Rachelyn's Favorite Things: 2012 edition

Here's just a few of the things I've fallen in love with this year a long with an explanation. Some of these make excellent last minute stocking stuffers, presents for yourself, practical presents for other people, White Elephant gifts if you like putting practical things to watch people fight over them, or more presents for yourself. One day when the lovely Denise Boylan and I have an established TV show with lots of audience members, we will make a super long list with even cooler items and hire people to throw the items to our audience members. Kind of like Oprah. 

Relaxation:

• Fleece Pajamas

      When Rebecca and I were visiting our brother Matthew in Hartford, CT to watch The Cherry Orchard and hear his underscoring, we went sheet shopping for him in pity of his lack of apartment items (starving artist AND a student).We settled on buying him fleece sheets, because we knew the cold days were coming and he needed more warm things. Once we made his bed to surprise him, we could not believe how soft and cozy they were! Well, we returned to NC, I looked for them in stores here for my Chicago bed, and they were nowhere to be found. BUT I found fleece pajamas and was excited at the thought being able to get up out of bed with that cozy softness when wearing fleece pajamas.  

      I feel so strongly about these, I've already purchased my mom and little brother some for their birthdays and want to give the rest of the family some for Christmas.

Rebecca and me in our fleece pajamas when midnight of 12/21/12  hit so that we would be wearing them when the "world ended" ;)

• Green tea with Cinnamon

       No favorite in particular--any green tea sprinkled with cinnamon! Soothing, yet detoxifying, and a metabolism booster--times two!

• Epsom Salt Baths

        Well, you can't give baths as presents, but you can give the Epsom salt...to yourself!

With my own bathtub here at home in NC, I've rediscovered how peaceful and relaxing baths are. I copied my mom in using Epsom salts in her bath with a splash of lavender body wash for bubbles. With benefits such as "eases stress and relaxes the body, relieves pain and muscle cramps, eliminates toxins from the body" and much more, how could you resist? 

• Moisture Renewal Mask

          I didn't know a moisture renewal face mask was an important part of your skin care regimen until visiting a spa to redeem a gift package for a facial earlier in the year and talking a lot about skin. I use Mary Kay's (as I'm still a consultant) and it smells and feels delightful.

For when you have to be in front of a lot of people:

• Luster Premium White NOW! Toothpaste

    While searching for nannying tips in Parent magazine, I read about the toothpaste's Bluevrite technology that creates the optical illusion of white teeth. The article was one on fast beauty tips for moms on the go. Instantly intrigued, I had to try it for myself, and it works!! 

• "Not Your Mother's" Dry Shampoo

      I'm pretty sure my sister and I have tried every single dry shampoo available trying to find the perfect one. This one works instantly (no waiting for it to dry), doesn't white leave residue, and doesn't leave your hair smelling like lemon pine sol. Besides the obvious purpose to get rid of oiliness in hair, it works great as what I'll call a "hair primer" for easier styling, or for adding more volume. 

• Got2b Volumizing Powder

       It's like magic! One second it's powder in your hands, and as soon you rub it into your roots under your top layer of hair, it disappears and adds EXCELLENT volume.

• Mary Kay Oil-free Eye Makeup Remover 

       Ok, so I discovered this before 2012, but I just recently started using it as a painless false eyelash remover after shows.

Outdoor Winter Strolls:

       

• Timberland Boots

       My first rain boots! Snagged these at Rugged Wearhouse (one of my favorite stores in the south) at an incredible price. Unique and warm. They'll be great for Chicago snow once lined or worn with wool socks!

• Fleece-lined tights 

      Here's the fleece theme once more! I think it's self-explanatory now ;)

Music: 

       So many albums to enjoy this year, but this one is extra special...

•  Alex Maryol's new album Six

        This past January I took a trip to Santa Fe, NM to visit dear friends Alex Maryol and Andy Primm, and ended up having such a memorable weekend (blog posting can be found here )

         When Alex was driving Andy and me through the Sangre de Cristo mountains, he played some of his songs from this (not yet named) album for us. Well guess what? The album has now been released! I may or may not have "Falling" on repeat as I've been typing this...

Be jealous of my signed copy. 

        

      

Christmas Cheer

Recipe for Christmas cheer before a Christmas show performance:
   --Eggnog in place of creamer in your coffee
   --A plentiful supply of candy canes

Explanation:
    Eggnog: It tastes delicious with your coffee (hot chocolate, too), and you only have a little bit of time before they take it away until next Christmas season!
    Plentiful supply of candy canes: Perfect for getting in the Christmas mood, great breath fresheners since you will be in close a proximity with other actors, and a nice sugar boost to keep your energy up through the show. You need one while getting ready before the show, one during act one, intermission, and act two. Your castmates will be jealous of your brilliant idea, and you'll be in the giving spirit to share your treat, anyways. Just make sure they don't get stuck to your costumes or street clothes.... ;)

On a different note:
As heard quite often, it's in the valleys that you grow. Over the past few years I've really been able to experience God's provision as in Philippians 4:19. For example, when Rebecca and I moved to Chicago two years ago, we didn't know how we were going to pay the upcoming rent, we shopped at the dollar store for groceries but only for the bare necessities, and all of a sudden we were provided with a random job as personal assistants for a day for a family planning a party who not only paid us well, but gave us a few great pieces to furnish our apartment. I also was provided with the gig of Christmas caroling in costume with Michael Goodman, and later got the fantastic nannying job to afford the Chicago theatre life for the year and a half to follow.
Currently, as my family is struggling financially (which is the main reason I've been here in NC--to help out in moving to a smaller place) we've been able to experience His provision even more. Some examples--The water heater here at my mom's house died just over a week ago, and I had no idea how we were going to be able to afford getting it replaced. A dear friend from church came to replace it and told my mom's Sunday school of the need, and they covered it! Also, I've just started a part-time nannying job for the next few weeks until I return to Chicago---They contacted me through SitterCity (how I found my previous nanny family), and are only 3 miles away!
There is also an amazing job I'm being considered for, which I will definitely post news of if I get it :) It's related to the performance field and would provide such great experiences. 

