A big story that made a little wave…

The MOChA (Museum of Children’s Art) organization has cancelled an exhibit of Palestinian children’s Art of their life in the midst of conflict. The exhibit was scheduled to open on September 24 and close in Mid-November. The name of the now hostless project is “A Child’s View From Gaza.”

The Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) and MOChA have been planning this event for a number of months. Sadly, some community groups have pressured the museum to drop the project. Now, I don’t want to say that the decision was racially biased, but given the history between the “groups” and the place the children are from, one has to wonder…

Of course the reason being “offered” was that the subject detracts from the museums mission of children’s exposure to Art. Here’s where I have a problem: Their past has shown two exhibits of this nature already. That’s right…TWO. So what makes this one different? I refer back to the previous paragraph. Although, if the shoe were on the other foot, I think I can 90% guarantee that it would be shown with a crap-ton of hype and hoopla.

The other thing that one has to wonder about is why this little story didn’t make the news. Granted, it’s not a big huge deal, but I think it would have made a great “human interest” story that the networks are always trying to find.

I credit KPFA radio for making this story a little blip in their newscast. When I tried to find info about when the exhibit was supposed to open or what would be in it’s place, there is absolutely nothing on the MOChA website. How interesting! So then, I tried to find out what MECA was all about. And sure enough, thanks to it being a foreign organization, there was an article up on their site. To read the whole story, just go HERE. Read this one and you’ve read them all. They almost say the same thing, verbatim. While the organization is aimed at humanitarian rights, their focus is on children. So don’t be overwhelmed if you visit the site and see all the world news on it’s front page. Nearly every other country in the world reports all the news. Not just the stuff that affects their country’s interests.

I just think it’s so sad that these little works of Art from children won’t be seen. Not just seen, but seen by other children. I really think that seeing these works would make other children more open minded. This, in the future, if we are to have one, is one more step closer to true peace.

It’s a hoot so far, AND I got a very iiinnteresting proposition…

So day 2 of rehearsals has come to a close.

Day 1 was orientation. We got the welcome speeches from the designers and producer and director, then just jumped right in to vocal work on “Secretary Is Not A Toy.” Our vocal director, Ms. Carolyn Lamcke, I think is a HOOT!! She is very straight forward but not in a mean way. But like they say, the truth hurts. Like, when she said she couldn’t understand what I was saying. No big, I have been getting sloppy wif muh werds. I think its from not being in a show in almost a year. So, getting back to our music director, I love that when we get things right she claps her hands together and shrugs her shoulders and says “Hot Stuff!” I can’t help but to giggle every time.

Today, when we were getting ready to move on to another song “Been A Long Day,” she called it “Dong Day.” So then little innocent (at least I thought he was all innocent) Ronnie Misra began to describe a musical number, under his breath to the tenor section, featuring a certain “tool” if you will, and I thought I was going to stop the rehearsal because I almost couldn’t contain my quiet giggle. I was terrified that I would burst into my witch’s cackle! I was wiping my eyes by the time, we decided that we would have one of those inflatable wavy peopley thingys that are at car washes and stuff. Of course, they would be a little different than the car wash ones. I say we, because we began throwing in ideas while the bass section was going over their parts.

We worked through 2 new songs and reviewed “Secretary” just for kicks and still got to leave an hour early. I tells ya, Carolyn is a card! Oh and then she told us this story of her pet turtle. Funny but sad. It was so out of sync with the rehearsal, but I think she used it to trick us into forgetting about what we just worked on so when she brought us back into the music, we could concentrate and hit the accents and consonants the way she wanted us to. I don’t know how to explain this technique any better. When you learn something, it takes a few minutes for the brain to process and break it down and then you are good to go. I think the story gave us time to break it down, because when we sang it again, I thought we sounded really good. And I am super judgey. My friend Tom likes to call me Judgey McJugderson.

