Cottonwood Joseph post #7: A Retrospective

I finally finished up my last Cottonwood Joseph post. Good times! I hope the Arts Councils' next show is as fun and successful!

[For convenience' sake, and because I'm afraid the Cottonwood Joseph blog will suddenly disappear one day, here is the post in full:]

This show was an illustration of one of my mom's favorite adages: "You don't regret the things you do. You regret the things you don't do." Meaning, I would have regretted not doing this show. Poor, poor Joseph, I was sooo tired during this rehearsal process! Tired and grumpy as I may have been at times, I never missed a rehearsal that wasn't already on my conflict sheet. I may have battled in my mind a bit before some of the rehearsals and the parade and subsequent performance, but I was never disappointed. This show was good for me!

And now, as is my custom, a run-down of some of my most cherished memories:

1. How cool is it that I was a part of Cottonwood Heights Arts Council history? I was a part of the first show they ever put together! And from what I hear, it was ridiculously successful. We had way more audience members than anyone expected, and way more fun than we had any business having. The Council put together a great proteam. The proteam put together a great cast. And the cast put on a terrific show. Everybody won!

2. SO. MANY. KIDS. Just so many. I don't know how the proteam did it. There were a ton of children in the cast, and some weren't terribly focused. Some of the adults -- including me -- weren't always thrilled having all of them around. But when it came time to perform, those kids were fantastic! For the most part they did what they were supposed to and stood where they were told. So cute. I don't know if I could ever direct a show with that many kids, but I might consider doing another show with kids, if they try as hard as these did. Good for them! We need a new generation of actors who know what they're doing, and goodness knows our director and childrens' director did all they could to train them!

3. I can still hardly believe I got to do this show with my best friend, her husband, my Charmios, my favorite theatre cohorts and all of the others. How lucky am I that I performed with so many people that I love, and met several more that I hope to perform with again in the near future. I am perfectly aware of how talented and cool my castmates are. What an inspired cast. It felt so good to see them every day. We cheered each other on, took care of each other, and I hoped spurred us all on to be better than we would have been otherwise. They were dedicated to finding and creating great moments wherever we could and I hope we succeeded.

4. I love that the Charmios all developed their own onstage personalities and we were all so different. I love that they voted me the "head drill leader"... after I told them that was what I wanted. I was the "mini Sue." Consequently, they put me in the front of the formation. Never mind that I struggled with the cheers. As long as we were smiling we were fine! It was a pleasure to work so closely with our Narrator "Sue" 2 and those terrific girls. They never made me feel old, they always made me feel welcome, and for that I am extremely grateful!

5. Bloopers:
a. During "One More Angel in Heaven" I was sitting back-to-back on the floor with Britney. She was facing the singers and we were getting ready to stand up and dance during the Hoedown, when she said, "There's a lipstick on the stage!" I turned around and, sure enough, there was a small, round lipstick right about where we were about to dance. "What do I do?" she asked. "Pick it up," I replied. She did, even though it turned out I would have been closer once we were in our lines. Later in that same dance, someone's bandana fell on the ground. This time I picked it up and swung it around as much as I could until the end of the dance.
b. As I mentioned, I was in the front of the drill team's formation during "Go Joseph." One night, the pom-pom in my right hand decided to spontaneously combust. The thing fell apart in my hand. I kept going for a second, trying to decide it if would be more distracting to leave the pieces on the stage or pick them up and disrupt the routine. Ultimately I swiftly bent and picked up as much as I could in one big handful and finished up. I didn't get it all, but hopefully I picked up enough that the audience was watching the actors and not the streamers left on the stage.
c. Not a blooper, but I loved running into the audience during "Go Joseph" to do our cheers. None of the Charmios ever thought we'd make it back onstage in time to finish the choreography but we always did. I sure did run my legs off to get there!
d. Little Bella roamed the stage. Much of the time she stayed pretty near her mom or some responsible adult, but sometimes she just needed some space. It would crack me up (and alarm me just a smidge) every time I saw her somewhere she wasn't supposed to. Sometimes I wish she had wandered onstage during the Potiphar scene so I could pretend to be scandalized as I dragged her off. I got to do it during rehearsal once, and it was funny!
e. Another time during "One More Angel," I watched my fellow drillmate Kenzie walk across the stage, grab cast member Amy's prop (a cross stitch in a hoop) and pretend to blow her nose on it. Satisfied with the horrified look on Amy's face, Kenzie skipped back to her place and sat down. I laughed so hard I had to put my face in my hands. Everyone on stage who hadn't seen Kenzie but could see me was really confused.

