Ready Set Write

I've had aspirations to write a musical for quite some time, but the question of what to make the musical about forever plagued me.

There is a need inside of me to write music, but without a strong subject matter as my compass, I would be wandering aimlessly.

I returned to the advice of experienced writers: write what you know - make it personal & finally one day... Eureka! My idea was born!

I don't know how ground-breaking this musical concept will be perceived, but hey, it's a start!

This afternoon I began jotting down song titles and lyrics to some tunes in my head & it felt really good! I will likely have to engage the services of our musical improv pianist to really help me flesh out the nitty gritty, and also help with the process of putting notes on the page, but I'm really excited about the prospect of this new process.

At this point I've decided that if I can't bring myself to Broadway, I'll bring Broadway to me!

Custom Meeting

Custom Meeting

My job search continues on both fronts. As I prepare my one-woman show in April I am trying to find more and more ways to ensure that all the cards are stacked for and not against me. It has become more and more clear to me that I have to fight the good fight from all angles by auditioning for whatever I can as well as producing my own work.

This morning I met with a headhunter from a staffing firm in midtown. I was hopeful that our meeting would yield something perfect for me, however I was trying to keep my expectations low. After all I've been here before and I know the odds.

The headhunter was perfectly nice & assured me that I am a prime candidate for an array of Administrative positions. "Perfect," I thought - "Now show me the money!"
Easier said than done, of course. All in good time, I suppose. In the meantime, I just have to keep pluggin' along.

Getting Back Into the Sing of Sings

This afternoon I dashed out of job #1 a little early and headed up town for a quick and much-needed voice lesson. I had been away for so long that I felt like I was going to rust up and forget everything that I had already learned. I was truly excited for today's lesson - even though it would just be a quickie - I really needed to do this for myself.

Given the time crunch, I made sure to come prepared with music in hand as well as a list of music I needed to cover for some upcoming auditions. As I've said before, my teacher has a veritable library of music in his apartment. He's got everything! For months I've been trying to figure out the name of a song so that I could ask him for the music - well, what a waste of time that turned out to be when as I discovered all I needed to do was sing less than 3 bars of the song and he knew exactly the one I was talking about!

Ask and you shall receive! I must have come out of my lesson with sheet music for another 9 songs (not including the pdf file for Sondheim's "Another Hundred People" which he just emailed me tonight.

After all of the song stuff was out of the way, he took a listen to "A Way Back to Then". It's definitely getting better & it felt good to sing it for him again. The one area that I'm having trouble with is the high "kick" - but he showed me a few tricks to get over that little hump & I think with a little more practice, I'll be golden. The high non-belt is coming along quite nicely though. I also was trying to remember to smile through the song. Unlike the incomparable Heidi Blickenstaff, I was not blessed with high cheek bones - so I have to make a concerted effort to look pleasant when I'm singing. It's not hard to smile when I sing this song because I really love this song.

It's good to know that even when times are a little tough, I can still find something to smile about.

See Me, Hear Me!!!

Now that the weather is getting warmer, more and more folks are beginning to emerge from hibernation. What does this mean for us actors? Well, for one it means a heck of a lot more of us turning up at Open Calls. During the colder months people are far less likely to roll outta bed bright and early to sign up for slots - why, I remember just a few months ago feeling a fool to get my ass over to Actor's Equity as soon as the monitors opened up the sign-ups because hardly anyone was around. I probably could have slept in an extra hour and still had my pick of times. Well dear readers, those days are over, for today when I arrived around 9am to a call at The Public, I was almost surprised to find that I was one of hundreds who had flocked to the call. Equity and non- Equity alike flooded the lobby of the theater patiently waiting for a number. It wasn't before long that I overheard some actors talking about how some of them had gotten in line ad early as 6:30 in the morning! Whaaaat??? So that's what it has come to. Seeing as all of the Equity time slots had been filled & they were into the two-hundreds on the standby list, I left & headed up town to another audition. Unfortunately by the time I arrived the future looked just as bleak. All of the slots had been filled and so I put myself down on the standby list and headed into work.

It just wasn't to be this afternoon, however I had one last audition to check off my list.

One of my favorite musicals of all time is "Tommy". One of the regional theaters in Brooklyn is putting it up & I was chomping at the bit to give it a go. I left my post at the telesales job early so that I could make the 45-minute trek out to Prospect Park. The audition went pretty well. I did about 20 bars of "White Rabbit" and then the director asked if I had anything else - "I have 'Smash the Mirror', I replied. "Let's hear it!" he said.

I left the audition satisfied that after my third and final attempt, I was seen and heard. We'll see what happens from here.

Submission for Maude-ition

Tonight I submitted a newly fashioned headshot and resume to the Upright Citizens Brigade for their upcoming sketch team auditions. They're in need of a few good actor/improviser/impressionists for a couple of new teams they're putting together - so I wanted to throw my hat into the ring. I've got a handful of descent impressions & I've been through their training program, so hopefully that will warrant an audition slot. One can never be too sure with these things. I dropped my carefully crafted improv resume off this evening and seeing the pile of actor submissions they've received thus far made me realize that it's another gamble. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that some how this I'm holding the winning ticket!

Singer Review

I've been doing a lot of self-evaluation of late. I suppose it's only natural for one to look inward and reexamine themselves after encountering a few roadblocks along the way. This afternoon I did some soul searching and net surfing. I found myself watching youtube video after youtube video of singers and Broadway performers belting out beautiful songs. I wanted to see what the popular kids are up to. What is really out there in cyberspace is almost as important as what's out there on the Broadway stage. It seems to me that so many people gain popularity and notoriety over the Internet these days. I plan to make more of an aggressive move to make my web presence known by singing at more Open Mics and posting videos of the performances. I'm a little shy of doing this type of thing because it really makes you vulnerable to those who make a hobby out of mocking others. On the other hand, there's a good chance that people might just like what they see and hear.

That 70s Faux

This afternoon I youtubed some 70s Game Show - mostly I found myself watching old clips of "Barker's Beauties" from The Price is Right...creepy! When I had had gleaned quite enough information and inspiration from the web, I rummaged through my closet in search of the most 70s-like frocks I could find. I proved to be the right person for the job because I emerged with not one but three dresses, two of which are actually vintage dresses circa 1970s. Not only that, in my most recent shoe binge where I purchased four fabulous pairs of Steve Madden shoes at 15 bucks a pair, I had the forethought to scoop up the most amazing pair of white patent leather, oh-so-seventies wooden platforms. Fifteen dollah! Top that! They were too good to pass up and to my credit I knew that I would find a use for them. No time like the present when dressing up for the past! That's what I always say!

Apparently there is no end to my & array of costumes because I even managed to produce a long, blond polyester wig from the back of a drawer stocked with odds and ends.

When I arrived to the venue in the Village - the guys running the show were pretty impressed with me, but I will say that I was definitely a little overly prepared. Sadly the gig wasn't quite as cool as I had hoped it would be. The performance space was a tiny 11 by 20 foot room lined with cruddy old leopard-print carpeting in the basement of a bar. Having participated in a number of bringer shows and independently run improv shows in the past, I've performed in some pretty crappy spaces, but this one was especially dismal. Despite all of the warning signs that said tonight's show wouldn't be one for the books - or the resume, I embraced my role as the bimbo game show gal and proceeded to change into my costume which consisted of a faux pucci metallic dress, polyester wig and the patent leather platforms in the shady unisex bathroom. I got a few sideways looks from the upstairs bar patrons while prepping my wig, but oh well, I thought - I'm a performer!