Blonde!

First off, this past weekend was opening weekend of White Christmas! It was so much fun, and I'm looking forward to eight more performances and seeing it grow even better each time. The set came together gorgeously, and I feel so special to have gotten to be a part of that aspect of the show. I was honored to get to go to the "tech people" opening night party, haha. My older brother, Matthew, was able to fly in for the weekend to see it, so all of us Primm's were reunited!

 Here's a little show invite video from  my partner in crime and me that we did for some of her friends ;)

They say that "every woman should have the thrill of being a blonde. It gives you an automatic boost of confidence and it's just plain fun." What I failed to listen to was "make sure you get it done by a professional, especially if you have dark hair." Aside from the video above, here's the outcome in a couple of White Christmas photos: 

BUT, that didn't come without an almost hair tragedy!

I had been planning to lighten my hair to overall blonde for quite some time, and when Teya (Rhoda in White Christmas) and I were discussing show hair, I found it was the perfect timing to go blonde for the show so that I would contrast her reddish hair! In order to save money...famous last words when referring to hair...I did some research and decided to attempt it all by myself since I've had coloring success in the past. I purchased Clairol's Born Blonde, mixed the ingredients, received some help in application to the back of my head from my mom, and finished the rest. It was taking a bit longer than I had expected to lighten, and I had originally wanted to go Platinum, but was worried that my previous highlights were going to turn blue or another odd color, so I washed it out. At that moment I realized a BIG mistake--I forgot to add the liquid lightener (step #3) to the bottle! After it was dried, the outcome didn't look terrible, but it didn't look GOOD. It was yellowish and my previous lowlights were a weird red.That night I went to sleep and had nightmares about the hair, haha, and the first thing the next day I contacted my stylist friend. She reminded me about using toner when going blonde! Whoops--and I had even known that from past highlights! Off to Sally's Beauty Supply I went to purchase Wella toner, went home, applied it, used a deep conditioner, and VOILA! It was fixed!! 

Lastly, here's a photo from one of rehearsals of one of my favorite moments in the show:

Photo Credit: Willa Folmar

This is Lucia as Betty Haynes in the Regency Room scene singing "Love You Didn't Do Right By Me". Also during this scene, Bob Wallace sings "How Deep is the Ocean". Aside from my mom's giant chiffon curtain, my diamond curtain, artist Larry Wu's NYC painting, and the beautiful music...I want to point out Lucia. She's amazing. Every time I hear her voice I want to close my eyes and soak it in. She has been through so much this past month in her life AND to add to that--two days before the show opened, she was injured backstage and severely sprained a ligament in her ankle. If you look closely, you'll see the boot on her right ankle. She has been performing--including doing choreography in the song "Sisters"--with it--in spite of the pain! 

@rebeccaprimm's #theatreTechbaby

 Remember those sweet skills learned from helping paint the set to Sylvia? Well, they've been used quite a bit lately. I've been hired to work with my sister painting the set of White Christmas! (Lots of thanks to her as she knew I needed some income and could have hired others) One of my duties last week when I began was to be in charge of the volunteers that come to help paint. I was nervous out of my mind, mainly because I'm basically on their level of knowledge yet I was supposed to look like I knew what I was doing. Guess what helped me look more experienced?



I hope you guessed, "You're wearing Rebecca's awesome paint clothes," or a variation of that answer.

If you guessed, "Oh, you're wearing the key to the theatre around your neck," you get 100 bonus points, because that's really good attention to detail and extra guesswork you just did. (Opening up the theatre each morning and holding the key definitely gave a sense of power)

There were a couple of set pieces that seriously needed spackling, and I taught myself how! You should have seen the giant gap in the wood pieces. Spackling like a BOSS.

 

And what makes the start to your day better than crazy smilies on your work instructions?

 

 (Ok, well maybe a Grande soy-no water-Chai and a croissant from Starbucks or even better Amelies waiting on the work table when you arrive would, but I'll make sure I'll let you know when that happens...)

 

It has been a humbling experience realizing the amount of work that gets put into the tech world of theatre. Everything from the design process to the building of the set has taken months. I remember Rebecca having skype meetings with the Technical director and working on the designs this past summer while she was in Chicago with me. Every day so far my whole body has ached from the previous day's work. I told this to Rebecca and Evan (the technical director), and Rebecca said, "That's how I feel every day" with an empathetic look. She wasn't exaggerating when I was in Chicago, and we talk on the phone, and she tells me how exhausted and aching she feels. Tech people work from the morning hours into the late hours of the night. They were there with me when we began work in the mornings and were still there after my rehearsals have ended that evening.

