Weird that it has literally been a year since I started writing this blog. I know that nobody reads, but someday it might turn into a thing. Until then, I'm just writing for my own and my one follower's enjoyment. Friday night marked the 11th annual Academy Awards (if you have no idea what I'm talking about, look at my past blogs- I explain there) Next year's season was announced.
Our main stage season is as follows:
Season one- Phantom of the Opera
Season two- Picasso at the Lapin Agile
Season three- Julius Caesar
Season four- The Women
Season five- Flat Stanley the Musical
Along with these, the seasons for the black box were also announced. Each year, a lucky handful of senior students are chosen to direct a show in our studio theatre (Black Box). Since my freshman year, my goal has been to direct a musical in the black box, something that has never previously been done at our school. My original plan was to direct Last 5 Years by Jason Robert Brown since there are only two people and I think that it would be amazing down there, but after much consideration, it was decidedly too difficult for freshmen and sophomores to pull off. It was this decision that led me to Children's Letters to God the Musical. I submitted my director's proposal a few weeks ago and eagerly awaited the announcement on Friday. Of course, I was interested in the awards themselves, but really, I had been waiting the entire ceremony to hear the results of my efforts.
After sitting through the announcements of the guest directors for the main stage and breaking Matt's hand, it was finally announced that another first was going to be present in the season. So, my dear friend(s), you are reading the words of a person making history. Children's Letters to God is going to be living in the studio theatre during the third season next year. I am incredibly excited and honored to have been chosen for this and I cannot wait to start working. Unfortunately, I submitted my only copy of the libretto for my proposal, so I am going to need that back. If you are interested in hearing some of the music, click HERE. That is probably my favorite song from the show. It is called, "I Know"-it makes me smile and I love it. The kids who perform in it are incredibly talented- this particular video is from a Philippines version of the musical (according to the video description) I tried to find the obc on youtube, but it wasn't there. The official website of the show is HERE. I can't wait to scout talent from my own neck of the woods.
If any freshmen or sophomores are reading this: Here is a bit of information to get you ahead of the game...
Characters: 3m, 2f
Brett, age 13- his parents are divorced. He loves his father and wears a hat full of pins from places they have gone together. Although he says that he doesn't wear it to bed, he completely does.
Joanna, age 13- she wants desperately to be a princess. She wants a fairytale ending and she is head-over-heels in love with Brett, even though he is sort of a jerk sometimes.
Iris, age 11- her best friend is her pet turtle, Arnold. She resents anyone who doubts the love between her and her turtle, but she secretly longs for more friends. She likes Brett a little bit, too.
Theo, age 10- he wants to be Brett's friend so badly. He wants nothing more than to please his parents and learn how to play baseball and be more athletic. He does not want to be chosen last anymore.
Kicker, age 9- he is Joanna's sister. He loves her, but also hates her. (it is a mutual hatred, but it is just sibling rivalry, nothing violent or horribly mean here)He wants to be accepted by the older kids and fit in.
Obviously, this is completely early- a little less than a year in advance- to be releasing the information, but I am extremely excited. Hopefully more people will read this blog and become interested in auditioning.
I am still eagerly awaiting the rooming list for BCT!
Hopefully that will be in very soon.
Another exciting thing,
For my job shadow in April, I took a trip to New York to follow a Casting Director, Mark B. Simon (he has cast all of JRB's shows and many others). I was allowed to sit in on the auditions for Eric Whitacre's New York production of Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings. It was a fantastic experience. I hope to return someday and do some more "work" with them. For now, I have tickets to see the show, so there will be a review of some sort up when I return. I know it is going to be absolutely wonderful. I can't wait!!
Sorry this post is so unorganized- I am supposed to be working on a project for Creative Writing right now :P
I hope you could follow easily enough and I am excited to write more this summer!
Have a wonderful week everybody!
Love,
Bri :]
Monday, June 14, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
It has been Months, but I'm back!
Hello people!
Well... person.
I am here to talk about a few things this blog post. The topics will be as follows:
1. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
2. Evening of One Act Plays
3. BCT and Bri!
4. BroadwayPants
1. Broadway Cares
Currently I am sitting in a very hot and humid Marine Biology room pretending to do a project on oil spills (well, not actually pretending- for more info go HERE)and I am reflecting upon the wonderful success that was the Broadway Cares Club Cabaret! My friend Krissy is the president of the Broadway Cares Club here at school and I am the Vice President :] We co-chaired/directed a Cabaret about a month ago now. The cabaret consisted of many musical theatre numbers as well as some EXTREMELY talented individuals. Footage will be posted on my youtube channel at some point (soon I hope!!) and I will post pictures once we all go through the pictures that were taken and sort out the good and bad. I just wanted to give a little shout out to the wonderful people who helped and I thank you all! I love you so much :] We ended up making over $600, so you should all be proud. :]
2. Evening of One Act Plays
This happened a few weeks ago now, but there were 3 black box shows to see and I saw them all 3 times :) one role in each show was double cast, so I had to see both and everyone was wonderful! Krissy directed a show called The American Century, Jen directed 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, and Katie directed The Pokey.
