Right Before Your Eyes

This year's musical with the high school drama club is James and the Giant Peach, Jr. Before this summer, I had read the book and seen the movie from the 1990s, but I hadn't even known this musical and certainly hadn't heard any of the music. I'm grateful that Summer wanted me to choreograph again and give me a chance to learn about this sweet and touching version of this delightful story!

As usual, I've had a great time with these students and exercising my creative juices. The students have worked really hard and I'm looking forward to their opening night this Friday! Today, Monday, was their final dress before they start school performances for the elementary students on Tuesday.

One of the sweetest moments in the show, when the insects tell James that his parents will always be with him

Spiker and Sponge and the cruise kick line - This part made me laugh so hard during today's rehearsal!

Break a leg, guys! If you're local, come see our show! If you're not, but want to hear the music for yourself - you can download the original cast album here!

My heart wants to sing every song it hears

The local high school drama club has traditionally done its annual musical in the spring, but this year they are doing it in the fall and I am honored to have been a part of it again as choreographer. The choice this year was the beloved classic The Sound of Music and tonight is opening night! It's not the most dance-heavy show, so my hardest part was over some weeks ago, but I still attended rehearsals to lend my voice where I could and just to enjoy being present in the creative process.

Lonely Goatherd - In the stage musical, this happens during the thunderstorm instead of "My Favorite Things" - This has become my favorite number of the whole show.

Our family has been thrown a number of challenges recently, typical of life really, but having this creative outlet has been unbelievably helpful in getting me through all of it. I've been so blessed with all my shows of the last year, in that they have come into my life at just the right time for a variety of reasons. It's been so good to have theatre become a more regular part of my life again, and now I just need to find more outlets for performing as well as creating.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

So Long, Farewell

Many thanks to Summer for inviting me to be part of the drama club and many thanks to these amazing students for all their hard work!

ガマン (Gaman)

Japan has a long history of the performing arts, so musical and theatrical performances are not particularly hard to come by. Seeing them in English? Now that's a different story, whether professional or not. Fortunately, it can be done if you look for it and are patient. Today, that patience really paid off.

Tonight, we had the opportunity to see a filmed recording of the Broadway musical "Allegiance", which stars George Takei and Lea Salonga, among others, which tells the story of a family sent to a Japanese internment camp during World War II.  It's run on Broadway had been short, and wanting to reach audiences across North America, they filmed it and showed it in movie theaters around the U.S. and Canada. This week, at a few theaters in Tokyo, they are showing the same recording with Japanese subtitles, to reach George Takei's (and musical's characters') ancestral home. The musical is still in English, but with Japanese subtitles.

We went to the show with the same friends I do the high school musicals with, and with whom we have now established a tradition of attending professional theater in Tokyo together. This time, I figured out how to buy and pick up our tickets (a bit of an adventure in and of itself). I knew that it would feature some recorded welcome and introduction from George Takei and that he would be present at the premiere showing earlier in the week. So, even when we walked into the theater and some chairs set up on the stage, we did not expect to see George Takei in the room.

George Takei! (And some other nice people.)

Clearly, we were wrong. For about 30 minutes, they had a pre-show chat with George Takei, a producer from the show, and an actress who may be starring in an upcoming L.A. production (?). It was really interesting to hear about the birth of the show and some of their favorite parts. The moderator spoke the fastest Japanese I've ever heard, but also had perfect English and switched between the two flawlessly. It was fascinating. George Takei spoke a little Japanese, but gave most of his remarks in English.

The show itself was beautiful and touching. It wasn't perfect, maybe even a bit formulaic in places, but still really thought-provoking and well-executed. I would absolutely recommend it, even if all you can do is listen to a cast recording.

Blake, me, Summer, Ben

After the show, we went to dinner at place called Eggs N' Things, a restaurant chain born in Hawaii that has since come to Japan. Our friends, despite living here for seven years and counting, have never been. It's not the first time I've introduced at least one of them to something, nor will it be the last, which is amusing to me. One interesting thing is that each location has its own menu or specialty item, which is what I ordered tonight. It was too pretty not to!