And it's all for the love of theatre. I've been guilty amongst many other actors who haven't thought twice about the tech side of things and haven't properly shown appreciation. I've mentioned this before, but this time I've experienced just a bit more of a taste of the work that's put in.

 

Here's a sneak peek at one of Rebecca's backdrops! It's for the number "I Love a Piano" which is a really big tap dance number and basically a showstopping number. The drop is unfinished in this photo, but last night the drop was raised and it is STUNNING!

 

 

 

This show has obviously been a great learning experience for me, and it solidifies even more how staying in Charlotte for this bit of time was the right decision. It has been the theatre tech class I've never had, a dance gaining experience, and also more character work experience. I really love our director, Ron Chisholm, the cast is all very pleasant and helpful (especially in the choreography remembering area), and being Rita is a constant laughing time as she and Rhoda are lots of fun.

 

All of us Primms will be reunited opening weekend as Matthew is going to fly down from CT!



Every theatre has a ghost.

I had never heard a theatre ghost story from someone that I actually knew until Friday evening. I had been helping Rebecca paint the set of Sylvia at Pease Auditorium that day (my first set painting experience!) along with my mom and our artist neighbor, Kathy, as Rebecca needed lots of help to finish before the show opened that evening. Rebecca was finishing up painting as her boyfriend Justin, James Duke (set designer), and I were admiring the set. She was also taking a poll from all of the workers on whether or not I should go to a haunted house that evening with a guy I just started seeing. Why the poll? I can't stand horror movies, I still sleep with a night light, and I was so sure I would die in the haunted house, BUT I had never been to one before. Then, the topic of ghosts came up. James told the story of a time when no one was in the theatre, and he looked on the monitors of the stage and there was a lady dancing in a colonial costume. Another time, he walked into the house, and the same lady in the same costume was sitting on the stairs with her head in her hands crying. She looked up, saw him, got up and ran through the stage right wall. The moment he said the second time he saw her, my mind flashed through a few experiences I had that day. I asked him what color her costume was, but didn't talk about the experiences right away, because I figured it was lack of sleep. Then I decided to. I told them all of how quite a few times that day I while I was painting, I saw something white out of the corner of my eye from the direction of that stage right wall. When I turned to look, nothing was there. Rebecca instantly said that she had the same thing happen to her, but she, too, thought it was just lack of sleep or something. James said, "Maybe she was watching you." I wonder why. I wonder why Rebecca and I were the only ones that had that happen to us that day. As Rebecca and I were talking more, we came to the conclusion that she was probably an actress. Maybe she was rehearsing her scene when James came in that time she had her head in her hands.

Soon after, I was on my way to the haunted house. What a way to begin that evening, haha. Guess what? I didn't die in it! I was EXTREMELY freaked out, though. ;)

Here's photos from that set painting day:

I look either really experienced or really messy with Rebecca's paint clothes on ;)

Rebecca's really fast finishing touch. A manhole since it  is set in NYC.

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...

This week I received a call from Matthews Playhouse with the results of the White Christmas callbacks....

I happily accepted the role of Rita!!

I'm so excited to get to be in another show that Rebecca has designed/painted and be in my first NC show (aside from the Opera Carolina supernumerary roles in high school). It's kind of strange that we Primms have lived here so long, but haven't gotten involved in the theatre community of Charlotte until just a few years ago.

The other day I found an issue of Backstage (a theatre resource which mainly lists auditions) that I had saved from the summer of 2010 when Rebecca and I were living in New York. The article that instantly caught my eye was "10 Things I Wish I'd Known Before Deciding to Become an Actor", and when I read number 7, I remembered how much that point had made an impression on me the first time I had read it.
Here's a quote from number 7:
"Money isn't everything.
You can have a satisfying actor's life without making a dime off your acting....I now believe that continuing to act, in and of itself, is success."

Rereading that article came at the perfect time. It was during my whole decision making process whether or not to stay in Charlotte for a bit to audition. Charlotte does have quite a few opportunities, but Chicago definitely exceeds theirs greatly and would be the better "career choice".
 One of the friends I sought advice from was my long time actor friend Ryan Roets who replied, "You can work anywhere under the right circumstances, but it's all about what you want to do. I'm discovering that my happiness in doing theater is more important than where it is or what I'm getting paid. Have fun. I say stick it out and have a blast."

With all of the advice given and my prayers for wisdom, the decision to stay in Charlotte for a couple of more months to be in White Christmas with Matthews Playhouse, help out my family, and pursue audition opportunities here just felt right. Due to transportation costs, unfortunately, I won't be able to return to Chicago until the show ends, but probably not until after the holidays. I've felt bad for just vanishing and not saying goodbye to my Chicago friends (for now)! It isn't the first time I've "vanished" from a city, though ;)

a different plane

This past Friday evening, I enjoyed a brand new theatre experience--seeing Children's Theatre of Charlotte's production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown with TECH PEOPLE (not with other theatre lovers or fellow actors).

When sitting in the audience of a show, I usually watch on the plane of soaking in the actors and musicians and learning from (and critiquing) them. I appreciate the set, lighting, and other aspects, but they aren't usually my main focus.
This time? I was sitting with my sister, Rebecca, to enjoy her set painting, as well as her tech friends.
It was amusing paying attention to all of the things they cheered for, clapped for, and laughed at, because a lot of the time they were non-actor related. It was fun getting to experience their pride in their contributions to the show.

