Words of the Wise

My favorite quote of the week so far comes from the lovely Mary Klein, who, when talking to the group about walking passed the In Your Eyes rehearsal during mine and Christina Kroell's song, 

"If your voices could make babies, they'd make little angels!" 

Thanks Mary! 

We've Reached the Halfway Point!

We are officially two and a half weeks into SOS, which means there are only two and a half weeks left of SOS. Which means our show is in two and a half weeks. Yeah, panic mode time.

In all seriousness, the beginning of this week taught me how important it is to know your material. To say I was slightly unfamiliar with a couple songs is an understatement; I had to go through an entire song's choreography without singing my harmonies, or even the proper lyrics. Not so bueno. SOS gives you plenty of rehearsal time, but Monday and Tuesday proved that work outside of the studio is required as well. 

So I buckled down and got to it! The soundtrack of In Your Eyes is on my phone, and I practically eat, sleep, and breathe this show, even more so than I thought I did prior to this week. 

The amount of work I have to put in to this program seems daunting, but I can't stress how it's all worth it enough. When we actually know our stuff, and we sing what were supposed to sing, we create beautiful music with haunting lyrics. We're able to find the truth in our lines when they're memorized and we don't have a script immobilizing us. I was taught that within a professional theatre company, actors may have as little as two weeks to be off book before they even show up to a rehearsal. SOS is providing me with the skills to become successful in my future endeavors as an actor.

Classes this week have been incredible, as usual. We became familiarized with a basic understanding of what a theatre company is through a role playing exercise in Theatre Immersion. The next day we used role playing again in order to get a better understanding of our show's character. Can I just take a moment to say how much I love being surrounded by actors? At my school, role playing games like those would not work. There would always be those kids who wouldn't take it seriously, and would refuse to participate. The kids as SOS are entirely open to any new idea. Everyone is willing to be a part of the journey our instructors take us on, no matter how strange it seems at first. We have all become comfortable with each other, and that strong foundation of friendship allows us all to push each other into being bolder and going further.  I love these guys. 

Also, Tuesday was our last class with Kay Dawson, who taught Dancing and Movement. Under Kay's graceful/angsty/thuggin instruction, we learned five routines, and technique for ballet, lyrical, contemporary, and hip hop dancing styles. In addition, she gave us a killer ab workout. We'll miss you Princess Tiana, and I speak for all of us when I say thank you so much for your time, you are simply amazing, and we appreciate you for all of the love you gave us these past two weeks. We love you!

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to force myself back to sleep, since I passed out after I got home from camp, and currently just woke up from that five hour nap. See you at rehearsal!

Someone showed up to rehearsal a little too early!

Lion King Group!

It's the circle of life and the best mask group ever. (left) Melissa, Dr. Alec, Marissa, Noam, Ben, and Mary. Not pictured, Taylor the Wildebeest.

Mask and Makeup Workshop

The end of our makeup and mask segment on Friday, July 5. A huge thank you to our instructors, Athena Hagen and Bryanna Patrick, who worked patiently with all of us! I really underestimated how essential makeup and masks are in theatre, thank you for opening my eyes! I had blast.

In Your Eyes Rehearsal

Snapshot of In Your Eyes rehearsal. (from left) Musical Director Sarah Ross, Leah Harris, Dr. Alec Coles, Taylor Schlicht, Hayden Wilson, and Ben Klinkenberg

Day 8

Monday-Wednesday of Week 2, my schedule has been the following:

8:30-9:00am, Yoga (It's honestly harder than it looks, try the Tree pose and then talk to me)
9:00-10:00am, Dance and Movement Class (I'm pretty much a ballerina now)
10:00-11:00am, Voice Lessons (Having my mind blown by musical theory was a bonus)
11:00-12:00pm, Intro to Acting 101 (Earn your pauses!)
12:00-1:00pm, Lunchtime (Or nap time, if you so desire)
1:00-4:20pm, In Your Eyes Rehearsal! 

My days have been incredible. While the schedule is extremely fast paced, I have obtained so much knowledge through all three of my classes. As an actor in the SOS musical, Dance and Movement has enlightened me to the power of emotion through dance, and how my body can be used as a tool to convey different attitudes and moods, whether it be a graceful lyrical dancing or getting crunk with some hip hop. Similarly, the voice lessons this week have focused on our abilities as humans to "turn the knobs" of our vocal chords and access the variety of tools we possess to convey character. In the words of Sarah Ross, "Good singing is good acting," a lesson I took to heart while considering my character in the show. Intro to Acting has been my favorite class; Amber and Catherine have led us through a series of seriously intriguing lessons, each challenging us as actors to view ourselves and our surroundings in entirely different perspectives. They have really pushed our comfort zones, ability to adapt, and ability to be bold and confident with our choices when portraying a character. Yeah. This has all been in three mornings. I haven't even talked about rehearsal yet. 

The rehearsal process for In Your Eyes is so different from high school rehearsals I have been a part of. Our lovely stage manager Mary runs a tight ship; unlike rehearsals at my school, which are productive but pretty casual, the cast and directors are kept to a strict schedule, and our focus and presence in rehearsal is constantly demanded. The necessity of that focus was evident immediately. In three days, we have learned melodies, harmonies, and solos of five songs, choreographed one entire number, and blocked 34 pages of our script. Three days. The level of commitment in my cast and our leaders is phenomenal, and I'm so proud of all the work we've accomplished. Its only Week Two, and I'm only further convinced that I'm really a part of something special. 

Remember when I said breaks from SOS suck? Today, during our end of the day reflection, April announced that we wouldn't be back in the studios until Friday because we had the 4th of July off, and everyone groaned in defiance. April smiled and said, 

"Your sadness makes me so happy,"

and then laughed as she slaughtered puppies in front of the class. Alright, in reality she dismissed us and wished us a happy holiday, but that's still the quote of the week okay. Happy Fourth of July everybody! Watch some baseball while eating some pizza delivered by an Asian man born in a pickup truck in Kansas because 'Murica.