I really hate open calls. I mean, I know it's great and all that I don't have to wait for the Equity people to go first, and we all have the same opportunity, yada, yada...but there is always just this spirit of frenzy and desperation that drives me to drink. Well, coffee, at least. I started the morning EARLY (because you have to go earlier for these crazy open calls) at Chelsea Studios, signing up on the non-eq tour auditions for Annie and 42nd Street. Both are not shows completely great for me, but I figure at least I could play Grace Farrell in "Annie." Or not. Anyways, I was lucky to find a chair in the teeny-tiny holding room for Annie (because at open calls, there are no rules, and no one really cares) and waited and waited. My morning entertainment came in the form of a 6 foot German woman named Uta who was just visiting NYC and decided to come to an open call for the experience. Hey folks, it's the newest tourist attraction. One day you do the Sex and the City tour, the next day you go to the Met, the following day, hit an open call with a bunch of crazy actors who enjoy suffering! Hilarious! She was so funny and kept asking me lots of questions. At one point she asked if I had a "rubber?" I suggested that she might not want to use that term so early in the morning! She meant an eraser, of course. :) I ended up singing for 42nd St. first and did great on my idea of my more belty song "de-lovely" but then was asked for more of a belt to which I suggested "not afraid" my poppy song that I had screwed up the day before. Well I screwed it up again!!!! Because again, I was trying on the singing and not on the acting! Oh well. They were nice at least. I sang "de-lovely" for the Annie people who were peculiar in that they actually wanted you singing to their faces...this is usually an audition no-no as most auditors feel assaulted if you communicate at them directly. It was an odd experience especially since the two people in charge were looking at eachother and my resume which made it hard to look at them....but whatever. I sang well and they seemed to like it "really nice pipes", bla bla bla, but no callback.
Kat met me there and we went uptown for an audition on the West Side for Millbrook Playhouse, a summer stock theatre in PA. I was so excited to walk out of the elevator and see Carolyn, Seri's sister-in-law, as the monitor. So fun! She just got a new job assisting Stephen, the artistic director of Millbrook and Vital Theatre Co. I love that it is such a small world. Carolyn came into my audition and I have to say it made me really nervous. I think I care a lot more about what she thinks about me than what they did. Because I'm getting used to singing for the anonymous "them" you know? I sang my ballad "jam" and then they asked for something more contemporary...I pulled out that pop mess again and sang all the right words! Woo hoo! Victory. Judging by their reaction and Carolyn's I didn't think I was stellar but then a few hours later Carolyn left me a message and said I was called back!!! yay!
I had one more audition appointment that afternoon, back at Chelsea, and I was sad that it was right smack in the middle of Bible Study. But an appointment is a grand thing! I was auditioning for "06880 the musical" about wealthy CT high school kids. They seemed to like me but no call-back. That's the thing...everyone seems to like you, you know...but are they just being overly nice? Hmmmm. The excitement there was that I saw Kate from Grease Academy. She was auditioning for Maine State. I wish I had heard her sing through the door! I'm sure I'll be seeing more of her and the other Grease castaways in the days to come!
Earlier in the day, an abandoned building had collapsed on 116th street and Lexington and because of that the East-side subway line was totally screwed up. They shut down service uptown for a while and by the time I went home it was a real mess. I couldn't even get on a train at 28th street because of the crowds and ended up walking to Grand Central before getting on an express train. I needed to go only 2 stops and the ride took about 35 minutes! Craziness. But we had beautiful beautiful weather. At one point I even considered walking the 70+ blocks. Spring definitely came alive on Tuesday...I loved walking past all the opened restaurants and seeing joy spread all around...Adrienne and I celebrated with some Tasti-D!
Friday, March 30, 2007
first paying gig!
Monday started nice and early with a 5:55 am wake up call. I've found that if I don't get to the gym in the morning, I likely won't get there...and I need to get there! Plus, I like doing my hair routine in the locker room...I don't have to worry about clogging up our shower with all that finger combing! Too much information?
Anyhoo...I was first in the EMC line (this is becoming a theme, eh?) at The Depot Theatre's EPA at Ripley-Grier. It was actually pretty empty and I would have gotten to sing in the first or second group except that their scheduled pianist didn't show up and they had to call someone else and ended up starting an hour late! I still got to sing by 11:30 but I was awestruck by how one person's error can alter the pace of so many poor actor's days! I didn't feel like I was very warmed up but I used the opportunity of singing with a really great pianist to try out a more character-y song....the good news is that I was leaving they asked me about my June availability and said they had a different project for which they would keep me on hold. Yay! Anything is better than "Thank you very much."
I had an appointment for Arundel Barn where I attempted to sing my more "pop" and "belt" styles...they were really nice and complimentary but we all knew I wasn't right for their season. In singing my "pop" song I totally went up on the words and I realized it's because I was focusing on sounding not like an opera singer instead of focusing on saying the text and meaning it. Note to self: when you don't know what you're communicating, you're going to screw up. Yep.
I ran over to the Redeemer offices after that audition to sing for Miriam and Tom. Redeemer doesn't have a regular choir for its services but employs the professional musicians within the church from time to time to sing in small ensembles, lead worship, play quartets, etc. Laura B. had been bugging me to go sing for them and when we went out to dinner on Saturday with Miriam she had said I could come by. She had totally forgotten and she had never told Tom so I felt it was a bit awkward. But I sang some Handel and then a more poppy show-tune as well as "He is exalted." I think Miriam was more into me than Tom and she hired me to sing in the Easter choir on the East-side...it's all professional singers and we'll be singing Messiah excerpts...yippee! And how funny that my first paid gig in NYC is coming from my church?
I came home and made dinner for Jon and Adrienne before we headed out for the New York Musical Theatre Festival's Spring Concert Series production of "The Authorized Musicology of Ben Folds Five." Oh my gosh! It was AMAZING from start to finish. First of all, I found these half-price tix on Goldstar for only $25 and the Zipper Theatre only seats 300. I felt like we were so priviledged to be there! The theatre is amazing...in the garmet district (thus the zipper theatre, it's right next to a zipper factory)...and all the seats are old train benches or dodge caravan seats....literally, discarded guts of minivans lined up next to eachother....makes for a very comfy seat! The performers, all Broadway stars, were AMAZING! We were especially excited to see Ashley Parker Angel (of MTV fame and now in Hairspray) who sang a really beautiful "Brick." My new favorite from Spelling Bee, Lisa Howard (and CCM grad!) was awesome and I have a new crush on Michael Arden. Basically it was just a straight concert of songs but each actor brought tons of depth to the lyrics and I could see how Ben Folds was made for theatre people! Tons of drama and fun! Will Chase who I'd met when he starred in "Little Princess" at Theatreworks was also awesome and I loved the passion and guts of the pianist. Such a fun night!!!!! I just felt so lucky to be there, soaking up all that talent. And of course, now, I'm a huge Ben Folds Five fan! Amazing songs!
Anyhoo...I was first in the EMC line (this is becoming a theme, eh?) at The Depot Theatre's EPA at Ripley-Grier. It was actually pretty empty and I would have gotten to sing in the first or second group except that their scheduled pianist didn't show up and they had to call someone else and ended up starting an hour late! I still got to sing by 11:30 but I was awestruck by how one person's error can alter the pace of so many poor actor's days! I didn't feel like I was very warmed up but I used the opportunity of singing with a really great pianist to try out a more character-y song....the good news is that I was leaving they asked me about my June availability and said they had a different project for which they would keep me on hold. Yay! Anything is better than "Thank you very much."
I had an appointment for Arundel Barn where I attempted to sing my more "pop" and "belt" styles...they were really nice and complimentary but we all knew I wasn't right for their season. In singing my "pop" song I totally went up on the words and I realized it's because I was focusing on sounding not like an opera singer instead of focusing on saying the text and meaning it. Note to self: when you don't know what you're communicating, you're going to screw up. Yep.
I ran over to the Redeemer offices after that audition to sing for Miriam and Tom. Redeemer doesn't have a regular choir for its services but employs the professional musicians within the church from time to time to sing in small ensembles, lead worship, play quartets, etc. Laura B. had been bugging me to go sing for them and when we went out to dinner on Saturday with Miriam she had said I could come by. She had totally forgotten and she had never told Tom so I felt it was a bit awkward. But I sang some Handel and then a more poppy show-tune as well as "He is exalted." I think Miriam was more into me than Tom and she hired me to sing in the Easter choir on the East-side...it's all professional singers and we'll be singing Messiah excerpts...yippee! And how funny that my first paid gig in NYC is coming from my church?
I came home and made dinner for Jon and Adrienne before we headed out for the New York Musical Theatre Festival's Spring Concert Series production of "The Authorized Musicology of Ben Folds Five." Oh my gosh! It was AMAZING from start to finish. First of all, I found these half-price tix on Goldstar for only $25 and the Zipper Theatre only seats 300. I felt like we were so priviledged to be there! The theatre is amazing...in the garmet district (thus the zipper theatre, it's right next to a zipper factory)...and all the seats are old train benches or dodge caravan seats....literally, discarded guts of minivans lined up next to eachother....makes for a very comfy seat! The performers, all Broadway stars, were AMAZING! We were especially excited to see Ashley Parker Angel (of MTV fame and now in Hairspray) who sang a really beautiful "Brick." My new favorite from Spelling Bee, Lisa Howard (and CCM grad!) was awesome and I have a new crush on Michael Arden. Basically it was just a straight concert of songs but each actor brought tons of depth to the lyrics and I could see how Ben Folds was made for theatre people! Tons of drama and fun! Will Chase who I'd met when he starred in "Little Princess" at Theatreworks was also awesome and I loved the passion and guts of the pianist. Such a fun night!!!!! I just felt so lucky to be there, soaking up all that talent. And of course, now, I'm a huge Ben Folds Five fan! Amazing songs!
Thursday, March 29, 2007
So you think you can dance?
Sunday morning we had a pretty early call for the Redeemer Choir. We sang at the East Side Morning Service which attracts about 2000 people in the Hunter College Auditorium. It was fun to be on stage and feel a part of the service. Our songs went really well and it was a really joyful and intense experience of worship. I forgot how much I love to sing in a choir. Fun, fun. The service itself was so different from my usual West Side AM and I remembered why I chose that one! The East siders do only hymns with organ and there is just a much more old-school feel to it all. Now that Redeemer added 5 services, Tim only speaks at 4 and so one service gets a rotating pastor. John Lin did a really good job but I have to feel bad that he knows that everyone is disappointed to miss Tim. This service had a very elaborate coffee hour at the Hunter College Student Center...several stations of coffee with multiple flavors of coffeemate to boot. Fancy! I ran into my West Side AM buddy Julia which was so fun because I had missed her the last few weeks being out of town, etc. I also met an opera singer couple who are friends of Jenny. They were fun to talk to and I loved how they were wearing orange accessories that complimented one another. So cute. I walked home from Hunter (68th and Lex) and noticed how much cuter the delis and cafes are in the 70s than in the upper 80s and 90s....we're going to have to work on that!
