Life the Past Few Months

I know, I haven't posted in forever. I unfortunately am a huge procrastinator, and I do apologize for no updates. Well, let me see. What have I been up to...?

Well, after Little Women I got involved with a new theatre. I contacted their director asking if I could be her assistant so that I could learn about teaching and what it takes to put on a production offstage, and she agreed. It's been pretty fun, and she even cast me into the theatre's current production. So, I have been helping teach and have been in largely in charge of the costumes, and at the same time been memorizing lines, learning three songs that I will performing, and have also been learning to dance for one scene.
The shows genre is mystery/comedy. It takes place in the late 1920's, and it centers around a Vaudeville theatre troupe who have just learned that they are going to lose their jobs if they don't put on an amazing and profitable show over the weekend. Unfortunately, most of their acts have not shown up due to the bad winter weather conditions. One crew member (played by yours truly), suggests that the troupe work with the acts that have shown up, and then do the rest of the show themselves. It is then decided that doing the show themselves would be the only smart thing to do considering what's at stake. Despite their attempt to put on a quality show, something or someone is sabotaging the skits and songs. So now they are left wondering what in the world is going on, and will they be able to keep the theatre open?
(I'm horrible at doing a synopsis, but there you have it).

Oh, I also got a job in August! FINALLY. I have been working there a couple months now, and let's just say that it is not as bad as I thought it was going to be. My coworkers are really nice, and the pay is nothing to complain to about. Sure, I am super tired afterwards and never want to stand up again, but all this work is going towards making a future for myself. You know, whenever that happens. ;p

Well, it's very late, so, till next time!
-E

My Crazy Show Weekend

This past weekend, I was in a yet another show. As I have posted before, I was in two Little Women shows, and I was in the second show last weekend. Needless to say, I am tired. Honestly, though? It was all worth it. That was my 10'th show, and I am sure younger me would be proud. :)
I practically lived at the theater for two weeks. Lol :p There is a cast party coming up in a couple of weeks, and I am so excited to see everyone again.
The audience was pretty big for this show! I am pleased with the turn out. We had almost all of the seats filled at the last performance! My family came, and even my old manager/director. It was so nice to see her again. Everyone was so proud of me, and even though I expected this, it was rather touching to see my mom tear up after the last curtain call. I have to admit, I myself almost cried at the last curtain call. Seeing all of our hard work pay off, and the main character in our show get a standing ovation was just amazing.
Truth be told, I now see how hard it is to play someone completely the opposite of you. It's fun (although a bit stressful and challenging) to portray feelings that you have never felt. To do things you've never done and think things you've never thought to make a character come to life. It's addicting, weirdly enough. I would definitely accept another role opposite of me again. Let me see, what words were used to describe me character by audience members? Snotty, evil, flirt, and a vixen. Let me tell you, it was not easy. But everyone said I did amazing, so I suppose that I did a good job. My grandfather said I did so good with my character, he almost hated me! I think I did my job. Lol
Alright, onto some photos. ;D (for future reference, I will be updating this post as I receive more photos).

In this, I've just gotten my hair and make up done. Yes, the bun on the back of head is a wig. I had to have so many products in my hair to achieve this look, it was crazy. You'll see that soon...

This is my Act 1 dress! Everyone said I reminded them of Scarlet O'Hara from Gone With the Wind, but I haven't seen that movie, so I can't really envision what they are talking about. I assume it's a good thing, though! This was sort of a problem dress for me. Don't get me wrong, it's gorgeous and fun to wear, but the skirt is really long, so I was always tripping over it. I am in no way graceful, so it was rather embarrassing. Plus I had this huge crinoline under the dress, so that I had to hike up my skirts any time I wanted to get somewhere fast. Lol Plus, with all the layers, it gets hot. :p The shoulders always slumped (good thing I had a tanktop underneath) and the sash had be pinned and readjusted all the time because I slouch and it would get all crooked. But, despite all this, I really miss that dress. Lol It makes me feel pretty. :3

This is my Act 2 dress. :) I liked this a little better than my first dress because it was lighter (not hot, yay) and easier to move around in. But it was so tight in my chest and arms! I had to suck in air as it got zipped. There were a couple times where I got kind of dizzy... Great dress though! Always made me want to twirl like a little girl, and the fabric was gorgeous.

