Sledding Silly

My brother and I took Boyfriend on his first sledding excursion!  Fun and disaster was had by all!

Also, I discovered that laying in the snow when you get bored and tired is just the best thing to do.

I must have had a lot of pent up energy to let out, because I screamed, talked in silly voices, and acted like a maniac in general while we were out playing. :-)

Have a snow day.  It's good for you!

Spring 2011

On Monday morning I start up classes again!  This semester I'm taking Stagecraft, Ethics, Ideas in Mathematics, and voice lessons...oh and, aiming for the Dean's list again. ;-)  Then on Wednesday, rehearsals for our "Bat Boy: The Musical" will start.  I'm excited!  I'm working on a lot of things in my life, academics included, and I have a feeling this is going to be a great semester.

I've promised myself that after Bat Boy I'll be taking a break from theatre to get my health fully under control (if it hasn't completely improved by that time).  It would be hard not to act, but it's even harder to not be able to fully enjoy and commit to opportunities and new experiences.  I'm still Vice President of Leadership for Alpha Rho Psi, so that will be my extra-curricular focus after Bat Boy wraps.  Otherwise my free time will be mine to call my own and accomplish my goals.

As always, more to come... <3

Carrot Revisited

My second BPF experience was as great as the first, despite getting lost downtown and being half an hour late!  (Fortunately not late to the reading itself.)  I felt sick with worry that the director would be put out by my being late, but everyone was welcoming and gracious.  For not having met any of the other cast before this morning, and never having rehearsed together, I would say the connection we had was impressive!  I enjoyed reading the script because the characters in it were well-developed and relatable, and the other actors in the reading were so good.  Both the acting and script got a lot of positive feedback.  "Mandy" is the story of a white young woman and a black young man in modern-day Baltimore who meet and fall in love against the wishes of their families.  My regular readers will know that I had a great appreciation for that storyline. ;-)

I got see the actual theatre area of Single Carrot this time.  I love how just like at The Strand people have taken an odd, old building and converted it beautifully into a theatre space.  Great things can happen when artists and dreamers look at a space with creativity and ambition!
 
Single Carrot Theatre

Baltimore Playwrights Festival

Reading at The Carrot

What the what?  Debbie hasn't blogged in a week?  She hasn't finished telling you about all her theatre adventures in the month of January?  Oh noes!

I mentioned in this post that I was invited to be a part of a play reading at a Baltimore Playwright's Festival meeting.  Not advancing in the Irene Ryans meant that I could take advantage of the opportunity.  People who are part of the BPF submit and judge scripts of local playwrights and select ones for production at the summer festival.  Directors or producers who attend the readings can also decide to offer the playwright a chance for their production to be staged at a local theater (the equivalent of a novel writer having their manuscript selected for publishing).  So, I was excited to not only be seen by those active in my city's theatre community, but be a part of helping the playwright achieve his goal!

We had one rehearsal the night before the reading at a little theater called The Strand.  The director of the reading is a friend of mine and we carpooled to rehearsal together.  That evening I learned a lot more about her, the BPF, equity acting, and just had a good time discussing theatre and education with her.  We rehearsed with three other actors and the playwright was present.  Most of us had read the script beforehand, and the rehearsal was for getting acquainted with how and when to move about (sit or stand) and react to each other.  The director read the stage directions and we did very little physical movement.  I was ready for the challenge of acting strictly with my face and voice!

The next morning I (with Boyfriend's company) ventured to the Single Carrot Theatre where the meeting and reading were taking place.  They were holding a reading marathon of three plays, and mine was the second one.  To get to the meeting location we entered a warehouse, climbed several stairs, and found ourselves in a brick-walled, high-ceilinged room with large covered windows.  It looked as if it had been converted in to an office/costume shop/meeting room, and there were lots of chairs and couches.  They were wrapping up discussion of the previous play as I nervously entered the room.  Who would I talk to?  What would they think of me?  Was I going to get nervous and look stupid?  Thankfully, I found my director and fellow readers almost right away, and the playwright found us.  I felt accepted into a new social circle when he greeted me with a "hello my dear" and kissed me on the cheek!  (I laugh at myself, but it still felt like a big deal.)

