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
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
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 :)
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
HAIR review- August 15, 2009
Instead of figuring out who understudied who, I'm going to type the cast list as it was given to us as a separate sheet in the playbill.
Dionne- Saycon Sengbloh
Berger- Will Swenson
Woof- Bryce Ryness
Hud- Darius Nichols
Claude- Jay Armstrong Johnson
Sheila- Caissie Levy
Jeanie- Kacie Sheik
Crissy- Briana Carlson-Goodman
Mother- Allison Gruinn
Dad- Andrew Kober
Margaret Mead- Andrew Kober
Hubert- Josh Lamon
Abraham Lincoln- Nicole Lewis
John Wilkes Booth- Josh Lamon
Buddhadalirama- Allison Guinn
The Tribe: Ato Blankson-wood, Jackie Burns, Matt Deangelis, Lauren Elder, Allison Guinn, Chasten Harmon, Anthony Hollock, Kaitlin Kiyan, Andrew Kober, Josh Lamon, Nicole Lewis, John Moauro, Megan Reinking, Paris Remillard, Michael James Scott, Maya Sharpe, Hannah Shankman, Tommar Wilson
Alright :)
First, I was a little bummed we weren't seeing Gavin, but, I really didn't mind. After all, sometimes understudies can give fabulous performances. So, I was open-minded about this. Plus, I was really excited to see Saycon again. I saw her as Elphaba in Wicked the first time I saw it and she was fantastic :) Okay, starting the actual review now!
ACT ONE
Aquarius It was fantastic. The music was wonderful (as always) and Saycon was just as wonderful as I remember. The harmonies were so incredible... It was just great :) After Aquarius, Berger establishes himself and people introduce themselves. Will Swenson is FABULOUS. One of my new favorite people. First of all, there is a LOT of audience interaction. They speak straight out to the audience all of the time. He was like, "Call me anything you want... you could call me, 'Banana Berger'... or 'taking my pants off Berger' (that's when he took off his pants- by the way) or, 'I'm playing with my cell phone instead of watching the show Berger'" It was so funny. He was great. He couldn't get his pants off, so he said, "'I can't get my pants off Berger'" It was fabulous. He put his leg up on the front row chairs and was like, "Do you have any spare change? what? I'm just stretching... it could be a nickel, a penny, a dime, a spare hundred dollar bill. I'll just sit here all night with my b***s hanging out" omigod. So funny.
Donna So good. You're going to hear just about the same thing from me for every song. It sounded just like it did on the CD, yadda yadda. Will Swenson is extremely talented. the singing blew me away :)
Hashish So cool. It was trippy (duh... that's what the show is) Many... let's say, "interesting" movements made by the tribe on stage. Actually, someone is always doing something sexual on stage haha. But anyway, on the CD, my favorite part of the song is when they say, "LSD" and they didn't say it that way in the show hahaha! It made me sad, but then made me laugh because I felt sad about nothing.
S****y I'm starring these words out for the little eyes and ears. Just so you know. Gah. It's such a good song. If only I could sing it in public places without getting yelled at by authorities. Bryce is fantastic, too. Crazy how that works, huh? They're on Broadway and they're all talented... weird. Anyway, great song.
Colored Spade Can't really say much. I love the song. Darius is wonderful, too. Tia (my sister) said he should play Judas in JCS. He could. He definitely has the voice for it, that's for sure!!!
Manchester England Enter Claude. Berger said that he was, "The most beautiful creature in the forest" Tara and Tia both absolutely think Berger wasn't far off. They're pretty much stalking him at this point (not really, though) He is a really attractive person. I just feel like trying to know him/like him on a personal level just kills the character he created on stage in a way, so I tend to stay away from that. But he is extremely good looking. He's so talented. He is definitely as good as Gavin, if not better. Seriously, he was such a good singer. I couldn't even tell that he was an understudy.
I'm Black Not really much different from the CD. It was good, but VERY short. Like, literally 16 bars so, not really much to say.
Ain't Got No So cool. Of course, they're all out in the audience. So, it was awesome. The chanting was great and everything. It was just fabulous. I loved it.
Sheila Franklin Enter Caissie Levy. My favorite cast member.
