Day Almost Opening Night: I Love You Guys

Wow, so many things come to mind as I make this day-before-opening-night post.

Firstly: In my junior high years we too had our traditions. On opening night our...assistant director, Dylan (who everyone loved beyond belief) would have us all stand in a circle in widest the hallway, take three random people to put in the middle, had us all hold hands and we did what he called "The Pulse". Each member of the circle would make a "zzzzz" sound while we went around in a circle squeezing each other's hands with our eyes close. As they did this, the three people in the middle would  talk. I had the privilege to talk in the middle my very last show there. It was..emotional. People didn't cry, but everyone looks very serious after it.  Anyways, after the three speakers finished, Dylan would count down from 3 to 1 and at 1, everyone had to shout "ZAP" with all their might. Our actual director hated that we did this, but it was a very symbolic thing to us cast members. Dylan is now studying in L.A. I believe.

I know we won't do that on our show nights, but I just thought I'd share that with you guys.

Secondly: Alright, time for me to get sentimental about our time together.

These three weeks have flown by quicker than any other I've experienced before. I have grown rather attached to all of you and could not have asked for a better cast for my first show in North Carolina. I hope to be in many more shows with all of you guys, if possible. If not, you guys must come with me whenever I trek to N.Y.C for my adult years as I hope to do. Wouldn't that be a great adventure? Anyways, really, each day you've all..surprised my with your amazing acting skills and your willingness to learn and just how friendly you each are. Honestly, cliche as it is, this has been one of the best life experiences of mine, and I will definitely be investing the next few summers of my life at Burning Coal's STC.

Thirdly: If I don't get hugs from you all tomorrow at one point or another, by this hand, I will supplant some of your teeth!

I'm sure I'll post again tomorrow night and the day after, but for now, I'll leave you with some muzack.

-A solem song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGhAjYLXKqw

-A song that is somewhat similar to this summer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXlnMveRt-Y

-A song I listened to on Bevan's ipod today:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH9E-rWzjXE

-A song that I'd sing to you guys if I knew all the words: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGBLiGFaddo

Aaaand...

-A song that makes me think of our very own Steven Tyler, Daniel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TCty9f1U1o

Sleep well tonight, guys! You all will need your rest for tomorrow!

Hugs and butterfly kisses,

-Your Emily Rose

Day: Erm..: SACRIFICE

Thank you for making me the sacrifice today.

Gosh, I hate having to leave Burning Coal.. I have such great times there and then come home to headaches (there's just a lot of stress in my home currently). 

There's something I kinda want to tell you all. Well, in my junior high play's years, the week leading up to the show was called, by all the actors, "Hell Week".  Yes, we were all quite dramatic children, but really, that week really was ALWAYS Hell. You may think this an exaggeration, but I kid you not, it really was. There were so many factors that contributed to it being such a displeasure, but I guess what I'm trying to say by telling you this, is that this is the first week leading up to a show that I've enjoyed beyond belief! Yeah, we've had some rough spots, but honestly, not even close to as bad as other shows I've done. So high fives to you all! 

Wow, I can't believe tomorrow is Thursday, and then comes Friday, and then Saturday, and then... :(

Thinking about this, I decided I wanna meet up with you all again after STC's over. Like..soon. We need to make plans for this. Even Jason and Ian should come (wouldn't be a good time without 'em). I'd suggest my house..but um..it's hardly a 2 storried townhouse. Soooo..you wouldn't all fit. But if a few of ya are ever around Cary, feel free to text me, and I will insist you come over. I insist you come over either way. Actually, in fact, all of you, come squish yourselves in my home. Now. 

OH! And I thought you should know that I checked out several plays from the library, so I think I sub-conciously took Ian's advice, and I'm now going to read as many plays as possible in my free time.

Alright, I shall leave you now with three songs, each with a bit of a meaning to me. 

The first: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ch8-3ox0UY

^This one is a song I lull myself to sleep listening to most nights, although it makes me sad, because a close friend of mine who lives in Illinois really introduced me to it, and I'm missing him a lot. (Also, for the record, in the song I always change the name "Annmarie" to "Emily" because it makes me happy)

The second: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9ow42XTx4I

^Ah, this song... This is a song friends and I use to dance around stupidly in my room to. It just gives me a good feeling, and it's got a bit of a story in it if you listen to the words enough. And I absolutely love the sound. 

And finally: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fby_wI0sK-U

^Alright, I'll be honest, I have no idea why I like this song. I heard it on the radio a few weeks ago and found myself draw to this woman's voice. Each time, I can picture a welly choreographed dance number when I hear it. 

Until tomorrow,

Your Emily Rose 

I'm ok now...

Hey guys. Sorry to sound all conceited, but Jason said y'all heard a little bit of me crying today so now that things are calm I wanna sorta explain whats going on so you all aren't like "you're a spaz" (If you don't wanna read this you don't need to) Basically, My girlfriend and I broke up last month for private reasons and hadn't talked since. Last Thursday she contacted me saying she needed to talk to me and make it right. We scheduled to meet but it didn't happen cuz she never showed up. Well I got a call this morning from my friend who said Sara was dropped off at my house. I called her back saying I wasn't home and so she went to go get Sara back from my house but lee and I were walking to less car cuz she was gonna drive me home but Caitlin called back and said she found Sara in a pool of blood throwing up blood and was taking her to the hospital. The entire time we were dating she was anorexic and refused to eat and so her stomach would start eating itself and make her sick, so I knew that was what happened but it was never involving blood. Caitlin informed me that she was in really bad shape and could die if she refused to eat any more. I went to see her just now got home and pleaded with her to let the doctors help her but she refused. So not only did I get threatened again by her homophobic mother about getting shot if I approached her daughter but now Sara is going to die.. But yeah... So thats what was wrong. I love you all.... Taylor

...and you thought my musical choices were strange.

This is the last ten minutes of Jarman's adaptation of the tempest...definitely the strangest adaptation of The Tempest I've ever seen.

I LOVE STC!!!

HEY Y'ALL

The class this morning with Ian was really enlightening for me.  I really enjoyed learning about the 3 major components of acting because I had never completely learned about them together.

It is super exciting to see everything actaully coming together.  At first I felt a little lost but I am reassured now.

I have to admit I'm a tad be scared to be off book tomorrow!

Lastly, just wanted to say how amazing you all are! I can't believe tomorrow will be the second Friday. Yikes!

Kelly aka Ariel Katastrophe

P.S. Kelly and technology don't get along. ;)

Steampunk?

I'm going to the warehouse tomorrow to find some more steam-punky things like this:

For anyone that doesn't know what steampunk is, this is the look we are going for.  Very Victorian design sensibilities thrust into a steam-powered sci-fi world! ;)

Lots of leather, lots of brass, lots of ornamentation...but still lots of room for modernity: laptops, plugs, piercings can all be incorporated into steampunk.

7/8. The Ship Was The Donut and The Tempest Was My Mouth

Once again, I kinda didn't do one of these for yesterday. I forget why. I just hate trying to write off of my iTouch, so I put it off. Anyhow, we did fun stuff. This guy, Ray Dooley or something along those lines, talked to us about auditioning for stuff. It was way cool seeing everyone --- well, how awesome everyone was -- improve their monologues so quickly. 