The American Century was a play about family and a boy who shows up at the house of his parents post WWII. He is their son from the future and things all get jumbled and confused, but it is wonderful. The cast (Jill, Jackie, Nate, and Johnny) was amazing and everybody did absolutely wonderfully. The chemistry between them was real and believable. My mom loved it too. (My dad showed up about two seconds after the show started and so, he missed the whole thing because it was in the Black Box and if someone comes in late to a Black Box show, it just disrupts everything.) Wonderful job! Congratulations :]
27 Wagons Full of Cotton was more difficult to follow, but it was wonderfully directed and cast. It was about a married couple who have issues (abuse, arson, etc.) and a plantation burning down. What was cool, though, was it was a political allegory to the Good Neighbor Policy. The cast (Michelle, Alexa, Dylan, and Ryan) was believable and I could see the situation and how it was all affecting them. The set was really cool, too. They made a legit PORCH on the stage with a swing and a screen door and everything. It was great.
The Pokey was very interesting. It was the most modern, I would say. It was about a rockstar who wakes up in the jail of a town in MiddleOfNowhere, Texas (aka Prolly). She swears a lot and jumps around and is crazy, but likes books and befriends the jailor who is never named :( The end was cute and I was glad the last line was, "you motherrrr" because that just makes it funnier. The cast (Patty, Emily, and Matt) made it completely hilarious. All three were perfectly cast. It was great
A Job WELL DONE to the directors, casts, and crews of all three of these wonderful productions!!
3. BCT
I am proud to announce that this summer I will be working with Boston Children's Theatre (LINK!) to improve my skills as a performer and to be in one of two productions: The Drowsy Chaperone or The Wedding Singer. Personally, I hope to be cast in The Wedding singer after the whole Chicago thing. (In cast you didn't know, Chicago was not the BEST experience I have ever had in my life. It was incredible fun, however the comments that were made on my hair were a bit much.) Needless to say, I do not want to cut my hair for the 1920s again. Either way, this summer is going to be wonderful. I am so very excited to join this company for another "season". My plan right now is to document the summer in the form of a reality show (giving an update of some sort each day or week or possibly bi-weekly.) and making "episodes". The show will be on my youtube channel all summer and should be pretty dramatic and fun :P Hopefully I can get some good "interviews" from new friends to make it even better. I'm pretty pumped about this plan. I'm not going to lie. I am super duper excited to be living in the dorms and I am eagerly awaiting the information about rooming. That is the update as of right now for that particular area. Hopefully I will be learning more soon! I can't wait :]
4. BroadwayPants
Well. It is my pleasure to introduce BroadwayPants. I am not exactly sure how this is going to work yet, but I have decided to announce this anyway. The people who read this blog are most likely familiar with the pants that I create when seeing certain Broadway shows. I have decided to extend this project with the world. For right now, I am taking orders for the summer. Half of the proceeds will go to Broadway Cares, the other half will go to the BroadwayPants fund which will help pay for new sharpies and materials that go into MAKING the pants. Email requests to: Tootsiepopowl210@gmail.com (For now. This will change later. I will post an update for a new email address in the coming months)
I hope that you all have a wonderful week!!
I love the people reading!
Don't be afraid to comment :]
Love,
Bri <3
Well... person.
I am here to talk about a few things this blog post. The topics will be as follows:
1. Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
2. Evening of One Act Plays
3. BCT and Bri!
4. BroadwayPants
1. Broadway Cares
Currently I am sitting in a very hot and humid Marine Biology room pretending to do a project on oil spills (well, not actually pretending- for more info go HERE)and I am reflecting upon the wonderful success that was the Broadway Cares Club Cabaret! My friend Krissy is the president of the Broadway Cares Club here at school and I am the Vice President :] We co-chaired/directed a Cabaret about a month ago now. The cabaret consisted of many musical theatre numbers as well as some EXTREMELY talented individuals. Footage will be posted on my youtube channel at some point (soon I hope!!) and I will post pictures once we all go through the pictures that were taken and sort out the good and bad. I just wanted to give a little shout out to the wonderful people who helped and I thank you all! I love you so much :] We ended up making over $600, so you should all be proud. :]
2. Evening of One Act Plays
This happened a few weeks ago now, but there were 3 black box shows to see and I saw them all 3 times :) one role in each show was double cast, so I had to see both and everyone was wonderful! Krissy directed a show called The American Century, Jen directed 27 Wagons Full of Cotton, and Katie directed The Pokey.
