And Another Audition

  Hi there. Long time no see, huh? My life is CRAZY right now. I basically have something happening every day of the week. Tomorrow I'm going to try to get a book review up. No promises though. I have a boatload of homework. UGH! :P So let's talk about the day that was my audition a couple weeks ago. It was bad people. Well, sort of.

 I auditioned for Shrek the musical. I had my song picked out. I was nervous about that because I was singing in a way I had never sung before. Instead of belting, I'd be using a lot of head voice. I'd been working with my music teacher on it and I hoped I was ready.

 No matter how many times I audition, the audition process is the worst for me. I get incredibly nervous and my gut clenches and my voice wavers. I usually do fine in other areas, but the audition often gets me, which is awful. But I hoped I was ready. (See a pattern here?)

 I was wearing a dress my parents had given me along with a couple others as a joint Birthday/graduation gift. It was pink and orange and white, very bright and very much my personality. I paired it with my favorite pair of heels: pinkish orange wedges.

 When it was my groups turn to come and sit down, my heart fluttered, but I tried to walk confidently. As I reached my seat I felt more than heard the rip. Glancing down at my foot I wanted to scream. The side of my heel had ripped out. There was no way I'd be able to walk in them. Feeling stupid, I dug around in my purse and pulled on my jazz shoes. They didn't match my outfit and I had brought them for the dance portion of the audition. Now I probably looked stupid in jazz shoes and a fancy dress.

 When it was my turn I thought I would die. I climbed the stage along with my pianist, a special girl who was kind enough to play for me. And I sang. And it so wasn't as good as when I practiced. My voice wavered but it sounded like vibrato I suppose. I belted a few notes I was supposed to sing in head voice, and I said the same line twice, but I had a pretty strong finish, so that made me feel a little less lame. Without God there to help me I would have flubbed it big time.

 After that it was time for the dance audition. It is no secret that I can't dance worth a lick. I had actually spent that morning practicing a few steps, some of which were used in the dance audition and I still totally failed. But I tried to smile and do what I could and I felt okay about it. I usually do better with individual instruction, so learning with a group takes me a bit longer, but I've always managed to accomplish it in other shows, thankfully.

 So then I went home, wondering if I'd get a callback and not being surprised if I didn't get one. I did get one. I went to callbacks, did a bit there, and they posted the cast list the next day. To my excitement, I will be playing Mama Bear, the maternal member of The Three Bears famous family. It's a good part, and I can't wait to get started.

 I guess the lesson on this is do your best, don't be too hard on yourself, everything will turn out best in the end. Thank the Lord He is in control of such things.

~ a rambling author

Here it is... at last. ;)

 Well here's the showcase. I hope you enjoy. I'm the crazy lady with the braid, sweater, up and down socks, and the cane. :P






                         

~ a rambling author

This Week in Theater Class: Character Acting in Musicals

 Hey everyone! So... I know I'm already doing The Other Side of Me, showcasing parts of my theater life such as shows I've performed in, but I also want to delve into the other side of theater I take part in while doing shows: Theater classes with CharacterWorks Theater. These classes can range from singing, to acting, to improv (improvisational acting, or acting without a script.) So, I present to you This Week in Theater Class! Every now and again I'll talk about a class I'm taking. For the past nine weeks or so, I've been taking a class called Character Acting in Musicals with the awesome Heather.

 This class is about defining the different types of actors, and focusing on being a character actor, or someone who can play all kinds of different roles, often quirky ones. For our Showcase (the presentation we do at the end of the session) we're performing bits from a musical called Urinetown.

 I know what you're thinking. It sounds really weird. But it's actually pretty funny to think about considering Urinetown was created to be a spoof of nearly every musical out there. I'm not going to go into all the details on it, but if you'd like to know more, Google is your friend.

 Anywho, we're doing parts from three different songs. If you would morbidly like to listen, here they are:

   

        

   

 

 Hehe. Now that you're wondering what on earth this is... You'll definitely want to Google it. In showcase, my brother is playing the guy in the second video, and I'm the old lady from the third video who could survive with a cold, tall glass of water. :P 

 Despite it's interesting concept, this has been an enjoyable class to work on. The showcase is Monday, and I'll try to get my mom to video it. If all goes well, I may post it here for your morbid curiosity. :P 

 So this was a class that covered different concepts... singing, acting, and the freedom to perform without inhibition. 

 I hope you enjoyed today's blog posts. Do you like the idea of This Week in Theater Class? 

~ a rambling author

2014 Begins

 So it's Tuesday. (Edit: It was Tuesday when I started writing this, but something came up. :/) And that means a blog post. Though I admit, I was tempted not to write one. And I'm promise, it's not because of lazy. But when you spend the majority of your day sitting in a hospital, writing a blog post just isn't the first thing on your mind.
 Yep. For the past couple days, I've been out of state visiting my Papa who is in the hospital for blood clots in his lungs. Prayers are much appreciated for this, and other issues he is facing.
 But I still want to write a blog post. Because I need to. 

 It's 2014.  A New Year. We're fourteen days in, and I haven't spoken of it yet. But 2014 is another year of change, both here on the blog, and in life. It's the year I graduate from High School, the year I start truly thinking about college, the year I become an adult. The thought of so much change can be scary.

 But I'm going to face the change head on, and turn it into something more.

 This year I've decided to take part in One Word 365.

 It's a website that challenges you to pick one word for a whole year that you are striving toward. My word is change. Not just the life changes that I can't control, but I want change in other areas that I might have to work toward. I want change in my spiritual life, change in how I do things. Changes for the better.

 At the end of 2014 I want to look back and realize that I'm a different person. That I've changed in ways to glorify the Lord and uplift those around me. I want to change in a way that I would not get so easily distracted, and do the things I need to do when I need to do them. I want to change so that I get things accomplished that I never thought I would.

 There are so many things that change could apply to. And I can't wait to see where this word takes me.

 As far as goals I'm hoping to accomplish this year... There are many. Some are personal and private. Others are some I might share. Some I may not even know yet. I want to be more of a help at home and different things in my personal life. And... as far as writing goes... here are my writing goals for this year.

 I want to finish edits and rewrites of The Prince's Quest so I can start querying this year.

 I want to finish some other projects as well, though PQ is my main concern at this moment.

 Oh, and on the blog I'm about to start a new schedule. Here's hoping it works! ;) My idea is to have something like this.

Tuesdays: Posts about Theater and Life.
Wednesday: Posts about writing related topics... AKA my normal posts.
Thursday: Posts about books... what I'm reading, cover spotlights, etc.

 This may change over time, and I might do these posts differently. Who knows? I'm taking it one step at a time, but excited for this change! I'm hoping to start this next week, depending on how things go.

 Anyway, this is my official introduction post to the new year. I'm excited!

~ a rambling author