Sunday, June 22, 2008

I'm Alive!!

Barely.

=-)

I really am sorry for not being able to blog more. But it's impossible, because 1) we were internet-less for about a week or so and 2) when I'm not in rehearsal or doing a show, I'm sleeping or eating and there hasn't been time for much else.

The day we opened Honky Tonk was the day we started Wizard of Oz rehearsals. Crazy. There have been moments in rehearsal when I think I might just drop down on the floor, criss-cross style, and cry. Mostly because of exhaustion but also because of the demands of the roles I'm playing. But the moments pass quickly. All in all, when I'm rehearsing or doing a show, I'm totally engaged and loving every minute.

Playing the role of Dorothy is more demanding than I thought it would be. To be able to sustain a sense of honest-to-God wonderment and child-like awe throughout an entire show takes work! Lots of work! Lots of work to listen as an actor like you're learning so many things for the first time. An actor should be present in the scene work, listening and hearing things llike they're hearing them for the first time, though they've actually heard them night after night. I knew this. But to play a child who is not only listening, but continuously learning... That's really really hard. I had no idea. Everything about Oz is new, never seen before by Dorothy. Witches, munchkins, wizards, the Emerald City, the jitterbug, Scarecrow, Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion.... To honestly receive all of that is exhausting! And of course, then I'm excited cuz I'm going home, then I'm crying cuz I'm not, then excited cuz I am, then crying cuz I'm not, and so on and so forth. Whew! What a ride. But it is such a beautiful show. The story in it is so beautiful, and the lesson I learn from my journey is such an important reminder of where happiness lies.

"If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard, because if it isn't there....I never really lost it to begin with."

And I get to carry around the cutest little Toto you've every seen in your whole life. A real live dog. She's actually played the role before! But we're having trouble getting her to actually DO stuff on stage. She's supposed to run away from the witch, but when she "escapes," a.k.a. the Witch's monkey puts her down on the ground so she can run off stage, little Zoe (her real name) just stands there. And when I put her down so she can go find the man behind the curtain, she just stands there. She doesn't find anybody at all. Just stands. We'll have to remedy this situation somehow. I think the solution involves Vienna sausages.

Anyway, I am so grateful for this opportunity. This has been a pretty hard gig in a lot of ways, maybe I can expound on them later, but nevertheless I love what I'm doing.

I'll try to keep updating! Hope you're all well!

5 comments:

Chaotic Hammer said...

Glad to hear from you guys! I sort of figured it was extreme busyness that had you unable to blog. Me, I have no excuse for not blogging. I've just been away from the computer, enjoying the beautiful sunshine and pool and stuff.

Will you have any breaks at all, or will you be at this crazy pace the entire summer? Either way, we still hope to come up and watch a show or two. I bet they're fabulous!

Maybe (hint) you could put up a post with some good information (hint) for anyone who would like to come visit you (hint), like general information about good hotels in the area and other useful things (hint), or at least a web address with this sort of information (hint).

Anonymous said...

Glad it's going so well!! BTW, had you heard that Fort Bend Theatre is auditioning for My Fair Lady? I don't know if your experience there was worth repeating, but it's a heck of a role!! Wish I was there myself.

Fork said...

Just pretend you're Shirley Temple and you'll be fine. No, I'm serious. That's what Judy did.

Anonymous said...

Always tremendous pleasure to hear from you, Fancy!

Cool Dad said...

So happy that everything is going great for you guys! We have a question - if you have a chance, can you drop us an email?

are we still cool at gmail (no spaces of course)