Having a set designer/set painter sister has really taught me to show your appreciation for your tech people in your show genuinely even more. So many times actors can get wrapped up in themselves, other actors, and their art, and forget to properly thank the others who contributed. We would be so bare on stage without them!

Here is one of her works from the show (also in collaboration with Tim Parati):

 

 



 

 

New addition to my stage tools:

Tap dancing shoes! Also pictured: a piece of wood I found in the garage for my own mini tap floor so I don't destroy the floors.....you're welcome Mom ;) 

In hopes of stretching my time spent with my family significantly longer as well as getting to participate in a fantastic show that my sister is also working on the set of, I auditioned for a production of White Christmas down here in NC. The audition went very well, and I have a callback for tomorrow morning! The leads were precast, so they are looking to cast the ensemble, and from the ensemble they will cast the other characters. 

Since the show requires so much tap dancing, there will be tapping required tomorrow. This presents a ginormous problem for me, because I have no tap dancing experience, and a smidge of dance experience. Primms aren't known to run away from challenges, so what is my mission of today? Watch many many learn-to-tap youtube videos. 

This will definitely be a good experiment. ;)

life intersections.

After two years of knowing where I was supposed to be and what I was supposed to be doing in life, I'm at a fork in the road...again. Actually, it's more like those really confusing six-way intersections in Chicago. It's quite the dangerous situation, especially if you're a Primm. To keep up with the confusing six-way intersection analogy, we've been known to make a sudden lane changes or turns. For example?  Our seemingly random NY move the summer of 2010, then the random move back to CHI the fall of 2010.  It was instilled in us from the moment we were born to dream big, and we all have quite a lot of dreams that just seem necessary to accomplish.

Current theme song:

Oh, Disney. You're amazing.
Back to thoughts:

One direction tugging at me is due to my very recent experience acting in a short film titled Good People directed by the incredibly talented Hunter Spears. I was the character of Detective Sharon Dana. Oh yes, I sure did get to carry a gun. Oh yes, I even got to arrest someone. I won't spoil the rest, though. ;) That weekend on the film set and the rehearsals prior really opened my eyes up to how exciting film is. Hunter kindly reminded me to think subtle rather than large as you would on stage. The idea of having a simple regular conversation and not worrying about projection/microphones intrigued me instantly. Getting to try again if something wasn't correct during that scene and not only having one shot like you would in front of an audience was nice as well. I definitely want to continue to learn more and gain more film experience!

(Here's the film teaser for a sneak peek!)

Another direction? Well, I just had a birthday. I'm realizing that my dream of spending time in Europe is still lingering in my heart. The idea of being an au pair was introduced to me a year ago, and it has come up every so often in my mind. As another year rolled around, I realized that I won't always be free of commitments as I currently am to just be able to go experience a new culture in that way.

This past week I had a beautiful time with my brother visiting his home in Hartford. He and I got to take a day trip to Boston (which was absolutely gorgeous)! I also spent a few days in NYC visiting dear friends like my old roommate Jacquie, Ryan Roets, Will, and David. All of that time spent in travels really helped me begin to think about that six way intersection.

After returning from New England, I strapped my fish's tank in the seat next to me and took off to North Carolina for a much needed couple of weeks off from Chicago for family visiting/helping time. It's been something I've been desiring to do for a while! My main goal while here? Get some nice family time in and help get the house ready to move. Another goal while here? Learn Charlotte. While in Charlotte, I've mostly just gone downtown to see shows or rehearse for Opera Carolina when I was in highschool, but I've never taken time to actually learn the streets, restaurants, boutiques---basically learn all of the great things that Charlotte offers. So far, all of this southern time has been lovely. 

4

Four years living with the hole in our hearts that your warmth once filled.
This picture of my dear little diva on my last day as her nanny brought all of us tears as we thought of what it symbolizes. She didn't know I wasn't coming back the next day as was her routine. I didn't know that when we parted at the apple festival after you dropped me off at college for my junior year that it would be the last time.

I was very thankful to have gotten to spend today with Matthew on a day trip to Boston. The ships, the water, Mike's pastries, the history you soak in as you explore...basically everything was a reminder of you. You would have loved it. Definitely wish Mom, Bec, Victor, and Jonathan could have experienced it, too.

Love you, Dad. Can't wait for the day we are all reunited in heaven.

"cause you helped me find my way..."

Each show I do, I'm amazed at what you can learn from the process. Of course, you're going to grow more in the art of acting as you gain experience, BUT, here's a random list of key things I've learned from either experience or observation outside of acting knowledge gained:
       1. In every cast there will be drama. Stay out of it.
       2. Don't fall in love with actors.
       3. The show will come together. It always does.
       4. Keep any negative thoughts to yourself.
       5. Always respect and thank your director.
       6. Are you being handed roles yet? No? So respect the smaller companies that let you work in    the field you love!
       7. If you accidentally fall into the drama, get back up quickly and quietly.

In the beginning process of Legally Blonde I was super excited to get to explore a new character--a "mean girl". The end result? People shocked that "always nice Rachelyn" could do that ;). It was truly so much fun getting to develop the character and play off of the other actors. My friend Kristin who played Paulette (who has been in every single Chicago show I've been in) and I were both scared of the belting nature of our roles since we had never belted..let alone belted in public before, but guess what? We did it! SHE especially owned it!
We had quite the talented and unique cast, too. Closing night was sad, but it'll be refreshing to have a little break until the next project, plus I'm sure I'll see those darling people again soon.