The reading itself went so well with two minor exceptions - in my first scene I started to inexplicably lose my voice (thankfully we had all brought water) and the minor blocking we had planned got slightly switched around.  When it was over and it was time for comments from the audience (which are supposed to be directed at the playwright) several people complimented the acting of the script.  I'm so excited that my first impression was a good one!

And it's not my last impression because this Saturday I'm doing another reading!  My director friend told me that they are always looking for readers, and to keep an eye on the website and volunteer myself.  That's exactly what I did, and this weekend I have the title role in a script called "Mandy" at the next BPF marathon. :-)

Festival Adventure, Day Three

(Have I kept you in suspense long enough? ;-)

Getting back to the festival on the day of the semi-final announcement was stressful.  I enjoyed being in my bed the night before, but it was a typical night for me filled with fitful sleep and  feeling icky in the morning.  I awoke as early as I could manage (Anderson actually texted me and beat me to being up and about! :-p), got myself calm and together, found a cute outfit, and headed out the door (coffee in hand) with my mom and brother to make the drive back to Towson.

My mom doesn't handle traveling to new places well, and I don't always have the amount of patience I need to help her.  Between traffic circles and not being familiar with the Towson campus, we found ourselves very flustered by the time we found my destination at the Center For the Arts building (we ended up following a providentially-placed shuttle in traffic to where I needed to go). 

I arrived about 30 minutes before the big announcement and all my friends were apparently still in a morning showing of a play.  I camped out in the lobby (joined by some unwanted company) and waited for the play to let out.  I texted and tweeted a few fellow nominees and tried to keep my anticipation and excitement level to a minimum.  At this point, despite my conflict with the play reading, I wanted very much to be a semi-finalist.  The show finally let out and in the mass of humanity in the lobby, my dear scene partner found me and we stood together as the Irene Ryan coordinator stood on a chair and politely shouted for our attention.  He started to read off names, which were briefly followed by clapping or cheering but quickly hushed to hear the next talented name.  32 names out of 250something seemed to take a long time, keeping my hope alive a little longer that I would hear mine.

But I didn't hear mine.  Mr. Coordinator finished, people started to talk and cheer and dissipate, and Anderson hugged me and asked how I was.  I said "Yeah, I'm fine" but I was fighting back tears.  I was relieved to not be committed to the rest of the festival, but disappointed that the journey was over.  "I need some coffee" I told him as I hugged him back.  We went to find our other friends (and congratulate one who had made it to semis! :-D) made our way down to a cafe and planned the rest of our day.

After that we went in a big group to see "25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee".  This show gets a lot of hype, and I went to see it only because I wanted to see why.  The school who brought "Spelling Bee" had lost their sound techinician to illness and gotten volunteers from the festival to fill in, so tech-wise it had a lot of rough spots.  It was a good show with catchy music and lots of funny moments, but I didn't fall in love with it.  I felt like it was entirely too long for being about a spelling bee.  Plus, we sat in the balcony where it was hot as a sauna, so I was thinking the entire time about how uncomfortable I was.

I had made arrangements to stay the entire day and ride back with Lauren and Jonathan late that night so that I could see another show.  We tried to attend a workshop about "Careers in Equity" but the teacher didn't show up.  We spent the time after "Spelling Bee" taking a shuttle back to the mall and getting some dinner and Starbucks before the evening show.  I started to debate whether or not I would attend the rest of the festival, and eventually decided that the wisest thing would be to wrap it up and prepare for the show at the Single Carrot.  I had a script and director's notes I hadn't yet studied and I was tired.