When I emerged from the bathroom/changing room, it was show time - but we still had an empty house and no comedians. I sat awkwardly at a table while the host went upstairs to drum up some unwitting audience members. The nonplussed cocktail waitress warned me to watch my wig around the candles. Everything in this room wreaked of sadness and desperation. In fact the whole room just plain old wreaked! Moments later when the host returned with the first two audience members that he had plucked off the street he instructed the waitress and I to applaud "for the first new people of the night." Ay yay yay! Welcome to Awkward Town, Population: me! I was instantly reminded why I had parted ways with the standup community so long ago. People were reluctantly straggling in from the bar, performers were canceling at the last minute less than 10 minutes before the start of the show... sheesh!

I felt sorry for the guys running the thing - and when the standup comics started making fun of the thing in their sets, I started feeling even sorrier for myself! I wasn't sure how I was going to get through this show with my own dignity in tact, but it wasn't as if anyone but my boyfriend knew who I was, so who cares if I'm just making a fool of myself?

Initially the agreement was for the guys in charge to buy me food and drinks, but at the last minute they decided to throw me forty bucks! Sweeet!

I had had my fill of the place, so I took the money and ran! It wasn't the best gig ever, but it's the first one I've been paid for in a while - so I'll take it!

Marching On

Another Friday the 1 and another less than stellar day... but I'm hanging in there in every sense of the word!

When I didn't hear anything from the AWP about my resume submission, I decided better to be safe than sorry, so I gave them a call to inquire within.

Thankfully I reached the contact person immediately and she opened up my email and examined my resume, pointing out a few needed corrections and making them for me herself.

"This is a good resume and I'm going to submit you for this position. It was smart of you to call."

Apparently her in box lit up like a pin ball machine with responses to the listing. There were 58 submissions in all and I was a fortunate one out of a total of three people that she was going to submit for consideration.

"You may get a call today," she said. My whole body started to tremble with anticipation. I never would have imagined that I would reach the point where a day job would make me quake with excitement. The pay isn't even that great, but it's a 9-5 or 10-6 job and they're even forgiving of those who need to go on an occasional audition here or there. Also, there's health benefits! Right now, this is my dream job!

Throughout the day I kept fantasizing about getting this job and what it would mean to me: being able to pay my bills &rent with more money left over at the end of the month to put away in a saving's account and pay off more of my debt. I'd finally be able to call up my parents that I got a "real" job. In the meantime, I'd still be able to keep auditioning for shows and if and when I got a gig, they would hold my place for me by hiring a Temp!

I mean, could this job be any more brilliant?!?

Unfortunately I didn't hear a peep from anyone today in regards to setting up an interview and so needless to say this put a real damper on my mood today. I returned to my telesales job feeling quite deflated and to top it off, barely managed to make a sale all day.

Tonight after my shift, which usually ends at 7:30 on Friday, I unwittingly volunteered to man the kiosk inside the theater

Ah well - I'm not giving up hope yet. I think I may give the AWP a call on Monday morning just to see if they have any other clues as to what I should expect.

In the meantime, I'm going to try and enjoy my weekend...yes! another weekend has arrived

Picking Up Pictures

Due to my new and not-so-improved hectic schedule it wasn't until today that I was actually able to pick up the duplicates of the headshots that I had ordered last week. They came out as well as I had expected. They are really good shots - they're just black and white - so they show their age because of it.

I wish that I didn't have to feel like I'm committing a Federal offense by handing a Casting Director a black and white photo - but until I scrape a few extra dollars together, that's just the way it has to be!

I wish that my new job seemed more profitable, but it's just the way it is. I've just gotta stick with it until something better comes along. Speaking of which: right before I left my office job to go to my telesales job I found a listing for a new job in my Actors Work Program newsletter. I quickly attached a resume and sent a reply to the posting without missing a beat! I'm not completely sure what this job entails, but it seems like it could be promising.

Keeping my fingers crossed for like the fifth time this week!

Appointing A Time

A few days ago I discovered a posting for an audition for a highly reputable choir in the area. I've been trying to find a choir to sing with for years - so I leaped on the opportunity to audition for them. I finally nailed down my schedule and sent an email requesting an appointment for an audition. I got a response almost immediately and now I have but two weeks to prepare an aria and a musical theater song that will impress them.

This makes me a little nervous because I haven't performed an aria in several years. I'm just now getting my head voice back into shape for legit music - but to sing an aria will require a bit more heavy lifting. It's time for a serious vocal workout!

The Hard Tele-sell

After yesterday's meeting which ended, sadly in disappointment, I had no choice but to face the cold harsh truth of reality: not everything will work out the way you want it or sometimes need it to. It's not that I had been counting my chickens before they hatched, but I was hanging a little bit of hope of this prospective laurel. It would have been nice to work for such a high profile studio - but unfortunately at this time they just cannot afford me.

Boo hoo.

Until such time I have resolved to keep plugging away and fighting the good fight. If anything I'm counting my lucky little stars that I have another job to turn to at all! It may not be my first choice, but it's a heck of a lot better than nuthin'!

I had a pretty productive day today at that job - managed to make a couple of sales that will help put me over the top and boost my salary from the measely minimum wage to an almost respectable $10 an hour. Ugh! I can't believe I'm saying this - but it has been several years since I've worked for so little. It's okay though! I'm not complaining, I'm forging ahead and feeling good that I'm doing my part for theater and the not-for-profit community. Heck, this is a reputable off-Broadway theater and this little stint, however long it may last should serve as a nice little notch of experience on my resume. I want to continue working for institutions such as these and some day be able to start one of my own. I'm looking at this job as not only a way to supplement my income but also laying down some good karma for my future endevors.

Taking Some Meetings

In light of everything that has been going on with me in my professional life, I'm keeping an open mind and exploring every avenue out there.

Last week my boss's friend who runs a reputable ballroom dance studio in Time's Square asked if I would be willing to work the phones for them from 6 to 10pm at night during the week. At first I thought - um, thanks, but no thanks - but after giving it a little more careful consideration - (and after a day of Telesales I became more open to the idea. So this afternoon I took a meeting with my boss's friend, her associate and her 16 year-old niece. Everything was going swimmingly: they had all kinds of fun assignments for me from event planning to web graphics and a monthly newsletter! And here I thought I would be doing was answering the phone!

Well, just as our meeting was about to wrap up we took a break and I took a phone call from the host of the comedy show that I'm doing on Saturday. He gave me the rundown of what's involved for the show and I'm really looking forward to it! I need to camp it up and look as 70s glam as I can. Too bad I don't have the blond hair any more.

It is an unpaid gig - but I do get dinner and drinks on them - and as broke as I am these days, I'll take it! However, should the show take off, they're hoping to get some corporate sponsorship like Red Bull so that they can compensate people accordingly.

One thing I'm learning is that the best way to get gigs is by word of mouth and through people that know you. Everything else is just a big ol' crap shoot!

After my call, we resumed our meeting and since I knew these people and was fairly comfortable bringing it up and didn't want to beat around the bush any longer, I asked about salary. I asked for a flat rate of a VERY and I mean VERY modest amount - just to supplement my current income, and to my surprise I was met with - "I'm not sure how we're going to pay you."

WHHHaaaaattt??? Then what the heck am I doing here? The Telesales job isn't necessarily occupation of choice - but hey, it's a job - and for now I'm going to have to stick with it because they are at least able to pay me something and I can't afford to work for free... unless that is, it includes drinks and a meal.

Rest, Relaxation & Recommendation

I was pretty beat after yesterday's marathon Music Video shoot & welcomed my day off with open arms. The only thing that I had planned for this day was to surf the net for more auditions, plan the week ahead and do some more writing. Sundays are perfect for those types of activities.

