What's Up with Me These Days
Hello my dear readers, my S&C Muffins. I am posting a life update today. Don't be too excited. I'm not making a major announcement. I am merely doing some old-fashioned "blah blah blah" blogging in my old style of making blog posts about regular life updates.
I am trying to wean myself off Facebook a bit. Yes, I know that's an old story with me. I don't plan to delete it or even deactivate it, but I am trying to resist the lure of the scroll. If I post less, I check it less because I am not looking to see how friends commented or reacted. I check it if I need to see updates about my offline activities (such as rehearsal videos) or if a friend or family members tells me something I should look at, or if I'm tagged (which happens often during theater season). As I have said many times before, avoiding Facebook or keeping it to a minimum, keeps me mentally calmer and doesn't feed my addiction to the scroll or need for attention.
That's why I am making blog posts like this to discuss life updates and let friends know what I'm doing. I can put the link on Facebook and friends can choose whether to click and read or not. I don't assume the bulk of my Facebook friends take an interest in this stuff, so if they don't want to stop and read, they can keep scrolling.
So, as the post title says, what's up with me these days?
The year is starting to come to a close. It's late afternoon as I type this and I see a dusky sky and bare branches on the trees as I look out my window. (This is why I think fall is such an overrated season.) The beginning of the year both feels like yesterday and it feels like eons ago. So much has happened this year and the year is closing out with more activity than ever.
Kevin and I both have had a busy theater season, but theater season is rough on us when we're not in the same play. When we both have rehearsals for different shows, we are the proverbial ships that pass in the night. We had contiguous tech weeks and one overlapping performance weekend.
This fall I had to stretch myself a bit to find a play to perform in. The pickings were slim in local theater. There wasn't much for me to audition for, and I wasn't cast when I did audition. There are so many theater groups out there and it's scary trying to break into one I never worked with before.
I made the goal of finding a musical where I could be in the chorus and use that as a springboard to let new directors and producers get to know me. I found what I was looking for in Curtain Call Theater in Stamford. They are doing a production of She Loves Me.
It has been a strange experience. Even the ensemble seemed like a long shot since there were only spots for six women. The audition form said two members had to be strong singers and two had to be strong movers. At the audition there were more than double that number of women and all of them seemed to be taller, thinner, or younger than I (or a combination of all of the above). I had no idea what their singing talents were since it was a closed audition. I assumed I wouldn't be cast, so it was a pleasant surprise when I was.
Now I'm not sure how I feel about being cast in this. I sometimes feel like the director cast me because he needed a body on stage. I assume most of those women who were auditioning with me only wanted lead roles (there are only two female roles in the show). The opening for the ensemble was for six women, but there are only five in this cast. As I said, the casting call said three women had to be strong singers and two had to be strong movers. Apparently I am the fifth member who can do none of the above. It seems the director wants me doing as little as possible in this play. I wasn't included in some of the musical numbers that include ensemble women, and in one musical number I am a background character for someone else’s song (but I do have a bit of featured schtick). I feel like the director doesn't think much of my abilities and I wonder why he bothered to cast me, but I guess he had his reasons. Maybe the turnout for women willing to be in the ensemble was so small he had no choice but to cast me.
It seems I can't sing even though I have been in many musical theater productions, sung with many choral groups, and performed in several miscellaneous musical settings. I guess I also can't dance even though I have been continuously studying jazz and tap for the past 23 years. What depresses me even more is I know I am the oldest woman in the cast (although not the oldest cast member) and I wonder if I don't get much stage time because I simply look old performing alongside the twenty-something ensemble women. I could blame the lack of familiarity with the group, but two ensemble women who never worked with the group before, were included in numbers I wasn’t included in. I am sure it is no coincidence they are both cute women in their twenties.
It's also been rough because I haven't bonded much with the cast and crew. The group isn't terribly welcoming and feels a bit cliquey at times. The cast lacks that "family" feeling. It is present among long-time members of the group, but the familiarity of the in-group makes me feel like that much more of an outsider. Things have improved somewhat as we headed into performance week and there are some friendlier members of the cast and crew. I am spending more time with the cast in the dressing room now, so we can't avoid talking to each other anymore. After the first performance the producer hugged me and welcomed me to the family saying I am official now. I have a few more weeks to go, so maybe they will keep warming up to me.
I baked cookies in hopes of ingratiating myself.
I don't hate the show as much as I did a month ago. I give my all on stage for the little bit that I do. Unfortunately in the end I don't feel the same camaraderie as I have with my Harrison castmates (and my former Bedford castmates - RIP BCT), but it's not as bad as it was.
Would I audition for Curtain Call again? Yes. I would give them another chance if a show I wanted to do came up. Maybe I have to keep paying my dues. The show is great regardless of how I feel about it. We have a talented and dedicated cast. It's an honor to perform with such high-caliber talent. Both the group and the theater space are the most professional I have ever worked with. The theater is fully equipped and has a large backstage staff. The provide all props and costumes (including alterations). I haven't had to pay a dime to perform. There is a lot to recommend in this group. I won't give up on them yet.
The down side of performing is I don't spend much time at the barn. My entire weekend is taken up with the show. I had to come up with a way to avoid going five weeks without seeing Riddle and Jenna. I have to not stay out too late on Friday nights (drinking with the cast has to be avoided or kept to a minimum) and wake up early on Saturday. I go to the barn and back in the morning and return in time to do my Saturday laundry and go to the theater. It's not an ideal solution, but it’s what I can manage and it’s the best I can do.
We took a cruise around the Bryant Park Holiday Market before spending the remainder of the afternoon at the Whitney Museum and viewed the current Edward Hopper exhibition.
I love the Whitney because it is the perfect combination of size, style, and exhibits.
Exhibits have a wide variety. The permanent collection has a varied cross-section of modern American artists. The rotating exhibitions are always diverse and thought-provoking. I can go to the Whitney and see some traditional realist paintings along with modernism, impressionism, and more creative uses of media.
The size isn't too large. It's easy to get through in in under three hours, leaving room in the day for other pursuits.
It's only disadvantage is the location. It's not the most convenient neighborhood and a long walk from the subway station. However, the neighborhood (Meatpacking) has a much bigger and more eclectic selection of restaurants than you will find on the Museum Mile. If you want to eat before or after your visit (I recommend Hao Noodle for exquisite Chinese) you are bound to find something within your taste and budget.
Also, does any other museum in New York have a view like this?
I love that I can move up and down between floors from an outdoor staircase connecting multiple terraces as well as using the typical elevator.
On to other happenings...
Now the holiday season is upon us. I haven't had much time to host holidays this year. I hosted Easter this spring and that will be it for me. With She Loves Me running for five weeks and sixteen performances, I don't have time to plan, shop and cook. Most of my family will be away for Christmas. Even though I have a week between Christmas and my last performance, I won't have many guests to entertain. I am not bothering to put up a tree since I have limited time to purchase one and it won't be viewed by anyone.
Dad offered to host a Thanksgiving dinner for everyone at The Smith this year. We were grateful for the chance to celebrate without having to make any effort.
I love not having to eat a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, although this year I did eat turkey.
I started with an un-Thanksgiving-like burrata salad with tomatoes.
The main course was a braised turkey leg “osso bucco” style with jalapeño cheddar grits.
We hope to meet her soon and are considering making another trip to Boston (or the vicinity anyway) during the holidays to meet her.
If that happens, you will learn about it here. Stay tuned and Happy Holidays.
Comments
Post a Comment