When I arrived home I basically prepped and worked myslef into a tizzy about my upcoming dance call. What to wear, what to stretch, yada yada. I discovered that Broadway on a Sunday afternoon between 34th and 26th is not the safest place to be. I think there are flea markets nearby on Sundays so there were all sorts of characters around that I was not used to seeing. I arrived in the room and just felt suffocated by the string beans stretching our their splits and adjusting their worn-in leotards. Oh dear. What did I get myself into? It ended up taking a very long time to be seen...the guys group was running late ahead of us and the most redeeming aspect of the afternoon was watching their "Hairspray" combo in action. So cute. I was in the 2nd group of 2 girls' groups...they taught us original Jerome Robbins choreagraphy of "America" and about 64 counts of it!!! Kill me now. It moved so fast and it all moved to the left, where I was standing in my group, so I never really had a good view or a good opportunity to practice the steps. And then, they ran our of time and called my group up first. We totally fell apart and none of us got asked to stay any further. I was actually pretty humiliated and disappointed especially because the choreagrapher is a teacher that I've taken class from at Steps. I am just so embarassed at how poorly I did and I wonder if I'll be able to go back to class! I swallowed my sorrow in the form of a Pinkberry treat before heading home for pizza night with special guest Eric. I made one of my best pizzas complete with goat cheese and sauteed onions. Yum. We had fun seeing the ones that we wanted make it to Broadway!
When I arrived home I basically prepped and worked myslef into a tizzy about my upcoming dance call. What to wear, what to stretch, yada yada. I discovered that Broadway on a Sunday afternoon between 34th and 26th is not the safest place to be. I think there are flea markets nearby on Sundays so there were all sorts of characters around that I was not used to seeing. I arrived in the room and just felt suffocated by the string beans stretching our their splits and adjusting their worn-in leotards. Oh dear. What did I get myself into? It ended up taking a very long time to be seen...the guys group was running late ahead of us and the most redeeming aspect of the afternoon was watching their "Hairspray" combo in action. So cute. I was in the 2nd group of 2 girls' groups...they taught us original Jerome Robbins choreagraphy of "America" and about 64 counts of it!!! Kill me now. It moved so fast and it all moved to the left, where I was standing in my group, so I never really had a good view or a good opportunity to practice the steps. And then, they ran our of time and called my group up first. We totally fell apart and none of us got asked to stay any further. I was actually pretty humiliated and disappointed especially because the choreagrapher is a teacher that I've taken class from at Steps. I am just so embarassed at how poorly I did and I wonder if I'll be able to go back to class! I swallowed my sorrow in the form of a Pinkberry treat before heading home for pizza night with special guest Eric. I made one of my best pizzas complete with goat cheese and sauteed onions. Yum. We had fun seeing the ones that we wanted make it to Broadway!
Fun with Redeemer Girls!
I woke up early (masochist, I know) to go to they gym before Redeemer Spring Volunteer Choir Rehearsal! Yay! So fun! Laura B. conducted us and asked me to come sing and I would do anything for her and I was so excited to meet some new folks and sing! My first NY performance. Over 50 people showed up to sing, more than they've ever had, including some past and present stars of Broadway. One guy is in the ensemble of Les Mis and had two shows and still came to rehearsal. We sang an excerpt from the Dubois "Seven Last Words of Christ" as well as a Craig Courteney piece. After rehearsal I killed some time on 8th Avenue before heading to an audition appointment I had for a play. Yes, a play. I did my schizophrenic teenage monologue that so needs to hit the recycling bin. And now I know why people say they see me and don't know what to do with me! Late 20s woman who could pass for ethnic/exotic doing monologue by a schizo-teenage-cheerleader. Seems simple, right?
Laura B. had organized a girls night out and we met up for dinner at Dallas BBQ before heading to a Mary Magdalene one-woman show. It was such a fun group and I met Miriam, the music director of the East Side Redeemer service, as well as Kathy, an opera singer and Allison, a musical theatre gal. Allison not only has a very cute daughter named Gracie but is actually married to the Burger King. Yes, the guy in all those commercials is her husband! Dallas BBQ is on 42nd Street and boasts perhaps the largest dining room I've ever seen. It's pretty cheap to eat there and it attracts an "exciting" crowd. Great fun was had and we were happy campers heading to Mary's story, a Christian musical staged at the Salvation Army's Theatre. The theatre is actually really beautiful and the singer was also lovely and a CCM grad! We thought the show could use some work and a bit more variety. One woman shows where the receiver is ever only Jesus are perhaps just a little harder for the audience. That's my guess. Kathy is covering Mabel at New York City Opera so she had to stay in town until 10:30 so we all supported her by stopping in at a Starbucks where i ran into my friend DaRon who works there. I was excited to hear some of his great callback news.
I took the train home by myself, not many of the music types live on the East side, and was happy to talk to Charile :) when I returned home!
Laura B. had organized a girls night out and we met up for dinner at Dallas BBQ before heading to a Mary Magdalene one-woman show. It was such a fun group and I met Miriam, the music director of the East Side Redeemer service, as well as Kathy, an opera singer and Allison, a musical theatre gal. Allison not only has a very cute daughter named Gracie but is actually married to the Burger King. Yes, the guy in all those commercials is her husband! Dallas BBQ is on 42nd Street and boasts perhaps the largest dining room I've ever seen. It's pretty cheap to eat there and it attracts an "exciting" crowd. Great fun was had and we were happy campers heading to Mary's story, a Christian musical staged at the Salvation Army's Theatre. The theatre is actually really beautiful and the singer was also lovely and a CCM grad! We thought the show could use some work and a bit more variety. One woman shows where the receiver is ever only Jesus are perhaps just a little harder for the audience. That's my guess. Kathy is covering Mabel at New York City Opera so she had to stay in town until 10:30 so we all supported her by stopping in at a Starbucks where i ran into my friend DaRon who works there. I was excited to hear some of his great callback news.
I took the train home by myself, not many of the music types live on the East side, and was happy to talk to Charile :) when I returned home!
Magic day of auditions
After the heart-ache of Thursday's misses I was due for some good audition karma, if there is such a thing! I was first in line for the Maine State EPA and in about 20 minutes made it up and back to sign up for an audition at Shetler Studios. I got to sing around 10:30 and got called back for their internship program...17 weeks in coastal Maine and 17 EMC points! But, there was something in their handbook about cleaning toilets....the things we do for those EMC points. I was stoked to get 2 callbacks in one week! Yay!
I then took the train to the Upper West Side at another theatre within a church, this one for the equity national tour of "My Fair Lady." I literally got seen right away and even though I told my pianist the cut I wanted he played the whole song for me...oh well! I'm feeling like "Somebody, Somewhere" is definitely my new jam. It's in a really comfortable place. Yay!
I left with my "thank you very much" and headed back downtown for another non-equity summer stock audition. Again, I literally got to sing right away, and I did my new jam and got some nice compliments and nothing else. But 3 auditions down by 12:30...amazing!!! I love my life!
I was on such a roll that I decided it might be a good idea to prepare for my Sunday dance call for Maine State by attempting another dance call that afternoon. I headed over to Equity where I ran into Annie P, my dancer-friend from elementary school. We had fun stretching and waiting before being turned away at 3:30. Alas, it couldn't be a perfect day.
I went to Trader Joes not thinking that Friday afternoon would be such a horrible time to navigate that mess. It was, but hey, the things I do for that Kashi cereal. (On a side note, tonight, 3/29, Adrienne took me to Eli's this really, really fancy grocery store and they sell my cereal for $5.99....$2.49 at TJs....isn't that crazy???)
I was so, so, so tired from my crazy 3 days of auditions following nights of little sleep that I couldn't do anything, not even blog on Friday night. I literally sat in a stupor watching "Miss Usa" with Adrienne and Jon.
I then took the train to the Upper West Side at another theatre within a church, this one for the equity national tour of "My Fair Lady." I literally got seen right away and even though I told my pianist the cut I wanted he played the whole song for me...oh well! I'm feeling like "Somebody, Somewhere" is definitely my new jam. It's in a really comfortable place. Yay!
I left with my "thank you very much" and headed back downtown for another non-equity summer stock audition. Again, I literally got to sing right away, and I did my new jam and got some nice compliments and nothing else. But 3 auditions down by 12:30...amazing!!! I love my life!
I was on such a roll that I decided it might be a good idea to prepare for my Sunday dance call for Maine State by attempting another dance call that afternoon. I headed over to Equity where I ran into Annie P, my dancer-friend from elementary school. We had fun stretching and waiting before being turned away at 3:30. Alas, it couldn't be a perfect day.
I went to Trader Joes not thinking that Friday afternoon would be such a horrible time to navigate that mess. It was, but hey, the things I do for that Kashi cereal. (On a side note, tonight, 3/29, Adrienne took me to Eli's this really, really fancy grocery store and they sell my cereal for $5.99....$2.49 at TJs....isn't that crazy???)
I was so, so, so tired from my crazy 3 days of auditions following nights of little sleep that I couldn't do anything, not even blog on Friday night. I literally sat in a stupor watching "Miss Usa" with Adrienne and Jon.
the wrong place at the wrong time
On Thursday there were 6 auditions that interested me and sadly, I bet on the wrong horses. I was the 2nd EMC in line for the "Sunday in the Park with George" Roundabout (on Broadway!) call and I left, thinking that I would have to wait awhile to be seen. I headed to Equity to see about singing in some chorus calls. By the time I returned to "Sunday" three of the EMCs behind me in line were lined up to sing and I had missed my number! So then, you get moved to the end of the list. Long sob story short, every EMC ended up getting seen and I never got to sing. And I was too busy waiting to go back to the chorus calls. The bright side is that my friend from my small group, Michelle, who is also an opera singer had come in to wait on the non-equity list and we ran into eachother on the elevator and enjoyed chatting while we waited and wondered when to give up hope. I headed uptown for my coaching with Laura B. which was great as always, working my mix-belt and running through new songs.
Just for some added torture, I headed back to "Sunday" where I was so pleasantly surprised to run into my dear friend Nora from CCM. I had not seen her for a few years and I had no idea she was also dipping her toes into the theatre pool. We had so much fun catching up and sitting without a chance of being seen. It all goes back to my theory of these equity calls...the later in the day, the less chance you'll have to get seen...which is why I should have NEVER left! Alas! I dragged Nora up a few flights of stairs for a non-Equity audition that I had an appointment for. We both sang and helped some really rich lost people find their way to a studio down the hall that was hosting a producers' meeting for a new musical. The fun thing about these audition spaces is that you never know who will be down the hall, rehearsing, auditioning or signing a check! My friend Jenny just met Ben Vereen at a different but similar studio because he was directed into her room by mistake! Fun.
Nora walked me to the East Side and I was able to barely make it home to drop off my heavy books before heading back to Theatre 1010's callback. I ended up sitting in a chair that was in the direct line of some intense lights. As the director was explaining that many of the leads were pre-cast I guess I was squinting or furrowing my brow. He totally called me out in front of everyone saying that I looked like that was unexpected information. I quickly replied, "no, it's just the lights" and got a few chuckles. You can't make the director mad before the call-back! It was a pretty interminable experience with groups going down to read and everyone reading several scenes and learning 4 measures of harmony and then each one performing a monologue from the show. I was one of the last to do the final reading and he said, "very good, so much talent, I don't know what to do." I was so happy to reconnect with my friend Kat who was also called back and arrived late. The director said to Kat, "So much talent, I think I'll just throw up all the resumes and see who lands on top." GRRRRRRRrrrrrrreat. Considering the fact that I don't play the clarinet or even the kazoo while some girls had carted in their accordions and trombones, I knew my chances were slim. You don't even need to fast forward to Sunday to find out that I didn't get that job.
