We officially live here--we have beds

So I'm sitting on a train with my laptop, trying to be productive. A blog update is productive, right?

Cash on Delivery is going into its last weekend. I love this cast, and I'm so blessed to have had this opportunity to work with them at a, well, a new theatre. This is Granbury Theatre Company's fifth official show (1776, The Secret Garden, I Do I Do, Plaid Tidings, Cash on Delivery). Anyway. Such a wonderful group of funny people who have a boatload of talent. Only four more shows.

And then The Sound of Music opens at Plaza. Norseman is sort of excited. I've not seen a rehearsal, but he says he's literally in two scenes, which is about four fewer than he'd anticipated as a chorus member.  But I guess a good portion of the show takes place in the Von Trapp household, where only family members are. That opens next Friday, and runs five or six weeks.

I did not get cast in Title of Show, so I have nothing officially on the horizon until March auditions for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.  Granbury Theatre Company is doing Fiddler on the Roof, which opens just after Scoundrels auditions. That will likely audition sometime next month, and I would love to go for Fruma Sarah. That's the part I'd wanted when Plaza did it last February, but the role was cast before callbacks. I was happy to be Yente, though. Carrie Rivera kicked boo-tay as Fruma Sarah in that production (and earned a Column Award nomination for that performance! --edited 2/2)

Sunshine was asked to be part of the chorus of her school's production of Guys and Dolls, but with only two weeks' notice. That and the $100+ in costume fees (say what?) caused her to politely decline.

I guess our big news, at least for me, is that we adopted a piano! It's a 1903 Kimball upright player piano. The player part is non-functional, but the piano part is fine. It's even mostly in tune, though I'll have it tuned up soon. My friend JL posted a picture on Facebook Saturday saying 'Free to good home! Just come get it!' My thumbs could barely type a reply fast enough (I was on my phone), as I nearly hyperventilated with excitement. Dad, the kids and I took his flatbed trailer to get it the next day (and then moaned and groaned in pain all day Monday—player pianos are even heavier than non-player pianos). I've wanted a piano since before I was five. Grandma Greenawalt had a piano, which I was sometimes allowed to 'play.'  Our piano is missing the player roller assembly, but it has the pneumatic bellows and such. Norseman and I went poking around in it, figuring out how it worked, how the player pedals folded out, how the player control panel was revealed. It was like National Treasure. “I wonder what this lever does... Oh wow, that is freaking awesome!”

Also, as of Sunday, we all now have real beds. No one is sleeping on a mattress or fold-out foam couch on the floor. All mattresses are now on real bed frames. I got my bed frame a few weeks ago, Norseman got his Sunday. Only six months after we moved in.

One other piece of odd news: I'm parting with my brainchild, ShutterMuse. A professional photographer in Canada contacted me about purchasing it. At first I was reticent (understatement) and completely ignored his inquiries. ShutterMuse is mine, dangit. It's part of me, part of my growth as a photographer, and by association, as an artist. But he persisted, and I had to concede that it really is doing no one any good as is. It's parked, unused,  And realistically, I'm not likely to do anything with it in the conceivable future. So I gave in. And I have mixed feelings about selling. It's weird, I guess. Even weirder to have such mixed feelings about what is essentially a blip of creative thought.

Chances are slim, but hopes are pathetically high

Norseman is deep into rehearsals for Sound of Music, Cash on Delivery and See How They Run are both open (got a great costuming mention in the Column review today!), and we're still not as busy as we were during Carol rehearsals.

Now that Cash is underway, of course I'm looking ahead to what's next. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels auditions aren't until mid-March, which is kind of an eternity away when you have nothing in the wings until then.

I'd initially figured I wouldn't audition for [title of show] because only two of the four roles are female, and with only four roles, all roles are major roles. I figured there was nothing in the show for me; that I really had no chance of getting cast, so why bother, right?

