It's been just over a week since the second performance of The Rita Rose Show!
These people have played a ginormous role in The Rita Rose Show:
Michael Monroe Goodman. When the concept for the show first popped into my head, he is the one that verified that it wasn't a silly idea, encouraged me to go for it, and offered to play in the band, too! As for this particular show, he helped me a lot with editing the script, and all of the fabulous members of The Sugar Daddies were musicians that I'd met through him.
My lovely sister, Rebecca. I could not have survived without her keeping me calm and in line, blinging out the Rita Rose costume, spending hours designing my posters, and being a food runner for the day of the show.
On the day of the show, I knew snowfall was expected, but I didn't realize it'd be blizzard conditions. As the day and the snow progressed, it was so dangerous outside, that I thought the show would be cancelled. The show was still a go, and everyone involved arrived safely. The guests who trekked through the show were such a wonderful audience, too. The Sugar Daddies were a blast to play with, and though none of the photos of us after the show turned out, here's a matchy-matchy photo with Zach Lentino (upright bass) and his leopard print tie. :)
One more photo! One of the special guests on stage was the birthday boy, Ryan Roets, who just moved to Chicago for the next few months. I've known Ryan since high school, and here's a photo with Rita Rose and The Razzle Dazzles.
I wish I could turn this off, especially when trying to sleep, (but I guess it's a blessing) but I replay over and over performances in my mind to figure out what I could've done better. Here's a few things I learned from this show!
1. Always giving your best performance. Focus. Turn off "the voices" that try to bring you down.
2. Know the show like you know your ABC's. You can never over prepare. "Over-preparation" is especially necessary in the event when something unexpected (like a blizzard) happens that shakes you up a bit.
3. Don't let your nervousness as a result of the unforeseen circumstances affect the way you handle pre-show preparations. Deep breaths and an optimistic spirit are necessary.
The creation of both shows were a fun, but sometimes difficult task. You have to have a lot of will-power to succeed as you don't have a director or stage manager giving you call times and telling you when to be off book. This includes getting up early, going to bed late, and limiting attending social events. A friend at the very start of my theatrical career taught me the importance of spending time perfecting your art. It's tough to juggle a day job while writing, coordinating, costuming, and learning music for a show, but thankfully my day job has been so sweet and supportive throughout the whole process.
A couple of more show dates are in the works to happen before I head out of town for a couple of months for training for a new job! All of those will be announced when everything is official :)
