A Christmas Carol, after New Years

All in all, my experience in ACC was a good one. Yes, I struggled with a few cast members. Yes, it was difficult to be in a show with my husband on the night that we were lovey dovey onstage and in a horrible fight backstage. I kept thinking of all those Russian ice skaters that had married and divorced their skating partners and still skated in every Winter Olympics. Tough gig...

I will say, being in a show about Christmas that played until six days before Christmas plus doing Santa and Mrs. Claus visits was really hard on our real holiday. We had our annual Christmas party on 'the night before the night before Christmas' (Dec 23rd.) The party was hilarious. ~Ahem~ None of my fellow actors from ACC, or any other show for that matter, came to the party. Thank goodness for family and close friends, especially from band!

We had our cast party the Saturday before closing night. It was a tough party. I am not a Band video game person, and I was so tired after the show. I was worried about Caden, but it turned out that he had a blast, even though he had struggled in the show, being the only teenager.

The highlights of the show:

• When Craig played Bob Cratchit for one night. He flubbed some lines, but he did so well! And all the Cratchit kids pitched in and helped him. It felt so right after having to play the loving Mrs. Cratchit opposite a guy who loathed me. (Can I act or what?)
• Having the best line in our sole review about me. Review will be posted in another blog post. Also, seeing my friend Steve Dunford, who reviewed the show. LOVE Steve!
• Working with my son as my son Mark (aka Martha in the novel) in the show. It was synergistically amazing.
• My kids in the show. I loved them like a mother would. Truly loved them.
• Remembering that purple is a good color on me.
• Using my own grief at Nathan's death to aid me in the Tiny Tim is dead scene. It actually helped me as a person to cry so often for Nathan. It had been a long time since I'd done any real crying over my son's death.
• Solidifying my friendship with Adam, making a new friend of the director, Cara Baker, another new friend in Lora Beth, the narrator, another friend in Kandi, strengthening my friendship with Sarah.
• Doing Caden's 'Mark' scene with Sarah when Caden had a concert. She cried along with me! Yeah Sarah!

Lessons Learned:

• I can act with people I don't like and feel unsafe around.
• I can be nice to my husband onstage when I'm furious with him.
• I can cry on demand.
• I can learn my lines quicker than I thought.
• I have good friends who came to my show.
• I can sing solos no prob. (Except the last night when I went flat. I had run out of gas by then.)
• I like nutty kids.
• I can take direction and only feel grateful for the input. And implement those suggestions.
• I like twirly long skirts.
• I need to be much more careful with my blogs. 
• I love Dickens.

Let's put it this way--I liked this so much I hope my guys and I can do a Christmas show together every year. 

Keep Playing! And God bless us, every one!

The new play--a surprise blessing!

I went to an audition for a reader's theater production of A Christmas Carol on Thursday. As usual, fewer men than women. Some friends were there, who I was happy to see except as an actress. This was a theater I wanted to work for before but scheduling conflicts prevented me from auditioning for their debut production.
Theater: Springville's Little Brown Theater--very cozy (read--small) black box theater. I LOVE IT.
So, the audition--lots of talent in the females. The men--the young man I'd seen in The Importance of Being Earnest and he was good. The other man showed up in a puffy black wig that had a long braid down the back. Reminded me of when I used to be in Indian Maidens and we all wore black yarn wigs. He had a cowboy hat on this wig and those aviator type sunglasses. I thought he looked like a rather lame terrorist. When he read, he talked like a cowboy. Instead of a clipped British accent, as he read the lines he said things like, "We are goin' to the circus." I don't say this to be mean. I say this for what happened next.
I went home and told my husband, a high school English teacher, that it would be great if he read. The show needs help. My husband, needless to say, has never heretofore expressed any desire to perform. But this is Dickens we're talking about, and he's been reading in front of a bunch of teenagers for 33 years. What does he have to be afraid of? If he can face that every school day, a reader's theater is nuthin'.
Long story short--he came, he read, he got cast! I am as stunned as you are. He is playing Mr. Fezziwig to my Mrs. Fezziwig (we kiss! how cute is that?) and another smaller male part. I also play Mrs. Cratchit. We are already thinking of character development. What kind of hairstyles did they wear in the Victorian Era? Will Craig need to trim or shave off his beard? How will I do my hair?
THIS. IS. AMAZING. I have been dancing sillily all weekend.
Our son, an amazing actor, was not cast--too young to be Young Scrooge and too old to be a Cratchit kid. Caden will sing in the choir, do tech (which he yearns to do), and perhaps play the guitar and the French horn. I admire him that he is completely okay without having a speaking part. He said, grinning, "I don't always have to have the lead."
THIS. IS. AMAZING.
Merry Christmas to us!
I have reserved everything I can get my hands on that deals with A Christmas Carol--the library's copy of the novel, the novel on CD to download, several versions of it on film.
The heck with Thanksgiving. 
God bless us, everyone!
Keep playing! (And keep the faith that miracles like this with me will happen to you!)