Next, please!

Baby is done. I can move on to the next thing, and I am doing so tonight. Tonight we have a Q2Q for the One Act (Cellar Doors, Secret Gardens) at Walterdale's Trading Stages. I am dead tired, but I do not think I will have a tonne to do there. Mostly just sitting and getting through it.

Back to the Boards...

After 3 days off we get back on stage tonight for BABY. Only 3 shows left for those of you who haven't checked it out. In the interim I got fed up with myself and got back on the treadmill and now I am a bit sore. It's a good sore. Tonight I shall try to re-capture the rhythms of the show and deliver the same product to this audience as I have to the others. I am praying that I remembered all my costumes pieces (we took some home for washing) as I would like to be dressed correctly in all my scenes.

I spent most of today on Pharmacy-Payroll stuff. Things that I have neglected a bit because of being busy. I feel very productive and hope that I can find a way to be like that more frequently so I don't feel like I am playing catch-up all the time. I get frustrated at the CRA telephone system that will take a minimum of 10 minutes on hold to get through, or else you will be bounced to a busy signal 5 times in a row after pressing '2'. Finally I got my questions answered and my documents in an envelope. Feels good. Now all we need to do is find more part-time help for both the Pharmacy and the Front Store. Anyone out there looking?

Juggling Act

I am currently in the little break between weekends of "Baby". If you haven't seen it, come out. It is a pretty good show and although I am not in much, I think we will give you a fun night out. Only 3 shows left, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Tonight, I am going to the first rehearsal for Cinderella, the Fringe show I am in. If I didn't have that I would have had a rehearsal for the One Act I am Assistant Directing at Walterdale. I may drop by there after the Cinderella rehearsal ends just to see where it is at. I have been away from it for a week and a half because of "Baby" so I am interested in seeing what has happened with it. I am looking forward to when it settles into just one thing.

Anyhow, I did want to say that I got back on the Treadmill today. These shows really screw up my working out because I find myself craving sleep more than working out so I let it lapse. However, a lot of the dressing room talk has brought up fitness and fatness and then i watched Biggest Loser Australia last night and I figured I had to get back on. Even if I can't make it to the YMCA at 9 AM, I can certainly climb on the treadmill at 10 AM. It was tough, but I know it will get better.

When it rains....

It pours?

A week ago I was feeling like I didn't have much to challenge me artistically. BABY, although fun to go to, isn't really stretching many of my performance muscles and that was basically all I had on the go. However, this week I auditioned for a Fringe show (TYA - Cinderella - a show the boys could go to if I got in) and I got an email requesting help from Trading Stages (Walterdale's One Acts). I am cleared to help out on the One Acts. that will fill a few more nights a week. The Fringe show wouldn't start rehearsing until after BABY is done, so if I get that it will also keep me busy. Getting in that would also mean I wouldn't audition for Children of a Lesser God at Walterdale. It is the first show of the 50th Season. I can't see doing a Fringe show and rehearsing another show at the same time. So let's wait and see.

Feeling Strong!

This week was great. It was Spring Break and I had both kids enrolled in YMCA day camps. Gib can only go half days because of his age, but that was 3 hours a day which is more than I ever get so I took advantage of it. I managed to work out every day this week (Sun-Sat) and I mean good work outs. I did the drop in classes at the YMCA on Mon, Tues, and Wed. I ran on the treadmill on Sun, Thurs, Fri and Sat. I also did a stretch class at the YMCA on Thursday just to see what it was. It was not as rigorous as I would have liked, but I got a good stretch and it was good for my muscles. I also enjoyed a pedicure on Monday and I got the worst manicure in my life! Great hand and arm massage but terrible, terrible, terrible manicure. Oh well.

Baby was fun on Tuesday night. We were discoing out and we sounded great. I am disappointed that I can see the writing on the wall for the show and the ensemble is going to be heard and not seen, but I am in and the people in the ensemble are fun so we shall have a good time.

The only two down sides to the week were that I had to deal with the boys at night, because Mark was away, so I got yucky sleeps and the fact that I had not been losing weight. Oh well, I feel very strong and my jeans feel good, so I will just hope the pounds will come off eventually if I keep the momentum up.

Moving On... in more ways than one...