I Believe in Love She is so fantastic. Her singing looked absolutely effortless. This song gets stuck in my head SO OFTEN it's crazy. Live, it was even better.
Ain't Got No yup... just about the same. as the first one lol
Air I love this song. Can I just say that Kacie Shiek is so hilarious?? She's so funny. She's all preggers and she singing the song and like, "FALL OUT" to her baby. She was so funny. Her voice was great too. I love the song. Another one of those songs I can't really sing in public, but only because people give me odd looks.
The Stone Age Another very short, but good song. It makes me happy, but it's so short that nothing really happens.
I Got Life One of my FAVORITES. The scene before it is the parents yelling at Claude and he goes, "Moooom!! Not in front of the audience!" and they're like, "oh... audience? sorry..." anyway. Another fun song. I wanted to sing with it, but I thought that would be looked down upon. Oh. Speaking of being looked down upon. Some guy 2 rows ahead of us was filming the show with his phone and he got yelled at like, 5 times. So funny.
Initials I love this because whenever I listen to it, I do the sign language letters as it's playing. So I did them quietly and discreetly in my seat :) The blocking for this was cool They were in a triangle of sorts and they were shuffling back and fourth.
Going Down Berger comes in and is like, "yoooo! I got expelled from High School" and everyone's like, "groovy" (except for that is not the dialogue at all) and they sing this awesome song. Will's voice is absolutely amazing. He has such a clear tone and it doesn't sound like he's stretching at all. It great. It is such a privilege to see this many talented people in one show. It really is.
Hair OMIGOD. MY FAVORITE. I love this song with the burning passion of over 1000 suns. The scene was amazing, the response from the audience was amazing, the people in it were amazing. It was great. But during it, Will's voice cracked and they just laughed. He and Jay were just sitting there laughing for like, 3 minutes. But it was great because they were still in character. The experience was wonderful. Many people think this is the end of act one, but NO! There is more!!
My Conviction The control in Andrew Kober's voice is the best I have ever heard. The crescendo is truly out of this world. I can't get over how great the cast is. Truly, I can't.
Easy to be Hard She's my favorite for a reason. Once again, efforless. She didn't even look like she was speaking. What I mean is that there was no strain in her neck or any of her body. She was just singing. It was like the notes came as naturally as blinking. My mom is absolutely convinced that I am able to sing this song well. I am not haha
Don't Put it Down So entertaining. The harmonies were incredible and the three voices, of course, were wonderful. I'm running out of adjectives. How many ways can you say fantastic? But yes, this song was very entertaining!!
Frank MillsI have to say, I was really looking forward to seeing Allison Case. But again, open mind :) Briana was great. She was a very talented singer and she was very animated the whole show. I love the character, and she played Crissy very well!
Hare Krishna It was so interesting. The songs like these where people are just kind of walking around and singing are so hard to describe. I wish I could give credit where it's due, but I don't know who this girl is. She's an amazing operatic singer and she looks like Fuzzy Pink Bra Girl from RENT. She was amazing. Anyway, The song gets super intense as it goes on. They're all burning draft cards and everything. It's great.
Where Do I Go ahh, the famed nude scene. Let me tell you how it really went. The song is beautiful. Claude sings it and it fantastic. As he is singing, the spotlight is on him- very far downstage right. and there is very low lighting on the tribe in the back. It wasn't until halfway through the song that I even noticed any of them were naked. The thing was, though, that it was so incredibly subtle and well done. The cast was comfortable, and therefore, so was the audience. It was almost nice. I don't know, it was motivated, and not uncomfortable for me in the least bit.
ACT TWO
Electric Blues Let me just say that I want to wait outside the theatre for intermission. they come in from OUTSIDE. that means that they're out on the street. I want to see that. Some guy was awkwardly standing out there watching them go back in. Some people were still getting back to their seats when they came in so Caissie Levy and a bunch of other cast members were hugging them and being like, "where are you guys going? i'll walk you there" It was so great. And then Will was walking past me (My mom let me sit on the aisle for the second act! yay!) and he tickle-scratched my shoulder, gave me a head nod and said, "hey babe" which, made my life, and I was like, "hey!" and got excited. and then he went up to Caissie and pointed at me and she gave me like, an, "oh, hi!" look. haha. It was great. Best ever. anyway, the song was fun, as it alway is, even listening to it on the CD its fun.
