ceebeegee | Entries tagged with ttc

Lots of soccer this weekend--two games Saturday and one yesterday. I had very little downtime between the two on Saturday so I was pretty much exhausted for the second game (I even napped on my way to the field). But I killed it in the first one--of our team's four goals scored, I scored two of them! One of the guys on the other team said admiringly "player of the game!" (This was during a very windy game--and the wind was against us, and we had these ridic tiny popup goals.) And the best sign was that the guys consistently passed it to me. YAY MY BALL SKILLZ ARE IMPROVING. SO HAPPY. The clinics I took have *really* helped my game. I got to the game yesterday a bit late (fuck the MTA, haaaaaaate, I waited TWELVE MINUTES for a train) so I had to sit out the first part. When they put me in, it was at halfback--normally I play forward but I can play back if necessary. It was fun actually, it's nice getting a break from constantly trying to score--sometimes it's nice to cockblock them for a change. Again, one of the opposing players was very complimentary, telling me "you have got this section SECURED, man!" Afterward we all went for a beer.

My Dolphman season is starting up again--first game is this coming Sunday. This may be my last season with them--I've had a lot of fun but it really does irritate me that we don't play as a team. We could do so much better--we could and should support each other so much more, by passing and supporting. We shall see.

We had auditions for Rocky Horror--it's mostly cast but we're still looking for a Brad (we have a candidate coming in on Wednesday to sing). Several returnees, including Stephen (tho' not as the narrator--he's ensemble), Paul as Rocky, Jen as Janet and Muslimah in the ensemble (and me of course as Columbia). And Tawni is NOT Magenta--she had no shot anyway, after her shit during Pirates but luckily she didn't audition that well anyway. An adorable preppy/goth type named Charlotte is Magenta, and the guy who played Riff Raff in 2005 (so Jason knows him) is coming back. And our Frank! He is absolutely amazing--incredible voice and just loves the role. Mateo wanted to auditon and emailed me, asking me to "keep him notified" or something like that--but he never came to the audition. I hope he wasn't waiting for me to email him personally! I'm sure he was emailed by Dave and got the Facebook invite but it's a little weird. But regardless, as great an actor as Mateo was, he really cannot sing :( And the new Frank definitely can!

Roland showed up to audition and typically managed to drive Dave and me absolutely insane with irritation in under 5 minutes. He came shuffling in with a goofy grin and was asking us "what is this about? Are you having auditions? Should I sign up? I don't have anything prepared..." YOU CAME IN HERE. We did not seek you out, you moron--you came in here, don't take up our time with your unprofessional behavior and your inane drivel! Oh my God, he is so unbelievably annoying. I told Dave about his nonsense during A Christmas Carol 2007 (he casually told Gina and me that he couldn't be there for most of tech week--dropped this little bombshell the day before). He just DOESN'T GET IT. He is a perfectly nice guy but sometimes that's just Not Enough. I can't believe that Caley ever dated him!

Oh sweet Jesus, Pirates is over HALLELUJAH.

Not that I didn't love the experience but it took up an enormous amount of time, even after it opened. I can play softball and soccer on the weekends again! I have free time! YAAAAAAYYY! This weekend was especially time-suckalicious--we moved the show to the cemetery. (The first two weekends were at the amphitheater in Frank Sinatra Park, the last was at Hartsimus Cemetery in Jersey City. They do shows and events like this as a fundraiser for their cemetery--we're doing a couple of performances of Rocky Horror there as well, in October.) The move sucked up time because I had to have a rehearsal on Wednesday adapting the blocking to the new space, which only about half the cast could attend. Which meant that I had to get there very early on Saturday, to show the remaining cast members the space. Then it rained--we held, then started again. It immediately started raining again, so we held again. Poor Taylor had to sing "O Is There Not One Maiden Breast" THREE TIMES (we had a hard time finding the place where he'd stopped on the track). We finally finished the show and the audience loved it--they were really rooting for us by the end!

Sunday I played in my organized soccer league--we had been undefeated but we played one of the best teams in the league and lost. Not by much (2-0) but still. Kind of frustrating because we played pretty well, we just didn't convert our chances. HOWEVER I played probably my best game so far--I was trapping very well, handling the ball, getting around defenders and wow! I was thrilled, especially when not just once but several times the goalie warned the defenders about me. Ooooh, I'm dangerous! Very flattering.

After the game I went into Jersey City to the cemetery for our closing performance. The show started off very hot and sunny (my hair is crazy-blonde today from all the sun) and then AGAIN during "Oh Is There Not One Maiden Breast" it started pouring. We huddled under the tents for quite awhile--at least a half-hour, possibly closer to 45 minutes. Finally it started to clear up and Paul (one of the ensemble pirates) and I were sweeping the bigger puddles off the "stage" and laying down carpet. But now we had a new problem--Duncan and Michael (our Pirate King) both had to be gone by around 6, and we were well past 5:00 already. I ended up having to cut two songs from the second act on the fly--thankfully the actors were all good sports about it, and Lauren (our sound designer) could figure out where to pick up. We still went past 6:00 but Duncan had a ride to the PATH station and I told him to take a cab once he got into the city. It really was a perfect storm of inconvenience--when we started again it was still raining just a bit and Dave told me if it rains any harder than this, I should call the show (he had to leave so I was the House Manager). But no, it stopped raining completely--which is a good thing, but I was also super-stressed about getting Michael and Duncan out of there in time. Anyway it all worked out.

