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!