Just for some added torture, I headed back to "Sunday" where I was so pleasantly surprised to run into my dear friend Nora from CCM. I had not seen her for a few years and I had no idea she was also dipping her toes into the theatre pool. We had so much fun catching up and sitting without a chance of being seen. It all goes back to my theory of these equity calls...the later in the day, the less chance you'll have to get seen...which is why I should have NEVER left! Alas! I dragged Nora up a few flights of stairs for a non-Equity audition that I had an appointment for. We both sang and helped some really rich lost people find their way to a studio down the hall that was hosting a producers' meeting for a new musical. The fun thing about these audition spaces is that you never know who will be down the hall, rehearsing, auditioning or signing a check! My friend Jenny just met Ben Vereen at a different but similar studio because he was directed into her room by mistake! Fun.
Nora walked me to the East Side and I was able to barely make it home to drop off my heavy books before heading back to Theatre 1010's callback. I ended up sitting in a chair that was in the direct line of some intense lights. As the director was explaining that many of the leads were pre-cast I guess I was squinting or furrowing my brow. He totally called me out in front of everyone saying that I looked like that was unexpected information. I quickly replied, "no, it's just the lights" and got a few chuckles. You can't make the director mad before the call-back! It was a pretty interminable experience with groups going down to read and everyone reading several scenes and learning 4 measures of harmony and then each one performing a monologue from the show. I was one of the last to do the final reading and he said, "very good, so much talent, I don't know what to do." I was so happy to reconnect with my friend Kat who was also called back and arrived late. The director said to Kat, "So much talent, I think I'll just throw up all the resumes and see who lands on top." GRRRRRRRrrrrrrreat. Considering the fact that I don't play the clarinet or even the kazoo while some girls had carted in their accordions and trombones, I knew my chances were slim. You don't even need to fast forward to Sunday to find out that I didn't get that job.
I should have played the clarinet
Even though I got to bed after 1 am, I forced myself to wake up at dawn and live the dream, i.e. stand in line at the Actors' Equity building to audition. Half-asleep I put myself on 2 EMC lists and got to sing in the first group for one of them! amazing! I love it when the Equity actors start getting hired and don't need to be at every audition in the land! Yippee! I sang "de-lovely" and I was told it was excellent and truly de-lovely. But no callback! I'd rather be de-average and called back. Oh well! I didn't get into the 2nd audition and went home to re-charge at the gym before heading back to an audition for a theatre company in my neighborhood. The theatre is in the basement of a Park Ave. church. When we arrived we were individually warned not to leave the holding room because children of diplomats were in the building. But, of course. Wouldn't want to have a run-in with an ambassador's toddlers. The audition was for Kurt Weill's "Happy End." It was an Equity audition but there was a relatively low turn-out so I got to sing without a long wait. Like every other theatre company in the WORLD, they are doing a John Doyle-esque production where the actors have to play instruments. Isn't it enough to sing, dance and act all at the same time? Now you want us to play the clarinet as well? "Happy End" centers around the Salvation Army so I guess they are hoping to outfit a real band. Anyhoo...suprisingly I still got a callback, with or without my kazoo.
oh soooooooooo behind!
Okay, let's see how many hours it takes to get caught up...I'll go day by day and i'll aim to keep it short.
The short story is that since i returned from CA, life has been CRAZY with lots of auditions and shows to see, etc.
I had a wonderful, wonderful visit to CA and managed to pack in lots of friends, a hike at Rancho San Antonio, visits to Highway and La Bodeguita, and of course precious time with the family. I have an amazing video of Charlie singing his "ABCs" at the park. After he finished I said, "I love you, Charlie" and he repeated back to me, "I wuv you, Charree." I said "I love you Charlie" one more time to which he melted me with his, "I know."
Such sweet times (and boys!) were hard to leave behind but I hopped on the plane and had a great and easy flight to JFK. JFK is a bit further from Manhattan and you can take a cab for $45 flat or you can be frugal like me and wait for Super Shuttle for an hour after you arrive only to take another $17 shuttle because they never show up. I told the driver my address, E. 95th Street and he repeated it back in a thick accent. I slid into the back seat next to a German model and an Italian clothes designer who had just met and were already fast friends. I was glad to have their entertaining conversation to eavesdrop on...it was a long ride. The driver went over the George Washington Bridge and dropped off the first guy on E. 60th. At the time, I wondered if he would drop me off next or save me for the end. As he headed downtown I realized that I was going to be last in a line of about 8 stops. The bright side of this midnight ride was that I got to see so much of NYC and connect geographically the places I had seen at one point or another. I'd like to think of it as my free tour of the tourist districts. Near the end of the journey, around Chelsea, the driver turned to me and said, "East 25th, right?" OH NO!!!! He then proceeded to accuse me of telling him I was headed to E. 25th. Now, what would be my motivation in telling him the wrong address? I mean, the free tour was great and all, but it was nearing 1 am!!!! He said some choice words, I'm sure, in his language before lecturing me about how I would have been the first drop-off, I should be sleeping by now, yada yada yada.
A hearty welcome to NYC!
The short story is that since i returned from CA, life has been CRAZY with lots of auditions and shows to see, etc.
I had a wonderful, wonderful visit to CA and managed to pack in lots of friends, a hike at Rancho San Antonio, visits to Highway and La Bodeguita, and of course precious time with the family. I have an amazing video of Charlie singing his "ABCs" at the park. After he finished I said, "I love you, Charlie" and he repeated back to me, "I wuv you, Charree." I said "I love you Charlie" one more time to which he melted me with his, "I know."
Such sweet times (and boys!) were hard to leave behind but I hopped on the plane and had a great and easy flight to JFK. JFK is a bit further from Manhattan and you can take a cab for $45 flat or you can be frugal like me and wait for Super Shuttle for an hour after you arrive only to take another $17 shuttle because they never show up. I told the driver my address, E. 95th Street and he repeated it back in a thick accent. I slid into the back seat next to a German model and an Italian clothes designer who had just met and were already fast friends. I was glad to have their entertaining conversation to eavesdrop on...it was a long ride. The driver went over the George Washington Bridge and dropped off the first guy on E. 60th. At the time, I wondered if he would drop me off next or save me for the end. As he headed downtown I realized that I was going to be last in a line of about 8 stops. The bright side of this midnight ride was that I got to see so much of NYC and connect geographically the places I had seen at one point or another. I'd like to think of it as my free tour of the tourist districts. Near the end of the journey, around Chelsea, the driver turned to me and said, "East 25th, right?" OH NO!!!! He then proceeded to accuse me of telling him I was headed to E. 25th. Now, what would be my motivation in telling him the wrong address? I mean, the free tour was great and all, but it was nearing 1 am!!!! He said some choice words, I'm sure, in his language before lecturing me about how I would have been the first drop-off, I should be sleeping by now, yada yada yada.
A hearty welcome to NYC!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
I'm flying home....
yay!!!!! I get to go home tomorrow! I'm so excited. I keep checking on my flight's progress....oh yeah, it hasn't left yet! Flight #9 out of JFK coming to SFO! Yippee! Okay, until then...I'll catch you up on the last few days.
Sunday was my fun day with Jenny H. I just love my new friend....she is the one that was my roommate on the women's retreat. She is an opera-singing, zoo-loving, splenda-eating kindred-spirit-to-be, I think, and I really love the time I get to spend with her. I walked to church (soooooooo early, daylights saving, ouch) and as I was in the heart of WASP-land (Madison and 70s) a man rolled by in his S series Benz and yelled, "What the hell? Is it 7 or 8?" in a super-sweet NY accent. I yelled back, "8!" with authority before realizing it was really nearing 9. You'd think the priviledged rich would make sure their butlers would keep them informed about these things.
Church was great although a bit uncoventional because the printer had sent last weeks' programs by mistake. It definitely threw everyone for a loop since Redeemer is a program-heavy sort of service. Because we have no facility or hymnals of any sort, we rely on the programs for the music and text to the songs, not to mention readings and announcements. As Tim K said, "The first Christians were able to worship without modern printing presses."
I met some fun new people in the coffee hour including a modern visual artist who is interested in moving to CA.
Jenny and I went to a mid-town diner for a yummy, yummy brunch where we ordered exactly the same-thing, of course! We killed some time and had fun trying on makeup at Sephora before heading to Drowsy Chaperone to put our names in the $25 ticket lottery. Most Broadway shows have a rush or lottery policy where they reserve a certain amount of seats in the front row for a much-discounted price. Unfortunately Jenny and I weren't the only ones with the great idea of a Sunday matinee so we did not win the lottery. :( But, with Jenny's friend John who had a Drowsy ticket in hand, we walked to the TKTS booth to see what our options were for some half-price tickets. The trick with the TKTS booth is that they only offer such tickets from the premium price level and so you end up paying $50-60. I wanted to see Grey Gardens with Christine Ebersole, which was really the only one that seemed splurge-worthy but Jenny really wanted to see Spelling Bee. Since I had seen it twice in SF, I felt $50 was a lot for that one....but then the best thing happened! A kid that had too much luck won the lotteries at both Spelling Bee and Drowsy Chaperone and needed to sell his Spelling Bee tickets. So, we ended up with 2nd row seats to Spelling Bee at the Circle in the Square Theatre...such a cool space, and AMAZING to be so close up! I loved the show and it was totally different from the SF production. I really missed James and Betsy in their roles but I still think it is the most fun and zany and sweet show and it was great to see Jenny's reaction. We lingered a bit afterwards and got to see all the stars on their way out in street make-up. The girl who played Olive was working a dress with jeans and tennies look...love it!
John met us afterwards and the three of us headed uptown to Alice's Tea Cup to meet their friend Hanneliese who I had heard so much about! There was no room for us at Alice's table and so instead we went to "the bread of the day" French bakery-place with the worst service ever for a little soup and chatter. I was totally beat by the end of such an exciting and early-starting day and unfortunately started feeling under the weather again in my walk across the park.
Monday was a sick day. :( I slept in and didn't really do much all day. I have nothing great to report. I gave myself time to feel better and did some grocery shopping. I hated it. Really.
Tuesday was another sick day but it turned for the better. I slept in again with a scratchy throat but got up early enough to run to Trader Joes in record time and do some errands before hitting the library. I spent about 4 hours there, researching musicals and listening to scores. I fell in love with Donna Murphy, famous in my heart for her role as the ballet teacher in "Center Stage" but rightly famous as an amazing singing-actress. I loved her in "Wonderful Town!" I hope I'll get to see her live someday soon. After my library fun I went over to the Jennings for Bible Study and had a wonderful time connecting with a few of the ladies that I think are amazing godly women in prayer time. Adrienne had made us a wonderful recreation of one of our order-in favorites: The Chicken Rice bowl with arugula from Pita Grill. Yummers! We watched "American Idol" and I decided that some people don't deserve to go to Devachan and have their curls worked....um, Sunjaya?