After we packed up everything, we all walked over to Dave's apartment for a cast party and I screened The Pirate Movie for the cast. Melissa and Kristy LOVED it--they were glued to the screen the whole way through. Dave's friend Christian loves the movie as well and he and I were singing the blow job song ("Pumping and Blowing"). If you're treadin' water and romance is on the slide/Don'tcha ya know you have to swallow/Something more than water/....It's your pride... Ah, good times. Such a guilty pleasure that movie is. Afterward Dave and I were talking about Rocky Horror--we need to set the dates for auditions, they will probably be sometime in late August. And I ended up being schmoozed by Tawni (who played one of the daughters in Pirates)--she REALLY wants to audition for Magenta. Um--I'm actually not that crazy about Tawni. She gave off major attitude during the Pirates rehearsal process (at one point she tried to correct me on my own choreography)--lots of attitude with nothing really to back it up. (She's going for her MM, really? From which school? Because she really does not sound well-trained.) She has her moments onstage but she's a very sloppy, fidget-y performer and DOES NOT take notes. And frankly she's kind of lazy onstage--she's more interested in having fun than actually playing a character and being invested in what's going on. She's complacent, which I detest in performers. Several weeks ago I put her on my mental "will not cast again" list. But she was all sweetness and light last night and we actually had a fun conversation about 19th century art music, specifically lieder. She would be a good fit for Magenta, but I'd have to talk with her first and say "dude. You'd better clean up your performances and DON'T cop an attitude. Do not ever try to school me on my own staging." Also if Kelly Anne comes back (last year's Magenta), she will have the first shot. Dave and I are going back and forth about whether or not to flat-out offer everyone in the last cast their roles again. I would be fine with doing so, but for one exception--Stephen who played the Criminologist. He really misfired, IMO--I love Stephen but did NOT like what he did with that role. Susan wants to audition and I can't come right out and say "you're in" but of course I'm probably going to cast her. She's a fierce dancer and looks great in skimpy clothes, and I love working with her, it's a no brainer. She was interested in choreographing but I really want Robert to do it again, I loved those dances! So much fun.

I have to say, as much as I loved working with Susan this time, I wish she had been a little bit more on the ball. I told her "I need you to choreograph this and this and this"--about 4-5 things (not even full numbers) all in all. And we would get to rehearsal and she would sort of figure it out during rehearsal--girl, I need it AHEAD of time, you need to come with it already blocked for the most part. In fact you need to show it to me beforehand so I can decide if it'll work. And she kept saying "my" choreography--uh, no, *I* choreographed nearly all of the show! This is why I added "musical staging by Clara Barton Green" to the program. I'm very proud of my dances, I worked my ass off on them!

Anyway it was fun to look forward to Rocky--I NEED some time off (I am exhausted today) but am definitely antici....pating the fall! And I must say, the extremely positive response we have gotten for Pirates makes me very happy. It wasn't an ideal show (Michael never really worked as the PK--not sure what his deal is but he was a sinkhole of charisma, really bland. I tried so hard but he flickered to life only a few times. Also, Mara is a sweetie but has some major liabilities as a performer--for one thing she needs to look people in the eye!) but it was a pretty good one, a very light, sweet, delightful show, if I may say so myself. The cast did a great job and I loved the costumes (Roe did exactly what I wanted with the daughters) and the laughter from the audience was extremely gratifying. And I know Dave was thrilled.

As I mentioned last month, TTC is remounting The Pirates of Penzance--we're doing it waterside at Frank Sinatra Park. We had auditions right after Memorial Day and are now in the full swing of rehearsals. Interestingly, even though we had fewer people come out this time, the cast is stronger. Our Frederic is TERRIFIC--although not *quite* as strong an actor as Marvin (though still great), he has an amazing voice, absolutely lovely. I cast the same Mabel as before, Jen Connor, who is terrific as always--gorgeous voice and marvelous comic instincts. Dave and I had decided we would open up all the roles (i.e., not automatically offer people their old role)--there were a couple of reasons for this. Mainly because when Dave first wanted to remount it last summer, he got a brushoff vibe--and then when he did a little research, apparently there was annoying backstage drama with some cast members. So whatever, we had open auditions and Jen was 1 of 4 potential Mabels--we had a lot of strong Mabels come out, more than last time. Jen probably had a slight edge since she knew what kind of Mabel I wanted, but still I gave a detailed breakdown of the kind of comedy I was doing, and what I was looking for, and she was definitely the strongest actress. So good for her, she rewon her role! But even better, we have FIVE, count 'em, FIVE pirates, including Paul (who was Rocky in The Rocky Horror Show last fall, total sweetie) and Dylan, (who did tech in Christmas Carol).

Dave is the music director and he ran the early rehearsals; the cast sounds pretty good so far, and of course Dave is so much better than that terrible MD we had last time (he taught them almost nothing--half the cast hardly knew the score after a week). Now we are blocking and teaching dance. Rehearsals are going VERY WELL--we staged "Pour O Pour" and "O Better Far" and they are going to look GREAT. I'm using a lot of the same staging as last time but improving it since I now have much more space and more performers. It is a lot of fun "building" a show with actors--you pre-stage as much of it as you can, but then you have to be open to new possibilites and suggestions. One of our pirates, a guy named Mike Wolff, wants to do a random Russian accent--I immediately said YES and you must also sing in the accent. I said the one person in the audience who will be close enough to pick you out will find that hilarious.