So my last stop at KCACTF 2 was seeing "Eurydice" put on by Albright college in Reading, PA (remember I stalked them the day before?).  A large group of us from UMBC and CCBC arrived together but due to seating had to sit separately.  Seeing this play was probably the best part of the festival experience for me, and it's definitely my favourite play I've ever seen.  It was the Greek tragedy  given a modern retelling by playwright Sarah Ruhl, and Albright's use of set pieces, actors, and music seemed to flow in a perfect theatrical dance that captivated me.  The story is bittersweet (my favourite kind) and the acting was very good.  To try to describe more is pointless, because personally it seems to mar the experience to put it into words.  Albright's "Eurydice" is the first show that I have ever given a standing ovation for without waiting for someone else I knew to do so.  I'm happy to report I later learned that this show is one from the regional festival being considered for placement at the national festival in the spring!  (Along with it, UMBC's "Las Meninas" which my roommates starred in!)

I arrived home late that night, satisfied with my efforts and with all I had seen and done and the people I bonded with.  There was so much more the festival had to offer in way of workshops, shows and competitions, but it was impossible to take it all in and I knew what my priorities were.

Thank you my dear, dear friends who believe in my ability to act, or who simply read my blog.  There are more roles, adventures and challenges in store for me!

Festival Adventure, Day Two

(A long one about performing at my scholarship audition, getting lost in the snow, and seeing Avery Brooks!)

sunrise, snow, Towson, 

We were up with the sunrise, rushed to have four actors share a bathroom, skip breakfast, and get to our auditions.  Again, I had something to be thankful for: our audition was a few floors down from our bedroom!  The Sheraton North in Towson hosted many events for the festival and the shows and workshops were held at the Towson U campus.

A "holding room" (slightly creepy term in my opinion) was provided for us to warm up and run lines.  A room full of 20+ actors working through various methods of preparing themselves is an interesting place, let me tell you. :-)  I tried to be as much in the moment as possible, allow my body and mind to warm-up, ignore nerves, and focus on connecting with Anderson.  Finally our time came!  After waiting in a line, we were ushered into a hotel conference room with a small table and two rickety chairs on the "stage" area, a table at which sat four (or maybe three, I tried not to look at them too hard) judges, and a small audience behind them.  Boyfriend, Lauren, and Jonathan came to watch us, which helped me mentally a lot.  I smiled and introduced myself and Anderson with what he later called "a polite confidence" and then dove in.  We did a scene as Andrew and Dierdre in "I Hate Hamlet", which was my first-ever show.  I had fun, I felt good, and when I was done I wouldn't have changed anything about our performance, except for two things: what I wore, and that I almost fell off of aforementioned rickety chair when I had to stand on it.  Anderson caught me though, and we used the moment. :-)

All the actors got a public feedback time from respondents who were not judges.  Our respondents said that my energy and personality had been perfect from the scene, but that picking a scene from a production I had been in worked against me because I couldn't break away from the show in my head and make the scene stand alone.  Still, I was happy, and remained hopefully about possibly being a semi-finalist.

After that we were tired and hungry, but I wanted to make the most of the short time I had at the festival.  After grabbing lunch in the nearby Towson Town Center, I parted ways with Anderson and my other roommates and got on a shuttle for the school campus.  When I got off the shuttle, I realized I had left my festival program on the seat next to me and had no map and no schedule.  Plus, no one from my own school that I had texted had answered me.  PLUS, there was an inch or two of snow in the ground, very few cleared sidewalks, and I had forgotten to change from my flats into my boots.  I was freezing, but asked a nearby fellow shuttle rider if he knew where the Center for the Fine Arts was, and could I follow him.  He was nice, and from Albright College (little did I know Albright would be popping into my festival adventure later).  I followed them for a bit, but their group split up, and he was going opposite of where I thought I wanted to go, and I found myself lost and even colder.  I gave into helplessness and called Boyfriend (who was at work and couldn't really help me, I just wanted a familiar voice) and said "I'm lost. It's freezing.  I hate everyone."  He convinced me to go inside a building, any building, as soon and possible...and lo and behold that building was the hall I was trying to get to!