Then I did a show at another theatre. In Cash on Delivery, I'm working with a whole group of very seasoned actors, many of whom actually make, or have made, their living doing this--cruise ships, ballet companies, theatre directors and teachers, with more than a hundred years combined experience--who don't know where I've been other than what's in my bio. They see where I AM NOW, what I put on the stage NOW. And they utterly respect me and the talent I bring to the show. I can more than hold my own among these pro and semi-pro actors.

And then I listened to the cast recording--I mean truly listened. To the lyrics and the characters who sing them. The whole show is so FUN! Plaza is doing the Apropos version, so it'll be somewhat different, but still: FUN! One character in particular stood out, though, and I went, "Hey! That's almost me!"

So I'm auditioning. I know I'm capable. And if by chance I can convince the director I'm capable and right for the role, that the baggage of what I could do ten shows ago has no bearing on what I can do now, I'll have a kick-ass time on this show.

If not, the audition will be valuable experience, and I'll look forward to my Dirty Rotten Scoundrels audition, with perhaps another Granbury audition before then.

Here's a pic of our awesome Cash on Delivery cast!

5:08 and I'm still sane

It was a little disconcerting this morning to realize that there was no place any of us had to be today. No rehearsals, no holiday parties. It was almost akin to that weird panic you get when the Internet is out. I may or may not be addicted to going and doing.

It's now nearly 5pm and I've not yet lost my mind, so it's all good, probably.  Laundry is going, kitchen is clean, bathrooms are clean-ish. Vacuumed, ate, emailed. So far a productive day, and I'm still in my jammies.

Norseman did get cast in Sound of Music, though there was a bit of hubbub surrounding that. He killed auditions, did fabulously. He nailed his song and the German accent, and received great feedback that night from the directors. He watched his phone like a hawk on the appointed call day and even the day after, but received no invitation to callbacks. He found out later that he was in fact called back, but for some reason never received the voicemail left by the stage manager. He also learned that only significant roles were called back, so he was more than a little bummed to have missed the opportunity to at least compete for a good role. Instead, he was cast in the male chorus, and will be a solid vocal contribution.

Cash on Delivery is shaping up to be a hilarious show, and I am giddy-thrilled to be a part of it. Now that I'm more familiar with the script, I have to say that even though the role of Brenda Dixon is the smallest, it's the most fun. If I'd known more about the play when I auditioned, I'd have asked specifically for this part.  Brenda is a special mess of crazy, and in my barely ten minutes on stage I get to run the gamut from annoyed, concerned, angry, hysterical, seething, worried, crushed, sad, devastated, tipsy, anguished, surprised, relieved, excited, and lovestruck. I got a 'Bravo!' from a castmate at yesterday's rehearsal. I love this role! And she's a far cry from Ethel McCormack.

A Christmas Carol is heading into its final week. Shows every night this week, closing on Saturday night. I'm already bummed that in one week it will be over, and I won't be playing with any of my Carol peeps any time in the near future. I miss 'em already. :-(

Soon we'll be attending the wedding of two of my Annie castmates (one of whom I bragged about here), which will undoubtedly be a reunion of many shows, as both have been busy Plaza actors for a while. I'm excited for them--they are adorable together.

I am so blessed to know the people and have the opportunities I do.

Ready, set...

The Saturday shows were a little easier. I think most of us at least managed not to cry at all by the evening show. The Tiny Tim grave scene is the hardest.

One good thing: I snagged my script for Cash on Delivery at Granbury Theatre Company. Yep, that's a bit of news I've not found time to blog. I shared my dilemma, but not the outcome.

I did manage to scoot across the street that Saturday to audition for See How They Run. It went very well; I read for all three female parts and even the usually-male Sergeant. They had very few people audition, and I think I did as well as I could have, so I was encouraged.

Cash on Delivery auditions were changed to one-and-done (no callbacks) on that same Saturday. I'd arranged with Luke, the director, to audition for him before the matinee of Ragtime, but when he heard about the sparse Run auditions, I think he figured I'd be cast there, so we didn't take the time to read for Cash.

