The hardest of these was the ending of the short visit of my family. My mom and two younger brothers arrived Saturday evening, and my sister and older brother arrived Sunday. It was bliss getting to hug them again, laugh, share stories, hear their thoughts on the show, and just be with them. I loved Mom's happiness in getting to attend Moody Church with me, little brothers, and friend Joe. It was wonderful having support in the audience that was specifically for me. My sister was my personal make-up artist/photographer on Sunday which was incredibly special. After the show/cast party Sunday evening, my sister, friend Melissa (dropped her off at her home in South Bend), and I drove to IN to join mom and brothers at my mom's cousin's house for the night. In the morning, we drove to Ashley, IN to visit a darling house that's now my mom's but has been in the family for a long time. I was so excited to visit, but it was sad to see how much repair it needed! I'm trying to convince Mom to move into it, so that she'll be close to me ;). The beautiful little house smelled the same, and everything was in place from when we have visited for family reunions throughout the years. I used to dream and hope that I owned that house when I was little. The city of Ashley is so intimate, and it's such a cute little town to ride a bike or take a walk through during nice weather. The smiley face water-tower is a warm sight to see when approaching Ashley.
After a little bit, it was time for my beloved family to return to NC for work/school. I was torn. was so ready quit my jobs and follow them back home. I realized, though, that although it would be an easy decision, it wouldn't be that smart, because I did come up to Chicago for a reason...theatre...and I do enjoy the city....
I couldn't hold in the tears as we parted. Mom reminded me that they have said many goodbyes here. In the past, though, I was always in the car leaving to NC with my family while saying goodbye to other relatives. When they started the car, I hopped into my car and bawled. I decided to visit the cemetery that was close by where my Grandma, Great Grandma, and a couple of other relatives are buried. Approaching the cemetery on that overcast day brought more tears, but seeing a squished kitty just outside of the entrance didn't help anything.
I got out of the car and walked over to my Grandma's graveside. Yes, more tears. Thoughts filled my mind of how we lose so many people in our lives. The day was March 15th--which is the year and a half marker of Dad passing away...which brought goodbyes even more to my attention.
Afterwards, I drove back home. Chicago home. Decided to stick to my reasons why I came to Chicago in the first place.
Last week, the Mikado cast performed successfully 1 dress rehearsal and 3 performances. I had friends in attendance at the dress rehearsal, so it was a delight. A big talk of the night and days to follow was a quite hilarious event that happened. It was Act I just after the "Three Little Maids from School" song, and the ladies chorus were giggling at the characters KoKo and Yum-Yum. We were waiting for Nanki-Poo to enter so that we could fawn over him, but he didn't enter....he wasn't even in the wing.....so we continued to giggle as Japanese school girls not really knowing what to do, and thankfully Poo-Bah and Pish Tush decided to do some improv comedy. It was Brilliant. We found soon got work on the stage that Nanki-Poo was locked in his dressing room!! Of course we all cracked up, but the audience was still oblivious to what had happened. After a good while, they were finally able to break into the dressing room, and he made his entrance. We were all quite relieved.
On Saturday, my friend Joe came into town a few hours before my Mom and little brothers made it here, and we had a lovely time. He brought homemade cookies! My family made it just in time to wave hello before I had to leave to get into costume, so I was thrilled to see them and our cousins, the Perez family after the show. We had a bit of a tailgating party as we munched on chips and sandwiches that windy evening. Lovely memory.
The performances went very well! Of course, you are your hardest critic, and there will be things in your head that you know you need to work on. It was such an enjoyable experience for me, though. I'm thrilled to have been a part.
My most looked forward to moment each rehearsal/performance: Being lifted up at least 8 feet into the air during the happy/party scene of the chorus right before our slow motion dance scene (rejoicing that Katisha can't do anything about Nanki-Poo). Steve was the 6'5" muscular guy who was my dance partner for the scene. He came up with the idea one rehearsal, and we stuck with it due to my excitement. It was always such a thrill, and I made sure we got pictures.
At the curtain call of each performance, we carried on the Gilbert and Sullivan tradition and sang God Save the Queen. It's the same melody as My Country tis of Thee, which seemed to have confused the audience, because they stood up as soon as they heard the introduction. They must have thought "Oh! It's a patriotic song.." and confused it with Star-Spangled Banner? Whatever went on, it was quite amusing.
It's been wonderful that the cast has continued to get together to watch movies and socialize. Next on the agenda is to watch Aladdin!
Work at the Skydeck and Auntie Anne's has continued to be lots of fun! The week has been a gorgeous one, so we had many visitors at the Skydeck to see the city on such gorgeous days. The most odd comment that I received during my time there was while working at the Jackson (streetlevel) gift shop. A group of about 6 guys and girls in the 18-20 age range came into the shop, and one guy commented, "Can I buy the cashier?". I was busy with the register at the time, so it didn't hit me until a few seconds later, and I looked up with the strangest face. That was the moment when I needed the Primm Lady wittiness. Nope, didn't come. It was needed not because I was interested...but because I wanted to scare him away. haha.
The past couple of days I've had the privilege of judging the Female Vocal Solo, Large Vocal Ensemble, and Youth Choir categories for the IACS Senior High Fine Arts Tournament. The coordinator of the tournament contacted me last week to see if I could be a part due to a recent judge cancellation, and it worked out marvelously with my schedule. I was thrilled to take this opportunity. I was very nervous, though, going into it due to this being my first time being a "real" judge, and not having to turn in my judging sheets to a teacher to be critiqued. So much responsibility and power was placed into my hands! As the competitions went on, I became more comfortable with everything, and thoroughly enjoyed getting to share what I have learned in my education with the contestants. I was a part of the NCSA and AACS Fine Arts competitions, and my school actually went up against a couple of these schools that I've judged back in the day at the National competition.
I've been schocked at how well they take care of the judges and staff of the competition! My eyes couldn't believe themselves at lunchtime when I happened upon the chocolate fountain surrounded by fresh fruit and other goodies to drench in deliciousness. A fellow female vocal judge who is a voice teacher at a nearby college remarked, "Do you think it would be inappropriate if i just stuck my tongue under the fountain?" We laughed and laughed. You know that's what everyone secretly wanted to do.
Chicago decided that it needed some more snow! Everyone woke up to a beautiful snow-covered and still snowing city today. It's gorgeous, but most everyone is ready for the warmer weather to actually stay :).
Big audition for the Ravinia Festival's performances of Annie Get Your Gun this coming weekend! It would be an amazing gig to get into due to the lead roles having been casted by fantastic people. Even auditioning for it will be an incredible experience!
This evening after work I will be taking the train to Elkhard, IN to visit the Perez family and see Caitlyn's performance of Seussical the Musical. It'll be a fun little trip! :)
Hope your weekend is magnificent,
TLE
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