Wednesday, today, was a great day! I decided to go for some auditions at the Equity Center but was so sure I wasn't get to sing. Miracle of miracles, I was typed in for an Equity Chorus Call for Surflight Theatre in NJ and got to sing! My first time singing in the Equity builiding...I still can't really believe it. The singing went well and I felt like I just owned my legit-ness and didn't apologize for it in ways I had been in earlier auditions. They seemed to really enjoy all 16 bars even though I didn't get asked to stay and dance! Baby steps! Lauri Beth from the Gym was VERY complimentary of the new hair and that made me very giddy and excited. I even got a compliment from a girl I didn't know who said she had wanted to tell me how amazing my hair looked! I know, I'm totally building this up way too much, for those of you I'm about to see! :)
One of my non-Eq friends Thalia was checking in on the EMC list status for another call and invited me to go grab a salad with her. She is a fun girl and I enjoy her humor! The weather was amazing today! My unlimited metro card ran out yesterday so I decided I would walk the 50+ blocks and 5 avenues home! It was a great day for people-watching on Madison Ave but I definitely broke a sweat. I ended up taking my first run in Central Park, around the Reservoir. It's a pretty easy and beautiful run, perfect for amateurs like me! I came home and took a shampoo-less shower and I have to say the curls are doing their best non-friendliness work yet...so exciting! We just bid adieu to Eric, Sarah, and Jon who all came over for a delicous dinner that Sarah and Adrienne fixed...whole-wheat pasta with a roasted red-pepper and feta sauce as well as Adrienne's famous palmitos salad. Yum, yum. We enjoyed poking fun at ANTM as well as wondering how Brandon got kicked off of AI. Argh. I hate that "Vote for the Worst" website. Lame. Okay, I should really go to sleep...I'm going to have a fun adventure getting to the airport tomorrow....trains and trams, oh my!
Sunday was my fun day with Jenny H. I just love my new friend....she is the one that was my roommate on the women's retreat. She is an opera-singing, zoo-loving, splenda-eating kindred-spirit-to-be, I think, and I really love the time I get to spend with her. I walked to church (soooooooo early, daylights saving, ouch) and as I was in the heart of WASP-land (Madison and 70s) a man rolled by in his S series Benz and yelled, "What the hell? Is it 7 or 8?" in a super-sweet NY accent. I yelled back, "8!" with authority before realizing it was really nearing 9. You'd think the priviledged rich would make sure their butlers would keep them informed about these things.
Church was great although a bit uncoventional because the printer had sent last weeks' programs by mistake. It definitely threw everyone for a loop since Redeemer is a program-heavy sort of service. Because we have no facility or hymnals of any sort, we rely on the programs for the music and text to the songs, not to mention readings and announcements. As Tim K said, "The first Christians were able to worship without modern printing presses."
I met some fun new people in the coffee hour including a modern visual artist who is interested in moving to CA.
Jenny and I went to a mid-town diner for a yummy, yummy brunch where we ordered exactly the same-thing, of course! We killed some time and had fun trying on makeup at Sephora before heading to Drowsy Chaperone to put our names in the $25 ticket lottery. Most Broadway shows have a rush or lottery policy where they reserve a certain amount of seats in the front row for a much-discounted price. Unfortunately Jenny and I weren't the only ones with the great idea of a Sunday matinee so we did not win the lottery. :( But, with Jenny's friend John who had a Drowsy ticket in hand, we walked to the TKTS booth to see what our options were for some half-price tickets. The trick with the TKTS booth is that they only offer such tickets from the premium price level and so you end up paying $50-60. I wanted to see Grey Gardens with Christine Ebersole, which was really the only one that seemed splurge-worthy but Jenny really wanted to see Spelling Bee. Since I had seen it twice in SF, I felt $50 was a lot for that one....but then the best thing happened! A kid that had too much luck won the lotteries at both Spelling Bee and Drowsy Chaperone and needed to sell his Spelling Bee tickets. So, we ended up with 2nd row seats to Spelling Bee at the Circle in the Square Theatre...such a cool space, and AMAZING to be so close up! I loved the show and it was totally different from the SF production. I really missed James and Betsy in their roles but I still think it is the most fun and zany and sweet show and it was great to see Jenny's reaction. We lingered a bit afterwards and got to see all the stars on their way out in street make-up. The girl who played Olive was working a dress with jeans and tennies look...love it!
John met us afterwards and the three of us headed uptown to Alice's Tea Cup to meet their friend Hanneliese who I had heard so much about! There was no room for us at Alice's table and so instead we went to "the bread of the day" French bakery-place with the worst service ever for a little soup and chatter. I was totally beat by the end of such an exciting and early-starting day and unfortunately started feeling under the weather again in my walk across the park.
Monday was a sick day. :( I slept in and didn't really do much all day. I have nothing great to report. I gave myself time to feel better and did some grocery shopping. I hated it. Really.
Tuesday was another sick day but it turned for the better. I slept in again with a scratchy throat but got up early enough to run to Trader Joes in record time and do some errands before hitting the library. I spent about 4 hours there, researching musicals and listening to scores. I fell in love with Donna Murphy, famous in my heart for her role as the ballet teacher in "Center Stage" but rightly famous as an amazing singing-actress. I loved her in "Wonderful Town!" I hope I'll get to see her live someday soon. After my library fun I went over to the Jennings for Bible Study and had a wonderful time connecting with a few of the ladies that I think are amazing godly women in prayer time. Adrienne had made us a wonderful recreation of one of our order-in favorites: The Chicken Rice bowl with arugula from Pita Grill. Yummers! We watched "American Idol" and I decided that some people don't deserve to go to Devachan and have their curls worked....um, Sunjaya?
Wednesday, today, was a great day! I decided to go for some auditions at the Equity Center but was so sure I wasn't get to sing. Miracle of miracles, I was typed in for an Equity Chorus Call for Surflight Theatre in NJ and got to sing! My first time singing in the Equity builiding...I still can't really believe it. The singing went well and I felt like I just owned my legit-ness and didn't apologize for it in ways I had been in earlier auditions. They seemed to really enjoy all 16 bars even though I didn't get asked to stay and dance! Baby steps! Lauri Beth from the Gym was VERY complimentary of the new hair and that made me very giddy and excited. I even got a compliment from a girl I didn't know who said she had wanted to tell me how amazing my hair looked! I know, I'm totally building this up way too much, for those of you I'm about to see! :)
One of my non-Eq friends Thalia was checking in on the EMC list status for another call and invited me to go grab a salad with her. She is a fun girl and I enjoy her humor! The weather was amazing today! My unlimited metro card ran out yesterday so I decided I would walk the 50+ blocks and 5 avenues home! It was a great day for people-watching on Madison Ave but I definitely broke a sweat. I ended up taking my first run in Central Park, around the Reservoir. It's a pretty easy and beautiful run, perfect for amateurs like me! I came home and took a shampoo-less shower and I have to say the curls are doing their best non-friendliness work yet...so exciting! We just bid adieu to Eric, Sarah, and Jon who all came over for a delicous dinner that Sarah and Adrienne fixed...whole-wheat pasta with a roasted red-pepper and feta sauce as well as Adrienne's famous palmitos salad. Yum, yum. We enjoyed poking fun at ANTM as well as wondering how Brandon got kicked off of AI. Argh. I hate that "Vote for the Worst" website. Lame. Okay, I should really go to sleep...I'm going to have a fun adventure getting to the airport tomorrow....trains and trams, oh my!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
say goodbye to shampoo...
Friday I woke up debating if I should share my brewing germs with any auditioning theatre companies. I decided against it and instead went back to Nia to shake my bones for the first time in a long while. I spent most of the day preparing for my coaching with Laura which was great, again!!!, despite my strange throat. I am finding that I have a lot less opera in my MT sound than I thought and it's not going to be as great a divide to "cross-over" as I had anticipated. Which is great! Yay! We had so much fun going through bunches of new songs I'd learned, trying to find that middle ground between what I imagine the MT sound (a little bit too nasaly for public consumption!) and my natural "legit" voice. I know this is really technical and boring. Sorry. I'm just excited that it's not going to take me years to find a marketable sound in theatre. Yippee.
As I was walking home from my coaching in the fashion district, guess who I saw again?....Jay McCarroll, season 1 winner of Project Runway. I love my celebrity designer friends...maybe someday he'll pass me one of his cool bags as I walk by. I can dream.
Friday night I met up with Adrienne and her friend from work, Robin for a movie and dinner. I am embarassed to admit that I spent $11 on (cringing as I write) "Wild Hogs." Oh dear. It was actually pretty enjoyable despite some serious bad writing and questionable lack of acting. We walked down my favorite avenue (2nd Ave) for several blocks before deciding on Jackson Hole, a diner, famous for burgers. Yummy turkey burgers with gigantic fries. Robin is a singer-actor and while she isn't pursuing theatre as a career right now she has been on Broadway and was full of advice for me. It was so nice to meet her and see why Adrienne is such a big fan of hers! We continued our conversations (and splurging) at another diner closer to our house called, "Burger Heaven" where we split a few desserts.
Seri and Bradley came over for some tea and some play with Gracie after their dinner date with one of Bradley's high school friends. It was a good time, oh yeah, love those Quartons!
Saturday was the big makeover day with my 4pm appointment set at Devachan salon, the mecca for curly hair. So much more on that to come!
I was excited to go back to my Sat. morning dance classes. I was sad not to see Gail at Nia but still got a great workout making shapes and shaking my bones. I also was thrilled to be back in Abby's class. We did hip-hop which is a struggle for my white, goody-goody body but I did my best to look mad and fierce. I'm not quitting my day job...or whatever.
Adrienne accompanied me on the big adventure. Devachan is in the heart of Soho, the trendy, trendy part of town. It was super-crowded on the street and we found the salon hidden away, in the basement of a building with a doorman. Already, the mystique poured in. I had to check in and then exchanged my coat for a silky gold robe. I sat with excitement next to Adrienne. Apparently Jeffrey, my stylist, was running a little behind, and so we were offered tea and enjoyed the hibiscus-y concoction immensely. Yum! Already, I knew this was going to be a flavor-ful experience. We chatted up a really sweet man waiting for his wife to get her hair colored. He didn't know about the cult of Devachan and was shocked when two girls checked in and announced they had come all the way from DC for their curly lock haircuts!
Well, after a few more minutes, Jeffrey introduced himself to me and then sat me in one of his chairs. It seemed like he had two or three other girls at various stages in their Devachan experience while he was working with me. I enjoyed him ssssoooooooooo much. Honestly he not only spoke a foreign curl language (lots about the inner and outer weight of my hair and how my curls had become too friendly with eachother) but also with a pretty thick Malaysian-Chinese accent. But he had a great sense of humor, I loved talking to him about Malaysia and he was so passionate about how to treat curls! I got the giggles several times when I watched his intensity in trimming each dry curl. I had to bring Adrienne over to experience the joy! After he did the dry cut and started explaining how my life was going to change (no more shampoo, never again, no combs, just fingers and water-based products...i think he nearly fainted when I told him that I had used mousse that morning!!!!), I had the extreme pleasure of getting my carefully trimmed curls washed and "set." The wash station was like a reclining massage table with a mosquito net and complete with delicious smelling products and a great head and neck massage. Loved it! My hair-washer also dried my hair and applied gel with paper towels? and then clipped pieces of it for added height and then put my head into an extremely fast hair dryer. After it was "set" my curls definitely looked different and Jeffrey seemed pleased. He talked me through my entire program...lots of conditioning, scrunching, drying with paper towels and no shampooing....and my favorite line, he said, "Call me anytime you have questions." He is like my curl doctor! Based on my overly-friendly curls and the "inner weight" issues, he doesn't want to see me for another 7 months. Can I really wait that long? It was so fun and a totally other-worldly experience. I feel like my hair has changed forever!
We didn't finish at the salon until 6:30! and went straight to Macy's on 34th for some makeup ideas. We went to the Prescriptives counter and I got color-typed again and to my astonishment I am actually a yellow-orange. Another life-altering revelation! We were starving and Adrienne remembered a fun diner in Times Square. Note to everyone...don't eat in Times Square, especially diner food, you will get ripped off! We decided to have a last indulgence after a week of splurging to propel us into Dr. Oz allegiance...we stopped at Carnegie Deli for a slice of 5th Avenue Pie to share. Totally full of calories and needless sugar, I honestly don't need to ever eat it or anything like it again.
