Wishing on a Stage Light

A Silent Night...

2011-12-19T22:58:00.000-08:00

The past two weekends have been spent performing in LDC's annual Christmas pageant. At first our show A Silent Night seemed just another thing that I had to do. I wasn't unhappy about it, but neither was I super excited about it. It was just a show, a chance to perform and to make people happy. It just never seemed to mean much to me personally. I wanted people to come and see it so they could feel happy and be uplifted, but it was like the message of it wasn't getting through to me.

That was until our final show, after our president, Teddy, bore her testimony. I was finally able to really feel the message of our story. Before I knew the story and the music, and I loved all of it. I knew in my mind that the story was true, and that what we were doing was blessing many people and helping them through their hard times. But as Teddy spoke of the Savior, and of her upcoming mission, and of her love for each of us, it wasn't just a fact anymore. It was no longer just a fact in my head. It was real truth in my heart.

Christmas isn't glitter and sparkly lights and presents, toys and electronics and gift cards. Christmas isn't Santa Claus and elves and sleigh rides. Christmas is more than that. All of those things can be good and bring happiness, but it isn't what it's all about. Christmas, as Brother Eggett pointed out, is a big birthday party. It's Christ's birthday party! That's what it's all about. Shepherds were invited to celebrate by the angels, a formal invitation from God to announce the birth of His Son! Wise men came later to give gifts to the child, recognizing the little king. Today we continue to celebrate the most wondrous, miraculous birth of all time. Because that's what it's really about. Not the Christmas we see in the windows of every store and on the screen of every TV, but the Christmas we read of in the scriptures. It's the Christmas you feel, the Christmas that gets inside you and causes you to love people you don't even know, or people you don't even like very much. It's the Christmas that makes you want to be a better person, even if it's in a small way that nobody will ever know about. It's the Savior, the Messiah, the King of kings and Lord of Lords! It's Him, and all He did. Because there wouldn't be an Easter without a Christmas.

Let Him in. Into your life, into your heart, into your mind. All we have to do is let Him in.

I'll share a little bit of our show with you now. I hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas!

Click here.

All praise to the name of the Father of Light!
One who listens and hears when I call.
Every step He ordains I shall walk without fear.
In His light I'll not stumble or fall.
In His light I'll not stumble or fall.

What can mortal men do while I'm safe in His hands?
He is God; on His word I'll rely!
In the midst of my fear I will trust in His name
for I know He will hear when I cry.

He knows all of my feelings,
the depths of despair,
all the limits my soul can endure.
I will trust in His name--I have nothing to fear
for in Him all my hopes are secure.

All praise to the name of the Father of Light!
One who listens and hears when I call.
Every step He ordains I shall walk without fear.
In His light I'll not stumble or fall.
In His light I'll not stumble or fall.

He alone can deliver a soul from its death,
lift a life from a wasteland of need.
He alone can replenish with blessings untold
until into His light we are freed!
We are freed!

All praise to the name of the Father of Light!
One who listens and hears when I call.
Every step He ordains I shall walk without fear.
In His light I'll not stumble or fall.
In His light I'll not stumble or fall.

Every step He ordains I shall walk without fear!
In His light I'll not stumble or fall.

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas...

2011-12-13T23:52:00.000-08:00

So far Christmas has been crazy busy! The above photo is of LDC with Michael McLean after we performed with him in the matinee of The Forgotten Carols. We did a second show that evening, which was just as fantastic. I had the opportunity to be one of the opening actors; all I did was walk across the stage while fighting with a friend. Nothing too fancy, but still! It was a great experience to be able to act and sing in this show. It really and truly was awesome. It always has been. Probably always will be.

Now our own Christmas show is in full-swing. A Silent Night, A Christmas Pageant opened on Sunday night at the Institute. It's the story of Christmas, of Christ's birth. It's been great to work on this show this year! Julia has done such a good job of organizing and delegating everything. We were actually ready to go on Sunday night! Shocking. Here is the poster that Sean, Samantha, and I worked on for advertising. I think it turned out rather well, don't you?

Looking forward to another show tomorrow night! It's going to be great. :)

we will haunt you...

2011-11-12T15:20:00.000-08:00

Thank you to Ann for posting her photos of the Halloween party!!

As Brother Eggett said...there's no people like show people!

we be silly...

2011-10-13T21:04:00.000-07:00

Me and my girls, we be silly. That's one of the great things about LDC. You can be silly most of the time and still get all of the work done. Or at least most of it...

a girl worth fighting for...

2011-10-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

Today LDC performed for the university faculty. Every year the Institute hosts a luncheon for the UVU teachers and employees, and somehow LDC always ends up performing something to fit the theme of the event. Last year we didn't find out until the day before. Brother Eggett came into choir and said, "In a moment of weakness I may or may not have volunteered you all to put on a pirate musical. Tomorrow." So we did it! And it was rather fun.

This year we performed again, only we knew about it about a week in advance. The theme this year had something to do with China, and so we dragged out the kimonos and fans and created a mini production of the Disney movie Mulan. I don't know why the guys have the best songs in that movie. It's about a girl, for heaven's sake!

While I was waiting to perform the "show" a second time, one of the guys in choir came and sat next to me. I'll describe him to you: tall, dark, handsome, intelligent, talented, kind, hilarious, with a smile that stops your heart while simultaneously making you feel like you've just run a marathon. Aka, the kind of guy a girl like me tries desperately NOT to fall head over heals for. He's the only person I've ever met who I cannot look at while I'm frantically trying to form an intelligent sentence. I'll stare at my knees, his shoes, the floor, anything other than that face with the devastating smile. He's also the only man who upon meeting has caused me to forget my own name (true story).

So anyway, this is the guy who comes and sits by me and asks me if I'm okay. I wasn't, because I was really sad and feeling all mixed-up inside, but I didn't want to talk about it for fear of crying and smudging my carefully prepared, very black eyeliner. And then when I explained that, he did the unthinkable: he HUGGED me. And not just a hug: a hold. A longer than 10 second near cuddle while he told me that he'll be there for me anytime I need and that I shouldn't be a stranger because we're friends, and friends help each other when they need it.

When he put his arms around me, I was terrified. Boys do not touch me. I don't like it, and I don't want it. Then he pulled me close and I was even more afraid. For one my face was on fire and I was afraid he'd see it. For another, I didn't want to be that close to someone, anyone. Here's why: the last time I was held by someone of the opposite sex, I was scared of him. The feeling was totally and completely wrong. I hated the way it felt, and I wanted to get away from him, but he wouldn't let me go.

That was what I expected today, and I was immediately ready to run away. Then I realized...the feeling was completely different. With this friend from choir, I wasn't an object of gratification. I wasn't a toy to be used. I was a person, a girl with feelings and thoughts, and he was only showing me that he cared. He wasn't trying to scare me or threaten me. He was being a friend. It's been so long since I felt that around a guy that I didn't even recognize it. It was so weird to go from feeling afraid to completely relaxed, to actually enjoy being shown friendship through a physical touch.