I've been leading the cast in the Pirates mantra--We are not proud. We will throw anything against the wall to see what sticks. As before, I talked to the cast about the two tone-inspirations for my version--Airplane! and The Pirate Movie. About the latter, I said yeah, it's definitely a guilty pleasures--I mean come on, the movie has a song about BLOW JOBS. But still, they will throw anything out there to make you laugh. Crotch jokes? Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark references? A food fight? Whatever works, man. I have to admire that kind of sunny willingness to debase oneself in the service of comedy!

Working with the daughters tonight--they're learning "Climbing Over Rocky Mountain" and "O Is There Not One Maiden Breast?" I just love this score so much. I really have to do my all-female version so I can sing the Pirate King!

I'm going away this weekend, to Philadelphia to visit my brother Erik and his family. They had twins a year and a half ago (Emily and Erik Jr.)--I knitted booties for them and now I get to meet them. Taking the train down tomorrow night--it should be an easy trip, just 90 minutes. And I've never really been *to* Philly so this should be fun. I'd love to catch a game but we'll probably do some historical sites instead. I haven't seen Erik in FOREVER so I'm really looking forward to it.

I texted Lori a little while ago and haven't heard back from her yet--she is expecting her (second) baby this week, in fact the due date was a few days ago so things may have started already. I told her she didn't have to text me back (just in case), but just to know I was thinking about her, Kevin and Phoebe.

We had our first production meeting for Pirates (TTC is remounting it) this week. Guess who my choreographer is? SUSAN! Isn't that a great idea? I'm so thrilled it came to me--she's an awesome choreographer, she's an awesome friend and it helps her out as well! *And* I have someone at my back whom I trust completely! Win, win, win! We are having auditions the Tuesday and Wednesday after Labor Day and we go up in mid-July--we're performing at Frank Sinatra Park!

I logged quite a bit of rehearsal time for Vagina Monologues this weekend and we're almost caught up. I've worked with nearly everyone except for two whom I'll see tomorrow, and I think it's going really well. We had an AMAZING rehearsal yesterday for the two-actor piece "My Vagina Was My Village" (about what Bosnian women experienced during the Yugoslav conflict). This was the second time I'd worked with these two women--the first time, last weekend, we talked about the language (there's a lot of poetry in this piece), the structure, the sensuality. All technical stuff. Yesterday we revisited it. The piece has two "sides," two voices--the first is a woman remembering all these beautiful good memories, "green forest," her boyfriend lying next to her in a meadow, that sort of thing. I worked with her on loosening up her body--I said this stuff is so sensual, you can express that physically, you don't have to just stand there. If you want to reach out or run your fingers up your arm, something like that, you can and should. And at one point she talks about singing and songs--the previous week I'd said you can sing this, if you like. So when she came back she sang through that stanza and then we decided to have her sing parts of it, rather than throughout the stanza. It sounded really, really cool, very organic.

The other piece is MUCH darker--very strong, difficult language about the terrible things she experienced. I had a hard time getting this actor to connect with what she was saying--she had a kind of monotonous reading (a lot of American actors sound like this, because our way of speaking is much less modulated than the Brits) and it was a little too "this bad thing happened and then THAT bad thing happened." Too pat. So I said I'm going to try an exercise with you--if you find it too cheesy, we'll do something else. She started again and I jumped very close to her and bellowed. I kept dancing around and yelling at her, random phrases and gestures that she wouldn't be expecting. And it WORKED--she was startled into actually connecting with the language and what she was saying. She was actually trembling afterwards but she loved it and wanted me to do it again. She also was connecting to what the other actress was saying when she did the singing bit--she found herself getting angry that this lovely innocence had been destroyed. So we did it again and about halfway through I stopped jumping at her because I was riveted to the floor. FANTASTIC reading. Just terrific.

I also had a soccer game and was injured AGAIN. I'm getting very tired of this. Maybe it's a winter thing? It is hard for me to warm up. Anyway I turned on my knee and hyperextended it and now it feels like it'll buckle at any time. Grrr! Not like! I honestly don't know if I'll be able to play this weekend--if I can't, I will make pan cookies or something like that. I'm pretty sure I'm old enough to be the mother of most of the rest of my team--I might as well act like a team mother! But we spanked the other team, 4-1--and their one goal was scored by US! (One of our defenders accidentally kicked it in.) BUT they were still a pretty good team--I think they were outshooting us. And one of our goals was a complete fluke--our goalie had the ball and kicked a big, long pass down the field. It bounced once in the end zone of the other team and the goalie misjudged it and it went over her head. I felt bad for her, that certainly sucks. Still, I'll take the goal ;)

This makes me ridiculously happy. I don't even LIKE McDonald's (unless I'm in Spain for nine months--I frequently indulged in a McChicken during my cruise ship contract) and I almost never go in there. But Shamrock Shakes! They make me happy because they taste good and they're about St. Patrick's Day!

Bart called me this morning--he has tickets for Merrily We Roll Along for this Saturday afternoon, but sadly I can't go with him. VERY sad, I love that show! What a fantastic, inventive score--I LOVE "Our Time" and the lead-in to the reprise of "The Hills of Tomorrow":

It is the obligation we have been given.
It is to NOT turn out the same.
It is to grow, to accomplish--
To change the world.

