"You Must Be Theater Majors"

Ok, so after Music Theory today me and a bunch of girls went to the Browning Center kitchen put a fruit tray in the fridge (getting the fruit tray was also an interesting story, but no one would probably be that entertained by it). FYI the Browning Center is the performing arts building at Weber. I pretty much live there. So anyway, we were all in a super hyper mood and we were laughing like crazy. We walked into the kitchen and this guy was eating there. We were all like "Hello!" and he said, "Let me guess, you must be theater majors." And we were like, "Nope, music majors". And he was really suprised and said that only theater majors are that weird.
First of all, is it really not normal to be extremely happy and friendly? Second of all, do people really think theater people are that weird? I personally think band people are the weird ones. It's hard because a lot, but definitely not all, of the music majors at school make fun of musical theater and say it's fake music. The funny thing is, a few music majors (vocal ones) would rather be doing musical theatre. The Browning Center is definitely a strange place full of a lot of weird people.

West Side Story

If it was a year ago from now, Les Mis would still be running. While I have been thinking a ton about Les Mis, something brought me back to reality. It was West Side Story at BHS. Obviously, it informed me that I was not longer in musical. It was an amazing show! It was so fun to see people shine in the spotlight while I had seen many of them start out as little sophomores who didn't show that much potential quite yet. I was expecting to start crying because I wanted to be on stage, and hated being in the audience. Well, I did cry, but for completely different reasons. First of all, it was joy! I loved the show! Everyone was so amazing. Plus the show is just very emotional to begin with. But during and after the show, events happened that reminded me of past experiences that were amazing at the time, but remembering them now brings me pain because they have drastically changed since them. If you are close to me, you'll know what I'm talking about. If not, you wouldn't be interested . Anyway, Laura, Breanna and I decorated the dressing rooms for the cast. They looked so cute and it took us like three hours! After the show everyone said that it brought them joy and they really appreciated it. It was a great day! One of the best, yet it was probably one of the biggest emotional roller coasters I've ever experieced. So what I decided to do was show some pictures from other shows and compare them with the Pictures I took at West Side Story. I took a million more pictures but I chose these ones because they were the most similar to other pictures I have taken.
Aticus and Me in Les Miserables (not in our costumes, obviously)

In Annie Aticus as Tony in West Side Story

Nick and I in Annie

West Side Story. Notice the height difference from the first picture!

Devin and I in Millie

Dev as Bernardo

Becca and Me: Cosette and Fantine

Annie

Becca as a shark girl.

A lot has changed, and while some of the changes have ripped my heart out, some of them have also been good. Most especially great is the fact that me leaving musical didn't automatically end these friendships, which is usually the case. I have seen how resilient these friendships are, and if we have stayed friends while going to different schools, having different activities, never seeing each other, and being at different stages in our lives, then I'm sure that these friendships will continue for eternity. Seriously. It seems to me that a lot of us were friends before we came to earth, because we all clicked extremely fast, faster and closer than I've ever seen or thought possible. I love my friends!

A Year Ago Today

So I know no one cares about Les Mis, or these silly ramblings; but writing about it makes me feel a billion times better.

On Saturday, September 27, 2008, I awoke with a very sore throat. Realizing this, I started to cry. I wanted to do an amazing job in the show! People had always known that I performed, but no one had ever seen me with a lead, and I wanted to prove to everyone that I deserved the part I got (there is nothing worse than someone getting a lead who really isn't good enough but the director likes them or someone influential is related to them. I hate it.).

So that morning we went to rehearsal. I looked the ugliest I have probably ever looked. I had on one of my dad's t shirts, I was wearing no make up, and I didn't even brush my hair. Ew. So I went to rehearsal and ran through the show but I didn't sing very intensely.

