ACTING CHRIST-LIKE

When I was fresh out of high school I would sometimes tell people that certain situations gave me anxiety. Now your experience might be different, but this was a time where everyone wasn't saying they were anxious. Maybe they had  it and didn't know, but I didn't really know a lot of people who were open with the fact. So when I said this, some people didn't believe me. I'm so outgoing and talkative and I could see why people might have thought that I was exaggerating. AND at the time the idea of anxiety seemed more like a serious medical problem rather than a common struggle that everyday people had. I've realized lately that I have been succumbing to some of these anxious thoughts. In the past I would struggle with walking into a room with a group of people that a) I didn't know or b) it was my first time. So walking into class on the first day of school or walking into a party by myself.  Since I've started auditioning for shows a lot of the

Teaching artistry can sometimes mean different things to different people. Here are my options about it in the form of 10 questions! ... Introduction: It's been several years since I've posted on my actor's blog so I wanted to throw something up here and give a little update about myself. I have lots of blogs on here and I have changed and grown so much since I last posted. I'm still pursuing theatre and the arts (and have been in the interim of posts). I now tell people that my profession is Teaching Artistry and I usually get a lot of odd looks when I say this. So let me tell you what a teaching artist is! 1. What is a teaching artist? Quick Definition. A teaching artist is an artist who participates in a craft and also teaches it. Some people participate in their craft mostly because they want to be better teachers. Some people are artists who decide to teach on the side. Others are right down the middle and love teaching and doing art themselves e

Being a new, young actor a lot of the times doesn't produce a whole lot of "success" so when it starts happening, an actor can feel many things. Though I haven't had any substantial success, here is my insight: 1. They can feel overwhelmed. This is a bit of what I'm feeling right now. How does one handle recognition? It's funny because it's what I've wanted and have been working towards it for so long but now that it's starting to creep up I'm feeling nervous. I think the overwhelming feeling I'm getting is: 1) People are going to wonder how I achieved any of this because I'm not very good. 2) People aren't going to care, and think that I'm blowing up something small that doesn't really deserve attention. Amongst these things that have been going on: photo-shoots, radio interviews, and magazine ads, as well as teaching drama at camps, drama at elementary schools, and private acting lessons I am almost embarrassed to t

I just got back from one of the greatest auditions of my life! I had a freaking blast! It was for the Black Theater Festival at ASU which I was really psyched for. It feels good to go into an audition that you're really excited about... good and extremely nerve wrecking! Syd always told me if you're not nervous then to get out of the game! You use your nervous energy to inspire your character and your objective. But, on to my point! The lesson that I learned from these callbacks was: Bravery. On a Christian journey, bravery is almost the most important thing we must focus on. The life of a devout Christian is a very difficult one and every day we are faced with challenges and hard decisions. Sometimes bravery is the only option. At this audition I experienced two types of bravery: 1. Ambitious and 2. Righteous. I believe both each have their times and places! Ambitious bravery is the tool used to get the things that you want. If you want to be someone's girlfrie

Before I make my "big announcement" I wanted to just spill my emotions out all over my keyboard about opening night... it. was. FANTASTIC. I don't think I've ever had a more successful opening night! My cast really pulled it together and had an amazing show tonight. I didn't drop and cues and I felt really connected to all my characters. My Gaddafi accent was good and my words felt motivated. After a show or an audition, EE will always ask how I felt about it. If the answer is good, that means I did good! I'm so happy, I wish I could just run to Syd and EE and tell them everything. I know they'd be so proud of me... I'm talking like they're dead or something. They certainly are not I just haven't spoken with them in a while :P My mother said that she was laughing so hard she was crying. I really hope some of my new friends from church come and see it. If you're one of my new friends from church and you're reading this, don't

I know I've been blogging a lot lately but I had to say what was on my mind at this very second! These are the days that I live for! I'm currently backstage listening to "Memory" from Cats being sung on stage by an adorable little girl named Shannon. I'm at my LAST tech rehearsal until my show opens tomorrow. As I was sitting here waiting to come on, I was thinking to myself: Wow, this is really what I love. I love the costumes and props and the cues and the spike tape and the saftey pins and the costume changes ad just EVERYTHING. I feel like I've just won some kind of prize. There isn't anything in this world that makes me feel as happy. I'm also excited for my auditions coming up on Monday! Excited for a change of scenery. But sad to be leaving this show so soon. Jungalbook went on for so long so this show feels so short. Anywho, I gotta get ready to go on soon. Two cute little martians just walked in wanting my attention. Come se

Really starting to FEEL IT. It's after midnight which means that my show is opening tomorrow!! For some reason it doesn't feel real to me. Ahhh. This is my first full-scale production outside of community college so I'm kind of nervous. I'm sitting here in my room doing my character development for the first time. I know, I know I really put this off but it has just gone so fast! I feel like we were just receiving our scripts a few days ago and now we're about to open. I'm playing Sandra Haros, Sonja Sotomayor, Michelle Obama, Mummar Gaddafi, and Sheriff Joe's posse member. I'm really enjoying making each character their own. If you come to see my show you're going to witness a large array of acting for me. This show is really stretching me and my comfort zones. ANYWAYS,  I guess since this is a Christian blog, I'm going to have speak about my lessons I've learned throughout the production... Now, I still have two weeks of shows so I&