Bart told me that 1) his partner Walter knows Lonnie Price (the original Charlie Kringas) and 2) Lonnie Price was the obnoxious hotel heir in Dirty Dancing! "He said 'What does he have that I don't have?' And she said 'Two hotels.'"

I went to the doctor Tuesday and they referred me to a cardiologist. They didn't seem too worried, though--guess I'm not about to have a heart attack! The nurse was taking my information--I filled one of these out when I first started going there but I guess they were updating everyone's info. All the questions about cancer, thyroid, etc. I was like no, no, no. Heart disease? Oh yes. Ohhhhhhh yes--my father's side of the family is riddled with heart disease. My grandfather (heart attack, then later died of a coronary), my uncle (several heart attacks), my father (angioplasty), my brother had some kind of scare, a couple of my aunts. OH yes. So it's--weird to feel my heart beating, a little sobering.

I have put the Meetup soccer games on the back burner for now for a couple of reasons. No. 1), they're hard to get to, 2) the style of play is VERY intense. 3 30 minute games with NO substitutions is a lot for me--I'm just not in that kind of shape. But I want to be and I will--those games are something to work towards. So I researched and found another league, the New York Social Sports Club. The style of play is less intense (2-18 minute halves WITH substitutions) and they emphasize the social aspect quite a bit. The league sets up a relationship with a nearby bar and we're encouraged to hang out there after the game, we get discounts on pitchers, etc. In theory this is a cute idea. But this bar's set up kind of blows. Instead of hanging out on the bottom floor which has cute small bar tables and dim lighting, they open up the 2nd floor which has super-bright flourescent lights and tacky long plastic tables. And the discounted pitchers? For BUD. And BUD LITE. Guh-ross. Not worth the calories! Still though, the other people on the team are cool.

How adorbs are we! This was after our first game which we lost--but we won the next two. The kids on it are a fun group but they are KIDS--I am Grandma next to them! It is frustrating too that my skills haven't come back yet--I seem to have lost the ability to kick left-footed. I'm doing okay but have not scored a goal yet. We have practices on Saturdays but now that rehearsals for The Vagina Monologues have started, it's difficult for me to attend.

Yes, I'm directing The Vagina Monologues for TTC. We're nearly a week into rehearsals; it's going pretty well so far, although there has been DRAMMER. I can't talk about it, obviously. Let's just say doing a show with this many amateurs has its challenges!

Oy. Very tired lately, the commute is hard on me. Leaving work, I hit the ground running at 7:00, take the train to 42nd & 6th, scooter as fast as I can down the two long blocks to Port Authority (through Times Square!), take the bus to Hoboken and then scooter REALLY fast to Monroe Arts Space. I have been warming up ON the bus, and even on the scooter--it is essential that I warm up physically for this show.

The tap combination is not difficult but I've been a little stressed about it because I haven't nailed it yet in a runthrough. The main reason is that I can't hear the track when I start it, because the rest of the cast is supposed to be cheering me on. So I get ahead of myself. I've been working on it with the track at home but there are a couple of problems--for one thing, I'm terribly self-conscious about making too much noise and annoying the neighbors below. So I can really only tap during the day. Another problem is that there seems to be a sound problem on my computer--the sound is kind of low and the extra speakers I have don't seem to be working. So I can't really hear it there either! So the best solution is to try to work through it anyway, jack up the sound as much as I can and just drill the combination over and over, to get the pace into my body. I mean, realistically even if I do get a little ahead, I doubt the audience will notice, there'll be too many bellowing "2-4-6-8, show us how you masturbate!" But still, I want to get it perfect.

The good news is that with all the obsessive drilling, my triples have never been better! The sounds are clean and right on rhythm--very happy, because something occurred to me. If you're dancing a tap solo, as opposed to a group number--your sounds had better be clean! You can't hide behind anyone :) And I've been doing the combination very fast, much faster than the tempo on the track. I have to warm up like crazy to get to that point, though. And I tend to tap lazily on my left side--the more warmed up I am, the less this is a problem but still, have to correct it. I guess I'm not an ambidextrous tapper! (Which is odd, since I am an ambidextrous kicker.)

It's funny, this show isn't that difficult, certainly not musically but the dance isn't difficult either, there's just a LOT of it. ("Time Warp" in particular is FULL of dance--I'm exhausted by the end of that number! Lots of fun but stuffed with 'ography.) I am an enormous perfectionist as a dancer, because I'm not nearly as strong a dancer as I am a singer, so I compensate as much as I can. I go home and drill these dances and now I have probably the strongest grasp of the dances of anyone in the cast besides the dance captain! She's even asked ME about stuff! And the cast seems to think I'm this amazing tapper--I've had several comments along the lines of "so amazing, I wish I could tap....I'm so impressed by people who can tap..." Uh, I am NOT really a tapper, per se! I have some experience and I can do basic steps and am always trying to improve myself, but compared to REAL tappers? They'd eat me alive! Vera Ellen's ghost is safe :) (Although I tried to stutter-tap a few days ago--it's not actually that hard! I was sort-of doing it anyway :)