I don't want to be scared anymore. I am, I'll admit it. But I don't want to be. I want to ENJOY choir. I want to keep the close friends I have and to make close relationships with new friends. I want to be able to love others and to trust them and to show them that I care. I want to do for others what my friend did for me, reminding me that there are good, honest, kind people out there.

I want to be a girl worth fighting for. I want to be respected and loved, really loved. I want other girls to feel that way, because they should feel that way. No woman should ever be afraid of what a man might do. No woman should ever feel threatened or used or frightened. She is to be fought for and cared for, not used and dumped aside like a toy that has lost its shine.

Tomorrow is another day. I'm going to make it better than I made today.

i don't hate you...

2011-10-10T21:52:00.001-07:00

If I could write a letter to Choir (not to the members, just the Choir), I would. And I did. And it made me feel a little bit better about it, even though I'm still really struggling right now. I don't mean to struggle. I shouldn't struggle. It's LDC, after all. But I am.

Dear LDC Choir,

I don't hate you. I don't hate being a part of you. Some days I just don't want to be in class. Some days I dislike having to constantly put up a brave face, when in reality I am more than a millimeter away from running out of the room in tears and never coming back. I don't hate being in class. Some times I just don't want to.

I don't hate the people who are a part of you, Choir. In fact, I love most of them and like the rest, seeing as I haven't really gotten a chance to begin to love them. It's still too early for that in some ways. However, though I have many, many friends, sometimes I don't want to be around them. If you didn't make it so vital to be in class every day, if it weren't so important to make friends and be polite and kind to everyone, if, if, if.

Choir, I won't leave. I know it isn't time to leave right now. I just wish things were easier. Nothing is ever supposed to be easy. Nothing ever will be easy. Life isn't like that. But I wish I were better at being a member of choir. I wish I felt better. And, secretly, I wish that people didn't talk to me. I wish people didn't expect things of me. I wish I could just be told what to do, to be allowed to be a follower. Why do you keep making me be a leader, Choir, huh? I'm NOT A LEADER. That's obvious.

Dear Choir, you've changed my life. You've saved my life. I'm grateful for that. I'll try to be good, and to be cheerful. Just give me time, okay? That's all I ask.

Thanks,
GKB

PS If you haven't already, check out my other writing spot.

joy joy joy...

2011-09-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I love the new song that LDC is learning? It's called "Joy in the Morning" by Natalie Sleeth. I am so excited about this song!! Truly it is a fascinating (and somewhat difficult) piece of music. It's a song all about joy and peace, yet it is written almost entirely minor. How interesting is that? Definitely not your normal happiness anthem.

I'm quite excited about the new music for this year. One of the really great things is that my sight reading is improving! That and my ability to hear parts, which makes being section leader a little easier. This is so great! All of this new stuff I'm learning!! JOY!!

fireside...

2011-09-18T23:31:00.000-07:00

It's interesting to me how names tend to stick. A fireside is no longer a legit fireside. Unless, of course, you go to a canyon and use one of the city installed fire pits, bringing wood you bought at a gas station that's wrapped in plastic, and a gallon of gasoline to get the wood wet so you can light it with one match. And the fixings for s'mores and three or four bags of Starbursts to roast. Then you've got a fireside.

But that doesn't happen very often. A fireside now just takes place in the evening when you could have a fire because it's dark and a little chilly, but since they're normally in buildings you'd bring the Fire Marshall running with a fighting crew and a massive pile of paperwork, including at least one rather large ticket.

No bueno.

Tonight's fireside was very good. I highly enjoyed it, even though there was a rather horrific mistake (if you were listening for mistakes) during "I Stand All Amazed" among many members of my section. We are so fixing that tomorrow! However, it was really good to sing for Matthew Holland, president of the university. He's one of our biggest fans, and he's super nice. Not only that, but he's a great speaker. Really great.

His topic tonight was about being in the world but not of the world. His definition of "of the world" went something like this: searching and using the easiest, flashiest, most glamorous way possible to do things to gain power, popularity, or fortune with no intent to serve anyone but yourself. To be "in the world": doing the work of the world, such as gaining education; pursuing a career; creating a family; serving in the community; not for personal gain but to bring honor to the church, glory to the Lord, and to bless the lives of others.

I thought it was interesting, how different the two things are, and it comes down to this main point: one way of living serves you, and the other way of living serves others. Being of the world is to embrace it wholeheartedly, not caring if it's right or wrong, but only caring if it benefits yourself (whether or not it does in the long run). Being in the world is to embrace others, to make yourself better so you can help others. So very different.

Another great thing about President Holland is that he always tells funny stories. He tells serious ones, too, but the funny ones are always hilarious. I'll share one in closing:

‎21 year old girl: "All of my friends are getting married!!"
Grad student: "All of my friends are getting divorced."
Elderly couple: "Well, all of our friends are dying."

Puts life into perspective, doesn't it?

following the leader...

2011-09-15T17:18:00.000-07:00

I am not prone to lead. People tell me that I'm a natural leader, but personally I'd rather just let someone else be in charge. It's so much easier and causes less stress to be told what to do, rather than being the one to do the telling.

However, I am not to sit back and be told what to do this semester. This semester I have been given the assignment to be the section leader for the sopranos in choir. In some ways I wasn't really surprised; last week I had made a comment to the section about a line of music that the majority of us weren't getting, and as soon as the line was fixed I just had a feeling that I'd be on the list for potential section leader. So when Teddy talked to me about it, it wasn't a major shock.

This is going to be a little bit interesting. There are some girls who are quite eager to do my job for me. I guess that makes my life a little easier, but at the same time it's frustrating. I want to do the best job I can do, and it's hard when other people are competing to do it as well. It'll work out though. Today was quite a bit better. I had to step up and speak out right away, instead of waiting like I usually do.

The best part of this is that I get to know the girls in my section. A scary part of this is that because I want the music to sound good and I want us to work together, I'm afraid that I'll come across as bossy or arrogant or annoying. I want the girls to like me, and I want them to know that I'm their friend. Balance. Gotta find the balance.

Section leader. Me, who knows less than half a drop in a gallon bucket about music. How funny. I'm kind of excited.

we're back, baby...

2011-09-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

LDC has hit the ground not just running, but racing full-steam ahead. We're already learning and memorizing songs, performing, and getting set for a Christmas show that is sure to be fantabularifical. I am super, super, super excited about it!