1. My New Theatre project now that Crimes is done - BABY - We had our first "real" rehearsal last night. We already had a read-thru about a month ago but 2 of the 6 leads were missing and at a read-thru you don't really do any concrete work. Last night we started working on the music. I was pleased with the "reassignment" of the singing parts in The Ladies Singing Their Song. I look around the room and know that I am the only one of the chorus who looks remotely old enough to have had 10 children (my bit in the song now). I was also pleased because Magnolia and Becky are in the song too (yay!). I think it will be cool. For the 2 songs we worked on I was on the bottom. I figure I will be for the most part because there are a lot of Sops in this show and being a Mezzo will make me a likely choice for the bottom. He said it will change song to song, but I imagine I will be there most of the time. The sound was good. For a small cast we have a lot of tone and big sound. I like the fact that it will stay small so that the ensemble gets used. A bigger cast doesn't make sense in this show.



2. We (myself and Paul's mother -see previous post) received an email from the theatre school. I was pleased with the email, although partially embarassed but I am shaking that off because I did try to walk away without an incident but was unsuccessful. There are only 5 weeks left and Oliver is away for one of them so hopefully the class can finish without incident. I am totally happy with how the school has dealt with the whole thing and I still think the other mother was out to lunch. I am satisfied that the behaivour of the two boys falls within the realm of "normal child behaviour" or else I would have heard something different from the school. I also liked the fact the e-mail clearly held both boys responsible for "annoying each other" as opposed to it only being Oliver at fault. They also stated that they felt the behaviour from both children was normal for the age group. So I am trying to move on. I have instructed Oliver to stay away from Paul and I wrote back to say that I would endeavour to stay away from Paul's Mother and that I thought it would be pretty easy for me to do this.

Read-thru follow up

We had the read-through for Baby the other night. It was hard to get a total picture because 2 of the 6 leads were missing, but I think it shall be quite good. I was a little concerned because I was told I was singing in one number and then it looked like I wasn't but immediately after we read through the song Randy indicated that the parts would be shuffled because I was supposed to be singing in that number. I was relieved. There isn't much for the ensemble to sing as it is written, but Randy also indicated that he might be adding voices and people to some of the numbers. That relieved me as well. It is a big time committment and I want to make sure I will be getting enough out of it. It was great to see the people there. It will be a really strong cast, probably a stronger ensemble than most. It was also good to see Magnolia and my Shelby. That will make it all worth it.

On another note - Magnolia is to be congratulated. She placed 2nd in the 3-Day Novel Writing competition! Yay! Amazing. I am in awe.

Don't be such a BABY!

Tonight was my one night off this week. WAS. Now I have the first read-through for Baby. We will get our scripts and read and sing through the play. I should've napped this afternoon. Tuesday is "crazy day" with both boys having swimming and Gibson doing Preschool and I also have child-check at the school. There isn't time for much. Plus I am tired from last night. Both boys were up and down all night long.

Feeling Better?...

Well someone must have said "no" to one of the 6 ladies in The Ladies Singing Their Song because I was just offered it. I lost the Real Estate Agent part, but that's okay, I'd rather have a chance to sing. Should be cool. Magnolia is also singing in that number so we shall have to kick it!

Sucking it up....

I decided to do the show. I am still feeling a little low about it because I really wanted Arlene and I know I would have rocked the part. I am also worried about how much singing I will get to do but I have been reassured by Marie that I will be doing a lot of singing. I am not so sure because it doesn't seem like that kind of a show, but it may be that there is more chorus stuff that just isn't on the soundtrack.

The way my musical theatre experience has played out in Edmonton so far has really messed with my self-image. In Fort McMurray I was what Judy is here. I haven't been able to show that and I thought this would be the role. There is something liberating about being able to recreate yourself, but I hate that I feel like that in doing so I have lost a big part of my self-identity. El Muchacho was something, but it wasn't the kind of stuff I do best, this show would have been. There is also something exhausting about having to pay my dues again when I have been doing this stuff since 1982. What is that? 25 years? Yikes!

Oh well, I am sucking it up (though it may not seem that way). Both Magnolia and Shelby are on board and it will be great to see them on a more regular basis. I can tell you, there will be no room for diva-crap from the leads in this show... not with so many talented people in the ensemble... I know I won't stand for it.

Callbacks - Why can't everyone else suck?

Okay, the title says it all. I had a good callback but so did a lot of other people and there are only 3 roles. I figure it is down to me and one other person for Arlene. I can't fault that since we were both strong, but I will be disappointed if I don't get it. This is only because I really want it and I would kick major a$$ in the role. I also want to be in it with my friends and I am not sure if the combination will be what they are looking for. It is all about waiting now and I don't wait well.