Happy Halloween! Sadly it was my first one during which I did not wear a costume. But I did eat some candy and a popcorn ball which they put out at rehearsal for us, so that was nice. I was secretly hoping my costume fitting would be today so I could at least say I wore a costume, but alas, it is tomorrow. I am, nonetheless, excited about my costume fitting. I'm sure I'll be posting all about it tomorrow!
Today's rehearsal was once again 11-7, but this time there wasn't a long break, just the normal 2-3 lunch break. We got a few more things put together and ran through act I for the designers (lighting, scenic and sound were there) It went as smoothly as an Act I can go that is being performed in a rehearsal studio half the size of the stage. Lots of work still needed, but many of the issues can't be solved until we move to the stage...that is on Wednesday. I'm excited for that!
This evening is one of my favorite days of the year! There are many things I love, one of them being staying up until 2AM and getting to go to sleep at 1AM!!! I haven't been staying up that late since moving up here, since my days have been long and tiring, but for this I must make an exception! Also, since it is the end of Daylight Saving Time, I feel the need to inform everyone that it is in fact Daylight Saving Time and not Daylight Savings Time. Grammatically speaking, "saving" is an adjective describing time. Yay grammar!
I also feel the need to express my disgust with MLB that the World Series will be played in November. 4 times, previous to this year, the MLB did not crown a champion in the month of October. 1904 (no series), 1918(WWI caused the Series to be played in September), 1994 (The Strike that Nearly Ended Baseball) and 2001 (due to the week off baseball had to take). However, for the first time in history, the World Series was not scheduled to take place completely within the month of October. This is beyond offensive to me, and I would like to use this, along with Home Run Replay, his mishandling of Steroids and the atrocity on July 9, 2002 when he ended the All-Star game after 11 innings when it was tied 7-7, to call for his resignation. You represent everything that is wrong with baseball, Bud Selig, resign and go ruin some other country's pastime.
Wow, that is alot of soap-box. My apologies to those who read this and don't care about baseball, but to be honest with you-you should care about baseball! I could go on about how the World Series should return to NBC so Bob Costas can call it and NOT Joe and Timmy, but I'll leave that for another day and another soap-box. Weeeeeeeee!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
City on Fire
Always an adventure seems to be becoming a theme. I'm going to begin with my train ride home, as it was the most adventurous part of my day. I was sitting peacefully in my seat, texting some friends, when several people in the back of the car started getting up and moving quickly out of the car. Then a voice yelled "Ma'am" (he was referring to the conductor who was up near me) "Ma'am you got smoke back here. You got smoke." The conductor did not panic, though most of the car did. People started blabbering and whatever because usually where there is smoke there is fire. The train continued to the next stop. It was really smelling pretty bad. Then, the lights went out. After about 5 minutes sitting at the stop the conductor yelled into the car "there are plenty of seats in the back few cars if you'd like to move" and then we continued. The smoke continued. The smell got bad. And the lights never came back...but on we went. I was going to get up, but the guy next to me started flirting with the girl in front of me, using "the possiblity of death" as a conversation starter. He eventually moved and sat with her, and then I definitely couldn't pry myself from their conversation. It was hilarious. After about 20 minutes of their constant blabber about their lives they said their goodbyes and he got off the train. it ended with "I'm sure I'll see you around here again." hahahaha I loved it. Anyway, I got home safely.
Rehearsal today was pretty similar to yesterday. A few more things were staged and we had a really long mid-day break. I brought my computer this time and kept myself entertained. I realized today the power and beauty the ensemble has when it is singing and I was very proud to be a part of that sound.
During the break I was going to open a Philly bank account, because the theatre will only do direct deposit to actor's local banks if they are Equity. So I asked what the closest bank was, which happened to be across the street. I went online to see what I needed to bring to open the account, realized I could open one online, and then just did it from the comfort of the Green Room couch. It was honestly the best choice. Maybe it was slightly lazy, but I avoided filling out paperwork and having to say no to a banker trying to get me to open an account that would "yield more interest" I'm an actor, man, how much money do you think I have?!?!
I'm off to go with Dan to pick up his brothers from the airport and probably get a cheesesteak!!! They are coming in for the World Series. Should be a fun weekend. Weeeeeeee!
