I Got A Part in BMT's 'Guys & Dolls'!

Oh, I've been away for a little while, I'm terribly sorry.  I've been updating my performance art blog, The Pursuit, with a whole bunch of nutty rehearsal debauchery.  I'm happy to say that I'm carrying a 'family tradition' of sorts and got a part in the ensemble cast of Brampton Music Theatre's Guys & Dolls, and have been recording rehearsals for posterity and memory's sake.

I also thought I'd have a little fun and make some 'fan art'.  Whaddaya think?

Print design is like a grown-up colouring book for me.  I slaved over this thing in ridiculous detail; the specific angle of the fedora, making sure the yellow wasn't too bright, and I went through a billion fonts (sorry, over exaggerating) for Lady Luck's signoff.  I love it.  I may print a few of these off on nice paper, laminate them and give them out as bookmarks to castmates as souveniers.

Well, I guess the work paid off!  I had been asked by the producer during our last rehearsal if I could design the program for the show.  I am incredibly excited.  This will be loads of fun.  I'll be posting a few sneak peeks here of some stuff I come up with for your perusal!

In the meantime, feel free to check out The Pursuit and follow the blog to keep updated with the G&D rehearsal process and where to get tickets!

Happy Halloween, Indy Fans!

(EGADS!  This didn't publish!  Damned this Auto-Publish option ...)

It's a great time of year when it comes to being anything you want for one day a year.  This year, I was a zombie at Toronto's Zombie Walk, with a few souveniers to remember the day.   The work-safe costume was the ever-popular Indiana Jones, this time with my official Indiana Jones plush whip that plays the theme song from a button on the handle.

Yup, I'm a geek.  More appropriately, fangirl.  Lemme show you my bunch of official Indiana Jones merchandise gifted and collected over the years.

:: Indiana Jones plush whip - press the button on the handle to play whip cracking sounds and Indy theme :: "Idaho Spuds" Mr. Potato Head, complete with golden idol, bullwhip and theme-playing fedora :: Remote control Giant Ant with Crystal Skull controls, from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ::

Movie Star Boots!

If I didn't want to get paid for my second day of extra actor work on the set of the Total Recall remake, I'd just take these home.

:: suede leather boots with chain detail, BG Max Azria, Pinewood Studios Wardrobe Dept. ::

I was offered these boots to wear after my own boots suffered water damage on set and started to fall apart.  I was so in love with these boots, it was very tempting.  I've been scouring around the internet since for affordable options ... meaning under $50.  I'm very picky about my shoes, though.  Here's what I like so far:

:: Alice + Olivia for Payless :: Rocket Dog Chain Gang Boot :: Twiggy London for HSN ::

Seen any cute boots around yourself?

Change has happened!

I apologize for the "dropped-off-the-face-of-the-Earth" absence!  I've missed you all very much, and I'm looking forward to getting back to getting my hands dirty.  

You probably remember a somewhat 'cryptic' post I had put up a little while ago, talking about a "shit-or-get-off-the-pot" change in life.  Well, it's all happening!

I am happy to announce that I am embarking on a fantastic career in teaching youth the craft of theatre arts!  I will be working with Synergy Performing Arts Academy and am excited for the opportunity to help shape young minds in performance arts, something I feel very passionate about and has been a part of my life since I was three apples high myself. 

I'll be documenting this exciting journey on my music and theatre performance blog, The Pursuit, along with some pictures of our production of Shout! The Mod Musical that has just wrapped up.  From one opportunity to another, it's an experience to remember that has helped me push forward!  Thanks to everyone for your support!

SHOUT! The Mod Musical - Cast Picture!

Curtain's just under a month ... and we are so excited!  We had a photo shoot at the Mad Hatter Pub in Orangeville in full costume - for the first time!  Click here to visit my blog, The Pursuit, for details about the day!

I had a little fun with Picnik.com to give the photos a vintage '60s feel, with a little text flair.  Whaddayathink?

from left: Abi Adekoya, Samantha Russell, me!, Justine Christie, Elizabeth Glenday

I've got a new blog!

Well, folks, remember the "Big Move"?  There are still details that I won't reveal yet, but here's what I can tell you:  I've got a new blog!