6. This show was a total PARTY every time we performed. It may also be the only play in history that improved with every subsequent show. We performed five times and every one was better than the last. It just felt good to rock out and play all night. I danced so hard during the Megamix that I could barely sing. Since I don't generally consider myself a strong dancer I generally throw all I have into the singing part, so the fact that I had so much fun dancing is a huge compliment coming from me! My favorite songs were "Go, Go, Go, Joseph," "Pharoah's Dream," and the "Benjamin Calypso" part of the Megamix (the part when we did the Macarena). SO FUN! I miss the workout I got every night and the requisite happy endorphins :D

So long, Joe! It was fun while it lasted!

5 x 11

I just finished my 5th show in a row. With no breaks in between any of them. This means I've been either performing or rehearsing (and sometimes both, because there was a lot of overlap) for nearly eleven months. And I've LOVED it! All of the plays, theaters, and people involved were all so very different I can't even compare them to each other. So I'm going to describe the differences and highlights of each:

1. Sleeping Beauty: the adventure story.
It all started when I auditioned for this show in September last year. I played a fairy, which was something of a dream come true for a girl raised on fairy tales. To be honest, I had really wanted to play Sleeping Beauty herself, but I am very glad I accepted the fairy role. The casting was too perfect. I got to play around and make up my own character in a lot of ways. Plus, the two women playing my fairy sisters are long-time friends and we had a blast in our efforts to steal every scene we were in (which included pretty much the entire show since we almost never left the stage). I was ecstatic to be doing a "straight" play, i.e. not a musical. The last non-musical I did was in 2004, I believe, which is weird because I consider myself a much better actress than a singer, but not weird because we all know how much I LOVE to sing. (...And then of course they cast me as a character that sings all the time!)The Childrens' Theatre did this show when I was in college and I was always sad I missed out at that time. I hadn't done a play with the Childrens' Theatre in six or seven years, and returning to this theatre to do a play I'd wanted to do for so long was wonderful! I had forgotten how much I love my Joanne, and what great work they do with the storytelling and young actors. It was also cool to do a period piece that did not take place in the nineteenth or twentieth centuries. The costumes were very Shakespearean, and we all had to train ourselves to throw out any sort of modern mannerisms, which is harder than you would think! My parents brought my nephew to see this play -- his first play! -- and he loved it, especially the dragon. I must admit, I loved the dragon, too, because not only were the effects cool, but from backstage it sounded like a videogame. I forgot how much I like the "backstage" experience! It was a nice welcome back after not doing a play for 10 months (the previous show was Babes in Toyland, Christmas of 2008)!

2. Kiss Me Kate: the comedy.
When I auditioned for this play, I knew nothing about it, except it was supposedly a classic, was an adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew, and had the songs "Too Darn Hot" and "I Hate Men" in it. I might have known that people dance around in their underwear. (Hmm, maybe that's a lot I knew about it.) The show covered just the right time in my life, because as you'll recall I lost my job during the rehearsal process. I've said it before, but my job-search depression would have been a lot worse without this show to go to every night. The cast was made up of all adults and sometimes the goings-on backstage were inappropriate (never TOO much). We had double-entendres for everything so we probably thought the show was funnier than it was, but we had a brilliant time! I was surprised to be cast in the ensemble in this dance-heavy musical, but happy for the chance to strengthen that weakest angle of my triple-threat triangle. Boy did the choreographer work us hard, but I managed to get it all down and my friends and family members were pretty surprised at some of my moves! I can dance! I sang the second alto part, which I loved! I adore singing harmony and it sounded so cool when we got the 8 part harmony right. Our music director called me his "power alto" -- I cannot even begin to describe how proud I am of that! Also, my hair looked awesome in every time period, both Renaissance and 1940s. I even had a cute slip to dance in, which was especially useful during a dress rehearsal where I had to change onstage and didn't make it in time (forcing me to continue a whole scene wearing just that slip...I didn't even have the green shirt at the time...). The play was double-cast, and we had a great time mixing and matching the cast members. Once again, I had a fantastic double, and I was sad that she was the one person I never got to perform with!

