Thanks of the Week: Mechuwana, Green Shoes and the Lake

A little late thanks-of-the-week:  

Mechuwana Memories

This week I'm thankful for Camp Mechuwana's Music Theatre Camp.  My mom, sister, brother, grandfather, godmother, and cousins were all there this week.  It's really always been a family affair.  I have so many fond memories of camp. They performed "Sardines and Biscuits" this year, the show I performed my senior year at camp.  I played Joan Rivers.  This year the role was played by a boy.  So funny.

Relaxation

Learning how to "take a chill pill", as they say, is a work in progress for me.  I am proud of myself for being more aware of my stress level and taking time to just to breathe and enjoy myself.  Amidst all this wedding planning and working two jobs and just being uber busy, per usual, it's tres important to take a minute for yourself every now and then, and induldge in a mid-afternoon pick me up: an organge soda float, as I did today. :)

 Green Wedding Shoes

 My camera is seriously lame, but my green wedding shoes came in. Be still my heart....

The Lake

I just love going to the lake.  Harley loves to swim, and though I'm no mermaid (as much as I might wish I were) cooling off with a dip in the lake is so nice.  I'm loving that my husband to be has a go to lake camp, nice when it's as hot as it has been lately.

One weekend down, one more to go!

So the first weekend of performances for To Kill a Mockingbird have gone off with a smash! We had a snow storm on Saturday, but my family and Nate's family and some of our friends still came out...the show must go on!

This is, obviously, the best part: it's the payoff for all the hard work we put in. We have a brush up on Tuesday and then four more shows this weekend. But I still can't help wondering how people do this professionally, drama's anyway. When I walk off that stage I am so emotionally exhausted. I pour out all my heart and soul and feel so drained when it's through. I suppose we know that the story we are telling is an important one, and every night the audience is watching with new eyes, and we want to have just as important of an impact on them as we did the night's before.

I look like I'm about to hurl on that Bible! ha!

I have to say, I'm so happy my performance was so well received, or that my character is so hated anyway. My sister came back after the show and was like "you kinda freaked me out" and Nate kept saying "I knew it was you up there, but I had to keep looking because I thought it wasn't" and that he felt freaked out and upset by how distraught I was. That's acting, when your audience member shares your emotion, and then is concerned that you are really feeling what you're portraying, which I'm not, really. For that moment, yes I feel what Mayella feels, and when I'm off stage I have a bit of heaviness to my heart as I try to process through what we're doing, but I'm not exactly have screaming/crying fits in the green room. :)

Source

On a different note, I am starting a yoga class tonight. I'm pretty pumped. I've been looking for something active do while, while also regaining my sanity and finding time to recharge, hopefully I'll really like it and I won't break my neck! haha! Isn't this picture just to cutest! :)

Stretching my acting muscles

How do I manage to fall of the face of the earth so often? Oh yea, I'm just way too busy. I literally barely eat or sleep, does everyone else in the world function this way too? I often wonder that. And with all that I have going on, I get myself cast in a play on top of it. Nate thinks I'm crazy, but it's difficult to explain. Yes, being involved in theatre is a huge commitment, and literally consumes your every waking moment, but when you love it, you don't mind. It's something at the end of your day to look forward to. Being with people who make you feel good about yourself and doing something you love, everyone should try it.

Well, as mentioned, yes I am going to be performing in Community Little Theatre's production of "To Kill a Mockingbird". If you know me, this might come as a bit of a shock. For those who don't, let's explain: I am your stereotypical musical chorus girl. I like to sing, and dance and smile and just twirl around. I like comedy. Exhibit A: my sister and I at summer camp. I'm portraying Joan Rivers, and she Melissa Rivers. It wasn't the role I thought I wanted, but I'm hilarious and just can't help it. :)

Exhibit B: some of the cast of CLT's performance of "The Scarlett Pimpernel" We were playing tarts, which is the nicer word to use. I'm on the far right.

My long lost friends Crystal and Bridget with myself from the same show....

So, To Kill a Mockingbird? What?! Not a musical. Not a comedy. I am so out of my element. However, this has been an incredibly rewarding challenge. When Linda, the director, asked me if I'd be interested in auditioning for the part of Mayella, my reaction was something along the lines of "I'm sorry. Have you met me?" She joked that if cast she would see if she could work in Mayella's Dream Ballet in there. (an Oklahoma! joke) But I thought, hey, if she thinks I could do it, I'll give it a try-and got the part!

If you're unaware, To Kill a Mockingbird is the story of Scout Finch, a little girl living in the south during the drepession. She lives with her brother Jem and their lawyer father Atticus.

Atticus has been chosen to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who has been accused of raping a young white woman. Mayella. Yea, sounds like fun, eh? She's a terribly tormented and complex character. In the end you realize she is really both a victim and the villain. You hate her, but feel pity for her at the same time. I keep telling everyone I want to pull a Charlize Theron in "Monster"- both because people keep telling me "you're too pretty to play Mayella" (not wearing make-up to rehearsal shut them right up) but more importantly because the characters are similar in the victim/villain duality. They both do awful things, yet you feel bad for them....so tragically sad.

source

Putting so much of myself into this role has been both exhausting and rewarding. I've learned one major difference between drama and comedy, for me anyways, is that when you're doing comedy, yes you get to get up on stage and be someone else, but you're not really putting yourself out there. With drama, however, is terribly intimate. You have to open yourself up in new and uncomfortable ways. I feel naked, and exposed, emotionally anyways. I just hope it all pays off in the end. I hope lots of people will come out to support myself and my cast-mates and see first hand all the hard work we've been putting in.

Break a Leg,

For the Love of Drama

I have always known that I really really love drama. I just love the theater and love to be on stage. Ever since I was little, 7 to be exact, and my mom brought me to try out for "Oliver!" at CLT I've been hooked. It may seem shocking if you don't know me very well, because I know I'm very shy and quiet, but get my up there on a stage in front of tons of people, and Oh Boy look out! ha ha

The reason I bring it up is because I AM SO EXCITED about directing this show at St. Dom's. We've had a read through a one rehearsal so far and I just love it! I really love acting AND directing, and just anything to do with it! I'm a little overwhelmed with all there is to do to get this show off the ground, but it totally motivates me! I wish all my work could feel like this. I am really excited about working with this group of kids, because they are funny, and committed, and so motivated and excited to put on an awesome show! I've gotten very lucky. But, truly, I need to find a way to get this feeling all day. To find something to do that I think about all day long. That I just can't wait to do. That 3 hours flies by like it was 3 minutes. That I lay in bed thinking about, not able to sleep, because I'm so excited about my ideas. Something that makes me this happy.

Suggestions?