We polished and such. Once again. Things are getting for serious guys. Today, I witnessed the first playing of Usher within the Conservatory, which is awesome. I also got to see Ian try to kidnap someone. We did a couple games involving the three components of acting: packing (prep), objective (as well as tactic; what the goal of the character is), and reacting (which makes you look more like a human being). And then we polished more.

It totally sucks that tomorrow is the end of the second week. I want to kidnap you all and take you to Russia. I have a glasses factory, I mean, we've got it all over there. All joking aside, you guys are way cool and I will try my best to do my part to make this show great. 


Okay, top song is a dubstep remix of "Bad Romance" by Skrillex because a) I was trying to explain to my mom what dubstep was and failed horribly and b) I heard some Lady Gaga, which I haven't heard in a while. She's alright. The song on the bottom is "One of the Boys" by Katy Perry, even though I dislike her heavily now, there was once a time where I liked her. This is probably my favorite song by her. Quite relatable, if you ask me. 


-Sierra.

The Definition of Crazy

Its interesting that ian early in the class defined crazy as "repeating the same action and each time expecting the result to be different".

This led into a talk about tactic and the discussion that characters pursue a different tactic at least every page if not every line.

If you, as an actor, do not do this your character will look crazy...and not in the good way.

Real, sane people change tactics all the time...so do real, sane characters.

I Stopped Counting the Days...

Everything's starting to look really good! The polishing today went great, and we got a lot of stuff neater and clearer. The class this morning was so helpful! Good job to everyone that put themselves out there to do their monologues! They were all AMAZING! :)

Day technically 9: I've been Jiggly Puff-ed!

Today I came home and told my mother I'd been Jiggly Puff-ed, which confused her terribly. It was very soothing though, and were it not for Harper touching me to wake me up in the scene, I might not have. I was tired, and that was nice.

The master class today was very cool to watch. I did find myself a little bored at times (sitting for for ever makes me tired as well), but I enjoyed seeing those who went and the progress of perfection on their monologues. Great work.

So, we're a little more than halfway there, you guys! I find myself conflicted for emotions if I am happy or sad about that, because working with you all is just great. 

Alright, I've decided to post one of my favorite songs- it just makes me feel happy, and the video is so fun! 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4sfh2u8cgU

See you guys tomorrow! 

-Emily Rose 

Shinigami apple dance!

Hey guys. Despite another headache and some panic problems for reasons aside from y'all, today was fantastic. I loved the master class and I took away a lot from it. I have a lot of appreciation for how far we've gotten! We're done blocking and now one third completely polished. I am so happy that we're looking good! Can't really say much else that hasn't already be said.. But again I wanna say sorry for the moodswings! A lot of stuff as been going on so I've tried to suppress it while I'm at rehearsal but it's sort of not working. So I'm sorry to all of you who saw me sad or saw some of my bitchiness.. I love you all and I promise it has nothing to do with any of you! Daisuke. Shieru Fantomhaivu

Other thoughts on acting / language...

Sometimes acting teachers will repeat the same ideas in different words, other times acting teachers will have unique ideas that may seem to come from left field and never to be repeated by anyone else.

"In Shakespeare, never stress the negative."
"But is the most important word in Shakespeare."
"Never sing Sondheim in an audition."
"Never mime objects in an audition."
"Never yell in an audition."
"Always wear your heaviest shoes in rehearsals."
"If you ever say 'oh, God' your character is always directly addressing God personally."
"Any time you have a list, just say it as one long German word."
"Whenever you are acting, never walk on the line.  Plant yourself while speaking."
"Don't speak unless you have the eye-contact of the person you are speaking to."
"The soles of your feat are the key to your body as an instrument."
"We want to see the actor on stage as much as the character."
"Every motivation you have will be caused by love."

Make a list of these off-beat "rules" and file them away, whether or not you like them.  These rules will eventually start to contradict each other (I had one Tony-Award-Winning director tell me never to make eye contact with the person to whom I was speaking) and some of them will even seem ridiculous (an acting coach I once had told me never to wear purple in rehearsal) but if they are important enough for one person to hold as a tenant, there's likely some amount of worth in them...maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon...and once you figure it out it will serve you for the rest of your life.

Ray dooley and alan in action.

Same idea / different words

As you are starting to see with our various master classes, the ideas behind acting in this country  are all the same but each artist uses slightly words to describe these ideas.

Ray dooley never used the word "beat" but when working worth mia he was breaking down her monologue into beats.  He used the word "transition" instead of beats, but its the same thing.

Whenever you hear the same idea described by two or more acting coaches in two different ways...you know its important!  Whether you call it a transition or beat, its important to break down every thing to a small atoms as you can and understand why one atom is different from the other.

He used the word "pursuit" rather than "objective", "playing the action" rather than "tactic", & "specific goal" rather than "perfect future".

Whenever you hear a new terminology try it on, use it , see how it effects you.  I rather like the idea of "pursuit",

We're Awesome...But Y'all Already Knew That!

     Yay, we are done blocking! Now we can really start to get into our characters, which is the best part! And yes, this is probably the fastest blocking of a play I've ever been in...but then again we do only have 2 weeks left, so it was probably best that we blocked it quickly.

   Ummm...yeah, I'm pur-rity scared about our "auditions" tomorrow. Doing auditions in front of the panel (or whatever the auditioner-people are called) is ok, but doing in front of the REST of you guys is pretty scary. I don't know why, but it just is. And to make matters even more cringe-worthy, Ray Dooley is going to be there (it is him tomorrow, right?), and there is NOTHING more frightening than acting (I know monologues aren't technically acting, but still...) in front of an incredible actor, especially one that you've seen perform on a professional stage before. I dunno, it's ridiculously, incredibly, tremendously intimidating. But all hyperbole aside, it is good to practice auditioning. I just need to think about the chocolate...the chocolate...

Oh yeah, and today was difficult. Commedia del Arte is pretty hard (at least for me, but you guys that performed today were great!) but also fun; I also found it to be very interesting. Ha ha, wow, that was a loooooong rant. Good gosh, I really do babble a lot. Well, to conclude, great job blocking, and see everyone tomorrow at ten!
-Elise K.

Day 8?: Accomplishments Accomplishments

Before you continue, pat yourself on the back. The show is blocked!

Honestly, I have never blocked a whole play in the time we have; usually takes a bit longer. I'm excited to do everything that will come now.

So aggghhhhh, anyone else kinda wigged out for that audition tomorrow..? It was just kinda brought upon us sooner than I would liked I guess, but I hope to do well now knowing the things we learned about auditions. I'm bringing some chocolate for myself afterwards. :P I find myself nervously excited (if only for the chocolate).

Wow, I have basically not much to say today. Loved the guest speaker today though. What was HIS name? (I can't seem to remember either of the guests' names so far)...Jason?? Someone?? Remind me?!

Week 2 is already great!

Anyways, song links, song links, song links:

Slow song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KO45Mii4oE8

Another slow song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LlfRKvMHy8

Slow-ish song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvCBSSwgtg4

...I'm in a bit of a slow mood...