I am so excited about all of the new people in the choir. More than half of the slots are filled by people who are either coming back (from missions and such) or who auditioned two weeks ago. There are so many new faces, names, and stories in the classroom! It's exciting (and slightly terrifying), and I can't wait to get to know each one of them. Surprisingly it's easier this year for me to remember names. Maybe it's because I only have to learn 35 instead of 70...haha!

So far it's great. We're learning music, we're learning gospel principles, we're learning each other. There are 35 new people in my life for me to become friends with, and who I know I will begin to love with all of my heart. You can't be in LDC and not love the people you sing with.

It's going to be one heck of an amazing journey this semester. I truly hope I'm up for it! Gonna have to be...I'll tell you why later. :)

audition process...

2011-09-04T22:26:00.001-07:00

So! The auditioning is going farely well. The DVD is all set and ready to mail. I finally picked two songs and a monologue. The upbeat song, "Wonderful, Wonderful Day" from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers went pretty well. The ballad, "God Help the Outcasts" from The Hunchback of Notre Dame was a bit harder, because of the emotion you have to play throughout the song. Sometimes I was playing it too defensively. That's the beauty of a DVD audition: you can stop the camera and roll another take!

Now it's on to a photo shoot (ugh) for headshots to go with the audition packet, then filling out the packet itself. After that, it's all set to go to SLC! I hope it works out. But if not, I guess I've got nothing to lose except postage money. And that's nothing compared to what I have to pay for gas. :P

Speaking of auditions...LDC is back in session!! The auditions were on Thursday and Friday of last week. Thank heavens I didn't have to try out again (once you're in, you're in...unless you get married or you "graduate" after three years. Then you're kicked out). Hearing all of those singers who auditioned, I don't know if I would have made it into the choir! There were so many good voices. I'm glad I don't have to pick who will get in!

choices...

2011-07-08T01:02:00.000-07:00

I hate auditioning.
Sure, the performing in front of a what could be my potential director or choreographer is nerve wracking. That part used to make me sick for days before the audition (literally throwing up sick). Now it's not so bad. There are still the shakes and twitches and the strange phenomena of becoming freezing cold, but my voice doesn't crack anymore. I don't trip during movement auditions anymore, either.

Knock on wood.

No, the hard part now, especially for the audition that is on my mind, is the preparation. The selection of songs and monologues...there is so much out there! I'm finding myself stuck facing questions like, Would this one work? Or are they looking for something different? and Well, I sound okay on it, but is it too long? How can I cut it and still make it work? and Funny or dramatic? Funny or dramatic? Gah...I'm not funny at all...so dramatic?

One month. One month to get all of the prep done before the audition pieces need to be filmed. Two months until the package must be sent off, postscripted before September 1, in order to be accepted.

It's too late at night to be thinking about this. Which is probably why I'm thinking about it in the first place.

i love a parade...

2011-06-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

K, so I don't really love parades all that much. Still, they're super fun when you get to be in them with friends. Last weekend the Institute had a float entry in the Orem Fest parade, and members of LDSSA, LDC, and just Institute in general were invited to walk with the float. The theme was Hold to the Rod, with the tree and the building from Lehi's dream (part of The Book of Mormon) as the scene. Behind the float came the iron rod, which students held on to while walking the route.

It was super great to see my friends again! Tyler, Julia, Allie, Emilyann, Erin, Amy, Jon, Sean, Adam, tons of people were there! RJ is back from the Philippines now, and with him came his camera. He took lots of fun pictures. Here, look!!**

OREO!!
Oh, wait, wait...

DOUBLE STUFF!!

Hurrah for Institute!!

Oh, and by the way. Someday I will dress up like a princess and ride a horse like this. I will do it.

**All pictures were taken by RJ**

a taste of tour...

2011-05-16T12:40:00.001-07:00

There is way too much to write about concerning choir tour. I've been trying to write it all down in a condensed version for a couple of weeks, but it's not working.

Can I just say that choir tour was beyond incredible? It was hard—some days I was so exhausted that I could barely function. That’s how everyone was at some point on tour. However, it was absolutely worth it. We met so many people. We played with kids at the high schools, we sang for them, and we definitely got them excited about Institute. We played with one another, too. From our Academy Awards night for tour videos to our family night when the parents came to our trip to Salt Lake, we had fun together. We really are like a family, and we definitely put the fun in dysfunctional. It’s the best ever!

Something else we did: we sang for each other. One of the most incredible moments we had on tour was on Thursday afternoon. Technically it was the last time all of us would sing together for an audience. It was a just small group of students and teachers who were in the building after school for a class, some of our leaders and faculty from the Institute, and the choir members. As we sang, the whole room was just full of love and friendship. We were singing for each other. It was amazing. All of us were crying (or almost all of us). I was doing okay until I looked at the third years, the ones who have “graduated” from LDC. I realized that this was the last time we’d sing together, and I totally lost whatever composure I had managed to hang onto.

I love the people in LDC. They are my best friends. They’re my adopted brothers and sisters. Each one of them has an amazing story, and sets an amazing example for everyone that they meet. This has been one of the best (and hardest) years of my life, and it’s because of all of the wonderful people I’ve met through the choir. This summer has already been the longest I’ve ever had…and it hasn’t even been two weeks since choir ended! Thank goodness for our inability to stay away from each other—we keep having parties and planning things for the future. And thank goodness for the CD that we recorded!

I know that it isn’t really over. We’ll always be friends. What’s hard is that we won’t sing together anymore. I get to go back to the choir next year; I still have two years left. But my friends who are all finished and moving on with their lives? It’ll be weird not seeing them every single day and more. There are also a lot of first and second years that aren’t coming back; they’re moving on with their lives. Some are engaged, like Kenna and David, Daniel, and Lindsey. Some are just focusing more on school, like Erin. Others are taking a break, like Emilyann. I wonder what it will be like next year, with so many new faces and stories.

food much?

2011-04-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

Planning meals for 80 people, shopping for food for 80 people, storing food for 80 people, preparing food for 80 people, transporting food for 80 people...dang. This is quite the adventure! I've been helping Julia and Skyler out with the food for the past couple of LDC activities, and it's a lot of work. I'm finding that I enjoy it so far.

Today was really fun; Julia and I planned all of the meals for tour next week with Amelia. Afterwards, Julia and I went to Costco and bought a bunch of stuff for the rehearsal in Salt Lake tomorrow. Sandwiches for 80 people? Holy smokes, there was so much stuff in our cart!

I'm liking this job. However, I'm really, really glad that I won't have to do it again! I think having fun, helpful people on the committee with me makes it a lot better. Doing this on my own would be ridiculous.

More shopping will begin on Thursday morning...hopefully this will all work out next week! And hopefully there won't be too many complaints...that makes it really difficult. Oh, well! Everything will work out.

and it starts...