Tomorrow is blocking with our fabulous director Meg Fisher, so I am excited to get the ball rolling on that. Pictures are coming.

Now as for my interesting proposition: Ms. Samantha Stidham, who you may remember from Episode 5 of the podcast said “You know, I want to interview you for TheActorvist Podcast.” Say what? I think it would be so cool to have a guest on the show every now and again that is doing something other than allowing me to pry into their lives and stuff. So I am toying with the idea. I love her to pieces so I think it’ll be fun.

For now, it’s dream time.

Have a wonderful day!

On to the next…

It’s that time again…Yup, you guessed it, 110 shopping days til Christmas! KIDDING! Kidding! It’s time to start rehearsing for a new show!

Tonight is our first rehearsal. I finally get to meet everyone. There are some people in particular that I am SO excited to see in their roles. For example, mistress to the big wig, Hedy Le Rue will be played by the adorable Amanda Garley. She is a faboo performer and I think it was an awesome choice by the staff.

If you haven’t seen the show, a quick summary is an eager young man manipulates his way to the top of a large corporation in various ways. On that path, he must overcome a jealous rival, to be played by Brett Carlson (Yay!), deal with a love sick secretary, and best the other managers of the company. Will he do it? Can he do it? Come and see the show to find out! However, I don’t recommend the movie. There’s a lot left out, BUT you should take a peek at the Bob Fosse (my hero) choreographed “Coffee Break”. I tried to find it on Youtube really quickly, but I have to get to work.

Until next time…

Thanks Universe; Lesson learned…

This picture says it all…

I am sure that I’ve mentioned that I am going to be the choreographer for Aladdin Jr. at Theatre in the Mountains. Well, at least I was…

I am a pretty trusting fella. I like to believe that the best of people is what’s the most seen, even if sadly, if the best of a person acts like a jerk. But this story is about more than just a single person.

Back in August, I was brought on board as part of the staff and I was emailing the producer, Gina F. with questions and such. I was told that my commitment to the show was one day a week and to see the performances. Okay, cool. I can do that. I asked if I could come in on Thursdays as that is my regular day off from work. Gina said sure, but can you be there for auditions and at least two of the tech week days. My response was of course I could, and I can even be there every day of tech week. The next email I got included “Just asking… Tuesdsay, Sept 27th – the director is unavailable for rehearsals 3:00-5:00. Any chance we could make that a dance day? (I’m guessing it’s no, but had to ask).” I can switch, it wouldn’t be an issue. Tadah!!

I’ve done nothing but bend over backward and take the additional time off to work on auditions and callbacks and tech and the 27th. All I wanted was for the one day that I worked to be Thursday. Sounds pretty reasonable, I thought. And according to an email I got from Gina, the producers were okay with it too.

I was so excited when my contract got dropped off at work. The only problem was that I was at work, so I couldn’t read it in front of her and sign it (and get a photocopy of it) for her to take it back to the company. There was a date set for our first production meeting and I was jazzed. Hands and all!! The meeting gets cancelled and no one tells me why. A week later I get an email that says: “We lost our Director so things are a little on hold at the moment. We are making calls and trying to find staffing for Director and Musical Director. Hang tight, we’ll get there. I’ll let you know when things are rescheduled.”

A few days ago, I got a call from Gina and she basically said that because of the new director, all of the things that we worked out before he arrived are now not enough. Of course, I also have to state as I did in the call that neither herself nor any of the other producers attempted to contact me to see if there was a way to rework the scheduling. She wouldn’t give me any true details. Everything she told me was so vague and that the producers didn’t know any more than they were telling me. This of course was a lie. Luckily, my connection on the inside was able to give me a lot of details and it makes me a little sad that they don’t understand how a theatre company is supposed to be run. Yeah, I said it. So I basically worked on this show for several hours for absolutely nothing. What’s really the most annoying is that the company didn’t sign the contract first, LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE. I was an admin assistant for American Musical Theatre of San Jose, so I know a thing or two about this sort of stuff. Of course, waiting to read the contract until I got home was a big amateur move. So I called some people that I know that know how a professional company should be run and some of the things I heard were a little eye opening. I also contacted the former director and got his perspective as well. Boy, oh boy, the next time I am offered something by this company I am going to have to make sure that those producers are not involved in any way shape or form.

