first read through, macpics, and haircuts.

so, it's been a while, but things are starting to get underway for Macbeth! we had our first read through last tuesday, and it went very well. it was so exciting to hear the characters come to life. we had a great time eating pizza and homemade brownies, and made our way through the entire script laughing along the way. although Macbeth isn't the happiest of plays, the cast is sure to make this a great experience. I heard someone describe the Bard In The Quad show as one of the most challenging experiences I will ever go through as an actor here at Oregon State. I also heard that it will be one of the best experiences of my life. I can't wait to continue to be challenged and grow as an actor here.

as a promotional tool, our director is making Macbeth trading cards with all of the characters, which will be passed around town. if someone collects all of the cards, (some will be harder to find than others) then they will get a discounted ticket! I think it's a great idea, and the pictures have turned out very beautifully!


during these shoots I had to wear a wig due to the fact that my hair is not very 1920's, at all. but taking them made me extremely excited to get my hair cut into a 1920's bob for the show. I think I will take my inspiration from Louise Brooks, as long as the costume designer approves of course!

preview...

here is a preview of the space we will be performing in during this summer's production of Macbeth... it's HUGE!

hopefully the weather will be better than it was on the day of auditions!

onto the next project!

I have officially made it into OSU's production of Macbeth! rehearsals start next month and there are ten shows that will run this august! I am so excited for this opportunity and I can't wait to get started. there are so many talented people in the cast and I know I will learn a lot from being able to act with them. also, I know that doing Shakespeare will certainly challenge me, and I know that this production will give me huge opportunities to grow and learn as an actor.

our amazing director has started a blog about the show! right now it has the production concept and where she got all of the inspiration for the show. check it out!

http://projectshakesperia.tumblr.com/

why can't we just take it with us?

another wonderful show has come to a close. I can't say I feel much different than I did with the last show. I'm sad it's over, and very much looking forward to my next project. I do want to share a few images from the show however! one of the lovely ladies in our cast is an avid photographer, and spent a lot of time during the rehearsal process and backstage shooting the cast. on closing night, everyone received a rose with a portrait and note attached. it was a beautiful gift, and i really wanted to share some of her images because they are gorgeous. enjoy!












all images © J. Seus

lastly, I had auditions for the next production here on campus yesterday. Shakespeare's "Macbeth" will run over the summer and call backs are tonight! I should find out whether I made it by tonight or tomorrow!

opening weekend YCTIWY

opening weekend is over and we're preparing for another three shows this weekend! I'm supposed to be at a pick up rehearsal right now, but unfortunately due to a power outage we were not able to rehearse. but that does mean I have a little extra time, which includes updating my blog!

the first three shows went very very well. every night there was new energy from the audience, and new mishaps on stage (in the final moments of saturday's show the couch was broken!) hopefully this weekend's shows will be even better. we've definitely taken strides forward, and it's been very fun to see everyone growing and learning from each other.

here are a couple rehearsal photos, taken for the newspaper and our archives:




here is the official poster for our production. these are posted all over school as well as around the community!



like I said, we have three more performances, then I am auditioning for another show on sunday. also, I have a scene from Sheridan's "The Rivals" that I am performing in acting class this friday. it has certainly been a big week for memorizing! more to come :)

third week of rehearsals!

so we are officially all memorized! (or we're supposed to be) tonight was the first rehearsal completely off book and I have to say the play is really coming together. there are a few kinks that still need to be worked out, but for the most part things are going extremely well. tomorrow night's rehearsal will supposedly have props which will be great. you'd be surprised at how difficult it is to run through the motions of a play without all the props necessary, and for this production there are a lot of props! this past week has been mostly memorizing lines, but also developing a very strong character. Alice is kind of a difficult character because she is the most "normal" of the family, but she is still part of the family. so I have been trying to find Alice's quirks, and finding a way to portray them on stage.

I also heard a new term today in rehearsal that I think can help actors very much when trying to develop characterization. our director called it "acting keys". acting keys is when you determine what would your character carry in his or her pockets. do they even have pockets? do they carry a purse? do they not carry anything? what would your character have on them on a day to day basis? all of these questions seem so trivial at first, but are actually extremely helpful when putting together a fully embodied character.

18 days until opening night!

second week of rehearsals!

i'm already exhausted! but the process is still going very well! we are still in the middle of trying to memorize lines and working with very minimal props. lines are due next sunday so i've been working hard to get those cemented in my head. next step is beginning to make some strong character choices. there is one scene in particular where my character goes through a complete arch on stage that I feel I need to work on. but its very difficult to do that when you're still carrying around your script!

tonight we have a day off, and we had a short rehearsal yesterday because there is another show this week in the Lab Theatre. it's Tony Kushner's "A Bright Room Called Day". the play was extremely moving and I felt that the whole production was extremely well done. it reminded me why I love the theatre so much. because it moved me and affected me in a way that just reading a textbook can't do. the show is in association with Holocaust Week here on campus, and is a very powerful piece about love, hope, and the destruction that can come out of carelessness. Also, there was a great quote in the program that I have to share.

"You'd be surprised how much being a good actor pays off". -Ronald Reagan, May 1, 1984

so, I continue to strive to be a "good actor". as promised, here is a rehearsal photo from the other night. the set has been primed and none of the furniture is the actual set furniture. it's always exciting walking into rehearsal because you never know what work has been done on the set or what new props we'll have to work with. we have some idea of what everything will look like, but we're still in the very early stages.



this is a scene of craziness just before the Kirby's come over for dinner. I can't wait to work more on this production! it's been so much fun so far I can't even imagine what it will be like once the set is done and we have all our props to work with.