Backstage--Hell Week and Opening Weekend

My new show is going well. To be able to type this is such a joy. Last week at this time, I had little hope. Our dress rehearsal was horrible. I wanted to not even open the show as planned.
Then, a bunch of people showed up for opening night! We were clunky and my husband--love you, Craig--was still not memorized. More on this later. But we got through the performance. Lots of laughs, energy--an excellent beginning.
The next night was misery, literally. One of our actors hurt his eye at work the night before and was blinking, crying, squinting, and grimacing the entire performance. In front of a grand audience of eight people. Oy. We all suffered.
However, Monday's performance, attended by a busload of attentive, ready for fun seniors, was a blast! I am looking forward to tomorrow's show.
So far, here's what I have loved about this show:

• An excellent director. Not only is he great in the part of director in the show (the play is about a play within a play) but he is a giving, encouraging, willing to let us try stuff director. 
• NO PRIMA DONNAS.
• Making new friends. 
• I love my character Connie. She is the assistant director who is bubbly, on top of things, everyone's friend. She knows she is competent. Until she is thrown onstage at the last minute. Then, Connie is a mess. I love the contrast.
• One of the seniors the other night said to me, "You are so good. You are a natural." Gosh! How cool is that?
• I love being a lead--an honest to goodness lead.

The tougher aspects of this show:

• Craig isn't memorized. He procrastinated and it was horrible knowing he would choke.
• He has the best lines, and to see HIM not be able to get those laughs, and let the other cast members down has sucked.
• I missed being Caden's mom during Hell Week. 
• My dogs missed me spending time with them. It isn't just the play. The crappy weather and my total devotion to Just Dance 3 are also reasons why I don't go running with my dogs lately.
• I wish the theater was in better shape. 

Far more positive than negative and some of those negatives are past or will be soon. All in all, a great experience so far!

KEEP PLAYING!

A Theater Week

Wow, I'm laggin' on the bloggin'.

First, my first real rehearsal for "Backstage" at the Valley Center Playhouse. It was a success! I love my character, Connie, the brown-nosing, eager to please assistant director. I get to be obnoxiously upbeat, remarkably anxious (when she has to go onstage at the last minute), and fumbly and bumbly. I like her.
My husband plays the part of an over-acting butler. Craig will be hilarious. Who knew he could really sparkle onstage? Also a nod to our director, Tyler Renstrom. He is so good!

Went to see my friend Adam Cannon's show on Friday and reviewed it for UTBA. Though I had vowed never to review a show where I knew anyone I still wanted to be friends with after the review published, thank the Lord the show was good. The best part of the show was Adam's directing, but I could be biased. I don't think it was a particularly tough show to direct, and it looked like it had a group of actors who were sincere, talented, and fun. Nevertheless, it was seamless, so there you go.

I went to the UTBA dinner on Saturday. It was delicious, but we got lost on the way and I started getting pretty freaked out. I sat with Russell, who I've met in emails and what a delight he was. The meeting was more businessy than I had expected, with lots of networking, and discussion about the new website that is being launched and a fun sister project UTBA is embarking on. It was really cool. It also didn't snow for the drive, so I'm saying the night was a total success.

I am getting comfortable with telling people I'm an actress. I used to think that to say that I had to be a gorgeous, perfect hair and body, young starlet. It is turning out that isn't true.

I am now madly learning my lines. Need to be memorized by Wednesday!

I like this part of my life, though I still feel guilty that I left behind my writing career for a while.
To everything there is a season...

Keep playing! There's so much to play with!