Update

Whew! I managed to post here before another six months went by! Hey, four months is not bad. At this rate, my next post will be in two months. And then after that...well, you get the point. It reminds me of that mathematical thing Meg Ryan's character talks about in that movie where she plays Einstein's niece - where if you go half the distance between your current position and your destination each time, you'll never get there. Why am I thinking about that? And what is my subconscious saying about my blogging? Hmm...

To undigress (new word!) - since my birthday (aka my last post), I had tons of fun doing splits and playing the piano as Marcy in "Spelling Bee" at Georgia Ensemble Theatre. Oh, I got that voice over gig in that Xmas movie. Apparently, I beat out talent from New York and L.A. for the job. Pretty sweet. It was so much fun doing the recording. I got to record in the studio with three other actors. And there is singing in this one! So it's like doing a musical but not really. No dancing. They'll draw me dancing. :)

Other voice over stuff - I recorded another audiobook for Carina Press, as well as a book on autism for Oxford Press.

My next project is 'Honk!' at the Alliance Theatre. Yes! Another Alliance show! I'll be playing the lead's love interest (which is funny if you saw "Singin' in the Rain" at Aurora cuz it's the same actor), as well as some other cute animals. It should be a good time. I'll try my best to blog about it like I did with "Mulan". We start rehearsals in less than two weeks. Can't wait!

Peace! Or shall I say, honk!

Uh...hi. Long time no...write. Oopsies!

Well hello there. No sense in beating around the bush. I'm a slacker. In more ways than one, but we'll just discuss this one example. You know, how I haven't posted to my blog since March. Since right before 'Mulan' went to LaGrange. Oops! Sorry! And so much has happened since then, you would think it would be impetus enough for me to share my fun experiences with the rest of the world. But alas, when you are a procrastinator like myself, you tend to slack off on some things until lo and behold, six (six!!!) months later, you finally decide to attend to that task you've been meaning to complete. Or that, er, pile of boxes in the garage. *sheepish grin*

So I think the best and most efficient way for me to go about this (and by efficient I mean what will leave me enough time before I fall asleep to finish up that last episode of Project Runway) is to just lay down a bulleted list of the major theatrical/acting gigs that I've gotten in addition to 'Mulan'. I hope you enjoy the succinctness! (Or if you are jonesing for my more detailed accounts, I would say you'll have to wait until my next post. So yeah...see you back here in six months. J/K! Totes J/K. Er, I hope I'm J/K-ing...)

-booked a voice over gig as Synn in the pilot for the cartoon series 'Solace Amongst Nightmares' (check it out on Facebook)
-a non-speaking role in a commercial for the North American Mission Board (thanks, Kathleen!)
-Frenchy in the 'Grease' that never was at Georgia Ensemble Theatre (long story that I'll explain in person if you ask)
-called back for Angela in 'Twist' at the Alliance Theatre (twas uber awesome getting to sing/dance for Debbie Allen, although I didn't get the job)
-Marcy in 'Spelling Bee' at Rosewater Theatre
-taught musical theater for two weeks at the Red Mountain Theatre Company summer workshop in Birmingham, Alabama
-booked a voice over gig as the rare items merchant for the online flash game 'Cuboy: Back to the Cubeture 2'
-booked a few voice over gigs for message-on-hold recordings (e.g., "Thank you for calling so-and-so. A representative will be right with you...")
-Kathy Selden in 'Singin' in the Rain' at the Aurora Theatre (this experience runs neck and neck w/ 'Mulan'...getting paid to tap dance? C'mon! Sweet!)
-Sue in the indie film short 'My Good Fortune' by CakeBaby Productions (I got to star alongside my own mom, who played my...mom!)
-called back twice for a voice over gig as an elf in an animated short film for Xmas 2011 (still waiting to hear about that one)
-recorded two audiobooks for Carina Press
-cast in the Alliance Theatre's children's musical 'Honk!' for early 2011
-cast as Marcy in 'Spelling Bee' at Legacy Theatre for early/mid 2011

So, as you can see, I've been kinda busy since 'Mulan', which I am extremely grateful for. I am also grateful for my husband. He has been very supportive throughout this whole transition, which is no longer a transition I guess. My situation now is that I do private speech therapy part time so as to have, ahem, a paycheck, as well as the flexibility that allows for going on auditions and rehearsing/performing during the day if needed. It is a great setup (although harder on the budget) and I love it!