Night Sky pancakes - strawberry pancakes, topped with bananas, strawberries, and a mountain of whipped cream, with a side of chocolate sauce and sprinkles.

Tonight was more than I expected, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity to watch even filmed professional theater, hear from some of the creatives involved (George Takei!), and spend time with wonderful friends.

This photo looks like we're in front a backdrop or green screen, but I promise we are not!

Tokyo

When you think about Seuss!

My last semester of college, I was in the BYU Young Company production of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. The Young Company is a Theatre for Young Audiences production group that has an initial run on the BYU campus and then tours to local elementary schools for the rest of the semester. I loved being part of it and it was a great capstone to my time in college.

My friend Summer was also part of this group. I think we'd had a few other classes together over our time at BYU, as she was a Theatre Education major and I'd started as one (though ultimately dropped the Education half). After Lilly's, I graduated, Summer left on her mission for the church, and we lost touch.

Until, fascinatingly, I found out we were moving to Japan. She had moved here several years ago with her husband, a teacher at the high school on base, and her kids. A mutual friend who knew that helped us reconnect once Blake and I announced our move! Immediately, she suggested that I'd be able to help with the Drama Club she and her husband (who is also the bishop of our ward/congregation) run at the high school.

So, this spring, about one year after we reconnected, I helped the high school mount a production of Seussical, Jr.! Summer directed, her husband (Ben) produced, and I choreographed - something they could do, but don't feel super confident in doing.

We all had a great time working together and I am already looking forward to our next production this fall!

I am I, Don Quixote, the lord of La Mancha!

Knowing Blake was going to be gone for 10 weeks, I was semi-retired, and I really missed doing theatre, I figured that doing a fall show at a nearby community theater would help me pass the time and be a great deal of fun. So, mid-summer, I started looking around at what was coming up. I started with the organizations closest to me and discovered that The Arlington Players would be doing Man of La Mancha at exactly the right time. I scrolled through their audition notice and then looked at the production staff, which seemed to have a number of vacancies, including choreographer. I knew it wouldn't hurt to volunteer my services, because if they didn't need me, I could still audition. I really do love both performing and choreographing, so I'd be happy either way.

They quickly responded to my email and I soon met with the producer and director and we all hit it off immediately! This project was a go! Sure, I'd miss being on stage in the actual performances, but to be part of the creative process would be such a joy. Plus, I wouldn't have to risk auditioning and not actually getting cast. 

It really was the perfect way to spend time while Blake was away. I could use my day time to plan choreography, get ready for Japan, and do all the other things I needed to do, and then spend my evenings in the rehearsal hall. We started rehearsals a week before Blake left and the last performance was a week before we moved, exactly the time frame I needed.

The Impossible Dream

It's not a dance heavy show, but I still made it to most of the rehearsals and the director and I worked really well together on several moments throughout. I'd tweak blocking and movement and she'd add layers of character to my choreography. It was a beautiful process and I'm so glad to have been a part of it! 

Golden Helmet of Mambrino

Ultimately, it breaks both of our hearts that we met such a short time before I had to leave. I really hope we can find a way to work together again. We also hung out several times outside of rehearsals, whether joining me in binge watching The West Wing or eating dollar tacos.

Choreographer and Director on opening night!

Blake couldn't attend opening weekend, but he did send me flowers to congratulate me. He was able to get permission to visit over Columbus Day weekend, so we got to attend closing night together. The oldest two Heiss girls came with me to opening night instead, which was pretty cool. 

I have a very sweet husband, who knows how to celebrate someone on stage, having grown up with a violinist for a sister.

I felt a like a mermaid, and many of my cast agreed!

The second weekend of the show, one of our actors had a work commitment for one performance. We cast her anyway, and I acted as her understudy, so I got to perform after all! In our staging, everyone was on stage pretty much the whole show, so even though I had the fewest lines of anyone to memorize, it was a bit of work to remember her entire blocking track. It worked out though, even if I lost a prop that went rolling under our set right before I needed it, and I had a few friends in the audience to cheer me on.