The American Century was a play about family and a boy who shows up at the house of his parents post WWII. He is their son from the future and things all get jumbled and confused, but it is wonderful. The cast (Jill, Jackie, Nate, and Johnny) was amazing and everybody did absolutely wonderfully. The chemistry between them was real and believable. My mom loved it too. (My dad showed up about two seconds after the show started and so, he missed the whole thing because it was in the Black Box and if someone comes in late to a Black Box show, it just disrupts everything.) Wonderful job! Congratulations :]
27 Wagons Full of Cotton was more difficult to follow, but it was wonderfully directed and cast. It was about a married couple who have issues (abuse, arson, etc.) and a plantation burning down. What was cool, though, was it was a political allegory to the Good Neighbor Policy. The cast (Michelle, Alexa, Dylan, and Ryan) was believable and I could see the situation and how it was all affecting them. The set was really cool, too. They made a legit PORCH on the stage with a swing and a screen door and everything. It was great.
The Pokey was very interesting. It was the most modern, I would say. It was about a rockstar who wakes up in the jail of a town in MiddleOfNowhere, Texas (aka Prolly). She swears a lot and jumps around and is crazy, but likes books and befriends the jailor who is never named :( The end was cute and I was glad the last line was, "you motherrrr" because that just makes it funnier. The cast (Patty, Emily, and Matt) made it completely hilarious. All three were perfectly cast. It was great
A Job WELL DONE to the directors, casts, and crews of all three of these wonderful productions!!
3. BCT
I am proud to announce that this summer I will be working with Boston Children's Theatre (LINK!) to improve my skills as a performer and to be in one of two productions: The Drowsy Chaperone or The Wedding Singer. Personally, I hope to be cast in The Wedding singer after the whole Chicago thing. (In cast you didn't know, Chicago was not the BEST experience I have ever had in my life. It was incredible fun, however the comments that were made on my hair were a bit much.) Needless to say, I do not want to cut my hair for the 1920s again. Either way, this summer is going to be wonderful. I am so very excited to join this company for another "season". My plan right now is to document the summer in the form of a reality show (giving an update of some sort each day or week or possibly bi-weekly.) and making "episodes". The show will be on my youtube channel all summer and should be pretty dramatic and fun :P Hopefully I can get some good "interviews" from new friends to make it even better. I'm pretty pumped about this plan. I'm not going to lie. I am super duper excited to be living in the dorms and I am eagerly awaiting the information about rooming. That is the update as of right now for that particular area. Hopefully I will be learning more soon! I can't wait :]
4. BroadwayPants
Well. It is my pleasure to introduce BroadwayPants. I am not exactly sure how this is going to work yet, but I have decided to announce this anyway. The people who read this blog are most likely familiar with the pants that I create when seeing certain Broadway shows. I have decided to extend this project with the world. For right now, I am taking orders for the summer. Half of the proceeds will go to Broadway Cares, the other half will go to the BroadwayPants fund which will help pay for new sharpies and materials that go into MAKING the pants. Email requests to: Tootsiepopowl210@gmail.com (For now. This will change later. I will post an update for a new email address in the coming months)
I hope that you all have a wonderful week!!
I love the people reading!
Don't be afraid to comment :]
Love,
Bri <3
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Quote- Dr. Seuss.
This Sunday, I wrapped up one of the most meaningful theatrical ventures of my life. Weird how I am talking about a production of Seussical Jr. the same way that I talked about RENT last year. This production was a complete step outside of my comfort zone. People who know me think that I'm crazy-outgoing but, I am extremely shy. I walked into the audition at Boston Children's Theatre with my friend Tara, thinking that we were going to take this adventure together. Turns out that she had traveled for nothing when she realized that she could not actually audition for Anne Frank because she will be in Italy when it is being performed (lucky duck!). So instead, I walked in alone. I sang my Spring Awakening song, did my Ilse monologue, and took a step out side of my little box. A few weeks later, I stepped farther when I returned for a callback. After I was cast, rehearsals started and I was on my own. I had two almost friends from auditions/callbacks, but that was it. Who knew that I would be begging to return not even two days after it all ended for good?
I have never been involved with any sort of production outside of my little high school theatre world until now. It took me this experience to realize that I am capable of so much more than I ever thought. I don't get cast as the lead. I get the chorus roles. Chorus roles are just as important, but when you don't ever get that chance to really be there after the hard work that you have put in, it seems almost hopeless. It is now that I have realized that I can do it. This step out of my boundaries, this allowed me to grow so much as a performer and as a person. I have been in the same town for my entire life, surrounded by the most talented people I have ever met and maybe, because of this, I didn't feel like I could ever live up to them. I didn't have the confidence that I needed to make those roles because I didn't know that I could ever do it. This whole opportunity gave me the chance to show myself what exactly I was capable of.
This is my thank you. I want to thank the whole cast and creative team for working together and really being a family to me and each other over the last month. You have ALL taught me so much about myself and about friendship and about theatre arts in general. The professional atmosphere scared me a bit, but really when it comes down to it, that was what I was used to anyway. My only complaint is that I wasn't allowed to help build the set. :P I'd like to keep in touch with all of you after this is over (which it now is). I have many of your numbers and facebooks and things such as this. But I wanted you all to know that, even though its weird to say, you have truly changed my life. I leave this production with more confidence and happiness and experience than I ever have any other. I owe this growth to all of you and only hope that I have helped any of you in the slightest bit.