On Tuesday, one of the producers pulled me aside at Carol rehearsal and said they were very impressed with my Run audition, and really tried to figure out some creative casting options for me, but since the three female roles were all pretty big parts, my Carol performance schedule conflicting so much with rehearsal schedule was just an insurmountable obstacle. Which I totally understand. I'd...um... sort of forgotten... that we had four additional weekday performances... which would obviously necessitate my missing rehearsal.

The next day, I messaged Luke and let him know that if he needed people (he also had slim pickin's as far as auditioners) and could work with my schedule, I was available. He sent me some audition sides, I read for him before our Thursday performance of Ragtime. Then the following Sunday evening, he called to offer me the role of Brenda Dixon, the fiancee of one of the main characters who doesn't show up until half-way through Act II. Of course I accepted. Those rehearsals start next weekend for me.

I'm excited to add another theatre to my résumé, and this is a fun, small-but-juicy comedic role. Miss Dixon is the center of attention nearly every minute she's on stage.

Norseman will audition for The Sound of Music at Plaza on Tuesday, so between costuming Run, Cash rehearsals for me and possibly Music rehearsals for him, we may be running silly for a while.
What a blessing :)

A very cool dilemma when I think about it

It's only been a month since I last posted, yet I feel as though I've been neglecting this blog. It's not like many people read it--I guess I blog more for my own benefit.

Trying to think of non-theatre news, and have none, really. I've now worked long enough at my job to be able to take PTO time. Um... Norseman got his class shirt and is scheduled for yearbook pics... Sunshine got contacts.  Oh, and I realized it was daylight savings and set my clocks back this morning.

Yeah. That's about it.

Theatre news? Why yes! I do have theatre news.

Ragtime is simply amazing. (Stellar review here.)  (Another one here.) We only have two weekends left, which is kind of sad. It is SUCH a good show, and I imagine will receive multiple award nominations. It's THAT good. We have an equity actor in the cast, so the show will be considered in the Equity category for Column Awards, a first for Plaza.  After last night's show, a man shook my hand and said "You have such a beautiful voice." Which is kind of cool, since I'm a chorus member and have no solo songs. But I am usually the only alto around and sing loud to be heard in a sea of sopranos.

Sunshine's Footloose double, NM, is in A Christmas Carol. She had a double, but said double had to quit the show. So Sunshine agreed to take the role, and double with NM again.  Yes, despite being very mature and deciding against auditioning, she got sucked into the show anyway. :) Tech week for that show is Thanksgiving week, which the kids have off from school. And since I can now take PTO time, I'm already planning to work half days that week.

I mentioned that I'm costuming See How They Run, and that I might have to audition. Granbury Theatre Company is doing Cash on Delivery in the same time slot. Both shows are directed by men who were single-cast in Guys and Dolls at Plaza. I'd love to do both shows, but as I'm costuming Run and it's only 9 miles away, that would be my preference. However, Cash is a great show, too, and I would love to work with GTC. My original plan was to audition for Run on Monday night, and I'd at least know if I was called back before Cash auditions on Saturday. I thought I'd hit a snag when Run auditions were moved to Saturday, no appointment required, auditions and callbacks rolled into one. At the same time that I'm to be in Carol rehearsal. At the same time as Cash auditions.

But I messaged with the Run director, who agreed to let me audition after rehearsal if I couldn't slip away. Yay! Though I suspect he already has people (who are not me) in mind for roles. And I also talked to the Cash director, who invited me to crash callbacks next Tuesday! (!!) *blink* UmWhat? Can you repeat that?  Just come directly to callbacks? Me? *blink* Yep. So I'm really excited about that. Except that Carol rehearsals will be buckling down by then and I hate missing ANY rehearsal and I'm single cast and my absence would be an annoyance for everybody. But I'm not sure how I can pass this up. It's an honor, and speaks to the director's confidence in me. I need to take advantage of this opportunity.

I've consulted my Carol stage manager, and will talk to the director, too. If I'm cast in Run (hah!), it's a moot point. If not (probable), it's a dilemma.