Oh Great God of Power So pretty. It's a really pretty song. Lots of candles, the vocals are nice. And then, "gasp! It's lord buckingham!" and they go into Manchester England again. And the lights return :)
Black Boys This song requires so much vocal range, it's crazy. It's a really really good song that makes me happy. Lots of movements that not many people would smile upon, but, its plenty fun and it goes into another really good song called
White Boys which is a better song than Black Boys. It's just a lot more up-beat and interesting. If I sang it, I'd look like a racist, though. The vocal abilities of the six girls who sing these songs are astounding.
Walking in Space This is when they're all passing out pot haha. But Woof was like, "roll roll roll the joint... *rhyming that I don't remember* and pass it to a friend"
Minuet uh... I'm sure it was great. It was instrumental according to the playbill. I wish I remembered what happened during it.
Yes, I's Finished on Y'alls Farmlands haha, interesting name, right? It's a quartet of 4 of the "black boys" in the Tribe. Lots of fun, but very abstract as are the next few songs, as they are a part of Claude's trip. haha
Four Score and Seven Years Ago OMG. The girl who played Abraham, was so great. She has the vocal range of... I don't even know, but it's a really good thing! The whole show is fun, I think you get that by now. Have I said it enough? This song was fun, and nice.
Give Up All Desires Not gonna lie, this scared me a bit. It was pretty funny, but also kinda creepy. I was like, "oh... that person is supposed to be REALLY REALLY old" ha
Three-Five-Zero-Zero I don't know what it means, but it was interesting. The Music is fantastic. It carries the show on its own, but this song, the music carried the story for me. I don't really know what was happening because Claude was all tripping out and everything, but, it was gorgeous to watch.
What a Piece of Work is Man This is the most beautiful song in the show as far as harmonies go. And it's sung by two random background people, too! I love when everyone in the chorus of the show gets to have some kind of solo. It's my favorite. So, this song made me happy. And it's beautiful, so, it was great :)
How Dare They Try They're all talking about the stupid dumb war. It makes me sad, because I love the hippies and all the peace and love and everything they stand for. I understand how they're trying to end the beauty. It is such a powerful show while maintaining it's fun-ness and everything.
Good Morning Starshine My mom has been singing this to me since I can remember. It always had a little bit of a soft spot for me, you know? I love it. It was done beautifully. Caissie Levy. Aghhh! Why can't I have your voice? Once more- effortless. Plus, the song is wonderful on it's own anyway, so... yeah. It was a great scene.
Ain't Got No (reprise) Always makes me sad for reasons I don't want to ruin here. But it's sooo powerful, and you'll get it when you see it.
The Flesh Failures This is meaningful. Claude is going through a time of decision making and it's kind of like, "I'll do this because I know I have to" and then it gets all trippy, but not literally and the Tribe is looking for him, but they can't find him... ugh. So sad.
Eyes Look Your Last This is so sad. I almost cried, but I didn't I don't know why I didn't. I should have. It made me want to cry but the tears freaking wouldn't happen!!! It was so weird. I cry about freaking everything.
Let The Sunshine In DEFINITELY should have made me cry. But didn't. So Amazing.
Curtain Call Right now you might be like, "why the frick is she making a section for the curtain call?" well, you people, it's because at the end of the show, you get to go up on stage and sing with them. YEAH. I freaked. Especially since we were the only people dressed as Hippies for the show. We blended in (kinda, but not really) anyway, you don't know what it's like to stand on a broadway stage when the theatre is full of people. It's an absolute rush. It was wonderful.
Stage Door Everybody was really really nice :) I got 18 autographs! And a bunch of people commented on my pants. Some people were really excited about them ahha. I'll post pictures. Will stopped smiling before the final flash, so he looks like a creep-and-a-half, but that's okay. Tara had everyone sign her jeans. They look really cool. We missed one person who came out and I was sad. He skipped us because we were taking a picture with someone at the time. We missed pictures with a lot of people, too, because my mom didn't have the camera ready or something stupid. But yeah. It was the best theatrical experience of my life. The best show I have ever seen!!!