This is just a fun little photo showing me with my stage makeup half on and half off. :)

This is the rose I got opening night. It was very much a surprise, but it was a good one. I actually didn't know who it was from, at first, but I found out at the second performance. I am grateful to the person who gave it to me, I really appreciate them, and think they are just splendid. ;D

Now this? This is the result of all those products mention earlier. I had to get my hair teased sky high so that the wig could be put in. Lol :p

Me and my boys backstage. ;) From left to right: Laurie, Fred Vaughn, and Mr. Brooke. Don't they all look like charming princes? Lol

A nice little photo of part of the cast. :) They are a part of my theatre family.

We're all pretty crazy though. ;p

Drama Camp 2015

I just got back from drama camp this morning. It was so fun, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I miss everyone so much, and would love to go back next year. Unfortunately, circumstances being what they will be, this may have been my last year. Below are some photos summing up the past week. :)

This was me in the car on Monday morning. My little sister had an early dentist appointment, so we were out the door at 6:15 a.m. I dressed as the 11'th Doctor for my audition that afternoon. I did The Pandorica Opens monologue.

This is my friend, Kate, and me at the recreation center on the first night. It was so nice to see her again.

This past week, Shane Lewis preached at camp, and he was awesome. His messages were very direct and challenging, and he made points that have caused me to make some important personal decisions.

There was a game night for all the campers every few nights, and every year we are split into teams. Some of my friends, my sister, her friends, and I were blue team. My sister and her friends really got into the team spirit. Lol

 Thursday night they had a "skit night", and drama camp got seats right up front. Our floor leaders put on small shows for the camps, and they were awesome. This was the set for the first show.

 Goofing off before rehearsals. Lol :p we swapped glasses.

One of my friends, Nic, came to see us even though he was too old to go to camp. It was so nice to see him again, and a pleasant surprise.

 These girls were in my workshop group, and they are all completely ridiculous. ;p They were so fun to hang out with, and we had many good laughs.

 At the last evening service, they allowed campers to get on the stage and take photos on the set. My sister and I immediately agreed that we needed a photo on the chariot. The theme was "More Than Conquerors", and they decided to make it Grecian army themed, which was awesome.

These are my other roommates, Lia and Dani (who were great and hilarious). We took a photo marking the day of opening night. We were all so excited, but couldn't believe that it was all almost over.

Costume time! I always love when I get my costume, and this year I got to pick it out. My costume was everything I ever wanted that week. My directors were actually rather shocked at how happy I was. I was cast in Little Women as Hannah, the family servant. I have read the book many times, seen the movie, listened to the radio drama, and will be in that show twice. Kate was Jo, and she did amazing. :)

This was my finished make up. They gave me wrinkles, which was a little weird, but I was game for something new, and I got it. Everyone said I looked adorable, and I just really loved my dress. I wanted to keep it. XD

Okay, here's some backstory on this photo. I had noted my looking like Nurse Redfern from the episodes Human Nature/Family of Blood in Doctor Who. Everyone kept saying that Russell (Laurie) looked like the Doctor. So, a picture was asked to be taken. This is the result. Just a side note, Russell was so sweet, and really improved throughout the week. His portrayal of Laurie was great.

This was what the dayroom looked like after we finished the shows. We all brought out the food, and we talked about the past week and Kate even performed a small skit for us. You can see her in the background, derping out. Lol

 

I decided to mark the events of this morning (everyone's leaving) with a photo of all my stuff packed up and ready to be taken down to the lobby.

My roomies and I preparing to go to breakfast and say "goodbye". :( Surprisingly, I have been having a hard time trying not to cry over leaving this year. Normally, I am not so upset, but this morning was hard. 

 

These are all the signatures on my shirt. :)

 

I miss my drama friends so much right now, and if you are one of them and you're reading this right now, I hope I'll get to see you again and that you have a great rest of the summer!