Up next is 'The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee' at Georgia Ensemble Theatre. I'm playing Marcy. Again. :) We start rehearsals October 12. Can't wait!

Closing In-House, Next Up...Tour!

So today was our last day of performances in-house. A lot of us were feeling extra weird and sappy about that. At one point, Blake was rolling around in his sadness on the floor off stage right, which I spotted from off stage left waiting to make my entrance for the Wu Zhong camp scene. Sigh. I'm really going to miss all these little moments. But this journey has been the greatest theatrical endeavor in my life so far (I hope there are more to come!), and I am supa dupa grateful for everything that I've learned and experienced along the way.

One of my fave things were the talkbacks on the weekends. After every weekend show (2 matinees every day), the actors came back out and sat on stage while the audience asked us questions. Mostly we called on the kids, and you'd be surprised at the sharp questions some of them ask. Occasionally you'd get the "question" like, "I really liked Mushu" or something like that. :) But a lot of them had great questions about how the set worked or what the props were made of.

Next Friday will be our fancy schmancy tour to...La Grange, GA!!! :) I'm excited. I hear the high school has a really nice theater. I can't wait.

I will admit that I cried a little more than usual today, just knowing that it was our last day on the Alliance stage. Such a great stage. :) Oooh! And to make it even more exciting, our final day was painted with some fun bloopers - the Shan Yu sword got accidentally kicked off the stage and I made a split decision to ask the little kiddos in the front row to hand it to me. Talk about breaking the fourth wall! Only in children's theatre. :) Also, the "fire" misfired early in the show, so they had to make do with some red lighting effects when the moment really came. Ah, live theater. Gotta love it.

A Typical Mulan Day...

I thought I would give a little expose' on what happens before and after a Mulan show, just so peeps can learn more about what goes on behind the scenes. Too bad I'm not fancy Broadway-like and doing a video blog like the stars do on Broadway.com. But whatevs.

After my trafficky commute to Atlanta, I park in the deck and walk to the production entrance on the outside of the Woodruff Arts Center. I have to key in the secret code to gain access. :) The security guard can see me standing outside the door via a camera and then buzzes me in. I walk down a long hallway, pass the security office, and then sign in on the call board in the green room (yes, it's actually painted green). I read any notes from the stage manager on the call board (e.g., there'll be a fight call the next day, the assistant stage manager will be out sick, etc.) and then I go to my dressing room, which I share with another actor. If I have fight call that day, I'll go upstairs to the stage after putting my stuff in my dressing room and go through our fight sequence with the other actors to ensure we're being safe and to get it in our bodies for the day. After fight call, I go back downstairs to my dressing room and start getting ready. The wig master is always there to pincurl our hair and put our wigs on (this is pretty much being spoiled compared to other shows, lemme tell ya!) while we do our makeup and get dressed. I usually put on my mic pack and base costume first (socks, pants, shoes, base top) and then sit down to start on my makeup. By that time, the wig master is usually finished with the other actor's pincurls and wig and starts on mine. When the wig gets put on, she has to thread the lavaliere mic through a special hole in the wig so that it sits at the top of my forehead amid my bangs. Then one of the sound guys comes in to check the mic placement. Then the wig gets secured and pinned and she gives me a ponytail. If I haven't finished my makeup by this time, I do that (pretty easy for this show - except for the special Asian eyeliner :) ) and then I put my outer top on. The final step is tying my "obi" or wide belt around my waist. Then I grab my water bottle and go upstairs to wait off stage right for places to be called and the show to start. Sometimes I warm up vocally throughout this whole process.