The innkeeper's less kindly sister

I'm not entirely sure what opportunities I'll have in Japan to exercise my musical and theatrical crafts, but La Mancha was a fantastic way to end my theatrical time in DC.

Flamenco for I, Don Quixote! also become part of the pre-show.

A mark, a yen, a buck, or a pound

Blake and I frequently get comments about how much fun stuff we do. And you know what? They're right. We really do. We live in a really interesting region with more things to do then we'll likely ever accomplish, but that doesn't mean we can't try! We realize we may not live in this area forever, and we don't want to miss it.

We also don't want to run out of money, so we have found ways to do things as inexpensively as possible. Fortunately, many of the attractions in the DC region are free - all the Smithsonian museums (including the zoo), monuments, various historical parks, a number of events and concerts. That covers quite a few of our adventures and dates. Many other things are fairly low cost, like national parks with a $5 per car entry fee.

We are also big fans of coupons and deals. We almost never go out to eat if we don't have some sort of coupon. I even keep some apps on my phone just because certain deals will pop up sometimes. Just this morning, as we were getting ready to go clean the church when I got a notification that McDonald's was offering a free Egg McMuffin because the Capitals (our local professional hockey team) had lead in the first period last night. Sorry oatmeal, but you're just going to have to wait, because McDonald's is on the way to the church. I had to run into the store while Blake went through the drive through so that we could each use the coupon on our apps, but free breakfast is free breakfast! We also use Restaurant.com somewhat regularly, which offers discount gift cards to a variety of restaurants. We even got a Living Social deal for the website to really cut back on that price. I also sign up for emails from our favorite restaurants to get their coupons. I have it filtered to a different folder automatically, so it doesn't clutter up my main inbox.

Because we live in such a touristy area, Groupon and Living Social often feature paid local attractions, like the historical ships we visited a few weeks ago. Because of these, we've seen more off the beaten path places like Lincoln's Cottage and Gunston Hall. We probably wouldn't recommend them to people who have only a week or less in DC, but they've certainly enriched our experience here.

As often as we can, we usher at Ford's Theater, yes the one where Lincoln was assassinated, because you get to watch the show for free if you put in an hour of work before curtain. Done and done. A lot of theaters do that actually, we just happen to have a neat, historical one to work at.

Last year, the local second run movie theater was doing a Kickstarter to help them buy new seats. At a certain reward level, you got three free movie passes as a thank you, so we each backed them for that amount and paid for three dates in advance, in new seats to boot! I actually went up a reward level, so I got the three passes as well as a Date Package - two movie tickets, two drinks, and popcorn to share. Movies are kind of expensive dates, so we don't go to the theater that often. To have four dates already paid for has been great! In fact, we still have two passes each. We did go see The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part II in theaters this week, because seeing the very first one was our very first date and we've seen the rest of them together in the first run theater, but we went to a matinee and paid less than full price.

We have Amazon Prime (especially to supplement our entertainment since we cut cable last year) and if whatever we are ordering doesn't need to be here in two days, we take advantage of a $1 credit to digital content. Doing that two or three times pays for an at home movie rental date.

To help us remember what dates we've already paid for or are inexpensive and we definitely want to do them, we keep a list on a chalkboard in our kitchen. The list on the right is of walks we want to go on (or have, because they were on this list and we haven't erased them yet). Zoo and slurpees (there is a 7-11 right by the entrance) is probably going to be zoo and hot chocolate (also 7-11) in January after the new cub makes its public debut.

We do pay full price sometimes. Sometimes it's worth it, because of tradition (like Five Guys on General Conference weekend) or the activity is that good (such as Maryland Renaissance Festival - but we chose not to go this year due to time and budget reasons). However, because we've really been great about making and keeping a budget this year and we do wheel and deal our way through so many other things, we know when we can afford it.

We've decided that adventuring is something that is one of our priorities in our marriage, so with a little bit of effort, we make it work with our current budgets of time and money. We do still appreciate a good, lowkey time too, as evidenced by the weekend we are currently having. We did go on a mid-day walk today though, with a stop at Noodles & Co. for lunch with a BOGO coupon we got in the mail. The weather was extremely mild for late November, so we enjoyed sitting on the patio outside with Malcolm before coming home to an afternoon of relaxing or doing homework or other projects. 