Me as Vivienne and Kristin as her opening scene Delta Nu character

Gus who played Bruiser, Elle's doggie. He always sat on my lap while I did my makeup!!

Guess what amazing present arrived in Chicago on July 2? None other than my sister, Rebecca! This #primmladeezsummer has definitely been a treat. Parts of it remind me of our NYC life experiences together...especially our fascination with .50 cones from BK (I got a little tubby-tub in NY from a MCd's cones and Shake Shack addiction) and also our lack of A/C in the apartment...oh wait, and accidentally snuggling with her when she sleeps in my bed. 

Our summer was made this past Sunday afternoon from boat captain neighbor. He got us onto a BOAT RIDE on Lake Michigan! Yes, we freaked out and put much thought into what would be the best boat outfits. Yes, I danced for a long time to Beyonce out of excitement when we received the text invite. Yes, we were more than thrilled to be arm candy for the afternoon. Yes, we drove the boat, used the captain binoculars, and took lots of photos. Typical primmladeez event.

                                                                Primmladeez & boat captain

Rebecca

Moi

     Yes, boat captain neighbor and I posed as a married couple. Only in the photo though. It was such a perfect view for a couples' photoshoot, Becca and I couldn't resist making Tom go along with it. So, don't worry, Mom, I'm still single... ;)

Sadly, Becca will be departing Chicago in a week for more NC set design projects, but maybe soon we'll end up living together again?

More lovely guests visited this summer, too! It was the first time I got to celebrate Bastille day with my momma, and I loved spending time with my little brothers as well as watching Coda, Victor's dog, enjoy city life. I seriously almost stole him. Here they are!

                   
This photo was during our enjoyment of the music of Frank Loesser in Millennium Park just before we viewed the Navy Pier fireworks.


Possibly more career updates soon--we'll see how recent auditions pan out. ;)


    

"T-H-E E-N-D. I can't believe it...

...I've finished my first [lead]!"

It's just a little bit appropriate to use part of a Betty Schaefer line. ;) Sunset Boulevard closed a week ago Saturday evening. Once again, lots of hugs to everyone involved. This is the first show that I've cried on closing night. I grew so much in the show with the mentoring of Dante Orfei the director, Sarah Bright the choreographer, and James Nedrud who played Joe Gillis. The cast of Sunset Boulevard was so much fun to work with, and it was especially nice having dear friends involved such as John Warren who music directed and his wife Tiffany who played the flute beautifully in the orchestra. (Tiffany is the one who encouraged me to go for Betty Schaefer in the first place!) Kristin Lutzeier who was Joanna and Heather in the cast has been in all 5 of the Chicago productions I've been in, and the tradition continues with our next show! Lindsay Prerost, our costumer, was so lovely in letting me use a couple of my own dresses/shoes/pieces of jewelry in the show, so now I have an even more special attachment to them when I see them in my closet, haha.
I left everyone hanging on this ;) --I didn't end up going blonde, but had a long dark brown wig (which I didn't perfect styling until closing night). Here's a photo:

For an opening weekend cast gift, I was inspired by a gift my sister previously created. The outcome was devoured probably before Act I was over:

         Ensemble member Alicia Hurtado surprised me with this adorable drawing of Joe and Betty's love scene:

I was overwhelmed with the love and support of friends who came out to see the show!Unfortunately, my mom and little brothers couldn't make it, but my brother, Matthew, and sister, Rebecca, came two separate weekends! Matthew had a whirlwind of a trip--flew in on a Saturday morning and left at 5am that Sunday. I always love Matthew time. Here's an unflattering photo of us trying to get Chick-fil-a in the background (which we were ecstatic about devouring since we are chick-fil-a deprived): 

After Chick-fil-a happy time, we sipped hot chocolate in the Signature Room at the top of the Hancock Tower. Breathtaking views. Reminded me of my days working at the Sears Tower gift shop. This photo below was taken from the restroom. Yes, I know, the coolest restroom ever.

        The following week after Matthew visited, Rebecca flew into town, and it was bliss! I came down with ridiculous sinus infections/sore throat that week, so our activities were limited, and my performance with her in the audience that Friday night wasn't up to par, BUT it was still so enjoyable to have her here. She is going to spend the summer here beginning June!

If you'd like to see a few clips from opening weekend of Sunset Boulevard, go to www.jpactheatre.com. I have a couple second clip in the middle of the video.  Hopefully I'll be able to post a couple of videos in the near future ;)

I have an audition horror story. Stiletto Entertainment held auditions on April 30 for singers/dancers for the Holland America Cruiseline's Showroom at Sea. I was scheduled to audition for the female lead opera singer who was required to be 5'6"-5'9", which explains my excitement for the audition, because it was something I have a degree in, AND I'm not too tall which is beginning to be the case for Disney auditions. The appointment was during the afternoon when my nanny child is usually asleep, so my nanny mom was completely fine with it, since she'd be working from home. Fifteen minutes before I was planning to leave, my other nanny child's school called and said he had a fever and needed to be picked up from school ASAP. After about 10 minutes of debating what to do, I have permission to go audition then pick him up. I zoom to the audition, then drive around for a while looking for parking. Finally parking was found, then I rushed in the pouring rain to the audition. I'm late, my dress is soaked from the rain, my slip keeps on showing no matter how much I pulled it up, and I'm frazzled from all of these factors. I get called in, don't sing my best from being frazzled, my dress has wet spots all over from the rain, and my slip is still showing in front of the casting people. What makes this situation worse? This was all recorded on camera!