Alright, one diverse, faster, jazzy one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqWNOUOxjPI

Ergh, tired. Till tomorrow,

-Emily Rose

6. I Said, "Use A Coaster"

I guess nobody's posted besides me because they're looking up their monologues...which I am...like, totally doing. O.o Been caught up with Futurama, but either way, I've got "Catch Me, I'm Falling" in my head. So let's get on with what we did today.


Alright, so we had this guy come in and talk him about commedia dell'arte, which is pretty wicked. Sort of like improv, but you have stock characters and the audience is more involved. Originated from Italy, I like the idea of masks and different plots you can do with that. I'd love to see something along those lines. Who runs that sort of thing? I guess there are companies of some sort of thing.


We also finished blocking the Tempest today! Very exciting. I actually get a slightly big bit near the end. Ariel talks Prospera down before she nearly killed Alonso and the gang. Pretty cool. I think it makes it real that Prospera couldn't go through with it. Conscience and all that. 


So yeah. I've gotta do stuff. Everyone should watch Next to Normal as well as the original Star Trek. Js.


This jam is pretty kicking. Old school, but you'll probably know it kinda. Ignore the weird guy whose singing.


-Sierra.

4/5. There Can Only Be One

I feel slightly guilty typing this in Courier after Ian's rant about fonts today. So I didn't do my fourth blogpost, so I'm combining both days in one. Oh, like you haven't done it yet. ;D 


All joking aside, a guy who looked like Adam Savage came in to talk about acting and such. Thanks to his helpful tips, identifying motive and beats really help with finding your character's tactic. I also found out I tend to act within the first and second circles of...agh, I can't remember the terminology, but basically, onstage or in life, your stature and your body language tends to put off... -- gosh, I'm bad with words right now (with all the dots, I feel like I'm a Lady Macbeth monologue right now) -- something. You put off this idea of yourself by your posture and body language.


Well, that was a horrible paragraph. Anyway, today, we talked with Ian about auditions, which made auditions make a whole lot less scary. I did absolutely dreadful for my audition, but luckily, I intuitively hoped that charm would make them realize that I could be (may be?) good. I've just always assumed I'm less talented than everybody else going in and that makes me very deconfident (the opposite of confident, if you don't know prefixes) in what I'm doing. So thanks, Ian, for pulling back the  curtain of your strange organization of directors in the North Carolina area. 


So double tracks, as you can see. The top is one of my favorite songs (I have a lot of favorite songs, but this is an older favorite) by Tokyo Police Club. They're alright; I just like this song for some reason. On the bottom is a Bon Iver song I found from the television series Chuck. From this song, I enjoy another Bon Iver song, but this one made me sad happy, like most Bon Iver songs.


The best part about it is the quietness and then it goes into


SO MANY FAURALAAAOOHOH 
SO READY TO BE FAUUU
SO READY FOR US 
SO READY FOR US 
AHHH CREATURE FEAR.


So yeah. Byes. OH WAIT, by the way, for any of you Next to Normal punks, Fro's having a Next to Normal sing-off tomorrow, so do your homework. You also should make sure to figure out your character's tactics, as well as straighten out your monologue if it need straightening. BYE GUYS


-Sierra.

Roboteo and Juile-mehmeh

Hey all! 
First off, I'd like to say that today was a FANTASTIC day! Despite my despicable headache which almost rendered me brainless, I learned alot and had a great rehearsal. Everytime I hear Ian's audition speech, it gives me newfound inspiration to go and audition for more things.

So,
I almost have two Ariel outfits complete and the wings! I am REALLY TRYING!!! so please dont hate me cuz I have to learn my lines too!!!

But Yeah.. .so I love you all and I'm so excited about getting to work with all of you. I love how close we are already becoming.

Also, if you all could do me a HUGE favor??????

I'm trying to (desperately...) win a free Drossel Keinz cosplay jacket from Kuroshitsuji. I could make it, but that's not as fun as getting it for free!! :DD plus, it comes with the wig and everything. So, I entered a cosplay contest, and all you have to do to vote for me is like my entry on Facebook (or Google+, but who does that???). So, here's the link....can all of you guys vote for meeee????? The more likes i get, the more votes. http://www.miccostumes.com/blog/black-butler-cosplay-contest-48-taylor-danielle/
ARIGATO GOZAIMASU!!!!
:D

Day 5: Our First Friday Together

It's Friday..Friday..we "got down" on Friday...

With some Krispy Kreme! 

Seriously, that made today special. 

So I also enjoyed the guy who came in to talk to us today..the one who looked like the guy from Mythbusters...what's his real name again?? I was very interested in each circle (that's the term he used, right?). Gosh,  I should have been writing things down.

So um, Jason? Josh said that you were gonna send guitar chords to the music people, is that true? Just curious, because yes, I over-estimated the powers of Google and found very close to nothing about The Nodd. Sooo..just curious about that. 

I can't wait for the sewing/costume making party at Taylor's tomorrow, that is going to be great. 

So.. 5 days. 5 days of knowin' you all.. 5 days of thinking that we've gotten so much done.. 5 days of finding that you're all great. Cliche, yes, but I'd be lying if I said otherwise. 

I feel my entries here becoming smaller and smaller. To be honest, I save all the good stuff for my real journal. I've been journaling for years now, and I read my old journals and find such funny things there.  Sometimes I even write notes in there to my younger self. And I do that periodically, as I change through life. Anyways though, yes, I am creepin' and putting you all (or most of you at least) in my real journal. Don't worry though, one day should it become published or something, you can all read about yourselves. It's primarily amusing though. Mwahaha. 

Goodness, I am tired. I was tired today too. In ways, I blame the weather for that. When it's gloomy, it just makes me tired. Plus... I may or may not accidentally stay up later than necessary. It's not purposeful, I just find myself thinking "Tomorrow is gonna be great!" and with that excitement, I just stay up because I suppose it gives me an adrenaline rush! And then there's you guys. Yes, I kindly blame you all for wearing me out with your awesomeness. 

Well, my mother's made muffins, so I'll leave you with some tunes..

A song from a musical: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TdSz57cbQY

A song you've probably heard on the radio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G45QmaBlJCo

And a song that you should be careful about listening to because there is one particular curse word that's used a lot (but I love the meaning in this song): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjLrhNc2Tw8

Monday should just be here now.

-Emily Rose 

Oh Shakespeare...

Hide yo kids, hide yo wife! Shakespeare's gettin' all deez ladies preggers!!!! You do your thing Shakespeare, but you can be sure if I was the mother to your children, and all you gave me was the louzy 2nd best bed, a cold wouldn't  have killed you! I would have killed you before you could even let out the first sneeze. Anyway, I loved learning about Shakespeare today. I just know everything we learned is going to be so helpful in this show and shows in the future.

Shout outs. :)

Hiya! I can't believe the incredible progress we've already made! A lot of people already have lines down! That's awesome. :)  Shout out to my fellow Ariels for learning so fast. Also, shout out to Fro for being the best choreographer I've ever been taught by. I wish there was a zombie Shakespeare 'cause he  would want to see this show!

Fantasmagorical Fourth! Eye Drop Safty Article?

