Wow... I have so many thoughts running through my head about what went on at the Boston Marathon and have no idea how to express them all.
I had heard nothing about the bombings until I had arrived at rehearsal around 6 this evening. I do not own a tv and have been trying to cut down on using social media sites. I heard through word of mouth that something was terrible and that people couldn't believe what went on. After some conversing, emailing, and google searches I had gotten enough information to understand that there was a bombing at the Boston Marathon and it wasn't until later in the evening that I got to watch the videos and view the pictures.
My first thought after reading the articles was, "Oh God, I hope my cousin is alright!"
She was running the marathon for the second time in a row but got pulled off of the course by officials at 25.5 miles due to the explosions. She and her team are alright.
I took the time tonight to finally look at the videos first and then the photos. I literally jumped when the explosion went off in the video. It looked like something that belonged in the war zones overseas.
The photos were the hardest part for me... At first I didn't really want to look at them. I didn't want to look at the tragedy that had been bestowed upon Boston. But after some thinking, I realized that it was something I needed to do. I feel that if I hadn't, I would be in some strange form of denial. I looked at as many as I could find and all I can say is that they sickened me. Pictures of sheer terror, runners and bystanders knocked to the ground, blood strewn across the cement, debris falling from all over, people being rushed away on stretchers, etc. etc. etc.
And for a moment, I had to set my laptop down and cry. Mourn for those involved and for their families. Mourn for our country.
We have hit rock bottom.
How could something like this happen in our country? America, the land of the free. The place where foreigners come for a BETTER LIFE. To escape wars and bombings and violence. The country that makes it a point to not only look out for themselves but for others as well!
My strongest feeling about this entire situation is disappointment.
I am disappointed that our society has come to the point where violence like this is an every day thing. Planes flying into buildings, mass murders of elementary school children, and bombs. How messed up are we? To become so DESENSITIZED to these situations. To say "Oh that's right, there was a bombing today" and then just continue on with our lives like nothing ever happened.
I am also disappointed in the media and their "great" way of diluting EVERYTHING. On Yahoo!'s home page the two biggest headlines were "BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING" and "OZZY OSBORN ADMITS A DRUG RELAPSE" What?! Have we become that superficial? Do we just not care anymore? Are we trying to deny that our world is (excuse my language) going to shit?
Things are happening. We all need to open our eyes and find a solution. We need to stop ignoring things when they don't go our way. It isn't going to magically fix itself!
I think people are too sheltered. Not just because the media and the government glazes things over, but also because we choose to be....
-----------------------------
And in times like this, I look to God. Judge me if you want on my beliefs, I don't care. All I know is that I trust the Lord because He will protect me. Us. All of us. And because of this I am not afraid.
That's what this is all about right? Scaring people?
Pray for Boston. Pray for Boston even if you don't believe because it can't hurt. Keep those people in your heart and stand up for your country whether the threat be from overseas or state side; it doesn't matter because NO ONE has the right to ruin other people's lives like that.
Enjoy your night. Let those you love know it because you never know when things like this will happen. Life is too short to think that you can just do it eventually.
-Jackey
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding."
~Proverbs 3:5
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Saturday, April 13, 2013
Resumes?
"Resumes can be..."
That's how I started this post about four days ago. I still don't have a good way to finish off that sentence. But I guess that kind of IS the best way to put it. Resumes, just like monologues, are a pain. They're an absolutely FANTASTIC (and necessary) tool for getting ANY job but they can be crazy as well!
First of all, the hardest thing about resumes is figuring out the perfect format for you. Every acting resume has the same basic structure but the little things you do to it are really what make it your own. While it's great to personalize your resume, you also have to make sure that it stays simple and sleek. If there is too much going on on the page, whoever is reading it will be completely turned off.
The second thing that can be irritating about resumes is remembering to continuously update them. Busy performers know what I'm talking about. You need to keep adding your newest and best roles and getting rid of older less important things. I find that I tend to remember to add things but forget to take others off.
The third actually doesn't really have much to do with the resume itself but more so the program on which it is typed out. I'm not a super tech savvy person so I just use Microsoft Word. I know others use Excel and whatnot but with my tech skills I find Word to be the easiest. Most of the time. Sometimes some strange things happen that I don't know how to fix and that can be very frustrating.