For those who've been following the blog for a little while now, you're probably familiar with some of the theatre and music performing endeavours I've been participating in.  It can get pretty convoluted in this blog here with all the arts and crafts I enjoy, so I had started a separate blog all about my love of music and theatre, inspirations, past and present productions and 'lessons learned' as I continue to study and participate in the performance arts. 

I've called it "The Pursuit".  It's an intriguing pursuit of happiness, purpose and fulfillment in what brings me the most joy, and that's a life of art.  I do invite you to follow and stay in touch! 

SHOUT! in the Orangeville Citizen!

If you live in the Orangeville area, betcha you'll seen us in the Citizen!  Click on the article to enlarge!

Blogger's note:  On behalf of the reporter, I'd like to correct the names Josh Priess and Cassandra Watsham.  Onward!

This picture was taken when we were goofing off at the piano between breaks, but we gave it our all with lots of gusto and photo-snapping!  Maybe we'll get a chance to see the rest of the photos!

Brampton Music Theatre's RENT Voted Best Community Theatre Production!

The votes have been cast on BroadwayWorld.com's Toronto Awards, and Brampton Music Theatre's Rent wins big as best community theatre production!  Hard work pays off!

Check out the others that made the final cut:


Best Community Theatre Production: Rent, Brampton Music Theatre
*and bonus points for BMT's 2nd runner-up Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat!

Best Leading Actress in a Musical:
3rd runner-up - Erin Hyde for 'Maureen'

Best Musical Direction:
1st runner-up - Josh Priess
*Josh is currently working with us on Shout! The Mod Musical!

Best Performance in a Feature Role/Ensemble (Female):
3rd runner-up - Jamie Birnbaum for 'Mimi'

Click here to see the rest of the winners on BroadwayWorld.com! 

It's Easy Being Green ... In 'Shout! The Mod Musical'!

Please pardon the lapse of 'original' posts, but I do have some exciting news!

I had auditioned last week for LP Stage Production's run of Shout! The Mod Musical - and if you liked Jersey Boys, this one's right up your alley for a groovy girls' night out!  Shout! takes you back in time to the 1960s and 1970s, where women were awakened to a new independence never before experienced by previous generations.  In the wake of changing attitudes toward genders, the birth control pill to the evils of marijuana, mod fashions and big hair, heartbreak, true love and everything in between, this revolution of women is set to a soundtrack of the pioneers of the time from America and 'across the pond' in Great Britain.  Such great ladies as Dusty Springfield, Lulu, Shirley Bassey, Petula Clark, Cilla Black and so much more map out the timeline for these five girls growing up through changing times in a 'groovy age'.  With tongue in cheek and humour in check, this musical "will make you wanna throw your head back and Shout!"  Check out this video of the national tour hitting Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine, United States!

'With A Thousand Sweet Kisses,' An Open 'Thank You' Letter to the Cast, Crew & Musicians of Brampton Music Theatre's 'Rent'

The thing with community theatre and their short run dates is that you never want that feeling to end; not just the rush of the applause and the spotlight, but the sense of family with the cast and crew after it all comes together, and the people you've shared the experience with become great friends in the end.  Rent was the perfect production to get myself back into the swing of things after such a long hiatus from theatre in general, onstage or off, and I am very humbled to have shared it with such glowing, talented people of all facets.

Jonathan Larson's masterpiece pays homage to the dramas that came before, deriving its plot from Puccini's La Boheme, set in 1830 Paris focusing on the love between Rodolfo, a poet, and Mimì, a seamstress.  Although they separate because of Rodolfo's disapproval of Mimì's flirtatious ways towards men, they reunite before she succumbs to the clutches of tuberculosis, dying in his arms, surrounded by their adopted family of artists and friends whom also shared their state of Bohemia.  A poignant piece that reminds us to live and appreciate each day to its fullest, we were reminded of the short time we would share together bringing Jonathan's message to our little corner of the world.  I don't think there was a finer group of artists that could have accomplished this in only the way we could.

Monologue Writing

William Shakespeares' "The Tragedy of Julius Caesar", Aquila Theater Company, New York City

I had sent this email just this evening to a friend of mine on Twitter who was having some trouble with a university project, which required her to either write a monologue or a two-part dialogue.  (She considered the dialogue to be a 'cop-out', so we know what her decision is!)  I had sent her this email, hoping to inspire her, and to approach it at a different angle.  Here's what I wrote to my friend:

Okay, so you want to write a monologue.  It's not as daunting as you think, when you apply yourself to it. 

