I haven't written in a little bit because I've been rather busy recently. I go back to school on Monday and have some more work to get done before then. I have been preparing a monologue for one of my classes and still have more to do with that one. I have done the written work, but I need to rehearse it more before I go to perform it during the first week back in class. I think it will be good, though!
I also have to have a Shakespearean sonnet prepared as well as a few new musical theatre songs...eep! Not only is it time to get my work done for school, but I also have to make sure that I am prepared for my last performance with Bringing Tap Back on May 26th. It's coming up soon and we still have a fair amount of stuff to get done before the show. We have two numbers to finish and one to start! It should come together fairly quickly, though. It just makes me a little nervous. I am also taking part in a 10 year anniversary celebration for my former dance studio, Center Stage School of the Arts. We have 2 rehearsals, one stage tech and 4 performances. Good thing everything is condensed and will be taking place on weekends! The first Sunday after all of this, I will be teaching tap at a workshop in Hamilton as well as a few more throughout the summer. At the end of my second term in school, I told myself I wouldn't do anything outside of school.... so much for that! At least these are all ways to make money that are much more fun than any regular part-time job! ;)
28.4.11
18.4.11
It's Coming Along
I have been making slow but steady progress on my monologue preparation since I last posted. I have read the play a few times now and have really tried to understand the story (it's a little complex). I have started breaking the monologue apart and separating the text in the way that I would speak it while paying attention to punctuation. I've also started developing my character analysis by giving the character a bit more of a background story as well as deciding what she wants in this particular moment. I'll need to go further into detail later, but I've got a good start. What I really need to get into now is the analysis of my character's relationship with her scene partner so that I can understand how she would be speaking to her in this moment. I will keep working slowly but surely; I like being able to work on this stuff while on a break from class because I can relax (i.e. stopping to eat food about 50 times a day...and possibly having a beer or seeing a friend) and have more fun with it rather than just worrying about getting it done.
I need to do a significant amount of written work for this monologue, but it's really starting to come along. When I've completed a first draft of everything, I will start rehearsing it and experimenting with it. We learn a lot of really neat exercises at school that are incredibly helpful for discovering new things (meanings, ways to perform, etc.) in a particular text and it's really fun to put them to use!
On another note, my dad and I are going to pick up our new Ford Explorer tomorrow! Well, it is new to us, but it is a used vehicle: 2007 Eddie Bauer Explorer, mint condition. He made a really good find and got a wicked deal on it. I'm excited to drive it! I'll post a picture once we have it in our driveway. ;)
I need to do a significant amount of written work for this monologue, but it's really starting to come along. When I've completed a first draft of everything, I will start rehearsing it and experimenting with it. We learn a lot of really neat exercises at school that are incredibly helpful for discovering new things (meanings, ways to perform, etc.) in a particular text and it's really fun to put them to use!
On another note, my dad and I are going to pick up our new Ford Explorer tomorrow! Well, it is new to us, but it is a used vehicle: 2007 Eddie Bauer Explorer, mint condition. He made a really good find and got a wicked deal on it. I'm excited to drive it! I'll post a picture once we have it in our driveway. ;)
17.4.11
Farewell...
I woke up today feeling a little gloomy because of the weather, but I knew that the day would get better. I rolled out of bed and made myself a huge and delicious breakfast which consisted of 3 eggs, 2 pieces of toast with peanut butter, a bowl of cereal and a banana (I eat a lot. It's actually ridiculous). I felt much better after that - who wouldn't feel good after a breakfast like that?!
I hung out and relaxed a little bit and finally decided to get ready because I had a party to go to! I showered and did my hair and all of that fancy stuff, and hopped in the car to head to the party. The women in the tap company that I just recently left (What's On? Tap!) were having a goodbye party for myself and another member who is leaving. They are all so sweet and I will miss them very much. We had a really great time chatting and eating a lot of good food. The women who have young children brought all their babies and toddlers with them so, obviously, I spent a lot of time chasing them around the house and reading them stories. Kids tend to stick to me like glue for some reason - it's a good thing I love them! I will miss all of these women very much. I have spent 3 years with them and have learned so much from them. My current style of tap dancing as well as the accuracy of my technique is all thanks to this company. I am still in another professional company called Bringing Tap Back, whose artistic director is Everett Smith (So You Think You Can Dance Canada Season 2's top 4 finalist). His style is crazy and I have already learned so much within the short amount of time that I've spent in his company (I only joined the company this past August). After our big production in May, I will be leaving B.T.B. as well in order to be able to focus on school and possibly have a part-time job. I will miss being in both companies because I love being challenged and learning new things, but it doesn't mean that this is the end. Depending on what happens when I graduate from school, I may go back to the companies while I look for other jobs. They told me that I am welcome to return whenever I am ready and I would love to once I have more time!