2011-04-23T14:26:00.000-07:00

Drama. You get it in every group, no matter the type. I've just been super frustrated lately with some things that have gone on in LDC. Tour is going to be interesting, because the girl I am now working with got really upset at me last week about something I had no control over. She (and many others, including me) has been really bothered that a few students don't seem to care about their involvement in the choir. People don't show up to rehearsals or performances, miss classes, come late to everything. Yes, I know that some people have legit reasons. Others? It's just frustrating! However, this girl kind of let me have it.

She asked me if I was going to be able to go to a tour committee meeting on Friday morning so that we could talk to the tour president and the rest of the choir about our assignment. When I found out what time it was at, I told her I wouldn't be able to go because of a review that was scheduled for the same time for my college algebra final. She got super upset and said how people in the choir were so irresponsible and that they should just figure out their personal issues or quit.

It really hurt, what she said. I've missed two choir classes the entire year due to illness. I've been late to class once. I've missed one devotional. I've missed one performance at a fireside, and that was because our choir president and another girl sent me home because I was a nervous wreck. I've done my absolute best, and she let me have it because I couldn't go to one tour meeting.

I ended up going, but I was late. She didn't talk to me, but she did smile. I hope everything ends up being okay, since we're working together. I guess I'll just keep my mouth shut the whole time and follow any directions that she gives me. It'll keep things from being a problem, and it'll keep me from saying something stupid.

another opening, another show...

2011-04-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! LDC is putting on the spring semester show this weekend. It's going to be awesome! I'm super excited for it (just hoping it will all come together asap...)! Here is the poster created by our amazing Lindsey!

THE FAMILY: A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

Our show is all about the family, hence the awesome name. :)

singers are friends...

2011-02-13T18:18:00.000-08:00

...not food...

LDC Christmas INSANITY!!

2011-01-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

We performed SO MUCH this past semester, I can barely believe it. We were able to sing with Michael McLean as he performed "The Forgotten Carols" and with Lex de Azevedo as he performed his "Gloria! The Life of Christ" with several talented (aka George Dyer) singers. We also were able to sing in Salt Lake City at several venues, one of which we were recorded at and were put on the local radio. Last but not least (and probably the most incredible experience) we performed our own show, "Amazing Grace". It was truly wonderful and I loved it, despite all of the stress, tears, and nights where I was scared to death to sleep because I kept dreaming about failing everything.

Here are some pictures from these events!

On our way to Salt Lake!

"The Forgotten Carols"

"Amazing Grace"

what i'm doing now...

2010-10-12T22:07:00.001-07:00

I auditioned for the Latter-Day Celebration Choir (LDC) at the university I go to. The Institute program, which is like a religious center for instruction and FUN (really, it's fun) has this choir. LDC performs at meetings and puts on shows in the winter and spring. To get to the point, I made it in!! I'm singing first soprano. There are currently about 65-70 people in the choir, I can't remember the last count. I am totally loving it.

The first few days were hard. Choir Retreat was scary too...I didn't know anyone and I'm one of the youngest girls in the choir. They usually don't take just graduated high school students. However it gets better and better every single day. I look forward to class more than anything during the week, even Friday.

Latter-Day Celebration

(This was taken at Retreat. It is, as you can see, a very candid photo. We'll use it as a thank you for people who invite us to perform. Aren't we awesome? :) )

I am so excited to be in this choir. You have absolutely no idea.

some pictures...

2010-10-09T05:37:00.000-07:00

This blog just kind of dies, doesn't it? I never even got around to "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat". That's the problem with trying to do a detailed blog while in a show...it gets forgotten in the craziness.

Here are some pictures from what I've been doing this past year:

Seasons of Love-MVHS Choir Concert

I mentioned a little bit about this show before this blog just died...I was cast as a pre-show character (Anita from "West Side Story"). I also choreographed, directed, and taught the music for a special number from "Grease". This choir concert really changed my life. I learned tons and finally discovered the fact that I not only adore performing for people, but I'm not too bad at it either. I'm really grateful for this experience because it did change my life.

("I like to be in Amereeca!!" We did sections of "West Side Story" in the concert, and I got to play Anita!! :D )

(The girls takin' on the guys.)

(I choreographed a number for the concert for my Ariosa class. This is a picture of the girls singing "Tell Me More" from "Grease".)

ONE-ACT Festival

One-Act Festival takes place every year at MVHS. I tried out and was cast as a lead in "The Valiant", a play about a convicted murderer and a jail warden who is trying to discover his true identity. I was cast as the Warden. It was an amazing, intense experience. I loved it.

Sadly we didn't take any pictures in costume. I kind of regret that. A lot. But here is the picture of us after we won Best One Act: Judges Choice. I won Best Actress: People's Choice and the leading man won Best Actor: Judges' Choice and People's Choice. Not pictured is one of our supporting actresses, and she also won Best Actress: Judge's Choice.

JOSEPH and the AMAZING Technicolor Dreamcoat

The summer was spent doing this musical with my family and friends. It was an amazingly awesome fun show to do but...I'm kind of glad it's over. Talk about tiring!! It's hard to do a show, start college, and start a new job all in the same four week period. Here are some cast pictures:

(Joseph with his giant coat)

(Family photo!! The brothers with their wives. I was a wife. My hubby? He's the tallest one.)

("Go, go, go Joseph!!" Sixties dance party)

(A Pharoah Story: the wives "were sold" into Egypt to live with Pharoah. At least that was what we decided. :) )

(The Mega-Mix...or after. We never held still during this entire number.)

why?

2010-02-04T18:50:00.000-08:00

I know why. I've been very tired, have forgotten to eat on too many occasions, misplace every water bottle I bring to school, et cetera. Which is probably why I'm sick and progressively getting worse with the concert a week away.

Wonderful much.

I've also learned that I like doing theatre/performing outside of high school better than in it. 140 high school students and 4 adults do not get nearly as much done as 50 high school students and 25-40 adults, like in regular theatre. I don't like wasting so much time with little conversations and kids not paying attention; we could be so much further ahead if people would just be quiet. I never noticed before how having one adult for every five "kids" helps move things along.

Hopefully I'll be better soon. Hopefully.

this week...

2010-02-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

Tuesday:

A Cappella rehearsal 7:45 am-9:50am
Soprano costume check (mine aren't done...I'm just too blasted short)
"Grease" rehearsal lunchtime
"West Side Story: Amereeca" rehearsal 2:30-3:30 pm
Preshow character rehearsal 2:30-3:00pm

Wednesday:

A Cappella rehearsal 7:45 am-9:50am

Thursday:

A Cappella rehearsal 7:45 am-9:50am
"West Side Story: Amereeca" rehearsal 2:30-4:00pm

Friday:

No school
Specialty numbers rehearsal ("Grease") 1:00-3:00pm

Saturday:

Tech rehearsal 9:00am-1:00pm (not required but extra credit which I need)

Oh, boy. I'm scared.

she likes it...

