Callbacks are done

Today we had callbacks for "Whales, Save Us!" it was a good time, went smoothly.

I still think that one of the most interesting parts of this whole experience is that four shows are casting from the same talent pool. I know that sounds easy when you have over 100 people auditioning but its not. For the most part most directors called back a large number of the same people, so this casting meeting should be fun. Truth be told, I think that after Callbacks for two of the shows the meeting seems like it has potential to go smoothly. But as any good boy scout would say its important to be prepared!

Update on the benefit show, there is some discussion that it may be canceled, which is nice for one reason, Tara is coming this weekend and we are going to have SO MUCH fun either way! But if its not canceled that will be fun because It will be a fun show! Well i'll let you know where that all falls out.

2nd week of GRAD school here i come! Bring it!

Two days, So Sorry! HOTTT!

I really can not tell you everything that I have been doing for the last few days, so it doesn't seem like a lot but it has!

Friday was a great day to sleep in, which on a side note I have not been sleeping well... I'm not really sure why, I am generally a really great sleeper! Anyway...

I got up a little later on friday i dont really know what time I think it was 9 am which isnt really that late i know but Im not a huge sleep in person, but the more I am in school the later I stay up so maybe i will be a sleeper inner soon!

I had to go meet Erica and Katy both MFA stage managers to make copies for our auditions. On my way i was going to stop by Judy Ryerson (professor, costume designer) and ask her a couple questions, mind you its 400 degrees outside and I am burning up, well i go to the Judy Bayley theatre (our big theatre) where the costume shop is, she is not there... they say she is in the design studio, a different building with two smaller theatres in it, so i sweat my way over there, nope she is not there whatever i have to go meet the other SM's anyway, as I am leaving the building, Shannon (my advisor) calls and asks what I am doing next week...

Now just a moment to interlude my thoughts here when your professor and or advisor asks what are you doing next week, what is the correct response. So what did i do????

I laughed out load, then she laughed. (then awkward moment) Well she wanted to know if i would stage manage a special benefit show for her next week. I said sure, she said they would pay me and I said why not! So off i went to her office to get the details, did i mention it was HOTTTTT in vegas on friday, not just hot, like devil's armpit hot. seriously i would rather have been in the kitchen during thanksgiving cooking, much cooler. anyway, details on this show are slim, so i sent an email to the producer to get some info... Linda Eder is coming i do know that, but thats about it.

Made copies for auditions, blah blah blah, had to go to a production meeting, and let me just say it was interesting, more on that later i would suppose, but to many eyes here... oh by the way the meeting was back up in the building on the edge of campus, and it is HOTTT!

After the meeting Erica had to get some things for company and we walked all over campus, no you do not understand ALL OVER CAMPUS! and mother of pearl it was HOT! we were going to go get lunch after but it was so hot that all you could think of was a jamba juice that sounded good, and for the love it was awesome... Erica Said it best "i want to dive in my jamba juice and swim around its that hot" anyway, we sat in ericas office for an hour and cooled, down, called ashlee (another SM) and met her at the Alumni center. where we decided to go to olive garden, and MAN IT WAS GOOD, i had been really good all day, and decided what the hell, just cheat, so i did, and in the end it wasnt that cheating, had some bread sticks, chicken with pasta only i didnt even want the pasta and so i didnt eat it, and tons of salad! oh yeah and some cheese dip.... anyway it was worth it, STILL HOT!

I got home and spent the night making a schedule for this show that is next week, its exciting, its a lot of hours, and a lot going on but it is going to be so fun, and it is right where i want to be! still no official word from the producer other then an email with his schedule which i promptly turned into a nice very nice excel spread sheet! with colors! LOVE IT! got ready for auditions and turned in, still didnt sleep well.

This morning had to be to auditions at 8:30 (HOT), and it went all day, schedules got off, time ran behind, crowds where big, it was long, and hard, but man oh man it went well. I can not even tell you how well the group of us stage managers worked together, i got home at 5:30 and all i wanted to do was eat a lot of fat and watch a movie cuddled on the couch! I DIDNT dont worry! (HOT) (HOT) (HOT)

I ate some chicken nuts cheese, couple grapes, it was a good meal. But then right back to work on Call Backs for tomorrow. I have every form you could want, broken down by person, character, i mean if you want it and I dont have it, it will be shocking!!! my Directors name is Josh, and I think its going to be a great expereince. Our writer was there as well and she is great! But with that said four shows are casting from the same talent pool and so as Kenn put it today we will be playing "kickball" (you know that awkward moment in grade school where you all stand in a line and wait to be picked, and one team always gets to go first and they always get the best) anyway we are going to be casting monday night, however My benefit show rehearses then, Did i mention how excited i am about this benefit show, I hope I can pull it off and keep everyone happy, on time, and getting everything they need!

So that brings me to right this minute still hot (they say it will start cooling down in september, believe that when i see it) where i knew I had to sit down and write about this all or i never would, one day this is going to be an awesome journal im sure of it!

Im off to bed! Just can't wait to start tomorrow! ( I know im a total geek, but i am in my element) by the way one day you should ask me about the compliment i got today! IT was great!

Long day of nothing huge

Today I did nothing much here at grad school, however i am pretty sure that I almost saw a classroom revolt today... Anyone who was in grad sem knows where this is going! But wow, i thought for a minute one of my classes was going to end in a revolt!