All in all, I actually enjoy building my resume but it definitely does have a few roadblocks.
-Jackey
That's how I started this post about four days ago. I still don't have a good way to finish off that sentence. But I guess that kind of IS the best way to put it. Resumes, just like monologues, are a pain. They're an absolutely FANTASTIC (and necessary) tool for getting ANY job but they can be crazy as well!
First of all, the hardest thing about resumes is figuring out the perfect format for you. Every acting resume has the same basic structure but the little things you do to it are really what make it your own. While it's great to personalize your resume, you also have to make sure that it stays simple and sleek. If there is too much going on on the page, whoever is reading it will be completely turned off.
The second thing that can be irritating about resumes is remembering to continuously update them. Busy performers know what I'm talking about. You need to keep adding your newest and best roles and getting rid of older less important things. I find that I tend to remember to add things but forget to take others off.
The third actually doesn't really have much to do with the resume itself but more so the program on which it is typed out. I'm not a super tech savvy person so I just use Microsoft Word. I know others use Excel and whatnot but with my tech skills I find Word to be the easiest. Most of the time. Sometimes some strange things happen that I don't know how to fix and that can be very frustrating.
All in all, I actually enjoy building my resume but it definitely does have a few roadblocks.
-Jackey
Monologue Stresses
I think monologues may end up being one of my most reoccurring topics. They are one of the most difficult and time consuming parts of an actors auditioning process.
When it comes to monologues, I end up being kind of a perfectionist. Now, I'm no expert on finding them and whatnot but I do know what I like and I also know what fits into the guidelines that I've been given; and sometimes those two things don't always mesh.
Most of the time, I find a monologue that I think I like and also fits into my guidelines (if you don't know what these are, read my previous post "paperwork, Paperwork, PAPERWORK!") so I start working on it. After a short while, I realize that I actually hate the monologue and decide to throw it away and start over. It's a painful process but on the bright side, when I find something that I really do connect with, it ends up being really quite good.
Currently, I am on the search for 5 monologues. 2 Shakespears, 2 Contemps (dramatic and comedic), and 1 Wildcard (something with a dialect). So far I have two. Ugh! One contemp (which, depending on the way you do it, could be either comedic or dramatic) and a wildcard (southern dialect).
To be perfectly honest, the thought of finding the Shakespeare ones scares me to death!
At this point in my "career" I am a contemporary actor. I do mostly Musical Theatre and some contemporary straight plays. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't like to do Shakespeare because really I would! I've just never gotten the chance to do any. Therefore, I have no experience with it. The thing that intimidates me is the fact that everybody else in my class has had at least SOME Shakespeare experience. But I will continue to search and try my best because it's always great to try new things. In the long run it will definitely make me a better and more versatile actor.
-Jackey
When it comes to monologues, I end up being kind of a perfectionist. Now, I'm no expert on finding them and whatnot but I do know what I like and I also know what fits into the guidelines that I've been given; and sometimes those two things don't always mesh.
Most of the time, I find a monologue that I think I like and also fits into my guidelines (if you don't know what these are, read my previous post "paperwork, Paperwork, PAPERWORK!") so I start working on it. After a short while, I realize that I actually hate the monologue and decide to throw it away and start over. It's a painful process but on the bright side, when I find something that I really do connect with, it ends up being really quite good.
Currently, I am on the search for 5 monologues. 2 Shakespears, 2 Contemps (dramatic and comedic), and 1 Wildcard (something with a dialect). So far I have two. Ugh! One contemp (which, depending on the way you do it, could be either comedic or dramatic) and a wildcard (southern dialect).
To be perfectly honest, the thought of finding the Shakespeare ones scares me to death!
At this point in my "career" I am a contemporary actor. I do mostly Musical Theatre and some contemporary straight plays. That doesn't mean that I wouldn't like to do Shakespeare because really I would! I've just never gotten the chance to do any. Therefore, I have no experience with it. The thing that intimidates me is the fact that everybody else in my class has had at least SOME Shakespeare experience. But I will continue to search and try my best because it's always great to try new things. In the long run it will definitely make me a better and more versatile actor.