As I was walking home from my coaching in the fashion district, guess who I saw again?....Jay McCarroll, season 1 winner of Project Runway. I love my celebrity designer friends...maybe someday he'll pass me one of his cool bags as I walk by. I can dream.
Friday night I met up with Adrienne and her friend from work, Robin for a movie and dinner. I am embarassed to admit that I spent $11 on (cringing as I write) "Wild Hogs." Oh dear. It was actually pretty enjoyable despite some serious bad writing and questionable lack of acting. We walked down my favorite avenue (2nd Ave) for several blocks before deciding on Jackson Hole, a diner, famous for burgers. Yummy turkey burgers with gigantic fries. Robin is a singer-actor and while she isn't pursuing theatre as a career right now she has been on Broadway and was full of advice for me. It was so nice to meet her and see why Adrienne is such a big fan of hers! We continued our conversations (and splurging) at another diner closer to our house called, "Burger Heaven" where we split a few desserts.
Seri and Bradley came over for some tea and some play with Gracie after their dinner date with one of Bradley's high school friends. It was a good time, oh yeah, love those Quartons!
Saturday was the big makeover day with my 4pm appointment set at Devachan salon, the mecca for curly hair. So much more on that to come!
I was excited to go back to my Sat. morning dance classes. I was sad not to see Gail at Nia but still got a great workout making shapes and shaking my bones. I also was thrilled to be back in Abby's class. We did hip-hop which is a struggle for my white, goody-goody body but I did my best to look mad and fierce. I'm not quitting my day job...or whatever.
Adrienne accompanied me on the big adventure. Devachan is in the heart of Soho, the trendy, trendy part of town. It was super-crowded on the street and we found the salon hidden away, in the basement of a building with a doorman. Already, the mystique poured in. I had to check in and then exchanged my coat for a silky gold robe. I sat with excitement next to Adrienne. Apparently Jeffrey, my stylist, was running a little behind, and so we were offered tea and enjoyed the hibiscus-y concoction immensely. Yum! Already, I knew this was going to be a flavor-ful experience. We chatted up a really sweet man waiting for his wife to get her hair colored. He didn't know about the cult of Devachan and was shocked when two girls checked in and announced they had come all the way from DC for their curly lock haircuts!
Well, after a few more minutes, Jeffrey introduced himself to me and then sat me in one of his chairs. It seemed like he had two or three other girls at various stages in their Devachan experience while he was working with me. I enjoyed him ssssoooooooooo much. Honestly he not only spoke a foreign curl language (lots about the inner and outer weight of my hair and how my curls had become too friendly with eachother) but also with a pretty thick Malaysian-Chinese accent. But he had a great sense of humor, I loved talking to him about Malaysia and he was so passionate about how to treat curls! I got the giggles several times when I watched his intensity in trimming each dry curl. I had to bring Adrienne over to experience the joy! After he did the dry cut and started explaining how my life was going to change (no more shampoo, never again, no combs, just fingers and water-based products...i think he nearly fainted when I told him that I had used mousse that morning!!!!), I had the extreme pleasure of getting my carefully trimmed curls washed and "set." The wash station was like a reclining massage table with a mosquito net and complete with delicious smelling products and a great head and neck massage. Loved it! My hair-washer also dried my hair and applied gel with paper towels? and then clipped pieces of it for added height and then put my head into an extremely fast hair dryer. After it was "set" my curls definitely looked different and Jeffrey seemed pleased. He talked me through my entire program...lots of conditioning, scrunching, drying with paper towels and no shampooing....and my favorite line, he said, "Call me anytime you have questions." He is like my curl doctor! Based on my overly-friendly curls and the "inner weight" issues, he doesn't want to see me for another 7 months. Can I really wait that long? It was so fun and a totally other-worldly experience. I feel like my hair has changed forever!
We didn't finish at the salon until 6:30! and went straight to Macy's on 34th for some makeup ideas. We went to the Prescriptives counter and I got color-typed again and to my astonishment I am actually a yellow-orange. Another life-altering revelation! We were starving and Adrienne remembered a fun diner in Times Square. Note to everyone...don't eat in Times Square, especially diner food, you will get ripped off! We decided to have a last indulgence after a week of splurging to propel us into Dr. Oz allegiance...we stopped at Carnegie Deli for a slice of 5th Avenue Pie to share. Totally full of calories and needless sugar, I honestly don't need to ever eat it or anything like it again.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
more pirates...
Tuesday morning started painfully early with me forcing myself to leave the apartment and get to the gym at 6. I was trying to be quiet as a mouse for the two girls and took my breakfast on the road with me. I had my oatmeal in one hand and my many bags in the other and was trying to eat with mittens on because it was 10 degrees and windy...when I dropped my oatmeal on the sidewalk (SAD!) and realized that my snacks and lunch were also locked up in my apartment. I knew it was going to be a rough day from that tragic moment. Oh, so dramatic, I know! I put in my quick workout and made my way to Chelsea where I sat in an unofficial line for a non-equity summer stock call. Kat had my back at another dinner theatre call at the Ripley Grier studios. The girl next to me and I ended up chatting because we both had been reading our Bibles and discovered that we both go to Redeemer! So neat. I look forward to seeing her again in the future. That audition was decent but they asked me about my tap and I said it was "pretty good" and that I was currently in class...apparently those things do not add up to a callback. Oh well. I ran over in the freezing cold to R-G for the Oklahoma call...again, I was fine but didn't get called back. Maybe they wanted ballerina Laureys?? Definitely it had been a discouraging couple of days in audition land. I headed out to Inwood for another lesson with Carol. It was frustrating at times, as I felt vocally tired, and on the brink of sickness, but our lesson ended well and with encouragement. I then met Seri at the Time Warner Center where we popped into Whole Foods to get some liquids before braving the cold for a short tour of the Upper West Side. This included a brief jaunt into the park where we walked right past Conan O'Brien and his baby. I was elbowing Seri as we walked past and she thought I was elbowing her to look at the baby so she completely missed Conan. Two days in a row she missed! I told her about my strategy....you have to walk around NY with your eyes up, fully anticipating that you will see a celebrity. And chances are, a few times a week, it seems, you will! We stopped at Levain Bakery, nearly hidden from the street on 73rd, but worth the search for the amazing cookies and the baked jelly donut we tried. Oh heavens. By then it was time to go to my Bible Study where I was happy to introduce Seri to all my new friends. We finished up a meaty section of Romans before taking a bit of a break and celebrating Kyle's 30th birthday with yummy cakes, pizza and to Seri's ears, the most beautiful rendition of "Happy Birthday" ever sung. It was a great afternoon! Seri and I wandered a bit before meeting up with Stacy's fiancee to return her key and hopping on the crosstown bus. We had some Chinese take-out with Adrienne before settling down for the night.
Wednesday, I somehow didn't hear my alarm for my early gym call. I trashed that plan and got ready at home and somehow got to Chelsea studios at the very perfect time, before some serious unofficial/official list mayhem ensued. We were there for the Theatreworks open-call. This Theatreworks mostly does touring shows for children but is famous for getting Equity cards for their actors. So, you can imagine the non-equity desparation steeping in the room, hoping for an appointment. I was 86 on the unofficial list and was able to sign up for a 3 pm time, not close to the morning time I was hoping for. I took the opportunity to check out the scene at the Equity building which at first looked good for two EPAs I was signed up for...it quickly turned bad and I met Seri for lunch in Gramercy at an Indo-Chinese place. Really tasty deep fried vegetables in a taro bowl was my favorite. The Singapore Noodles couldn't hold a candle to Kirin's. I ate myself silly before booking it back over to the audition where I hurried up and waited and sang a very rough cut of "I don't know his name" to total disinterest from the panel. I think they were tired. I met up with Seri again, this time in Soho, at the Dean and Deluca and was most excited to check out a New York institution called, "Ricky's" with her. I had seen a sign for one coming soon on 3rd Ave, right near my house, and actually thought it was a weird sex-shop. I was actually disappointed that smut was coming to my street but it turns out it's not a sex shop at all but a paradise of every kind of beauty product and makeup applicator and hair tie and anything else amazing you can think of...I'm soooooooo excited now, although a little scared too, so tempting!
Seri and I met Grace and Adrienne for dinner (I know, I feel like we just ate...but I guess this is what happens when friends come into town!) at a Japanese ramen house that specializes in Sumo-Wrestler cuisione. I guess it's not unusual for retired Sumo wrestlers to open restaurants featuring the food that ate in their training. I had the Menchanko soup...very delicious with noodles and shrimp and mochi and fried bean curd. Grace left for her home in Queens while the three of us headed to the Hilton Theatre on 42nd and Broadway for "The Pirate Queen"'s 2nd night of previews. We were able to score $25 tickets in the second row of the balcony. Apparently, going to previews is the way to do it! This show was written by the Les Mis people and produced by the Riverdance people so you can imagine what that equation brings...some amazing Irish dancing and a lot of wanna-be "Bring Him Home", "I dreamed a dream" and "One day more" moments. I'm pretty sure Lis would still love it. I actually really loved it, despite its many flaws, and I was completely blown away by the leading lady, Stephanie Block. She could do it all, belt, mix, float....and for days! I was totally inspired. We enjoyed giggling together in some of the sillier moments and sat with Carolyn and her industry friends who really got into tearing it apart. Let's hope Ms. Block will get to star in it for at least a few months but there's no telling with these things...I guess some shows don't even make it out of previews!
We took a cab home and called it a night, turning down an offer to further dissect the show with Carolyn and co.
I started feeling a bit sick in the afternoon and by evening was pretty sure I was not doing great and so....
Thursday morning I slept in. Seri and I had a fun morning together, lazing around and continuing some discussions before she had to leave to transfer her stuff to Carolyn's apartment in anticipation of Bradley's arrival this afternoon. I really did nothing but throw myself an "I'm sick" pity-party for a few hours, then researched "110 in the shade" and showered before meeting new-friend and retreat-roomie Jenny at her work on Madison Ave at 5. We went to the Drowsy Chaperone box office to try to get tickets for the Sunday matinee. They have back of mezzanine tix for $26 but were all sold-out when we got there. We chilled a bit in the Marquis Marriot lounge before splitting paths. I went to Union Square and grabbed a quick salad at a place called "Chop't" where they take all your salad ingredients ala Plutos and then chop it all together on a cutting board...again, I think Lis would be into this. I stuffed my face quickly and headed to my last session of the Gym. I was so apprehensive because my throat was feeling funny and I wasn't as prepared for my song as I would have liked...it was an amazing session as usual...with some great singing and brilliant direction...I sang "The Light in the Piazza" and butchered much of it the first time and was able to redeem it. I was really encouraged by the director who responded to my recent audition discouragement by saying I needed to have patience and realize that it is going to take some time and that I'm doing what I need to be doing and to just keep going out there...and that eventually I'll be the kind of actor that they build a show around. Whatever that means, I was really encouraged, and so after a hard day of being sick and sad about that, I'm again inspired and feel glad to be here and confident that this waiting and showing up will someday pay off.