Fantasmagorical Fourth Day! First u would like to say Burning coal has the best acting camps--especially since they have Ian and Jason in it! Everyone has been supportive and I feel like I can laugh at my mistakes-- so I want to thank you! --well, enough of my reviewing Does anyone has an article on how the eye drops work? My mom is very against any type of chemical so she wants to know how safe it is and she doesn't think that the fact that it Is FDA approved isn't good enough-- Hopefully a nice article would do the trick! Don't want to a Debby Downer-- so hopefully I can pursuade her. Thanks for all the support! You guys are the best! --Dakota L.S. Sager-Leo.--

Day 4: Shakesperian Lessons and Memorization

*Sigh* Day 4, and I'm already so attached to all of you. I get home and don't know what to do with myself...

Well, today we all saw the sight of Ian with long locks. What were all of your reactions to that?? I thought it was hilariously amazing, really.

Anyone notice how giddy Ian gets when he talks about Shakespeare too? I hear he gives (basically) the same rant every year, but he seemed so..I don't know...enthusiastic about it, which I just loved. I am going to keep my notes on Shakespeare forever.

I am so glad that Friday cast got to read the script in the lobby over and over today too, it really helped the beginning of my memorization of my lines. I feel more confident about them now. Sitting around can be pretty beneficial.

Ermph erphm erphm.

Oh!  For anyone who wants to, the townhouse area I live in has this pool place and, with my fun card thing, I can have up to 5 non-resident people with me. So if any of ya ever wanna come swim with me, you're welcome to. :)

For my Krispy Kreme going friends: http://krispykreme.com/Upload/July13BdayDeal.pdf?FriendlyName=Birthday+Deal+Flyer

For my music loving friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksWm5AwpSBg

For my other music loving friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EUABxW4nrs

...."And now farewell till half an hour hence."

Or rather, farewell until tomorrow!

-Emily Rose

4. Lowercase J-Walking

Hey guys :D Today was mainly Shakespearean stuff, which was surprisingly more interesting than my previous conceptions had planned for. Honestly, I thought when Ian sat us all down, it was going to be the same old thing that all my English teachers talked to me about when they talk about Shakespeare. "He's so great," yada yada yada, "was the best playwright ever," blah blah  blah, etc., etc. And not to say that he isn't one of the best playwrights or that he isn't that great, but to hear it over and over again, it gets kinda boring.


But I learned stuff I didn't know about Shakespeare and how he talked and it was just way interesting. I've never really dug that deep into Shakespeare. I mean, I've seen a few of his plays, but probably what made his words make a whole lot more sense was when Ian was explaining that Shakespeare is talking in Modern English, but he's writing in poems. Everything is so passionate and the words are crazy because the way the words sound and mean are important, and with that, you can "score" his words. That was  really helpful, by the way. Punctuation walking was really fun :)


The blocking is coming along. Being the Friday cast, it was interesting to see what it all looks like. I hopefully will do the best that I can to follow Jason's "broad strokes" towards what he wants the Ariels to do. I also hope I don't mess up my solo xP But seriously, everyone, watching what we have so far is really cool. Like, I went and saw "The Tempest" recently and I'm more entertained by watching you guys do it than people that were paid to put it on, so pat yourselves on the back.


Oh my gosh, these are really big paragraphs. Sorry about that. Anyway, tomorrow will be the end of the first week and it's bogus because I really want more time than three weeks to do amazing things with all of you guys. It's just really fun doing everything we've done, going to Krispie Kreme, spending time with everyone, and I am having the time of my life. 


So yeah :3 Ian, I'm happy you're alright. Thought the black market thieves were coming back for more for a second there, but plot twist: you're in one piece. By the way, everyone should check out the song the Ariels are singing. I personally prefer the rock-out version of it, but the acoustic version is alright. 


Okay, because I did my last post off of my iTouch, I didn't attach a song, so I'm sorry. To fix this ailment, I have a song on the top as well as on the bottom. The one on the top is "In the Mood" by Glen Miller and it's pretty good. You've probably heard it somewhere before. I think I've heard it in Fallout 3, but thankfully, my music teacher brought my attention to the awesomeness of Glen Miller jams.


On the bottom is a bit from Dana Carvey's stand-up from '96 or '97 or something. It was the late '90s; he was on SNL. Things were different. Either way, it makes me crack up every time, so enjoy that after you read this. 


I guess I'll see you all tomorrow!
-Sierra.

Day No. Cuatro

Day 4 and everyone is doing so great! The dance for the saturday night is looking really good. Can't wait to continue with the other blocking! I also loved what we learned today in the morning. I recently watched a show from the 80s called "Playing Shakespeare" with RSC assistant dir. John Barton in it: it is like a 7 hour show. But today Ian basically summarized everything from that show in an even shorter amount of time; I was really glad to be able to learn about acting Shakespeare. And it was really good to be able to put to practice all the things we were taught by reading those speeches. They were so fun but soo hectic! Anywho, another awesome day at Burning Coal! -Elise K

IMPORTANT! ALL ARIELS!

I need the money by tomorrow for fabric! I'm going to go buy stuff tomorrow and then have a sewing party at my house on Saturday. I've thought about it and with the amount of spandex and satin I need, maybe if everyone could give me 20-30$? If that's too much you can definitely just say no. I'll understand. Also, I can order the eyelashes for us so they can all be the same if you want. I'm excited!!!! And I need to measure the ones I didn't get to today. LOVE Y'ALL!!

My Lovely Dancers-

My Lovely Dancers- 


I cannot believe how brilliant all of you are. It is amazing that only two or three of you have had dance training before because let me tell you- the girls on my competitive team take at least 3 months to learn a full routine AND they are always complaining. Y'all did not complain at all. You were attentive, alert, willing, and trusting. Thank you for letting silly ol' me lead you blindly "into the storm."


I have never seen such dedicated, hard-working, talented, or sweet girls in my life. I am so thrilled to work with such a professional group of dancers! All of y'all have displayed amazing talent, so do not let anyone tell you otherwise! The work y'all have accomplished speaks for itself. 


When I signed up for my major- a BFA in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Theatre For Youth- I was asked to elaborate on what I planned to do with this degree as far as a career goes. I replied, "I would like to teach high school students in a conservatory setting so that they are inspired and experienced enough to achieve their dreams- whatever they may be." I thought this idea was a little bit idyllic and utopian, but today you have proved me wrong. The kind of work we did to day is what I've dreamed of; it is exactly what I want to do with my life. Thank you all. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. 


And just think- we have the foundation well in place. Now we can spend 2 and a half weeks making it flawless! We've seen what we can do in two days... imagine two weeks! Move over So You Think You Can Dance, because the Ariels know we can dance! 


I am loving getting to know everyone, and by the end of the summer I know we will be a true dance family. 


See y'all tomorrow! (Don't forget to stretch!!)
Fro 

(Also, if y'all want to add me on facebook, search my full name: Sophronia Rose Knott)

Plot twist! Ariel is actually the Black Swan.