Rehearsal today was pretty similar to yesterday. A few more things were staged and we had a really long mid-day break. I brought my computer this time and kept myself entertained. I realized today the power and beauty the ensemble has when it is singing and I was very proud to be a part of that sound.
During the break I was going to open a Philly bank account, because the theatre will only do direct deposit to actor's local banks if they are Equity. So I asked what the closest bank was, which happened to be across the street. I went online to see what I needed to bring to open the account, realized I could open one online, and then just did it from the comfort of the Green Room couch. It was honestly the best choice. Maybe it was slightly lazy, but I avoided filling out paperwork and having to say no to a banker trying to get me to open an account that would "yield more interest" I'm an actor, man, how much money do you think I have?!?!
I'm off to go with Dan to pick up his brothers from the airport and probably get a cheesesteak!!! They are coming in for the World Series. Should be a fun weekend. Weeeeeeee!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Somewhere That's Green
There is no way around the fact that it was a tiring day. I got on the train this morning, took out my script to study it and promptly fell asleep. I was awoken by the announcement that we were arriving at University City (which is 2 stops before mine), which means I was asleep for probably 40 minutes. haha. Oops!
Rehearsal began with finishing up one of the ensemble numbers that I'm in. The director came around and gave everyone little bits/scenarios between two or three people for each of us to keep in mind during the song-to make things more real and interesting. I enjoy that sort of thing. Sometimes they are things that the audience never even notices, but that is ok. The point is to form real people in real situations, who happen to sing and dance their way through life. (This is my problem with the TV show Glee, but let's not go there now...haha)
After we finished that, most of the rest of the day was spent on things I'm not in. I ate my lunch and hung out with people in the Green Room, which of course is NOT green. So maybe it's time for a history lesson... The Green Room is (for those who don't know...) the place where we wait when we don't have to be on stage and so we don't have to go back to the dressing rooms. The actual origin of the name green room is apparently unknown. Some claim it has to do with limelight, others that actors would prepare in rooms with plants, and some say it goes back to 1701 where Cockney Slang shortened something or other to green room. Ok, so the history lesson was more of a let me spout random arguments over how a word came to be, but the point is a Green Room doesn't have to be and in my experience usually isn't green. Nonetheless, Green Rooms are lovely, wonderful places. Many a friend is made in the Green Room and many a conversation-ranging from depressing to exciting to gross to life-changing-takes place. I have found that a major requirement of the Green Room is insanely comfortable couches. This Green Room didn't disappoint, causing me to once again promptly fall asleep. A new requirement, as of late, for Green Rooms is wireless internet. This one has it, so I will probably bring my computer tomorrow as apparently I will have another decently long mid-day break.
The end of the day we went over the other ensemble number I'm in, and I was added to one they had choreographed before I started rehearsal. I'm really enjoying the process, despite it being very tiring.
My ride home on the train was interesting to say the least. The man sitting to the right of me was "reading" a magazine that turned out to not be in English which had some risque pictures. Risque is probably a bit of an understatement. He was just holding it up to his face, flipping the pages as though nothing was strange. The woman behind him ended up moving to the seat in front of me and did not seem pleased. Always an adventure...
Oh, one more thing...I got paid today!!! Haha. Weeeeeeeeeee!
Rehearsal began with finishing up one of the ensemble numbers that I'm in. The director came around and gave everyone little bits/scenarios between two or three people for each of us to keep in mind during the song-to make things more real and interesting. I enjoy that sort of thing. Sometimes they are things that the audience never even notices, but that is ok. The point is to form real people in real situations, who happen to sing and dance their way through life. (This is my problem with the TV show Glee, but let's not go there now...haha)
After we finished that, most of the rest of the day was spent on things I'm not in. I ate my lunch and hung out with people in the Green Room, which of course is NOT green. So maybe it's time for a history lesson... The Green Room is (for those who don't know...) the place where we wait when we don't have to be on stage and so we don't have to go back to the dressing rooms. The actual origin of the name green room is apparently unknown. Some claim it has to do with limelight, others that actors would prepare in rooms with plants, and some say it goes back to 1701 where Cockney Slang shortened something or other to green room. Ok, so the history lesson was more of a let me spout random arguments over how a word came to be, but the point is a Green Room doesn't have to be and in my experience usually isn't green. Nonetheless, Green Rooms are lovely, wonderful places. Many a friend is made in the Green Room and many a conversation-ranging from depressing to exciting to gross to life-changing-takes place. I have found that a major requirement of the Green Room is insanely comfortable couches. This Green Room didn't disappoint, causing me to once again promptly fall asleep. A new requirement, as of late, for Green Rooms is wireless internet. This one has it, so I will probably bring my computer tomorrow as apparently I will have another decently long mid-day break.