3. The Secret Garden: the drama.
A revisiting of a play I did 15 years ago. It's wasn't the musical and I was only in four scenes, which was lucky since I closed Kiss Me Kate a week before this one opened and could only go to a few other rehearsals before that. I played Lillias Craven, a ghost who was the wife and mother of two of the other characters. I loved getting to work with one of my favorite directors -- Emily Holmgren -- the person who taught me that knowing my character is the most important thing an actor can do. I definitely knew Lilias Craven inside and out! Sadly, I never thought of my character as creepy until someone pointed it out opening weekend; then I couldn't think of myself as anything but! I loved the relationships with the actors and characters and, again, revisiting old friendships. It was really cool seeing how very engrossed even the littlest of children were as they watched this talk-heavy, very dramatic play. They loved it! Children are much smarter than most people give them credit for. I had the BEST costume ever, and I loved getting ready. I didn't even care that my dress weighed, like, 25 pounds and people stepped on the train nearly every performance. I giggled when the cast would greet the audience after the show and little girls wanted a photo with the "princess." It was odd playing a character that no one could see -- odd enough that it was hard to get used to EVERYONE looking at me in the next show. I spent a lot of time backstage and made myself useful helping with scene changes and costume changes.

After I was cast in the Secret Garden, I formed the idea in the back of my head that I wanted to be constantly involved in one show or another for a whole year. Not a goal, per se, but just a thought that "I have time and it will bother no one, so why not?" It all depended on whether I'd have the energy and opportunities.

4. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers: the dream.
My favorite show ever. A dream role, show, and cast. I have never worked so hard in my life and loved anything so much. Even now, it's the show I miss the most. I don't know if I'll ever be a part of another show that comes together quite as miraculously as this one. We had so much stacked against us: the loss of our anticipated performance space, the loss of performances, almost no advertising, almost no support from the Arts Council, multiple injuries, and so forth, but it all worked well in the end. I am still just so proud of the show! It was such an overwhelming experience playing the character that glues the rest of the show together. I was in nearly every scene, had encounters with all of the other characters. If my performance wasn't believable the whole show would be garbage. Happily, I had help and plenty of time to prepare. My favorite rehearsals were those when Brett, Denise (my Adam and my director), and I would just sit around and talk about our motivations, our backstories, our relationship, and the historical context. I loved my character and all of the others onstage with me. It was so great getting to spend so much time onstage, so much time exploring different aspects of the story. I grew so much! I had a whole character arc! I was the star! I got to feature others and support them in their roles! I loved it every day and probably would have been really depressed when it closed if I hadn't immediately jumped right into the middle of rehearsals for...

5. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: the party.
This poor show fought an uphill battle in my mind. My darling Kate asked me to audition and I was thrilled to be cast, but I was so tired after working so hard in Seven Brides that it was often a chore going to rehearsals. It was through loyalty and love for the friends involved, force of will, and a desire to let loose and party that I managed to get myself through this show! I am so glad I did it. I adored singing the music. I was thrilled that I got to play a drill team member and was repeatedly told I am a dancer (bless you, Stephanie M!). I relished in the dancing. I laughed a lot. I cried a couple of times. But in the end it really was a party. I had a blast playing with my pom-poms and -- miracle of miracles! -- I was able to touch my toes for the first time I can ever remember! Once again, my parents brought my nephew to the show -- his first musical -- and he loved it! Now he listens to the soundtrack all the time and wants to do a play with me sometime. I am so excited! I would love to have a family member to perform with. I am so jealous of all the friends who get to perform with kids or siblings! I must say, I'm used to getting yelled at by one or more members of the pro team at some point, but that never happened with this show. The whole experience was very positive. The very best part was the gift of spending six weeks with many people I completely love and don't get to see very often, if ever. I may be completely wiped out now that it's over, but I know that choosing to do this play in spite of my personal adversity was the right thing to do. I can't imagine not having done it. I still plan on posting one more time on the Cottonwood Joseph blog. I need a cathartic wrap-up.

Now that Joseph has closed, I am reveling in blissful non-participation. There were several plays I could have auditioned for to finish out the year, but I am too physically and creatively exhausted. I need some time to replenish, visit with some of my friends inside and outside of the theatre world, to go on vacation, to sleep in, to just sit around and do nothing, and to enjoy the last little bit of the summer because I've spent the entire time inside either at work, rehearsal, or in performance. I'll be honest: I'm pretty happy not to be doing a show at the moment.

I am really grateful for all of the support I've had during this time! For awesome castmates and production teams and people who came to see me perform. Most of the people that mean the most to me either came to or were involved in at least one of the plays this year. I was often surprised at people who actually came. I've become reacquainted with a lot of friends I'd only seen recently on Facebook; I love that more than one friend I hadn't seen in more than 10 years came to see me in Seven Brides! I am a little disappointed with some of the people who made no effort to see anything. Really? I'm in 5 plays, some of which were super-inexpensive, and you couldn't come to one? I understand some people live out-of-state and for others life in general is really busy, but I'm allowed to be disappointed anyway. I just keep hoping (but not too hard lest they miss the next, too) that they come to the next show.