Also, during the show- I can't remember when, we were invited to the Be-In (so was everyone else...). They gave out flyers and everything. I got one :) And she stopped right in front of our row and was like, "Okay guys, listen up. This is the most important part. You gotta bring your own pot, okay?" haha I'll post pictures soon. But the show is amazing. Go see it if you get the chance!!
Dionne- Saycon Sengbloh
Berger- Will Swenson
Woof- Bryce Ryness
Hud- Darius Nichols
Claude- Jay Armstrong Johnson
Sheila- Caissie Levy
Jeanie- Kacie Sheik
Crissy- Briana Carlson-Goodman
Mother- Allison Gruinn
Dad- Andrew Kober
Margaret Mead- Andrew Kober
Hubert- Josh Lamon
Abraham Lincoln- Nicole Lewis
John Wilkes Booth- Josh Lamon
Buddhadalirama- Allison Guinn
The Tribe: Ato Blankson-wood, Jackie Burns, Matt Deangelis, Lauren Elder, Allison Guinn, Chasten Harmon, Anthony Hollock, Kaitlin Kiyan, Andrew Kober, Josh Lamon, Nicole Lewis, John Moauro, Megan Reinking, Paris Remillard, Michael James Scott, Maya Sharpe, Hannah Shankman, Tommar Wilson
Alright :)
First, I was a little bummed we weren't seeing Gavin, but, I really didn't mind. After all, sometimes understudies can give fabulous performances. So, I was open-minded about this. Plus, I was really excited to see Saycon again. I saw her as Elphaba in Wicked the first time I saw it and she was fantastic :) Okay, starting the actual review now!
ACT ONE
Aquarius It was fantastic. The music was wonderful (as always) and Saycon was just as wonderful as I remember. The harmonies were so incredible... It was just great :) After Aquarius, Berger establishes himself and people introduce themselves. Will Swenson is FABULOUS. One of my new favorite people. First of all, there is a LOT of audience interaction. They speak straight out to the audience all of the time. He was like, "Call me anything you want... you could call me, 'Banana Berger'... or 'taking my pants off Berger' (that's when he took off his pants- by the way) or, 'I'm playing with my cell phone instead of watching the show Berger'" It was so funny. He was great. He couldn't get his pants off, so he said, "'I can't get my pants off Berger'" It was fabulous. He put his leg up on the front row chairs and was like, "Do you have any spare change? what? I'm just stretching... it could be a nickel, a penny, a dime, a spare hundred dollar bill. I'll just sit here all night with my b***s hanging out" omigod. So funny.
Donna So good. You're going to hear just about the same thing from me for every song. It sounded just like it did on the CD, yadda yadda. Will Swenson is extremely talented. the singing blew me away :)
Hashish So cool. It was trippy (duh... that's what the show is) Many... let's say, "interesting" movements made by the tribe on stage. Actually, someone is always doing something sexual on stage haha. But anyway, on the CD, my favorite part of the song is when they say, "LSD" and they didn't say it that way in the show hahaha! It made me sad, but then made me laugh because I felt sad about nothing.
S****y I'm starring these words out for the little eyes and ears. Just so you know. Gah. It's such a good song. If only I could sing it in public places without getting yelled at by authorities. Bryce is fantastic, too. Crazy how that works, huh? They're on Broadway and they're all talented... weird. Anyway, great song.
Colored Spade Can't really say much. I love the song. Darius is wonderful, too. Tia (my sister) said he should play Judas in JCS. He could. He definitely has the voice for it, that's for sure!!!
Manchester England Enter Claude. Berger said that he was, "The most beautiful creature in the forest" Tara and Tia both absolutely think Berger wasn't far off. They're pretty much stalking him at this point (not really, though) He is a really attractive person. I just feel like trying to know him/like him on a personal level just kills the character he created on stage in a way, so I tend to stay away from that. But he is extremely good looking. He's so talented. He is definitely as good as Gavin, if not better. Seriously, he was such a good singer. I couldn't even tell that he was an understudy.
I'm Black Not really much different from the CD. It was good, but VERY short. Like, literally 16 bars so, not really much to say.
Ain't Got No So cool. Of course, they're all out in the audience. So, it was awesome. The chanting was great and everything. It was just fabulous. I loved it.
