Shows! Show! More shows!

Well, Elf and the Christmas Murder Mystery Dinner Show happened with much success. Playing Buddy was one of the most fun roles I have ever played. It really was like going on the same journey that he did every time I performed (thankfully we got it all done in time for tech, even though I would have preferred full run-throughs before we're close to tech week). I was glad to meet new people and get to work with the kids in the Acting School since I had seen several of their shows. Spotlight sure has a crop of budding superstars. 

The dinner show had some bumps in the road since we had very few rehearsals, but we all managed to pull it together and we had smooth performances by closing night. I even got to be in my first gay couple in a show, so we definitely donned our gay apparel and had a gay ole time for the holidays. 

With shows and nasal congestion (which fortunately waited until after Elf, but came during the dinner show) out of the way, I can enjoy Christmas! I have all but one present left to buy and most of them wrapped and ready for gift giving. I am getting close to finishing watching all of the Christmas specials and movies before the big day. I have a ton of egg nog and cocoa to drink, and goodies to eat. I am also hoping for a white Christmas,  even if it's just an inch. As of now, there is a 50% chance of snow Christmas Eve night, so  I am hoping it sticks long enough for me to see it when I wake up Christmas morning. 

Yay holidays!

December Nights (December Lights!)

Thanksgiving was a thing. Black Friday was a thing. I ate too much and enjoyed the Macy's Parade with its Broadway performances (feat. Dear Evan Hansen, Anastasia, and Once Upon this Island). Next thing I know, it's time to start listening to Christmas music and put up the (mini) tree in my apartment. I even have some lights up and a gingerbread spice candle ready for the cold weather. I am so ready for the holidays.

To make this Christmas season more jolly and gay is Spotlight's production of Elf: the Musical (Jr.), which opens TONIGHT! Every Saturday afternoon since the first weekend of  October (at least for me because New York), we've been busy preparing for tonight. It's a two-cast show, so the cast I'm in performs tonight and the other cast has tomorrow night before we alternate performances during a four-show weekend.

Sure, the road to get here was a little difficult and stressful at times, but what is theatre without imperfection? We're only human after all and theatre is all about the human experience...or well human and elf experience in this case. During the course of this process, I realized that I am 24 years old and am finally playing my first leading role, especially the title character. 

There was a dinner show in September where I technically played the lead, but I'm referring to a traditional play or musical that is more notable. Don't get me wrong, I love dinner shows. They're silly and fun. I'm in another Christmas one with Spotlight next week. They just aren't going to be known to a bigger group than the audience members who attend them. So, in that way, Elf is my first show where I'm the lead. The STAR, as one would say. I don't try to pick up on that persona because every actor is a star in their own right. We all work together to make each performance sparklejollytwinklejingly! 

I am super excited that audiences finally get to enjoy this show. They'll for sure laugh, adore the children, and cry (because I will make them with how I play the saddest scene in the show). It'll be a festive time, for sure!

It's already November? WHUT?

Wowza! October came and went quickly. Halloween was spoopy and fun as always. I didn't do a whole lot with my usual month long Halloween/horror movie marathon. I did watch a ton of Nightmare on Elm Street movies as well as Halloweentown (RIP Debbie Reynolds). My costume this year was the BEST. I ended up as my personal role model...

Yes. I accomplished the amazingness that is Tina Belcher and my friends were Gene and Louise. We were even Liked on Twitter by Kristen Schaal (Louise) and John Roberts (Linda) from the show. We're basically famous!

Anywho, Halloween has since passed and we're creeping towards the festive season. Thanksgiving is already two weeks away (WHAT?) and soon Christmas will take over, although it has started. Oh well. I'm kinda getting ready early because I have Elf in less than a month.

Speaking of Elf, rehearsals have been going fairly well, albeit they have been only once a week for an hour and a half. There are also two casts and there's a lot of juggling, which is fine. Even some downtime at rehearsals can be used wisely (i.e. choreography, lines, etc.). I have faith in our casts. This show is going to be a festive hoot and audiences will love it when we actually open and run. We have all of our musical numbers learned and the choreography is coming gradually to allow everybody to learn it. I, personally, have most of my lines down. I just need to rehearse more of the scenes with everybody so that  I can definitely get off book. It'll happen when it's supposed to. 

