Normal, Turmoil, and all that Jazz

Acting through Song

This week our musical theatre group finally sang for people! Granted it was "invitation only" and the meagre audience consisted mostly of tutors, we stepped up to the plate and put on an amazing show. I'm so proud of the men and women beside me at College. We are surprisingly timid for a group of musical theatre majors. This task proved that we could jump that hurdle and just do it (i.e. perform freely). The results were spectacular. We got the audience laughing and clapping and openly crying and sighing. Well done team!

Showcase Prep

We have already begun preparations for our final showcase, a short act in which we will sing/dance/act for a bunch of strangers, including potential agents. We've come under the direction of Jamie Garven, an excellent lecturer who has a keen eye for stage magic. He directs us to break eye contact, adjust our stance; he gives us options we had been too inept to explore without his instruction, and the results are mesmerising. Doting fan that I am quickly becoming, I wrote down a few of his quotes.

"I like space. I think it's eloquent. Space is wild, and when you add a set, you tame it. Space is peaceful."

"People don't like to show emotion. When you're drunk, you act sober. When you're about to cry, you hold it back. Actors tend to show too much."

Needless to say, I've got a lot to learn from this man before the year extinguishes. I cannot believe we're six months in already. 

Everyday Life

A few Aussie friends have contacted me this week, both over Skype and text. It's a refresher to my "dull" schedule. So what's normal for Sal? Waking up to read emails and plays in bed. Dragging myself out to get ready for the day, frantically throwing clothes around to find something appropriate for a day of dancing, singing, dissecting Shakespeare, and then potentially seeing a show in the evening. I don't know if there is respectable attire that ticks all of those boxes. I end up adopting the role of pack mule, arranging spare clothes, lunches, bananas and apples, tap shoes, jazz shoes, and occasionally character shoes, into my rain and tea-splashed backpack. Why I thought a cream backpack was a good idea is beyond me, but my backpack serves as a constant reminder that +David  gets me very useful Christmas presents.

2nd row Seats #RWCMD #HayFever 

Turmoil is the New Normal

The past month has been a frantic struggle to find a speech that I can do for my showcase. Something that's fierce, that's spunky, that's funny, that's stoic, that's me. Of course, that speech does not exist. It seems though, that the more I read, the more I veer from success in finding something. I read my options to friends, they veto it for valid reasons. I make cuts, I rearrange, I stress, I stop sleeping. I even get +Caitlin to scan a play that's only published in the States (what an awesome friend). What fun!

Sometimes you have to remind yourself:  a life of reading scripts is a life of blessing. I find something new every time I open a play. I discover new life and perspectives on it. I discover bits of myself speaking through these fictional characters. Is there a better way to lose sleep? In time, the answer may be yes, but until this challenge is met, reading scripts is a perfect way to lose sleep.

What "All that Jazz"Refers To

Now that Acting through Song is done, we will begin proper rehearsals for And The World Goes Round, the Kander and Ebb Revue. This duo is renowned for works like Chicago, Flora and the Red Menace, Cabaret, among many other musicals. RWCMD has already posted this on their website and around college. Great (sarcasm)! Not scary at all (sarcasm)! We will be working with Director Pia Furtado (no relation) and Joe Hood, music director. Now we're expected to stay at college 9am until 7pm. Wooohooo! Furthermore, +Alice and I begin rehearsals for the Edinburgh Fringe this week. Again, Woohooo! Either I am going to die an early death, or I am becoming fit in all senses of the word. Physically, mentally, spiritually. There's no way this can be accomplished well without a firm sense of self.... something I've gotten back after a few hectic months of forgetting who I was.

For those of you who've reminded me of me... a very big thank you. You know who you are... and if you're doubting whether you are or not, the answer is yes, you! 

Peace out. More plays and a warm bed await me tonight. Oh yeah, and what do you think of this headshot?