Filed under: A Little Me, Good Things, Happy Dance Time, On Stage, Plays/Musicals, Updates | Tags: into the woods, rapunzel
We’ve all heard this saying right?
“Let down your hair so I may climb without a stair!”
And if you haven’t, you really had a deprived childhood. Who honestly hasn’t heard the story of Rapunzel? Especially now that Disney did their own take on it.
If you haven’t, go rent Tangled ASAP. It’s not the Brothers Grimm version like the one used in Into the Woods (it’s much darker than any Disney movie), but still, you can get an idea. And it’s a brilliant movie.
So where am I going with this? I’ll tell you… You’ve twisted my hair enough.
I’ve been cast as Rapunzel in Centerpoint Legacy Theatre’s production of Into the Woods! I get to let down a cascade of beautiful blonde hair to my mother, the witch, and sing in my pretty soprano voice like I wanted to! I’ll be in the Tues/Thurs/Sat cast. :D
And there’s a bit of a story on how it all went down…
I’m pretty sure I mentioned that I was going to audition for two shows this week. Well… that didn’t exactly happen.
Centerpoint called me back for Tuesday. So I went and killed it. When the music director asked if I was a soprano, I had a strong gut feeling that they would consider me for Rapunzel.
Then I got another callback–for Rapunzel and Step Sister on Wednesday. I felt I did really well! There were only three other girls aside from me called back for Rapunzel, so I figured I had a 50/50 shot at the role. And then the waiting game started. I wasn’t expecting to hear from Centerpoint, if at all, until today (Friday).
I had already planned to go audition for Jekyll & Hyde at Empress Theater, so that’s where I went last night. Drove out there, got out of my car, forgot my belt, put down my purse, keys, forms, phone (everything that I basically needed to audition) on my front seat to put on my belt… and the wind blew my car door shut.
You know those little habits that, while handy, can get you into trouble?
Here’s mine: I lock my car doors before I exit my car. My passengers usually get irritated with me when I accidentally lock them in before they can get out. (I blame my first old car that didn’t have a key chain button to lock it. It was kind of retro and didn’t have that kind of capability.)
So… you may have guessed what happened. I locked everything I needed to audition inside my car. So I panicked–naturally–and went inside to borrow someone’s phone. Called Subaru to come out and unlock it, and they said it would take at least a half hour for them to get out to the theater as it’s way out west from the city.
The time passed, they came and opened my car. Within 5 minutes, I was gearing up to audition, putting my name on the list and filling out the form. Not even two minutes after I finished my form, I got a phone call from a phone number I didn’t recognize.
It was Centerpoint offering me Rapunzel! So, naturally, I screamed as soon as I got off the phone and leaped into my friend’s arms. Then I had to promptly remove my name from the Jekyll and Hyde audition list since it wouldn’t be fair to audition if I was already sold on doing Rapunzel in Into the Woods.
If my car hadn’t held everything hostage, I would have auditioned for Jekyll & Hyde before getting the big call. Granted, I don’t know what would have happened had I auditioned for Jekyll & Hyde, but I loved working at the Empress in 9 to 5 so I know I would have felt awful turning them down if I had been called back or even cast. Now I don’t have to!
That’s one of my biggest fears being a compassionate theatre person–auditioning for multiple shows then having to turn one down. I still hope I never get into the situation, but you never know what’ll happen down the line!
I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Now I can’t help but think that the universe was watching over me and taking advantage of my clutziness so I wouldn’t have to say “no” to anyone. Clearly I’m not ready for that kind of encounter. ;)
To end this, let me just say that I have some amazing friends from both 9 to 5 and other theatre productions who auditioned for both shows with me. They are all extremely talented and I hope we get to work together again. A couple of them made Into the Woods with me (yay!) and the rest got called back for Jekyll & Hyde.
No matter what, I will be supporting them in whatever role and show they will do. I’m bummed I don’t get to work with as many of them in Into the Woods, but what can you do? I just hope their talents are used and that they will enjoy whichever adventure is waiting for them.