When I was preparing for this audition, I talked with Susan about my sense of myself as a dancer. I was brought up as a singer first and foremost--my mother and brother were both opera singers, I was singing in our professional-quality church choir from a very young age, I was always in chorus in high school, etc. Mom was utterly uninterested in dance--she put me in a ballet class for a while when I was in third grade, but I had no more training after that. And that's kind of a shame. I LOVE dancing. It's not easy for me, but I really love it. I'm an athlete, of course I like to move! I think if I'd had more training as a kid, it would come a little quicker for me. But anyway, because I had such a strong identity of myself as a singer, I had a kind of anti-identity as a dancer which was only reinforced when I started working in theater after graduation and coming up against really GOOD dancers, of whom Susan was one. So I've always been very humble, and realistic, about my dance abilities. And when I talked with Susan about going for Columbia I said "I feel almost--arrogant about going for this dancer role but the thing is--I know I can do it. I know I can do it. Watching her in the movie, I know I can learn that combination. I won't get it right away, it'll take me longer than a real dancer, but I know I'll get it...and I KNOW I can sell the shit out of it." Susan will argue with me about this--she thinks I'm a better dancer than I admit, mainly due to my work ethic. It is a great pleasure to master something through sheer dint of hard, meticulous work.

Of course during rehearsals those of us who know the movie will be muttering responses under our breath, or even out loud. It's hilarious how many responses I didn't realize I knew! The other day we were running the climactic scene and Branan as Riff Raff waves his gun and says "So...say goodbye to all of this..." and I blurt out "Goodbye, all of this!" Branan: "...and say hello to...oblivion!" Me: "Hello, oblivion! How's the wife and kids?" Honestly I haven't thought about that response since HIGH SCHOOL!

I am loving the score. Right now my favorites are "Science Fiction Double Feature" and "Over at the Frankenstein Place."

So I've been reading about how badly Irene hit upstate New York, so I definitely want to plan an apple-picking/pumpkin-patching trip sometime soon, so we can give them our money! Gotta look after our agrarian brothers and sisters...

Rocky Horror Show auditions--as I mentioned, I heard a couple of weeks ago that they'd be bringing it back, minus a few cast members. I told Dave I would be very interested in auditioning for Columbia--I said I could tap some, but my weakness was picking up choreography quickly. This is because of my training--I'm hyperliterate (started reading at a very young age and read voraciously), and as an actor and as a classically trained singer, I've been taught to look at the page first. But dancers don't learn this way--they learn with their feet. Even with my athletic background, it's not as easy for me--there's a whole extra step in the learning process for me that trained dancers don't have, which really slows me down at auditions. When I was in rehearsal for my ship contract, we ran up against this with our choreographer when Aly and I were taught the Land of a Thousand Dances combination. One of the easiest combinations ever--just the dance steps that are outlined in the song (Pony, Chicken, Mashed Potato, etc.)--but we didn't know some of those steps and after an already exhausting day, not much was sinking in and it took us forever to learn the sequence. I was begging the choreography (Stacy?) to just STOP and let me write down the steps--I kept trying to explain to her that singers learn differently. But she didn't understand and just kept drilling us.

I make up for this lack by working my ASS off in rehearsal. No one who sees me dance in a show will ever see anything less than the most polished performance I can give. Susan can tell you, when she and I did shows together, I was constantly pulling her aside and making her breakdown sequences for me. Since I'm not nearly as strong a dancer as I am a singer, I can't get away with anything--I have to work TWICE as hard. At any rate, Dave seemed interested...then the following week I saw the audition notice go up on Facebook. Columbia was not listed, so I thought gee, I guess the other girl is coming back, and I emailed Dave. He said no, I was still in the running and Robert needed to see me tap.

So I did my homework. I hadn't tapped in over ten years, so I took a couple of classes at Steps on Broadway. They have Basic Tap on Saturday and Sunday mornings. (I cannot get over how inexpensive dance classes are--$17 a class! Susan thinks it's a ripoff but I'm comparing it to voice lessons which are easily $80 and up in NYC.) The one on Saturday was with an older black woman and there was just me and on other dancer in the class, so it was almost like a private session. She certainly knew her stuff but it was very, very detailed, small, micro-teaching, focused on technique. We didn't learn any combinations. The class the next day was more like a traditional tap class, with a lot more people (at least 25) and a guy at the front showing us the steps, breaking them down, and then combining them together. He went kind of fast but I'm proud to say I was able to keep up, although I was fudging some of those steps at the end! (Although it helped that I already knew how to do a time-step.) I really enjoyed the Sunday class and found it more helpful--what I need most is to build my tap repertoire and learn steps like back essences and the waltz clog.

The next day I called Susan and asked if she could help me--originally I asked her to make up a tap combination and teach it to me quickly, under audition conditions, so I could get back into that mode. This evolved into my learning Columbia's combination from the movie. I found a breakdown of the steps online and then we compared it with the few clips of the combo that are on YouTube. (Richard O'Brien obviously polices his show quite thoroughly! Clips of RHPS are not easy to find online.) I learned it and was even able to do it a tempo after a couple of days--it wasn't pretty but I did learn it! Most of it looked fine but the chaine turns--turns are NOT my forte! I don't spot very well...