Despite the fact that I will miss being a member of both companies, I am happy to be able to focus on this new chapter of my life, and to be able to devote all of my time and efforts to learning everything that I can in school. It is time to move on...but I will be back! ;)
[Edit, April 28th/2011]
Here is a photo of us ladies at the party... I find this one particularly beautiful as it really shows how close we are, despite the fact that we are missing a few members here.
[Edit, April 28th/2011]
Here is a photo of us ladies at the party... I find this one particularly beautiful as it really shows how close we are, despite the fact that we are missing a few members here.
14.4.11
Success!
Guess what, all! I found a monologue today! It's from a play called That Pretty Pretty; Or, The Rape Play by Sheila Callaghan.
Eric was so helpful today - I love having him as a friend! He introduced me to this store called The World's Biggest Bookstore and their section entirely devoted to plays, which consists of several Canadian playwrights as well as the most recently published plays. I found so many great things there and now know where to go to find more monologues in the future. We then went to eat lunch at Johnny Rocket's and devoured some messy burgers as well as some giant milkshakes. It was delicious. After stuffing our faces, we hung out and played video games until I had to leave to drive back home. It was a great and productive day that ended with the perfect amount of laziness, and I owe Eric big time!
Now I just need to get to work on preparing this monologue!
Eric was so helpful today - I love having him as a friend! He introduced me to this store called The World's Biggest Bookstore and their section entirely devoted to plays, which consists of several Canadian playwrights as well as the most recently published plays. I found so many great things there and now know where to go to find more monologues in the future. We then went to eat lunch at Johnny Rocket's and devoured some messy burgers as well as some giant milkshakes. It was delicious. After stuffing our faces, we hung out and played video games until I had to leave to drive back home. It was a great and productive day that ended with the perfect amount of laziness, and I owe Eric big time!
Now I just need to get to work on preparing this monologue!
13.4.11
The Hunt for a Monologue
Today was a very nice day. I am currently on a break from school until May and have been relaxing and sleeping (finally!) The weather was especially nice, so my friend and I spent some time outside and then went to the gym. Being active again felt great! I was starting to get a little lazy and lethargic. After the gym, we grabbed some really great, light food. It was wonderful.
After coming home, I slowly began searching for a new monologue. My only resource for this when I'm at my parents' house is Google, as we live in a rather small town. "Google is amazing," you might say. Well, it is for many things, but when you're a theatre student in Canada who is new to this and you need to find a monologue that was written in the past 10 years, it doesn't do much good. Sure, you can type in "contemporary monologues for women" and it will give you results that fit that category, but "contemporary" does not necessarily mean that it was written within the past 10 years. There is also the fact that our school requires that we only use monologues from published plays, which poses another problem with Google: there are many monologues on the Interweb that are just monologues, floating along in cyberspace hoping for some actor, any actor, to come across them and put them to use. As much as I like many of the ones that I find, I am not allowed to use them. Humph!
I came across this one monologue that I loved. It's from Laughing Wild by Christopher Durang, but it is sadly not something I can use right now as it was published in 1987. I will definitely keep this one for future use, though. It is hilarious!
My friend, Eric, suggested two plays to me after I sent him a text message expressing my frustration and disappointment. I read each one's synopsis and they seemed good, but another problem arose in this situation: they are both so new - as well as Canadian - that even though I can find them listed on Google Books, there are no text previews so I have nothing to go on.
Long story short: I gave up for tonight.
Eric and I are meeting up downtown tomorrow to visit different used book stores and theatre book stores. This should prove to be a more efficient way of hunting than the use of Google. I will inform you of my findings tomorrow.
After coming home, I slowly began searching for a new monologue. My only resource for this when I'm at my parents' house is Google, as we live in a rather small town. "Google is amazing," you might say. Well, it is for many things, but when you're a theatre student in Canada who is new to this and you need to find a monologue that was written in the past 10 years, it doesn't do much good. Sure, you can type in "contemporary monologues for women" and it will give you results that fit that category, but "contemporary" does not necessarily mean that it was written within the past 10 years. There is also the fact that our school requires that we only use monologues from published plays, which poses another problem with Google: there are many monologues on the Interweb that are just monologues, floating along in cyberspace hoping for some actor, any actor, to come across them and put them to use. As much as I like many of the ones that I find, I am not allowed to use them. Humph!
I came across this one monologue that I loved. It's from Laughing Wild by Christopher Durang, but it is sadly not something I can use right now as it was published in 1987. I will definitely keep this one for future use, though. It is hilarious!
My friend, Eric, suggested two plays to me after I sent him a text message expressing my frustration and disappointment. I read each one's synopsis and they seemed good, but another problem arose in this situation: they are both so new - as well as Canadian - that even though I can find them listed on Google Books, there are no text previews so I have nothing to go on.
Long story short: I gave up for tonight.
Eric and I are meeting up downtown tomorrow to visit different used book stores and theatre book stores. This should prove to be a more efficient way of hunting than the use of Google. I will inform you of my findings tomorrow.
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