A Performance Style We Don't Need to Worry About

So I read an article today about a theatre company up north that didn't have enough money in their budget to afford costumes. What was the answer? Every show they do is in the nude- I'm not kidding! Play, musical, revue, you name it- they are naked. The artistic director says this approach has done them very well since they don't have to buy materials to make costumes or rent them or mantain them. Now they are able to make money (go figure) rather than going in the hole. I think I'd rather be broke. Much of their profit comes from ticket sales and patrons, but about ten percent comes from the sale of binoculars in the lobby. Yes, I was cracking up too when reading this, but at the same time completely horrified. The craziest part of the whole deal is the artisitc director's last name is Modest.

The Days We Are Living In

Entertainment news reports that Osama Bin Ladin has announced that he is offering for Whitney Houston to become one of his wives. To most that would seem rediculous, but think if you were married to Bobby Brown?

New Discovery

I found something new and wonderful in the grocery store this weekend. Drum roll... Dr. Pepper Popcicles!!! Do you every feel God just says, "Here, just for you."

Newness

Here we go. New day, new year, new place, new fun. I'm excited, well as excited as one can get that isn't used to functioning before 9am. First show begins next week. I'm addicted to the process... and I'm not even a brat about it. Ha! Where did the summer go?

Two Interesting Things

The first is an exhausting trend where reality tv is taking over everything. Don't get me wrong, I am just as hooked on Survivor, Project Runway, Big Brother, Who Wants to be a Superhero, the Amazing Race and so on, as anyone else my be. They are planning a Broadway casting show on NBC this fall where people off the street can audition for Danny and Sandy in a new revival of Grease to be on Broadway. Help us. When the show finally hits the great white way, it will close within weeks.

The second is lots of fun. Joan L. (the bed/bottle lady art teacher from B & B) recently saw the Broadway tour of The 25th Annula Putnim County Spelling Bee in Atlanta at the Alliance theatre. As part of the show, they choose four people to be guest spellers and she was chosen. Of course they give words that are beyond difficult so they can make fun of you, but she said it was a blast. She has a button that says she was a finalist. They also gave her a juice box so as to comfort her loosing. All of us work our rear ends off and the lady who moves the bed and the bottle appears in a Broadyway show? Where's the justice? Ha!

Moving Right Along

I have a few seconds to say a few words. Everything is out of MMS. Whew! But no a lot of it still has to be packed away. I have only a small path backstage, but it will be taken care of by Friday morning. Anyone interested in burning the midnight oil, let me know- a pizza and a few Dr. Peppers should make it fun. I am currently getting into the swing of a new place, getting my class lists and schedules ready. They let me do my thing, which I appreciate. I have a new school website, or you might say a re-doctored web site. It still needs some work. Check it out here.

New School Year

New day, new work place, lots of sitting.

Last Day

Here we are, the last day of summer vacation? Where did it all go? Well, most of it was spent in a dark a doomy castle- the other, moving costumes and props from a dark a doomy basement. I am excited to begin, but I am disappointed that I can't sleep late any more.

PS Saw The Ant Bully this weekend. Kathi G's husband is the exterminator!

Tarzan Video

I found this video a few weeks ago and forgot to post it. It is a backstage tour at the new Disney musical Tarzan. The really cool thing to see is the set is a giant inflatable. Since most of the cast spends most of the show flying through the air on bungie cords, the set had to be soft. Some really interesting stuff to see. Check out the Tarzan video. It will take a minute to load, but worth it.

Attend the Tale...

I just read that the rumors of a Sweeny Todd movie are true. It has been announced that Tim Burton will direct Johnny Deep in the big screen version of the musical Sweeny Todd. Sounds cool and scary. Check it out on theatremania.com.

