New Revelations and Occurences

I realize that I haven't written in quite a while, it seems like I always tell myself internally "Don't forget!" but I get so busy. I suppose I shouldn't complain, it could be worse but a few things happened since I last posted.

I was honored by the Kirkwood Theatre Guild with an award for my part in Blithe Spirit (Edith). A crew member titled it "The Demolition Ball Award" because I had no problem with throwing my whole body into the swinging doors that we used in that show. The bruises had healed about a month or two after that show but it was worth it and I was incredibly happy to receive such acknowledgment. (Pictures will be up soon ... hopefully)
 

I also performed in Lindenwood University's production of Chess. It was at the Bellville, Ill. campus and was quite a drive but I think it was a good experience and worth it. I made a lot of new friends, it was the only cast that I've been in lately where I didn't know almost anyone in the beginning. I was feeling terrible about myself up until the second week of performances because I wasn't doing as well as I wanted to. My singing wasn't strong enough, or so I thought. During rehearsals at the theatre building (we would alternate between two places for rehearsals), I would sing my song and get so frustrated and upset because it didn't sound as good as I felt it should be. I would walk offstage and the second I was hidden behind the curtains I would walk to the other side of the stage left wing and just cry against the wall. Most of the time a very nice larger man who was also in the cast, would see me crying in the dark and come over to give me a hug and tell me what he thought about the song that night. Just thinking about it makes me smile now but at the time I was so depressed. The biggest thing that I really appreciated about this guy was that he would be honest with me and tell me where I went flat and if I sounded better than I thought or if I was just fair.

Opening night of the show came around inevitably and I noticed the main techie (a friend of mine from a past show) and one of the lead men in the show would sneak off to have a little drinkie before they called "places!" and I asked if I could join them. Now, I'm not one to drink and I know what is too much and what is just right so I always used my best judgement on that but from the first night on until the curtains closed on Chess, I would take a drink before the show started. It really helped me loosen up and stop worrying as much. The first weekened, I would fret before going on stage and would start my song off a bit wobbly but would clear my mind during the song and just continue. By the time the second weekend started, I would clear my mind before stepping on stage and everything was perfect after that. I'm not saying that I had a fantastic voice in the show, but I definitely didn't embarrass myself. My singing teacher and his wife, my boyfriend and his mom and a few friends from the theatre world came all during the last show. They all told me how proud they were of me, that my song was fantastic and that the emotion I injected into my song was wonderful. I won't say I'm a singer still because I have a LOT to learn but I'm not afraid to sing anymore.


I've been taking singing lessons with a new teacher and have been learning a lot though I'm too hard on myself and I realize that I need to stop that. One thing I learned is that my voice covers 3 octaves and I'm what is known as a coloratura soprano but my range is capable of going all the way down to contralto.
According to june-anderson.com, "One of the rarest voice categories, Dramatic Coloraturas literally are a breed apart. Their singing is characterized by the ability to sing with agility while utilizing a dramatic soprano voice, with the all volume and power that entails."

A contralto is the deepest female classical singing voice so I have quite a range. Now I just need to learn how to use it better.

Aside fom webseries shoots for BlackBookBerry and another episode of Pokemon Pals, I've been in rehearsal for Debbie Does Dallas: The Musical. It goes up April 4th and runs through the 20th so we only have a week left before the show. Now that we're headed into tech week, I'm really going to have to watch my meals and not eat in between. I also need to go shopping for a new bra and panties for this show.

I'm hoping to audition for Oedipus Rex or Antigone after this so that will be quite a jump. However, I do need to get this bloody math class out of the way this fall in order to obtain my actual degree. Stupid math...

August 4 - 20th at the Regional Arts Commision in the Delmar Loop, St. Louis, MO