You can imagine my pleasant surprise when my phone rang at around 3 this afternoon, and on the other end was my friend who did the show at Joe's Pub. She really appreciated the convincing Bachelorette Party work I did for her show - so she was calling to see if I was available to do another little gig that she isn't able to do.

The gig, from what I understand, is a comedy show in the form of a 70s Game Show complete with stand-up comic contestants, a host and a Vannah White type (that will be me) parading around to keep things moving. No pay, I'm sure - but since when has no pay ever been a deal breaker? Especially in these trying times.

In any case it sounds like it could be fun and hopefully I'll make a few new contacts with some more fun and funny people in the process. Game on!

The Making of A Music Video

My creative life took yet another unexpected turn today when I found myself running around the Financial District in a "Snuggie" of all things - (in case you've missed the infamous infomercials: it's a fuzzy blanket with arms.) Today was part two of the Ukulele Music Video shoot that I unexpectedly signed on for last week.

Our motley crew convened at the Taz Cafe on Maiden Lane at 11:30 this morning for brunch before setting out to start shooting at the first location a block away. The song is that we were creating the live action for is called "Let's Give It To The Bankers" and so you might be able to imagine what it was we were doing hanging around Wall Street. The chorus of the song goes "We'll throw a shoe or two - we'll all shout 'Screw You!' and drive wooden stakes right through their hearts"

From that you might also be able to gather the type of actions we were filming around Manhattan. It was a lot of running around chasing blood-sucking Vampire Bankers, throwing shoes and then to top it off, driving wooden stakes into the sleeping Vampire Bankers' hearts.

They hired a make-up artist for the day to transform the Bankers into Vampires. They even rented a wooden coffin which we used at our second shooting location of the day in Uke's loft in Harlem. They really went all out for this!

Overall it was a pretty kooky experience, but it was pretty fun too. I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the song and the first cut of the music video. If all goes well I'll finally have something to put on one of those actors' reels I hear everyone talking about!

Eight is Enough!

I made it through another day of Telesales with my sanity still in tact! Even though the manager is somewhat of a micro-managing maniac, I found his BS easy to ignore. You know why? Because I don't care what this guy does or says. I can do my job without him nitpicking every little move I make. His huffing and puffing won't blow me down! And besides, it's only my second day - give me a break! I'll catch on!

If I know one thing, I know that life is too short to work for pain in the ass people like him - BUT if you have little options, and you absolutely have to: then you must do your best to obey their orders and do your job to the best of your ability without giving into their crap.

I felt like this guy wanted me to withhold information to people or lie to them in some cases. I guess "bending the truth" would be a more accurate description of what he had asked of me - but I'm not going to try to hamstring people just to sell them a set of tickets! I want to get people to buy tickets by being up front with them!

Perhaps that's why I didn't sell a damn thing in the four and-a-half hours I was there tonight. I got some good leads though, so hopefully Monday I'll make a sale.

When I left tonight, my new co-workers were gathered together outside the theater. "Don't worry," they told me, "He's like this with everyone."

[Sigh] Lucky me.

Later this evening performing TMUM was just what I needed to shake off the Telesales blues. We had a big cast of eight tonight, but we had a full house as well & we went BIG! For the first time in a while, I felt like we were a team! I think we had a great combination of players and everything just felt right! It was just an all-around fun show.

No Casting Director in attendance tonight unfortunately, but I've still got more shows in store and songs to sing.

Making Up Rehearsal

Tonight the TMUM cast met up for another rehearsal. It seems we're trying to meet at least once a month or so. I guess the idea is to practice song structure and exchange ideas about the show.

All of these things are helpful and nice, but I still feel like without a director, there's only so much we can do to improve ourselves as a team. Most of tonight's rehearsal was spent practicing tag line songs and scene into songs - all of which had mixed results.

What it all comes down to is: we need a real director! Someone who can give us clear feedback and direction! Otherwise it's a waste of our time and $12. I think that I expressed this sentiment as directly as I could in the phone conversation I had with the leader of the show last week. I don't really know what else I can say without stepping on some one's toes. I just don't feel like I'm in the position to offer up any more feedback than I already have - but I'm hoping that another member of the cast who is more on the level will speak up - and do so sooner than later.

Online All The Time

This afternoon I continued my day job search and sent out several more job applications for various administrative positions. I'm not giving up hope - but the clock is ticking. I need to have something in place by the end of this month before I'm in real trouble. I'm not sure that my new Telesales job is the real answer to my prayers. For now, I'm just gonna have to hang in there with it until something more profitable comes along. I spoke to a friend of my boss's today about working the phones for her at her dance studio - I'm supposed to meet with her on Monday afternoon.

It's a helpless feeling, and I am determined to turn things around. I perused some more online job listings and registered for other part time freelance work. I'll do just about anything, short of prostitute myself. I do enough of that trying to make it in the entertainment industry anyway.

Typed Out and Duped

It has been a few weeks since I've been to a proper casting call - things kinda slowed down in the auditions department over the past couple of months. But happily, now it looks like things are starting to pop up again and it looks like the start of Spring has sprung some good opportunities!

Feeling greatly encouraged, I headed out to a call this afternoon. The studio was flooded with girls, each one lovelier than the next - when I learned that they would be "typing." Ugh! I hate that. They basically line you up and send you into a room 20 at a time to be gawked at and examined by the Casting Director and her cronies. It's probably one of the most reprehensible aspects of the Open Call process, but I know that it has to be done. I don't imagine that the people on the other side of the table take much pleasure in doing it and I don't take their rejection of me personally, I know it's just the business of the business.

There was a glimmer of hope for a moment before they announced all of the names of the six or seven girls that they wanted to see. They seemed to be lingering a bit longer on my headshot & considering keeping me - but it turned out that they were listing several reasons why they should not. (sigh)

I returned to the bathroom to change back into my street clothes feeling a bit deflated. Flat out rejection doesn't feel so good. I was in good company though. A lot of lovely & talented girls were sent away along with me.

On my way out I ran into a couple of fresh-faced recent grads from my Alma Mater, The University of the Arts. One of them thought that I had just been accepted to the school. Well, that made my day a little brighter!

I took advantage of the time leftover by going to get a bunch of my headshots reproduced at Reproductions. Granted, these shots are a little older and show their age by being black & white, but they're good shots & doggonnit it's my only option right now!
I only hope that Casting Directors won't hold it against me for not living up to the trend of color. For now I'll have to settle for these black & whites before I can afford them - but in order to do so I need to start making a lot more green.

First Day Bitters

Tonight began the introductory period to my additional survival job of Telesales and Fundraising. In a word it was awful. I haven't had to resort to telesales since sophomore year of college. Even then it wasn't as bad as this. I had somehow blocked out just how sucky it is to call people in the middle of their family dinners to ask them if they'd like to buy theater tickets. Ugh! With every one's stocks plummeting to an all-time low and unemployment at an all-time high, it comes as little surprise that people are tightening their purse strings and refraining from renewing their theater subscriptions. At the same time - there's gotta be someone out there who can still afford to support the arts!

After about my 20th "No" or even more polite, "I wish that I could, but I just can't right now" of the night - I found it hard to suppress the horrible sinking feeling in my stomach. No one can afford this stuff any more! No one wants to subscribe - how will we fill these seats? How will art survive? How will I survive if all I can manage to rake in is a pitiful $8.75 an hour in this dark and depressing place???

Calm down - I told myself. Now is neither the time nor the place for a panic attack. Especially not in front of these embittered folks who are placing calls right beside you and having just as much luck snagging the next subscriber as you are.

From my fluorescent bulb-lit kiosk, my future looked pretty dim. It can't be as bad as this. Something has to turn around and right soon!!!