"I have some good news!" (another Betty Schaefer line reference) I'll be in the ensemble of Legally Blonde at JPAC this summer. We all will get "Whipped into Shape" (Legally Blonde song reference) this summer for sure with all of the dance numbers, which will be fantastic experience.

[Edit: 5.15.12---I received a call last night from the director of Legally Blonde offering me the role of Vivienne Kensington. I accepted and am ecstatic! It's the exact role that I wanted when going into the auditions!]

Lastly, our amazing improv class has graduated onto Level E, which is the final level before auditioning for the conservatory. Our teacher is great! All of the exercises we've done so far are brilliant, and definitely helpful in gaining confidence on the improv stage.

One thing more: HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to my darling mom. I LOVE YOU! Can't wait to see you again.

springtime

There's been a happier vibe among Chicagoans with last week marking 8 days straight of record high temperatures. It hasn't ever been mid-80's in the past two springs that I've experienced. The first day of warmness caught me off guard--I wasn't mentally prepared for having to think about spring outfits! That made studying my Instyle and Glamour magazines and a trip to the thrift store high priority.

 Although I'm always thankful for my day job as a nanny, I'm even more thankful on gorgeous days as those we've been having. You get paid to take kids to the park and soak in sunshine and fresh air. I've gotten to take my nanny child and play at the park with my fellow singer/nanny friends Tiffany, Jill, and their nanny children which always prove to be adorable playdates. On Tuesday, the first day of spring, I brought a spring surprise for Sofia and Alexander--a net, magnifying glass, and a little bug viewer. It's about time Alexander gets trained in the ways of bug catching from me, the bug catching expert. haha. I love how excited he is about it every time we get home from school. Maybe one day I can also pass on my knowledge of lizard catching. I know you're so proud, Mom! ;)

Two weekends ago, I went to see my first production at the Lyric Opera through such a sweet Christmas gift from my nanny family. I brought Jill with me, and it was so refreshing to fancify for an opera once again. An elite feeling fills you as you're walking to the opera house with other fancy opera lovers, and then you're overwhelmed with the gorgeousness of the building. We heard Verdi's Aida, and it was such a beautiful experience. The singers, set, and orchestra were amazing, of course!

Sunset Boulevard rehearsals get more and more exciting. As hard as it is to believe, our sitzprobe is a week from tomorrow, and we open in less than a month. What adds to the excitement is that my brother is flying in one weekend and the rest of my family will be joining sometime, too, to see the show.

 I've been in the thought process and also speaking with our makeup/costume person Lindsay about the possibility of going blonde with clip in extensions instead of a wig for the show. We'll see what the conclusion is soon. :)

Recently, I've had a lot of Million Dollar Quartet experience with getting to see my friend Michael Goodman (who is understudying in the Chicago cast) go on as Carl Perkins. All of the exposure to the show not only made me fall in love with the role of Dyanne, but also helped in preparation for an unexpected audition I had last week. I had been hoping for a bit of time to audition for the role, but from the cast's knowledge, I knew it could be a while due to no Dyanne contracts being up soon. It had been a while since I had checked my e-mails from Actors Access of new casting calls posted, but last Tuesday I randomly decided to check it. Claire Simon had just posted a casting call for Million Dollar Quartet Chicago/NYC/Tour casts, and I immediately submitted. Thursday morning I received a call to audition the next day, so in a matter of hours I memorized two songs from the show as well as sides, and had Rebecca consult me on the perfect audition dress which I made a special thrift store run for--to find authentic 50's dresses. The audition was a fantastic experience! It was adorable and flattering that they kept on commenting on my dress. I learned a lot through the preparation and the audition which will help me perfect everything the next time auditions for Dyanne roll around.

happenings

Quite memorable events filled my last week. Rehearsals for Sunset Boulevard began, the first performance of our improv class took occurred, and I flew home to North Carolina for an audition!

Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard being my first lead role in Chicago, I was extremely nervous going into rehearsals. So many different scenarios were playing in my mind. Shortly after I stepped into the rehearsal room and saw dear friends that I had been in shows with previously at this theatre, my nerves were calmed. I knew it was instantly going to be a fun show. Every single time I listen/sing through the music/even think about this show, I get super excited. Next week we begin staging, so this weekend I'm going to be doing a lot of character analyzing and memorization.

I'm so proud my fellow improv classmates and myself. We have been together for 6 months! Last Friday was our first performance. About an hour before the show, we were all asking each other the level of nerves we each were experiencing, and I said with a wink, "Nope, I'm not nervous! I'm used to performing." Hah, I ate my words 5 minutes before we went on stage. Improv performance nerves are a completely different category than I'm used to. The show was lots of fun, and according to classmates my nervousness didn't show through, so that's good!
Our first class of level D was this past week, and it was quite intense. We're going to get to learn how to do hosting so that we can run our own show, and we also get to have a class dedicated to learning musical improv! One of the many things I took away from class Tuesday was the fact that I need to get on educating myself in the movie world. My family and I didn't venture far from Disney movies growing up, so there is a lot of catching up to do in order to be able to adequately perform on audience topic suggestions. Besides that, as can be confirmed by friends, there's a lot of movie quotes/moments that fly right over my head. Another thing I struggle with in class that I've mentioned before and that I just need to get over is to stop over thinking. Just go out there and do it.