Sheila Franklin Enter Caissie Levy. My favorite cast member.
I Believe in Love She is so fantastic. Her singing looked absolutely effortless. This song gets stuck in my head SO OFTEN it's crazy. Live, it was even better.
Ain't Got No yup... just about the same. as the first one lol
Air I love this song. Can I just say that Kacie Shiek is so hilarious?? She's so funny. She's all preggers and she singing the song and like, "FALL OUT" to her baby. She was so funny. Her voice was great too. I love the song. Another one of those songs I can't really sing in public, but only because people give me odd looks.
The Stone Age Another very short, but good song. It makes me happy, but it's so short that nothing really happens.
I Got Life One of my FAVORITES. The scene before it is the parents yelling at Claude and he goes, "Moooom!! Not in front of the audience!" and they're like, "oh... audience? sorry..." anyway. Another fun song. I wanted to sing with it, but I thought that would be looked down upon. Oh. Speaking of being looked down upon. Some guy 2 rows ahead of us was filming the show with his phone and he got yelled at like, 5 times. So funny.
Initials I love this because whenever I listen to it, I do the sign language letters as it's playing. So I did them quietly and discreetly in my seat :) The blocking for this was cool They were in a triangle of sorts and they were shuffling back and fourth.
Going Down Berger comes in and is like, "yoooo! I got expelled from High School" and everyone's like, "groovy" (except for that is not the dialogue at all) and they sing this awesome song. Will's voice is absolutely amazing. He has such a clear tone and it doesn't sound like he's stretching at all. It great. It is such a privilege to see this many talented people in one show. It really is.
Hair OMIGOD. MY FAVORITE. I love this song with the burning passion of over 1000 suns. The scene was amazing, the response from the audience was amazing, the people in it were amazing. It was great. But during it, Will's voice cracked and they just laughed. He and Jay were just sitting there laughing for like, 3 minutes. But it was great because they were still in character. The experience was wonderful. Many people think this is the end of act one, but NO! There is more!!
My Conviction The control in Andrew Kober's voice is the best I have ever heard. The crescendo is truly out of this world. I can't get over how great the cast is. Truly, I can't.
Easy to be Hard She's my favorite for a reason. Once again, efforless. She didn't even look like she was speaking. What I mean is that there was no strain in her neck or any of her body. She was just singing. It was like the notes came as naturally as blinking. My mom is absolutely convinced that I am able to sing this song well. I am not haha
Don't Put it Down So entertaining. The harmonies were incredible and the three voices, of course, were wonderful. I'm running out of adjectives. How many ways can you say fantastic? But yes, this song was very entertaining!!
Frank MillsI have to say, I was really looking forward to seeing Allison Case. But again, open mind :) Briana was great. She was a very talented singer and she was very animated the whole show. I love the character, and she played Crissy very well!
Hare Krishna It was so interesting. The songs like these where people are just kind of walking around and singing are so hard to describe. I wish I could give credit where it's due, but I don't know who this girl is. She's an amazing operatic singer and she looks like Fuzzy Pink Bra Girl from RENT. She was amazing. Anyway, The song gets super intense as it goes on. They're all burning draft cards and everything. It's great.
Where Do I Go ahh, the famed nude scene. Let me tell you how it really went. The song is beautiful. Claude sings it and it fantastic. As he is singing, the spotlight is on him- very far downstage right. and there is very low lighting on the tribe in the back. It wasn't until halfway through the song that I even noticed any of them were naked. The thing was, though, that it was so incredibly subtle and well done. The cast was comfortable, and therefore, so was the audience. It was almost nice. I don't know, it was motivated, and not uncomfortable for me in the least bit.
ACT TWO
Electric Blues Let me just say that I want to wait outside the theatre for intermission. they come in from OUTSIDE. that means that they're out on the street. I want to see that. Some guy was awkwardly standing out there watching them go back in. Some people were still getting back to their seats when they came in so Caissie Levy and a bunch of other cast members were hugging them and being like, "where are you guys going? i'll walk you there" It was so great. And then Will was walking past me (My mom let me sit on the aisle for the second act! yay!) and he tickle-scratched my shoulder, gave me a head nod and said, "hey babe" which, made my life, and I was like, "hey!" and got excited. and then he went up to Caissie and pointed at me and she gave me like, an, "oh, hi!" look. haha. It was great. Best ever. anyway, the song was fun, as it alway is, even listening to it on the CD its fun.