You make me wanna roll my windows down and cruise

Somehow it's already been a whole year since I married my best friend in the whole world. We're now five days into our second year of marriage and life is wonderful!

To celebrate our anniversary (and the end of another busy semester and reaching the halfway point of law school), we took a 24 hour mini-break to Staunton, Virginia, a charming small town about three hours southwest of us. We found a hotel deal on Groupon a few weeks ago and once I got off work on Friday, we were on our way.

We stayed in a lovely hotel that had been built in the heart of Staunton (pronounced Stan-ton) in the 1920s and recently restored. It was beautifully decorated for Christmas and was incredibly comfortable.

After a pizza dinner (with a gift certificate from our hotel package deal), we went to see "A Christmas Carol" in the Blackfriar's Theater at the American Shakespeare Center, which was next door to our hotel. Since I've been in and seen about a million versions of this timeless tale, I was a little afraid that it was just going to be a typical, no-frills adaptation. Lovely, but standard. I'm pleased to say I was so wrong. This adaptation was brilliant, with just enough audience interaction, modernization (mostly some present day pop culture references), and incredibly talented acting to not completely take us out of the story but be totally entertaining and still quite poignant. We LOVED it, even when Scrooge yelled right at me when I was in his way as he crossed in front of my seat.

Our evening was topped off with a drive through Christmas lights display at Gypsy Hill Park. It was fun to see what local business, churches, and families came up with, and we were pleasantly surprised by a miniature Washington, D.C., temple from the local LDS congregation.

Saturday morning we slept the heck in (so needed when we usually get up around 5 AM), had breakfast in the hotel restaurant (also part of the package), and then wandered around the shops in "downtown" Staunton. We found a few Christmas presents and decorations and enjoyed the small town ambience.

It was a great little escape and celebration and now I'm ready to enjoy two weeks off of work and spending a great deal of time with my handsome husband of a year!

Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do?

Have you ever been the victim of a crime? What happened?

I did a Theatre Study Abroad in London, UK, during spring term 2004. That's 19-year-old me, overlooking the city from St. Paul's Cathedral. I'd been in the country all of a week and a half when my messenger bag was stolen from under my seat at a play at the the National Theatre. I hadn't wrapped the strap around my leg and the Standing Room Only section was immediately behind my seat. I was just asking to get robbed, really.

Of course, I was devastated. My bag contained my personal journal, theatre journal, camera, camera journal, someone else's copy of Peter Pan, wallet, and other ephemera. I went to the police, submitted a report, and figured that was the end of all of those things. I went about canceling my card, replacing what I could, and getting back to having a great time in this phenomenal city. One friend mailed me a new camera, I found a cute wallet with butterflies on Portabello Road, and my parents withdrew money from my account and placed it in that of a friend who was in London with me via his parents, so I wasn't borrowing money from anyone, just getting it differently. My new debit card came via another friend who visited me in London for my birthday on his way to Finland. My parents knew him, and it was safer than mailing a card internationally.

It was an inconvenience, to be sure, but it really didn't damper my spirits after a day or so. I committed to watching my things better, mourned the loss of my journals, and carried on.

The big surprise was that my bag was found not very long after the theft, by some trashcan behind a building, if I recall correctly. The really big surprise was that my journals were still there! Of course the thieves had taken the wallet, book, and other stuff I didn't care about the same way, but I had my journals and that's all I cared about!

Despite all this, London is still my favorite city in all the world (thus far), and I'd go back in a heartbeat. I've just learned to keep a closer eye on my things!

Eight days a week

What a week. Seven tiring days of nothing going as expected. Nothing really bad or life changing, just a long, tiring week.

Sunday, the editor of short film I directed and I met together to finalize our film before submitting it to our bishopric for the stake film festival. There were some weird technical glitches and the fixing of them took almost twice as long as we expected. But fix them we did, and our test screening went swimmingly.