When 9pm rolled around I had never felt more relieved. The past three hours had seemed like an eternity, but I can't quit yet. I have to give it another chance on Friday. In the meantime - I'm kicking up my job search to eleven!

Here Comes the Bachellorette!

Tonight I got to play make believe for my friend's show at Joe's Pub. (At the risk of letting the cat out of the bag - the name of the show shall remain anonymous) The show changes every month and often there is audience interaction, but sometimes those members of the audience are ringers. Like tonight, for instance. A few of us girls got all dressed up and pretended to be bachelorette party-goers out for a girls' night on the town. I got to play the role of the blushing bride-to-be. I only wish that I had gotten a picture of myself with my pretend engagement ring and a toilet paper veil. Thanks to the show I got to live out the stereotypically girly fantasy of what it's like to be engaged. (grin)

The star of the show referred back to us several times throughout - and even lead the whole room in congratulating me on my impending nuptials. Ahhh fantasy can be fun!!!

The show was hysterical and I think that all of us girls helped it get off without a hitch... or with a hitch. whichever!

Uku-laying Down Tracks

After a bustling week you can believe that I was more than ready for a restful Saturday - but this was not to be. I was busy as a bee today buzzing from one thing to another with barely a breather in between.

I began my day with another rehearsal for the show that was canceled last month - basically picking up where we had left off from last month. Some of the players had changed, but my role of Bride remained the same. Yay! I'm really excited for this show tomorrow night!

I had to leave the rehearsal early because today was the day that we were laying down the tracks for the ukulele music video that I was asked to be a part of at the NYMF Meet & Greet! I would have liked to have had a bit more time to rehearse my part - but thankfully I managed to get by okay. I even got to play a $300 Gibson soprano uke. I like the sound of my uke just as well, but the Gibson's strings were a little softer and easier to manipulate. Perhaps I'll look into getting softer nylon strings for mine.

I was really impressed with how quickly we were able to get everything done today. We met up around 2:30 at the Sound Engine recording studio down town and ran through the tune a few times before getting set to record. It was an incredibly simple setup with all five of us crowding around a single mic in the middle of a sound-proof room. We played the tune and sang at the same time - a method of recording which for the most part has gone the way of the Dodo. Most recording artists lay down the music track first and then dub the vocals on top afterwards.

I didn't mind it though, we made several recordings inside of the two hours that they had the studio and once we had a few in the can, the director (who apparently shot Madonna's first music video) came in and had his DP get a bunch of raw footage of us singing and playing our ukes. The shots will all be interspersed throughout the video that we're going to be shooting around Manhattan next Saturday. They're going to have a make-up artist and everything! Should be fun!

Who Wants to See A Slumdog?

Still high off of our highly acclaimed one-night run of ETV, it felt like it was time to celebrate. My boyfriend had the right idea and decided to take me out for a date night to see "Slumdog Millionaire." It's my goal to check off every Oscar-nominated film on my list, so this would work out perfectly!

I couldn't get over this film! It was so masterfully crafted and shot and the story was creatively unfolded before us. It also served as another reminder of just how fortunate I am to have been born in the United States. My oh, my.

ETV Night!!!

After much anticipation, the night for improv comedians to become rock stars had finally arrived! I had cleverly concealed my hot rocker getup underneath a pair of jeans and my lucky brown sweater. Earlier today I took a few moments to run my song and vocalize. I put the original recording on repeat so that I would have every nuance of the tune in my mind. In short, I was ready to ROCK!!!

When I reached the venue, the band was tuning up on stage - YES! This was really happening! Still not 100% on my daring getup, I grabbed my friend Alexis and pulled her into the bathroom to get her final approval of my tight-fitting, feaux leather-looking pants. Once I got the green light from her and a few other trusted friends, it was on!

The back room of Kenny's Castaways was filling up with more and more ETV-goers by the minute. I was excited to see so many friendly faces!
One of the great things about having a show with so many people involved is that you automatically have a nice built-in audience.

I was fifth in the line-up and it was a good thing too, otherwise my nerved might have started to get the better of me. When it was my turn to take the stage, my body was filled with electricity. I grabbed the mic and reassured everyone that yes, these were actual pants that I was wearing and then announced that this was my very first ETV. I was encouraged by all of the cheers coming from the audience. My boyfriend was down in front video taping the whole show for posterity. For a moment I sorta felt like I was in a music recital for big people.

Once that first wail from the guitar rang out - we were off to the races. I haven't had that much fun covering a song since my senior concert in high school when my friend Rick backed me on a cover of Jewel's ever popular "Who Will Save Your Soul. " (hey! it was really popular at the time!)

It was a really great night! I had a blast and the show was a huge success. Even the bouncer was impressed, saying that we'd have to play here again!

I would love it if we could take this and turn it into a more regular gig. If anything, maybe we could play a few weddings.

What to Dare to Wear

Tomorrow is the big night for ETV and I want to make sure that I'm good to go. I know my song like the back of my hand, and I've been running my vocal warm-ups to make sure that my chords are nice and limber - but the even bigger question is: what, oh WHAT am I going to WEAR???

I did a little searching on the ol' net for some rocker chick wardrobe ideas. The same image of Joan Jett in tight leather pants and a leather vest kept springing to mind. Sure enough, my search engine yielded more that enough pics of her in that very getup. Could I pull that off? I wondered.

I wonder...

Well, after work I took a trip to the always-trusty and hip Urban Outfitters, and low and behold, they had exactly what I was looking for: tight black shiny leggings and a classic roker leather vest. I very much doubt that I will be wearing all of these things together. I'm not trying to look like I just stepped out of a rock show in the 80s - but I was pretty sure that one of these sexy items would more than suffice.

I couldn't make up my mid in the dressing room, so I brought both pairs of pants and the vest home with me to see what would and wouldn't work. The vest was a n0-go - just too costumey, but the black pants that had a subtle sheen to them and the look of tight leather took the prize. Paired with a long black camisole and my new $15 Steve Madden heels and we've got ourselves a winner!

I just hope that I don't chicken out at the show and decide not to go ahead with wearing this stuff!

A Whole NYMF Meet & Greet

Tonight was another round of Meet a Greet for the New York Musical Theater Festival.

I quite enjoyed my experience at the last event and I came prepared to chat up some new folks and perhaps reconnect with some now more-familiar faces.

I met up with a friend of mine who was already chatting with a producer of a musical which had just been submitted to the festival. We chatted with her and a few others who ranged from producer to playwright. People are very approachable at these events and in actual fact, my friend Jason and I found that we hardly moved from the same spot for about an hour as people were constantly approaching us. It was pretty cool! All one really had to do to strike up a conversation was to make eye contact with another individual. It was that very type of chance encounter that got me a little ukulele music video gig this weekend! A man who had been involved with the festival in years past mentioned that he had just submitted a ukulele show into this year's festival - "Oh cool! I play the ukulele!" I said candidly.
"You do?" he asked excitedly.
"Would you want to be in a ukulele music video this Saturday?"
And with that, I had a new gig! You never know what can happen at these things!

I ended the evening on an even higher note by having a nice chat with the festival's resident Casting Director. We became instant facebook friends and he gave me one of his cards so that I could invite him to a future Made-Up Musical. I hope that this will lead to good things!

Just Another Manic Monday

Today was a very special 15-hour Monday which began at the break of dawn, when I hopped a train down to Wall Street to re-take the Census exam just to be on the safe side. I wasn't satisfied with my performance the first time I took it - even though it's definitely not rocket science. I left today's testing much more satisfied with my performance and feeling a bit more secure in my own level of intelligence.