At the end of the show, I have on a different outer costume on top of my base layers. But I just hang that up off stage right for the next show and go downstairs to eat lunch and chill/rest before the second show. A lot of the other cast/crew play this card game Phase 10 during this break - something I never got into but enjoy watching them play.

After the second show, I hang up my costume in my dressing room and sit down so the wig master can remove my wig. I am super soaked in sweat by the end of the show (well let's be honest - by the middle of the show), so I peel off my base layers and put them in the laundry basket. My basics usually get washed every day, like my socks, mic pouch, and base top. I love that! And I'm sure my castmates do too, since I would be pretty stinky otherwise. :) Once I get changed back into my street clothes, I wash my hands in my dressing room bathroom (I touch the stage and interchange props a lot during the show), put on my hat (to cover my sweaty and flattened pincurl head) and head for home! If I want to, I can take a shower before leaving, since my dressing room has that, but I don't. I've only used it once so far - opening night before the reception party. And for good reason. :) No one wants to be stinky and sweat-soaked when greeting peeps at a party.

So that's pretty much my typical day. It ain't so bad. ;)

Mulan Has Opened!

The show is officially running. :) We opened tonight, and the day leading up to it was full of activities. We had two family shows as part of the Family Centerstage Festival that the Alliance puts on. They had the lobby tricked out in Chinese decorations, and there was even a Chinese lion dance and other things too. I didn't get to watch any of this, but I did get a glance at the decorations while I was signing autographs between the two afternoon shows. There were so many cute little girls in qi paos and other Mulan-type outfits! So adorable! They had a line of tables set up for the cast to sit at, and people just formed a big line and we signed programs, posters, etc. A lot of pictures were taken too.

Then we had a fantastic opening at 7:00 with a huge house. It was so neat to see a lot of the audience dressed up to see us! Afterwards, I took a shower in my dressing room (I know, right?!?) and got dressed in my own qi pao as quickly as I could to go to the lobby and then the after-party. Apparently I was not quick enough - my husband told me that there were a lot of little girls and their families waiting to see me in the lobby. Some of them stuck around long enough and I signed some more autographs and took some pictures with them. People clapped for me when I came out! That was kinda surreal and very exciting.

Next was the after-party, which was upstairs in our old rehearsal hall. When I arrived, people clapped again! I just waved, smiled, and blushed with my sisters and relatives standing there with me for an awkward second. :) The staff did a beautiful job with the Chinese decorations and there were lots of fruits and veggies (did they hear that I'm vegan?!?). My sister complained that there was no meat. :) My husband was gracious enough to get me a sprite and a plate of fruit since I was pretty much talking to people the whole time. Luckily, he had one of his friends there to keep him entertained while I schmoozed. It is quite a feeling to have complete strangers come up to you and tell you how much they enjoyed the show. I am so thankful for this role and this production! I look forward to the remaining 30-something shows we have left! ;)

Preview #1...and #2...and #3...and you get the point...

Previews? Check! Today we completed our final preview show for audiences made up mostly of students. We had 4 previews total this week, and each audience was a little different from the next. Some had kids who were so caught up in the storyline that there was little laughter at the stuff you'd expect. Today's audience had kids who clapped along to one of the Mushu songs and reacted vocally to certain parts. Go figure. Tomorrow night marks the official opening, with a family festival and 2 shows prior. We will be signing autographs for the kiddos. It will be a long and busy day - but super fun too! I must get my rest now. 3 shows tomorrow! Yowsa!

Invited Dress Rehearsal

Tonight we had our first audience - a very small group of families and other peeps who were invited to our final dress rehearsal. It was, as always with every show, interesting to see where they laugh and clap and how they react to things. This show is a little different than what I'm used to because you get different reactions from the children and the parents. But you know Disney is good at putting in elements that appeal to each, and our director Rosemary is even more excellent at helping us pinpoint certain moments for them as well.