Monday, I was just tired. I finally got back to my dance class after missing for two weeks for various reasons. I also starting my working day at 7 AM, 2.5 hours earlier than usual, and 1.5 hours earlier than I usually even get out of bed. Deadlines at 9:30 AM on a Monday morning are not my favorite.

Tuesday, I was even more tired than Monday, as my long day had caught up to me. I also felt rather oogy in general, for whatever reason.

I was feeling mostly better by Wednesday, but it didn't last. My current dance class is through Northern Virginia Community College, and their dance department was having a little showcase. My class (Advanced Modern) was last, and as I was doing the across the floor combination (a rather fun one I had just learned on Monday) I suddenly found myself flat on my back in the middle of the stage. I don't remember tripping or falling, just landing. As I tweeted, collective audience gasps are rather surreal when they're for you. I ran off the stage and the showcase continued, but I did end up going to bed with a headache.

Thursday was going really well. I didn't feel oogy at all, just a little sore and bruised. Until, of course, my cataloger came into my office and we exchanged our usual pleasantries:

Cataloger: How are you?

Me: Good, thanks. And you?

Cataloger: I'm good. You don't look so good.

Me: Oh . . .

I decided that it must have just been my tiring week manifesting itself in my demeanor, because I really did feel well enough.

We've already discussed Friday.

Today, I slept until 11 AM, did some cleaning (including those dishes and clothes), and then took a little nap. This evening was the aforementioned film festival, which I was looking forward to. During the opening announcements, however, a list of guidelines and themes each film was suppose to adhere to was read, so the audience knew what to look for. This was the first anyone in our ward, even our bishopric, ever heard of these guidelines, and, of course, our film didn't really fit. It was still entertaining, but I was embarrassed and annoyed, as were the other members of our crew, that we hadn't followed the "rules", even if it wasn't our fault.

We did, however, win the "Best On Location Shooting" for "following" the "This is the Place" theme, since we filmed at 7-11 and Eastern Market, and the MC did try to mention that we hadn't seen the guidelines beforehand. They were all Girl's Camp style awards - the ones made to fit the recipients. I can live with that, and I'm still pleased with the film under all the circumstances of its creation.

Pleased enough that I'll share it with you!



In a few days, I'll be returning home, and I'm looking forward to recharging my batteries, especially after a week like this!

Saturday is a special day

Saturday = my favorite day of the week. They're mine to fill as I see fit, with any manner of shenanigans or tomfoolery. No two are exactly alike. Some are busy. Some are not. Usually they include activities both responsible and not, so even if I spend a lot of the day goofing off and doing fun things, the entire day is not wasted. Of course, John Lennon supposedly said "Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted." And with how much I love summer? Summer Saturdays are The Awesome.

Today was no exception.

I woke up nice and early (okay, admittedly, this was not my favorite part of the day) and went to the church to help clean the building. That goes by rather quickly with enough people. And following another girl around and replacing the trash liners isn't terribly difficult. Also, there were doughnuts.

Then, it was time for the stake Cultural Arts Day, which, conveniently, was at the same building. (See how I sign up for church cleaning on the day same day I'm already planning on being at the church? Yeah, I'm thoughtful like that sometimes.) They had a handful of classes throughout the building designed to introduce the participants to various new hobbies or talents. I attended biographical writing and woodworking, and all I wanted to do immediately following is finish the biography project I started when I was 12 or 13 (I wonder where my notes are . . .) and build a wood studio in my garage. One of those will likely happen sooner than the other. What I did instead was get my car washed and grocery shop. Weehoo.

This afternoon was the most adventurous part of the day. I joined other DC Defenestrators for a street improv project involving a lot of people carrying bananas or dressed as bananas, and one dressed as a gorilla trying to quit his banana addiction. We did a couple of freezes at Sculpture Garden and Navy Memorial, and filmed some chase scenes on the Mall. Seriously. It was random and nerdy and totally enjoyable. I'll post the footage as soon as I see it.

Tonight I had the option of cleaning my apartment or going to a gigantic multi-stake luau. I'd had my fill of crowds and small talk (plus, I didn't feel too great - too much sun + not enough water), so I chose the former. I've also been out just about every night this week, so I needed a quiet one at home.