2010-01-28T16:08:00.000-08:00

The costumes were due today. I only had one to bring; my neighbor did a beautiful job on the "Grease" skirt and it totally fits perfectly. I'm finishing it up the hem and the waist band to make sure it's the right length and stuff, and I kind of know how to do that. So today I took the skirt and the white blouse I found to go with it, feeling overwhelmed and nervous because the other one is just getting started and afraid that I'd be in trouble.

On the contrary, Mrs. Wilde (the costume mistress for the whole show) was very pleased, especially when her daughter told her that I have no experience whatsoever with this (8th grade does not count; we didn't even cut out patterns. They were all ready finished and then my friend helped me do all the rest because I was so confused). She agreed when I said I was taking about 6 inches off of the skirt (yep...I'm short) so it would hit mid-calf, and she loves the idea of wearing a fluffy petticoat underneath (thank you PCT costume closet). She also loved the blouse and asked where I got it so she could tell other girls in choir.

Then I told her about the Anita costume: dark purple with glittery pinkish sparkles all over it, a medium full skirt, and a tie around the waist that makes a big bow in the front. Then there's going to be gold drop earrings, a gold necklace, my hair curled with half up half down (that was her idea; she told me "it's too gorgeous to hide in a bun!! We're keeping it visible, girl!!") and possibly a flower in my hair, like a yellow lily or big white carnation or something. Not red, it'd look funny with the purple fabric.

So, yeah. Mrs. Wilde seems happy, and she said she is really glad that I've taken it so seriously. A lot of people haven't even started looking for costumes, and some of the stuff people have found is way too modern because they didn't do the costume research assignment. I didn't really need to; my family is so into theatre that all of that just seems to come naturally.

This is working out. It's freaking hard, but it's coming together.

costumes, tears, and drama...

2010-01-26T23:49:00.001-08:00

Costumes: I can't sew, and I'm really frustrated with how long cutting out patterns/fabric takes. Not to mention the five trips to the store and back again to double check and return/exchange stuff. And I'm really bad at it because I've never done this before and I have no idea what I'm doing. Thank goodness I have people willing to sew the stuff together for me. Otherwise I'd be dead.

Tears: Stressed out. Exhausted. Frustrated. Scared to death. And I have no idea why I feel so unhappy/sad/or why I burst into tears at random moments all of the time. It's like I got hit by a train and I can't get back up again...just wham!! Smash. It's not fun. I hate not knowing what the heck is going on with me. Not to mention people keep telling me to "stop being so sad and just be optimistic. You have to be optimistic, Georgie." Yeah, well, I try every day and it just doesn't work. I'm not doing it on purpose and I'm not looking for attention.

Drama: I feel like I now create it, as well as the dramatics with some of the girls in "Grease". It's really frustrating because I feel lousy and I'm trying to not cry in front of everyone and some of my friends get a little bugged by the way I'm acting. I really am not meaning to!! Promise.

Hopefully the costumes will work out. That will be one less worry.

another show...

2010-01-23T16:14:00.000-08:00

I have decided that this blog will tell about all of the different shows/productions I'm participating in. The link, "offtosee" makes sense in that, hey!! Another show that you're "off to see"!! Except that you get the backstage story every single time. :)

This new show, "Seasons of Love", is the gigantic fund raising concert that the high school has to help students go on tour. We've been invited (that is A Cappella Choir) to perform at the American Choral Directors Association Convention (from now on known as ACDA) in Arizona this March. This concert will help us go. I'm so excited!!

I hope you enjoy the trip through the next three weeks with me. :)

rehearsal....of DOOM...

2009-08-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our first Rehearsal of Doom, otherwise known as pre-tech. It was basically a watered down version of what will come next Saturday, aka Tech Rehearsal, which is the major whopping Rehearsal of Doomness.

It started out at 9:00 in the morning. For me, Emma, Balin, Jazmin, and the Ewell clan, it began at about 9:14. We were late because of Perry's (Carisa's hubby) anxiety over their four boys' lack of hair combing. The Tornado of Hair commenced, with Perry squirting down each kid with water and slashing the comb through the hair. Voila. Perfectly straight side parts, with a masculine sweep across the forehead. Very dashing.

The girls and I didn't have anything to do until the middle of the first act (except me, who isn't onstage until after intermission). We spent most of the morning laughing and shrieking hysterically about nothing. Greg did make us collapse in fits of giggles when we saw him-the whole Gonzo Tin Man thing was still fresh in our minds from last night. Brenden laughed so hard when we told him why we were laughing at Greg that he couldn't make a sound. Greg laughed at first, but after a third retelling to passerby he growled. Really. That just made us squeal louder.

Thankfully we only had to run MOLO and Jitterbug once through. Doing it twice is death times twenty. Not good. Once I got finished with all of my scenes, I pretty much did nothing. I read some of the book that I brought ("Sister to the Wolf") and just watched the run of Act II. It wasn't until dad got there with Misty that we decided to go and get food. Yay!

Wal-Mart sandwiches are truly the bestest thing ever. While mom and Misty were being filmed for a couple of the scenes (Mom as Auntie Em inside the witch's crystal ball and Misty in the Wizard chamber), dad, Sister 1, and I went to the store to pick up some lunch. Sandwiches, chips, PowerAde, and some grapes made the menu. Misty had a little bit of the meat on my sandwich, but not much. Otherwise she gets WAY picky and won't eat anything. Malteses are like that.

So, Rehearsal of Doom ended at about 3:00 for my family. Naptime commenced, with me not waking up until 9:00. Haha. Oops. Since I couldn't sleep, I watched a few episodes of "Avatar: The Last Airbender" on my laptop. I like that show. Too much, probably.

Oh, boy, I can't WAIT for Rehearsal of Doom part two! It's going to be sooo amazing!

Not.

whack-a-mole...

2009-08-15T21:23:00.000-07:00

Part of the stage at PCT is false, or fake, or just boards covering up a big hole where the orchestra can sit if they choose to have live music (which they generally don't; thank heavens). This works well if you want to have trap doors to make exits, like for a melting witch, or appear to have your legs removed, like for a Scarecrow Demolition Derby.

Last night was the first time they used the trap door in the front of the stage for the scene in which the Scarecrow is torn apart by the flying monkeys. As Brenden was lowering himself into the hole, Greg pulled out his axe and said, "Oh, yay! Whack-a-Mole!" He then proceeded to dance around the stage, miming smashing Brenden, Darren, and anyone else within reach on the head with his axe. It wouldn't have really mattered if he'd hit anyone; the axe is plastic.

That was definitely the highlight of last night's Act II run.

annual IHOP night...

2009-08-08T01:14:00.000-07:00

is the best ever. From perfectly timed lemon arrivals during Greg's "Lemon Speech" to mystical water spills onto poor Brenden, it was great. I am SOOO glad that mom decided to let us go. It truly was the bomb diggety dog dot com.