I will pour over my script throughout this next week and not even need it next week. That's always the best part of rehearsals. Without the script being in your hands is very freeing because that's when actors can really play and become their character more and more. So, I will be excited to be at that point of our rehearsal process. Here's to a successful show. 

New York was a thing...as was my 24th birthday

NEW YORK! Concrete jungle where I saw Dear Evan Hansen and cried a lot! Seriously, if you have a ticket to Dear Evan Hansen, DO NOT LOSE IT! I saw it with three standbys performing and it was still absolute perfection. Sure, it wasn't Ben Platt, but I am still so so happy that I got to witness the magic that is that show. The scenery and scene changes used so much technology, but it is a metaphor for how much technology influences our thinking and our daily lives. It was never a distraction, but an enhancement. The story was never lost because the performers were excellent (and mostly because it was Rachel Bay Jones, Laura Dreyfuss, Michael Park, Kristolyn Lloyd, and Jennifer Laura Thompson). Rachel Bay Jones had me ugly crying as soon as she started singing "So Big/So Small" and I was so glad because it's the only song in existence to make me sob! 

Everything about that performance was satisfying: the singing, the acting, my seat, and the fact that one of the standbys is also from Kentucky (Colton Ryan). I got to meet him at the stage door after the show and make that connection. It made my dreams of doing what he's doing real and valid. Kentucky represent! Overall, Dear Evan Hansen was a dream come true...now let's see when I get be IN it. 

After Evan, I saw five more shows. Do not ask me why, it just happened! After the Wednesday matinee of DEH, I had a nosebleed seat to see Bette Midler, David Hyde Pierce, Gavin Creel,  Kate Walsh, and company in Hello, Dolly! That was a fun show. It was definitely more of a classical musical with the dialogue, song, and three-minute-dance-number formula, but still very entertaining. 

The next day, I attended my first real professional Equity audition for a theatre company based in Wisconsin. I am not sure if I will get the job, but it was a goal of mine to even audition in the first place, and I did really well for the first time. I was pleased. The following evening, I had a standing room ticket for Beautiful: the Carole King Musical, which was AMAZING! The music, of course, was beautiful (hehe), but seeing Chilina Kennedy and Kara Lindsay perform live and meeting them afterwards was a dream!

The show-going continued Saturday night with a rush ticket for Waitress, which I HAD to see. Betsy Wolfe had been sick,  but came back for the performance I saw...and she killed it. It was probably my second favorite show because I am in love with the soundtrack and I also work in a restaurant, so I relate. 

Sunday was another two show day for me. I splurged a bit more and saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory  starring Christian Borle (whose Willy Wonka is epic!) that afternoon and then I had a "why not" moment and decided that my last show would be Wicked (for the fifth time). Man, it was so awesome being in the Gershwin Theater for the first time, and I have no ragrets. I spent SO MUCH MONEY, but it was worth it. This was my early birthday vacation to myself.

Even though auditions and Broadway was a main highlight, I was really happy to see three of my long time friends, even two I had not seen in over five years. It definitely helped because I knew I wasn't alone, and it wasn't too hard to meet up when we could. With one of my best friends from high school, especially, it was special spending the last night with her eating dinner and delicious ice cream from the Big Gay Ice Cream Shop (where Jason Robert Brown was literally two feet away from me...he vaguely confirmed via Twitter that night). It was the perfect ending to a perfect trip (minus the fact that I got an annoying rash on my legs, but it's mostly gone now).

Once I got home and got settled back into the Kentucky life, I turned 24...and I was still dealing with the rash and lost my voice on that special day. So, my birthday didn't actually feel like it was my birthday, but it was still a great day. I was productive with cleaning out my childhood closet and sorting my life before attending my first Elf rehearsal (and pretending to sing). At least Olive Garden with my parents was a hit and I got free dessert courtesy of a fellow Spotlight friend. My evening ended with a cute performance of Cinderella at the Spotlight Acting School. 

