beginning. Palm Sunday wasn't emphasized too much but we had the opportunity to take the Lord's Supper which always makes me thankful I'm back in the Presbyterian fold...where you take the body and blood once a month. Church was great as always and I had fun visiting afterwards with Laura B. and Melanie G. and Phoebe and even Debbie V. My revolutionary hair was a big topic for discussion. I enjoyed again my walk back across the park and spent most of the afternoon cleaning before heading back to the west side to serve in the nursery at the 5 pm service. Oh, I had the most fun! I was first sent to the two year olds but then there were two crying babies and only one pair of arms so I got to hold lil' Cash, who was crying his head off. In a few minutes, he stopped and after some serious rocking and Charlie techniques I got him to fall asleep in my arms. So special. I could have stayed there for hours!
As I write, I'm sitting in Chris and Laura Seals' living room. I'm babysitting for their beautiful and adorable girls, Tressa and Ellie. Chris and Laura were campus ministry leaders for a few years while I was at Rice. I literally ran into Laura a few weeks ago outside a subway station in midtown, and only then, because I was talking to Nicole Franklin on the phone and didn't want to go underground just yet. I ended up taking the train uptown with Laura that night and we discovered that we literally live across the street from eachother. Ever since then we've been trying to get together for dinner and it hasn't worked out. Finally tonight, I was able to help out and babysit. It's so wonderful to be in their home and to be around their sweet family. I get so focused on myself and my schedule and my budget and my needs it seems and I love disolving all those concerns and feeling like I get to be the church for these friends, while they get out for a movie!
And so I'm all caught up on this silly blog! Thanks for your patience for these last couple of weeks of posts that took so long to get up. I see auditions dying down...I hope I'll continue to be able to bring insight and humor, not to mention celebrity sightings in the pages to come!

Practice Acting, Practice Prayer and Knights!

Saturday morning I went to a workshop for actors through Redeemer about applying the discipline of acting excercises to our prayer life. It was awesome! Of course, all the attendees were women, 9 of us in all, but it was a great group. Our leader was George, a Jesuit Priest as well as a professional actor. The morning session was mostly a survey of various acting focusing techniques with an extended time for theatre games and improv. A bunch of us went to Whole Foods at Columbus Circle for lunch before returning to the next session where George applied the practical lessons of the morning to how we can approach prayer. Unfortunately I had to leave halfway through a really cool spiritual exercise where he placed us at the Last Supper with Jesus. I was picked up by Jon, Adrienne, Eric and Sara, Sara's sister and two friends, Brigid and Kimmy, for Eric's special surprise 30th birthday party. We were taking him to Jersey for a night at Medieval Times. I hadn't been to Medieval Times since 7th grade when we stopped there on our LA tour with Dan Ferrari. Oh my. I can still see the picture of me and Julia Bell in our paper crowns. We were so lucky to be in the first row of the yellow-red cheering section and of course, our knight won. Highlights included the cheapest and strongest pina-colada near Manhattan (at 3:30 pm!), eating with our hands, hearing 20 minutes of a list honoring every birthday boy and girl in the house, and the sparkly tiaras that Adrienne bought each of us girls. It was a really fun night and because it started so early we were back at Sara and Eric's apartment by 7:30, stuffing our faces more, with lemon bars and the divine chocolate cake that Jon made. Eric was excited by all his gifts, including an amazing chair massager that we all enjoyed soooooooo much.