After rehearsal, the girls in the cast all got together and prepared to ask the boys to the Halloween Dance. This was a super fun idea that Cort and Amy had - a musical cast group! Our goal was to ask each boy in musical who was sixteen or older. And so each girl chose a boy in musical. I asked Zach. Amy took a picture of each of us, and then we decorated the picture of us with a funny sentence or something (example: Becca Cole had a way ugly picture or herself and put "Aticus-Roses are red, violets are blue, this is what I look like....LUCKY YOU!!")and taped it to the mirror of the boy we were asking in the dressing room. We heart attacked the room as well. Then on the front door of the dressing room we put a sign that said "Ain't no boy like a musical boy" (Monson later crossed out boy and put man).

Then I went home and had a blessing from my dad. There were so many things I was nervous for: my voice (my throat had gotten worse throughout the day), my super fast wig change, my super fast costume change (and we are talking only a few measures of music for each change), and especially- I was afraid I wouldn't be convincing. Fantine is such a complicated part, and where other leads (Cosette, or a narrator in Joseph) just have to be good singers, that won't cut it with this role. I have never felt comfortable with my acting, and I really had a hard time with the prostitute scenes. But the blessing calmed me soooo much. I knew that Heavenly Father wanted me to do well, and he would be with me throughout the whole show.

I think I arrived to the school like an hour earlier than I needed to, if anyone was there before me, then it was only Sam. I like to get ready as much as I can at home, and then I like arriving to the theatre very early- even though I'm almost ready. My theory is that if something goes wrong, like a missing costume, I have time to work it out. So I got my mic, set my wig and costumes backstage, and made sure Fantine's bed was made. I was so scared, and I was starting to feel sick to my stomach. I HAD to prove that I was talented. It makes no sense, but I felt like my whole future career rested on Les Mis.

Mandy gave me a rose for opening night, and Laura gave me a bag of starbursts. Truman gave me a note. Lots of people were coming up to me and hugging me and telling me how wonderful I'd be. Although I didn't believe them, it was nice to know that the whole cast was rooting for me.

As I stood behind the curtain about to go on, I realized that I just had to trust the Heavenly Father would help me. And that night I started something that has become habit. I always do it as I walk onto the stage for a performance or an audition. I whisper, "Okay, Heavenly Father, it's all You." It's really weird I know. I hope that is not disrespectful. When I say it I'm saying that I rehearsed and learned everything I could to make the show good, but now it's in His hands.

At the End of the Day went well, and as I Dreamed a Dream came, I got scared again. But I prayed in my head a little, and I was ready to sing it. I did better than I ever had before! The director cried during my song, and after she told me how moving it was. Everything after that went great for me. My costume changes worked out perfectly. It was a great show!

What is really miraculous is that we didn't mess up with the music except for like once. We had only gotten the music two days before. And the whole show is music so if you get lost, it's bad. Most shows have at least a few weeks with the music. Our director had even thought about cancelling the first couple performances because we weren't ready. But we did it! It seriously was a miracle. Our show was great! Heavenly Father was with us that day!

After a billion came up and congratulated me and some people I have always looked up to in the performing world came and talked to me. They thought I was talented, and they are all like amazing! It was so great!

After the show the cast went to Dee's because it is open extremely late. Bad Idea. The manager had a mullet, and instead of being happy that he was actually getting business (almost no one else was there, and about fifty of us were there), he was mad at us for how loud we were. Sam was really funny. He was acting like the father of all of us and was reminding us to be quiet. He was the only one who we would listen to. Since he was Valjean, everyone bowed down to him I guess. Haha. I sat at a table with Breanna, Brianne, Caitlin, Laura, and Haley. We laughed at how no boys wanted to sit with us. Then a bunch of boys came to talk to us. We were so happy! haha

It took about an hour for everyone to pay because seriously the manager was way dumb. (Breanna said (referring to his mullet), "he's all business in front, but NO party in the back).

On the way home (we had six people in Breanna's care that held five people) we saw a policeman. Breanna had been speeding, and we were scared. We dropped Lex off, and then went toward my house. We passed the policeman again and he pulled us over. We were terrified. As it turned out, One of the back lights wasn't working. He gave her a warning and then told us to go home because it was way passed curfew. Good thing we had dropped Lex off! So then we went home and ended a wonderful day.