There were probably 20 people there, give or take a few. There are 120 people in the cast, so not bad. About 1/6. We had an Act II run, so there weren't any Munchkins and we ran both dance numbers. Let me tell you, Jitterbug is no picnic. I am sucking wind like crazy! Bleh. I also tried on my costume for aforementioned dance, and I look hideous. I'm the only one who's saying that, but are you really going to be honest to a teenage girl wearing a skin tight unitard? Didn't think so. At least it's black this time. In CATS mine was white.

I also registered to take the ACT test. I do NOT want to take it. Do NOT. But I am, on September 12. Ew.

Anywho, IHOP was awesome. Some of us late auditorium leavers began the festivities with a rousing line dance to "Boot Scootin' Boogy" on the stage. This included a few people who didn't go to IHOP, which was fine. They helped me kick off the night and tweak my back into the proper position (being a convincing and frightening J-bug can sometimes force your muscles into odd and rather painful positions). That was so fun, it really was. I didn't even feel stupid. Yay!

Brenden, Kaila, Kara, Erica, Necia, Greg, Celena (sorry if I spelled it wrong), Ramona, Laura, me, Meghan, Amanda, Michelle, Megan, mom, Miranda, and seven or eight other people I don't remember the names of (SORRY!!!) were at the restaurant when we arrived (we were the last ones there). Our waiter, Nic, was extremely friendly and put up with our ridiculous drama-ness. We're weird, and we know it, so deal. I mean, you cannot keep from busting up with laughter while watching Brenden run to the bathroom twice in an hour and a half after downing perhaps a gallon of Dr. Pepper, or fall off of your chair when ice is placed down your back, or lose your head when Kara tells you stories of Darren during her and her husband's dating years, or when Kaila grabs the waiter saying "Look what I've got! He's the bestest friend ever!". You can't help it. It's just too funny. Or do those fall into the category of you had to be there to appreciate it? Hm...

I was the only one who didn't order some sort of breakfast food. People got pancakes, omelets, crepes, sausage, bacon, eggs, hot chocolate, more lemons...but not me. Nope. I had a giant, beautiful, creamy, strawberry and vanilla delight of a Sundae. And it was truly fantabularifical (my word, you canNOT have it :D ). I want another one.

Another great thing about Annual IHOP Night was catching a glimpse of a late night Scrabble game over pancakes at one of the tables. I think that is a phenomenal idea, and I am so using it when I get older. Or at least if I ever have a later curfew.

OH BOY!!! ANNUAL IHOP NIGHT ROCKS MY SOCKS! Even though I wasn't wearing any at the time...

Let's do it again next year!

Uh, oh. I forgot I have work in the morning. *shrug* Oh well!

are you sure that's a munchkin?

2009-08-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

Rehearsal yesterday was absolutely great. For once nothing went wrong, and no new problems were brought to Steve, Our Fearless Leader. That is, except for a couple of Munchkin costumes, aka Sexy Rainbow Brite and Miss Tie-Dye Flower Child. But those were taken care of. I hope.

Misty is doing a great job as Toto. She's learned to bark on command (I helped teach that one) and she's learned that baskets aren't so scary to get into because...there's ham hiding on the bottom! And you get some more when you jump out! Sweet deal, no?

I had a great time watching the rollerskating flying monkeys try and get enough speed to roll up the ramps to get onstage (long sentence and lots of prepositions...wow). Necia, one of my friends, tried first and sort of, well not even kind of, failed. She got about halfway up then began to slide backwards, resorting to crawling on her knees. Then two boys skated up to the top of the auditorium seats and came down the sloping aisles, aimed for the ramps, and whoosh! Up they went. I'm too scared to try it; I also don't own rollerblades/skates.

Posters are finished! I'll take a picture of one and post it on here so you can see. They look fantastic!

droppin' like flies...

2009-08-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, so who was it who forgot to allow the Jitterbugs a drink break sometime during our two hour rehearsal period? Hm? HMM???

Oh. We all did. That's the problem with us. We get working and just don't stop, director, dancers, actors, all of us. Tonight it finally came back to bite us.

One of our J-bugs (we'll call her Coral) ended up collapsing last night after rehearsal. It was a good thing there were so many people there to help; she was found on the floor in the bathroom and we needed several people to help get her out. I really didn't do much; I made sure that Misty stayed out of the way and was quiet. Puppy knew something was wrong with Coral and wanted to help make it better. She's a good therapy dog.

Coral told us that she has low-blood sugar at times, and we could all tell that she was dehydrated. Mom got her some juice, Darren let us put his lion costume under Coral's legs (treatment for shock-face is red, raise her head. pale in face, raise her legs.), Roger brought a blanket from his car, Brendon donated his Dr. Pepper just in case, Miranda brought a towel in to use as a pillow-there were so many people ready to help. Steve, Darren, and Greg all helped get Coral onto the bench, and Miranda called Coral's husband (we'll call him John). My mom felt that Coral needed to get to the ER fast, but waited for John because Coral started to panic about insurance and stuff. It's so dumb how people can be seriously hurt or sick and they can't be taken care of because they can't afford it. Ugh.

After John left with Coral, my mom, sisters, and I went to the ER to make sure that she was going to be okay. They let us go into her room to see her, and mom filled them in on the information that Miranda hadn't known. Everything worked out, and I hope she's doing better today.

So, word to the wise-if you have any health problems whatsoever, or even if you think that you're healthy, you MUST DRINK WATER. Or something with electrolytes and sugar in it to keep you hydrated and from wearing out, like Gatorade, Powerade, or some sort of juice. I mean, it's a no-brainer to drink something when you're thirsty, but don't wait till you're thirsty. All of you in the cast, and all of the rest of you out there, don't be dumb like we were. J-bugs are not invincible, and neither are you.

And just for the record, you don't give milk to someone who has low blood sugar and is dehydrated and in shock. Don't do it, even if someone who thinks that the way it is says to. :P

Act I...

2009-07-28T22:23:00.000-07:00

No, it's not the ACT test. It's Act I, the first half of the play. The blocking was completed last Thursday evening, and tonight it was run all the way through for the first time. All in all it wasn't bad. Dorothy needs to be a little less nervous, and the Lion had a chest cold. The Scarecrow really moves like a scarecrow. The Tin Man needs a costume. The Witch needs to be more witchy, and Glinda needs to be less uptight and funnier. Those were just the things that I noticed.

I'm excited for the 21st of August because...WE'RE GOING TO BE ON TV!!! YAY!!! I think it's Good Morning Utah or something, from 6:00-9:00 in the morning. Big Buddha is coming to do the story. The last time I met him was when I was maybe five or six, when Fred Meyer opened close to my house. I was on TV then, too, dancing to the live band. Wow, I can't believe I remember that.