I was trying to make my way to Avery Brooks’ keynote address, which was NOT in the CFA but in Stephens Hall (the gorgeous stone building on the Towson campus that faces York Rd) and that was the building I accidentally walked into.  Cold and flustered, I told the first staff person I could find that I was “with the theatre festival” and looking for the Avery Brooks address.  I boarded an elevator, got an admission ticket, was reunited with my CCBC friends, and finally sat down and relaxed.

he was a few feet away from me!

To answer Niki’s question, yes, Mr. Brooks’ voice was awesome!  The Towson provost who introduced him said that you get so lost in the sound of Mr. Brooks’ voice that you forget to listen to what he’s saying.  It was true!  The address was actually a Q & A session…Mr. Brooks said he would rather “have a conversation” with us than “talk at us.”  He and some colleagues that were in the audience shared some anecdotes about theatre, his life, and words of wisdom, and the rest of the time was college-age audience members asking questions and receiving his answers.  He was gracious, thoughtful, and mesmerizing.  To be honest, listening to him almost put me in a trance-like state, but I was smart enough to type snippets of his conversation into my Blackberry, which I later transcribed into the little notebook I carry in my purse.

After that, I made my way to the shuttle to go back to the hotel, hoping to catch some of the CCBC auditions.  I ended up watching two sessions of scenes with Boyfriend, including Lauren and Jonathan’s.  We saw so many scenes that we genuinely enjoyed, two of which I know later made it to semi-finals.  Early evening saw us totally exhausted and tired of theatre for the day, so we claimed the rest of the day as our own with dinner out and a walk around the mall.  I publicly apologize to him for how overly tired I was and as a result, extremely hyper.  I'm sure it was either extremely entertaining or annoying.  I made it back to my own bed that night, happy with my day and anxious to hear the semi-finalists announcements the next day!

Festival Adventure, Day One

So the week I'd been mentally preparing myself for for almost a year has come and gone!  The Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region 2, was hosted by Towson University last week Tuesday through Saturday.

With some misadventure (i.e., Anderson's forgotten cell phone which incurred arriving at the hotel, leaving, and arriving again) Anderson and I finally arrived at the hotel where the festival would kick off.  CCBC didn't pay for any of their students to stay in Towson because it's right in our area, but I was nervous about commuting issues and snow and my morning audition.  So thankfully, Anderson and I were allowed to crash with some students from his school who did have rooms because they were putting on their production, Las Meninas, at the festival.  I felt both grateful and rude for staying with them, but everyone was nice and it made the whole experience so much easier for me. 

So we checked in and ran into other CCBC students.  I opted to get dinner with Lauren (from "Anarchist") and her scene partner, Jonathan.  We had a great time at PF Changs (my first time eating there) and wandering around Towson Town Center, coffee in hand.  I found I have a lot in common with them both (even more than I already thought) and we bonded quickly.

We went back in time for orientation (but not before I lost my cell phone in the hotel bathroom and hugged the cleaning lady who returned it).  Orientation is basically an hour of rowdy and fun introductions of the shows and events planned for the week.  Our keynote speaker, Avery Brooks, was introduced and I took a small video of that (it's on my YouTube page).  After orientation, Anderson and I got in some last minute rehearsal of our scene and then went to bed.

I was prepared to not get much sleep, one because my audition was the next morning, and two because I never sleep well in new places.  Since I'm convinced I dreamt I acted in a scene that was a cross between "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Black Swan" (don't ask me how that would work) I must have slept at some point.

[January] Obsessions

Welcome to my new blog feature, [Monthly] Obsessions!  The timing of these posts will fluctuate, but every month I'll bring you a few of things I'm recently really, really into!

For January it's all about:

This picture:

I think it's cool, Boyfriend thinks it's creepy! 