I want to also make it very clear that I lay the complete blame with the producers and the director. The new Artistic Director had invited myself and the former director to the company to shake it up and give the company a new energy. I respect her desire to build a company so I don’t fault her at all. I wish her the absolute best of luck on achieving that goal even if her employees are fighting her tooth and nail.

What I hope that you, dear reader, take from this story is to make sure that you have the power signature (Artistic director, major producer) of the theatre company before you sign it AND that you have an extra copy for yourself. Be sure there is a clause in the contract that speaks to the issue of unfinished work or failure to provide services. Read the contract thoroughly and be sure that there are hard dates for when things are expected. After you return the contract (if by mail), I would follow up to make sure that someone received it. Save all emails and if a new item is worked in make sure you have a proper addendum added to your contract.

So like I said, Thank you to the Universe, I appreciate the lesson and I will be more diligent next time when it comes to crossing T’s and dotting I’s.

I need to rest up from my weekend!

That’s right. From my weekend, not for. From.

Thanks to some wonderful incredible and generous people at work, I was able to get a couple of days off to attend a seminar called “Acting Success Now.”

The hosts, Michelle and Bobby Colt, have been giving this workshop for the last 7 years and this weekend’s was the very first in San Francisco. They do plan on coming again just before Thanksgiving. It’s’ so weird to say this, but it wasn’t at all what I expected, but at the same time it was. Lemme break that down, cuz it’s a little whack.

I was thinking it was going to be like an “acting class” where you work with partners and move around and “perform” little skits in order to practice a lesson or exercise. It was actually the opposite. It was more of a lecture and the exercises were mostly individual and internal in our seats. A lot of what is worked on is our personal relationships with emotions and beliefs and such, there’s a list below. So sitting for 7 hours for 3 days in a darkish room with no natural light was quite the chore. Not only that, the chairs got uncomfortable after a while (which is probably the purpose so no one falls asleep) and I kept having to shift weight, cross and uncross my legs, etc.

It did help me find out things about myself as a person and not only a performer that will forever adjust my thinking. That’s what I expected. Also, that I would like what I learned, and I did.

On Saturday night when my friends asked me what the workshop was about, I couldn’t really put it into words in a good way since I was still digesting ALL the things that had happened for the last two days. So I am going to try and boil it down for you: Now this workshop is so individualistic that how I interpret it may not be the same way another person would.

The tagline for this seminar is “Getting Out of Your Own Way” and they mean it on the most subatomic level!

There are 5 levels that keep us locked into who we are and all of them are given to us for our “survival.” I will do a podcast featuring the 5 levels but I am still readjusting my notes and recordings so that it can truly sink in. And maybe I can find something that I didn’t catch before.

But the 5 levels are 1. The Brain and Nervous System 2. Thinking Level 3. Emotional Level 4. Biological Level and 5. External Level

All of these levels are given to us by our environment and society, but the great thing is that it can be overridden.

But that’s another topic.

Here’s a quick example: When you’re a baby, how do you breathe? You breathe from your stomach as well as your diaphragm. People don’t do that anymore because everyone is trying to look skinny. That’s not good.

When you’re a baby, when do you sleep? Whenever you’re sleepy! As we get older, we are told when to sleep and that becomes our habit.

When you’re a baby, when do you eat? When you’re hungry! Again, as we get older, the parents make you eat when it’s dinner time even if you aren’t hungry.

Do you see the things that we hold on to? There’s so much more than just these, but these are the questions that stuck with me the most. Those are some of the biological questions. The others are equally fascinating.

Until next time…