Wednesday, I somehow didn't hear my alarm for my early gym call. I trashed that plan and got ready at home and somehow got to Chelsea studios at the very perfect time, before some serious unofficial/official list mayhem ensued. We were there for the Theatreworks open-call. This Theatreworks mostly does touring shows for children but is famous for getting Equity cards for their actors. So, you can imagine the non-equity desparation steeping in the room, hoping for an appointment. I was 86 on the unofficial list and was able to sign up for a 3 pm time, not close to the morning time I was hoping for. I took the opportunity to check out the scene at the Equity building which at first looked good for two EPAs I was signed up for...it quickly turned bad and I met Seri for lunch in Gramercy at an Indo-Chinese place. Really tasty deep fried vegetables in a taro bowl was my favorite. The Singapore Noodles couldn't hold a candle to Kirin's. I ate myself silly before booking it back over to the audition where I hurried up and waited and sang a very rough cut of "I don't know his name" to total disinterest from the panel. I think they were tired. I met up with Seri again, this time in Soho, at the Dean and Deluca and was most excited to check out a New York institution called, "Ricky's" with her. I had seen a sign for one coming soon on 3rd Ave, right near my house, and actually thought it was a weird sex-shop. I was actually disappointed that smut was coming to my street but it turns out it's not a sex shop at all but a paradise of every kind of beauty product and makeup applicator and hair tie and anything else amazing you can think of...I'm soooooooo excited now, although a little scared too, so tempting!
Seri and I met Grace and Adrienne for dinner (I know, I feel like we just ate...but I guess this is what happens when friends come into town!) at a Japanese ramen house that specializes in Sumo-Wrestler cuisione. I guess it's not unusual for retired Sumo wrestlers to open restaurants featuring the food that ate in their training. I had the Menchanko soup...very delicious with noodles and shrimp and mochi and fried bean curd. Grace left for her home in Queens while the three of us headed to the Hilton Theatre on 42nd and Broadway for "The Pirate Queen"'s 2nd night of previews. We were able to score $25 tickets in the second row of the balcony. Apparently, going to previews is the way to do it! This show was written by the Les Mis people and produced by the Riverdance people so you can imagine what that equation brings...some amazing Irish dancing and a lot of wanna-be "Bring Him Home", "I dreamed a dream" and "One day more" moments. I'm pretty sure Lis would still love it. I actually really loved it, despite its many flaws, and I was completely blown away by the leading lady, Stephanie Block. She could do it all, belt, mix, float....and for days! I was totally inspired. We enjoyed giggling together in some of the sillier moments and sat with Carolyn and her industry friends who really got into tearing it apart. Let's hope Ms. Block will get to star in it for at least a few months but there's no telling with these things...I guess some shows don't even make it out of previews!
We took a cab home and called it a night, turning down an offer to further dissect the show with Carolyn and co.
I started feeling a bit sick in the afternoon and by evening was pretty sure I was not doing great and so....
Thursday morning I slept in. Seri and I had a fun morning together, lazing around and continuing some discussions before she had to leave to transfer her stuff to Carolyn's apartment in anticipation of Bradley's arrival this afternoon. I really did nothing but throw myself an "I'm sick" pity-party for a few hours, then researched "110 in the shade" and showered before meeting new-friend and retreat-roomie Jenny at her work on Madison Ave at 5. We went to the Drowsy Chaperone box office to try to get tickets for the Sunday matinee. They have back of mezzanine tix for $26 but were all sold-out when we got there. We chilled a bit in the Marquis Marriot lounge before splitting paths. I went to Union Square and grabbed a quick salad at a place called "Chop't" where they take all your salad ingredients ala Plutos and then chop it all together on a cutting board...again, I think Lis would be into this. I stuffed my face quickly and headed to my last session of the Gym. I was so apprehensive because my throat was feeling funny and I wasn't as prepared for my song as I would have liked...it was an amazing session as usual...with some great singing and brilliant direction...I sang "The Light in the Piazza" and butchered much of it the first time and was able to redeem it. I was really encouraged by the director who responded to my recent audition discouragement by saying I needed to have patience and realize that it is going to take some time and that I'm doing what I need to be doing and to just keep going out there...and that eventually I'll be the kind of actor that they build a show around. Whatever that means, I was really encouraged, and so after a hard day of being sick and sad about that, I'm again inspired and feel glad to be here and confident that this waiting and showing up will someday pay off.
a week of pirates begins...
Saturday morning I was up early for an audition for a theatre company that my church (Redeemer) started called "Threads." I did my Popo Martin, schizo-cheerleader monologue for laughs and then flailed miserably in my reading of their "Phantom Tollbooth" script. The character was a swindling salesman and I went to a really bad place vocally and ended up doing lots of shouting that didn't feel great. Alas.
I met up with Adrienne in Union Square where we enjoyed the most beautiful day yet in NYC....50s and sunny, I was able to shed my top layer and go sleeveless!!!! Amazing. We gobbled up apple samples in the farmers market and looked around at all the cheeses and pricey pickles before meeting Eric and Sara for lunch. We went to Rosa Mexicana, a pretty fancy place, actually that had amazing service and food! They have the home-made guacomole trick at your table that we couldn't pass up and I loved my breakfast tacos with poblano peppers.
After lunch, Adrienne and I initiated Eric and Sara into the Trader Joes craziness...and crazy it is on a Saturday afternoon. Not really pleasant, at all. But, gotta have that medley of giant raisins and fiber bread. Adrienne and I took the 3rd Ave bus home which actually took an hour and I at one point fell asleep on her shoulder!
I had gotten us tickets for New York City Opera's "Pirates of Penzance" and we had the very nose-bled of seats (the 4th balcony...but only $13!)...but we managed to sneak into some better ones for Act 2 and all the while put our binoculars to great use. The Mabel was fantastic and so were most of the men. The mezzo playing Ruth was the only major disappointment. I loved the staging concept...campy and making fun of itself with the overture fully staged as a melodrama. Mabel was fierce and a total drama queen with her "Poor Wandering One" punctuated with the Lucia cadenzas...so great.
Sunday was another glorious morning to walk across the park to church. I ran into my new "friend" Julia as I was being seated and enjoyed sitting with her and catching up on her life as a Columbia student. Louise and Tom from my small group were part of a spectacular and very special Beethoven piano trio that lined the morning worship. A-mazing!
After church I was a laundry and cleaning machine...needing to get the apartment ready for Seri's visit the next day. Having people over is the best motivation for organizing and cleaning...whew, I really sorted through some serious piles. I made Sunday pizza, a new tradition for 7F and we settled in for some Grease watching....you're the one that I want! I also created a new recipe for peanut butter-chocolate popcorn....Dr. Oz approved, even. Ha!
Monday morning started super early....Kat and I partnered up and weathered the non-equity sign up sheets at different locations on behalf of eachother. I took Chelsea and she took Nola and we reunited at Nola where we were auditioning for a dinner theatre in IN called "Beef 'n Boards." Hmmmm...I don't know about that one. It was a total nightmare with the building people kicking girls out before 8:30 and then the monitor for the company honoring the unofficial list as soon as he got off the elevator, reading names before girls had a chance to get upstairs to respond and then making them go to the end of the line. Kat and I got lucky and got out of there by 10 am. We both felt we sang our 16 bars well but got nothing more than a "great" and a really tempermental pianist. We then headed to Chelsea for the chorus call for Starlight Theatre's "Wizard of Oz." This proved even more frustrating...the director was nice enough to hear all of us non-equity girls and he typed us by having us sing the first line from "Somewhere over the Rainbow" in either a low, medium or high key. When I say high I mean high B-flat, just below high C. That song is not meant to be up there...anyhoo...we each had to sing it, one by one, in front of eachother and yours truly had the honor of being dead last. I sang the high one, of course, to which he showed no interest. It was discouraging, though, to hear the few girls he did keep and wonder why we'd been passed over. I guess these are things we just can't overthink.
I was glad to clear my head of all that nonsense and meet up with Seri and her sister-in-law Carolyn who is another recent transplant to NYC. Carolyn is a stage director and lives in Tribeca. We met up in Soho, a fancy land I had never explored. So fun! I love the cobblestone streets and the much too cool for school storefronts that are minimalist yet edgy. We went to a really fun lunch spot called "Bar 89" on Mercer Street. As we were stepping inside, Juliana Marguilies walked past me...and I smiled at her...she is really beautiful yet tiny! The girls were miffed they didn't see her but we loved our yummy food and loved even more the funky bathrooms with transparent doors that turn opaque when you step inside. There's even a slide that flashes "occupied" on the wall behind. So swanky! We walked around a bit and then picked up Seri's luggage from her friend Stacy's apartment in the Village...whoa...Stacy is subletting this 1-bedroom/studio/I don't know what you'd call it but it's crazy and she has a small claw-foot-tub in the middle of the first room and that is her only shower! There are not enough words to describe the clutter and color that place contained...whew. Seri and I hopped on a train to my place and we chatted a bit before I got ready for dinner with my old bosses. Lara and Michael from La Bodeguita were in town for a restaurant convention of sorts and had me meet them at their hotel, the Regency, another super swanky spot on Park Ave. We took a cab to Lupa, one of Mario Batali's ventures, a Roman-style tavern. It was such a fun evening! We had lots of fun meats to start including prosciutto, sausage, lingua (yes, that's tongue in italiano) and headcheese! I tried them all! I liked better the roasted beets and shaved brussel sprouts with pecorino but I also braved some sardines to be a team player. I had a wonderful Bellini as a cocktail and then we had a great medium Italian red wine together. For an entree I had my first ever Saltimbocca which was absolutely delicious despite a slightly unappetizing presentation. Lara had a super-tender pork shoulder and Michael had sea bass and an extra round of prosciutto for good measure.
Dessert was my favorite, of course, and I had chosen for us the Tartuffo which was a scoop of ice cream with biscotti and dried cherries imbedded and then covered in a hard shell of chocolate and chopped hazelnuts. Buon gusto! They also ordered us a plate of three cheeses with a ricotta and honey, an amazing semi-soft cheese made from sheep, goat and cow's milk and another really rich hard cheese accompanied with bread, kumquat jelly and almond-stuffed dates. We loved our meal there and our waitress was super-knowledgeable and gave us just the right amount of attention. Stuffed to our gils we walked to a restaurant we had seen on our way in called, "Cuba." I thought we were just going in to see the menu but they insisted we get a drink so I continued the search for the best sangria in NYC. Pretty good, yes, the best, I'm not sure.
Wow...I really get carried away with all that food talk! It was so nice to be with Michael and Lara...they have such an ease about them and between them and you can't help but enjoy being in their company. I was excited to find out more about their stories and how they got to Bodeguita.
I was a little tipsy by the time I got home and excited to tell Adrienne and Jon all about my culinary (and wine!!) adventure. Seri came in pretty late that evening and I got her settled into Hotel 7F before falling dead asleep.
I met up with Adrienne in Union Square where we enjoyed the most beautiful day yet in NYC....50s and sunny, I was able to shed my top layer and go sleeveless!!!! Amazing. We gobbled up apple samples in the farmers market and looked around at all the cheeses and pricey pickles before meeting Eric and Sara for lunch. We went to Rosa Mexicana, a pretty fancy place, actually that had amazing service and food! They have the home-made guacomole trick at your table that we couldn't pass up and I loved my breakfast tacos with poblano peppers.
After lunch, Adrienne and I initiated Eric and Sara into the Trader Joes craziness...and crazy it is on a Saturday afternoon. Not really pleasant, at all. But, gotta have that medley of giant raisins and fiber bread. Adrienne and I took the 3rd Ave bus home which actually took an hour and I at one point fell asleep on her shoulder!