Lemon Bars and Direction Changes

Friday morning didn't offer any auditions to lure me out of the house. I continued my research on more modern songs for my "book" that, when push comes to shove, seems to only include dreamy ballads from before 1950. I had planned on doing two classes at Steps but got a call from Scott Six who was literally 9 blocks away at a Starbucks with time to kill before an audition. I ditched the first class for the chance to catch up with Scott, learning all about the perils of his world premiere opera and his general disgust for the people that rule the world of opera. Yes, yes, it's true. I walked across the park in time for Scott T.'s Int. Theatre Dance Class. Yes, this is the same Scott who choreagraphed my personal nightmare in the form of "America" for Maine State on Sunday. I was again a mess but had a huge revelation. My biggest struggle in picking up choreagraphy are all the directional changes and I realized that Scott is obsessed with changing direction all the time!!!! So, even though it was painful for me, I think I should keep going back, knowing it will get easier, while resting knowing that I'm not the worst dancer in the world. Just maybe the worst dancer in NYC.
I went back to Fairway for Lemon Bar ingredients. Eric's special request for his 30th birthday dessert was anything lemony and I told Adrienne about Mom's special Lemon Bars. mmmmmmm....
I met Adrienne at the movie theatre near her office where we saw the new Will Ferrell flick, "Blades of Glory." So funny. She then took me by Bloomingdales to meet her Prescriptives guru, Stanford Smith, who did my makeup for me. Adrienne is a makeup expert herself and had talked up Stanford as the best makeup artist she'd ever worked with so I was pretty excited. He was not disappointing and gave me some great ideas for that audition look that I'm still trying to create. He was also hilarious and offered a lot of entertainment with his constant commentary on the lady that comes in and over applies bronzer every Friday to the shoplifters escorted right next to us. With smoky eyes and pale lips, we took bus home and she made dinner while I made Lemon Bars.

Do patent leather shoes really reflect up?

Thursday morning was glorious because I didn't have to be anywhere at 7:15 or even 7:30, although I did go to the gym around then anyways. My callback for Millbrook Playhouse was scheduled for 10-2 which prevented other morning auditions...I actually loved the freedom in that! The first part of our callback was a dance audition...we learned a pretty simple "Ugg-a-wugg" sort of routine appropriate for "Peter Pan" which is part of their season. I tried to have fun but I have to say I was really really nervous, again mostly because of my hyper-awareness of Carolyn in the room. I was decent, I think, but not a stand-out. One funny thing was that one of the directors called out about 5 people who he said were unrecognizable from their headshots. He even went as far to say a few of them looked nothing like their pictures. Ouch. As I start investigating my NY style headshots, I'm definitely aiming for pictures that look like me, whatever ethnicity I am that day! Hahah!
I was really excited to see my new friend Lauren at the callbacks. We had met a few weeks ago at an open call when we both reading our Bibles and that opened us up to discovering we both went to Redeemer. It was really nice to see her and have her to cheer for! I also ran into Amanda, a girl I met on the train on Monday. Waiting for about an hour and a half as they brought small groups downstairs to sing and read, I did get a little antsy and annoyed at all the nervous actor chatter all around. When I finally did get to sing, "If I Loved You" felt a little rough but I got asked to read which was a sign that I was not immediately cut. I was called back for the role of Sister Helen in a catholic-school-meets-Grease musical called, "Do Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up?" Sister Helen is the soprano, which makes her the nice nun, of course. The director hadn't brought any sides for her so instead he asked me to read a silly poem as a nice nun. I read it once and then he directed me to try it again, but this time a little bit more like an airhead. I had so much fun with that reading and felt like I made a big adjustment. The director seemed pleased and I was released. I had a really good feeling about the outcome of that audition, first, because the reading went really well and second, because I took careful note that I was the only one reading for the nice nun at the callback.
I tried not to get my hopes up as I wandered over to Fairway, the next best grocery store to Trader Joes that is on 74th and Broadway, right next to Steps and also the Vital Theatre Co. where my callback was held. Fairway, just like Trader Joes, is also quite an experience with tiny aisles and people all around reaching for bananas and fresh-ground coffee and brown-rice sushi among the workers who are constantly refreshing the stock. Craziness.
I met Adrienne for a yummy mediterranean dinner at Beyoglu on 80th and 3rd. We had all sorts of mezze with the usual hummus and tabouleh and some exciting zucchini pancakes and spicy shrimp. Adrienne took me to Eli's, a faaaaaaaaaaaaaancy grocery store where only New Yorkers on the UES would spend $7 on a $2.49 box of Kashi. I have to say it was as nice as Adrienne advertised with perfect displays of fruit and pies by the slice and cheeses from every nation. But, I won't be shopping there until Jerry Seinfel leaves Jessica for me. Just kidding, of course. Ew.
The night was uneventful until I got a call from an unidentified (212) number...and the artistic director from Millbrook called and offered me my first two roles in shows since arriving in NYC! Yay! He offered me Mrs. Darling and ensemble (think ugg-a-wugg, ugg-a-wugg, ugg-a-wugg, ugg-a-wugg wah!) in "Peter Pan" as well as Sister Helen in "Do Patent Leather Shoes..." I was probably a bit too eager in my acceptance but I was thrilled with the offer and so excited to get two roles down, not to mention to be hired period! After a while, going to all these auditions and not getting anything, I started to feel like I was never going to get anything. Just having two roles on my resume from the East Coast will be huge for me, not to mention networking possibilities. And just like having a scheduled out 10-2 callback was glorious, even more so is the knowledge that from June 4-July 8 I will be living and singing and dancing in Pennsylvania. And I can start planning my life around that! Yay! I made some fun calls to Lis and Mom to share the news and went to sleep feeling like a real actor, not a fake one, with a heart full of thanks.