Robert has been sick at last week but was finally better for the weekend and we set up an audition appointment at his place, for Sunday evening. Saturday was my first volunteer shift for RightRides which was fun but EXHAUSTING. I did not get into bed until 5:30 am! So rehearsal for the reading of The Empress of Sex was not easy, because I was trying VERY hard not to fall asleep. After rehearsal I went over to Susan's apartment and tarted myself up good with fishnets, dance shorts and lots of glittuh eye makeup. And I did my hair in messy ponytails--I was going for the "kid who's stayed a little too long at the rave" look for my Columbia. I warmed up at Susan's place and on the train (which naturally took forever). When I got to Robert's place (his apartment is adorable, nice little restored ground floor place in the Heights), he got right to work and tested me on a battery of steps, including double-time steps, back flaps, and various shuffle and ball-change mini-combinations. At one point he asked me "can you do [ describes lunge-shuffle step]" I said "do you mean maxies? Sure." *execute right and left maxies* He asked if I could do wings--I said No! He asked if I could fake them--I hesitated and then, figuring the fake would be most convincing the closer my feet were to the ground, relaxed my legs from the knees down and then whipped out a fake wing. He said, good! Can you do two in a row? Sure. *does so, then does 3 in a row* He said to me in amazement, who knew you could tap?! I said well, I haven't done it in a while but yes, I have tapped in several shows. I was trying to remember them all--I started with Me and My Girl, then The Boyfriend ("Perfect Young Ladies" which technically was not tap as I did not have on tap shoes for that number since I was in the preceding scene but the technique was all tap and the other dancers, when they entered, all had on tap shoes. I *still* remember that combination!), Lucky Stiff ("Welcome back, Mr. Witherspoon!" *stomp, STOMP* "MIS-ter WITH-er-spoon...we always knew you'd be...BACK..." *stomp, shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, stomp, ball-CHANGE*). I know I did another tap show as well but it's escaping me right now. ANYWAY, Robert said you've got the part. YAAAAAYYYYY!!!!!

So so excited!!! I love it that this is a DANCE role, my very first one! (That is, my very first dance principal.) I mean, it's not Anita or anything but it's a by-God DANCE role. And I wanted it and I worked for it and I got it!

Robert told me where to find a rehearsal video of the combination so I looked it up--other than the wings, it'll be easy!

Who's going to be playing Columbia in the upcoming remount of Rocky Horror Show at TTC this October?

I am! That's who!

Saturday night I went to the TTC Season Announcement Cabaret. Dave had spoken to me earlier about directing The Vagina Monologues and remounting Pirates again next summer in Frank Sinatra Park. At the cabaret I found out that they were also bringing back Rocky Horror, which they'd done last winter and which was awesome and hilariously fun. And I found out that the actress who played Columbia isn't coming back (I guess she's on tour)--I would loooove to audition. I talked to Dave about it who seemed interested--I will pull my tap shoes out tonight and see about picking up a class at BDC (and of course rent the movie). I can tap a little, though I need time to get the choreography down. No wings though! Rocky Horror is such a damn fun show, I hope I give a decent audition.

Earlier on Saturday we had a rehearsal for Patrick and Lisa's Wedding, which I am remounting for Duncan (we did it first back in '08, for TTC when it was still DeBaun). At this point we are MORE than ready to go up, it's just tweaking and finetuning and shirring the edges to make it more real, less stage-y. All three of my actresses are great. Ashley is reprising her role as Heidi, but I recast the other two roles. Originally I'd asked back Courtney as the flakey bride Lisa but she bailed at the last minute for no really good reason which, frankly, really pissed me off and I will probably not use her again. But her replacement is actually better--Danielle is a naturally comic actor whereas Courtney, while talented, is more likeable on stage than actually funny. As for the third actor, I'd always intended to replace Francesca who has a certain amount of raw talent but whom I just could not get much out of. She never grew in the role, and really lacked energy. So I asked Anya to play Maggie, and she's doing a pretty good job so far, I'm very pleased. She has a harder time with the whininess at the top of the play (but who wouldn't, whininess is difficult to pull off) but does great with the interactions with Heidi and at the end. So, very proud of all my actors.

I'm so busy I barely have time to write about how busy I am. Non-stop rehearsing this past weekend and next weekend is even worse. It's actually quite stressful--I'd really love to just have one day off, with nothing to do, but that won't happen for at least two and a half weeks. But the show is on its feet--it is entirely blocked and we have been working and polishing ever since. I'm especially proud of the Foeman number which I choreographed entirely myself--it is a tricky little number about military formation, playing on the humor of the daughters turning into this bloodthirsty militaristic marchers and dragging the cops on to a gory death.

Though your foes are fierce and ruthless
False, unmerciful and truthless
Young and tender, old and toothless
All in vain, their mercy crave!

I've been drilling the heck out of this--you would not believe how easy it is to get off the beat! I keep telling them, military cadence is always on the left foot. Ah-left, ah-left, ah-left, right, left...But I love it, it's my favorite number. The blank faces of the girls, marching implacably on, contrasted with the mounting panic of the two cops (Caley lets out this yelp as she's pushed on, it's hilarious) cracks me up.

And we have new pirates! We have two new first-act pirates, our two cops Don and Caley, and two full-timers, Steven, who was in Rent last winter, and of course Duncan. I will be covering for Duncan for the first weekend--it may be confusing switching pirates in and out, but at least the two of us know the score VERY well (although I keep having to stop myself from singing daughter lines--it's especially challenging during the leadup to "Here's a first-rate opportunity," I keep singing "Too late!" instead of "Ha ha! Ho ho!"). Anyway with this plethora of brigands, we have a nice full stage for the first sequence.

Immersed in reading right now--medieval science. It's not as easy as you'd think. This course is actually more of a philosophy course, not history--last week the professor said something about "remember the historical context of these writings" and I thought "WHAT context? The only way I know anything that's happening is by doing my own outside research--we almost never talk about actual events in this class."

