ACTING CHRIST-LIKE

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&

I haven't gotten a chance to talk about American Pastorela much, so here is a blog to feel you in. I'm going to start by saying I've never been in a production quite like this. My first rehearsal I walk into the Wells Fargo Arena greeenroom to a long table. I'm excited but nervous. I'm always nervous when I have to walk into a room of people who I don't know. I don't know my part. I don't even really known much about the play. All I know are the sides I read at the audition between God and Angel, and between Faustina and Diablo. I remember at the audition getting excited after asking the writer if the play was a Christian themed play and he said "kinda." It felt really good to imagine myself in a play, that was outwardly calling light to people... doing what I've always wanted to do for the One who gave me my passion. But after the first read through, my feelings were a bit different. There are some things about the scri

Just experienced my first "conflict" outside of school and it was for the FIRST REHEARSAL. I wanted to start out without a blemish on my record with perfect attendance for American Pastorela: Mission to Mars and I have already failed. Basically I was asked to play cello for the band Lovers & Fighters  and this doesn't happen to often so I wanted to jump at the chance. But it would be overlapping with my first rehearsal for American. I did the right thing and spoke with the stage manager (on the phone, with our voices. Not over text) And he said it was fine. I even told him that I would have my cello with me and he said I could play for them. So it was shaping up to be a nice night! I arrived at the venue early and practiced the song I would be playing for my cast. Set up. Sound check. Meet & Greet. Free tea... then we're just sitting around. I was told we would be playing at 710 and we would be completely finished by 730... well 720 rolls around and we&#

So I was sort of in another funk this weekend. I had just been receiving bad news after bad news. I was not cast into my school play which was my last chance to go to festival and I was getting down on myself because I had a great audition the other day outside of school and, yet again, had not received a callback. I hung out with my sister, met some friends from school at the Art Walk and did my best not to pout. But I was really bumming out on the inside. When suddenly! My phone rings and it's the director of the show I auditioned for! He called offering me a role in his show and asked about some of my talents so he could write them into the script :) I try not to base my happiness on whether I get cast in something or not, but I gotta say it feels great! So my life lesson for the day was: Sometimes callbacks take a while. Don't give up hope, but don't hold your breath as well. As actors we have to find that balance between putting it all on the line and not caring at

Honestly, I feel like it's too early in the game to be writing this type of blog, but I felt compelled to do it. I am currently in a "funk". Nothing makes you doubt your acting abilities like not getting into a show... or several shows. I think, including this last show I just had a callback for, I have auditioned for six different shows in the past 2 months and have been cast in one. Another thing that is difficult is comparing your journey to someone else's journey. Those of you who don't know, my best friend is a very talented actor named Nate. He has been acting for just over a year now (not including the acting class he took a few years ago) and he is already acting at Phoenix Theatre. (He's currently in Spamalot which you should totally go see!) Well for me it's hard not to look at him and not feel like there is something wrong with me. I have had some training and have been doing this for a few years now so I feel like I should be somewhere hi

So I have been doing the Jungalbook by Edward Mast for about 2 months now. I really love how this company is being ran; they way they're doing it for one year they do one show. Every time an actor leaves the show, they recast the part. The show can be booked for basically any venue. So far we've done retirement centers, Boys & Girls Clubs, and day care centers. It's been a great learning experience targeting the audience.  It's a different feel between the ages because we're performing for the extremes, the young and the older. I was originally cast as Baloo the bear, but I am now diving into playing Sherakhan the Tiger. This has really been an interesting lesson for me. They way we run rehearsals is that I play both parts in one run through. One second I'm a caring Mama-Bear type character, and the next I'm the evil and vicious antagonist of the play. I've had to put a lot of effort into being "mean." Being a tall and broad woman with

I am currently enrolled in Voice and Diction at MCC, under the instruction of Ian Christiansen. So far I am LOVING the class. I took a V&D class when I did the Scottsdale Conservatory Theatre, but unfortunately those credits didn't transfer. I enjoyed the class I took before, but because it was an accelerated class  we only got to hit the basics. I can already tell that Ian's class is going to be my favorite. I've only been to two classes and I'm already learning more about my body and my instrument than I haven learned in a while. I hope by the end of this class I will be able to carry myself like a professional actor and sustain good breath support and diction while I'm on stage. I'll keep you posted!