Everything is mostly normal now. I am back at work and saving my money back to where it was, my voice is back and I should be in full singing mode by the next rehearsal, and my annoying rash is fading...and I'm still listening to Dear Evan Hansen and I really want to see it again! Oh well! At least I have Elf to look forward to, as well as another professional audition for a company in Lexington. So, the excitement continues.

September was...

September was...busy, amazing, tiring, super fun, stressful, long, short, exhausting, and time well spent. I did three shows back-to-back-to-back and I am never doing that again (this is where I would LOL)! It takes a lot out of you mentally and physically. Working a 30 hr/week job plus a rehearsal almost every day is interesting because many people would be dreading that kind of schedule. At the same time, most actors are used to it. We have survival jobs that help pay bills and rent, and we get to spend time and energy on being artists. 

In no way will I regret doing the three shows I did.  I had a great time with each cast. It challenged me as a performer. There were a couple of days this past week where I had two school performances for our Charlotte's Web tour and then a dinner show rehearsal/performance later that night. Last week alone, I performed seven times. Needless to say, by closing night of our Enchanted Murder Mystery Dinner Show, I was beat. In the end, it was worth it. I got to play some iconic characters in some hilarious shows. 

Now that I have a little bit of a break, I am awaiting the announcement of the cast for Spotlight's production of Elf the Musical. Playing Buddy would be such an awesome experience. We'll have to see how casting is decided first. In the meantime, I am going on vacation (a much needed fall/early birthday vacation). My destination: New York City! I decided to travel via Greyhound because it's cheaper than flying and I wasn't doing Amtrak again.

I had a huge freakout last night when I tried to print my ticket. Apparently, there was some sort of "broken schedule" and the confirmation number had a glitch. So, I waited and waited through several calls to customer service...nothing. I was told I would get an email with a new confirmation number by this morning...nothing. So, I just decided to buy a whole new ticket for a lot more money...and it WORKED! It's printed and sitting right next to me. The bus should be in Berea in a couple of hours. I honestly could care less if there's a slight delay on the way to Manhattan because I would at least be on the bus. 

Soon, I will be NYC bound for a week. I will get to see Dear Evan Hansen, rush a few more shows, and then maybe get in a couple of auditions. Let's hope everything works out from this point on. Yay Fall!

From One Show to the Next

As mentioned before, I am involved in multiple productions with The Spotlight Playhouse. The Carol Burnett Show had some fairly small audiences, but they grew with each performance and the response was very positive. We got a lot of laughs every night, and that just fueled us more as the run went on. I had worked with many of the cast members in past shows, but I had just as much fun with the others because we all got along so well. It was a multi-generational cast, and we acted as goofy with each other as if we were all the same age. I only hope I have that same kind of fun in future shows as I had with the casts of Clue and Carol.

The insane busy schedule continues as we begin dress rehearsals/tech week for our one-act production of Charlotte's Web. I am super excited for this because I get to portray Templeton the rat along with Lurvy, the Zuckerman's farmhand, and John Arable, Fern's dad. I have really grown to like playing Templeton. He's sneaky, a little mysterious, and so much like Swiper the Fox (Dora the Explorer) that I used the latter as inspiration for my portrayal. I am really hoping to make people laugh with him. 

Thankfully, I do get to focus solely on Charlotte this week. This past week consisted on rehearsals for two other shows (Charlotte and Enchanted Murder Mystery) as well as our final two performances of Carol. You'd think with being in three different shows in a single month, I'd be paid. The truth is that I am not a professional actor...yet. I am sure I have talked about this before, but it's the reality for many artists. We do what we love to do, and that sometimes means not getting monetary compensation. 