I had gotten us tickets for New York City Opera's "Pirates of Penzance" and we had the very nose-bled of seats (the 4th balcony...but only $13!)...but we managed to sneak into some better ones for Act 2 and all the while put our binoculars to great use. The Mabel was fantastic and so were most of the men. The mezzo playing Ruth was the only major disappointment. I loved the staging concept...campy and making fun of itself with the overture fully staged as a melodrama. Mabel was fierce and a total drama queen with her "Poor Wandering One" punctuated with the Lucia cadenzas...so great.
Sunday was another glorious morning to walk across the park to church. I ran into my new "friend" Julia as I was being seated and enjoyed sitting with her and catching up on her life as a Columbia student. Louise and Tom from my small group were part of a spectacular and very special Beethoven piano trio that lined the morning worship. A-mazing!
After church I was a laundry and cleaning machine...needing to get the apartment ready for Seri's visit the next day. Having people over is the best motivation for organizing and cleaning...whew, I really sorted through some serious piles. I made Sunday pizza, a new tradition for 7F and we settled in for some Grease watching....you're the one that I want! I also created a new recipe for peanut butter-chocolate popcorn....Dr. Oz approved, even. Ha!
Monday morning started super early....Kat and I partnered up and weathered the non-equity sign up sheets at different locations on behalf of eachother. I took Chelsea and she took Nola and we reunited at Nola where we were auditioning for a dinner theatre in IN called "Beef 'n Boards." Hmmmm...I don't know about that one. It was a total nightmare with the building people kicking girls out before 8:30 and then the monitor for the company honoring the unofficial list as soon as he got off the elevator, reading names before girls had a chance to get upstairs to respond and then making them go to the end of the line. Kat and I got lucky and got out of there by 10 am. We both felt we sang our 16 bars well but got nothing more than a "great" and a really tempermental pianist. We then headed to Chelsea for the chorus call for Starlight Theatre's "Wizard of Oz." This proved even more frustrating...the director was nice enough to hear all of us non-equity girls and he typed us by having us sing the first line from "Somewhere over the Rainbow" in either a low, medium or high key. When I say high I mean high B-flat, just below high C. That song is not meant to be up there...anyhoo...we each had to sing it, one by one, in front of eachother and yours truly had the honor of being dead last. I sang the high one, of course, to which he showed no interest. It was discouraging, though, to hear the few girls he did keep and wonder why we'd been passed over. I guess these are things we just can't overthink.
I was glad to clear my head of all that nonsense and meet up with Seri and her sister-in-law Carolyn who is another recent transplant to NYC. Carolyn is a stage director and lives in Tribeca. We met up in Soho, a fancy land I had never explored. So fun! I love the cobblestone streets and the much too cool for school storefronts that are minimalist yet edgy. We went to a really fun lunch spot called "Bar 89" on Mercer Street. As we were stepping inside, Juliana Marguilies walked past me...and I smiled at her...she is really beautiful yet tiny! The girls were miffed they didn't see her but we loved our yummy food and loved even more the funky bathrooms with transparent doors that turn opaque when you step inside. There's even a slide that flashes "occupied" on the wall behind. So swanky! We walked around a bit and then picked up Seri's luggage from her friend Stacy's apartment in the Village...whoa...Stacy is subletting this 1-bedroom/studio/I don't know what you'd call it but it's crazy and she has a small claw-foot-tub in the middle of the first room and that is her only shower! There are not enough words to describe the clutter and color that place contained...whew. Seri and I hopped on a train to my place and we chatted a bit before I got ready for dinner with my old bosses. Lara and Michael from La Bodeguita were in town for a restaurant convention of sorts and had me meet them at their hotel, the Regency, another super swanky spot on Park Ave. We took a cab to Lupa, one of Mario Batali's ventures, a Roman-style tavern. It was such a fun evening! We had lots of fun meats to start including prosciutto, sausage, lingua (yes, that's tongue in italiano) and headcheese! I tried them all! I liked better the roasted beets and shaved brussel sprouts with pecorino but I also braved some sardines to be a team player. I had a wonderful Bellini as a cocktail and then we had a great medium Italian red wine together. For an entree I had my first ever Saltimbocca which was absolutely delicious despite a slightly unappetizing presentation. Lara had a super-tender pork shoulder and Michael had sea bass and an extra round of prosciutto for good measure.
Dessert was my favorite, of course, and I had chosen for us the Tartuffo which was a scoop of ice cream with biscotti and dried cherries imbedded and then covered in a hard shell of chocolate and chopped hazelnuts. Buon gusto! They also ordered us a plate of three cheeses with a ricotta and honey, an amazing semi-soft cheese made from sheep, goat and cow's milk and another really rich hard cheese accompanied with bread, kumquat jelly and almond-stuffed dates. We loved our meal there and our waitress was super-knowledgeable and gave us just the right amount of attention. Stuffed to our gils we walked to a restaurant we had seen on our way in called, "Cuba." I thought we were just going in to see the menu but they insisted we get a drink so I continued the search for the best sangria in NYC. Pretty good, yes, the best, I'm not sure.
Wow...I really get carried away with all that food talk! It was so nice to be with Michael and Lara...they have such an ease about them and between them and you can't help but enjoy being in their company. I was excited to find out more about their stories and how they got to Bodeguita.
I was a little tipsy by the time I got home and excited to tell Adrienne and Jon all about my culinary (and wine!!) adventure. Seri came in pretty late that evening and I got her settled into Hotel 7F before falling dead asleep.
Friday, March 2, 2007
snippets from a week...
Okay, so I guess some of you have noticed I haven't been blogging recently...to be completely honest, it's been a crazy week of early mornings and late nights, but I also wasn't sure anyone was reading because of the lack of comments (ahem, ahem, hint, hint). But apparently you are...so, to elicit commentary without overwhelming you, I'll give you a snapshot of the last several days.
Last Thursday....
was a bit disappointing because I wasn't seen at "The Coram Boy" call which is the new Broadway play that was looking for legit singers for the ensemble. Alas, I did leave a resume and highlighted all my legit training. We can hope! I met a really nice girl, Kat, who also just moved to NYC from CA. She went to the SF Conservatory of Music for her master's and had done a show at 42nd Street Moon. She recognized me and introduced herself....she is also an EMC and we commiserated together about our plight! That evening I went back to "The Gym"...amazing! I love the class and John and Laura are helping me, and the rest of the girls so much. I worked on my new favorite song, "I wish it so" as well as "Somebody, Somewhere."
Friday morning....
I tried to get seen for "The Molly Maguires" EPA and got really close, 2nd on the EMC list, but they started the call 20 minutes late and that pretty much killed it...luck had me in line with Richard, a singer I lived across the hall from in Aspen in the summer of 2000. He now exclusively does theatre and had some great tips for me! He also got my contact info and was kind enough to call me from his next audition stop to let me know I would defnitely get seen there....I brought my new friend Kat along! We stuck together throughout the day, waiting and hoping, and then moving onto the Papermill Playhouse "Pirates" open call. Over 300 girls showed up so they typed us in groups of 50. I got typed in for the first time (yay!) but then after my 16 bars I was deemed not "sorority-ditsy" enough...alas, it would have been an AMAZING gig. But, as I was waiting in line to sing, who walks through a side-door into the hallway but Sean Hayes of "Will and Grace!" EEEEEEEEEEEEk. He said, "HI, ladies" as he walked into what is certainly the final stages of casting for Mel Brooks' new "Young Frankenstein" musical. So, so, so fun. My friend Dani was in line much later than I and said she spotted not only Sean Hayes, but Megan Mullaly and Eric McCormack!!!! I guess they are all in the running.
Friday night I went away to New Jersey on a large bus with about 50 ladies from Redeemer for a retreat! We stayed at a Salvation Army Lodge which was actually quite nice...definitely not roughing it...at all! I roomed with a wonderful girl and fellow singer, Jenny H, and we have so much in common including an obsession with Splenda! That evening was pretty mellow with a snack and some worship before bed-time.
Saturday and Sunday....
Lauren Winner, a favorite Christian memoirist, was the speaker for our retreat. I loved her realism and academic approach to our faith. I met some really nice girls...other than Jenny I didn't spend much concentrated time with many of them but I know when I see them at church I will have a connection that can grow deeper...which is great! One of the funny aspects of the retreat was how much they fed us...non-stop! Huge meals and then snacks and desserts. So much for Dr. Oz. And the "Seargent" always said, "Dear sisters...." It was great to be away and just to be in a quiet place without the whirl of the city. The lodge looks over a frozen lake that was very inviting for quiet times.
We made it back on Sunday afternoon and just in time for the snow to begin! They scared us with serious snow storm warnings (that nor'easter!) but it really was only about 3 or 4 inches, if that.
Monday, I had great luck getting into sing for a West Side Story EPA...I got in at 10:30 and then enjoyed a lunch with my dear Soon who was in town for literally one day! I spent most of my afternoon waiting at the Equity building without luck.
Tuesday, I was up before the sun to hit the gym before auditions. I was on the arc-climber by 6:20. Whew. It takes a lot of prep-work the night before to get my gym bag together but it may be the only way to fit the gym in! After signing up on a list, I went to a nearby Starbucks where I met up with old friend and opera-diva Erin W. who was in town for an audition. It was so fun to see her, however brief our time. I sang for "Ripper" the musical and then headed to Inwood for a voice lesson. Bible Study was as awesome as usual with the added bonus of friend Chad B, and my Frederick from Dayton's "Pirates" unexpected entrance. Apparently he is long-time friends of Louis and Rosemary and was staying with them while he auditioned for management (which he got! yay!). So crazy! I don't know who was more surprised!
I met new-friend Grace at the Pinkberry in Koreatown. Amazing frozen yoghurt, don't get me wrong, but $6???!!! Eek. It was really nice to spend time with Grace, however!
Wednesday, I went back to the gym, early, early and had a long day of signing up for an open call, going to an opera coaching, killing time in the most productive way, and settling into a room of nearly 400 girls waiting to be typed out. This time we had two options...to sing the last line of the "tonight" quartet with the high C or a belty piece from "Crazy for You." I sang first in front of the 24 other girls in my group...being a girl who really can sing a high C I was really disappointed I didn't make it past the firing squad...but I think I'm going to have to get used to what a look-driven biz this is...more on that, to come! I came home and made myself some pb popcorn and allowed myself a moment to watch last week's Grey's Anatomy...and I had a private cry-fest. That evening I went out to a nearby church for a somewhat "Waiting for Guffman"-like audition experience for their upcoming "Music Man." I was really only interested in Marian, which was pre-cast. The audition process was so scattered and inefficient, I found myself longing for the rigidity of 16 bars and the militaristic herding that reigns in equity calls. I nearly abandoned ship, watching the first group of 10 "dance" after waiting over an hour for my chance. But, I figured, what a great opportunity to practice the art of auditioning and to erase the negativity I was feeling over being typed out after my high C! I sang "If I Loved You" and for the first time in NYC, got applause! They had me read for a bunch of parts and they were really lovely and sweet people, if unorganized. As much as I liked them, I had already decided that no matter what part they might offer, I would not be able to handle doing a show with them, on a volunteer basis. Adrienne had suggested that any sort of NY experience is great, but I think the audition told me otherwise.