Oh Great God of Power So pretty. It's a really pretty song. Lots of candles, the vocals are nice. And then, "gasp! It's lord buckingham!" and they go into Manchester England again. And the lights return :)
Black Boys This song requires so much vocal range, it's crazy. It's a really really good song that makes me happy. Lots of movements that not many people would smile upon, but, its plenty fun and it goes into another really good song called
White Boys which is a better song than Black Boys. It's just a lot more up-beat and interesting. If I sang it, I'd look like a racist, though. The vocal abilities of the six girls who sing these songs are astounding.
Walking in Space This is when they're all passing out pot haha. But Woof was like, "roll roll roll the joint... *rhyming that I don't remember* and pass it to a friend"
Minuet uh... I'm sure it was great. It was instrumental according to the playbill. I wish I remembered what happened during it.
Yes, I's Finished on Y'alls Farmlands haha, interesting name, right? It's a quartet of 4 of the "black boys" in the Tribe. Lots of fun, but very abstract as are the next few songs, as they are a part of Claude's trip. haha
Four Score and Seven Years Ago OMG. The girl who played Abraham, was so great. She has the vocal range of... I don't even know, but it's a really good thing! The whole show is fun, I think you get that by now. Have I said it enough? This song was fun, and nice.
Give Up All Desires Not gonna lie, this scared me a bit. It was pretty funny, but also kinda creepy. I was like, "oh... that person is supposed to be REALLY REALLY old" ha
Three-Five-Zero-Zero I don't know what it means, but it was interesting. The Music is fantastic. It carries the show on its own, but this song, the music carried the story for me. I don't really know what was happening because Claude was all tripping out and everything, but, it was gorgeous to watch.
What a Piece of Work is Man This is the most beautiful song in the show as far as harmonies go. And it's sung by two random background people, too! I love when everyone in the chorus of the show gets to have some kind of solo. It's my favorite. So, this song made me happy. And it's beautiful, so, it was great :)
How Dare They Try They're all talking about the stupid dumb war. It makes me sad, because I love the hippies and all the peace and love and everything they stand for. I understand how they're trying to end the beauty. It is such a powerful show while maintaining it's fun-ness and everything.
Good Morning Starshine My mom has been singing this to me since I can remember. It always had a little bit of a soft spot for me, you know? I love it. It was done beautifully. Caissie Levy. Aghhh! Why can't I have your voice? Once more- effortless. Plus, the song is wonderful on it's own anyway, so... yeah. It was a great scene.
Ain't Got No (reprise) Always makes me sad for reasons I don't want to ruin here. But it's sooo powerful, and you'll get it when you see it.
The Flesh Failures This is meaningful. Claude is going through a time of decision making and it's kind of like, "I'll do this because I know I have to" and then it gets all trippy, but not literally and the Tribe is looking for him, but they can't find him... ugh. So sad.
Eyes Look Your Last This is so sad. I almost cried, but I didn't I don't know why I didn't. I should have. It made me want to cry but the tears freaking wouldn't happen!!! It was so weird. I cry about freaking everything.
Let The Sunshine In DEFINITELY should have made me cry. But didn't. So Amazing.
Curtain Call Right now you might be like, "why the frick is she making a section for the curtain call?" well, you people, it's because at the end of the show, you get to go up on stage and sing with them. YEAH. I freaked. Especially since we were the only people dressed as Hippies for the show. We blended in (kinda, but not really) anyway, you don't know what it's like to stand on a broadway stage when the theatre is full of people. It's an absolute rush. It was wonderful.
Stage Door Everybody was really really nice :) I got 18 autographs! And a bunch of people commented on my pants. Some people were really excited about them ahha. I'll post pictures. Will stopped smiling before the final flash, so he looks like a creep-and-a-half, but that's okay. Tara had everyone sign her jeans. They look really cool. We missed one person who came out and I was sad. He skipped us because we were taking a picture with someone at the time. We missed pictures with a lot of people, too, because my mom didn't have the camera ready or something stupid. But yeah. It was the best theatrical experience of my life. The best show I have ever seen!!!