I've grown up a lot in this last year, I hope. I've learned many lessons. I've learned that not getting the part I want doesn't mean I'm not talented enough to play it. I've learned that making the most of the part I do have pays off. I've learned that people see a lot more potential in me than I see in myself. I've learned that a show can overcome all sorts of obstacles if the people involved are dedicated and brave enough to do what must be done. I've learned not to be afraid to list conflicts on my audition form because if a production team really wants me they'll make it work and be really nice about it. I've learned that I can be the lead -- I can command and guide a show and I can do it well! I've learned that it's better to audition for a show and not get it than to not audition and wonder "what if?" I've learned that I have a lot more energy than I thought. I've learned that I need a break in between shows (or at least between every two or three). Best of all, I've learned that the theatre world is shrinking all the time and I have friends from all over the Salt Lake valley who generally care about me.

There are quite a few types of plays I'd like to do in the somewhat near future: a Shakespeare play, another crazy-big part in a musical, a tap-dance show, and a full-length straight play. Someone asked me a few weeks ago what my dream role is. Well, it was Milly in Seven Brides, and now that I've done that I don't know what the new dream is. There are so many parts I can and want to play!

What will I do next? I'm not sure. I would kind of like to audition for a Christmas show, but the idea of starting up another show makes me feel tired. I don't know if I'll be ready to jump into another play again in the next couple of weeks. I'm enjoying the freedom. (Yes, most Christmastime plays have auditions in August or September.)

It's been a good year for stretching my acting chops. Hopefully this next one will be, too. It probably won't be as busy -- I don't know if I can or want to continue to keep up this pace -- but I have my fingers crossed it will be just as satisfying!

An old sprain

Check out my left arm (around my mom) in this photo. Notice I'm wearing a brace? Well, I sprained my arm.

Two months ago.

Two months ago, I was in the last week of rehearsals for Seven Brides. I rang the cowbell for the first time and accidentally hit
myself with it. I remember thinking at the time, "That's going to bruise" and I dutifully iced it when I arrived at home that night and several times that day.

I think that after that, and aggravation caused by choreography where one of the brides grabbed my arm and pulled while I pulled the other way caused the sprain. It's been hurting more each day, but usually only when I'd twist something (like a doorknob), put pressure on it, or grip and pull. It was agony to lift my mattress while making my bed. Two weeks ago it just started to ache all the time. Well, all the time the pain wasn't stabbing me.

So I went to the doctor, she moved my arm a couple of times and said, "Does this hurt?" and determined that I sprained my arm. She gave me the brace and I am so happy! My wrist hurts MUCH less when I wear it! She also gave me some exercises to do to help heal my arm. They are painful, but I will do it. I'm excited that my wrist is going to heal and be fully usable again! I can't wait to make my bed without screaming anymore!

Of course, the brace is rather inconvenient. Typing isn't too awkward, but using utensils is a joke. Ah well. It's my own fault for not having this checked earlier.

What does it say about me that I get my most serious injuries doing musical theatre? I am hard core!

Lagoon Day!

The company I work for decided at the last minute that we should probably have a summer office party. About a month ago, they sent around a survey asking which of the following we'd prefer:

1) Lagoon with our families
2) REAL Salt Lake game with our fammillies (I like this typo so I'm going to leave it)
3) Bees game with our families
or 4) Lunch at the Sky Box for employees only

The Lagoon option won, so a few days later the party planner came by to ask me how many people I wanted to invite. I literally pulled the number 5 out of the air, but that's how many I actually brought. It was a pretty sweet deal: free tickets for all into the park, free parking, and a free lunch.

Can I just say that it's been a long time since I have worked with a company who would go to so much trouble for its employees? Especially for a non-corporate branch. The last place I worked for didn't even give Christmas bonuses. I am so grateful that I not only like my job, but the company I work for seems to like me, too!

I invited my parents and my older brother's family. They are awesome. We had the best time! Adam took the day off on Friday (the day of the party) and his family picked me up on the way to the park so that I could work for two hours in the morning. The G-unit was pretty excited. He had never been to Lagoon and I think he was glad to get to go with his Grammy, Boppa and me. I gave him a present I thought was pretty cool: a water bottle that has a built-in dry compartment which I filled with honey nut cheerios. I bought a Cars-themed bottle for him, and a Disney princesses one for me. G-unit ended up eating most of the cheerios from both. The best part was that the water bottles had a strap so he could carry his own. He was pretty resistant to carrying it at first, but after a few hours of persistence on his mom's part he accepted the responsibility as a given. Good kid.

We ended up arriving at the same time as my parents, who drove separately (and by "at the same time" I mean they happened to be the car in front of us at the parking lot toll booth).