Here’s onto a new adventure as Rapunzel!
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Filed under: A Little Me, RaNdOm, Updates | Tags: bambi, pooping rainbows, twitterpated
Thanks to a blossoming friendship with the magnanimous Peter DeWolf, I adopted a new spot of the internet… well, on the 17th of each month anyway.
I’m now writing for Pooping Rainbows. In fact, I was so excited for my first post last month that I wrote a theme song of sorts for the blog. And it made Pete laugh. Win.
This month, I nearly forgot until 11:30 p.m. rolled around last night.
I think it was the fastest blog I’ve ever written and I’m very lucky I’ve felt “inspired” lately. I’m not going to post it here because Pooping Rainbows content is exclusive (or I’d like it to be). But here’s a preview of what it may entail:
Don’t ya love Flower from Bambi?
Now click on that GIF or click here to read my post at Pooping Rainbows.
Thanks all… have a lovely night.
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Filed under: A Little Me, Good Things, On Stage, Plays/Musicals, Updates | Tags: 9 to 5, audition, cast, dolly parton, doralee, perform, rehearsal, show
You don’t know awkward until you’re talking with your company’s head honcho about if you’re going to be dressed like the “well-blossomed” Dolly Parton for a show… and then having him say, “We must have a Chamber night out to see it!”
I’ll be playing this! Guess I gotta go blonder…
Yep, that happened. And I was trying to not look down at my own chest, thinking about how I’m not sure I’ll need the padded bra the director of 9 to 5 suggested for the girls cast as Doralee (aka: Dolly Parton’s character).
I guess that’s my way of saying that I’ve been cast as Doralee in Empress Theatre’s production of 9 to 5 for the summer.
The support and excitement about being cast as Doralee is amazing! I’ve had several people say I’m perfect for it, and I definitely think I can relate to the character a lot, considering I’ve run into some similar situations as Doralee has in the past (judged because of how she looks, rumors spread that made her feel like a “bastard at the family reunion”). Let’s just say I’m super excited to step into this roll!
From the first couple of rehearsals, I can tell this will be a fun bunch of people to work with and this will be a completely different theater experience for me. There’s going to be a lot of character development (super excited for that!) and journaling apparently. I already journal, but whatever floats the director’s boat!
Another thing that’s different is that the lead roles are double cast. So that means, seven of the 14 performances, I’ll play Doralee. For the other seven, I’ll be a part of the ensemble and sing Backup Barbie in Backwoods Barbie (PS: That song is one of my favorites!). Should be a jolly good time, but if you want to get tickets… talk to me first so you get them for a night that I’m Doralee (as you should want to do!).
Do yourself a favor and go find the soundtrack on Spotify. The music for 9 to 5 is pretty much awesome… I don’t think people give Dolly Parton enough credit. The woman is a genius.
Under this hair is a brain, not that you’d ever care.
And you only see tits, but get this, there’s a heart under there.
Yep, pretty much. :)
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Filed under: A Little Me, Friends, Magic, Try, Updates | Tags: Goals, hobbit, new adventure, new podcast, peter dewolf, podcast
After a show, it’s usually a harsh adjustment for a performer to get back in the swing of things (aka: a life that isn’t as good as it is when involved in a show). So what did I do?
Launched myself into a new project… a podcast!
One of the best gifs ever, btw…
Technically, it’s not mine–it’s my blogger buddy Peter‘s baby. I just happened to be the first guest and the resident audio engineer for the time being.
If you want to take a listen to what Pete and I discussed in his first podcast last week, you can find all the magic here. Pretty sure that making a podcast is super fun!
The second episode is up as of this morning too! Sarah from Metamorphocity was the second guest and, though I wasn’t present, it was fun to listen to the two Canadians banter about everything from what got them into blogging, to running for Miss Canada, chicken fingers and crop circles. Tell me if you can hear their Canadian accents too.
This is not to say I’m not pursuing my new goals, I’m just adventuring into new territory, getting new experience and having a good time.