Next up, I returned to my day job for a few hours until it was time for me to dash across town to the Flatiron District for a staged reading series that I've been wanting to be apart of. Despite the blustery winds and below freezing temperatures, the event was very well attended. The way that this thing works is actors attend the cold readings and submit their headshots to the staff who then cast them in roles based on their headshots. At the end of the night, the names of the actors are read aloud and they are given scripts for which to prepare for performance at the next night of cold readings.

Three plays were read at tonight's series, the last of which was especially well written and performed. It's remarkable to see actors bring words to life from the page. It's so very different from improv. The readers were so fully committed to the piece that I was swept up in the emotion and found myself crying. It was quite wonderful.

At the end of the night, a surprise guest was presented to us all. It was Broadway star Ken Jennings of all people! Pretty cool, eh?

I was just about ready to lose consciousness, when I realized that I still had one more thing on my day's agenda. As soon as the cold reading series was over I hopped a train back across town for the final ETV run-through. This was the last time we'd all be together to rehearse our songs before the big night!

When I arrived, everyone was crammed into one of the fancy performance studios. It was really cool! I sorta felt like I was in Rock n' Roll camp or something. Everyone got up one by one and sang through their songs like true blue rock stars. Rockin' out to "Magic Man" was a magical way to end my Monday and there's no doubt about it: ETV is gonna ROCK!!!

I'd Like To Rank the Academy

Growing up, watching The Academy Awards was always a main event in my life. I loved everything about them: the stars, the clothes, the speeches - regardless of whether or not I had actually seen any of the films - I just reveled in the magic and fanfare of it all. I dreamt that one day, I too would be there receiving an Oscar of my very own!
Well, that fantasy still lingers in the back of my mind - I'm not gonna lie. Quite frankly, even after all of these years of rejection, bad luck, bad timing, etc. I'm grateful that my fantasy has survived! I mean, I'm still much too young to be embittered by the crap that has befallen me throughout my quest of making a solid career for myself in the industry. I still have faith in myself and in the rest of the world out there that one day soon, I will make things happen. I think that this positive outlook on life is what has kept me going while wading through all of the mucky muck that is out there.

So I watched some of the Academy Awards this year. I feel a little guilty watching the Oscars when I haven't managed to see all of the movies that are up for awards. I owe it to myself to be more informed, but to be honest, the allure of this ceremony has worn a little thin over the past few years. I guess I've just grown a leery and weary of Hollywood and all of the ridiculous stories about its stars. Some of those people out there are out of their ever-loving minds. Granted sometimes the madness breeds some beautiful pieces of work - but there are far too many movie stars out there who have tarnished the shine of that place that I once thought to be so magical.

I often yearn for the good old days when we didn't know everything about the stars we worshipped. It was more fun to fill in the blanks about them ourselves and imagine what it must be like to be living their oh so perfect lives. Now we have come to find out that their lives are just as fucked up, or usually even more so than the rest of ours. (*see Mickey Rourke) How am I supposed to look up to these people?

I suppose one day, if good fortune smiles on me and I become a star - I'll just have to be the best role model I can be for other burgeoning starlets of tomorrow. Of course, I won't have much choice in the matter. I'll have to be on my best behavior because in the land of Hollywood, no one is gonna take crap from a female star who's over 30.

Rocking the 'View

This morning I got an unexpected call from the sales manager at Second Stage asking if I could come in for a quick interview at noon. I had already had it in my schedule to be at ETV rehearsal from 12 to 3, but a prospective job takes precedence, so I said "Sure! I can do that!"

I sent a quick text to notify the band that I wouldn't be about an hour late, and off I went. It seemed that my fate had already been sealed, because the interview wasn't really an interview - it was more of a tutorial/crash course of what doing the job entailed.
It seemed that all of my last-minute job interview preparation had been all for naught! But se la vie!

I should be getting a call about the job & when to start next Sunday. This may not be the most glamorous job in the world - but desperate times call for desperate measures! This job is my lifeboat that's gonna keep me from going down with the ship- the emergency parachute to keep me from colliding with the earth - the... well you get the idea.

After my impromptu training session was over - I hopped a train to the music studio for ETV rehearsals. It turned out that my absence from the first hour had not been a problem at all. I was glad that I had made the executive decision to go to the interview. I was finally off book for my song "Magic Man" and I'm feeling good & ready for the show on Thursday. I also got to sing the Kate --- song "I Kissed A Girl" to help the band do a run-through. I just like singing with a band backing me and I have often fantasized about being the lead singer of a wedding band or something. That would be fun. Something like that would also be a good stepping stone for my biggest dream of all - making it to Broadway by 30!

Optimal Optimism

This afternoon I was hard at work searching the web for more job opportunities and auditions to attend. The last couple of months have been a bit quiet in the audition department - but to my surprise, today I came across a number of listings!

It looks like the cold frost of winter and our downtrodden economy has not killed off every last bit of hope. There is a light shining at the end of this dismal tunnel after all!

I also happened upon a listing looking for telesales and fundraising staff for the Second Stage Theater in New York. The methods of response were either by email or phone - so feeling bold, I attempted a call. After a brief conversation about my experience in the field, the man on the other end of the line seemed quite anxious to meet with me on Monday afternoon! An actual possible job interview? Things are looking up! He said that he would get in touch with me on Sunday evening to confirm a meeting - but this is one of the best looking prospects I've had all year. Sure, it isn't a dream job, but it's something to help pay the bills!

After filing away a few more audition dates in my phone I was feeling really optimistic about what the future holds. It's effing scary out there and I realize that I haven't been letting the gravity of the situation set in entirely. However I think, what good would that do? Set me into panic mode? No sir!

I think that my much-improved mood really improved my improv at tonight's Made-Up Musical as well! There were only five of us in tonight's cast and the house was full of friendly faces. One of which was a very good actor/director friend of mine who recently made the move back to the city. He had been promising to come and see the show for ages and he brought another friend along who I had met at the New York Musical Festival Meet & Greet. Things are finally coming full circle - connections are beginning to be made.

Talking TMUM

Changes, they are a'comin'
I just got off the phone with my director/fellow improviser of TMUM. He had dropped me a line the other day that he wanted to chat with me about the show, so we set up a little phone meeting.
These kinds of conversations always get me a little nervous. I mean, I've been doing the show for over a year now & mostly loving every minute of it. It's a really really fun gig (as far as unpaid gigs go) and I've learned a lot by doing it. However, I have also come to realize that there is a lot that I have yet to learn that TMUM isn't quite capable of teaching.
What it all boils down to is that I need more improv practice outside of the show. It recently occurred to me that I haven't been in a class in about 6 or 7 months. I haven't been performing improv in a show in a show other than TMUM in five or six months either! The end result is that I'm just not getting enough practice of my basic skills. Soooo my director suggested that I get myself into another class if I'm interested so that I can keep myself limber and compete with the other members of the cast, most of whom perform on a daily basis and have been doing so far longer than I.

Another opportunity has presented itself as well: the Magnet has been trying to get a Musical Harold team into place! Rumors of such a thing have been swirling around the Magnet for months, but now it seems that it might actually happen!
I guess I just want to keep improving myself as an improviser and keep on making up songs. I don't care where it happens or how, just as long as I can keep on singing.

Musical Panda-monium!

I really needed a break from the pandemonium going on in my little life, so I decided to take solace in a "Pandas" show at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theater. I needed a little comic relief and these two ladies can slay an audience with their made-up musical stylings like no body's business. The Pandas performed a 30-minute, 15-minute and 5-minute musical based on one suggestion and it was amazing as always. I'm sort of ashamed to admit that I was at the bar getting a beer at the very start of the show - so I missed out on the suggestion given, but from what I could tell it was whore or brothel-related.