Also, during the show- I can't remember when, we were invited to the Be-In (so was everyone else...). They gave out flyers and everything. I got one :) And she stopped right in front of our row and was like, "Okay guys, listen up. This is the most important part. You gotta bring your own pot, okay?" haha I'll post pictures soon. But the show is amazing. Go see it if you get the chance!!
Friday, August 14, 2009
A lot of things to talk about. This blog comes to you in 2 parts!!
Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't been blogging. I don't really think anybody reads, but, I'm writing anyway :)
Since it's summer, there isn't much high school theatre happening right now. But I do have an update at the end of this plog (part 2) that pertains to my High School theatre as we know it.
Part 1- SSPA
So, because it is summer, there is no school theatre, meaning there is a lot of room for Summer School for the Performing Arts. Our artistic directors were(and are) Patti and Mr. Towers. This year, the musicals were Children of Eden for the first session, and Songs for a New World the second session. The Dramatic acting/studio theatre productions were The Dining Room for the first session and All in The Timing (only 5 one-act plays from the book, however) for the second. Going into the camp after 3 years as a camper and then being pushed up to counselor status threw me a bit. I did not think that I would be in any of the productions, but the first day I got there, they told me to jump in and gave me places to stand in Children of Eden. So, I was a chorus member and literally went on stage twice, which, worked out quite well since I had nothing to worry about after I was finished and all of the kids were on stage the entire second act as well, so I didn't have to worry about wrangling children. I would usually take intermission to take off the face paint and then I would chill backstage until the show was over. The shows went wonderfully, I'm very proud of our actors and actresses in both COE and The Dining Room. The Studio Theatre production was wonderfully done and hilarious :)
Alright. Moving on to the second Session of SSPA where my life turned to pure stress. Are you ready? So, I was looking forward to working on my first Jason Robert Brown show. I love JRB, so, it would make sense that I wanted to be in Songs for a New World. We lined up and he was going to assign the new Jr. Counselors to Senior counselors. Long Story. So, it turns out that Patti requested that I be her Assistant Director in the Black Box. but I still want to be in Songs for a New World. This is when the stress comes in. We go through the whole 3 week session. Mr. Towers insists that I AM in Songs, but I have never been at any rehearsals. All in the Timing is coming along great, the show is fun and energetic, everyone knows their lines, it's all blocked. It's great. We get to the final day. I zoof to dress rehearsal for Songs during my lunch break and am blocked into the last number. Said Towers, "Just pick a line. I trust you to know where you're going" okay, fine. I go and I choose a line, and it works out. Great. After that, I zoof downstairs, get out of costume, and run to the Black box where I have a dress rehearsal at 2. We do our dress rehearsal. It runs smoothly, ASA takes pictures and we then start to prepare for our first show. We do the first show. It goes very very well. So, I then run downstairs for the first show of Songs. I have never rehearsed the Opening number and don't really know what to do. So, Towers again says, "You'll be fine." He shows me where to stand when I get down into the Pit from the upper right of the house and I'm juts like, "oh... okay... I'll be fin... what's the worst that could happen?" Somehow, though, I made it through the show without any screw-ups. It's a miracle, but it happens. I then go home and sleep. The next day: 12:30 call for Timing and show at 2. Call for Songs? 4:30 show at 5. It would have been fine had the day ended there. but no. life can't be easy. So, I had a show of Timing at 7:30. We got out of Songs at 7. So I ran, got out of costume and slipped out the back way and ran to the Black Box as fast as I could. We then waited for Towers to arrive and then we proceeded with the show, which went very well. Afterwards, we had a meeting with Mr. Towers and then went out to dinner and my hell weekend was over :) I'm so proud of all the kids that were in the second session as well as the first!! I hope they all return next year for another year of fun haha :)
Part 2- WATA Update
Alright. So, I announced earlier this summer that my high school is performing Sweeney Todd this year. Well, it was recently changed to Chicago. We've been applying for the rights to Chicago for 5 years now and finally got them. so, I'm excited about that, but I am not much of a dancer so I'm a bit frightened. I should either learn to dance very fast, or just pray that I make it through auditions. That is my announcement. I started writing this particular blog post about a week ago and originally I had much more to say, but I can't remember them :( lame.