I'd been doing theatre all my life, and I love the acting craft.  I have so much appreciation for everything having to do with breathing life into words on paper, flushing them out into moving pictures and beyond talking heads.  I think one of the big misunderstandings about the words in the script is that the playwright must been a keen observer of the human spirit, psyche and nature to compose such natural dialogue.  Boy, I wonder how people speak themselves, if it isn't in natural dialogue?

That's the big hurdle - making sure it sounds natural and not contrived.  The only way I could ever find my way around that was to write about something I felt passionate about.  I say 'passionate', because it could be something I truly love, or deeply despise, or desperately yearn for, or something that's cut me deep.  The moment could be of pure clarity in making an important decision in your life, or a tyrannical rant when your last straw has broken.  You could be confessing your love for someone who doesn't return it, or declaring your disgust after being witness to something you stand against. 

Led Zeppelin

I celebrated my birthday last year doing a gig for a Led Zeppelin tribute night with a good friend of mine, Brent Lindsay, who also happens to be our guitar technician at the Long & McQuade Brampton store. Check out below a couple of my favourites from the night. We've received some really positive feedback and have asked to come out and jam with some other musicians and play a few places. We haven't really taken up any offers yet. I did cheat a bit: you'll see a music stand in front of us. Those are lyrics. Brent had brought six guitars ... uh, well, instruments in total: mandolin ('Battle of Evermore'), dobro ('That's The Way'), 12-string guitar ('Tangerine', 'Gallow's Pole'), acoustic guitar ('Stairway To Heaven', 'Black Mountain Side'). He knew all the songs by heart. Someone in the audience shouted "Jimmy Brent!' during our between-song banter, which still sticks to him today. The guy deserves it - he has the most impressive guitar collection I've ever seen, even the original Jimmy Page Signature Les Paul! He didn't bring that one to the gig, as it was an acoustic set, although every instrument was a Gibson.

Now that I think of it, this is my way of honouring the passing of Les Paul, the man who helped Jimmy Page find his own voice in a sea of millions.

Please enjoy! Lemme know what you think!

Short Story: 'The Sea Gypsy'

I had made these earrings first. I had a bunch of shaped shell pieces. To pair with these shell hoops was only common sense. As I was writing the product description for my shop on Etsy, I was suddenly overcome with the urge to tell an original story behind these earrings. The earrings have yet to be posted for sale! Here are the earrings and the short story. Tell me what you think!

With her flowing, full skirt, she dances around the bonfire to the hollow cedar guitar played by the young man sitting on a piece of driftwood. He watches her; his music, her dance have become the same song and movement. The more intent his playing, the more fluid her body, and the energy was brought in full circle to him. They walk on the beach after his serenade to ‘the Sea Gypsy’, and as they held hands, he marveled at the beautiful creature Mother Nature and the Sea had created: such a beautiful spirit, within and without.
 

Having become a self-taught luthieur; having made a various number of musical instruments, he was a gifted person with his hands. As a child, he would amuse his mother by creating a number of adornments for her to wear. She was always so pleased, and sincerely impressed, and wore his creations for all to astonish and compliment. With the overwhelming desire to please her and present her with a gift, he began to gather the most perfect and colour-rich pieces of shell to use in his creation. He hunted by moon- and sunlight, overturning stone after stone, throwing away so many, until he had just enough for his creation in mind. He went home, and made a beautiful pair of earrings, with elements of his love and devotion to her. He had even managed to find a few beautiful pieces of shell, the exact green that matched her eyes; an enchanting, sparkling sea green, like in an island paradise. He cut and polished the shell pieces so perfect, in hopes to recreate the perfection she deserved. For a final touch, he included two special pearls, unlike none he had ever seen before, to boast the most original gem. He had finally finished his handiwork. He was ready to present his beautiful gift to her.

Alas, night after night, she would not return. The young man sat on the driftwood log, where he had gazed upon her that fateful night, dancing around the bonfire, and started to wonder if that night he had conjured a mischevious spirit with his music. Nevertheless, she had never returned, but he still waits with his guitar. You will still find him, waiting there, playing his serenade to The Sea Gypsy in hopes it will bring her back to him.

I'm certain this won't be the only time creativity strikes in different ways!

Photography credit: Cassandra Watsham