2015 Shows

It's been a while since I posted, oh my goodness! What a year it's been for theatre for me!

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM by William Shakespeare

This summer I was in an outdoor production of A Midsummer Night's Dream with Steamer No. 10 in Albany, NY. I got to play one of my dream roles as Titania, Queen of the Fairies.

It's hard to tell but when this shot was taken it was POURING that night. There were no complaints from our actors. We pushed on and the audience stayed! It was a wonderful bonding moment for us as a cast, as we huddled in our producer's car with the heat on full blast. Ah, the joys of outdoor theatre!

It was a very rewarding experience. I was able to work with both adult actors as well as child/teen actors. Most adult actors frown upon working with kids because they are unpredictable and "annoying"; however, I enjoyed the experience! These kids and teens were professional and worked hard at their parts. They enveloped themselves in the language of Shakespeare and became invested in their characters. It was joy to see how much they grew over the rehearsal process and how they shined during the performances! Some of the teens that were a part of the production I knew already from Drama Kids which made me even more proud of their performances!

Cast photo. Daww! (Me, center second row)

One of the most rewarding things for me that happened with this production actually happened long after it was over. I was in the grocery store and I had a gentleman approach me, asking if I was in Midsummer over the summer. I smiled and said yes, and he told me it was a beautiful production and everyone did an amazing job. I walked a little taller and with a skip in my step afterward. I was elated!

DRACULA by Steven Dietz

Oh hey Harker. (Me pictured top right corner)

And now for something completely different! Ah Dracula...Where do I even start? Dracula was a roller-coaster ride to say the least. In this production, we bonded as a cast solely because of all the the troubles we had with this production. From casting to recasting to double rehearsals to recasting again. Technical problems. Flying broomsticks and broken props (long story). The end product, however, is something that we were all very proud of! And our audiences loved it! After the show we had a lot of rave reviews from our audiences, as well local newspapers! Our director told us that it was easily in the top five of highest grossing productions in ticket sales for the past nine seasons at Schenectady Civic Playhouse! What a milestone to be a part of!

(Me sitting right side in my Vixen garb giving the sultry, blood-lust eyes) 

"I am a prisoner!" - Harker

It's not every show where you get to eat a foam heart covered in stage blood! (Me first from the left).

This scene is a perfect example of some of the hardships we faced when presenting this show. In the original script, Dietz calls for the Vixens (brides of Dracula) to pull a baby from the bag and begin eating it. The Board Members of the theater said this was a no-go and actually wanted us to use a toy cat. Our director shot it down instantly for fear of PETA and other animal rights activists protesting the show and theater. (This was shortly after the Cecil the Lion incident so it was DEFINITELY not going to fly with audiences!) Originally our director was just going to leave the baby in and not tell anybody but for fear of shutting the show down, he decided to try something else instead. Our stage /props manager suggested BBQ chicken wings but it didn't cut it. Then she found stress balls online that were shaped like hearts! It's readable enough on stage and makes sense to the audience. Perfect! Problem solved! One night I got too into the scene and accidentally bit into the heart and had foam get into my mouth. I spat that out so fast after I got offstage haha.

Dinnertime!

Our creepy intro. During the photo session we didn't take a lot of pictures of the attendants. (Me downstage left).

"Death of a Leaf" Monologue from 2014 Hartwick College's Monologue Festival

Hey Everyone! So recently I performed in Hartwick College's Monologue Festival for Alumni Weekend. Here is my "Death of a Leaf" Monologue. The monologue had the audience in stitches but I had quite the surprise in store for me after the monologue :)

My inspiration for the monologue actually spawned from another monologue that I did back in January of 2011. In 2011 I took a solo performance class that taught me a variety of writing techniques for monologues and one-person shows. I decided to write a monologue about a snowflake that gets blown into the theater when the doors open and tells the audience why the life of the snowflake is tougher than they think. The monologue was called "Lament of a Snowflake."

For my "Death of a Leaf" monologue I delve into how we see Autumn as a beautiful season but for the leaves it can be a terrifying experience.

Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven"; an adaptation - flashback memory/film

For my theatre arts senior thesis at Hartwick College I wrote, directed, and designed my own show. I wrote a 20+ minute one-act play that was based on Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven." To flesh out Poe's poem, I used a series of other stories and poems, creating more of a back story for my nameless narrator. At one point in the play I did a flashback memory/film that I projected onto the backdrop. This is that film. The poem that my narrator and Lenore are reciting is Poe's poem "Ulalume."

Rehearsal Pics from Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven": an adaptation

Here are some rehearsal pictures from my Theatre Thesis at Hartwick College. I did a stage adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's well loved poem, "The Raven." It was a resounding success with very positive feedback from everyone both in the Theatre Program and the English Department! I'll try to upload one of the rehearsal videos I shot to give you a sense of some of the creative license I was able to take with the dialogue, as well as the video that I used as a flashback memory during the performance :)

"Quoth the Raven, Nevermore."

Helping "Death" brace himself on the stilts before starting rehearsal.

Angels surrounding Lenore.

Seated; our Narrator. Standing; Angels and Lenore (green dress).

Some old pics from various theatre projects

Found some old pics that I wanted to share!

"The Solo Show" cast (January 2011). I'm front right.

Dearly Deaparted Hartwick College January 2010 production. I'm back row, far right.

2012 Hartwick College Freedman Prize Winners. I did two projects in one. My English Thesis was about Theatrical Presentation and Convention in Edgar Allan Poe's work; and I wrote, directed, and designed a stage adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" for my Theatre Thesis.

Sam MacColl Garfinkel's Freedman Prize Presentation. Dance/Movement.

Drama Kids International: Update

So I completely forgot about the fact that I never updated my status in terms of Drama Kids (it's only been 7+ months haha). I didn't get a head teaching position but I was offered the Teaching Apprenticeship, which I gleefully accepted. I moved to the Albany area back in June of last year with my boyfriend. I've really enjoyed Drama Kids. The kids are wonderful (with the exception of some rambunctious students here and there). I started classes in late September and am currently working with the kids during their January session. It took the new teachers and myself awhile to get into the rhythm of how the classes are structured and how the kids "operate."
Unfortunately I can't go into great depth about our curriculum because it would be a breach of contract; but what I can tell you is that we focus primarily on increasing each student's confidence and willingness for public speaking. Improvisational skills and speech are our main focus. It isn't a production based program, though we do present what we do in class to the parents.

Drama Kids International

So I might have a job out in Albany NY with Drama Kids International. It would be a part-time teaching position teaching theatre to kids from ages 4-12. I would be teaching one class a week but the lady who runs it said there is room for growth and advancing into a full-time position. Next week I'll be sitting in on a class to see if I'm up for their teaching style and I'm really excited! I'm hoping to set up a formal interview within the next two weeks because I'm also applying for the Theatre Arts box office internship at Hartwick College. Judging by how the theatre department has been this semester/year I'm not sure if I want to work there. It's been very unorganized this year and it's really disappointing. I'm also looking forward to moving on with my life so I'm really hoping to get this job with Drama Kids Int'l (plus I'll be able to move in with my boyfriend *bonus*).