You don't need a big performance space and 4000 audience members to have a successful and beautiful show. You could perform on a 20'x20' stage with yellow curtains and still experience something meaningful. I know first-hand now. You could ask my friends- I had issues with some technical aspects but once we all started working together and really getting to know the show, I truly loved being there and putting on that feathery hat every day. :)
I feel like I have written way too much at this point. It would be a miracle if you read this whole thing. Thanks to those who did.
I look forward to seeing you in the summer, BCT, it has been wonderful.
Love,
Brianna
P.S. http://www.BostonChildrensTheatre.org
This Sunday, I wrapped up one of the most meaningful theatrical ventures of my life. Weird how I am talking about a production of Seussical Jr. the same way that I talked about RENT last year. This production was a complete step outside of my comfort zone. People who know me think that I'm crazy-outgoing but, I am extremely shy. I walked into the audition at Boston Children's Theatre with my friend Tara, thinking that we were going to take this adventure together. Turns out that she had traveled for nothing when she realized that she could not actually audition for Anne Frank because she will be in Italy when it is being performed (lucky duck!). So instead, I walked in alone. I sang my Spring Awakening song, did my Ilse monologue, and took a step out side of my little box. A few weeks later, I stepped farther when I returned for a callback. After I was cast, rehearsals started and I was on my own. I had two almost friends from auditions/callbacks, but that was it. Who knew that I would be begging to return not even two days after it all ended for good?
I have never been involved with any sort of production outside of my little high school theatre world until now. It took me this experience to realize that I am capable of so much more than I ever thought. I don't get cast as the lead. I get the chorus roles. Chorus roles are just as important, but when you don't ever get that chance to really be there after the hard work that you have put in, it seems almost hopeless. It is now that I have realized that I can do it. This step out of my boundaries, this allowed me to grow so much as a performer and as a person. I have been in the same town for my entire life, surrounded by the most talented people I have ever met and maybe, because of this, I didn't feel like I could ever live up to them. I didn't have the confidence that I needed to make those roles because I didn't know that I could ever do it. This whole opportunity gave me the chance to show myself what exactly I was capable of.
This is my thank you. I want to thank the whole cast and creative team for working together and really being a family to me and each other over the last month. You have ALL taught me so much about myself and about friendship and about theatre arts in general. The professional atmosphere scared me a bit, but really when it comes down to it, that was what I was used to anyway. My only complaint is that I wasn't allowed to help build the set. :P I'd like to keep in touch with all of you after this is over (which it now is). I have many of your numbers and facebooks and things such as this. But I wanted you all to know that, even though its weird to say, you have truly changed my life. I leave this production with more confidence and happiness and experience than I ever have any other. I owe this growth to all of you and only hope that I have helped any of you in the slightest bit.
You don't need a big performance space and 4000 audience members to have a successful and beautiful show. You could perform on a 20'x20' stage with yellow curtains and still experience something meaningful. I know first-hand now. You could ask my friends- I had issues with some technical aspects but once we all started working together and really getting to know the show, I truly loved being there and putting on that feathery hat every day. :)
I feel like I have written way too much at this point. It would be a miracle if you read this whole thing. Thanks to those who did.
I look forward to seeing you in the summer, BCT, it has been wonderful.
Love,
Brianna
P.S. http://www.BostonChildrensTheatre.org
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Many things to discuss...
This blog comes to you in many parts: 1. The follow-up on the Chamber Music and Catholic School Girl auditions 2. Catholic School Girls Show (I think you can guess how number one went now) 3. BCT 4. Musical Theatre: The Class! 5. A Tragic Story
1. The Follow-Up
So, Once again, I glanced upon the cast list on the beloved box office glass that my existence surrounds and saw the absence of my name. I'm not going to lie, I had dreams about it the nights leading up to that day and they all had something to do with the directors assigning me some kind of technical position like props. So, I signed up for props. (Only to find out that I could not be involved with Chamber Music... more info on that in number 3!) I don't remember if I cried for this cast list. I don't think I did, though, because I remember not expecting to get very far with Chamber Music and I was happy to have even been called back for both of them. For Catholic School Girls, I was called back and the first half went very well and then I was asked to stay for the second portion. That was wonderful and I'm honored to be able to say that I had a second callback. I feel like I saw it as an opening. I was kind of learning to let go and being grateful for the opportunities was enough for me. I think that people in this business and doing this for fun need to think about it as fun and looking out for opportunities. We are all just going around and looking for new experiences and, if we're lucky, we absolutely love what we are doing. I think that we all need to look at this theatre thing and not just see it as a form of entertainment or a career, but as something that we love. If people get up every day and say, "Goodness, I hate going to work. I hate my job." Obviously, some adjustments need to be made. It can't get much simpler than that, really.