Luckily, I have had a steady survival job, but it is one that I don't really want to do for another year. This is why I'm excited for my trip to New York after the dinner show. I plan on hitting up some auditions for theatre companies not necessarily in New York. Money-wise, I am definitely not ready to move to the city. In the long run, it may be wiser to get work with smaller professional companies that have ties with Equity so I can gradually earn points towards getting my Equity card. That's the plan for now, anyway. Let's just hope my work with Spotlight helped me enough this past year with confidence at these auditions...if I get seen, of course. 

For now, it's time to focus on being a farmer, another farmer, and a rat. 

Two Scripts, One Brain

So, it's been an interesting time to be alive. I have had all four of my wisdom teeth removed, and thankfully, I can speak normally because I am preparing for two shows back-to-back. It has been a busy time, but I know that it will be worth it in the end. We are towards the end of tech week. At least we didn't have our scripts inhibiting us from fully playing. I only had a couple of flubs, so I call that a success (especially when I have a whole other show to get into my system as well). 

I will say that constantly going over your script(s) will help you in the long run. I believe that you are more able to connect with your character(s) once you are off book. It doesn't hurt to keep looking at the text because the more you read into the story, you can develop your portrayal of the character(s) to where your performance is completely honest and the audience is able to see the choices you make in those moments. 

I am a firm believer in Stanislavsky. I am not, nor will I ever be, a character that I'm playing (unless it's a one-man show about my life specifically). I can discover the parallels between my character's life and mine and use the similarities to help find the honesty. So, I will always act "as if" I were in that given situation along with the quirks and body movements that I see my character having. 

I cannot believe we're already at the point of no return: final dress. This particular rehearsal process has been a unique experience. Spotlight is in the middle of moving and getting the new Berea location architecturally sound and approved for rehearsing. I definitely has added stress to everybody. We haven't always started on time, props and furniture pieces are added each day, and scheduling  conflicts have a few cast members absent. With all of this going on, I still believe that The Carol Burnett Show will be a great season opener.

It will be nice to start performances because once we get it up and running, I can worry less about my lines for Carol and focus more on Charlotte's Web. Having two shows going through your body, mind, and soul simultaneously is a bit of challenge (especially with a regular 30 hr/week restaurant job). The book definitely helped me develop my portrayal of my characters (Templeton, Lurvy, and John Arable), though I still need to watch the animated movie to further my knowledge. I should be able to do that before our first off-book rehearsal next week. But first, let's get audiences laughing with some top quality sketch comedy. 

Harry Potter's Birthday and First Rehearsal

It is quite the final day of July. I am rocking my Hairy Otter shirt in honor of J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter's birthdays! I absolutely love the series (I still need to venture into Fantastic Beasts, but that'll come soon enough). I have yet to visit Harry Potter World (or as the muggles call "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios"). I was supposed to go after college graduation as my present/vacation, but I just HAD to get a job. It's okay. Soon.

I'm currently sitting in my town's local coffee shop rocking out to the Hamilton soundtrack (I'm late to the listen-to-the-entire-Hamilton-soundtrack party). I have to say it's brilliant and easy to get into with its historical references and parallels to how our country is today...except we kinda want England to take us back if Canada doesn't want us. Basically, I'm just picturing Stewie Griffin as King George III (see pictured).

I'm updating my personal website (bradenmills.com) because I have some exciting projects coming up soon. The Spotlight Playhouse (thespotlightplayhouse.com) is producing The Carol Burnett Show and Charlotte's Web: the Musical as its first two Players shows. I am in both show, with rehearsals on alternating days through the week. It's going to be so much fun, especially after almost two months without rehearsal or performing. 

I'll be very busy juggling my day job with two shows all while trying to get my license (if I can actually get my test appointment scheduled...goodness). Oh yeah, I also get my wisdom teeth pulled next week. Fun. Times!

I'm writing a play!

I have started to write another play. I wrote one about a couple of years ago about a brother and sister ringing in the new millennium and being transported through time to present day. They were faced with the reality that their lives and society would change completely as touch screen technology and the in-person socialization of humans would diminish. It was a pretty cool concept and story to develop. It is technically still a work in progress aptly titled Happy New Decade. 