-Jackey
Monday, April 1, 2013
The Joy of Music
Yesterday the cast of Our Town watched a screening of John McGivern's Around the Corner in the Young Auditorium on the UW Whitewater campus. Why? Well because John is playing the role of The Stage Manager in our production of Our Town. Exciting as that is (believe me, it's pretty darn exciting), that's not what this post is about. This post is about an event that went on before the screening of the show.
While the cast and other audience members were mingling in the lobby, a large group of older men wearing red sweaters started to gather at the front of the room. Nobody really paid them much attention until they all started lining up in a choir formation and a single note was played from a pitch pipe. They started to sing and a crowd slowly gathered in front of them. We stood and watched as they began their first song and the director introduced the group. This group was called The Country Gentlemen and they were a barbershop chorus. Not a quartet. A CHORUS! They were delightful to listen to and the great thing about this particular experience is that it brought the old people and young people together. Everyone was enjoying the performance, I saw smiles from all age groups. I even got to polka with a fellow castmate when the group performed Roll Out the Barrel; which was fantastic because you all know how much I love to polka (and if you don't, lets just say that I absolute love it).
The whole audience had so much fun. I think it is so incredible that music can be such a bond building thing. The college aged cast loved it, the elderly loved it, the middle aged adults loved it, there were even a few young children there who you could tell were also completely enthralled. And even better than that, you could tell that the men performing enjoyed this more than anyone else. They were in their own world while singing and their faces absolutely lit up during the applause.
The fact that music brings people together is just one of the many reasons why I love it.
-Jackey
Also, John's show was awesome and you should all come see Our Town the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of April at the Young Auditorium in Whitewater, WI. Hope to see you there!
While the cast and other audience members were mingling in the lobby, a large group of older men wearing red sweaters started to gather at the front of the room. Nobody really paid them much attention until they all started lining up in a choir formation and a single note was played from a pitch pipe. They started to sing and a crowd slowly gathered in front of them. We stood and watched as they began their first song and the director introduced the group. This group was called The Country Gentlemen and they were a barbershop chorus. Not a quartet. A CHORUS! They were delightful to listen to and the great thing about this particular experience is that it brought the old people and young people together. Everyone was enjoying the performance, I saw smiles from all age groups. I even got to polka with a fellow castmate when the group performed Roll Out the Barrel; which was fantastic because you all know how much I love to polka (and if you don't, lets just say that I absolute love it).
The whole audience had so much fun. I think it is so incredible that music can be such a bond building thing. The college aged cast loved it, the elderly loved it, the middle aged adults loved it, there were even a few young children there who you could tell were also completely enthralled. And even better than that, you could tell that the men performing enjoyed this more than anyone else. They were in their own world while singing and their faces absolutely lit up during the applause.
The fact that music brings people together is just one of the many reasons why I love it.
-Jackey
Also, John's show was awesome and you should all come see Our Town the 21st, 22nd and 23rd of April at the Young Auditorium in Whitewater, WI. Hope to see you there!
Stress, Anxiety, and Insomnia
I am probably one of the most laid back people you will ever meet. Don't get me wrong, I get stuff done and I do it well, but what I'm saying is that I deal with stressful situations at a top notch level. I am very good at figuring out what I need to do to handle whatever is being thrown at me and I know how to balance a busy life style. In fact, I enjoy it; but lately I have been stressed beyond belief due to the fact that I am so far behind in school.
I have so many things to do and so little time to do them. The whole monologue thing is stressing me out the most right now. I've been working my rump off all week to try and catch up and I'm still a trillion miles behind!
I'm the kind of person who values my sleep. It keeps me healthy and energetic and I just like doing it in general. But, as I'm sure you can tell by the time stamp of this post, I haven't been getting ANY. I am so stressed that I just cannot sleep. I am having so much anxiety over all of this catching up that I don't sleep and then I get stressed out that I'm not sleeping which causes more anxiety and even less sleep.
I feel like I need to take a step back, analyze the problem, and fix it. But I also feel that if I stop working, for even a second, I'll just be that much more behind.
-Jackey
I have so many things to do and so little time to do them. The whole monologue thing is stressing me out the most right now. I've been working my rump off all week to try and catch up and I'm still a trillion miles behind!