yet again...more pirates!

Surflight Theatre on the Jersey Shore had their last of 3 days of open calls on Wednesday so I woke up early to compete with the crowds. Arriving at the studio at 7:15 am I was only the 46th craziest person there. I had about 2 hours to kill before they called the list and so I got some coffee and listened to cds I had borrowed from the library. I ended up getting an appointment at 10:30 and met a few girls I had seen a bunch at other auditions. They were both EMCs and we were commiserating about wishing we could be in several places at one time to hold our places in line. Alas. Oh, wait, that's a funny NYC thing....you don't stand in line, you stand on line. You get on line for the audition. Weird!!! I met a sweet girl who had taken a train at 4:30 in the morning to get there from Baltimore. It was her first audition in NYC and she was so nervous so I tried to be as encouraging as possible. I actually didn't sing my best, cracking a bit on a low note, and they didn't ask me to stay to dance. Always disappointing, of course, but I was thankful for the free day ahead. I went to the annual Capezio flagship store sale and also to Anthropologie where once again a pink coat, this time an appropriate weight for spring, called my name in the clearance section. I've never needed a spring coat until this March. I can't wait for you all to see it.
I was really excited to return to Steps and take Germaine's Adv. Beg. Broadway Tap class again. I just LOVE her. She is so encouraging, even when I'm awful and I even feel like I'm improving! Hurrah. I'm hopeful I can go back again in the next few weeks. It had been so long because of the crazy audition schedule.
My friend Dani Marcus, who I met through Molly Bell and her Divas for Life concert is currently starring in the National Yiddish Theatre's "Pirates of Penzance." She plays Malke, aka Mabel in this production, entirely in Yiddish. I was so excited to go see her in this and add one more Pirate show to my arsenal. Dani was a complete standout with crystalline high notes and lots of chudzpah! Oy veh. It was super cute and in a lovely theatre at the West Side JCC. I was actually wishing that I had tried out for one of the other sisters...I think all those voices telling me that I could pass for a nice Jewish girl are sinking in...I think I would've blended right in with those girls! But the yiddish...oy...that has to be tough to learn. Lucky for us in the audience, there were subtitles in both English and German.
I ended up taking a cab home. I never ever take cabs because I have an unlimited metro card and I don't like to throw the money away. Adrienne and I laugh about how she always ends up taking cabs and how we'll be headed somewhere and she'll say, "I'm taking a cab...you can either join me or I'll see you there." But that night, by myself and late at night, I went for it...about 4 minutes and $8 later I felt like a true upper-east-sider, hopping out of the cab in front of my doormanned building. I'm a very lucky girl.