The end of the day we went over the other ensemble number I'm in, and I was added to one they had choreographed before I started rehearsal. I'm really enjoying the process, despite it being very tiring.
My ride home on the train was interesting to say the least. The man sitting to the right of me was "reading" a magazine that turned out to not be in English which had some risque pictures. Risque is probably a bit of an understatement. He was just holding it up to his face, flipping the pages as though nothing was strange. The woman behind him ended up moving to the seat in front of me and did not seem pleased. Always an adventure...
Oh, one more thing...I got paid today!!! Haha. Weeeeeeeeeee!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
It's a Lovely Day Today
Another lovely day in the city of Brotherly Love! I had a very interesting ride in on the train this morning. I realized that since I will be taking the same train each morning for the rest of the rehearsal period, I will be seeing the same business people who commute into Philly. I noticed today that many of them are men in suits, carrying backpacks and listening to IPods. I can't decide which I find more amusing, the backpacks or the IPods. Maybe it's the combination of both? The backpack and suit reminds me of Josh from The West Wing. He never carried a briefcase, only a backpack. Ah, The West Wing. Daily I can relate pretty much everything I experience to either Musical Theatre or The West Wing. I think that makes me a nerd, or a dork, or whatever...but I digress. Maybe my issue with the suits, backpacks and IPods is that I feel left out. I'm in jeans, with a messenger bag and no IPod...maybe I should get an IPod...specifically an IPod touch...Mom, I feel a Christmas list coming on...oops, I'm digressing again.
As for rehearsal today, it was my first time experiencing a full 8 hour Equity rehearsal (though we did have a 2 hour lunch instead of the normal 1 hour, but I'll get to that.) It is exhausting...and I wasn't even working the whole time. I got to see the scenes for the character I'm understudying, so I have notes on his blocking and such for my future understudy rehearsals. (Which start after the show opens.) Today was also my first time experiencing the 40 children who are in the show (two groups of 20 which split the performances) Actors are loud, I know that, but the noise in the small rehearsal room increases tenfold when there are 40 children ages 10-12. I am in awe of their ability to focus. Yes, clearly things break down and they talk alot, but there is no way I could have done that when I was 10 so kudos to them...or their stage mothers for forcing it upon them. haha. Just kidding...not really...
For lunch, a couple of the local actors and I walked over to Reading Station Market-which is full of meat and vegetable vendors and such. This includes Amish vendors! I was lured to the smell of corned beef and had a delicious Reuben! The corned beef was carved right in front of me! I guess you could see that as a negative since corned beef is quite fatty and fairly gross looking, but it smelled amazing. I also had a coke because I haven't had soda in a while. I suppose that was unnecessary to mention...oh well.
Rehearsal is 11-7 again tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. For the first time in years I've had to get up at 7:30AM and have had no trouble. I hope that sticks! Weeeeeee!
As for rehearsal today, it was my first time experiencing a full 8 hour Equity rehearsal (though we did have a 2 hour lunch instead of the normal 1 hour, but I'll get to that.) It is exhausting...and I wasn't even working the whole time. I got to see the scenes for the character I'm understudying, so I have notes on his blocking and such for my future understudy rehearsals. (Which start after the show opens.) Today was also my first time experiencing the 40 children who are in the show (two groups of 20 which split the performances) Actors are loud, I know that, but the noise in the small rehearsal room increases tenfold when there are 40 children ages 10-12. I am in awe of their ability to focus. Yes, clearly things break down and they talk alot, but there is no way I could have done that when I was 10 so kudos to them...or their stage mothers for forcing it upon them. haha. Just kidding...not really...