07/11/12 (Third Day)

I would like to reinforce...
Peter and the starcatcher-- using a rope to create a scene
Dubstep, Never have I ever, THE TEMPEST, Avatar costume elements, Beat boxing



"When the tempest rages, when the thunders roar, and the lightnings blaze around us it is then that the truly brave man stands firm at his post."
--Luther Martin

Tempest: a violent windstorm, especially one with rain, hail, or snow

"It's the ten commandments, it's the parting of the Red Sea, it's the biblical whirlpool from hell." This was the only clip of the Pirates of the Carribean 3 Maelstrom I could find, but it's what I envision our tempest as in Act 1, Scene 1.

I love this scene for a lot of reasons, but most importantly, I think it has relevance to the work we did in rehearsal today. The actors in this scene literally had rain and wind pelting down on them, and waves crashing over the deck sweeping them in all directions. Gore Verbinski created every element of the storm except for the actual ocean and then thrust his actors into it, so that, not only could he film better, without having to artificially create a storm, but the actors could feel it. They were in the middle of a storm.

This scene plays wonderfully because of the producers' big-budget choices. The actors don't have create anything artificial in their voice or body language, because the storm is actually there. It's not artificial. And you can really see how genuine their responses are. They don't have to remember to raise their voices or over-enunciate their words or invade their shipmates personal space to try and communicate, because that type of response is automatic in the midst of this kind of storm. Both ships were actually at an angle during this scene. When you see the actors clinging to the deck, it's because they don't want to be swept off of it.

What the actors do in this scene is a patter of behavior, like everything else, and I think it gives a great example of the kind of things we can do onstage to make this storm real. We don't have a storm. But we have movement on stage (a truly spectacular dance, choreographed by Froni) ,and we have object work, and we have you guys! If you see the storm, the audience will see it.

Has anyone seen Peter and the Starcatcher? I've only seen snippets of it online, and interviews from the cast. If you're interested in it, I like the following clips. It's kind of an interesting and extraordinary production. A bit experiemental I think, in regards to comedy and staging. Our staging today reminded me of it. It made me very happy.
Peter and the Starcatcher: First Look
Starcatcher Clips/Highlights

I never really understood this breathing thing until today. I'm always astounded by the amount of air I can get in my lungs when I lie on my back and relax a little, letting go of the tension in my hips and legs. Retaining those skills we practiced today--the ability get a full breath, to sustain that breathing in order to support speech or singing--is really difficult. You have to make it a habit. You have to use your body in a new way, and remember that physical shape and process using sense memory.

This year, the breathing and vocal work came a little easier to me because I've had some singing lessons from a really wonderful instructor. Here are some tips I learned, stuff that has helped me enourmously over the years.

1. Relax. If you're holding any tension in your body, you can't get a full breath. Good posture is good, but there is a huge difference between good, upright posture and rigid posture. So many people tense up trying to breathe deeply and fully just before they attemptto sing, and that tension and rigidity only hurts you. Prepare to take a deep breath and them freeze. If you're holding any tension in your body when you're prearing to take a deep breath, in your neck or shoulders, in your upper chest and back, or in your lower back and stomach muscles, release it.

2. Make sure your knees aren't locked.

3. If you're still trying to envision pushing that breath down and you can't quite get it, try bouncing up and down a little on the balls of your feet, bending your knees slightly and then straightening up again.. Move your hips around a bit in circles, get those muscles loose and circulating. A full breath is the kind you get when you do what we did today--when you lie on your back and focus on your lower stomach and back muscles.

I love voice work.

Day 3? Wow.

Is it really the third day? I feel like we've done so much that it can't possibly be just day three! Anyway, Im glad we could do exercises on projection, because there is nothing more irritating than not being able to hear dialogue; you miss the story, your cues, eek what a disaster. And the dance...I know we've been raving about it the whole day, but it really looked fantastic! Great job dancers! The choreography was beautiful and it looked like a real storm. It was just F.A.B.U. -Elise(Luu)K

3. Fro, You Are Brilliant

Third day was awesome. I have to get better about using resonance when saying lines, but learning about breathing in my diaphragm really helped me.

Anyway, Krispie Kreme is pretty awesome. What's more awesome is getting an hour and actually sort of learning a couple moves. I realize I didn't really get everything down, but it was very nice of everyone to say nice things about the Ariels, who are all fantastic in their own right.

It's great spending time with such great people who are just open to anything and that's awesome. :D I can't wait for all of this stuff to come together.

I also would like to say that Fro, you're pretty awesome to come up with all that. That's wicked. :)

-Sierra.

It's only day three?

    With all the new things that we are learning and doing it's hard to believe that this was only our 3rd day. After blocking Scene I you would have thought it was closer to the end of the first week rather than the middle of it. We are so lucky to have Fro as our choreographer, because as we saw today when you mix the work ethic of our dancers and her creative mind we end up with something truly remarkable.I'm really excited to be a part of such an intricate scene and can not wait for the Ariels to be in full costume and makeup. It is going to look so cool!

Day 3!!!

Sorry I missed the first 2 days! I was still trying to join haha! I've never really blogged before, so I hope I'm doing it right! I really enjoyed blocking today. I love the fact that doing something as simple as moving a rope can change the entire environment we are acting in. The first scene already looks amazing, so I guess all I can say is keep up the good work! By performance time I'm sure it's gonna be jaw-dropping good!

Day three: ARIEL IS THE BLACK SWAN!

Hey guys! First of all, Arials, gots a few questions! (Jason I need some opinions on these too)

1) I talked to a few of you about the eye drops... I have NO IDEA if we will be allowed to use them, or if in the end it will even matter of we do or not.. But for those of you who didn't hear, they have a new Cosplay product out called Iroeye Eye Dye. It's basically an eye drop that "dyes" your eyes temporarily. It is 100 percent safe, FDA Approved, and absolutely amazing. The colors come in Blue, Green, and Purple, so i was thinking a blue or purple.. The blue is like, REALLY blue, and especially people with blue eyes, it will make them pop.

Here's a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44SGQ1wzoPE

I will tell you, though. they last up to six hours, so even after the production, you will have crazy eyes. but they WILL come out. Promise. I've used them before but they were a friend's, so I didn't know how much they were or anything. Most likely, they are somewhat expensive, but if we all pitch in, we could buy a bottle. We would just need one, because only one drop will turn your eye.

That said,
2) Falsies. EVERYONE NEEDS TO BEFRIEND FALSE EYELASHES! Even if you have long eyelashes, it will be useful to get them! I'm talking like, the longest, craziest, curliest, weirdest, bedazzled, feathery false eyelashes ever! I have a few pair, but not enough to spare! So please please pleaseeee....they are your friends!

3) I need to measure the Ariels tomorow, because I am making your costumes. I decided it would be better to just make them then try to find blue leotards for everyone. So I need measurements, and also if you can sometime this week give me 5$? If every ariel pitches in 5$, I will have enough to buy everything to make us look AMAZINGLY CREEPY AND AWESOME!! I know its kinda mean to ask for money... but i REALLY have NO BUDGET AT ALL. I mean... I dont even have enough money to buy my son a new hand... :( (Reffering to my doll, Yoru). A list of things I need, so you know I'm not going to go buy drugs or something....

Face Gems, Blue body/face shimmer, blue and white satin, blue spandex, white tool, feathers.