After a good bit of mind debating on what the smart decision would be, I chose to fly home to NC for the weekend to audition for CPCC Summer Theatre. My sister, Rebecca, has done a lot of fantastic set design/painting for them over the past couple of years, and when she heard of the upcoming auditions, she encouraged me to attend. I've felt guilty for hardly spending any time with my family the past couple of years, and I realized that this would be the perfect opportunity to spend a bit of time with them if I was cast. The theatre's summer lineup would be so amazing to be a part of! I flew in Saturday morning (this was the day after my improv show, so I was dangerously running on 2 hrs of sleep for this audition). The audition went very well, and I loved being introduced to people that Rebecca has worked with previously at this theatre. I won't find out until shortly after March 23, since they are holding another round of auditions at a theatre conference in TN. As always, it was so nice to be home, to get to have chats with Mom, spend time with Becca, and catch up with my little brothers.


Lastly, today would have been my dad's 56th birthday. In the days leading up to his birthday/passing/my parents anniversary, I'm reminded of  "O lieb" which is a poem by Ferdinand Freiligrath set to music by Franz Liszt. I sung it in my senior recital as one of the songs in memory of my dad. Here's the poem and below is a lovely performance I just found. It's even more gorgeous if you just listen to Liszt's Liebesträume no. 3 which is just a piano solo.

recent escapades: Santa fe

Willis (Sears) Tower gift shop, April 2010

Guy buying t-shirt: "Primm? Are you by any chance related to Andy Primm?"

Me: "Not that I know of!"

Guy buying t-shirt: "He's the drummer in my band...."

That's pretty much the conversation beginnings with dear friend Alex Maryol. Since we were all intrigued at this unique last name common bond, Andy Primm became my Facebook friend shortly after. In spite of moves and other life happenings, we've all kept up throughout the past almost 2 years, and the subject of visiting Santa fe has come up on many occasions. Three weekends ago I finally took a flight to the Land of Enchantment. 

In preparation for the trip, I listened to "Santa fe" from the Newsies, "Santa fe" from Rent, and every other Santa fe song I could find in Spotify. That's what you get when you mix music nerd with travel freak. Since I really had no clue what existed out west, I decided to google "best things to do in Santa fe"(oh so original), so I had some sort of idea if my amazing tour guide asked me what I felt like doing. I really didn't need anything that I looked up, though. Alex and Andy showed me the perfect weekend in Santa fe. 

As I peered down from my window seat on the plane as we drew nearer to Albuquerque, I was in awe. I had never seen deserts before, and the mountains were completely different than the mountains on the east coast. It was gorgeous. 

Shortly after I had landed, Alex picked me up, and I was ecstatic that I was getting to see him after almost a year since he had last been in Chicago. We were both starving, so he drove me through Nob Hill, which is pretty much ABQ's arts district. We had a delicious lunch at Flying Star Cafe, coffee at Satellite, looked at adobe houses, then began driving to Santa Fe. We listened to his fantastic upcoming album,  I spotted my first tumbleweed, caught up on life, and he pointed out special places along the way. 

After we arrived, we met up with Andy that evening for dinner at Maria's. This was the first time I had actually met Andy in person. Immediately I noticed crazy similarities between us. We HAVE to be long lost cousins. I experienced red and green chile for the first time there and learned that if you want both on your dish, you order "Christmas". Tasty! Afterwards, we got to see Andy play in a gig at the La Fonda Hotel with musicians Don and Pete. Every single time I thought of La Fonda, I never failed to crack up. You know why? Lafawnduh from Napoleon Dynamite. At the La Fonda, I loved seeing Andy play. He's a great artist overall, and I love his stage presence. Alex got to sit in one the songs and drum, which was a treat for everyone. A favorite reoccurring moment was being introduced by my full name and seeing the looks on their friends' faces thinking briefly Andy had eloped (Once again--the unique last name we share). Later that evening, we stopped by another hotel to hear Alex's friend Matthew Andrae perform. He was so much fun to talk to and his set was incredible. While we were watching, Alex told me about a youtube video titled Sweet Celine that boosted his career amazingly. Watch it!

The next morning started off perfectly. We met Andy for Breakfast burritos at Tia Sophia's which is a Maryol restaurant now run by his brother. The burritos surpassed my high expectations! ;) Alex's brother joined us at the table, too, which was lots of fun. While at breakfast, Andy gave me a signed copy of his album "Mercenary"--so sweet!

In Tia Sophia's menu

Afterwards, we strolled around the Plaza, stopped in a photography gallery--there's art galleries everywhere! It's so cool!-- looked at beautiful copper and turquoise jewelry (resisting the urge to buy it all), then walked up the hill to the Cross of the Martyrs where there was a great view of the city. The hill was quite inspirational, because it was there when we 3 decided that we need to form a band and travel the world. Step one: lock ourselves away for a weekend and write music.  We felt the need for a snack at Rio Chama before our next adventure which was driving up into the mountains close to the ski basin. Breathtaking views. 