Which is the glory of Saturdays. I have that option!

Plus, I got to hang my new clocks.

Maybe it will help me be on time more often if I actually know what time it is, without relying on my cell phone or the digital clock that's sort of hiding in my living room. Only time with tell. rimshot

Why did you do today? What's your favorite day of the week?

New York City, center of the universe

Warning: The following post is yet another one in which I discuss a recent trip to New York City. Yes, I seem to go there every other road trip, and that's more than fine by me. I hope you're not bored of reading about it, because I'm not bored of going/talking about it.

Once upon a time, I planned on spending my birthday on the beach (24). It had been fun the first two times. Then, I decided I'd join some friends who were planning a weekend camping trip. I mostly just wanted to have a good time with good people to have a good birthday, because when past birthdays have included everything from having a boy visit me in London (20) to being dumped (21) to being fired (22) to having a car break down (23), you prefer to have the birthdays on the more positive end of the spectrum.

Then the camping trip fell through. And it was a little late to find a spot on the beach.

So, I took myself to New York. My goal: see as much theatre as possible, spend time with my friends, and eat a cupcake.

Mission Accomplished

Saturday, I took advantage of the PERFECT weather (sunny, warm, with a light breeze) and walked everywhere. You don't see much when you ride the subway all the time, so this gave me a chance to stroll from downtown, through Tribeca, into the West Village, and then up to Midtown. It's a long walk, but lovely. I probably walked 5 miles or more. Another benefit of walking? It was Fleet Week. The buildings and parks weren't the only sites to see. . .

I took in Coraline: The Musical for the matinee (after a manicure, because I had an extra hour and they are super cheap in the city), which I have decided to describe as highly conceptual. It was interesting and I did like it, but not as much as I had hoped I would. Some concepts weren't carried through and the music wasn't terribly memorable, but it wasn't bad, just not stellar.

My evening show was Blithe Spirit, which features Angela Lansbury, Rupert Everett and Christine Ebersole. It was an absolute delight, hilarious and well done. Easily my favorite show of the weekend. Tyne Daly was in the audience too.

Sunday, I went to church and saw Gnomie, who will be rejoining the throngs in DC this week. Then, I met up with CorryZahn for The 39 Steps, a farce version of the Alfred Hitchcock movie and completely entertaining. We topped off our evening with dinner with the Enders at The Cowgirl Hall of Fame and a walk to Magnolia for cupcakes (which I didn't end up eating until last night because I'm allergic to the New Jersey spring and had a massive headache for the rest of the evening and then didn't get a chance to nom on them on my actual birthday, but still).

It was great. I was happy.

Then, I woke up to this on my Golden Birthday (25 on the 25th!):


That's right. A balloon. African violets. And a delicious birthday breakfast of cinnamon buns, homemade French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon, and orange juice.

Once again, proof that I have friends who are made of awesome. I was in such a great mood on the way home and the drive was much shorter than my last one that I blasted my music and sang all the way back to NoVa, with the occasional phone call from birthday wishers. (Sisterpants started and ended those calls at 1:43 AM and 11:40 PM. Because she loves me.) I made it back just in time for my dance classes, and a seafood dinner with one of my best local girlfriends.

So, to say that I was a little sad to return to normal life and work on a rainy Tuesday is an understatement. Good thing I had birthday dinner leftovers and there is still cake in my fridge.

In Philly, Boston, or Baltimo'

When we moved to Utah at the start of my 9th grade year, it didn't take long for me to make some new friends, especially Cinderella, who got me involved the local youth theatre, and my Not-My-Boyfriend. The two of them were involved in the Science Demo Team - 8 groups of 4 or 5 9th graders who demonstrated basic scientific principles to children in local elementary schools. In fact, they were the in the same group, the light group, and I found myself going to many of their practices and even helping out most of the time. Eventually, they realized that my help was invaluable and they convinced the sponsoring science teachers that they needed another person on their team and, because I had been to so many practices, that it should be me.