I LOVE YOU GUYS IN ADVANCE FOR HELPING!! And you also get to keep your costume... so yeah!

4) Caliban, I need you guys to get together and put together a green shirt. I need it for your shell.

5) Jason, how big are we talking, wingwise? And which Arials need to become harpies? And what are we doing for the houds?

Thanks guys!! I'm EXTREMELY excited about making the Arials incredibly creepy and awesome. I'm getting all of my inspiration from Avatar, previous Tempest performances, and xxxHolic. XD

I love you all! Sugoii, Sugoii desu!!!!

~Tay~

I CAN DO A SHOULDER ROLL NOW. :D

Links!

Here is a link to the song for Act I/Scene 1: Lux Aeternum.

Here is a link to "79" by The Nodd

Here is a link to "79 (solo acoustic guitar version)" by Dug

Here is a link to A Polka Cover of Dire Straits' "Romeo and Juliet"

Here is a link to link.

On Monday we'll take some time with anyone that can learn the song on their instruments and decide whether to have instrumentation or to do it a capella.

Fantastic way to launch into blocking of The Tempest.  Jerome Davis (the Artistic Director of Burning Coal) even stopped me to tell me how much he liked it!

DAY THREE!

I feel like i have really gotten to kno you guys!! So before i get into this the STC Facebook group is linked here====>http://www.facebook.com/groups/457483947605734/457906670896795/?comment_id=457921767561952&notif_t=group_comment and my facebook is here====>http://www.facebook.com/cat.carman
As far as today, well, it was awesome!!!! so many inside jokes and fun times, this is such a great cast! May i just say that the first scene will be boss, go ariels tearing down that ship. #thisboatisgonnadropfasterthanthebass
Dont forget tonight anyone who wants to come, spiderman starts at 7:15 at mission valley cinema, all are welcome, at the very least Colton and i will be there.
Im really having fun with all of you. Let me know if you want to hang, im always up for that!!!
--cat--
ps. i know this is crappily written but i have to clean my room before i go to the movies :/

Having Fun With Improv...? I Think So

Gotta admit, I was definitely dreading doing improv. I have had BAAAADD experience with improv (it was all my class did in theater II...not pleasant) and just hearing the word makes me break out in deadly hives. But all embellishing aside, I'm also just not usually that great at improv either. But today, when I was taught by someone who actually knew what they were talking about, I was able to see improv for what it really was, instead of being intimidated by it. But I think what I would mostly like to take away from today was the different ways you could creatively commit infancide (original, I know). But sometimes you have to do ridiculous things like in order to really appreciate the glory of improv and also theater: it doesn't have to necessarily make sense in reality, but if the people on stage have a purpose (i.e. killing a baby in a blender), than the audience won't question why the hell we're killing it in the first place, or the morality of the issue (if they do, then that's no fun). Today, I've seen some of the funniest improv I've ever seen in my whole life, and it reminded me not to be afraid of an intangible concept that can be hysterical if done right. So thank y'all for that. Looking forward to tomorrow (when am I not?)! See e'erbody then!
-Elise (not Kara) Kimple

The Ressurection of the Dead Baby (Joke)

a.k.a Baby in a Blender

7/10/12 (Second Day)

I am always amazed and astounded and astonished and cheered at what people come up with when doing improv. 42ooooo. Yeah, get it giirl! Susan ate them.

What on earth would I do if not laughing at your incredible antics and surrounded by such amazing people--who are willing to throw everything they have into something new. Improv--I think--really isn't about anything other than saying yes. Giving it a shot. Attempting to act on the fly.
Often scenes and lines go in comedic directions, but that's not the most important thing. The most important thing is that our wonderful STC group this year may be a bit scared of improv (I definately am) but every single person is willing to try something new. Go our group!! I got over some of my fear of improve today. The rewards far outweigh the risks.

I didn't get a chance to say this today, but I would like to reinforce the insanity and chaos that explodes when buffaloes start to stack on top of each other, each person pursuing a different objective. Namely-- our two person scene >> six- person scene. Every person dragged in a new dead buffalo.

Jason taught me a valuable lesson today about how improv doesn't always have to be like that. Just because a scene might be stalling a little doesn't mean it's dead. The first three lines are the most important, and after that, all you have to is follow a pattern. I would also like to reinforce how talented everyone is. Every single one of you. I not only surprised myself today in improv, but I was surprised by some of the people who got up there and did it, and were pretty darn good at what they were doing.

I love surprising myself, but more than anything, I love being surprised by a castmate/ensemble member. Someone will get up on stage and catch me completely off gaurd, doing something I hadn't thought they were capable of or willing to do. Teaching, and being in a classroom, offers that experience more than any other field.

In addition to that, and even more importantly, when these people work together, when an ensemble does improv, when a few people are thrown together and told to make something work, what ends up happening is an amazing creation that no-one could ever have predicted, and none of us could have done on our own.

"The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts." -- Aristotle

I'm even more surprised and amazed and just Happy, at the stuff we ended up performing today, with each other. Also, I just want to say, I love Jason's non-rules for improv. Ask questions. Say no. Do whatever you want--anything within the first three lines, but do your best to keep the scene alive.

We all build walls...

...not to keep people out, but to see who cares enough to knock them down.

7/09/12 (First Day)

"Is there anybody out there?"

Wow, what a day. I'm typing this curled up in bed right not and I am exahusted. Afte leaving STC, I went over to a freinds house to pick him up to have dinner and then go to the Roger Waters Live concert at the RBC center. Forthose of you who don know (as I didn't) Roger Waters is the lead singer/songwriter of Pink Floyd. The concert...was insane.

Pink Floyd-- "Mother"

This past week before STC I went to New York to see the Pride festival and parade down Fifth Avenue. The energy was incredible. It's like a wave of sound crashing over you, passing through you, atomizing your own energy and essence and making the rush even stronger. This concert made the parade almost pale in comparison.

I always forget how big the RBC center is until I walk into it. I spent the entire time staring at Roger Waters with that hugely bright spotligt on him, and imagining what a rush it must be to perform in front of that many people. And it was definitely a performance. And those thousands of people, making all that noise, they were all there for him. Just him.

The concert itself was indefinably loud. I mean, when you get that loud, there are really no subtleties. There's only the fact that it's loud. I think I permanently lost some of my hearing ability. I'll probably be coming in tommorow looking hungover. Don't worry about it.

Every day I walk into class, I'm never expecting to be surprised. I always feel like maybe I've finally gotten a handle on everything I need to know. And every day, I am pleasantly, yet completely, shocked. Even though it was the first day, today was no different. The first surprise of the day came when I was asked to define respect. I know how it's used, what it means. I know what it means in regards to others and ti my community and to myself. But today I had to think for a minute. Putting a concept like respect into words is difficult. I learned a long time ago, the only way to really learn something is to make a mistake. I know what respect means. But having to stop and think about it--that was a new experience

The second surprise of the day came when I was asked to dance, along with the other Ariels. I've always admired dancers. I think a lot of us have. It's kind of an always-there, always-hidden desire in the back of your head-- to be a dancer. For me, at least, this is the way I feel. So I was super excited about finally gettingthe chance to learn how to dance. I should have known better. Dancing, like everything else, is a specific skill which requires both practice, perseverance and hard work. And learning new things. Trying to learn the things I was asked to learn today has been, by far, the most challenging thing I have ever done. I now have a great deal more respect for dancers.