Post-mountain time, Alex and I met up with his family at El Meson, a wonderful Tapas restaurant. The occasion was celebrating his parents birthdays the week prior. They are all adorable, and it was such a pleasure getting to have dinner with them. 

One of my requests for the weekend was to view the stars, since you never see stars living in the city. Alex took me to his parents' gorgeous home where we climbed up a spiral staircase to the rooftop. I don't ever remember seeing that many stars ever, and I for sure hadn't experienced that much silence in the surroundings in such a long time. There were 3 shooting stars and even a little bit of coyote sounds! On our way to the star-viewing, he showed me his church, and the Priest just happened to be checking the mail after a trip, and he let us inside to view it! It looks like it's straight out of the Greek countryside. So very beautiful. 

The next morning was departure morning, and we had saved experiencing the cinnamon rolls at Frontier for then. Frontier's cinnamon rolls and orange juice were hyped up by everyone, so I was especially happy to try them. Those plus a breakfast burrito=YUM. It was the best departure meal. 

New Mexico was pure delight, and I'm so glad I got to visit Alex and finally meet Andy. One day when it's warmer I hope to be back for hiking in the mountains fun if our band-formation-locking away and writing doesn't happen before then... ;)

                                                                                                   

recent escapades: holidays, auditions, improv

A random recent discovery of mine has been the fact that I enjoy sipping coffee and espresso drinks out of Caribou coffee cups as opposed to Starbucks cups. The reason? The dark brown lids of Caribou cups equals a sense of warmth, whereas the white lids on Starbucks cups are neutral but cooler and don't give you that warmth. Also, when your drink splatters out of a Starbucks lid, it's very visible afterwards and looks sloppy. It all made sense when I thought back to college days. Our university had light pink and light blue trays, and Rebecca and I would always get the color that coordinates with our outfit, until one of her art teachers/friends stated that he picks whatever color suits the food to be served. If the food is hot, he picks pink (warm color). If it's a cold dish, he picks blue (cool color). Makes sense, right?
     I say this every single month, but it's crazy that it's February already. In my last post I spoke of an upcoming show with the G&S Opera Company, but a few weeks ago, I withdrew from the show for a couple of other upcoming performance opportunities. One outcome from auditions since then is a role I just heard back about last night. I got the role Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard at JPAC at Morton College. I'm extremely excited!! It's my very first supporting role in Chicago! JPAC is the theatre that also put on Phantom and Man of la Mancha, and a good number of the Sunset cast members were in both of those shows with me. It'll be a lovely reuinion!
      
    Pre-holiday Chicago highlights: Zoo lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo with my friend Denise. A Saturday filled with Mexican food then ice-skating at Navy Pier's Winter Wonderfest with Denise and Jill. This city is a gorgeous one to be in during the Holidays.

 
   It was a blessing to be able to spend a couple of weeks with my family for the Holidays! I roadtripped to sweet Carolina with a friend from highschool who now lives in Milwaukee. Of course we listened to every single Carolina song I could find on the drive down.  My family was originally not going to exchange presents this year since our gift to eachother was going on a little cruise, but our little brother Jonathan spent all of his birthday money on gifts for each of us. We HAD to get gifts then! As expected, we were getting stressed out of our minds going Christmas Eve eve shopping, but we all were please with the outcome. On Christmas day we hopped in the van and roadtripped to Miami, picking up Matthew along the way in Orlando. It was the first time we didn't feel disgusting in all of our "First day on the cruise" photos since we had a buffer day and weren't driving through the night then hopping aboard like we have done in the past. I highly recommend buffer days. We enjoyed the sights of Miami, then of Nassau, and Great Stirrup Cay which is Norwegian Cruise Line's private Island. I brought back a starfish and 2 beautiful seashells that I bought from "an island man" that "worked me a great deal". 
Our most favorite moment of the cruise was getting to see comedian Rich Purpura. The very first evening on the ship, Mom, Rebecca, Matthew, and I were enjoying hot tea and cookies on the top deck and reminiscing of our favorite comedian ever, Rich Purpura, that we saw perform on a Disney ship. When we got back to our cabin I read the paper which tells us the next day's activities, and I pretty much freaked out. Rich Purpura was on our ship and was doing a show the next evening!!  We made sure to get front row seats, we laughed the hardest out of everyone, he loved us "Carolina girls", and Rebecca even got pulled up on stage for a "magic trick." We met him afterwards and expressed our fan-ship, and he signed two DVD's and gave them to us. Later onAfter the cruise, we stopped back in Orlando to have dinner with my aunt and uncle! It's always fantastic seeing them. After New Years excitement, and a delicious lasagna meal made by my brother, Matthew, I had to say goodbye to my family and return to Chicago. Those moments are always tough.

                                
        The evening of my arrival back in Chicago helped lighten everything back up, because we started Improv level C. It continues to be such great fun. Our teacher was in Level A with Tina Fey back in the day! We all LOVE him. Another one of the many cool things about him is that his son goes to the same school as opera singer Samuel Ramey's child does, and he sees him all of the time.
I had my very first improv performance recently! A few of us Second City female students did a workship with the Sirens, an all female improv group, and then opened for their show that same evening. It was such a different experience than doing a theatrical show. You had no idea when/if the audience was going to react. It's definitely a whole new dynamic to get used to, but it was very exciting. Our first class performance will be February 24, which most of us are highly anticipating. ;)

Next escapade posting? Santa fe!