I also thought that since they are one of the best musical improv groups in the city, that maybe I could learn a thing or two by seeing them - or if nothing else be inspired and entertained. Needless to say, I got all of the above - which was exactly what I had bargained for. Not bad for five bucks! Now I can hardly wait to get back on stage on Friday and rock that TMUM out!

Finding the Write Words

Tonight right after I submitted my availability and confirmed for a Made-Up Musical rehearsal, I found an unsettling email in my inbox concerning my future in the show. I've been apart of the show in one way or another for a little over a year now - and I have been plugging along as best as I can with little or no rehearsals and hardly any feedback from those that run the show - and okay - or so I thought...

I got an email from the head of the show saying that we need to have a talk. Just reading those words set my stomach a-flutter. What's worse - I couldn't just sweep it under the rug and hope that it would go away...this called for swift and decisive action. I had to submit a response and the sooner the better. UGH! I HATE THIS!

With the aid of my boyfriend's objectivity I sat down to compose a reasonably sane email which would hint at my own displeasure over the current situation without burning any bridges. I mean I've been through a lot with these folks over the past year! We've become friends and I don't want anything to wreck these relationships. I'll admit that I broke down a little bit tonight. It just seems that things have been working against me over the past few weeks and this was the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

I don't enjoy confrontations - and I am fearing the worst, but the sooner we have this conversation the better.

Getting Trim

This morning I finally got done what I've been meaning to get done for the past several months: get a hair cut!

My too-long tresses were desperately in need of a tune-up but I had been putting off a trim for fear that I wouldn't like the end result. After a while though, I was just getting fed up with my stupid hair, so I found a nice place at the end of my block that was giving cuts & blow dries for 50% off. I figured that any salon willing to pay rent in my 'hood couldn't be half bad, so off I went!

I'm happy to report that the styling was a success. Dead and split ends are a thing of the past and now I feel like my appearance is much improved. Now if only I could afford those new headshots I was talking about.

Resubmitting My Resurrection

During a full day of running around town with my family, I realized that the Test Drive application due date was yet again upon me.

Having not heard back about a future show date at the Magnet, it occurred to me that I had better resubmit my show "The Baroness of Vegas" before the opportunity to do so passes me by.

I drew up another email and just barely missed the deadline by 3 minutes, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that since this is a resubmission of an idea for a show, I won't be terribly penalized for my last-minute realization. After all, I don't want to burn any bridges, but I do want to set that Magnet stage on fire with my sassy resurrection of my old friend Trudy Carmichael. She's been burning a hole in my brain over the past few months, just waiting for her chance at a comeback!

Hopefully the powers that be will see that it's time for her to shine once again!

Today's V'Day!

The deadline for creating our Valentines tunes is up! The time to deliver them to each other was now or never for better or for worse!

I had completed my musical accompaniment & written the bulk of my lyrics over the past couple of days - but like any good procrastinator, I didn't actually start laying down any of my vocal tracks until late last night after I had gotten home from The Made-Up Musical. Of course by that time I was in no shape to sing, so I opted to wait to finalize my vocals until late this afternoon - essentially moments before I was to meet up with my Valentine. I wasn't prepared to stop finishing up my recording until Iwas satidfied that it was as close to perfection as humanly possible. This took longer that I had originally anticipated, but in the end, it was all worth it.

The side effect of all of this is that I can see how much I enjoy writing and composing music and I want to continue writing songs and put them into a show - just like my boyfriend's roommate did - but I also wouldn't mind writing songs for other people as well. I think that later this week I'm going to sit back down at the underused piano I have sitting in my apartment & see if I can't wrangle something out of it. If all else fails - I can always go back to my trusty Super Duper Music Looper!

Freaky Friday

Tonight I returned to the Magnet for a Friday the 13th performance of The Made-Up Musical.

One of the best things about the show was that we had a full house - there's nothing like performing for a nice big energetic audience.

Our suggestion came from an out-of-towner who grew up in a town in Washington state that was home to a lot of serial killers.

It was a perfect suggestion for a Freaky Friday the 13th & lucky for us, the show was a hit.

Giving Freely

The job search continues.

Like many Americans, I am under-worked and under-paid. The stress is starting to get to me, but I remain hopeful that something great is lurking right over the horizon.

In the meantime, I am continuing to volunteer for the NYMF. I want to use all of this extra free time wisely. Admittedly, it's not a completely selfless act, but rather a crafty way to get on their radar. I want them to know me and love me just like I know and love them. They seem open to making new friends, and giving of my free time seems like a surefire way into their hearts.

This afternoon I did a few menial tasks in their office and ran an errand to a local Staples. It was pretty simple stuff like label-cutting and printing documents. Definitely well within my skill set. I didn't mind at all. In fact I just appreciated the little change in venue.

I was going to return to their office again this evening for a little mailing party, but it turns out that there are a lot of like-minded individuals like myself who want a little piece of this fun-pie. I'm not worried though. I think that there's plenty to go around!

ExSpandex-ing My Mind

This evening I returned to the Ars Nova theater to see a show in one of their Encores Series. One of the perks of having done the A.N.T. Fest is that we get offered comp tickets to various shows. I like free things so I pounced on the opportunity.

The show was what I could only describe as a Rock/R&B explosion of comedy, sequins and spandex. The star of the show, a self-proclaimed American Idol was fiercely fiery and entertaining the whole way through. She was aptly backed by a band of lusty gentlemen in white boxers & wife beaters, and flanked by two kickass dancers during the really big numbers. It was all around fun for everyone.

The only thing I was left wondering was: who exactly is this adorable person? Is she a character? A persona? An escaped patient from a loony bin? I wished to know more. I realize that the shows that I'm most entertained by are those that feature a character or characters that have a definitive story to tell. They have a point of view and a really big want and a need to share their desires with an audience.

I was glad that I had the chance to check out this show, not only because it was fun and it was free, but it also helped me get a better grasp on the type of story I want to tell with my show. It solidified what I want out of doing a show at all. Otherwise, what's the point, right?

Final Notes

This morning I was up and at 'em pretty early.

I hopped onto my computer and finished composing the musical accompaniment for the Valentine's song I'm writing for mt boyfriend. I'm pretty pleased with it. It's not quite as long as lasy years's (that one came in at a whopping 5 minutes and change) but I don't think he'll mind. Now for the lyrics!

When composing a song in this way, I have found that it's easiest to work out a tune that I like, get it into my head and then put words to it that way. I also do it in this order because the Sony Super Duper Music Looper has places quite a number of constraints on the composer. You only have a certain amount of sounds and loops to choose from - so you really have to work with what you're given. This may prove incredibly frustrating to one who actually knows what their doing, however for those of us who are still feeling out theur composition skills, it works just perfectly.

I put together a few arrangements before deciding on a final cut and exporting it as a .wav file into itunes. I burned the track onto a CD and then transported it over to GarageBand where I will attempt to record my vocal track.

Ack! I'm so nervous! I want this song to be perfect, and I want it to make my boyfriend cry...just like last year.

Finding Photos!!!

Given my precarious financial situation, I've been having to completely dial down my expenses. This is not a good thing.

I had planned on getting new headshots taken this month and now that has to be put on the back burner because there is no way that I can afford them until I reach the end of my financial free fall.

I had been holding back on getting new shots done for a while now and using some older black and white shots that I had from a few years back. After all, they're good shots and they still look like me! The only problem is that they're black and white. I'm hoping that casting directors, agents and directors alike will forgive the outdated-ness of these black and whites in light of the economic pinch that is plaguing us all.

