And that's why I'm not a director.

So today I further realized how amazing our director is. She was continually giving me notes throughout rehearsal on how to subtly change the way some of my lines are delivered - a lot of it having to do with the fact that mikes are not going to do all of the work in projecting my lines on the Alliance stage. Turns out the acoustics in there are not the best for that sort of thing, so we have to really play the stage acting card and throw our lines out and up so to speak. Another part of the nuances she was giving me had to do with the status of my character as both a hero and a young person. She reminded me that younger people are usually less judgmental, so I have to be careful not to deliver some of my lines that way. Think more wonder and amazement than anything else. Brilliant!

Then the last chunk of our day was spent on choreography for me and Mushu - the dragon character. All I can say is those swing dancing days and Tae Bo videos in college paid off!

Sangin'

Today was a music rehearsal, where we worked some songs and tweaked things like tone and crescendos - you know, awesome stuff! :) I love music rehearsals.

P.S. Mushu has some fun songs - very bluesy. He was told by the music director at one point to "put some stank on it".

Blue Prints, Y'all

More blocking today, specifically the part where I as Mulan screw things up with the matchmaker, plus some other scenes. And for some reason my emotions were very accessible today, because I got pretty misty-eyed during the part where I face my father and tell him that I've disappointed the family. And then that sweet little scene where he tells me that late bloomers are the most beautiful of all (the cherry blossom metaphor). Man, this story has some poignant moments, I'll tell ya!

A cool thing about this level of production value is the fact that some of the set design blueprints are tacked up on the rehearsal hall walls, so if we are ever unsure of where this one set piece is or how we fit into the set for this part of a scene, we all gather around the blueprints (think highly detailed, drawn-to-scale, architectural-looking layouts) and talk about how it all fits together. Sweet!

Physical Comedy - Kids Love It!

Today we blocked a lot of scenes, and two of them have me falling over and/or crashing into things/people. My bottom hurts a little, but the kids tend to love the physical stuff. :) Is there a safe way for an actor to fall? I guess on your bottom is the safest way there is! Neither of my degrees taught me these skills! But I sure can administer a standardized language test. ;)

Hmm...I really don't have much else to report from today. Oh yeah - before we blocked scenes, we had a music rehearsal (how could I forget this?!?) in which I realized that 'Reflection' is not the only difficult song for me to sing in this show (when you hear our version you'll know why). There is another song that I sing - with the gracious help of the ancestors - when I decide to steal away in the night and fight for my family. I think we all agreed that this song is pretty special. Oh, and it involves me belting a high note on an 'ee' vowel for 6 beats. You singers know that this is not an easy task. Here's to hoping it comes out like singing and not screeching! ;)

Tai Chi (Chai Tea?)

Yay! The day where we get into the script and start blocking scenes!

We started with a music rehearsal today. We worked on the opening number, which has some really cool sections with overlapping lines. Our direction was to sound mysterious, but crisp and light in order to make these parts come across. We sound great! So much talent in this cast - I love being surrounded by these voices!

Next we went to the 'backyard' of the Alliance, which is pretty much the backstage area - a huge warehouse-looking space where cool stuff like chandeliers and huge set pieces hang from the ceiling. I thought we were actually going to a backyard with grass. Teehee. Not the case! I can't really say why we went to this space - it's related to the surprise element that is going to blow people away! ;) But I can say that we worked on some choreography for a bit (and I got to try on something that was way cool!). And the choreographer is a very Zen person - turns out he teaches yoga. I was personally excited to learn this since it's been 2 years that I've been practicing yoga (which reminds me - I gots to roll out my mat after I'm finished here!).

We finished the day back in the regular rehearsal hall so that we could have the full-length wall mirrors to use if we needed. And we actually did need them at one point - there are some very slow, controlled and tai chi-inspired movements in the choreography and it's not like usual dance moves where the steps fall exactly with the music beats. A group of us have to do them fluidly but precisely and together. Quite a challenge. But I love it nonetheless! It reminds me of my Waigong (grandpa), who I'm sure is smiling down on me. He used to do tai chi and I have great memories of watching him do it in my parents' living room when he came from China to visit. How I wish he was still alive to see this show, but I'm going to do my best to make him proud! He would simply love this production - I just know it.