Thursday, I joined forces again with Kat, waiting together for two different calls without success. We gave up and went Trader Joes shopping (thinking of Char and his "cat cookies" the whole time, of course) after seeing the alternate list rise above 100. Eek. Earlier Thursday I ran into Annie Petersmeyer, my 1st grade partner!!!, who moved to NYC just a few days ago. She looks great and when she said my name I at first didn't recognize her, so out of context! She knows a bunch of folks from her theatre travels and introduced me to a few...I loved catching up with her and getting some gossip on my favorite "dancelife" characters. (It's a show on MTV...anyone watching???? It's amazing!)
After coming home from Trader Joes, I made sandwiches and brought them to my roomie from last weekend, Jenny, who surprised me with a trip to the zoo!!! So fun! I kind of knew there was a zoo in Central Park but had no idea it contained monkeys, penguins, two polar bears and red pandas!!!! We had so much fun and took some cute pictures. Jenny works at a real-estate investment firm on Madison and 59th, very near the zoo. We're planning on future picnics. It totally made my day and cheered me up so much.
Thursday night I went back to class which was again, so much fun. It was amazing to see, in 3 classes, all the growth in my classmates. Really exciting stuff! I brought in 2 songs from "She Loves Me" and apparently, I'm "quirky." The director said so. It's always interesting to have someone who knows you from only 60 minutes of work define you...I guess I never defined myself that way, but hey, I'd rather be quirky than boring!
Friday...yay...did you make it this far? I finally caught up!
As Adrienne says, perhaps nothing is worse than a rainy day in NYC. Imagine, puddles nearly flooding every subway station...umbrellas waiting to poke your eyes out on every sidewalk...my own "weather-proof" umbrella biting the dust...just like all the tossed, wounded soldiers literally lining the streets...I arrived to my first audition sign-up with a wet backpack and it just got worse from there! I went back and forth to 3 different studios within a few hours and did my first straight-play audition. I didn't get a call-back but I'm glad that I went in and tried it, at least! I lost steam and was feeling sick for the other two EPAs. I had the best of intentions of returning after the lunch break but when I got home I felt like I really was coming down with something so I opted for a quick nap instead. At 4 I had a coaching with Laura from "The Gym." She is helping me learn to mix and was so encouraging. But again, she thinks I'm quirky and ethnic-looking and that we have to work on my "look." She thinks that my presentation is probably the biggest reason I haven't gotten more call-backs. Hmmm...interesting. I told Adrienne about this and she is very excited to help me with the makeover, whateve that will entail. I'm thinking about getting my haircut, just once, at one of these curly-hair specialists, so they can teach me what to do with it.
Oh, by the way, on my way home from the coaching, on 8th Avenue, I walked past Austin and Jay from Project Runway's 1st Season. I snickered when a guy passed them and said "Hi Austin" and left Jay unacknowledged to his offense. These celebrities are everywhere.
I had high hopes that Adrienne and I might see a show tonight or do something fun but the feeling sick thing inspired us to order in and eat some really delicious German chocolate that our sweet Jen Piazza Pick sent us! Sorry Dr. Oz.
Last Thursday....
was a bit disappointing because I wasn't seen at "The Coram Boy" call which is the new Broadway play that was looking for legit singers for the ensemble. Alas, I did leave a resume and highlighted all my legit training. We can hope! I met a really nice girl, Kat, who also just moved to NYC from CA. She went to the SF Conservatory of Music for her master's and had done a show at 42nd Street Moon. She recognized me and introduced herself....she is also an EMC and we commiserated together about our plight! That evening I went back to "The Gym"...amazing! I love the class and John and Laura are helping me, and the rest of the girls so much. I worked on my new favorite song, "I wish it so" as well as "Somebody, Somewhere."
Friday morning....
I tried to get seen for "The Molly Maguires" EPA and got really close, 2nd on the EMC list, but they started the call 20 minutes late and that pretty much killed it...luck had me in line with Richard, a singer I lived across the hall from in Aspen in the summer of 2000. He now exclusively does theatre and had some great tips for me! He also got my contact info and was kind enough to call me from his next audition stop to let me know I would defnitely get seen there....I brought my new friend Kat along! We stuck together throughout the day, waiting and hoping, and then moving onto the Papermill Playhouse "Pirates" open call. Over 300 girls showed up so they typed us in groups of 50. I got typed in for the first time (yay!) but then after my 16 bars I was deemed not "sorority-ditsy" enough...alas, it would have been an AMAZING gig. But, as I was waiting in line to sing, who walks through a side-door into the hallway but Sean Hayes of "Will and Grace!" EEEEEEEEEEEEk. He said, "HI, ladies" as he walked into what is certainly the final stages of casting for Mel Brooks' new "Young Frankenstein" musical. So, so, so fun. My friend Dani was in line much later than I and said she spotted not only Sean Hayes, but Megan Mullaly and Eric McCormack!!!! I guess they are all in the running.
Friday night I went away to New Jersey on a large bus with about 50 ladies from Redeemer for a retreat! We stayed at a Salvation Army Lodge which was actually quite nice...definitely not roughing it...at all! I roomed with a wonderful girl and fellow singer, Jenny H, and we have so much in common including an obsession with Splenda! That evening was pretty mellow with a snack and some worship before bed-time.
Saturday and Sunday....
Lauren Winner, a favorite Christian memoirist, was the speaker for our retreat. I loved her realism and academic approach to our faith. I met some really nice girls...other than Jenny I didn't spend much concentrated time with many of them but I know when I see them at church I will have a connection that can grow deeper...which is great! One of the funny aspects of the retreat was how much they fed us...non-stop! Huge meals and then snacks and desserts. So much for Dr. Oz. And the "Seargent" always said, "Dear sisters...." It was great to be away and just to be in a quiet place without the whirl of the city. The lodge looks over a frozen lake that was very inviting for quiet times.
We made it back on Sunday afternoon and just in time for the snow to begin! They scared us with serious snow storm warnings (that nor'easter!) but it really was only about 3 or 4 inches, if that.
Monday, I had great luck getting into sing for a West Side Story EPA...I got in at 10:30 and then enjoyed a lunch with my dear Soon who was in town for literally one day! I spent most of my afternoon waiting at the Equity building without luck.
Tuesday, I was up before the sun to hit the gym before auditions. I was on the arc-climber by 6:20. Whew. It takes a lot of prep-work the night before to get my gym bag together but it may be the only way to fit the gym in! After signing up on a list, I went to a nearby Starbucks where I met up with old friend and opera-diva Erin W. who was in town for an audition. It was so fun to see her, however brief our time. I sang for "Ripper" the musical and then headed to Inwood for a voice lesson. Bible Study was as awesome as usual with the added bonus of friend Chad B, and my Frederick from Dayton's "Pirates" unexpected entrance. Apparently he is long-time friends of Louis and Rosemary and was staying with them while he auditioned for management (which he got! yay!). So crazy! I don't know who was more surprised!
I met new-friend Grace at the Pinkberry in Koreatown. Amazing frozen yoghurt, don't get me wrong, but $6???!!! Eek. It was really nice to spend time with Grace, however!
Wednesday, I went back to the gym, early, early and had a long day of signing up for an open call, going to an opera coaching, killing time in the most productive way, and settling into a room of nearly 400 girls waiting to be typed out. This time we had two options...to sing the last line of the "tonight" quartet with the high C or a belty piece from "Crazy for You." I sang first in front of the 24 other girls in my group...being a girl who really can sing a high C I was really disappointed I didn't make it past the firing squad...but I think I'm going to have to get used to what a look-driven biz this is...more on that, to come! I came home and made myself some pb popcorn and allowed myself a moment to watch last week's Grey's Anatomy...and I had a private cry-fest. That evening I went out to a nearby church for a somewhat "Waiting for Guffman"-like audition experience for their upcoming "Music Man." I was really only interested in Marian, which was pre-cast. The audition process was so scattered and inefficient, I found myself longing for the rigidity of 16 bars and the militaristic herding that reigns in equity calls. I nearly abandoned ship, watching the first group of 10 "dance" after waiting over an hour for my chance. But, I figured, what a great opportunity to practice the art of auditioning and to erase the negativity I was feeling over being typed out after my high C! I sang "If I Loved You" and for the first time in NYC, got applause! They had me read for a bunch of parts and they were really lovely and sweet people, if unorganized. As much as I liked them, I had already decided that no matter what part they might offer, I would not be able to handle doing a show with them, on a volunteer basis. Adrienne had suggested that any sort of NY experience is great, but I think the audition told me otherwise.
Thursday, I joined forces again with Kat, waiting together for two different calls without success. We gave up and went Trader Joes shopping (thinking of Char and his "cat cookies" the whole time, of course) after seeing the alternate list rise above 100. Eek. Earlier Thursday I ran into Annie Petersmeyer, my 1st grade partner!!!, who moved to NYC just a few days ago. She looks great and when she said my name I at first didn't recognize her, so out of context! She knows a bunch of folks from her theatre travels and introduced me to a few...I loved catching up with her and getting some gossip on my favorite "dancelife" characters. (It's a show on MTV...anyone watching???? It's amazing!)
After coming home from Trader Joes, I made sandwiches and brought them to my roomie from last weekend, Jenny, who surprised me with a trip to the zoo!!! So fun! I kind of knew there was a zoo in Central Park but had no idea it contained monkeys, penguins, two polar bears and red pandas!!!! We had so much fun and took some cute pictures. Jenny works at a real-estate investment firm on Madison and 59th, very near the zoo. We're planning on future picnics. It totally made my day and cheered me up so much.
Thursday night I went back to class which was again, so much fun. It was amazing to see, in 3 classes, all the growth in my classmates. Really exciting stuff! I brought in 2 songs from "She Loves Me" and apparently, I'm "quirky." The director said so. It's always interesting to have someone who knows you from only 60 minutes of work define you...I guess I never defined myself that way, but hey, I'd rather be quirky than boring!
Friday...yay...did you make it this far? I finally caught up!
As Adrienne says, perhaps nothing is worse than a rainy day in NYC. Imagine, puddles nearly flooding every subway station...umbrellas waiting to poke your eyes out on every sidewalk...my own "weather-proof" umbrella biting the dust...just like all the tossed, wounded soldiers literally lining the streets...I arrived to my first audition sign-up with a wet backpack and it just got worse from there! I went back and forth to 3 different studios within a few hours and did my first straight-play audition. I didn't get a call-back but I'm glad that I went in and tried it, at least! I lost steam and was feeling sick for the other two EPAs. I had the best of intentions of returning after the lunch break but when I got home I felt like I really was coming down with something so I opted for a quick nap instead. At 4 I had a coaching with Laura from "The Gym." She is helping me learn to mix and was so encouraging. But again, she thinks I'm quirky and ethnic-looking and that we have to work on my "look." She thinks that my presentation is probably the biggest reason I haven't gotten more call-backs. Hmmm...interesting. I told Adrienne about this and she is very excited to help me with the makeover, whateve that will entail. I'm thinking about getting my haircut, just once, at one of these curly-hair specialists, so they can teach me what to do with it.
Oh, by the way, on my way home from the coaching, on 8th Avenue, I walked past Austin and Jay from Project Runway's 1st Season. I snickered when a guy passed them and said "Hi Austin" and left Jay unacknowledged to his offense. These celebrities are everywhere.
I had high hopes that Adrienne and I might see a show tonight or do something fun but the feeling sick thing inspired us to order in and eat some really delicious German chocolate that our sweet Jen Piazza Pick sent us! Sorry Dr. Oz.
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