2. Catholic School Girls...
was WONDERFUL! I saw it twice while it was happening. The cast list was as follows:
Elizabeth - Rachel
Maria Theresa - Patty
Colleen - Ashley
Wanda - Erin
Sister Mary Lucille - Hannah
Sister Mary Agnes - Christie
Sister Mary Thomasina - Lizzy
Sister Mary Germaine - Christina
I honestly wish I could put last names, but I don't want to put any of these girls in danger and so, there they are, in their one-name glory. All of them were spectacular. If any of you read this, please, know that all of the performances were fantastic and that I am proud of all of you. Many of you I have had the privilege of working with before or watching grow in some way and everyone was wonderful. I love you all.
The show was directed by the lovely Patti (I have mentioned her before, so, go back to the archives to read more about her) and the set was a simple set of 4 desks, a beautiful stained glass window that was constructed by many people and out of light gels and two giant blackboards. The show is a satire on life in a Catholic School by Casey Kurtti. I suggest reading it, it is wonderful =]
3. BCT
Short for Boston Children's Theatre. (Links: Website, Facebook Page) I went to audition for their productions of Diary of Anne Frank, Miss Nelson is Missing the Musical, and Seussical Jr. a while ago. After singing my heart out with Spring Awakening's Blue Wind and getting the feedback that it did not show off my full potential as well as being one of nine girls who had a monologue prepared (also from Spring Awakening in the role of Ilse- you can just call me redundancy) I landed 3 callbacks out of three. The first one, for Anne Frank, I had to leave early. The second, for Miss Nelson, I had to turn down because I realized that I am busy on the show dates. The third one, for Seussical Jr. , took place two weeks after the initial audition. My, what a long two weeks that was to wait. I have been in one production of Seussical before. I played the Cat in the Hat along-side Mike and Emily (we had three cats, don't even bother to question it. I tried and just ended up confused) at SSPA's version the summer of my Freshman-going-into-sophomore-year. At this callback, I would just like to point out, what I like to call a "Callback Miracle" happened. A Callback Miracle is something that I created a term for. In other words, it happens at a callback and one is able to suddenly hit a note that is just a little bit higher than they are normally able to reach, or dance a little better than they think they can, or anything that enhances skills for just that moment and occasion. This happened to me at these callbacks. I'm not going to go into extreme detail because they would be boring, but, basically, we all danced (a combination that was one million times easier than one of Larry's. Once you have worked with Larry, you win. That's it. haha) a combination and then everybody sung Oh The Thinks You Can Think (this is when said miracle occurred), and then they gave me Sour Kangaroo music, and then Bird Girl music, they shaved off a round of people and had the bird girl people sing, they threw me to the other side of the room for some reason, the Hortons and Jojos sang, then I was given Gertrude music, Mayzies sang, Gertrudes sang and they made me sing mine again because they thought I gave up (haha... oops.), and though this whole thing, they shaved people off until there were literally 7 or 8 girls left and those people sang for Sour Kangaroo. I was among those last girls and so were two nice people I met during the whole process (Alexis and Michaela) and then we all left. The cast list was posted and it was like a Christmas miracle. I was cast as Gertrude. For those of you who are not familiar with Seussical, let me just say, that Gertrude is the lead female role in the show. I am completely honored and excited to start working on the 16th of February. This saturday, we have measurements for costumes being taken and that should be fun as well. The only thing about this is that is interferes greatly with Chamber Music and after bringing this up with CM's director, it is clear that I am sticking with BCT for this run. For those of you who'd like to buy tickets- *LINK!*- please do! =]
4. Musical Theatre: The Class!
This is just a quick school update. I have started the musical theatre class of 2010 and I am loving it so far!! I sang Mama Who Bore Me from Spring Awakeningand it went very well. Everybody else is doing wonderfully! When I know more about it, I will let y'all know!
5. Untitled
I did not really name this section. I'm not going into specifics because I feel that is unnecessary. But I don't want to go about things like nothing happened. Liv, you will be missed in the hearts of many. Keep smiling on. Live For Liv. <3
I hope that you all have a wonderful week and weekend
Love,
Bri =]
1. The Follow-Up
So, Once again, I glanced upon the cast list on the beloved box office glass that my existence surrounds and saw the absence of my name. I'm not going to lie, I had dreams about it the nights leading up to that day and they all had something to do with the directors assigning me some kind of technical position like props. So, I signed up for props. (Only to find out that I could not be involved with Chamber Music... more info on that in number 3!) I don't remember if I cried for this cast list. I don't think I did, though, because I remember not expecting to get very far with Chamber Music and I was happy to have even been called back for both of them. For Catholic School Girls, I was called back and the first half went very well and then I was asked to stay for the second portion. That was wonderful and I'm honored to be able to say that I had a second callback. I feel like I saw it as an opening. I was kind of learning to let go and being grateful for the opportunities was enough for me. I think that people in this business and doing this for fun need to think about it as fun and looking out for opportunities. We are all just going around and looking for new experiences and, if we're lucky, we absolutely love what we are doing. I think that we all need to look at this theatre thing and not just see it as a form of entertainment or a career, but as something that we love. If people get up every day and say, "Goodness, I hate going to work. I hate my job." Obviously, some adjustments need to be made. It can't get much simpler than that, really.