For if you can’t get off the path ahead of you to check beneath that unexpected rock, you may not ever find the treasure.
… That’s a good one. I think I’ll keep it.
Peace out!
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Filed under: A Little Me, Health, Music, On Stage, Updates, Writing | Tags: baby steps, brandgasm, Goals, guitar, music, novel, patience, song, Song Writing, whole30, writing
January
Goal
- Completing the Whole30. — DONE and documented. Now eating that way about 75% of the time.
What else happened
- Auditioned for Les Miserables at Pioneer Theatre–not cast but that’s okay.
- Rehearsals for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
- Looked for a place to live and found one!
- Wrote my first freelance article for a magazine (wasn’t a goal, but it’s a step in another direction I’m tackling!).
February/March
Goal
- Edit my NaNoWriMo Novel and polish up the ending. — Got through one read-through and copyediting… nothing as far as really editing things that need to be added/changed.
What else happened
- Joseph: Rehearsals in February and performances in March.
- Moved into my new apartment.
Here’s where I need to start making adjustments.
So I have a confession. I want to do all the things! Things like:
- Start a side-business for copywriting and voice-over work.
- Finish writing and editing all of my novels so I can publish them.
- Compose and write more music for an album/EP.
All this along with being able to work out down in the fitness center at my new apartment complex, keep a sane head at work and start auditioning for shows again by May or June. Joseph just ended and girl needs a good break.
#AllTheHairspray Update: Ended up only using 2 bottles of hairspray during the course of the show. Finished the second bottle on closing night oddly enough. I need to go track down who guessed closest so I can send them a nifty giftcard!
But if there’s anything I’ve learned over the past few months is that you have to plan and that you have to take small steps to make big things possible. So I’m going to take a few “baby steps” in the next couple of months to get where I want to be.
Having a major Brandgasm between April 12 & May 31 to learn the tricks of the trade for good design/copy to make an effective business (step toward first bullet).
Learning to play guitar starting April 22 for six weeks (from Berklee College of Music, no less). Have you ever heard of Coursera? Because seriously… it’s awesome. Legit universities offering free online classes spanning hundreds of topics? Yes, please (a good step to have in pursuing third bullet)!
A reassessment of spirituality. This is more of a personal thing that I might go more into later. I’ve just been in a weird funk since this time last year, and it’s time that I address it. Gotsta figure out what I need to have a spiritual balance.
As far as music goes, my first goal that I want to do is turn Kellie Elmore’s poem “The Sweetest Thing” into an acoustic song with the piano. It’s rare that I read something and instead of reading it straight, my mind hums a melody with it… and she said I could. :)
Oh, and sleep. I’ve lacked a lot of that lately and that needs to be fixed too.
While focusing on those things, the novels will have to be put on hold unless I find a moment where I simply must work on them. Sigh.
Man, I knew I’d have to revamp my goals… but now it feels like a complete overhaul into taking baby steps. Which I will have to do again once my guitar and Brandgasm courses are done. You’d think planning baby steps wouldn’t be so daunting, but it’s a little scary to think… “I can actually do these little things… then I may actually reach that dream that I’ve always wanted to do!” A little scary, thrilling and all-together awesome.
I guess that’s why they say patience is a virtue.
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Filed under: A Little Me, Dating, Relationships, Try, Updates | Tags: aurora, dating, dating profile, disney princess, finding love, love, okcupid, online dating, relationship, relationships, social
You know how when you’re around the same kinds of people, you automatically run to them when you are “seeking” something.
Well, I’m trying to step out of that. The reason? Well, number one, my best friends told me I should. And number two, I tend to start both casual relationships with performers more than any other kind of person.
For some reason (likely because of familiarity and proximity), I tend to be attracted to guys that are performers. Just how it happens. A good voice, sultry dance moves, possibly good arms and a little mystery, and I’m putty. Both shows I’ve been in since high school have resulted in backstage romances. One was fun, short and sweet. The other just happened to be the most emotionally rewarding damaging experience of my life.