-E

 

This Week's Craziness

I see that it's been awhile since I posted, so I'll catch you up on all the stuff that has been happening. :)

So, a little over a week ago I volunteered my services to a theatre in town, because I was interested in helping out with their show "Little Women" (which is one of my dream shows). I was not able to audition for the show because I was out of town, but I didn't want that to discourage me from going to see it or helping out backstage. So I texted the director and asked if there was anything I could do to help, and after asking whether I was back in town or not, she offered my a small role in the cast that had not been filled yet! After working it out with my parents, I was able to accept the role. This is all thanks to God, because there is no way this could have happened without Him. He saw that it was a desire of my heart, and wanted me to have. So, yesterday was my first rehearsal, and it was really fun! I got to meet some new people, and I approve greatly of the cast. I am so excited to be in the show.
I am very nervous though, because I only got my script Saturday, and I have to be off-book by this Sunday! I am confident I can do it, it's just the tiniest bit nerve-wracking is all. I actually already have one of my scenes memorized, so that's good.
The character I am playing is Sallie Gardener. She is one of Meg March's closest friends. Sallie cares about Meg, but is rather snobby because she a higher class than her. I have been told that I need to channel Charlotte Leboeuf from "Princess and the Frog", Mrs. Augusta Elton and Emma Woodhouse from "Emma", and last night I added Glinda from "Wicked" to the list as well. If you know who these characters are, then I'm sure you have a pretty good idea of what Sallie Gardener is like. This will probably be one of my hardest roles, since I am not exactly like her. I am going to have to be so graceful and elegant on stage, and I can just see my self now, tripping and falling on my face while I try to float across the stage. It's a funny idea, but I really hope it doesn't happen. I've already fallen on my butt on live on stage during a very emotional scene, and I don't need to add "falling very ungracefully on my face" to the list. Right now it seems like I have a textbook in one hand and my script in the other.

Speaking of textbook...

I'm finishing school this week! It's a little complicated though, because, well... I miscalculated my finishing date, and I was actually supposed to finish next Friday. :p So, I am cramming two weeks of school work into one week this week. Why can't I just finish next week, you ask? Well, one reason is because I am just so done with school and don't want to be doing it anymore. I just want to finish it, and get it over with. But the major reason is because...

I'm going to camp next week! I am so ready for my own little getaway. I have been looking forward to this for a very long time. I was thinking about sneaking my school books with me, Besides, I've done two weeks of school in one before, and it was the week before my first year of drama camp, but I was just starting Freshman year instead of ending it. I decided it wouldn't be very smart, though, and that I should just get it over with (as stated previously). So, yeah, I am going to be planning outfits later on this week, packing, etc. The monologue I've chosen to do is a speech from "The Pandorica Opens", which is a Doctor Who episode. It is very bold and dramatic, and I am rather nervous to see how well I do. I'm hoping I do well, but I am not an extrovert. I am an introvert, and so my acting will have to be very convincing, because I am a "mouse" (as my mother has called me).
One more thing before I sign off, I got my admission letter in the mail the other day, and in it among other things was a slip that was an invite to parents to come see the shows. They never announce what the show is going to be before we get there, but this time they did, and guess what one of them is?
LITTLE WOMEN.
I couldn't believe it! I was so shocked that I had to reread it a couple of times to make sure that I wasn't dreaming or that I had just imagined it! So, the pressure is on. I now have my chance to finally audition for one of my dream shows. All I can say is, "Thank You, Lord, and please help me get through this."

There are many other things that have been going on, but I need to get back to my schoolwork. I will blog about camp, and post photos of I can.

Back to work.
-E

Good News!