The new play I am writing is based on my current life. It is set at a small-town mom-and-pop restaurant called Mom & Pop's (also the working title of the play). Basically, it follows the employees and managers as they go about a single Saturday in late summer. My main intention was to write how a normal day at the restaurant where I work would go, but I got a few more ideas as I created the characters and their respective situations. 

I am a big fan of plays that takes place within a single day or a short period of time because it shows that the playwright can really show conflict and the evolution of the characters' relationships in real time. In life, even a dull day for somebody is really eventful for another person. I find myself thinking about how people I know or complete strangers in other parts of the world are going about their daily lives. There is always something going on somewhere, and that's what makes living on this planet interesting. 

I am still just a few pages into Act 1 (Day Shift) right now. I have decided to be real about what I would say or how a co-worker would act while at work. At the same time, I have realized that some of my frustration has been pent up and this is a fun and healthy way of releasing that tension. So far, it's started to become quite the cathartic experience because there are certain things I really want to say to a few of the customers that come into the store from time to time.  Because I like money and able to afford rent, I censor myself and stay calm, cool, and collected...on the outside. 

I am really looking forward to seeing how the Day Shift ends, how the Evening Shift begins, and what will happen during closing time. This is mostly a project for myself. If I let others read it and the consensus is positive, I may just release it to the world for many more people to enjoy (hopefully). Let's see where this takes me. In the meantime, I get the joyous opportunity of closing the store tomorrow night and opening the next morning during a craft fair weekend. Oh boy!

My first YouTube cover video

I finally got around to making and posting a cover of a song on the YouTubes. I chose "You Will Be Found" from Dear Evan Hansen (SHOCKER!) because it sends a universal message that everybody will find their place and will truly belong as themselves. This definitely fits within the reason why Pride Month exists. The Alphabet Community is full of open and proud people, but there are as many who, because of their particular circumstances, are not able to be their true selves. This cover is for them, for those who are out, and for anybody, regardless of identity, who feel lost and haven't found their place in life just yet. 

I did this because the song speaks to me on such a personal level. It's why I chose this song for my first singing video. I hope anybody listens enjoys and knows that they will be found and nobody is alone.

One show closes...then Dear Evan Hansen wins it all (almost)

Clue the Musical ended up being a huge success, and not just because I made the front page (below the fold) of our town's newspaper. We sold out the two evening shows. Chairs had to be added to fit more people. The closing Sunday matinee did not have a full house, but that was because the original max amount of people filled the newly enlarged seating area. We'll call it a sold out show. 

Colonel Mustard was a fun role with a surprising amount of depth because of his motives to kill Mr. Boddy (i.e. his love for Mrs. Peacock) and how he interacts with the other suspects. I am so fortunate that the director trusted me enough to give me the call to replace the original actor. I don't want to just be a good actor. I want to be dependable and trusted. That is more important to me than what is me just doing my job. 

Overall, the experience of this particular show was interesting, weird, and amazing all at once. From our first dress rehearsal to final dress, we had gotten back into the groove of this show so much that we knew we were performance ready. I was no longer worried or nervous about messing up too much. Like with every show, once you get through opening night, it gets easier and less stressful. At the same time, there will be some mistakes and flubs, but that's why live theatre is unlike any other medium of storytelling. My mic screamed at me during the closing performance, and I just had to continue pushing the story further afterwards. It was probably just tired...like me. 

Most importantly, it becomes fun because you finally have an audience that supports you no matter what. The energy of a packed house is unmatched. There is strength in numbers, and boy did the crowd give us the laughs and gasps. It's a show I'll remember for a long time. Best of all, I got to perform with friends old and new. That right there is the real reward of doing this show.

Theatre is not just in New York, Chicago, or London. Small towns in central Kentucky are doing some pretty cool things with performing arts. Berea, in particular, has established a small scene and it's pretty exciting! Check out your local small town theatre scene, whether it's professional or community!