I'm the kind of person who values my sleep. It keeps me healthy and energetic and I just like doing it in general. But, as I'm sure you can tell by the time stamp of this post, I haven't been getting ANY. I am so stressed that I just cannot sleep. I am having so much anxiety over all of this catching up that I don't sleep and then I get stressed out that I'm not sleeping which causes more anxiety and even less sleep.
I feel like I need to take a step back, analyze the problem, and fix it. But I also feel that if I stop working, for even a second, I'll just be that much more behind.
-Jackey
Welcome to Valleyfair! Please Keep Hands and Feet Inside the Ride at All Times!
Recently, I was offered a job at Valleyfair as a performer. Not only is this my first professional performance job, it is also my first job in general! Yes you read that correctly; I've never really had a real job before. I haven't had time for one. In the past, I've filled my time with everything music and theatre related. Things like community shows, choir, band, and forensics. The rest of the time left over has been used for homework and sleeping.
I auditioned at the Wisconsin Theatre Auditions in Madison, WI back in February. It was my first experience auditioning for professional theatre and it was very interesting. The whole thing went very fast even though the day was very long and it was much more relaxed than I thought it would be. I was called back for 5 different theatres and offered a job at 2 (so far). Valleyfair and Six Flags.
Valleyfair had contacted me much earlier than Six Flags (by about a month) so I had accepted the job offer from them right away. I was cast in their outdoor gazebo show "Smash!" where I will be singing chart topping pop songs.
We have five shows a day, six days a week. Each show is about 27 minutes long and there are 5 other people in my cast. Rehearsals start in May and we open May 11th. The show runs all summer and I will be returning in August. Just in time for school to start. Also, I will be living in the dorms near the amusement park.
As of right now, the only thing I have been working on for it is paperwork and listening to the song list that I've been given.
I cannot wait for rehearsals to start! I am a little worried about it interfering with finals but I'm hoping to work that all out.
-Jackey
Want to come visit? Here's their website: www.valleyfair.com It's in Shakopee, MN about half an hour out of the Twin Cities.
I auditioned at the Wisconsin Theatre Auditions in Madison, WI back in February. It was my first experience auditioning for professional theatre and it was very interesting. The whole thing went very fast even though the day was very long and it was much more relaxed than I thought it would be. I was called back for 5 different theatres and offered a job at 2 (so far). Valleyfair and Six Flags.
Valleyfair had contacted me much earlier than Six Flags (by about a month) so I had accepted the job offer from them right away. I was cast in their outdoor gazebo show "Smash!" where I will be singing chart topping pop songs.
We have five shows a day, six days a week. Each show is about 27 minutes long and there are 5 other people in my cast. Rehearsals start in May and we open May 11th. The show runs all summer and I will be returning in August. Just in time for school to start. Also, I will be living in the dorms near the amusement park.
As of right now, the only thing I have been working on for it is paperwork and listening to the song list that I've been given.
I cannot wait for rehearsals to start! I am a little worried about it interfering with finals but I'm hoping to work that all out.
-Jackey
Want to come visit? Here's their website: www.valleyfair.com It's in Shakopee, MN about half an hour out of the Twin Cities.
Moral of the Story: Don't Get Mono
If you didn't know from reading a previous post, I ended up getting mono this semester. If you HAVEN'T read that post, you should go read it. "paperwork, Paperwork, PAPERWORK!" This one is meant to give you a little more detail as to what went on.
My second semester of college was going great! Unfortunately, I was not cast in the musical (Drowsy Chaperone) but I was asked by the artistic director of a local theatre to come and audition for their production of Oklahoma! He also happened to be the director of the show as well. I thought, "why not?" I didn't have any other show at the time but the performances would conflict with three of the rehearsals with our later straight play (Our Town). I did it anyway and was offered the role of Laurey.
A few weeks into the semester and rehearsals, I got really sick. I was dizzy and had a terrible fever. I ignored it for a while but finally went into the doctor. I was diagnosed with a sinus infection and was given an antibiotic.