I am going home tomorrow after a very long stay out of state! I have made lots of memories here, like going to Washington D.C, Raleigh, Gettysburg, and other places. I also got see my best friend of whom I had not seen in awhile, but I am -very- ready to be going home.
Which means...
I'm going to Drama Camp!!!
I filled out the registration form today and am so excited to be going! It's so cool, because I had prayed yesterday that God would let us go home and that I would be able to go to camp, and I asked Him to help me believe that He could perform such a miracle, and He did! We are going home two weeks earlier than expected! The old saying is right: there is no place like home. :)

Have to go finish up packing and cleaning now.
-E

This Past Week

So, over the past few days I've had a bit of fun. This past weekend I went shopping in a big mall out of town, and a prank my best friend and I played came to an end. It was pretty funny, and I'm thankful it came off so well. I was scared that we had gone too far, but we didn't, and the end result was hilarious. Now there's a prank war going on, but I think I'm just going to sit back with my popcorn and watch it all unfold. Lol
Tuesday was my birthday, and that was pretty nice. I got to go out to the stores, although I didn't buy anything. Everything is just too expensive these days. I got to have a peach milkshake at Chic-Fil-A, which was so good. I always try to have it atleast once during the summer since that's the only time you can get it.
I have four weeks left of school, and I'm still trying to figure out my summer break. Basically, whether I'll go straight into my senior year or take a month off or whatever. My parents are both convinced that I need a break, and I know it's true, but I just want to earn it. I just want to get school done and over with.
There is also the prospect of me going to drama camp again this year. Due to circumstances that are out of my control, I may or may not be able to go. The thing is, this seems like it will be my last year to go, so I want to take advantage of that fact, and go. I have the money, it's just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. :p I have my audition and everything too. I still need to work on memorizing it, but I'm pretty familiar with it and it's also very easy. My problem I suppose is keeping the audience's attention, plus the directors... I don't think I will ever be used to auditioning. The idea becomes more familiar, but the butterflies never go away.

Back to my schoolwork.
-E

Best Friends Forever

My best friend came to visit me last weekend, and we had so much fun. I am so happy that we were able hang out. I haven't felt so socially drained in awhile though (that's the introvert talking). I have some photos that I am posting here, so that even if they get accidently deleted, they'll always be here. :)

This is us on our way to our first sleepover in ages. We look so nerdy. XD

This is us at a Civil War museum. Union all the way.

Then we went to the beach! Never thought I'd go to the beach with my bestie. It was so fun. A huge, intact conch shell was found by my brother, and we even saw some dolphins!!

We also did a bit of pranking. Let's just say the victims deserved it. Mischief managed. ;)

It's so nice to have a friend I can do this stuff with, and who will sweep you up into emotional TV shows (*cough cough* Broadchurch *coughs harder* BBC Sherlock) so you can fangirl together, because no one should fangirl alone. Lol

Hope to have more weekends like this in the future. :)
-E

Mondays

Have you ever felt that you needed a day between Saturday and Sunday? I do all the time. Weekends are just too short. It is Monday one again, and I am feeling it. I officially have six weeks left of school now, and last night was plotting about how I could finish school earlier. After a full night's rest, I looked back at my ideas, and then to my schedule, and the only thing I thought was just "no". I thought I could cram a week's worth of homework into one day (five school days would mean 5 weeks in one week), so by the end of the week I would in fact only have one week of school left. But after thinking it over, I knew I couldn't possibly pull it off. I would be brain dead by the end of it all. So I am stuck doing the normal one day's worth of school in a sane amounts of hours.
Well, whoever and wherever you are, I hope you're having a good Monday and that you have a great week.

So, School...

I have almost six weeks left, and I am so ready to be done. I am really hoping to get atleast a B this year, but we shall see. Honestly, it's not like I hate school, it's just that after awhile, I want to do something else with my life for once. Beginning of first semester, I am normally so excited because I start to get bored and run out of things to do at the end of the summer. By the beginning of second semester, I start to think "I want out!!"
Despite all of this, I am trying to look on the bright side. I am almost at the five week mark, and there are some subjects that make school less boring, like French or Bible.
If you're out of school already, well lucky you. If you're still in school, keep pressing on. No matter what, don't give up.

All The World's A Stage

As you may already know, when you make a new blog, you have to come up with a title for it and give it a web address. I went through many before I settled on this one (such as Forward, Pressing On, My Stage, Burdened With Glorious Purpose, etc). I decided to do my own take on Shakespeare's phrase "All the world's a stage". An excerpt from this monologue follows:

"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts"

After reading this, I figured the title I chose would be a fitting one. :)

I hope to have this blog for a long time, and that the things I record on here will be meaningful.