Another show that I am SO EXCITED to see in September is the newly-crowned Tony Award-winning Best Musical Dear Evan Hansen. Watching the Tony's last night after all of the anticipation was super cathartic. It won six out of a total nine nominations, the most for any show all night. I was a bit surprised because I thought a few other shows would be tough competition, but at the same time, I'm not surprised because this show is what people need. It's a story that anybody can relate to on multiple levels with songs that are just so honest and amazing!

I will most likely love Wicked for the rest of my life, but I have never been as emotionally invested in a show as I have with Dear Evan Hansen. The cast is unashamed of showing how much of a loving family they are as they act silly with their backstage/dressing room dance parties before they make hundreds of people sob hysterically every night. I would know. "So Big/So Small" has made me tear up and sob plenty of times...and I am READY to do it in a packed Music Box Theater. I already have tissues on my packing list.

One of my goals is to be in a show that has a similar impact to Dear Evan Hansen. It doesn't have to be a musical because straight plays are golden and full of grit and emotion. I say this because I want to continue being challenged as actor to where I can really convey the truth from the script out to the audience. I want to tell a story where I am originating an interesting character and just have that big moment where you know you're doing something bigger than yourself and how it speaks to people in so many different ways. That's why I love theatre. It's way more than just entertainment on a Friday or Saturday night/afternoon.

Now, I await my next project...

Ah, Tech Week!

Well, Clue the Musical opens in two days, and I am feeling pretty good about it. Because the theatre company has been busy with two other shows in consecutive weekends, I have not had regular rehearsals for about two weeks...this, of course, ended two nights ago when we had first dress. 

Everything is coming together as this week has progressed. My costume is not as military as I would have liked, but I was not about to spend $60+ on a jacket and pair of boots that would get worn three times (Thursday's performance was cancelled, making Friday opening night). Still, I managed to find a mustard yellow shirt with a khaki tan sweater vest. Best of all, my mustache is the longest and fullest it has ever been. I'm quite happy about it...except I cannot wait to shave it when the show closes.

Even though getting a show up and running takes so much energy and time, it never stops being exciting as opening night gets closer. Once it's here, the adrenaline kicks in and the thrill of having an audience makes it all worthwhile. There may be bumps and slight pauses, but that is the beauty of live theatre. Nothing beats seeing living, breathing people perform in-person. It's truly magical and remarkable. Even better is being able to do it. 

Ah, tech week. It's there for a reason...and for that, we love it, hate it, appreciate it, and use it to grow as performers as theatre practitioners. Two more days until opening night! 

From One Show to the Next...A Reflection on the First Year Post-College

Tuned in for Murder was a killer of a show. Heh heh...murder mystery pun. For real, though, the audiences enjoyed their respective evenings. We had some audience members participate as celebrities throughout the performances, which really made the show way funnier. I was cracking up backstage. There was laughter, drama, melodrama, Momma drama, and delicious cheesecake...that my character Junior drunk-ate during the Q&A between Acts 2 and 3 (Note: this is the second show in a row where I got to eat cheesecake in character).

It was so great performing again. I am thankful for Spotlight Playhouse and the opportunities I have had to continue being an artist (of the performance kind). It took a few months to become a member of their family, but it was worth the short wait. I am now a person that a director or stage manager can call in case they need a replacement actor at the last minute, which actually happened with Clue. It makes me feel good when I am able to be dependable and can rise to the challenge of taking over with only a month and a week before the show opens. 

Since the murder mystery has ended, I am able to relax a bit and focus on only one show now. Two rehearsals in, I haven't had trouble fitting in with the rest of the cast since I had previously worked with most of them. It shouldn't be too hard when I get my lines and the songs down along with the choreography. It will be a busy month.

It really has been fulfilling to be doing so much theatre lately because today marks the first year anniversary of my college graduation. There was an entire year between my last college production and my first Spotlight production. I can feel good about the work I have done since getting my degree. Sure, my day job is working in a restaurant, but it's a really great restaurant and definitely the best serving job I'll ever have. 