So clearly I’m not looking in the right places for love.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoever said I was even looking for love?
*inner-Disney princess prances around*
Damn you, Aurora…
Anyways, I think everyone wants to find love at some level. My problem is that I’ve found love in other places, so I don’t necessarily feel like I’m lacking anything.
I love my family more than anything. I love my job. I have friends that I’m totally enamored with. I love that I have an opportunity to perform and share my talents in different mediums. I love that I’m finally living on my own. I love who I’ve grown to be.
And yet… a part of me still wants to find love, to find someone who gets me and can be a best friend and lover all balled up into one. And I need proof that I’m not a complete pariah who can only last three months in a relationship. I’m craving a more long-term thing… it doesn’t have to be marriage. I’m not entirely sure I’m an advocate of marriage anyway; I’m one of those women who will have a kid on my own if I’m not with someone by the time I’m 30. We’ll see if someone changes my mind. Because you never know… it could happen.
So I’m breaking out of my norms. Enter the online dating world. And cue me gulping very audibly.
Yep, it’s just a little scary. How do you know if these guys are creepers? How do you know they are telling the truth? And what the hell is up with a “Hey, what’s up?” first message? It’s like, come on! Be a little more original!
This week, I’ve read many guys’ profiles and anytime I find a spelling/grammar mistake, I feel like I don’t want to respond to their messages because they can’t even get the communication thing right.
Some people think online dating can be shallow, and they are so right. If you’re not attracted to someone’s photo or profile, it’s so easy to write someone off. Until or unless you meet them in person, you actually don’t know if you’d actually like them. If I get any negative feelings though, you can bet your bottom that I will walk out of a first meeting fast.
So far I feel like I’m merely in a small puddle attached to a very large reservoir… with a lot more to see, and a lot more fish to snatch up, release, or take home with me to bake a nice filet. Or maybe I should stop that horrible and over-used metaphor now, and get onto my writing gig that actually pays me.
Anyone else ventured into the world of online dating? What’s your experience been like? Any pointers for a newbie?
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Filed under: A Little Me, Good Things, Happy Dance Time, Magic, On Stage, Singing, Song Writing, Updates | Tags: cd baby, centerpoint theatre, diy daily, diy musician, do what you love, hes not there, itunes, joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat, nanowrimo, new single, new song, song on itunes, songwriting, spotify, thorny bleeder, writing, wrote a novel
So a MAJOR update is needed (Blips of November is still in the works–I know, I’m way behind. Busy time, I tell ya).
Things have been crazy busy, but a crap load has happened and nearly all of it has been good.
And I mean so good that I feel like I need to scream it all from the mountain tops.
Photo from gtall1 on Flickr
Yeah, that good.
So here’s what’s up:
This year, I’ve realized that if I want anything to come of music and performing, I have to do something about it instead of waiting for someone to just pluck me out of obscurity (which, even now, probably isn’t that likely). So I’ve been auditioning at Hale Centre Theatre (my big fish), and even started expanding outwards to other community theaters I’d heard good reviews of.
None of them had panned out how I wanted.
And when I didn’t get called back for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in November, I was crushed. It was already a hard time as it was so it’s safe to say that it was one of my lowest points this year (and that’s saying something). So I messaged the director to figure out what I need to be doing to make my auditions better and I got some great advice from him. And it’s from that advice that I got it in me that, even though I’ve been auditioning for a year without a role, I still don’t have to give up.
In my mind, I figured that all these failed auditions were leading up to something great, that they had to be not following through because the cosmos had something better in store for me. Because of that, I couldn’t just lay back and do nothing despite that being all I wanted to do.
And now that maybe true… something better is coming.
NUMERO UNO – Thanks to one of my fave email newsletters, The DIY Daily, I discovered CD Baby. I signed up at the beginning of this month, thinking this could be my chance to take my music into my own hands and start selling it. Within 12 hours of submitting my first completely finished song, the magic happened.