I haven't been to Lagoon in 5 years, and I was really surprised by how much it has changed. There is a whole "kid land" section in the middle of the park that hadn't been there before! In fact, a lot of the rides were unfamiliar.

We started with the Log Flume ride, which had issues while we were in line, so we waited for nearly an hour. But when the ride was working again and we all took our turns, we succeeded in getting very, very wet, which was our goal since it was about 90 degrees that day.

Unfortunately, the long line apparently kept me from winning a prize in the raffle at lunch. Pretty much everyone stopped by to tell me my name had been called but they gave the prize away because I wasn't there. Even my NEPHEW told me which was funny because he had been in line with me. He must have overheard my mom tell my dad or something.

The boys and I decided to head over to Lagoon-a-beach for awhile and take advantage of all the water. We decided later it wasn't a great idea, since water and the extra exposure to the sun seemed to sap us all of our energy (by "all" I mean the adults -- G-unit seemed impervious to the sun). Meanwhile, my mom and Lindsey took the girls on the carousel and another ride. 'Twas nice to have an excuse to put on the bathing suit for the FIRST TIME THIS SUMMER (seriously, where did the summer go?) and fun to see the G-unit get excited about some of the water slides.

The park was PACKED. I think since it was the last Friday before most school started up again, everyone decided to get in their last hurrah. Consequently, the lines for everything were ridiculous. This did not keep us from standing in plenty of those lines, but it kept us from trying most of the new rides, like Wicked, Tsunami, and the Spider.

By the way: the Bat was a HUGE disappointment. We waited in line for just half an hour, but I would be shocked to discover that the ride itself was any longer than about 20 seconds. It felt like it was just getting started and all of a sudden it was over. Lame, lame, lame!

But the Tidal Wave, Music Express, Turn of the Century, Collossus, Centennial Screamer, and Jet Star 2 were as good as I remembered. Even better was the fact that my dad and the G-unit loved them too (well, G loved the ones he was big enough to ride, especially the Tidal Wave). My mom and Lindsey took turns watching the girls while the rest of us rode the rides.

About dinnertime, Lindsey took the tired babies home. They had played hard and won the hearts of hundreds of passersby (including my coworkers) and having conquered the park had had enough for one day. The rest of us ate a quick dinner, then split up for some more crazy adventures. Adam and I went on some of the wilder rides while Mom, Dad, and G-unit discovered the fun located in the aforementioned new "kid land." Adam and I were pretty suprised when we rejoined the others at 9:30pm to discover that G-unit was still going strong. The rest of us were exhausted and didn't want to fight the crowds any longer.

Not surprisingly, G slept the entire way home.

So, is Lagoon really "what fun is?" Sure. Definitely not as well-run or well-supplied as Disneyland, so we were disappointed there, but my family had a great time together. We didn't push ourselves too hard, and we loved getting a break from the regular routine. I am so glad I invited them!

Saturday morning, I slept in as much as possible, then went in to work for six hours. Not really fun, but definitely necessary since I hadn't managed to finish my project before that paid Friday holiday. I am grateful for my office which made Friday possible. So many people hate their jobs or are out of work and looking for a job. I am so blessed. It's good to be employed by people who care and to be doing work I don't mind doing!

The only comic that made me LOL yesterday

(Especially panel 3. I literally laughed out loud.)

Cathy Guisewite, I am going to miss you! Who else understands and satirizes the plight of the modern woman so well? Enjoy your retirement! It's well deserved!

Polly - a "glad" movie

I love this version of "Pollyana" set in the American south in the 1950s. Keisha Knight Pulliam is darling as plucky Polly and Phylicia Rashad is wonderful as the miserly aunt. I miss made-for-tv-musicals! We need more of them, yes?

I think I just figured out why I love tap-dancing so much: It is inherently cheerful. It is pretty much impossible for me to be sad when I'm watching a really good tapper... or when I finally nail a tough routine. LOVE. IT!

Just....stuff

Non-sequitors on my mind today:

1. Bad news: I sprained my wrist two months ago at Seven Brides rehearsal when I whacked it with a cowbell. Did I mention it's my writing arm and now I'm wearing a brace? Good news: It isn't carpal tunnel! And the brace helps it not hurt as much, makes me feel like a superhero, and I can still type when I wear it! Oh, and my new doctor is wonderful :D

2. I loathe Microsoft Word. It's just a crummy writing tool. No small amount of frustration at work comes in result of it. BUT, today I finally figured out how to do two things that have recently been causing me much angst. Yaaaay! Take THAT, crappy writing tool!