I can see how dance lessons would help any acting student. Dancing requires you to be constantly aware (constant vigilance!) of and in control of every part of your body. It takes an astounding amount of muscular strength, flexibility, and practice. Dancing, more than anything else, I think, is an exercise which requires you to develop particular habits and routines for your body, so that you can manipulate it more easily. It's like sense memory.

When you memorize a song on the piano, you don't memorize the sheet music. The playing of the song--through enough repetitions--becomes an automatic habit, so that eventually you can just put your fingers down on the keyboard and play. You're memorizing the feel of the song--which fingers you are using to hit the keys and when. Dancing is similar, as is acting. Rehearse a routine or performance enough with a specific objective in mind, and you can learn the entire routine perfectly.

But unlike a pianist's mistakes, which are easy to spot and to hear, a dancer or an actor--or even a singer--has to be more aware of everything that they do, so they can spot their own subtle mistakes and correct them. And eventually, acheive a performance they can be proud of. And those tiny mistakes--those subtle things that you want or need to correct for a performance--they really only matter to the performer. In my mind, that makes them more important than anything the audience sees.

Have a elear objective in mind. Be aware of your choices, your actions, both physically and vocally.
Sense memory. I'll have to remember that.

Btw--I want to wish Ian all the best, and hope he is still well and recovering from his surgery. Any surgery, however minor or major it is, is both exhausting an taxing on mental physical and emotional qualities. So get well soon Ian, and I hope you're back on your feet tommorow. (ps--please don't overtax yourself)

Reinforce--If you don't know your name I can't help you. The two Prosperas! Stage planking. Jason, for stepping up to the plate and being awesome.

Crazy 2nd Day!

Hey, everybody!  It's Sydel, your faithful Ariel X.  So sorry I didn't post yesterday!  On Mondays I have to drive to Winston-Salem for an evening choir rehearsal.  Last night was especially terrible, though!  I was caught in a terrible storm (I couldn't even see!) and had to wait it out in a sketch McD's for almost and hour!  Well, that's why I didn't post yesterday, and why I probably won't on future Monday's, either.

So, I'm pretty excited about this next fact:  My 17th b-day is on Thursday!!!  AHHHHH!!! 

Phew!  Ok, now I'm over that excitement.  Anyway, I guess I'll just start ruminating now about all the stuff I want to cement.  Well, yesterday, we learned some interesting things about our senses besides sight - namely, how important it is to use memories of touch, like in the blind circle excercise, and body memory, like in the sculpture excercise.  When I started dance at the age of 14, among older girls who had been dancing most of their lives, the only way I could survive was by remembering how certain things felt when done correctly.

Similarly, body memory is a vital skill in my main art - classical vocalism, which is entirely based on tiny muscles we don't consciencely (sp??) use on a day-to-day basis.  Instead, we are required to explore these tiny muscles, and keep track of how they feel when manipulated.  I'm glad I could make these connections to the excercises we did.

On to today: I cannot begin to express how much fun all the improv excercises were today!!!  It was fun not only to participate, but also to watch!  It was like a free comedy show!  I was so impressed by everyone's ingenuity and quick-thinking.  I think my favorite would have to be the dead baby excercise, but I also had fun with the quick 3-4 line scenes we did where we practiced fitting as much info as we could into the beginning so the drama could move forward.

Also, in the script reading, I was glad to see that we were all very adept at interpreting Shakespeare-speak.  It seems like very soon, we will all get the hang of the contractions, gender switches, indented lines, and pauses at punctuation instead of the end of the line.

I can't wait to add song and dance to this show!!!  I'm so excited to see where this show will go!

Bye!
-Sydel

Day #2

I had a truly fantastic time today!! Improv is not my favorite but i would like to say that i really enjoyed doing it today.

I also must say that having been around many actors, i don't know if i have ever see a more violent group than you all; And the scary part is how being around all of you make me turn into such a heartless person that i would even consider killing a helpless baby. No, i'm just kidding! I really enjoyed today and hope that tomorrow will be just as fun and productive!!

BTW, I was bored so i made a logo! How do you like it?

Day Two: Poor Dead Babies

Well, I still can't figure out a good way to tell my mother I killed a baby today... I felt bad for all the babies who were sadistically stabbed, kicked, thrown, eaten or otherwise.

Collectively, today was pretty interesting. Normally, Improv isn't usually my cup of tea, but I gotta say, I enjoyed myself today. I like what I learned and watching everyone with their crazily improvised scenes. I can't get "Where are the keys?"-"My pocket, I'm leaving you." out of my head, and laugh through pretty much all my looking back on today. Susan's still also on my mind.. :P

I actually have a friend who takes fancy classes for Improv at Second City in Chicago, and I'm sure she learns a lot, but I feel like I learned a lot today too.

I'm glad too that I kinda feel more chill about today. I may've still forgotten some names, but having most of you on Facebook will definitely help preserve my memory. Getting to know you all is really fun to me!

Thats pretty much all for now, but I'll seeya guys tomorrow!

Also, for those who were curious about the "Scottish Play", I found the Wikipedia article..it's pretty interesting actually http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scottish_Play

Ban ban Caliban ban to you all!

-Emily Rose


Alsooooo, I've never been a fan of the song "We Are Young" by Fun., but I really do love this one..anybody else? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQOgXaxXpwk

2. Whose Line /Is/ It, Anyway?

Today was interesting. Lots of improv, which is pretty fun if you're good at it. I'm not particularly fantastic, as I found out, but I'm happy I learned about it. I also learned that people can be pretty funny under pressure. You also shouldn't think that you're funny or intentionally go for the funny nor jump into a scene without really thinking out what you're going to do.


I felt like I was thinking too much about what I wanted to do and ended up messing up. For example, when I stepped up to "Kill the Baby" (imaginary, of course), I kinda just bounced around the imaginary space because I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do because I wanted to be clever and funny. At least I created the Susan thing.


Another thing: slot machines look alot like stamp vending machines when mimed out by Jason. It looked kinda like he was in a post office in Vegas. "Big money, no whammies...oh, no stamps. Why do I mail things here?" I may use that. It's also fun to get murdered by your husband via poison onstage. Ian is quite clever. Kudos for making me look humorous. And it sucks not to have legs or to be short, Alan.


So today was really fun and I can't wait for tomorrow. I also hope that Ian (Finley, I mean)'s feeling better, so hopefully, we'll all see you tomorrow! :D


As for the song above, this song puts me in a mood and it's just sounds like it needs to have a storyline go with it. If I ever end up a director or some sort of writer of some sort, then I will most definitely use this for something.


Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow! :D
-Sierra.

Sorry, kind of missed the first day 'cause I don't understand technology. Moving on, hi guys! Really excited to be preforming this play with this talented group of lunatics. :)

COSPLAY IN SHAKESPEARE?!