And now my single “He’s Not There” is now available on iTunes, Amazon MP3, Spotify, CD Baby and host of other music distribution websites. AMAZING, RIGHT? My excitement over that has been through the roof. When you add the fact that I have amazing friends and family who either bought it and/or spread the word about it, you can pretty much picture me doing this all over the place:
All the happiness!
So a large thank you and a billion bear hugs go out to everyone who has listened/bought/shared my single. Feel free to continue to do so. ;)
PS before I move on: Working on more songs as we speak! Hopefully I will have a handful of songs done in the spring ready for an EP. That’s my goal for when I’m not working on numero dos (see below).
NUMERO DOS – I’ve just been cast in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at CenterPoint Legacy Theatre as a Wife in the M/W/F cast! Whose wife yet, I don’t know. The first cast meeting this weekend ought to shed some light on that. It performs throughout the entire month of March! PSYCH! Cannot even express my excitement at this point.
So not only is my music starting to get out to a broader audience, but I’m going to be in a musical too! Because of this, I’ve also revamped my website.
Not to mention the fact that I totally hit over 51,000 words for NaNoWriMo for November.
ALL THE GOOD THINGS.
Is it safe to say that success is mine now? All the things I love compiled into three weeks of amaze-ball-ness? AMAZEBALLS! It goes to show that perseverance and determination can really pay off. And working your ass off doesn’t hurt either. Well, it might, but it’s worth it.
I mean, really?
HOT DAMN! I’M ON iTUNES! Buy my song here!
Okay, there’s my excitement quota for the year. I’m finding my stage, both musically and writing-ly. So find your stage and rock it, okay? That’s what this life is for. Life’s too short to not be doing what you love.
What are YOU excited about? :)
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Filed under: Family, NaNoWriMo, Updates, Writing | Tags: bucket list, don't give up, donation, donation day, give back, nanowrimo, national novel writing month, writing
Well, first off, today is Donation Day for National Novel Writing Month. I’m all for inspiring students to be creative and I’m feeling particularly generous–so I donated 17 bucks (my average word count per day is just below that–I figured it would be a good number) and got this cool badge. :)
As much as I would like to say that NaNoWriMo has been easy, it hasn’t been. The first week was cake–I got ahead in my word count goals and was well on my way to the 50,000 word novel by the end of the month. The first weekend was even more amazeballs because I met with my local NaNo writing group, and made some awesome new friends.
But last week, something threw an unexpected hitch in my month and it’s been a struggle ever since.
My step-sister Joana passed away last week. It’s been hard to accept because she was so young (43), but it gets a little easier each day. Last week though, I didn’t feel like doing much at all. Apparently that’s acceptable behavior when grieving. It was hard and there wasn’t a day at work that I didn’t cry at least once. One of the days I actually locked myself in a closet for a half hour so no one would see me cry.
I did write, but I just barely made it by with the recommended daily word amount (1,667). This made me extremely glad that I was ahead of my goals at the beginning of the month or else I’d be super behind now.
Now, on top of insanity at work (a billion things going on!), I’m putting together the memorial video for my sister (the memorial is this weekend) and continuing on my trek with NaNoWriMo (I have over 23,000 words; there’s no way I’m quitting now). Tough month? You bet.
If there’s one thing that my sister’s death has taught me is that you never know when your time will be up. Many of her students at AUAF (American University of Afghanistan) have come forward in the past week to share how big of an impact she had on them, saying what a great teacher and friend she was. Those posts on FB make my heart ache. She should still be here, sharing her wisdom with her many students and doing something amazing with the Ph.D. that she just earned this year.
Consider my donation to NaNoWriMo as a tribute of sorts to my sister… she made a lasting impact on her students. Here’s $17 dollars–maybe I can make a difference for some young creatives as well.
If you want to do something, then you have to do it when you intend to because if you don’t… it likely won’t get done. That’s why I’m not quitting NaNoWriMo–I need to finish my novel. That’s on my bucket list. Then I’m tackling other things on that list, like moving to London as soon as my car lease is up.