I'm so excited. The 21st is the second day of school (B day), so I'll probably ditch my classes that day and go to the rehearsal instead. I mean, how important is the second day of school? Well, pretty darn. But that's okay. I'll just check what classes I have, go talk to the teachers I have for B-days after school on A-days, and tell them that I won't be there because I have a film shoot and big rehearsal. What can they do? Sue me?

Tonight we start Act II, which is the only act I'm in. I belive we're working on the MOLO scene and dance number, and then Darren's "King of the Forest" number. I am SO excited to watch him play the Lion in that number. He is fantastic, seriously.

Sister 2's costume for the Munchkin land is finished. It looks so cute. Pink, blue, and white with red ruby trim on the bottom. The red is going to be throughout the whole show on everyone's costumes. I think it's the director's placement of the symbolic red and "no place like home." Everyone carries the color of home on them. Cool, isn't it? Sister 1's Ozzian costume is almost complete, and mine has been cut out. Yay!

lion's mane...

2009-07-24T18:15:00.000-07:00

Darren, our resident coward, is absolutely fantastic. When he gets into character as the Lion, no one can keep a straight face. He is so hilarious! I cannot wait to see him do his solo number, "King of the Forest." I love that guy!

I was wrong-I didn't have rehearsal at all this past week. I stayed home by myself on Tuesday night and got thoroughly depressed; I hate being home alone for long periods of time, especially at night. Wednesday night I went with my sisters, mom, and Misty, and had a great time. Darren, Brendon, and Greg (Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man) are all so funny and fun to watch. Sister 1 is now a talking tree, and Sister 2 is still a crow. I'm not in the first act (thank goodness) because I have to work until 6:20 and it takes almost forty minutes to get to Payson from there. Second act is just fine with me. Being a J-bug and Ozzian is a full-time job!

All of the leads got their costumes last night; I've seen Brendon's and McKenzie's (Dorothy), but not Darren's and Greg's. I hope they turn out all right!

Now for a nice weekend, and off to craziness next week. Act II begins!

crowk...

2009-07-17T22:46:00.000-07:00

Sister 2 is now a Crow. The person who originally had that part didn't show up to rehearsal, so Sister 2 got it instead. Sister 1 could potentially be an apple tree; she just isn't sure about the stilts. I wouldn't be either-even though I'm a dancer I'm terribly clumsy. Sister 2's only concern is changing from costume to costume. She's all ready a flying monkey and a Munchkin. She's crowking with concern at this point.

A crowk moment for me was going to rehearsal last night just for kicks and giggles with my mom and Sister 2. Erin, our dearly beloved choreographer, has struck again. This time she pretty much took over the blocking rehearsal to polish the Munchkins' dance. Not cool-Steve (director) needed all of the time possible to block the Munchkins, Dorothy, Glinda, Witch, and Toto. Again, I see the problem in dancers of too many chiefs and not enough indians. Ugh.

Speaking of plays (since this blog is dedicated to one :) ), I went to see my friend Ruthie's play tonight. It's called "The Promised Land", based on First Nephi in the Book of Mormon (yes, I'm LDS [if you didn't know that all ready :)], and to learn more email me at wannabkenobi at gmail dot com or check out mormon.org). Ruthie wasn't the only one in it; my friend Jordan had a major role as well, playing the youngest of Ishmael's two sons and the sort of flip-flopping between good and bad type. As I watched him, I began to realize how much I like him. Which is a second crowk...Ruthie has liked Jordan for a very long time. I've always tried to suppress the fact that I find him attractive (and gorgeous) because of this. Well, can't help it now. Just keep it between us, okay?

Crowks and more crowks. Sheesh.

off of seeing wizard...

2009-07-16T10:51:00.001-07:00

No rehearsal this week. It's so weird. I had Girl's Camp last week, and now all of my evenings are free for another two days. What should I do? Practice my dancing? Go see a movie? Go swimming? Tag along with my mom to watch her rehearsal?

Or maybe I'll just catch up on my Health class, seeing as I'm on lesson six and there are seventeen and my final is on August 13. Haha. Yeah.

we're not here...

2009-07-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

I'm off to Girl's Camp for the next four or five days (can't remember how many and too lazy to count), so I'll be missing three rehearsals. And let me tell ya, I'd so rather be at rehearsal than camping. No showers! :P

I hope we don't miss too much of the reviewing for MOLO and J-Bug. Erin is going to really be polishing things up and making it look good. Hopefully I'll pick it up quick enough to not get kicked out.

what happens when there aren't enough pins...

2009-07-04T10:53:00.001-07:00

We're just getting even "bugly-er" aren't we?

in the throes...

2009-07-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

And I thought that the J-bugs were supposed to be wearing the Fab 4 out. Um, wrong. The J-bugs were more worn out tonight than our group of heroes! I am so tired. Last night all of the Ozzians worked on and cleaned up the big dance number in MOLO. I felt fantastic after that rehearsal was finished, and I could have gone on for two or three more hours. I was outvoted though, and Erin sent us home.

Tonight? Different story altogether. I was tired before we even started rehearsing, and by the time we had run the dance two times through I was about ready to drop dead and have the monkeys carry me off the stage and toss me into bed. My self-confidence kept dropping every time we ran the dance, and by the end of cleaning up and learning new bits I had tears mixed in with the sweat on my face. And yes, we sweat a lot. Like, liters and liters of it. Bleh.

I do know the dances really well. I just feel like I'm not doing a good job, and I'm afraid that Erin will cut me from the dance. I was so tired that I could hardly move. Even when I push myself to be more energetic, I'm exhausted, and I'm scared she'll get sick of me being in it and kick me out. Half of the tap dancers in the MOLO number were cut last night, including Carissa. I thought that I should have been cut. Carissa is a better tapper than I am. I hope she isn't upset at me.

I like this song. The new Linkin Park one, from the new Transformers movie. I want to go see it. Maybe I will some weekend when I'm not dancing my legs off. My feet I think are all ready gone. Too small tap shoes. Not a good thing.

gone...

2009-06-24T09:36:00.000-07:00

Buddy will never go to rehearsal with me again. It's so hard. He's gone.

so much for that...

2009-06-20T18:20:00.001-07:00

I really didn't get much stuff done on my list. Oh, well. I guess it wasn't a big deal anyway. I had a blast with Carissa and my new friends (see The Author's Desk for funny pics and stories), and we're planning on another sleepover soon.

Some of the people in Jitterbug wanted to have an extra rehearsal on Friday morning (yesterday), so we did. It was...okay, I guess. There were maybe 12 of us there out of the 20 J-bugs, so good numbers. 3 of the people had no idea what they were doing because they hadn't been there for the initial rehearsal (out of town). I taught my friend Dawn, who I was in CATS with three years ago, the parts that everyone is in. She learns fast.