I look back at those first few months after graduating, and it was not that great of a time. I had an awful job with a not-so-great boss (but amazing co-workers). I wasn't performing or even doing handstands. It was a constant cycle of biking to town before slaving away during an evening shift and biking home after closing, thus tiring my body even more. I was constant alert in case I received yet another Sunday morning or 5:30 am text message about one single dirty spot that wasn't cleaned or one thing out of place or not done. Of course, I ended this cycle by switching jobs. I started auditioning again. Even though it took until the third time before I got cast, i was determined to perform. 

Since then, it's been a lot of hard work balancing my job and my passion. I am grateful that be able to do theatre and make money for bills and rent. It can only get better from here. 

Opening Night!

It's HERE! Yet another opening night of a crazy funny show in which I am performing with a cool cast of talented actors. We have been rehearsing and working hard for over a month to put on an eventful dinner show. Really, a lot happens. Somebody gets murdered...and one of us did it. Muhahahaha.

Even though I anticipate it every time, whenever the day of the final dress rehearsal arrives, I just get really excited that all of the work and dedication to the project pays off. We no longer rehearse after that day. We perform! I usually cannot wait for people to see the show and laugh as hard as I do. I laugh at rehearsals...usually multiple times when the play is hysterical and campy.

So, on the day of final dress (yesterday), I woke up, went to work, and was just really happy that whole day...yes, even at my restaurant job. I reflected a bit, and realized that it was because I had a deviation in that schedule that I had had for several weeks. I was a part of another show before the current one had closed (Note: I joined the cast of Clue: the Musical at the same company and had back-to-back rehearsals that night). It's strange. I never had to not wait for an audition or have no time in-between projects. The thing is, I liked it. I liked it a lot! 

When a show is nearing its opening performance, I get excited and full of energy. Then it's suddenly all over and as actors, we go into some real withdrawals. No matter the show, it's weird not going back to rehearsal or a performance. We just deal with reality for a while before the next opportunity arrives. I don't have to experience that this time, which is most likely why I was so joyful yesterday. 

I believe that, as artists (especially those with non-artistic day jobs), we strive to keep making art in any way we can. Even if it takes several months to a year for another project to come our way, we still have that desire. Yes, it's nerve-racking and we get impatient after waiting, but that all ceases when we are able to do what we love.

I am very open about wanting to start a professional acting career soon. However, I live in a place where that is not really possible. At the same time, we have theatre. We have a couple of companies that produce full seasons of shows and special events. I found my love for community theatre by going to see local shows and eventually performing in them. 

We need to preserve community theaters across the country, even the world. They are so important to everybody because those of us who can't exactly make it in the business right now can still get experience and find that pleasure by simply being involved. I am glad to have found a place in another theatre environment, especially after being used to my college theatre program for four (and-a-half because I took Script Analysis as a high school senior) years before having half a year of not performing post-graduation.

I am happy. I am determined. I am still aspiring to go there. I am ready to make some people laugh for the next four days! 

Well...well...well...

It's official, I'm a bad blogger. It's okay, though. Sometimes, so much happens that you don't really need to write about it at that moment. There are other mediums. 

Take social media, for example.  Earlier this month was the NCAA Gymnastics Championships. For a whole weekend, every gymnastics fan was connected via #NCAAGym. We talked about how our favorites had their long-awaited victories (i.e. Kyla Ross winning the NCAA Balance Beam title and becoming an All-American in the all-around, Alex McMurtry doing Alex McMurtry things and winning the NCAA All-Around title outright, and more). We even Tweeted about our disappointments because our favorites didn't win or some seniors fell in their last ever routine. So much was packed in two to three days.

We gymnastics fans are still connected, what with the juicy drama surrounding Georgia, Illinois, and even Arizona. Basically, coaches are fired over situations being mishandled (UGA) and complaints (Illini) and we're not sure about Arizona. More to come, I guess. 

In my personal life, I have been a busy bee. I'm in another murder mystery that opens in one WEEK! :D I am not nervous about forgetting my lines so much as I am excited to be performing again. It's really a passion of mine that I do want to pursue as a career. I just really need the right boost or opportunity to lead me in that direction. 