Life is short. Live by passion. Live by service. Live by what you believe. Love with all you have. And don’t give up on anything you care about.
Here’s to not giving up & giving back when and where you can.
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Filed under: A Little Me, Fitness, Music, Updates, Writing | Tags: everything happens for a reason, meant to happen, what's next, where do i go from here
So that audition I was all nervous for because of my cold?
It played out just like I thought it would. Embarrassing. I ran out of breath in the middle of a long line of my audition song… there was a small sliver of hope that I would be called back because my line reading was amazeballs. Who knew I could do a rockin’ Cockney accent?
Come Sunday — no call back.
I’d be lying if I said I am not disappointed, because I really am. It bugs me that a stupid thing like a cold could mess with my voice and my body so much that I couldn’t perform my best. And I’m still coughing, for Pikachu’s sake! Will it ever stop?!
One thing that’s helping me not be so bummed about this whole thing is this one thought:
Everything happens for a reason.
So clearly I wasn’t cast in this show so I could pursue something else for the next couple months… but what is that other thing?
I have no effing clue.
I feel like I could go a couple different directions and that doesn’t help. You’re looking at potentially the most indecisive person in the greater Salt Lake area. And with that indecisiveness comes many wasted hours watching my favorite TV dramas because I don’t want to think about what I should be doing–because I just don’t know!
My options:
- Really, really, really knuckle down on working on my EP (a short CD of my own original songs)
- Really, really, really jumpstart my search for a Zumba teaching gig in SLC (or just start teaching in the park)
- Really, really, really focus on my novel(s) in progress, or start work on a short story or poetry collection
- Really, really, really have myself committed since no one who is sane could tackle all three of those at the same time while working a full-time job and maintaining a semblance of a social life
(Okay… maybe not that last one. I just preferred the symmetry of four bullet points since I already used the symmetry of three with the really’s.)
Clearly, there is some reason my body was stricken with the worst cold I’ve had in a long time to make it so I couldn’t be cast in this show. There’s a reason. And I want to know the reason. Like… today.
Listening to your life is hard, I’ve decided. So many directions to take. How is a girl supposed to choose? Universe, a little help would be nice. You send me those nice emails every week day morning and a little guidance on what I’m supposed to do would be super.
If everything is supposed to happen for a reason… then what’s next?
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Filed under: A Little Me, Song Writing, Updates | Tags: determination, inspiration, paul wesley, VEDA, vlog every day in august, work hard
So I know VEDA was last month, but it was still quite the adventure. I met some awesome people through the loveliness of the interwebs and it was all fun and games until my Macbook nearly died from all the videos.
Just kidding. Sabrina is much stronger than that.
But… and that’s a big but… I realized something. I’m not sure if it’s connected to VEDA or not, but I’d like to say it is just because that’s how the timing worked out.
I got a lot of shit done in August. Really. Aside from my 40+ hours just MAKING videos (not watching–that number is a lot more frightening and I don’t want to fess up to it… fine, I don’t wanna count!), my determination to get shit done was kind of remarkable.
- A big work project was finally finished and I laid a ton of groundwork for my next one.
- I finally set the instrumental track to a song I wrote a couple years ago (and it sounds amazing!).
- Got back into voice lessons. Finally got my ASCAP membership and all other music licensing crap out of the way (for the most part).
- And I knuckled down in my house hunt and found a killer place to move into in Salt Lake City.
All the while obsessing about this beautiful man …
And hanging with my wacky friends whom I love with all my heart.
So… I’m wondering if because VEDA sucked up a lot of my time, I worked/played a lot harder in the time I did have not glued to my computer. The bonus there is that the things I focused on were things that I’m really passionate about. How does this happen?
So whether or not my productivity was affected by my participation in VEDA is yet to be seen… but that determination has kind of gone out like a popped balloon. I kind of want it back.
Maybe it’s just the cold that’s kicking my butt. Who knows…
Nighty night!
MikShorty 