Food For Thought

Here is a new personality test. Look at the desserts below and then pick the one you would choose. After you pick, read below what that dessert choice says about your personality. My first choice was chocolate on chocolate and my second would have been the carrot cake. Uh-oh! Now when we eat after rehearsal, we will all pay close attention to what is being ordered. Your choices are:

*Angel Food Cake *Brownies *Lemon Meringue *Vanilla Cake with Chocolate Icing
*Strawberry Shortcake *Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing *Ice Cream *Carrot Cake

ANGEL FOOD CAKE ... Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times.
Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and
immature at times.
BROWNIES... You are adventurous, love new ideas, are a champion of under dogs and a slayer of dragons.
When tempers flare up, you whip out your sabre. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humor
and direction. You tend to be very loyal.
LEMON MERINGUE... Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent after-dinner
speaker and a good teacher. But don't try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times,
but you have many friends.
VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING... Fun-loving, sassy, humorous. Not very grounded in life;
very indecisive and lack motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical
joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE... Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people and can be counted
on in a pinch. You tend to melt. You can be overly emotional and annoying at times.
CHOCOLATE ON CHOCOLATE... Sexy; always ready to give and receive. Very creative, adventurous,
ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside.Not afraid to
take chances. Will not settle for anything average in life. Love to laugh.
ICE CREAM... You like sports, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. If you could, you
would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sports. You don't like to give up the remote control. You
tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.
CARROT CAKE... You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to
hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal
friends.

Two Things to Talk About

First, can you belive we opened B & B a month ago? It seems like last night, but at the same time it is like we did it last year. Where is life going? I feel like I had just found out I could get the rights and now the show is already a month gone. We are all getting older faster than we realize. My nieces turn nine on Tuesday. NINE!!! I was there when they were born- good grief! And now they it is nine years later. They ask me if they will ever get to know what is like to have a cousin- I change the subject. I think time is the one thing we cherish the least because we think we always have it. Silly mortals. Which leads me to thought number two: I saw World Trade Center last night. It is very well done, not at all a cheezy re-enactment or anything that true-life disaster movies are. There are no moments of straight in your face we are showing this to get an emotional response, but rather a very gritty, true life example of what a handful of people among millions were experiencing. It is not a movie for everyone, but at the same time it is an experience to be had by most- puts the whole issue of time in perspective. Who knows if we will see the sun set that we saw rose this morning. Time is one thing I will never take for granted.

9/11 Slides

Speaking of Sept. 11, Steve just sent me an email with this attachment- in case you forgot and just like I said earlier, what impacts one of us should impact all of us. Click here for the 9/11 slides.

World Trade Center Opens Today

The new movie World Trade Center, based upon events of Sept. 11 opens today across the country. Almost five years later I am still amazed by the events of that day and can't help but wait with anticipation to see the movie- not because I am what you would call an ambulance chaser or do I thirve on the misery of others. I do, however, take with a huge amount of seriousness what you might call "the human experience". Maybe it comes from being an actor person, but the various emotions people go through are terribly interesting to me. How this person copes with a certain situation while another deals with the same events in a totally different way are the building blocks of character. Ok, maybe I am sounding a bit deep- I just want to see this movie and think everyone else should too because after all, we are all part of one another's moments whether we are in the same town or half way around the world.

Aha!

Today I had one of those "AHA!" moments where you see something so clearly. Aha!

New Show Alert!

There is a new show on the SciFi channel that is beyond weird. IT is called Who Wants to Be a Superhero and these normal everyday people are trying to "create" a new comic book superhero by pretending to be them. I stumbled upon it by accident and then couldn't stop watching because it is so funny! Are these people for real or did they not get enough attention in their childhood? Be sure to check it out on Thursdays at 9pm. Here the the website which will give a description of each character, one being Fat Moma who has donuts attatched to her utility belt.

Christmas Already?!?!?

Just when you thought is was safe to go back to the theatre and actually have dinner at home, we are getting ready to start pre-production work on the Christmas show. Christmas show you say? Yea, it is something new- but I think something that will be a lot of fun and different. The show is called A Hometown Christmas and includes music and stories inspired by the celebrations of the people of the Southern United States and their holiday traditions. The Chamber is going to do a dessert buffet before the performances which will be December 9, 10 and 11. Mark your calendars and get ready for some Christmas cheer!