3. Note to recent frequent headaches: You have not been fun and I am ready for you to go away.

4. Note to turquoise shoes: I love you. Why don't I wear you every day? Oh yeah, because I have a couple pair of shoes I love, too. Ah, fickle fashion love.

5. Funny how I always forget that after I close a show I'll spend a good two weeks or more trying to catch up on life before things slow down again. At least they're fun things!

6. The Lion King musical is mind-blowing. It's on a tour in my town, I saw it Saturday, and I want to go again!

7. The next person who tries to make me feel better about being single will get a swift kick in the shins. Even if I'm complaining about it. Telling me that boys/men are stupid or about the problems in your own relationship doesn't help, because I still want one someday. I honestly don't mind being alone right now!

8. If I am so tired that you see me crying, let me go home! Don't talk my ear off for 45 minutes about the topic covered in note #7.

9. I have NO desire to go skydiving, but highly respect my brother for doing it. You ROCK, Aaron!

10. Thanks, Dave, for not being at all concerned about my faux pas. After our conversation, I hung up the phone and thought, "Why aren't we closer friends?" I'm going to need to fix that. You also ROCK!

11. Have you ever listened to the podcast Stuff You Missed in History Class from the How Stuff Works website? It's fascinating! There are so many reasons I was a Humanities/English major in college.

12. Going to Lagoon with my parents and my brother's family tomorrow. Haven't been in at least 5 years, never been with little kids, and it's FREEEE! I am so excited!!!

13. Also planning a trip to the Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City for the near future. Excited to get out of town, escape from regular life, and immerse myself in good theatre!

14. I have the best best friend in the world. 'Nuff said.

Now that's out of my brain and on the page, it's time to go back to work.

Cottonwood Joseph post #6: An idea that didn't make it on stage

I posted again on the Cottonwood Joseph blog. I'll probably post at least one more time about doing the show, but I really wanted to post some funny backstage/rehearsal photos, so that's what it is.

I can't believe we only have two performances left. Surreal!

[For convenience' sake, and because I'm afraid the Cottonwood Joseph blog will suddenly disappear one day, here is the post in full:]

The rehearsal process is an opportunity to experiment. During one of the final dress rehearsals, the brothers wore letters on their costumes. The idea was ultimately rejected, mostly because when they stood together this happened:





A really cool idea that did work was matching tennis shoes. Everyone in the cast recieved a free pair that we get to keep. Many of the shoes were in light colors, and many cast members found it easy to color them their favorite color:


It's weird to think that we've performed three times already. Only two shows left. Come while you still can!

I'm going to miss it when it's over. These people are hilarious!

Singlutionary

The other day, I was reading random blogs linked to other blogs on my blog list, and I came across Singlutionary, a blog dedicated to not apologizing for being single. I've only read a few posts, but I love it! I love hearing positive stories! I love that there are people out there who don't necessarily expect or are looking to get married right away. I love that I feel less frantic when I read about that. There are still good single people in the world! There is no conspiracy from married people to "make" single people feel badly about themselves. We are all just living our lives the best we can and hoping to make a difference and connect with the right person and the right time if it is truly meant to be (and if we allow it to happen).

It just so happened that the first post I read was The Introverted Singlutionary. If I hadn't been at work at the time, I would have cheered. This is me, from people thinking I'm a snob, to needing time alone to recharge, to feeling guilty when saying "No." Love it, love it, love it. Please read if you'd like to understand me better. Heaven knows I understand me better now.

Tonight is my first night off in a long time. No rehearsal, no performance, no date, no Girl's Night Out, and no family obligations. My best friend asked yesterday what I'm going to do with today and I said "Catch up on my DVR." You have no idea how relieved I was when she said, "I love doing that!" I knew she knows how much I needed a day off, but I was still a little afraid she'd ask to tag along or go somewhere. I'm a people-pleaser. I loathe saying no, especially to people I like and don't get to see often. Thanks The Singlutionary for putting my thoughts into such well-considered, honest, straightforward words! And thanks Best Friend for understanding that I still love you even if we don't hang out tonight! It's so nice I'm not the only one who needs to be alone sometimes. Makes me feel a lot less guilty.

Even alone, I have plenty to do tonight: shop for groceries, actually cook dinner, return some dresses I bought but didn't wear at the wedding, pay my bills, sort through paperwork, finally vacuum, maybe scrapbook, and catch up on my DVR a bit. I am sooo looking forward to it!

Morning Person

Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis


Since yesterday was a busy, 21-hour day (starting at 4:30), I could relate to this strip this morning.