Additional busy-ness--I'm assistant-directing Andrew Rothkin's Macbeth and he is crazy with the emails. I mean, multiple emails every day, and we're not even having auditions until January. I told him I'm not worth much until Pirates goes up and then I'll be more accessible.

And more--I'm doing a reading with Micahel Clay, my first Marley and our Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet--it's next week, next Wednesday at noon.

And more--I HAVE to stay on top of the trip to Dublin! Gotta start thinking about getting cash, and reserving tickets to the Abbey and whatnot, if that's not too late. Can't wait!

We need men for Pirates!

Writing a paper right now--it's due next Thursday but my schedule for the next 10 days is so insane, it's best to bang out as much of it as possible. The paper addresses the modern and contemporary characteristics of Heloise (of Heloise and Abelard). I hope to get most of it done this weekend, and then finish it up Monday or Tuesday. But right now, plowing through it, I just started the second page (it has to be 4-6 pages).

And yet a closer examination of her letters reveals a woman who is both timeless and timely—-a wife, lover, religieuse to outlast the ages, while still enmired in her own.

We need men for Pirates!

So, uh, yeah. Pirates is going very well, everyone's learning music like gangbusters--but we really need ensemble men. REALLY need them. At least two, but I'd like three. Please consider coming out for the show if you can spare the time! I have all sorts of fun ideas for the show--real water and sand on stage, smell-o-vision--but we need to balance out the women.

A little less than two weeks and my brother will be here to take home Edna Mo. We are literally counting the days! We love her but she is a HANDFUL--major elimination issues and of course Tatia hates her (not like that's any kind of isolating factor--Tatia hates every other feline life form). Stuart will be here from next Wednesday to Sunday which leaves me Friday night and all day Saturday to play with him and Bart! (Maybe Sunday--possibly I could fit in a brunch before he leaves).

Friday TTC had a benefit at the space and I sang "Times Like This" from Lucky Stiff. The ending of the first verse actually got a laugh--I thought that song was better-known (I won't spoil it but the end of the first verse is a misdirect which, if done properly, is funny). Anya came with me so she got to meet Peggy and Dave--they're doing Rocky Horror this winter, and Anya would be great in that. She'd be a great Columbia except I'm not sure if she has the tap skills.

We finally got a music director for Pirates--a guy named John Bronston who works at the Duplex and who, as it turns out, I know already. He used to work with the Lady of Copper people way back--I was all "huh! I don't remember you..." But he seems cool and most importantly, didn't have a problem with the cuts I'd made. Saturday I went through the score with a red pen, eliminating the MANY redundant elements--there are SO many repeated verses, repeated choruses, repeated jokes in the Pirates score. And then just random things that come out of nowhere, like "Hail, Poetry!" Buh-bye, poetry. Likewise "Sighing Softly to the River..."--that number will not work in a small studio space like this, a slow, sight-gag number like that is meant for a large proscenium stage. It's cut a lot of the time anyway--I know it was cut in at least one of the productions I've done of Pirates, our Major-General did a patter number from, I think, Ruddigore.

So, so busy right now--I'm in the middle of taking notes for a paper due next week. Heloise, proto-modern woman or conventional medieval Griselda--discuss! Speaking of things medieval, I missed the Fort Tryon Park Renaissance Faire again this year *sad face* Last year I had a good excuse, I was in London--I just forgot about it this year, although possibly I wouldn't have been able to go anyway (because of--MY SCHEDULE. Which is cray-cray right now).

So Dave and I met at Court Street last Tuesday to talk about Pirates. I want to, as I said, streamline the show--some *very* judicious cuts (either Paradox or O False One, plus some of the lamer jokes, like the endlessly jokeboated "orphan/often" nonsense). And I want some sexitude. I want Dread Pirates showing a little chest, I want demurely sexy maidens, I want some eye candy, some FUN with my gorgeous voices. It's such a fun show, so hilarious and witty. I have this hilarious recording of "When the foeman bares his steel" when the policemen come in again after Mabel, Edith and the girls sing "Go to death, go to slaughter!/Die, and every Cornish daughter/With her tears your grave shall water/Go ye heroes, go and DIE!" The policemen come in again only they're going really, really flat at the end of each of the "Tarantara" phrases, as though they're literally running out of air. It's HILARIOUS, I truly cannot do justice to how funny it is. I don't think that's in the score because I've done the show several times now and I don't remember that. Brilliant choice.

He talked about future projects as well, which got me very excited as there are a couple of shows I've been pushing for some time and now we may get to produce them. The space where we're doing Pirates isn't quite ready yet but it should be in a few days--and then I get to go see it. Dave told me it's a small, environmental sort of space which is right up my alley--Pirates is always staged in a proscenium, I get to do something different. That's pretty much the flavor right there--not your mama's Pirates. A little leaner, a little sexier, a lot less stodgily Victorian. In the second act I'm bring the girls on in bloomers. Rowr! And we'll have lots of shirtlessness with the pirates.