After the five days of antibiotics I was feeling better but not great. My fever had not gone away, it had actually gotten worse, I could barely walk, my body ached, and I was completely exhausted. I went back to the doctor and got tested for mono. Sure enough, I had it. And there's no medication for it so I had to just live through it.
Because I was not well enough to drive, I let the girl who I drove to rehearsals drive instead. She would drive my car and I would sleep both there and back. It worked except that I was still very dizzy during the run. I would tend to have to either lean on either our Curly or Jud (depending which scene it was) or sit on the floor. I think the thing that sucked the most was that we were only about two weeks away from opening. After a while, the director decided to cast an understudy just to be safe. She was never needed. I performed all of tech week and three weeks of performances (14 show) with mono. I think it was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to overcome in all of my theatre experiences.
One of the biggest things I learned from having mono was that I had to really pick and choose what I was able to do. I'm sure you're thinking "Well duh! Schoolwork comes before everything." and that's normally how it would be for me; except this time it wasn't... I started to realize that once I fell asleep at night (around 11:30pm), I was out until around 2:30 pm the next day. This means that I slept through all of my classes. For three or four weeks. And then I actually was feeling "good enough" to go to rehearsals. My professors definitely weren't happy that I was going to rehearsals and performances but not going to class. I just thought I would try to get back into the swing of things and not restart everything all at once. This meant doing things when I felt good enough to. It also meant that classes were out of the question.
As I said in a previous post:
Moral of the story - Don't get mono.
-Jackey
My second semester of college was going great! Unfortunately, I was not cast in the musical (Drowsy Chaperone) but I was asked by the artistic director of a local theatre to come and audition for their production of Oklahoma! He also happened to be the director of the show as well. I thought, "why not?" I didn't have any other show at the time but the performances would conflict with three of the rehearsals with our later straight play (Our Town). I did it anyway and was offered the role of Laurey.
A few weeks into the semester and rehearsals, I got really sick. I was dizzy and had a terrible fever. I ignored it for a while but finally went into the doctor. I was diagnosed with a sinus infection and was given an antibiotic.
After the five days of antibiotics I was feeling better but not great. My fever had not gone away, it had actually gotten worse, I could barely walk, my body ached, and I was completely exhausted. I went back to the doctor and got tested for mono. Sure enough, I had it. And there's no medication for it so I had to just live through it.
Because I was not well enough to drive, I let the girl who I drove to rehearsals drive instead. She would drive my car and I would sleep both there and back. It worked except that I was still very dizzy during the run. I would tend to have to either lean on either our Curly or Jud (depending which scene it was) or sit on the floor. I think the thing that sucked the most was that we were only about two weeks away from opening. After a while, the director decided to cast an understudy just to be safe. She was never needed. I performed all of tech week and three weeks of performances (14 show) with mono. I think it was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to overcome in all of my theatre experiences.
One of the biggest things I learned from having mono was that I had to really pick and choose what I was able to do. I'm sure you're thinking "Well duh! Schoolwork comes before everything." and that's normally how it would be for me; except this time it wasn't... I started to realize that once I fell asleep at night (around 11:30pm), I was out until around 2:30 pm the next day. This means that I slept through all of my classes. For three or four weeks. And then I actually was feeling "good enough" to go to rehearsals. My professors definitely weren't happy that I was going to rehearsals and performances but not going to class. I just thought I would try to get back into the swing of things and not restart everything all at once. This meant doing things when I felt good enough to. It also meant that classes were out of the question.
As I said in a previous post:
Moral of the story - Don't get mono.
-Jackey
paperwork, Paperwork, PAPERWORK!
As you may have been able to guess by the title, I am completely overwhelmed by paperwork. Scholarship applications, homework, and job paperwork are just the tip of the iceberg. Each one of those categories branches off into other things that need to be taken care of. After being sick with mono, I have fallen behind on my schoolwork.
Many people assume that a theatre student has little to no homework; ESPECIALLY if they are also a fine arts minor. Boy, are they wrong. Sometimes I actually end up with more homework in my theatre classes than in all of my gen eds combined! For example: for one theatre class I have to find and memorize 5 monologues. Two must be contemporary (one comedic one dramatic), two much be Shakespeare, and one must be a wild card (preferably something with a dialect). This is great and all, but as many performers know, finding a monologue is not an easy task. You can spend hours and hours scouring over hundreds of scripts and find absolutely NOTHING! Either the character is all wrong for you, it doesn't fit within the guidelines of a good monologue, or you just absolutely hate it.