2. Catholic School Girls...
was WONDERFUL! I saw it twice while it was happening. The cast list was as follows:
Elizabeth - Rachel
Maria Theresa - Patty
Colleen - Ashley
Wanda - Erin
Sister Mary Lucille - Hannah
Sister Mary Agnes - Christie
Sister Mary Thomasina - Lizzy
Sister Mary Germaine - Christina
I honestly wish I could put last names, but I don't want to put any of these girls in danger and so, there they are, in their one-name glory. All of them were spectacular. If any of you read this, please, know that all of the performances were fantastic and that I am proud of all of you. Many of you I have had the privilege of working with before or watching grow in some way and everyone was wonderful. I love you all.
The show was directed by the lovely Patti (I have mentioned her before, so, go back to the archives to read more about her) and the set was a simple set of 4 desks, a beautiful stained glass window that was constructed by many people and out of light gels and two giant blackboards. The show is a satire on life in a Catholic School by Casey Kurtti. I suggest reading it, it is wonderful =]
3. BCT
Short for Boston Children's Theatre. (Links: Website, Facebook Page) I went to audition for their productions of Diary of Anne Frank, Miss Nelson is Missing the Musical, and Seussical Jr. a while ago. After singing my heart out with Spring Awakening's Blue Wind and getting the feedback that it did not show off my full potential as well as being one of nine girls who had a monologue prepared (also from Spring Awakening in the role of Ilse- you can just call me redundancy) I landed 3 callbacks out of three. The first one, for Anne Frank, I had to leave early. The second, for Miss Nelson, I had to turn down because I realized that I am busy on the show dates. The third one, for Seussical Jr. , took place two weeks after the initial audition. My, what a long two weeks that was to wait. I have been in one production of Seussical before. I played the Cat in the Hat along-side Mike and Emily (we had three cats, don't even bother to question it. I tried and just ended up confused) at SSPA's version the summer of my Freshman-going-into-sophomore-year. At this callback, I would just like to point out, what I like to call a "Callback Miracle" happened. A Callback Miracle is something that I created a term for. In other words, it happens at a callback and one is able to suddenly hit a note that is just a little bit higher than they are normally able to reach, or dance a little better than they think they can, or anything that enhances skills for just that moment and occasion. This happened to me at these callbacks. I'm not going to go into extreme detail because they would be boring, but, basically, we all danced (a combination that was one million times easier than one of Larry's. Once you have worked with Larry, you win. That's it. haha) a combination and then everybody sung Oh The Thinks You Can Think (this is when said miracle occurred), and then they gave me Sour Kangaroo music, and then Bird Girl music, they shaved off a round of people and had the bird girl people sing, they threw me to the other side of the room for some reason, the Hortons and Jojos sang, then I was given Gertrude music, Mayzies sang, Gertrudes sang and they made me sing mine again because they thought I gave up (haha... oops.), and though this whole thing, they shaved people off until there were literally 7 or 8 girls left and those people sang for Sour Kangaroo. I was among those last girls and so were two nice people I met during the whole process (Alexis and Michaela) and then we all left. The cast list was posted and it was like a Christmas miracle. I was cast as Gertrude. For those of you who are not familiar with Seussical, let me just say, that Gertrude is the lead female role in the show. I am completely honored and excited to start working on the 16th of February. This saturday, we have measurements for costumes being taken and that should be fun as well. The only thing about this is that is interferes greatly with Chamber Music and after bringing this up with CM's director, it is clear that I am sticking with BCT for this run. For those of you who'd like to buy tickets- *LINK!*- please do! =]
4. Musical Theatre: The Class!
This is just a quick school update. I have started the musical theatre class of 2010 and I am loving it so far!! I sang Mama Who Bore Me from Spring Awakeningand it went very well. Everybody else is doing wonderfully! When I know more about it, I will let y'all know!
5. Untitled
I did not really name this section. I'm not going into specifics because I feel that is unnecessary. But I don't want to go about things like nothing happened. Liv, you will be missed in the hearts of many. Keep smiling on. Live For Liv. <3
I hope that you all have a wonderful week and weekend
Love,
Bri =]
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
The end... and a new Beginning!
Hello people! I have two things to share with you today!
1. Chicago- the final days.
So, as you may or may not know, we did Chicago this past weekend (and the weekend before that) and it has come to an end. It would be silly to compare it to my other theatrical experiences because none are identical, but this was one of the shows that had the cattiness in the background. That happens, though. If you are around the same people for 2 or 3 months, fights happen. It's alright- we deal with it, and we move on. Overall, my experience with the show was a lot of fun. The show is not extremely vocally challenging, but the dancing was crazy, a large reason why we cast actual dancers. Half of the time, we had people singing backstage while the people who could dance were on stage. We were both doing our thing that way :) I don't have anything profound to say. I am going to miss the people I have worked with for years whose last musical with WATA this was and I hope that they will come back and visit next year :) It is really sad getting the musical over and done-with at the beginning of the year. We had auditions the second day of school, so, really the time has flown by. We went through 6 successful performances together, so, cast: if you're reading I'd like to offer my congratulations. thank you all for making this show possible!!