The problem with those shots was that I had just run out of them, andwas praying for some kind of miracle when today my boyfriend found a few more in a folder that he had been using for some headshots of his own. I was ecstatic! Now I have a few more shots to get me through the next couple of auditions until I get repros made.

These are hard times and I hate the fact that I'm having to scrimp and save every single penny, but I'm gonna do whatever is in my power to prevent the pressure of my dwindling finances from entirely crushing my dreams.

Back To Planet NYC

We're getting closer to the final draft of my new and improved website. Earlier today my boyfriend drafted a test site for me and I think it's getting closer to what it is that I need. On the flight back home to NYC - we continued sketching out more ideas for the site.

It was still light outside when we were arriving in New York. Once again, we were aboard a smaller aircraft which had to do a couple of loops around the island before landing. It was a perfectly clear day and the sun was setting across Manhattan as we made our descent into LGA. I even managed to snap a couple of pictures on my cell phone...

I Can Hear The Bells

After another round of practicing songs in the hotel pool, it was time to get ready to go to the wedding...

My boyfriend needed to get to the wedding venue early for family pictures, so I tagged along. Lucky us, we got to ride in style in a big white stretch limo and pretend that we were the rich and famous! Yes, we're dorks, but I don't think that I've been in a limo since my senior prom so it was a lot of fun.

I'm not jaded. It's the little things in life!

Singing Swimmingly

My boyfriend and I took full advantage of being stranded in a hotel in the middle of nowhere Indiana today: we went to the pool.

As we were swimming around the pool area, my boyfriend made several song requests since we were in a room that had nice big echo-ey acoustics. I ran through the newest addition to my repertoire "A Way Back to Then." The high note sounded really great in there, reverberating off of the tiled ceilings and floors.

It just feels good to sing no matter where I am. I would sing in pool, I would sing in a school, I would sing in a plane, I would sing on a train... where I love best, is on a stage!

In An Indy State of Mind

This afternoon my boyfriend and I boarded a baby plane bound for Indiana for his sister's wedding. It's a family reunion for him & a mini vaycay for me, although last time I checked Indianapolis wasn't a top tourist destination - especially not in the month of February.

We decided to take advantage of our down time while we were up in the air by finalizing the design of my website. My boyfriend likes to draw things out on paper before putting them up on the web, so we got out his legal pad and began jotting things down.

Several months ago I designed this intricate splash page which featured a bird's nest filled with baby robin birdsthat hatched out of their eggs when you rolled over each one. Each egg was a link to a different page. Pretty damn cool, I thought - but the navigation was just too darn time consuming and clever for it's own good. SO I'm scrapping that whole thing and starting fresh!

Coming to my Census

This afternoon I continued to do some more composing of my Valentines song and I imported the file into Garage Band. I divided the music into separate tacks into separate tracks and tried working with them in GarageBand - however it was giving me the business when I tried to add in my percussion track & consequently the rhythm of the drum is completely off. I may have to go back to the drawing board with this project.

I dashed out of work early to take the exam to be a Census taker on the 14th floor of the Actor's Equity Building. The Actors Work Program set up test dates with the Bureau so that actors across the country could take advantage of these sweet little part-time positions. The only drawback is that most of the positions won't start until mid-March or early April & I need to get another source of income going before then.

I think that I did better that average on the test - but I wasn't satisfied in the least, so when I returned home this evening I emailed one of the coordinators about a retest date. I'm signed up to retake the exam on the 23rd. If at first you don't ace it, don't be afraid to retake it!

Changing My Tune

Today I put in a call to Big Apple Improv followed up with emailing my resume so that I can get an audition appointment with this group. They visit schools, church groups, hospitals, even prisons to bring the joy of improv to people (and convicts) of all ages. Sounds kinds cool! Also, it's a paid gig - and as I stated before - I needs to make some money. ASAP...

This evening I went to a show at Ars Nova featuring my boyfriend's roommate. He was offered the opportunity to do his own solo show of his original songs immediately after a performance in an A.N.T. Fest show this past November. I had wished for a similar outcome for us following our premiere of "The Spotlight" in Ars Nova's festival, but it simply was not to be...yet.

All envy aside, I was really looking forward to the show & truly excited for him - especially knowing that he had accepted the challenge of composing a bunch of entirely "nerdy" and funny original songs in a mere couple of months. I had even lended my voice to one of his tracks! (He didn't end up using my backup vocals in the show - but it was still cool to be asked.) It also earned me a little nod in the Program's "Special Thanks" section.

Watching the show tonight, I felt like a proud parent watching his or her child in a school recital. It was a great show that left everybody wanting more. I was particularly inspired! I left the theater thinking - "Hey! I can do that! I should do that! Why couldn't I do that?" (Or something in the same vain, that is.

This show has definitely fueled me and lit another fire under my behind. No more talking about woulda, coulda, shoulda - I'm going to write me some songs doggonnit! And they are gonna be good!

I hope.

Contact Hi's

I just received my performance schedule for this month's round of The Made-Up Musical. I had been talking up the show to anyone who would listen at last week's NYMF Meet & Greet, and managed to generate some interest. I think it would be great to get some NYMF producers into the seats at TMUM, so today I sent out some emails to the folks who gave me their business cards. I've decided to go into full on networking mode these days. There's no time like the present to make new connections and start bridging the gap between old ones.

When I was scanning the job listings on playbill.com I came across a posting for Davenport - it just so happens that one of the people I met last week works for them. A sign, perhaps? Let's hope so.

Bride-Not-To Be in A Show!

Unfortunately the star of the show was feeling to ill to put the show on tonight, so it turned out that I would be able to follow through with my Superbowl plans instead. (Not that I really gave a rat's ass about this year's Super Bowl.)

Anyway speaking of caring, Valentines Day is quickly approaching, and like last year, my boyfriend and I are writing songs for each other. We like doing cute things that give us an excuse to be creative. It also lights a small fire under my behind to get it done.

Today I began "composing" a piece for my man, once again using a simplistic program that I received from a friend last year, called the Super Duper Music Looper. It's pretty nifty and it does most of the work for you - although it's a little too simplistic in its function as it doesn't allow you to pause in the middle of your song, etc. so I have to constantly start from the beginning whenever I want to make a change. It's a bit more taxing than I would like it to be so I'm thinking of copying the file onto a CD and importing all of the tracks into Garage Band to do more musical assemblage.

More on this work in progress later...

Getting a Shot!

This was one of the payoffs of my performance in yesterday's Broadway Bullet Showcase! I just found it on line today after receiving my first email blast from the show. It's not the best photo in the world, but it's definitely me. They didn't post everybody's picture on line - I'm only assuming because not everyone dressed up. I guess most singer/songwriters opt to play it cool and dress like bums for shows. Not me! I still fall into the musical performer category. I dress to be seen and photographed!

Mission accomplished!

Bullet Close to Broadway!

Tonight I attended "Broadway Bullet" which was a showcase of Broadway, off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway performers. I even got to sing a little in the Open-Mic portion of the show. They invited people to bring in original material, and many did just that. I would have liked to have featured my "Just A Little Bit Famous" song, however I don't have any sheet music for it and so my voice teacher suggested that I bring in "Leather" by Tori Amos.

"Who doesn't love Tori Amos?" I asked the crowd.

The show was a great opportunity for me to see what other people are out there composing. I had no idea that so many people would bring in original stuff. Some of it was ok, some of it, so-so. It allowed me to see that there is a reason people like Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim are still so lauded. Not just anybody who calls themselves a song writer or composer can make great music that appeals to the masses! This shit is hard!