For lunch, a couple of the local actors and I walked over to Reading Station Market-which is full of meat and vegetable vendors and such. This includes Amish vendors! I was lured to the smell of corned beef and had a delicious Reuben! The corned beef was carved right in front of me! I guess you could see that as a negative since corned beef is quite fatty and fairly gross looking, but it smelled amazing. I also had a coke because I haven't had soda in a while. I suppose that was unnecessary to mention...oh well.
Rehearsal is 11-7 again tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it. For the first time in years I've had to get up at 7:30AM and have had no trouble. I hope that sticks! Weeeeeee!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here
Hello hello! What a wonderful first day! I was a little nervous at first, as there was a rumor on the platform at the SEPTA station that the train was running 30 minutes behind... fortunately it was only 10 minutes late and I easily got to rehearsal on time (or 30 minutes early cause I was being a little over cautious...hahaha) The rest of the cast has been rehearsing for a week-but they were quite welcoming. The director decided to unofficially change our title from Extras to Essentials, because he said we were too integral a part of the cast to simply be called extra. That was nice. Also, as it turned out, quite true. They staged two of the ensemble numbers today and I'm in both of them...singing and moving about! (In one of them the other extras...ehemm...I mean essentials and I push the tables around while the lead girl stands on it and sings. This, I imagine, is what I was hired for. haha) I'm really excited to be a part of this!
One fun and interesting fact I noticed is that theatre people, whether they are in DC or Philly or wherever and whether they are Equity or Non-Equity are still the same. This pleases me. I have always had a rather shaky relationship with time, and I'm pleased to see that while being "on time" and "keeping to the schedule" is obviously necessary, what "on time" and "keeping to the schedule" mean remains a genuine mystery. Theatre people do things at their own pace, and it's a pace I can totally keep in stride with. In the end, the important thing is that when lunch was scheduled to begin at 2, it began exactly at 2. And I mean, exactly. These people have their priorities in precisely the right place!
Lunch is an hour each day. Today, a friend met me for lunch, but by the time she found the theatre and found a parking spot we only had about 30 minutes so we went to Quiznos. I think my stomach still hurts from it. But it was nice to see her and catch up with her.
All in all, twas a wonderful first day. Also, since we were only scheduled til 4:30 today, I'm back to the Siefring's in time for dinner! Yay food! More fun tomorrow! Weeeeee!
One fun and interesting fact I noticed is that theatre people, whether they are in DC or Philly or wherever and whether they are Equity or Non-Equity are still the same. This pleases me. I have always had a rather shaky relationship with time, and I'm pleased to see that while being "on time" and "keeping to the schedule" is obviously necessary, what "on time" and "keeping to the schedule" mean remains a genuine mystery. Theatre people do things at their own pace, and it's a pace I can totally keep in stride with. In the end, the important thing is that when lunch was scheduled to begin at 2, it began exactly at 2. And I mean, exactly. These people have their priorities in precisely the right place!
Lunch is an hour each day. Today, a friend met me for lunch, but by the time she found the theatre and found a parking spot we only had about 30 minutes so we went to Quiznos. I think my stomach still hurts from it. But it was nice to see her and catch up with her.
All in all, twas a wonderful first day. Also, since we were only scheduled til 4:30 today, I'm back to the Siefring's in time for dinner! Yay food! More fun tomorrow! Weeeeee!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Something's Coming
I've never blogged before, but as I pack to set out on my Philadelphia adventure I decided I needed something more to help me procrastinate. Music, facebook and playbill.com just aren't enough sometimes...
And so, "Walnuts, Cheesesteaks and Ben Franklin" is born into this world of blogs so vast, that another random one by a bored actor seems fairly to completely pointless. But alas, anything that helps me procrastinate and/or gives me something to do for the next 3 months is good enough for me...even if it isn't good enough for the real bloggers of the world.
The pile of clothes in the closet is so immense that I'm seriously considering packing exactly 7 outfits, one sweatshirt (a hoodie, of course), sneakers, nice shoes and my hats...and getting rid of the rest. I can't decide if this is part of my decision to live simply the next 3 months, or just the pure laziness I'm quite capable of. I'm going to pretend it's the former!
It is currently 1:30PM. I'm hoping to leave around 6 or 8, but no later than 8! That gives me a large window so I will not be disappointed in myself. haha. This will hopefully give me enough time to clean out my car, pack up the stuff from the room, put it in the car, go to the bank and eat a DC meal. So...probably 8. WEEEEE!
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