Sidenote - I sweat more in this show than I have ever for any other show in my life. Enjoyable. :)

Tomorrow is our first preview. Yippers!

On the Stage! In the Set! Watch out for that traveling moon gate...

So Friday was our first day on the actual stage. Thursday we said our farewells to the rehearsal hall upstairs, though I doubt many of us really miss dancing around a taped floor made to look like the set - especially because the actual set is INCREDIBLE. Words do not do it justice, my friend. The colors are gorgeous and it feels like we're in a Disney movie for reals. :) My castmate Alejandro and I walked around it on Friday with our mouths agape. At one point, he said, "Pinch me." I had to punch him instead. It was just that incredible. :)

Some spectacular details include:

-2 ponds (minus the koi, sadly)
-lush Chinese silk pretty much everywhere
-a horse on wheels
-several 14-foot tall _________ _________ (I'm not giving this away!)
-a traveling moon gate
-a traveling set of stairs
-and, um, lots more awesomeness

Backstage is just as cool - there's tape on the floor that says YES for paths you can walk and NO for paths you can't (like near some of the lights). There is a multitude of ropes to work the various legs and set pieces that fly in and out, and there are two huge pulley systems (for lack of the official term) on the floor to move the aforementioned stairs and moon gate in and out.

Saturday and Sunday were our "10 out of 12" tech rehearsals, which basically means that we rehearse for 12 hours but get a 2-hour dinner break. Now we don't run the show a million times during the 10 hours. For the less experienced readers out there, a tech rehearsal is when you start to add the other elements to the blocking in the performance space, like lights and sound. Oh, and costumes and wigs and real props. So there is a lot of stop and go to make sure that everything comes together nicely, sound/light cues are timed right, quick costume changes happen smoothly, etc. Some blocking gets changed as well, depending on certain things that work out differently on the stage as compared to the rehearsal hall. These tech rehearsals can be exhausting, but I find them super fun because you have a ton of these fun moments where the stage manager says, "Hold please!", and the actors on stage at the time just sit and talk to each other while they wait. I feel like the bulk of cast bonding happens during this time.

It has been so much super duper fun being in costume this past weekend and putting all of the show elements together. I can't wait for tomorrow!

Oh - we have people backstage whose job it is to help dress us between scenes. And they are fantastic at it! They make those quick changes possible and seamless. And the assistant stage managers are always talking on their headsets to make things work too. Such cool behind-the-scenes stuff going on! :)

Media Day

Today was almost like a show, and I only say that because we had several special people watching our rehearsal. We didn't have costumes or a set or anything like that. Just a bigger, different audience. But it was a lot of fun! I was feeling a little icky in my lungs, so my singing wasn't what I wanted it to be, but I did my best. I think I'm getting over a cold. Since I've gone vegan, my colds have been extremely mild - so much so that I sometimes don't realize if I've got one. But I could feel it in some of my singing today. I had to clear my throat quite a bit. Other than that, I feel pretty good.

Anyhoodle, I digress. Following our run-through, I and the actor who plays Mushu, Bernard, were interviewed first by WABE 90.1 (I know! I listen to NPR all the time!) and then by the local TV program Atlanta and Company. Each interview was fun in its own way. The radio interview was cool because I got to do it with Bernard, so it was a little less pressure. The TV interview was interesting because we had to answer some questions twice so the camera could get a shot of me answering and then a shot of the interviewer asking the question. My guess is this is the protocol when traveling to a location to shoot an interview. Otherwise they'd probably have two cameras for it and wouldn't have to do the double take stuff. Ugh - I can't remember the term they used for this so I can't sound as cool as I want. ;) I'm told that we will probably have more media people coming to watch rehearsals in the next few days. So I gots to put on my best Miss America smile and make sure I answer good and sound like I know what I'm talking about. :)

One more day in the rehearsal hall, and then we start rehearsing on the stage! Yay!!!