Yesterday was, however, a really good day. I was out of the house before dawn to join my fellow Joseph castmembers on a local morning news show. I worked a full 8 hour day (needing only a 45 minute nap). We had our best performance yet for Joseph, performing to a very responsive, nearly packed house -- an estimated 700 seats sold, can you believe it? And then I went to my best friends house for good ice cream, good television, and good conversation.

Meanwhile, my show got a great review at Utah Theatre Bloggers. The writer sent us a rough draft yesterday that Kate read while we were waiting to be filmed, and we were thrilled at all of the compliments! For convenience' sake, I posted the final version here:

Cottonwood Heights dreams big with “Joseph”
Written by: Sara Harvey | August 10, 2010.
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — The Cottonwood Heights Arts Council, which is only about two years old, has chosen Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, to be its first production. Joseph is a beloved musical, especially to Utah audiences. Thoughts of Donny Osmond and past productions are not far when you hear another group will soon be putting on the show. Did Cottonwood Heights Arts Council deliver?

For me, they definitely did! With a 30 piece live orchestra behind them, this cast of over 50 people—ranging in age 3 to adult—gave a beautiful representation of the play.

A few highlight performances for me were those of the Casey Matern (Narrator), Craig Clifford (Joseph), Jason Wadsworth (Judah), C. Pehrson (Simeon) and the children’s choir. Watching preschooler Abigail Barlow singing “Go, Go, Go Joseph” was the highlight of my week. The children’s choir was very impressive. I love watching children perform especially when they are so focused, engaged and have such a beautiful sound.

The best thing about the production was the spot-on live orchestra directed by Thomas C. Baggaley. I especially enjoyed the electric bass solo.

Choreographer Stephanie Maag definitely met (and surpassed) expectations as she featuredthe cast was doing jazz, hip hop, line dancing and…drill(?).

This production and its cast personify what the musical Joseph and community theater is about, dreams and family. Clifford’s performance as Joseph was one such example. He returns to the stage after a 16 year hiatus with his son, Alex. His natural acting style and beautiful voice makes me hope we will be seeing more of him in the future.

Directed well by Kate Rufener, this is community theater where cast and crew become like a family working toward a common goal. If you are expecting lavish costumes and sets you will be disappointed. If you want to see a solid performance with energetic actors and a fantastic live orchestra you will be delighted to attend this production in Cottonwood Heights.

Congratulations C.H. Arts Council on your first production! Keep on dreaming!

And here are a few of the news spots. Aren't my friends talented?
 
 
 
(I also posted this same post on the Cottonwood Joseph blog. Just for your info!)

Cottonwood Joseph post #4: It's-almost-opening-night jitters

I posted again on the Cottonwood Joseph blog. (Yes, I am aware that it's kind of bratty of me to post a link, when some of you are already using google reader to get to this blog and end up having to click three or four links to read the actual post. Thanks for doing that for me! Next time I may just post the same post in both places...something to think about.)

We open in two days! I am so excited to finally get to perform this show! Rehearsing is fun, but performing for an audience who has never seen the show before is the BEST!!

[For convenience' sake, and because I'm afraid the Cottonwood Joseph blog will suddenly disappear one day, here is the post in full:]

A few weeks ago, our cast started to get tired, grouchy, frustrated and stressed. Our illustrious director, sensing the frustration, wisely played the Glee version of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." This song (especially this version of this song), for me, is a reminder of why I love to perform: the lights, the audience, the comraderie, and the pure joy of singing for no reason other than it's my favorite thing to do. We all had different lines in the song that expressed what we love about theatre and how we want to approach the show. It was cool hearing everyone's take on the song, and afterward we tackled the play with renewed enthusiasm.

Joseph opens in two days. We are ready. We have worked hard these last six weeks getting to know and trust each other, learning the show and all of the multiple songs in their multiple styles, and mastering all of the choreography (some of which is impressively difficult). I can feel that we are really good, especially in certain numbers. The energy is fantastic and all of our work is paying off.

But, on the other hand, we open to paying audiences in two days. I am once again stressed, tired, and grouchy. I just want to do a good job and if one little thing goes wrong or I do one little thing wrong I whine and complain and want to go home. It's not a mature reaction, but it is the truth.

So, this morning, I listened to Glee's version of "Don't Stop Believing" again. I may just put it on repeat on my iPod and listen to nothing else today, because all of the positive, hopeful, joyful feelings came back. This is not the time to succumb to my stress. This is the time to sit back, remind myself often to relax, perform because I love to perform, and give the audience the thrill of seeing a show I know is really terrific!

In case anyone else reading this has been feeling the same way I have, here's a replay of our unofficial anthem. I hope it helps you all in the same way it has me. I love you all. Let's completely rock the rehearsal tonight!!