This was a great day. Everyone was so supportive. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father was with me during that performance, and during the nine performances to come. And he still is with me through all of my performances. I find that if I acknowledge him in all opportunities I recieve, then I get more wonderful opportunities. When I get cocky and think I'm great, then I don't have as many great opportunities. I'm glad I've learned to rely on Him early in life. He has given me so much!

Thursday September 25, 2008

That was the final dress rehearsal for Les Mis. I still remember it because it was super fun and stressful! (plus I wrote about it in my journal)We barely got the music in time for the final rehearsal (it's a looong story); we had been singing along to a cast recording or with the piano before final rehearsal. The rehearsal went well, but everyone was a little nervous about how we were going to sing with the music perfectly when we had only sung with that music once. After we ran the show once, we had time to go get dinner. I went to Keva with Lex. When we came back, Grant, Cody, Jonathan, Tanner, Joe, and Bryan were rapping and it was so funny and clever! I am still amazed by their talent! Then we had a dance party backstage. Then we sat on the stage and just sang the show. But Sam (Valjean) was very sick and so he didn't sing. And I was feeling a sickness coming on, and panicking! I had worked so hard to stay healthy (Vitamin C, tons of water, sleep-kinda, excercise, etc.), but my throat had begun hurting a little that morning. So I chose to not sing as well. So me, Sam, Jon Beach, and Rachel Cole sat in the back and just talked the whole time instead. We laughed at Beach because he is tone deaf (he laughed with us), and then we realized that Fantine was the only character not in "One Day More". So we decided that I should fly above the cast as an angel singing a descant. For some reason, we thought this was really funny! Then we all went home and had friday off to prepare for saturday: opening night!

These were my knees that night. Fantine gets thrown to the floor a lot! OUCH!!

"I get so lonely, I could die"

Yes, I am quoting an Elvis song! Are you suprised I know more than Showtunes? I am too! haha

Anyway, yesterday afternoon, the biggest wave of loneliness I have ever felt hit me. It was so weird and out of the blue. But I realized that although all of my friends miss me and enjoyed our friendship while we were in high school together, they really don't need me anymore. And I am someone who finds my value in feeling appreciated and needed. So now I'm alone. I have acquaintances at college, but they are not people I could ever really bond with completely. So I guess from here on out I will spend my time at school and work and that's about it. Wahoo. I'm so excited for the rest of my life. Not.

Another Job!

Okay, so for the past year I have been working at the Eldredge Manor. I love it there and the schedule has been perfect for me because I only had to work once a week. But now I am realizing that in order to pay for gas, insurance, my phone, and next semester's books, I am going to need to work more. But most places would require me to work a lot and I still want to be able to do shows and see friends and such. So I figured I would be poor forever.

But then I was at my voice lesson with Cecily Ellis-Bills (she's is the best teacher ever!). Her mom is in charge of hiring at Rodgers Memorial Theatre. And she was talking to Cecily during my lesson about how she needed to find someone to do concessions twice a week. Then I said that I needed a job and loved RMT and she hired me right then! I am so happy! I have always wanted to work there since I was little. It will give me a chance to be at the theatre even though I don't have time to be in a show there. Yay!

I am still working at the Eldredge Manor as well! So I work at weddings and Rodgers! They are like my two favorite things! I'm so lucky!

Where has the time gone?

My cousin Amanda married Jacob Short on Saturday. She is 1 1/2 years older than me, and we have always been close friends. So close, in fact, that I was her maid of honor! I threw her a shower AND made the centerpieces for her wedding. It was a bit stressful, but really fun! I love weddings (obviously, since I work at a reception center) and figure that soon my friends will start getting married and I will have plenty to attend! Anyway, I just felt old because Amanda and I grew up together. The End.

The centerpieces that I designed and made. Keep in mind that I'm a beginner!