2. On to the second order of business: AUDITIONS
Auditions for Chamber Music and Catholic School Girls are on Monday! We really don't waste much time, do we? I have chosen a monologue from Laughing Wild (no, NOT the tuna fish one) and I have yet to memorize it. Hopefully I'll know it well enough to perform it on Monday. I signed up for the first time slot and I will write about how that goes when it comes. Truthfully, I hope to be cast in Catholic School Girls because Chamber Music is out competition piece and that is a ton of pressure. I would rather work on props when that comes around :) I will let you know when and if anything happens with casting and if I'm not cast, I will do costumes!!
I hope all of you have a lovely day today! Enjoy GLEE tonight!
Love,
Bri :)
1. Chicago- the final days.
So, as you may or may not know, we did Chicago this past weekend (and the weekend before that) and it has come to an end. It would be silly to compare it to my other theatrical experiences because none are identical, but this was one of the shows that had the cattiness in the background. That happens, though. If you are around the same people for 2 or 3 months, fights happen. It's alright- we deal with it, and we move on. Overall, my experience with the show was a lot of fun. The show is not extremely vocally challenging, but the dancing was crazy, a large reason why we cast actual dancers. Half of the time, we had people singing backstage while the people who could dance were on stage. We were both doing our thing that way :) I don't have anything profound to say. I am going to miss the people I have worked with for years whose last musical with WATA this was and I hope that they will come back and visit next year :) It is really sad getting the musical over and done-with at the beginning of the year. We had auditions the second day of school, so, really the time has flown by. We went through 6 successful performances together, so, cast: if you're reading I'd like to offer my congratulations. thank you all for making this show possible!!
2. On to the second order of business: AUDITIONS
Auditions for Chamber Music and Catholic School Girls are on Monday! We really don't waste much time, do we? I have chosen a monologue from Laughing Wild (no, NOT the tuna fish one) and I have yet to memorize it. Hopefully I'll know it well enough to perform it on Monday. I signed up for the first time slot and I will write about how that goes when it comes. Truthfully, I hope to be cast in Catholic School Girls because Chamber Music is out competition piece and that is a ton of pressure. I would rather work on props when that comes around :) I will let you know when and if anything happens with casting and if I'm not cast, I will do costumes!!
I hope all of you have a lovely day today! Enjoy GLEE tonight!
Love,
Bri :)
Saturday, October 24, 2009
2 Theatrical Lovelies
1.CodeMonkey
A while ago, I was able to attend a BC production called Code Monkey. Luke Jorgensen, one of the 3 guest directors that grace our high school every year was not only the director, but also the writer. Using music by Jonathan Coulton, he created a crazy (yet intriguing) musical that kept me laughing throughout the entire show. The talents that the cast possessed was indescribable and the commitment to the outlandish characters was incredible. I didn't see it recently, so I can't really say anything extremely specific about it, but my favorite songs were, "IKEA" and "De-Evolving". They were so funny and fantastic, it's great. I wish they had done a cast album, because I totally would have bought it. Bottom line: It was a fabulous piece of theatre. I almost missed 40 minutes of rehearsal for this show and I can't really say I regret it because Laramie rehearsal went overtime and I didn't actually end up missing anything. :)
2.the Laramie Project: Ten Years Later
I don't have a lot to say about the content of the show because it was very similar to the first. I would say that it was a lot less emotional because I didn't cry. I feel horrible because I feel like I definitely should have, but, I came very close a few times. What's exciting is that WA was chosen to be one out of two public high schools in the world to perform it. Nobody in the high school was in it, however, many alums and guest directors were. The show was fantastic. Even though they all had scripts in their hands, the show was incredible.
Side Note: If any of you are in MA, come see Chicago!!
Click Here to buy tickets!!
Have a lovely night everyone!!
A while ago, I was able to attend a BC production called Code Monkey. Luke Jorgensen, one of the 3 guest directors that grace our high school every year was not only the director, but also the writer. Using music by Jonathan Coulton, he created a crazy (yet intriguing) musical that kept me laughing throughout the entire show. The talents that the cast possessed was indescribable and the commitment to the outlandish characters was incredible. I didn't see it recently, so I can't really say anything extremely specific about it, but my favorite songs were, "IKEA" and "De-Evolving". They were so funny and fantastic, it's great. I wish they had done a cast album, because I totally would have bought it. Bottom line: It was a fabulous piece of theatre. I almost missed 40 minutes of rehearsal for this show and I can't really say I regret it because Laramie rehearsal went overtime and I didn't actually end up missing anything. :)
2.the Laramie Project: Ten Years Later
I don't have a lot to say about the content of the show because it was very similar to the first. I would say that it was a lot less emotional because I didn't cry. I feel horrible because I feel like I definitely should have, but, I came very close a few times. What's exciting is that WA was chosen to be one out of two public high schools in the world to perform it. Nobody in the high school was in it, however, many alums and guest directors were. The show was fantastic. Even though they all had scripts in their hands, the show was incredible.