Miso Lazy

Sooo...I've been kinda lazy on the daily posts. My apologies! However, the last few days of rehearsal have pretty much just been doing run-throughs of the entire show and working little spots here and there. Our first day on the stage is Friday. OMG I can't wait - I hear the set is coming together and it's beeyootiful. Teehee! I could go downstairs and take a peek if I wanted, but I think I'm going to wait until Friday for the big reveal!

On other musical theater fronts, yesterday and today I auditioned for the upcoming broadway musical 'Bring It On'. YES. You guessed it - based on the cheerleading movie. I did a fun 'dance' audition yesterday which was not really dancing but attempting a cheer and being really cheesy and spirited. :) It was a lot of fun actually. I'm so glad I went out for it. Dang - some girls seemed perfect for it! Extremely spirited and whatnot. I didn't make the dance cut, but I was called back today to sing for them. I sang about 16 bars of a pop song and was just told 'thank you', which is how a lot of auditions go. But it's all about being seen and showing up for as many auditions as you can in this business. Every now and then you're a great fit for what they're looking for, and this one was not a good fit. But that's OK! I'm perfectly happy doing Mulan right now! :)

Costumes!

This morning I had my second costume fitting, and all of my outfits were ready - including the gorgeous dress for the matchmaker scene! It is this beautiful and ornate robe-type dress with huge sleeves. The craftsperson finished my headdress - golden peacocks and lotus flowers. This will be a very fun costume to wear...for about 15 minutes. :) That's about how long I keep it on in the show. Oh well. My other costumes are just as fun - the soldier garb I wear for the majority of the show. Duh, since I'm disguised as a boy for most of the story. It's so amazing to have things custom made for you - especially when you're petite and used to things always being too long or too big, etc. I got to wear my wig again today so they could see how my helmet fits. It was fun pretending to have hair down to my lower back. It looks so real!

We worked my blocking a little more for the song "Reflection" this afternoon. We also worked with the surprise element intensely today. I don't get to use the surprise element, although I'm not too envious of the actors that do. Their work with it is incredible though. Trust me, once you see what it is, you will be blown away! Ooh, I wanna tell, I wanna tell!

Blocking? Check!

We have now blocked the entire show, including the finale and bows. Usually family fun musicals have a song specifically written for the bows, and this show is no exception. I'm told that by this point, the kids will be dancing in the aisles. We shall see!

So at this point, I have learned all of my lines and music (theoretically :) ). Now we will begin 'working' scenes, music and choreography - tweaking stuff and making things stronger. I'm not sure which part I love more - the blocking or the working. Well, I know the performing beats out both of them! :) But that won't come for about 15 more days. Eek! I can't wait! But it's all happening too fast... :(

EDO

Day off!

How About a Girl and a Sword?!?

I finally got to do some stage combat today, and with a sword no less! (Well, it's not real of course.) Acting like you're hurting someone is so much more difficult than you would think. You have to make it look convincing and smooth, yet at the same time be careful not to injure your fellow actors. Luckily I share this scene with someone who is experienced in stage combat and looks incredibly composed and smooth in everything he does. :) It's all about practicing! Which maybe I should do at home with my husband...Hey babe - can you pretend to come at me with this broomstick and let me practice disarming you and then pin you to the ground with it? Awesome...

Live Musicians? Too Expensive

I was initially disappointed when I learned that Mulan would be done with prerecorded tracks instead of a live orchestra. However, I must say that the tracks are gorgeous and full and work beautifully. And the coolest part is watching our MD sit and fiddle on his laptop while we're rehearsing whenever we need adjustments made to the tracks for whatever reason. And he's a genius! Five minutes later, he all's like, OK, listen to what I just whipped up. And it's perfect and beautiful. Technology is amazing, albeit detrimental in some ways to the livelihood of many orchestra musicians.

Oh - today we listened to some of the above, and then Mushu and I worked one of our scenes to enhance some cute little moments we have together. It's very difficult to look at the puppet face of Mushu and not the actor's real face. Oops! I just gave away one of the show secrets... :)

Hmm...