Hey guys! First off, I'd like to say that Black Butler is a fantastic series and Grell is my MAN! *cough cough* mia... *cough cough* Second, improv was AWESOME today! I loved working with all of you and killing babies... Ren, did that baby smoothie taste good? :D I really got a new appreciation for improv today, and actually it surprised me when we pulled off saying two patterns at once in a group of... Well, a lot. XD I'm not good with numbers.. Thirdly, I have been asked to help design some cosplay elements into the costumes, so I'll be asking y'all some very random, awkward questions these next few days. Also if anyone can sew, let me know!!! Some ideas Jason and I have come up with are turning caliban into a Turtwig (I will do this through the magic of cosplay!) and basing the Ariel's off of water benders from Avatar:the last air bender (BECAUSE KORRA SUCKS!) I also want to make Sebastian actually BE Sebastian... But that's just my Kiroshitsuji hormones kicking in...^~^ I have a lot of experience making costumes and sewing and I love to go all out. Three questions, tho to get me some stuff to get started. 1) Ariels! Are all of you okay with wearing a ballet leotard? There will be a skirt attached to it, but I want to make sure all of you are comfortable with that.. 2) Jason! Can we have a Shinigami?! PLEASEEEEEE?! I'm talkin making Prospera Rem or something like that. XD PLEASEEEEEEE 3) Calibans! You guys are about the same size, so I only need to make one turtle shell, but if you guys can work it out and one of you could get a light green t-shirt that'd be fantastic! 4) Again for Arials.. I found an amazing picture that I want to do for the eyes of the Arials, but it requires Falsies. Are all of you able to buy falsies? Let me know!!! I'm so exciteddddddd!! Sugoii minasan desu! (Everyone is awesome!) -Tay

What do you mean you've never improvised before?!?

No matter how much or little improv experience you had previously, you've all now successfully carried an improvised scene through for a full minute on stage...and each of those scenes could have continued for another several minutes.

"And then there was that time in Kindergarten when she made me eat paste."

"I wonder how she'd like it if we filled her swimming pool with paste!  I'm going to mark that on the map."

"Why don't you have anyone here to help you de-vein the shrimp?!?"

"...because I've been waiting for you.  I've been waiting for you for a very long time." 

"Hello, Mr. Smith.  Is your daughter home?  I haven't seen her in a couple weeks, so I just wanted to see how she was doing."

"Susan!  It's me...I've done it...I've grown a beard!"

Just remember the next time you improvise to say something obvious "This is awkward conversation", name the relationship "College will be so lonely without you." or start an activity "Can I get you a drink?"  Simple things will get you through.

Sorry for the lazinesz

Um first of all Im using my sisters old account (becausr im that lazy) so no my name is not kara. I just wanted to say wow. I have been through many directors for many years and never have i learned as much as i did yesterday. The exercises we did in the morning were also very fun and helpful for sense memory. I only got to talk to a few of you yesterday and yall were soo nice. I was really nervous at the beginning yesterday becausr im really shy and i didnt know anyone. But yall made me feel really welcome. So thank you. Really excited for another day! Also if any of yall wanna friend me on fb just type in elise kimple (there arent many by that name i can assure you). Thanks!

Close Enough to the First Day

I had every intention of writing this last night, but it turned out too busy! So here I am, an hour or so before the second day, writing my reflection. 

Thanks, everyone, for being so welcoming and enthusiastic! It's awesome to see how talented and dedicated you all are. I loved the fact that no one was afraid to go all-out in the sensory memory exercises! Our first reading went so well. I have no doubt that we'll put out an incredible show. 

The main thing I'm thinking about as I start the day is learning everyone better. I think it's especially important for each nights' casts to get together and scour the script, making all the necessary pronoun-swaps and learning names and roles. I'm sure we will at some point, but it's at the top of my priority list for now., 

On that note, I'm off to go get to know you better.

Good morning!

Margaret Woodson

1. Sorry If I Was Loud

I'm feeling the pink. Pink looks good. So hey. This is Sierra, by the way. I've had a Blogger for a while, but never did anything with it. I have a blog of my own on Tumblr (if anyone has the need to find me for some reason) and I try to write a bit, so I apologize in advance if these long and wordy passages bore you. I will try not to make them so windy and confusing. ;)


So going into the Conservatory -- any particular name we should use? I'm feeling the Lair, but it's not particular evil, unless you consider the fact that Ian's APPENDIX WAS STOLEN, and the fact that you have a LADDER OF DEATH. No exaggeration. Ladders of Death. Not particularly my style. 


Anyway, returning to the whole reflection thing: thought I was going to be a bit awkward, but unexpectedly acted cooler around people than previously expected. Hey, I surprised myself. Guess I was ahead of the curve on that one (in terms of the covering the floor exercise thing). By the way, quite cool the way you're doing things. I would've thought that learning stuff wouldn't have been as fun as you guys made it, so thanks for that one.


As to the dancing thing, I'm not all that great. I'm sure many could tell whilst I was jumping around the room like the floor was lava. The Ariels dance in the beginning bit of the play and I'm worried that I'm bringing everyone down, so I apologize ahead of time once again if that becomes the case, especially since there are a lot of really wicked people I'm gonna be hanging around with for the rest of the month. 


Everybody I talked to seemed to be pretty talented, no joke. People actually knew what I was talking about and the read-through was pretty awesome to listen to. It makes me happy that I'm part of a group like you crazy kids. 


I hope you guys don't mind me. I tend to talk alot with crowds. If I am talking too much, please say so because I know in my heart that I'm probably bothering you. I'm just trying to get better at this whole acting speel and fit in and all that. 


By the way, the song above is a present for you. You read this; you get to jam to something you may have never heard before. This song has been in my head for the past two weeks or so. It's quite catchy and the beat just gets in your head. I hope you like it and I will see you all tomorrow. :)


-Sierra.

Day One: Already Having a Great Time.

Firstly, I just want you all to know that today was definitely the best day of my summer so far, and probably one of my best days ever. I'll be honest, I think I learned more today than I have in the past acting years of my life. That's how great I found it. And to let you know, I Facebook stalked a lot of you and sent you friend requests, so if you get a friend request from a girl named "Emily Rose" who has her hair curled in the photo and is from Homewood, Illinois, that'd be me- it's not some creepy random person. (And thank you to those who have already accepted my friend requests!)

As far as my Day One goes...wow, I came home exhausted (although I did admittedly stay up until 3amish because I was so excited for today [and excitement makes me restless]). And it was like..a first day of school; I got in the car when my mom came to pick me up, and my mother interrogated me on how my day went, but I of course told her nothing but good things. Everyone and everything was just awesome! 

Burning Coal is definitely a (good kind of) unique theater. I have never "played in the round" before though, so as far as stage directions go, I think I'll be confused for a while (have patience with me please, I will get it!). I love the space though. 

I admit, there are a few lines where I can't tell what my..I guess direction would be? What emotion am I feeling? Shakespeare definitely knows how to confuse me emotionally-wise. That I'll figure out with time too though I'm sure. 

I want to say more, but I think I'm running out of things to say! Just a few last, little things though...

I am glad to've finally made some N.C. friends! 

I am so nervously excited for tomorrow (and the rest of these three weeks)!

Don't be piles of foul earth! :P

-Emily Rose

P.S. my Facebook page for those who may want to add me:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002376854236