Now, this was quite an upset. The Science Demo Team was an exclusive group that you applied to be a part of as an 8th grader. You had to demonstrate both good grades in science, but in all subjects, and maintain those grades throughout the school year. There were always more applicants than spots and it was an honor to be chosen to wear one of the tie-dyed lab coats. Consequently, there was already a list of alternates that had been chosen long before I came along, and when the first alternate got wind of my appointment ahead of him, he was not pleased. Fortunately, another spot opened up on the team and he was able to join in the fun too.

The Science Demo Team toured the local elementary schools at least once or twice a month and even got to perform at UVSC. It was great fun! It was even on one of these trips that I got the high school nickname that still follows me around - Bubbles. We had a blast talking about the principles of light (and watching the other groups' experiments). And, of course, I did not mind being around my best friend and my Not My Boyfriend so much. I loved it.

My senior year, I was in the musical theatre class. One of our projects involved putting together a version of Horton Hatches an Egg (this was pre-Seussical) and, after performing in our own school's little theater, taking it to various area elementary schools. I didn't have a particularly large part, but I did get to help choreograph it, and it was a fun show regardless.

During my senior year at BYU, I had the privilege of being on the BYU Young Company, which has two "branches". One performs a classic play, the other a contemporary. I was part of the contemporary show, and our play that year was Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. I played Grammy mouse and a little mouse named Becky (I got to pick my own name, and liked that one, for whatever reason). After a two-week run in the BYU Nelke Theater, we took our show on the road, two shows day, every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of the semester at, you guessed it, local elementary schools. I have fond memories of waking up entirely too early and spending hours in the big BYU van, studying in between scenes, and performing a show we could eventually perform in our sleep.

It was sometime during this run that I realized I had been a part of a touring show during every one of my last years of junior high, high school, and college. I've also surmised that I've probably performed in every elementary school, at least once, in both the Salt Lake and Utah valleys. Crazy little fun coincidence.

I'm now in my final months of grad school. I'd sworn to myself that I would take a theatre break, at least on the performance side of things, for the duration, since there was no time. Still, my friend, Midge, convinced me that I should audition for the upcoming Institute play. I was told there were vocal solos and reading parts and that I would be a great addition. With only one or two rehearsals a week, I decided to go for it.

Lo and behold, it was an actual musical, Witnesses, written by our Institute director, and I was offered the lead! I was playing Catherine Jones Bennett, the matriarch of a pioneer family, traveling from Wales to the Salt Lake valley, and we were telling the story of our family and those we met along the way. The music was beautiful, the stories uplifting, and it was a great bunch of people I was working with. I made several new friends (many of whom made me feel very welcome in my new ward yesterday) and had a wonderful time with it, even if I had to come home many times to work on school projects late into the night.

It wasn't until moments before our opening performance that I realized that once again, I was in the final year of school and in a touring show! Sure, we were touring to local stake centers instead of elementary schools, and we only had a handful of performances instead of dozens, but it was a touring show nonetheless!

It was never my intention to create such a tradition, but I'm certainly grateful for it. I have great memories from those tours and am so glad that I was part of it all. I suppose that if I do go for more education, I'll have to find more touring shows, even if its puppet shows in my friend's living rooms.

What's it like in New York City?

Man. What a rad weekend. The drive up Friday night was easy, hardly any traffic at all, and I made great time. I stayed with my fabulous friends CorryZahn. Saturday morning, we drove into the city. I attended a wonderful session at the Manhattan temple whilst they went a movie. I did lunch backwards, with dessert first. I visited Magnolia Bakery and had a cupcake that was almost too pretty to eat.
Almost.

Then lunch proper was the recession special at Gray's Papaya, where I pretty much always go now if I'm in the neighborhood.


I met back up with the guys as well as our other friends, Ender and Mrs. Ender, to see a matinee preview of the new musical 13, by Jason Robert Brown. It was quite entertaining, lots of good one liners, and the music was excellent. Corry suggested that we were all a little older than the intended demographic, but we still enjoyed ourselves. It officially opens this coming weekend.