We had our first rehearsal for the Midsummer reading--I had a blast, a really strong cast. Shakespeare Saturdays is like that--I had to call in the troops in order to insure good people for Antony and Cleopatra, but everyone wants to be in Midsummer so talent came out of the woodwork. I like my Oberon a lot--he's, shall we say, less than convincing as an icon of hetersexuality but at least he's there unlike some other Oberons I've known. (Ryan was terrific--he's the best Oberon I've ever worked with.) The mechanicals were pretty good, especially Flute who was making us all laugh with his falsetto. Donna's also setting Oberon's wedding song to music--all the fairies are singing it and it's going to be gorgeous. I was so busy Saturday, every moment I wasn't reading a scene--literally every moment--I was reading material for class. We had something like 100 pages assigned this week--Abelard's Historia Calamitatum (40 pp.), plus the intro (35 pp.), PLUS 25 pp. of historical background on that era--the intellectual awakening of the 11th century. And this is dense stuff too--that intro kicked my ass. My favorite sentence from all of the readings is when it says "Philosophy and theology, on the other hand, developed slowly but steadily from onwards, reaching their fullest expansion only between 1220 and 1350, after which a rapid decline began." Hmm, can't imagine why! There's some juicy shit on Eloise and Abelard's relationship as well, but I'll write about that later. But let me tell you, shit got real.

Yesterday Anya and I made pumpkin pie ice cream--we have TONS left over, if anyone wants some please feel free to stop by and take some home. I made it with the old-fashioned recipe which uses eggs so it's really, really rich--we both could barely finish our bowls. As much as I love summer, I love autumn, and after the heat this summer, I am very much looking forward to a productive season. And on that note--

Today I start classes--yay!, can't wait to buckle down and get all academic and immerse myself in times and cultures past. I love school so much. All of you can expect to be treated to breathless updates of Eloise and Abelard's scandalous forbidden romance.

Tonight Dave and I have a meeting about Pirates. And hey! No one commented on that last week, by the way--

Attention! I'm directing The Pirates of Penzance for TTC's inaugural season at Monroe in Hoboken!

Maybe that'll get your attention ;) Anyway, am thrilled and going over the libretto now trying to figure out what I want to do with it. I have some ideas--I'm going to try to give it a slightly more updated, streamlined sensibility without it devolving into the mess that was The Pirate Movie. (I will restrain myself mightily and NOT include "Pumpin' and Blowin'." Although it IS tempting.) Fewer ruffles, more simple hotness, a more knowing quality without its being too campy or winky. More musical theater, less operetta. I just better have some decent actors coming out--you always get amazing vocal talent coming out for Pirates but as someone who's seen and done the show numerous times, I can attest you don't always get decent actors.

I'll post about the US Open later but it was fantastic as always.

A couple of exciting projects coming up. First off, a few weeks ago Andrew Rothkin asked me to be a part of a production of Macbeth that he's directing. It goes up in March at the Wings Theater. He didn't specify a function, just wanted me to be involved somehow, so I said I'd love to be the dramaturg. Then as it turned out he kind of did have a function--he also wants me to be the assistant-director, which is fine as long as I don't have to come to a whole ton of rehearsals. Also, since it looks as though we're teching during spring midterms, I said that's got to be my priority and he was fine with that. The producer is a woman named Christine Seisler, and she's also playing Lady M. She seems very cool. We've had a couple of meetings so far and I like how things are going.

The other project--as most of you know, this past season has been a transitional one for TTC. Dave et al. have been trying to find a permanent space for awhile now and like a week ago I remember thinking "at this time last year they had the benefit, I wonder what's happening?" Well, last Thursday I got two emails from Dave. One was sent to about 10-15 of us, telling how TTC had signed a lease for the new space. It's located at the Monroe Center, where they did Rent last winter. So yay! Very happy that's been settled. The second email was addressed just to me, telling me the season lineup--and asking if I would be interested in directing the inaugural production, The Pirates of Penzance. I wrote back "I would love to! I love that show, it's my favorite G&S and I've done it twice already. I even have the DVD of The Pirate Movie [thank you, Chris] !!!" Am completely thrilled and can't wait to start conferencing about this. God, I love that show. My dream version would be an all-female version set in a boarding school--like, these girls in the school put on their own subversive version (and of course I'd play the Pirate King!)--but this will be more conventional :) Oooh, such a busy fall!

Presenting

Charles Dickens's

A Christmas Carol

Adapted and directed by
Clara Barton Green

Three performances only!

December 16, 17 & 18, 2009 at 7:30pm

at

The Hoboken Historical Museum
1301 Hudson St.
Hoboken, NJ

Tickets:

$15 general admission
$10 students & seniors
Refreshments included with purchase of ticket.

Tickets are available for purchase in advance at the Hoboken Historical
Museum or at the door.

Hope y'all can make it!

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This and That
Yes, yes, let's talk about the weather!
Pirates So Far
(no subject)
Weekends are busy...
Miscellany
More Salacious RHS Pics For Your Viewing Pleasure
Rocky Horror rehearsal
RHS Audition
RHS
Saturday
Go, ye heroes, go to glory/Though ye die in combat gory!
Paper and Pirates
Brothers, Benefit, Pirates, Medieval Things
Go ye heroes, go and die! Go ye heroes, go and die!
Busy but exciting week
Upcoming Projects
MANKIND was my business!

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Entries tagged with ttc

This and That

Yes, yes, let's talk about the weather!

Pirates So Far

(no subject)

Weekends are busy...

Miscellany

More Salacious RHS Pics For Your Viewing Pleasure

Rocky Horror rehearsal

RHS Audition

RHS

Saturday

Go, ye heroes, go to glory/Though ye die in combat gory!

Paper and Pirates

Brothers, Benefit, Pirates, Medieval Things

Go ye heroes, go and die! Go ye heroes, go and die!

Busy but exciting week

Upcoming Projects

MANKIND was my business!