I'm working on that. I am waiting to hear back about a cool internship in a nearby city at a children's theatre. It won't involve acting, but it's theatre. Theatre is more than just performance. It's arts administration, which was kinda my secondary concentration while in school. This job involves quite a bit of box office work, which I have been enjoying a lot. 

I really hope I get this job. Honestly, for the past year, I've felt like I haven't lived up to my potential. I know life doesn't work that way, but with the many years of goal-setting and the whole build up to graduating, it is a slower start than I initially wanted. However, there are many positives. I have still been able to rent my own apartment, work at a job I actually like with some BA coworkers, and I still have time to be involved with theatre. My family and friends are still around, and I have more time with them.

We'll just have to see when certain chapters of my life will begin and when others will end. Until then, I still get to come home from and sprawl on the couch and watch Grace and Frankie as much as I want...unless I have rehearsal...and dinner...and sleep. Ah, adulthood.

The Largest Theatre Conference in the US

For the fourth year in a row, I attended one of the most fun experiences I have ever.....well, experienced. That just happens to be the Southeastern Theatre Conference. I started attending when I was a college sophomore, and I have to say that it is truly a much needed opportunity for many a young theatre artist. There are workshops upon workshops about lighting, scenic design, acting, singing, dancing, costuming, makeup, business, education, etc. Along with a large expo hall with booths for credible companies and programs, masterclasses taught by known professionals, auditions, and a highly intense job fair, it is also a chance to meet other theatre geeks your age all in one place...and yes, there are very many attractive people.

This year was a bit like last year. I focused more on starting my theatre career (I'm including performing and other kinds of jobs because I like multiple areas) and trying to see what all is out there for me in the future. I attended the job fair for the second time, and I know I did a better job (hah, professional pun) at it. I had more resumes, and I gave most of them away. I also think I was better prepared overall. I had more than just Berea College on my resume, I had more of an idea of what adulting is like, and I was in a better overall mindset than last year. I was a graduating senior with assignments due as soon as I got to the conference. I was mentally and physically exhausted, and I was not as prepared as I thought.

Overall, I done good. After all of that stress and the long lines, I was able to enjoy the rest of the conference. I attended a Shakespeare vs. Sondheim workshop, my third Broadway Boot Camp, an acting workshop on Practical Aesthetics, and then a discussion panel with some amazing women who led a conversation about being a woman in theatre. It was very enlightening, and the wine was yummy.

Every year I go, I return with more motivation to be in theatre. I may not be working in my dream job right now, but I know reality means that I have to do things in order to get by. I still like my current job and coworkers, my tiny apartment is home, and I am in a comfortable groove. Life is good for me, right now.

 *leaves to listen to more Dear Evan Hansen*

Well....it's already February.

I have failed at blogging! I completely forgot January, but in my defense, I totally thought about it...and just forgot. I mean, NCAA Gymnastics season started that first weekend, so there went my entire free time, well other than the time spent missing snow (I don't like mild winters that can't make up their minds). 

I worked my first evening shift tonight. It was not as stressful as I expected. It was just different. I have been at my current job for almost six months...and I felt like I was in training (well, more when it came to closing). At the end of the shift, it wasn't so bad. 

Then, I had the pleasure of walking home in the 30-degree weather, but it allowed me to think about where I live. Berea is a small town, yet rather large because of residential areas. At the same time, it still has the feeling that everybody knows each other, the usual town gossip spreads quickly, and most places are closed by 9/10 pm except for the local Walmart, fast food, and gas stations by the interstate.

This was one of those times I was fascinated by seeing who was still up at midnight on a Friday evening. I was always interested in the patterns of people being awake, whether it was at 6 am or 2 am. It was also quiet, but not overpowering. It was peaceful, almost as if snow were falling and the sound was vacuumed (there is science behind that phenomenon that explains how that happens). Alas, there was no snow (*cries*), but the crisp of the air made winter feel very present and the small town feeling was alive in those ten or so minutes it took me to get home.