I am, in short, a horrible dance teacher. I go too quickly and don't know how to explain what I'm trying to say. :P

MOLO (Merry Old Land of Oz) will be choreographed this coming week. Nearly 12 minutes straight of dancing and craziness. Ugh. Not looking forward to it.

partay...

2009-06-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

Carissa (See Author's Desk for info), invited me to a sleepover at her house tomorrow night. I haven't been to one of those in nearly seven years, and I'm pretty excited. Here's the "To Do" for tomorrow:

1. Get up
2. Pack and put stuff in trunk of car
3. Take neighbor kids out for snow cones
4. Pick up holds at Borders
5. Wash sheets
6. Library hold pick-up run/prize pick-up
7. Work
8. Pick up family, drive to rehearsal
9. Rehearsal
10. Follow Carissa home in my car
11. Partay!

The washing of the sheets will be somewhere in there. Dunno for sure where yet. So yeah. I'm excited!

di-di-dit...

2009-06-11T20:51:00.000-07:00

I am so blasted sore. Catching other jitterbugs and throwing them is not good on the arms. And I'm kind of sad; I'm only in 4 sets of 8 counts in the main dance part. I hope that changes, because I'm also the only person who isn't involved in the rest of the dance (not the chorus part, with the di-di-dits and the ending). *sigh*

I got a lot of Health homework done though. I waited at the lip of the stage and took notes from my textbook. Hopefully I'll be able to pass my quiz.

Now I'm hungry. Bye.

ji-ji-ji-jitterbug...

2009-06-09T21:37:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the first rehearsal for the Jitterbug dance number. My sisters and I went out with my mom even though we didn't have to be there because she needed help with the dogs and we almost got bugurglarized (tee hee) a few nights ago. She didn't want to leave us alone. Anyway, Meghan and I were not in the number until my nana had a fit and forced us down the choreographer's throat (nana's the A.D.). Well, my mom wouldn't hear of it. She talked to Erin, the girl who's doing the dance routines, and explained to her that neither of us would be upset if we weren't in the dance. After my mom talked to her, Erin wasn't mad (I think). She told us to try it out and she'd see what happened later.

I have not been so happy in the longest time. Being up on that stage dancing was amazing. I haven't taken any dance classes for over a year now, and I'd forgotten how good it feels to move. I hope Erin lets us stay in it, because it's amazing. The movement isn't very hard at all, but it's still a challenge to be able to learn it and remember it. Best thing ever, really. 'Cept for the stage lights. I'd also forgotten how hot they get.

The second dance rehearsal for Jitterbug will be tomorrow night. So excited!

rifting...

2009-06-03T18:22:00.000-07:00

Sadly there are already rifts among the cast. The choreographer decided that she didn't think any of us greenies would be able to learn and perform her "extremely difficult" movements. She tried to solve that problem with recruiting her dance troupe. They've canceled because of conflicts during performances. The choreographer still is not happy. Um, Earth to Airhead! Your job is to teach the people in the cast movements to their capabilities. If you can't handle making it fit the people you've got, then get another job. We're not here to see you show off.

Bugs me how people are so elitist.

music...

2009-05-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

Time to "Ding, dong" the bells, 'cause the witch is dead. You heard me. She's dead.

Yes, first music rehearsal was last week. It was not too bad. Loud, but fun. There are so many people in this cast, it's crazy. I was in tears halfway through again, just because I felt totally useless and no good. *sigh* I'll have to figure that out soon.

calling all greenies...

2009-04-27T14:18:00.000-07:00

Well, first cast meeting was on Wednesday last. We are now, officially, wizardous. I call us "greenies," because it's the Merry Ole Land of Oz and such. So, from now on, the cast members as a whole will be known as greenies.

I found myself in tears three if not four times because of fear. I am so terrified to be in this show. The last one I was in was way harder, but this one has over 170 people in the cast, most of whom I don't know. I'm older so I'm being given more responsibility, and I'll also be away from my mom a lot. I've never been far from my mom during a show, which is really important to me because she's pretty much the only reason why I don't collapse from fright. I've always been able to look over at her while she watches me practice and been okay. Now she'll be off training Misty for the role of Toto, and I'll be alone with oodles of people I don't know. Many of them are men, as well. CATS (in 2006 I played Tantomile and was offstage for all of two numbers) had over 38 women in the show and four, maybe six guys. I'm not used to working with guys or large groups.

Super excited for special effects. Now that I know a lot about what the tech crew is talking about (concerning set building, props, lighting, sound, etc.) I can actually be excited. I don't just stand there saying "Oh, cool!" while thinking "What the freakin' heck are they nattering on about?" I can actually understand what was previously just "talking shop." Yes!

So I'm terrified. Seriously. But I'm staying in, even though my mom keeps saying it might be a good idea if I drop out. She tells me that she thinks all of the arguments I've come up with in favor of saying in the show are hollow and that I'm just trying to force myself to believe it. She is probably right. Still, I don't want to be left out, and I don't want to be left home alone every night all summer.

First rehearsal is on May.....hm...12? I think so. May 12th. We'll see how that goes.

rehearsals...

2009-04-19T14:55:00.000-07:00

I found out what the schedule is going to be for practices this summer. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (I'm pretty sure) we will rehearse. Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays we have off. This means that we start in the beginning of May and work all through the beginning of August. *sigh* I wish we would have rehearsals Tuesday through Saturday so that we could start rehearsals in June, not May. Oh, well.

Hm. So this means that I'll have classes at 8:00 in the morning, go to work at 11:00, and head to rehearsals straight from there at 6:30. In a scout uniform. Hm. I'll have to pack a change of clothes. Dancing in canvas slacks in a high school auditorium on a black wood stage under bright lights with no air conditioning doesn't sound like fun.

I'm so excited to do this play! Squee!

off to see the Wizard...

2009-03-31T20:07:00.000-07:00

PAYSON COMMUNITY THEATRE PRESENTS:
THE WIZARD OF OZ

Well, we're for sure in the play. My family will be playing the following roles and participating in these general areas:

Dad-Uncle Henry, Winkie General (?), Ozzian
Mom-Aunt Em, Ozzian, Toto Trainer (?)
Me-Ozzian soloist, Jitterbug Dancer, dancer, other (which I don't know yet)
Meghan-Ozzian, Jitterbug Dancer, dancer, other
Amanda-Flying monkey (who actually flies in the harness system)

My dog Misty might play the part of Toto, but I'm not sure. She's kind of slow, to be perfectly honest. I think it would be cool if Professor Marvel had a dog, too. Perhaps my dog, Buddy. I don't know though.

Rehearsals won't start until the end of April. I'll post more then.

Oee oh!
Georgie