But in the end it didn't I defined my three words through web campus and now here I am.

I did however change my rehearsal calendar for "Whales, Save Us!" again! Someday we are going to stop making those changes! But whatever it all works!

Tomorrow is our design/production meeting! FUN!

GREAT DAY!

well let me just say today i had three classes, and did some great work.

I started my day with Stage Management One, this is an under grad class for ALL theatre majors so its sometimes daunting to be sitting in there, but Katy and I are in there together which makes it easier. This morning Shannon gave us an assignment to make an audition poster, and Im not going to lie i did it during class, there is a copy below, boring i know.

My next class is Directing, which i have also taken, but i must say that I am really enjoying this class so far, We are reading "Power of the Actor" by Chubbuck, and I must say its really a good book. The discussion today was very interesting, We talked a lot about objectives, what does your character want in this scene and the overall arch of the show for example. It was very very interesting to think about how characters need to be humanized, they need to take every step a normal human being does, They have no idea what happens next, just like you and me. One of the most interesting things from the book and our discussion to me "You must earn the right to die" okay really? doesn't that sound interesting in more then just a theatrical term. I mean an actor knows that their character is going to die, but the character just like you and me has know Idea when that is going to happen. I mean think about it, that character has to earn the right to die, they have to work every minute of that script earning the believability of the death and the knowledge or lack there of, of it coming. I don't know why that is so interesting to me but it is.

I went home and read the next three chapters of that book, im really into this class, great professor, I am learning and feeling like its making a difference in my career already! Whats so interesting is that I have seen good actors and directors do some of the things we talk about but never really knew why? but now looking back things make so much more sense!

I went back to Stage Management studio where all of the SM's in the MFA program get together and we chatted, good times with 6 good people, and we have decided that we are team awesome, and that we should all have a different color and a logo and such. Well I made us a logo, im pretty much in love with it, 6 colors, 6 of us, funny sayings on it, and pretty excited to stamp that baby onto all of our papers! funny, very funny!

Today was a really good day! I also took some pictures of the fact that UNLV is not that crowded!

If anyone reads this and wants to respond to this question or if you are annie and you want to ask your children this question i would love to know the answer.

What is a Stage Manager?

Love ya!

I have really nothing to report today!

My big accomplishments of the day?

Laundry

Cleaned

Shopped for some food

set up a meeting with three shows for the same time, not easy,

took a nap

ate some chicken

So as you can see my second day of grad school has been VERY VERY VERY hard! Please do not judge!

Today was a really great day!

Let me just say, my first day back to school was a great day.

Let me just say how interesting it is to be back in school, I'm 28, seriously 28, And I'm back in school. My two classes on mon-wed right now are Stage Management and Directing. Both of which are going to be good classes, I felt like i was going to my first day of High school again today, I am not sure why i was so freaked out, but alas, I met up with Katy (1st year stage manager) and we walked to class together today. We got lost together, then found the class in BFE! Well Stage Management one is meant for Under grads getting a theatre degree, So lets just say that Katy and I are going to be very bored for some of that class, but I suppose a refresher never hurts anyone... My second class was Directing, with Michael Tylo, Great guy, seems like its going to be a great class, where I will learn a new prospective on theatre and directing. After class i came home read my chapters for Wednesdays class then went back to Meet with Team Awesome (the 6 MFA stage managers) and Shannon, and It was a great meeting.

I must say I got dressed today in my skinniest pair of pants that I have worn in forever, seriously I don't remember even in high school having this small of pants! Well it was a great moment for me, Seriously I have been going through some life changing moments in the last few months of my life but the biggest was getting my self confidence back by loosing over 100 pounds to date! Seriously, I look back and think there is no way that I had did that, and To be honest it hasn't been the most terrible thing I have ever done! I mean I have made good choices and bad choices and there has been times I had to deprive myself of things but it really has been a great life changing experience. Losing this weight has given me the courage to step out of my comfort zone and get involved in other things like the minor thing of getting my MFA! I thought that after losing this weight I had gotten over my fear of eating in front of people, but that is no so. last Friday at the grad welcome party, I could not bring myself to eat, There was no way I was walking over there and eating! Seriously the oddest thing in the world, but life goes on, and it helped me not cheat ;-)

I got to talk to all of my favorite people today, Princess and I can talk for hours and every time it makes me happy! Halee who got a new puppy (what is she thinking) and Tara who booked our concert tickets (I GET TO SEE TARA IN JUST OVER A WEEK) and to top it all off, my Mom called and they were booking tickets to come out and see me! So I think they will be spending Thanksgiving here in Vegas with me, and my Grandma and Grandpa will be coming too! How exciting!

Well my first official job as stage manager starts this weekend with auditions for the first show i am SM'ing called "Whales, Save Us!" Should be a great experience I am excited to get started, I have done everything I can to get ready, Hope i don't seem to anxious to everyone I just really want to get to what I'm here for and hopefully do it well!

Sandy's House Party

Last night a few of us went over to Sandy's house for a little get together! WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! it was great getting to know everyone there, and I think we will be going out many more times!

I also did my rehearsal calendars and got ready for school which starts tomorrow! I can not believe Im going back to school, It has been really good being here a week early getting to know everyone. Tomorrow I will officially be back in school, REALLY? Well wish me luck, i'll let you all know how it goes tomorrow!