Um...we pretty much just blocked and choreographed some more today. Nothing spectacularly exciting, except that maybe it was the part where the guys have to prance around like ladies...

Hair!

I got fitted for some of my headpieces and wig today. The wig is beeyootiful, but because it looks extremely natural and real, not because it's fancy or anything. The wig maker even gave it a widow's peak! Then the sound guys looked at how my soldier hat and wedding headpiece would affect the placement of my mic. There's a hole in the top of my wig made specifically for the tiny little mic to go through so it can come down and sit on my forehead. Once again, I felt supercool sitting there in the costume shop with all these talented professionals milling about me and talking their fancy wig and mic talk! :)

On a less exciting note, I got kinda crabby today when I couldn't get my tai chi and bow staff choreography right. I think a combination of the rainy, cold weather and my brain being tired contributed to me being in a funk for the first part of our work today. For the first time in this process, it's all starting to feel a bit more normal and I commented to a cast mate in my frustration that the honeymoon is over. I don't want to sound at all ungrateful for this opportunity cuz duh, I'm not. I continually feel amazed that I am a part of this show. What I'm trying to say is that when you get down to it, this is just another job. An awesome job, yes. But it's work. And today I realized that the initial excitement has waned and, although I'm having the best time of my life, some days may be a little more difficult than others, just like any other job. But I still can't wait for rehearsal tomorrow! Yay!!!

Reflection!

We worked on my song "Reflection" today! First we went through the new arrangement that the MD (music director) has been working on. It is gorgeous! (but also contains like 3 key changes and may cause my throat to burst if I sing it too much) I can't wait!! :) Then we started on the blocking of the song. I will just say that there are two ponds on the stage in which I see my, er, reflection. :)

Hiya! & Schmoozing

Whoah. Today's choreography was intense. But so much fun! Both my brain and body were so tired, even before we were done for the day. We learned the choreography (or shall I say stickography) for "I'll Make a Man" - the scene in which Shang whips the other soldiers into shape. Mulan is of course at this point pretending to be one of the guys, so I'm totally in the thick of this. We are doing these super cool martial arts moves with our bow staffs - basically long bamboo sticks. Also, I get to work on my tai chi moves again in this one, but they're a little more difficult compared to the opening number. I was sweating about halfway through working on them because tai chi is much like yoga in that it creates in internal heat in the body with little movement. It may look easy, but it's all about using strong and controlled movements and connecting to your breath. A lot to think about; you don't realize what an incredible workout it is until you pause and it feels like you were just running around when in reality you barely moved a few feet! Again, I wish my Waigong could see this! Although, he might have a few words to say about my form. :) I'm getting there! It's definitely something I'll be practicing every day, plus the stickography (at home it will be broomography ;) ).

The other awesome part about today came after rehearsal. The Alliance Theatre periodically does staged readings of new plays, and tonight I attended one with a fellow castmate. There was a talkback afterwards, where the audience can give the playwright feedback or pick his/her brain about certain choices in the script, etc. This was a neat experience. I was a little too shy to say anything - maybe next time! But I really enjoyed the story and had a few good laughs.

Anyhoodle, after THAT they had a party at a local restaurant/bar so that people could meet and talk with the playwright some more, or just socialize with other theater people. I got to talk with some of the actors that participated in the reading, met some new people, and even connected with a fellow vegan! It was a super fun time. As with any profession, it never hurts to go out and meet other people involved in the arts and network a little. Heck - the main reason I got to audition for Mulan was because I happened to know the right person. So it never hurts to schmooze it up! :)

EDO!

EDO stands for Equity Day Off. Since us non-equity actors benefit from many of the perks of the equity actors, we don't rehearse if the equity people are off. So we don't have rehearsals or shows on Mondays, much like the way it's done on Broadway. If you've ever been to NYC, you may have noticed that many theaters are "dark" on Mondays - it's a day off for actors. Shoot - we gotta rest sometime! :) So that's my post for today! Back to work tomorrow!

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!