Don't Stop Believin' lyrics
Songwriters: Schon, Neal; Cain, Jonathan; Perry, Steve;

Just a small town girl
Livin' in a lonely world
She took the midnight train goin' anywhere

Just a city boy
Born and raised in south Detroit
He took the midnight train goin' anywhere

A singer in a smoky room
A smell of wine and cheap perfume
For a smile they can share the night
It goes on and on and on and on

Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlight people
Living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night

Working hard to get my fill
Everybody wants a thrill
Payin' anything to roll the dice just one more time

Some will win, some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on

Strangers waiting
Up and down the boulevard
Their shadows searching in the night
Streetlight people
Living just to find emotion
Hiding somewhere in the night

Don't stop believin'
Hold on to that feelin'
Streetlight people

Don't stop believin'
Hold on
Streetlight people

Don't stop believin'
Hold on to that feelin'
Streetlight people

A new sister-in-law!

My younger brother, Peter, married his gorgeous Jordyn on Saturday. It was a great day and fun party, and I am glad that I got to share the experience with them as they committed to love and take care of each other for the rest of their lives.

My top 5 favorite moments of the day:
1. The whole wedding ceremony. Jordyn had worked hard not to let Peter see the dress before she walked down the aisle, and as soon as Peter saw her in it he started to cry. It just got better and better with the vows, the officiator's words, our nephew's dilligent and successful job as ring bearer, seeing the ring actually on Pete's finger and realizing he really is a married grown-up now, and the bride and groom's joyful kiss when pronounced "man and wife."

2. Peter dancing with Mom to "Dream a Little Dream of Me." Only Peter would think to choose such a meaningful song for the two of them. Mom used to sing it to us as babies, and as soon as the music started playing, all of my brothers, my mom, and I started to cry. It was beautiful.

3. My nephew dancing. PURE. AWESOME! That kid had boundless energy and even has a few good moves! The photographer loved him and took about a hundred pictures of those dance moves. The best was when his dad would dance with him and demonstrate moves that the G-unit would try to copy. "G! Do the bum-wiggle!" Then, of course, all the rest of us on the floor would jump in and do it too. The dancing was a great idea -- Thanks Jordyn for encouraging us all to party with no shame or embarrassment!

4. Jordyn's sister catching the bouquet. I was worried that our "single ladies" group was too far away and the bouquet would hit the ground, but Whitney ran right up and caught it. Then she and Jordyn proceeded to squeal happily and jump up and down in perfect sync. It was too funny! I wished I had a little sister who could catch my bouquet! (Sidenote: I usually hate standing in the group to catch the bouquet, but I didn't mind at all this time. It just felt natural and fun and not at all humiliating for once! Also, at my wedding, no one will be playing Beyonce's song "Single Ladies" when I toss the bouquet. Love the song but...no.)

5. Seeing my family all dressed up. We don't have many occasions where we can get decked out together, and this time we even matched! My parents looked classy and elegant; my brothers were exceedingly handsome in their suits and ties; the G-unit looked too grown-up in the tie, shoes, and belt he proudly informed me were "just like Daddy's, except black instead of brown"; my sisters-in-law were radiant and beautiful; my nieces were completely adorable in their matching dresses; and I felt waaaay too attractive to be the old maid big sister. It was fun to be photographed together and appreciate just how good-looking a family we are!

Let us take a moment to appreciate how awesome my outfit is:

Note the freakishly high heels! They were not as uncomfortable as you might expect, though I changed into lower, comfy cork sandals to dance in. My mother finished this dress the morning of the wedding, if you can believe it. I had a bunch of back-up dresses on hand, but they were the wrong color green. The pattern on the first dress my mom made didn't work so we were scrambling to finish this one in time. It was quite the adventure trying to buy a necklace without knowing exactly how high the neckline was! In the end, I bought three belts, three necklaces, a couple of bracelets... it was pretty hectic. Thankfully, Lindsey was able to help me choose which accessories to actually use and I felt really pretty on the day. I liked the high shoes, because my brothers and Jordyn's family are all so tall, as you can see in the photos (Peter is 6'3" and Jordyn is about 6', in contrast to my 5'5"). Like I always say: "If someone in the family has to be short, I'm glad it's me." I've become quite the fan of heels lately. They make me feel totally sassy and grown-up. (Sorry Aaron for posting such an odd photo of you, but this is my favorite one of me! Why are you frowning, anyway?)

Congratulations, Peter and Jordyn! Thank you so much for inviting me to celebrate your special day with you. I can't wait to celebrate many more special occasions! I'm thrilled to have another terrific sister-in-law in the family and am looking forward to seeing what happens for the two of you. I love you!