I'm going to count the number of times I said the word, "so" in this blog. Just for fun.
including that one ^ there are 15 of them :P
Too many. But I'm too lazy to edit the post. oh well! haha
Peace
Bri :)
Since it's summer, there isn't much high school theatre happening right now. But I do have an update at the end of this plog (part 2) that pertains to my High School theatre as we know it.
Part 1- SSPA
So, because it is summer, there is no school theatre, meaning there is a lot of room for Summer School for the Performing Arts. Our artistic directors were(and are) Patti and Mr. Towers. This year, the musicals were Children of Eden for the first session, and Songs for a New World the second session. The Dramatic acting/studio theatre productions were The Dining Room for the first session and All in The Timing (only 5 one-act plays from the book, however) for the second. Going into the camp after 3 years as a camper and then being pushed up to counselor status threw me a bit. I did not think that I would be in any of the productions, but the first day I got there, they told me to jump in and gave me places to stand in Children of Eden. So, I was a chorus member and literally went on stage twice, which, worked out quite well since I had nothing to worry about after I was finished and all of the kids were on stage the entire second act as well, so I didn't have to worry about wrangling children. I would usually take intermission to take off the face paint and then I would chill backstage until the show was over. The shows went wonderfully, I'm very proud of our actors and actresses in both COE and The Dining Room. The Studio Theatre production was wonderfully done and hilarious :)
Alright. Moving on to the second Session of SSPA where my life turned to pure stress. Are you ready? So, I was looking forward to working on my first Jason Robert Brown show. I love JRB, so, it would make sense that I wanted to be in Songs for a New World. We lined up and he was going to assign the new Jr. Counselors to Senior counselors. Long Story. So, it turns out that Patti requested that I be her Assistant Director in the Black Box. but I still want to be in Songs for a New World. This is when the stress comes in. We go through the whole 3 week session. Mr. Towers insists that I AM in Songs, but I have never been at any rehearsals. All in the Timing is coming along great, the show is fun and energetic, everyone knows their lines, it's all blocked. It's great. We get to the final day. I zoof to dress rehearsal for Songs during my lunch break and am blocked into the last number. Said Towers, "Just pick a line. I trust you to know where you're going" okay, fine. I go and I choose a line, and it works out. Great. After that, I zoof downstairs, get out of costume, and run to the Black box where I have a dress rehearsal at 2. We do our dress rehearsal. It runs smoothly, ASA takes pictures and we then start to prepare for our first show. We do the first show. It goes very very well. So, I then run downstairs for the first show of Songs. I have never rehearsed the Opening number and don't really know what to do. So, Towers again says, "You'll be fine." He shows me where to stand when I get down into the Pit from the upper right of the house and I'm juts like, "oh... okay... I'll be fin... what's the worst that could happen?" Somehow, though, I made it through the show without any screw-ups. It's a miracle, but it happens. I then go home and sleep. The next day: 12:30 call for Timing and show at 2. Call for Songs? 4:30 show at 5. It would have been fine had the day ended there. but no. life can't be easy. So, I had a show of Timing at 7:30. We got out of Songs at 7. So I ran, got out of costume and slipped out the back way and ran to the Black Box as fast as I could. We then waited for Towers to arrive and then we proceeded with the show, which went very well. Afterwards, we had a meeting with Mr. Towers and then went out to dinner and my hell weekend was over :) I'm so proud of all the kids that were in the second session as well as the first!! I hope they all return next year for another year of fun haha :)
Part 2- WATA Update
Alright. So, I announced earlier this summer that my high school is performing Sweeney Todd this year. Well, it was recently changed to Chicago. We've been applying for the rights to Chicago for 5 years now and finally got them. so, I'm excited about that, but I am not much of a dancer so I'm a bit frightened. I should either learn to dance very fast, or just pray that I make it through auditions. That is my announcement. I started writing this particular blog post about a week ago and originally I had much more to say, but I can't remember them :( lame.
I'm going to count the number of times I said the word, "so" in this blog. Just for fun.
including that one ^ there are 15 of them :P
Too many. But I'm too lazy to edit the post. oh well! haha
Peace
Bri :)
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