My rendition of "Leather" was ok. Unfortunately I was one of the last people to go on in the Open Mic and they didn't tell me until the last second so I had no time to prepare the painfully straight accompanist who was completely oblivious that this song even existed.

So there I was up on stage explaining how to play the song to the accompanist while the impressive James Barbour entertained the crowd, somewhat at my expense.

Oh well. James Barbour is pretty friggin' great. I saw him in Urinetown a few years back and he was hilarious, so if anyone's going to poke a little fun at me, I'm glad it's someone like him.

Finally I was ready to begin and I thought that I had almost redeemed myself, until the accompanist was thrown by the ending, thus resulting in a somewhat anti-climactic finish. [Sigh] Can't win 'em all, I guess - but I had hoped for a bit better.

Anyway, it wasn't completely awful. Apparently they'll be doing these shows once a month now, and now that I know what to expect, I anticipate making a triumphant return to their stage with ORIGINAL material in hand. Let's shake it up a bit, shall we? And next time, let's really kick some ass!

Here's some more pics of the event I snagged on my phone...


Adam playing an original piece from his musical...

The cast from the Prospect Theater's production of "Honor"

I ran into my old friend David Shih, who was a member of the "Honor" cast, as well as their emcee for the evening

Open Mic winner, Allan Harris

Footin' the Double Bill

I'm fortunate enough to live in a part of town that is racked with movie theaters, but given the high price of movies and my dedication to other extra-curricular activities, I often find myself skipping out on heading into a movie theater to see current films. Sure, I watch movies, but usually on TBS or on Netflix.com. Over the past few years, going to catch a flick in one of my local theaters is something I seldom do. This is somewhat inexcusable considering that I have a Triplex theater right around the corner from my apartment.

Tonight I decided to do something crazy and take myself out to the movies. I really enjoy going to the movies by myself, and since my boyfriend was doing a gig in the Bronx, I decided that tonight would be the perfect night to take in a couple of Oscar-bound films.

After witnessing Kate Winslet make off with not one, but two Golden Globes for her performances in Revolutionary Road and "The Reader" my interest was peaked. The former was playing at the Triplex, along with Doubt - and since it was highly doubtful that Meryl Streep would suck in that film, I decided to make it a date with myself.

As a performer it's important to watch whatever I can to keep myself informed of the art that is out there. Even though Revolutionary Road was probably one of the most depressing movies I've seen to date, no one can argue that Kate Winslet didn't deliver a magnificent performance. Meryl Street was as always a tour de force in her role. In fact everyone was a force to be reckoned with in Doubt. I am an enormous fan of John Patrick Shanley's work, and since I didn't have the opportunity to watch the stage production of Doubt, the film was a nice consolation.

It was an entertaining evening of gut-wrenchingly magnificent films. I'm a little sadder now than I was at the start of my day, but happy that I got myself into the theater.

A Great Change of Range

This morning I returned to my voice teacher with a couple more songs under my belt - but my first order of business was figuring out a good selection to sing for an Open Mic that I just learned about yesterday called, "The Broadway Bullet." I learned about it from an email I received from the New York Musical Theater Festival. Right now I am loving their mailing list. The event sounds like it could be a lot of fun: surprise guests, featured artists, and an Open Mic to top it off!

They are inviting people to bring original material, but unfortutately I don't have the sheet music to any of my songs as of yet. I was hoping that my voice teacher would be able to help me in that arena, but there just wasn't enough time. Instead he suggested that I sing one of my old cabaret standards, "Leather" by Tori Amos. It seems to me that the musical theater community is just as in smitten with Tori as they are with Sondheim, so why not? It's a great, sexy song and I enjoy singing it.

Once we settle on my "Bullet" selection, I wanted to get back to what I had been working on over the past couple of weeks, namely "A Way Back To Then." I had been practicing the non-belty belt exercise all week until I finally got the hang of it. The proof was in the pudding - when I got to that section of the song, it came out just right. My teacher was even more encouraged by this development. "That's where the money is," he said. I sure hope he's right. I could use some extra cash right about now. Wouldn't it be great if cold hard cash just came spilling out of my mouth every time I opened it to sing? That would be something special, however until such miracles occur, I'm going to have to find other more realistic ways of amping up my cash flow.

I felt great after my lesson and came away with a few more pieces of music. I really want to expand my repetoire, and if I keep this up, I should be able to expand my range as well.

Later this evening I tried to apply what I had learned in the Made-Up Musical. Despite the below-freezing temperatures outside, we had a nice house and we managed to heat up the place with song!

As soon as the stage lights went out, my boyfriend and I headed straight up town for a birthday party that a couple of old New Jersey Shakespeare Festival friends of mine were having. I have kept in touch with several of the people that I've met through the festival over the years, and it was great to reconnect with a few of whom I hadn't seem in a while. I'm doing my best to check off my New Years resolution to reconnect with old friends. Especially those in the theater community. After all, there's no people like show people...

Practice Makes TMUM!

I have been doing The Made-Up Musical for a little over a year now, if you can believe it, and in all this time I have only had about two, or maybe three rehearsals. TMUM is one of the flagship shows of the Magnet Theater, but we very rarely have the opportunity to rehearse! The reason for this is mostly due to the many conflicting schedules of the various cast members. In a cast as large as ours - it's understandable that everyone has a million different things going on at any given time, and finding a common ground for everyone can be quite a chore. However, it has become apparent that the show's creator wants to take things up a notch - and this can only be done through some good ol' fashioned face time outside of the show.

Tonight, all but three of the TMUM cast came together for a real reaheasal. We discussed the future of the show and where we would like to take it. Right now I feel like the show is more imrov with music, rather than a fully realized improvised musical. Everyone else seems to agree and in the coming months, we are all going to do our best to change that.

After a group discussion we dove on into doing tagline songs and just drilled the structure into our brains until we were blue in the face. Hopefully all of our practicing will payoff in tomorrow night's show!

New York State of Mind

After a glorious visit to our nation's capital to witness the Inauguration of our 44th President, we returned to New York in high spirits.

Once back at home, I got a bit of reading and writing done for my Trudy Carmichael project that I'm cooking up. The conversation about writing musicals last night spurred my imagination and motivated me to start putting some thoughts and dialogue down on paper. Just like Obama said in his speech, "It's time to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again."

Inaugurate the Great!

We got quite the early start this morning: 5:20 in the a.m. and within an hour we found ourselves immersed in sleepy, but nevertheless enthusiastic metro commuters at the Greenbelt Station. It was quite the mob scene, but thankfully everyone remained relatively calm and we made it through the turn-style in fine style within 20 minutes.

Thanks to our early start, we caught a train into downtown DC without further incident, which allowed us to reach our destination almost two hours early. The bonus of this? A surprise celeb spotting! Hard to tell, but that little white-haired man on his cell is none other than every one's favorite journalist, Anderson Cooper!!!


We had arranged to watch the swearing in ceremony as well as the parade from the safety of an Architecture firm. This was the view of the parade route from the office window...

After all of the festivities has died down, my boyfriend and I took to the streets once again and had some dinner before returning to our own little Inauguration party back at the firm.

During the party, which was rather tame, I had a chance to sit down with a good song-writing acquaintance of mine. I had hoped for an opportunity to sit down with him to discuss the process of composing music and writing musicals, for quite some time, and it just so happened that such an opportunity arose this evening. I asked him to shed some light on his methods and how he sets stories to song and gets things in motion. It was quite helpful to me to hear what he had to say about composing musicals, because that is something that I want to do so very badly. It just seems like such a daunting task.

In talking to my friend, I learned that like so many things, the learning is in the doing - and you just have to start somewhere. Write what you know.