For those of you who are wondering, here are the guidelines for a good monologue that I've been given:
(Please note that these mostly apply to contemporary monologues)
-Cannot be about sex
-Minimal to no swearing
-It must be something you could play within the next five years
-Screaming does not make it emotionally interesting, it just scares the person you are auditioning for
-Skip topics like abuse and death. ESPECIALLY death.
and finally:
-NO LOSER MONOLOGUES
What's a loser monologue you might ask? A loser monologue is anything where the character portrays themselves as not being good enough. "I'm too fat, my boyfriend hates me, I hate myself, etc..." This proves to be an extremely difficult rule to follow as a young woman because many characters for this age range (and for women in general) only have monologues written like this. On the bright side, once you find something that fits within these guidelines, it normally ends up being a very powerful piece!
On top of these five monologues, I have also been assigned two 5 page papers to make up for the classes I have missed. Which is completely ok with me and great because I WANT to make it up. It's just very stressful.
Not only have I had a hard time finding things, I have also been too sick to leave my room to go to the library and look for things. I will admit that I did leave to go to rehearsals while being sick, but in my defense I was not only a principal character with no understudy (at the time) but I was also giving rides to another castmate who attends the same school as I. The rest of which I'll explain in another post.
Back to my point, PAPERWORK! There is so much of it. Valleyfair will be my first real job and I didn't realize how much paperwork actually comes with being employed. I'll also explain the whole Valleyfair job in another post.
Moral of the story:
-Don't get mono
-Finding monologues is hard work and requires a lot of dedication (for those of you reading this who are theatre people or want to be; always keep this in mind)
-I need to find a good way to organize everything and get this all done!
-Jackey
Many people assume that a theatre student has little to no homework; ESPECIALLY if they are also a fine arts minor. Boy, are they wrong. Sometimes I actually end up with more homework in my theatre classes than in all of my gen eds combined! For example: for one theatre class I have to find and memorize 5 monologues. Two must be contemporary (one comedic one dramatic), two much be Shakespeare, and one must be a wild card (preferably something with a dialect). This is great and all, but as many performers know, finding a monologue is not an easy task. You can spend hours and hours scouring over hundreds of scripts and find absolutely NOTHING! Either the character is all wrong for you, it doesn't fit within the guidelines of a good monologue, or you just absolutely hate it.
For those of you who are wondering, here are the guidelines for a good monologue that I've been given:
(Please note that these mostly apply to contemporary monologues)
-Cannot be about sex
-Minimal to no swearing
-It must be something you could play within the next five years
-Screaming does not make it emotionally interesting, it just scares the person you are auditioning for
-Skip topics like abuse and death. ESPECIALLY death.
and finally:
-NO LOSER MONOLOGUES
What's a loser monologue you might ask? A loser monologue is anything where the character portrays themselves as not being good enough. "I'm too fat, my boyfriend hates me, I hate myself, etc..." This proves to be an extremely difficult rule to follow as a young woman because many characters for this age range (and for women in general) only have monologues written like this. On the bright side, once you find something that fits within these guidelines, it normally ends up being a very powerful piece!
On top of these five monologues, I have also been assigned two 5 page papers to make up for the classes I have missed. Which is completely ok with me and great because I WANT to make it up. It's just very stressful.
Not only have I had a hard time finding things, I have also been too sick to leave my room to go to the library and look for things. I will admit that I did leave to go to rehearsals while being sick, but in my defense I was not only a principal character with no understudy (at the time) but I was also giving rides to another castmate who attends the same school as I. The rest of which I'll explain in another post.
Back to my point, PAPERWORK! There is so much of it. Valleyfair will be my first real job and I didn't realize how much paperwork actually comes with being employed. I'll also explain the whole Valleyfair job in another post.
Moral of the story:
-Don't get mono
-Finding monologues is hard work and requires a lot of dedication (for those of you reading this who are theatre people or want to be; always keep this in mind)
-I need to find a good way to organize everything and get this all done!
-Jackey
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