This song: 

I'm posting this version because it's the original, and I like to be loyal to originals.  But the Glee version is very good and makes me want to dance every time I listen to it!

This food:
Something I've missed most is mac and cheese.  This is a vegan and gluten-free version, and it's delicious.  I find it very hard to keep any in my freezer because it gets straight into the microwave and on into my tummy! 

click the picture for product info!

Let me know if you enjoyed any of these, or if you have some current obsessions!

Winding Down

The more I have to blog about the harder it is to catch up!  Coming soon are some posts about the theatre festival I competed at and the play reading I was in!

This evening I kicked back with family and Boyfriend to watch the Ravens-Steelers game; a very rambunctious event considering my parents are Steelers fans and my brother and I are home team loyalists!  Lots of yelling and moaning and insulting and Facebook updating (or tweeting, in my case) occurred.  I'm disappointed that the Ravens didn't come through for us, but hey, it's only sports!

I'm sleepy. :-)  and so thankful for a relaxing evening after all the recent commuting, rehearsing, and excitement.

Work, Grades, and Dilemma of Opportunity

I've finished out my first week of the new year and I say it deserves a recap! 

I started my January work schedule and surprisingly found it okay.  The english department office is quiet (that won't last for long) and being a schedule builder in the computer lab at academic advisement is cool!  I found it extremely gratifying to work one-on-one with people.  My job is to help them log into their student information account and sign up for spring classes.  It keeps me moderately busy, and I've encountered all sorts of personalitities so far.  I'm thankful for my patience and people skills, something that my bosses have already noticed and commented on. :-)

After grades were posted from the fall semester I made some very pleasant discoveries!  Firstly, I passed my algebra class.  An incredible weight is off my shoulders!  And secondly, the icing on the cake, I made the Dean's List!!  I didn't even realize I was eligible for evaluation this semester, and I was extremely excited to find that status on my online transcript. :-D

Anderson and I rehearsed both our scenes and my monologue for the competition next week.  We're going to meet Carl on Monday to get some coaching and final rehearsal in before Wednesday.  KCACTF kicks off on Tuesday night at Towson University, and our audition time slot is at 9:15AM on Wednesday.  We'll perform a preliminary scene, then wait for an announcement to see if we made it to semifinals, and then another round of waiting to see if I get to perform both scenes with him plus my monologue on Saturday in the finals.  All in all, competing for Irene Ryan scholarship requires a lot of work and worry that may never fully be utilized. 

And for me that uncertainty of making it to all three rounds has an extra worry.  I was invited by a local director to perform in a reading at the Baltimore Playwrights Festival!  I'm incredibly honored and excited for my first opportunity to work outside academic theatre and appear on the community theatre scene.  The reading is of "Fortune's Child" at the Single Carrot Theatre.  However, the reading in on Saturday afternoon, the same day as the final round at KCACTF.  So in accepting the "Fortune's Child" role, I'm gambling on not making it to finals.  I did this only after consulting Carl and Anderson, and being completely open with the director about my conflict.  The competition process is incredibly selective (16 out of over 200 students will make it to finals) and while I feel a bit like I'm selling myself short or jinxing everything, it seemed wise to say yes and take the chance on something that might help my career.

No matter what happens, it's going to be an exciting week!

A Dozen Titles

This week marks the end of my holiday break and I start my three ten-hour days a week at the college.  I had ten days off from work and classes and it was great.  I was abominably lazy, I suppose.  There were tasks that needed doing and scripts to be studied, and sadly I did little of either. :-\  I instead caught up with my Shannon, went to two yoga classes, wore pajamas a lot, saw Boyfriend a lot, and watched twelve movies.  Yes, I, who cannot sit still long enough to watch one movie a month (I spend lots of time sitting but do it in spurts :-p) watched a dozen movies in ten days.  I'm a little surprised at myself.  Any way, just for fun here's the run down of the marathon!