Side Note: If any of you are in MA, come see Chicago!!
Click Here to buy tickets!!
Have a lovely night everyone!!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Give em the old Razzle Dazzle...
Well, it has certainly been an interesting process so far at the home base. We had auditions for Chicago the second day of school. I can't speak for anybody else since I wasn't there, but I would say that auditions in general went very well. I feel like they went pretty smoothly and when I left they were only about 4 people behind (which, let's be honest, is kind of an accomplishment). So, at my high school, the theatre department is as close to professionalism as possible. We need 16 bars of an up-beat and ballad as well as a well rehearsed, memorized 1-2 minute monologue that correlates with the piece we are auditioning for. I sang "I Can Do Better Than That" from The Last 5 Years and "Easy to be Hard" from HAIR. My monologue was Val's monologue from A Chorus Line. I thought they went very well. I was SO incredibly nervous. I get nervous for absolutely everything. Even last year during Rent, I would FREAK out every night right before the second act. I had a solo in Seasons and Every single night I was like, "WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENS??"
Anyway, after a lot of scaredness and whatnot about callbacks, the list was emailed to us. I was called back for Velma (THAT was a huge surprise) and Mama. The callbacks were pretty much like this: We all sat there while they called all the boys in, then the Roxies and then the Velmas and Mamas. There was singing and reading of scenes. I read for Mama twice and Velma once. We sang, "All That Jazz" and "When You're Good to Mama" And then, at 7, we all packed up and had to zoof over to dance auditions. I had a lot of fun, but I am not a good dancer, so, it was a little uncomfortable, especially learning the dance. Our director is Larry Sousa, so, it's going to be a HEAVY dance show.
Well, finally the cast list was posted. I would post it all here, but I'm afraid to say names because people might get angry even though nobody reads this but Allie. So, I'll just spare myself the trouble. I'm in the chorus. I was disappointed to say the least, but after a chat with the assistant director, I felt better. Last night we had our first rehearsal. The first half or more was dedicated to the technical stuff. Contracts, costume notices, cast lists, etc. were given out. I looked at them and saw my name twice. These were scene-by scene cast break downs. I love these because they are so incredibly organized but last night, they weren't my favorite. I want to take this time to say a few things that I need to be saying to myself lately. It really doesn't matter what part I get. I had been thinking it would feel the same as Rent if I got a bigger part or if I had a solo. But it wasn't the solo that made Rent so special. What made Rent special was the people that I got to work with. We were so loving and such a big family, but I need to get over that this isn't going to be the same. We have 6 weeks to get this show up and ready. If there is one person who isn't committed, the show can't work. I need to put aside my disappointment in myself and just start working. If I look at this negatively, nothing will happen positively the whole process. So even though I'm in 2 numbers, even though I'm being made to feel like I'm not as important, even though I'm not going to be able to see many of my friends during the process, it's going to be a good experience. It doesn't matter how I feel about the show. What matters is that I'm committed to making the audience believe.
Than that's the note I want to end on.
Keep it positive :)
Anyway, after a lot of scaredness and whatnot about callbacks, the list was emailed to us. I was called back for Velma (THAT was a huge surprise) and Mama. The callbacks were pretty much like this: We all sat there while they called all the boys in, then the Roxies and then the Velmas and Mamas. There was singing and reading of scenes. I read for Mama twice and Velma once. We sang, "All That Jazz" and "When You're Good to Mama" And then, at 7, we all packed up and had to zoof over to dance auditions. I had a lot of fun, but I am not a good dancer, so, it was a little uncomfortable, especially learning the dance. Our director is Larry Sousa, so, it's going to be a HEAVY dance show.
Well, finally the cast list was posted. I would post it all here, but I'm afraid to say names because people might get angry even though nobody reads this but Allie. So, I'll just spare myself the trouble. I'm in the chorus. I was disappointed to say the least, but after a chat with the assistant director, I felt better. Last night we had our first rehearsal. The first half or more was dedicated to the technical stuff. Contracts, costume notices, cast lists, etc. were given out. I looked at them and saw my name twice. These were scene-by scene cast break downs. I love these because they are so incredibly organized but last night, they weren't my favorite. I want to take this time to say a few things that I need to be saying to myself lately. It really doesn't matter what part I get. I had been thinking it would feel the same as Rent if I got a bigger part or if I had a solo. But it wasn't the solo that made Rent so special. What made Rent special was the people that I got to work with. We were so loving and such a big family, but I need to get over that this isn't going to be the same. We have 6 weeks to get this show up and ready. If there is one person who isn't committed, the show can't work. I need to put aside my disappointment in myself and just start working. If I look at this negatively, nothing will happen positively the whole process. So even though I'm in 2 numbers, even though I'm being made to feel like I'm not as important, even though I'm not going to be able to see many of my friends during the process, it's going to be a good experience. It doesn't matter how I feel about the show. What matters is that I'm committed to making the audience believe.
Than that's the note I want to end on.
Keep it positive :)
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