And so it begins!

Today was the first Mulan rehearsal. I may have peed myself a couple of times from the sheer joy and excitement of what today entailed.

I started my day with a costume fitting. It was quite fun standing in the fitting room with 4 or 5 super experienced and professional ladies milling about me - dressing, adjusting, marking, pulling, pinning me. Hearing them say terms like "faked" or "butted" - words that one might only hear in a professional costume shop - was a cool experience. Also, the word "Chinesey" was thrown around a couple of times too. :0) Some of my outfits weren't there today - because they're arriving FROM CHINA. How cool is that? Only with a place like the Alliance can you expect to wear authentic garments. Oh, and I got to try on my war helmet. They have a lady whose job it is to build hats. What?!?

After the fitting I went upstairs to the rehearsal hall for the meet & greet, etc. We all sat around some tables and did introductions. Some people I already knew, but then I met a slew of peeps all affiliated with the show somehow - other cast mates, the choreographer, the guy who does lights, the interns, the house manager, and about 17 other people whose names and titles I do not recall (though I tried really hard to remember them!). This really served to bring it home that I am doing a professional show. Oh - and I have my own mug with my name on it. It was sitting on the table with all the fruit and trail mix and coffee. So I guess I don't have to pack snacks anymore!

Next were the design presentations, where we get to see and hear about the aesthetics of the production. The costume designer went first, but I'd pretty much seen all of the mock-ups (is that what they're called?) of my costumes. I got to see everyone else's though. Very cool.

Then the equity actors had to do their deputy elections, so the rest of us went out into the hall and cracked jokes about equity (although deep down we probably all wish we belonged). Apparently they choose someone among them to represent them and contact the union if anything bothersome occurs.

Soon after we got back to business and the scenic designer (did I get that right?) did her presentation. All I can really say is OMG. She showed us her blueprints of the set, which included architectural drawings of different backdrops, things that get tracked in (they mechanically slide onto stage - cool!), and the surprise element that I am not going to reveal. You will just have to wait and see. ;0) The feel is classic Chinese opera. At one point, I just started grinning and giggling over how spectacular it's going to look and the fact that I'm even involved in something like this.

Then we started in on the script/score read-through. We just basically sat and read our lines and listened to the songs. This part is fun because you start to get a feel for some of the actors' characters and the skeleton of the show slowly starts to emerge. And you're finally starting on the show! The music is going to be beautiful.

The last thing was singing through my song 'Reflection' with the MD (sorry, that's musical director for those who don't know ;0) ). We had done the song already last summer for a promotional event, but this time we have to tweak things a little to better fit the show and to also spice it up a bit!

And that was it. I can't wait for tomorrow.

Closing the door and opening a window...

Today was my last day at my school. To say the least, it was a hectic one, but it had its moments in between that reminded me of how special this school is.

I had 3 IEP meetings, 1 performance evaluation conference, and 1 therapy session. In between I was training my replacement and making notes about what I still needed to do.

Peppered throughout all this madness though was the following:

-A beautiful set of earrings;
-Pretty red gerbera daisies;
-A send-off party with a kindergarten class that included a fruit bowl, some OJ, some hand-made cards, and a particularly heart-warming and smile-producing book published by said kindergartners. They each drew a picture of me with them and wrote a sentence that began "I love Ms. Bellair because..." Um, awesome!
-Final chats and hugs with colleagues.

I finished everything up at about 9:00 (although I did go home for a bit beforehand to let the dogs out and to eat a quick dinner) and then both literally and figuratively closed the door to this part of my life - a part that has taught me so very much about speech therapy, children, family, and everything else you can think of.

Thank you Murdock!