• The Bourne Trilogy (pay attention, this counts as three :-p): Thought the premise and action were great,but the last movie "Ultimatum" dragged a bit and felt recycled.  Made me hate Julia Stiles a little less and love actions movies a little more (despite their blatant and extreme lack of realism which tends to get on my nerves).
• Sixteen Candles: Michelle gave me this for Christmas and I see why it's a pop culture classic. :-)  However, pay no attention to the faulty rating system of the 80's.  This "PG" movie contains F-bombs and boobies! :-o
• It's A Wonderful Life: Broke this classic out on Christmas Day after dinner and introduced Boyfriend to it.  I grow to appreciate it a little more every year.
• White Christmas: Mom and I watched this together late one night.  It's one of our favourites.  We can sing every musical number. :-)
• Inception: Bought myself this as an after-Christmas present, because I had asked everyone for it and no one got it!  Blasphemy!  It's brilliant.  I'm so glad I got to see it when it was in theaters, and I hope it wins lots of Oscars in March.  I told my mom I don't want to be in movies, but would make an exception for Christopher Nolan (I also admire "The Prestige" which is also on his resume)
• Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Epic.
• Lord of the Rings: Return Of The King: Also epic. (I am now inspired to reread all three books this month.)
• A Streetcar Named Desire: Rented this on iTunes one afternoon because I'm currently obsessed with Vivien Leigh and have been researching both the movie and play.  The movie is of course different from the play, and not for the better due to Hollywood censorship of the day.  But since the playwright, Tennessee Williams, also wrote the screenplay, it's not as butchered as it could be.  The acting in the movie version of "Streetcar" is wonderful and stars most of the original Broadway cast.
• Singing In The Rain:  Also introduced this to Boyfriend.  I was happy to be reminded how much I enjoy it.  It's one of the movies I credit with instilling in me a love for both acting and the classic "old" Hollywood.
• The Chronicles of Narnia: Dawn Treader: Saw this in theaters.  I enjoyed it, but as in the case of "Prince Caspian" I had to put aside my critical eye from loving and knowing the books and enjoy it unto itself.

Have you seen and love or hate any of these?  What did you do over the holidays?

Something New!

It's a new year, so I've decided it's time for a new feature on my blog!  You guys have been really kind to my "Monthly Postings", but after over a year, I'd gonna put that to rest for awhile. (Though it may pop up if I'm having a particularly exciting month! ;-) 

Drum roll please!

"[Monthly] Obsessions"

Every month I'll share what is occupying my free time and thoughts, be it music, drinks, a thought, a movie...any random thing that grabbed my attention and made me do my Debbie Dance, basically!  ;-)  It won't be a boring list of rambling randomness either.  You can be looking forward to videos, links, and other multimedia to spice things up!

I'll be back to share the first round of 2011 obsessions near the end of January.  If you like this idea, you should do monthly obsessions with me!

Planning for Happiness and Health

Hey Friends!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

For the last two years I haven't made any tangible New Year's Resolutions.  But this year I decided to jump back on that bandwagon and set some goals for myself!

1) Put $10 a week in my savings account.  (I hope to up that amount, but for now this is realistic.)

2) Stop being a slob.  I have a serious problem with dropping my stuff (and other people's) where ever is convenient to me in that moment, and then forgetting about it.  I also don't clean my living space often enough.  Hopefully no more!  Think "everything has a place and in its place."

3) To read a one-year devotional with my best friend.  I let her down in 2010, and she pretty much read it by herself for most of the year. :-( In an effort to strengthen my faith and encourage each other, I promised her I'd pick it back up.

Also, something huge I'll be tackling this year is counseling.  My health issues have created some habits and anxiety that I've realized I can't beat on my own.  I'm hoping talk therapy will help me find solutions for these or at least point me to the means of a healthier me.

Got any goals or resolutions to share?

[After I wrote this entry I found this article.  I feel kind of boring now , but I also know these "simple" goals are things that are going to improve the quality of my life.