Sometime during the second act, I looked back and saw Mr. Brown sitting on the stairs to the balcony watching the show. After the performance, he was still standing in the back, so I dug up some courage and introduced myself. Inexplicably, my knees went weak. I was even more star struck than I thought I'd be. I thanked him for the show and he thanked me for coming. I mentioned that I'd entered his karaoke competition and he said "Yeah, that's a distant dream." I suppose that opening a new show on Broadway can be quite time consuming.

Since Ender had a meeting with his boss, CorryZahn and I headed back to Jersey to spend the evening barbecuing. SO tasty! The weather was gorgeous, and I miss having a back porch.

Sunday morning, I took the train into the city. First, I registered for my audition time. It was too late to make church at 11 and my audition would make a later meeting difficult, so I decided to check out Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Flea Market. I approached what I thought was the end of the market, at 44th and 8th, when I discovered the 8th Avenue Fall Festival, a huge open air market. I do love a good open air market.

It also makes for good people watching, including this guy just standing and bumping his hip to the blaring reggaeton. He was there for at least an hour or more, that I'm aware of.


I walked up all twelve blocks of the market. And back. In my three inch heels. My feet STILL hurt.

Then, it was time.

The Audition

Went well. I was singing "Who Will Love Me As I Am" for Side Show. I had a hard time remembering where to direct my focus and I forgot the words to my show off measures (where the notes go highest), so I just sang some words I'd already sung. I probably would have hit the notes better if I were more confident. Then, my accompanist continued past my big red STOP mark. Suddenly, I couldn't remember what happened next. How many measures of rest were there? What were the words? The NOTES? The RHYTHM!? I think I got the words and notes right, but I came in to early and made the rhythm my own. The accompanist followed nicely. The casting director was looking at me and smiling the whole time, and after my song, thanked me and said it was nice to meet me. So who knows? But the point is that I've now auditioned for Broadway, and that's good enough for me.

I continued to browse the expo and talked to someone I know from DC area theatre before attending a seminar on having acting success now. I learned a few things, I think. Then, with a black and white cookie to celebrate my success, it was back on the train back to Jersey. A quick clothing change and hugs, and I was on my way home. I did hit some traffic, but Fran kept me company for more than 90 minutes, and my dad checked on me a few times. I made it home around 1 AM.

I consider it a successful weekend. Successful in that I achieved my objective [to audition for a Broadway production company]. It was less successful in that I inadvertently introduced my archnemesis to the girl of my dreams and now he is taking her out on dates and they are probably going to French kiss. Or something.

Or something. That might not have been me.

When I get my name in lights

I miss performing.

I miss being in a cast, learning and creating show, being on stage in lights/costume/makeup, gossiping backstage/being gossip fodder backstage, late night trips to diners, singing and dancing constantly, and everything else associated with being in a show.

Have you ever noticed that I don't have a theatre tag? It's because I haven't been in a show since March 2007!!!!!!!

For someone who was a theatre major and has been in a show almost constantly since the age of six, I'm going a little crazy. I honestly can't remember the last time I went this long without being in a show, or at least in dance classes. The last (and only) two other times that I went without being in a play for more than a year, I was at least either in dance classes or on a dance company.

I am still singing, with Mormon Choir of Washington, and solo-ing as often as the opportunity presents itself (like yesterday in Sacrament meeting) . Yes, I'm teaching dance classes and choreographing, but I only ever get to dance an entire piece full out once or twice before just watching and cleaning up my dancers.

It's the darn grad school that's getting in the way. I have found dance classes that I want to take, but they are at inconvenient times and locations. There's just not enough time to even think about auditioning for anything. I don't even know what's going on in the local theatre scence most of the time, which is sad.

Unfortunately, I'll just have to wait another 11 months before I can even really even think about auditioning somewhere. Then again, I'm not even sure I'll want to jump in that quickly, as I may just want to sit like a lump somewhere for a couple of months before I make any sort of long-term commitments. The withdrawal symptoms may have eased by then.

Except.

That I'm auditioning in New York City this coming weekend for some Broadway producers. They have an open casting call for a list of shows they're responsible for and I figured it was as good a chance as any to do this. Even if nothing comes of it, I can say that I've auditioned for Broadway!

Wishes of luck and positive thoughts this weekend will be greatly appreciated!