3/31/12 - The Show is Up and Running

Today I am dispensing with my format because I don't have much time - two shows today, 2pm and 8pm

Opening night was TEH awesome. We had a really wonderful crowd, they were responsive and they clapped and cheered in all the right places. I even got a few bravas when I took my bow, which was great. They gave us a standing ovation! I wish the house had been more full, but hopefully we will get a glowing review and that will give us some added advertising. And I hope word of mouth will be strong.

Here was the blurb in the paper yesterday

In "Climb," when I turned to Maria for the second B section, there was a tear on her cheek and that was really moving for me. I almost got choked up. That really meant a lot to me, and I hope she knows that. I guess I should tell her.

It was so great to have an audience, as I've said before. The energy was so great and I think everyone felt good about how the show went. One thing to be careful of, on opening nights in general, don't eat ALL the chocolate that people give you. Luckily I didn't get too carried away, because I know better, but I think I went about one truffle too far. Heh.

Oooh, opening night flowers! First from Noodle

And also from Mom

And the company also gave me flowers, so here's what my make up table looks like

Added later - between the two shows! The matinee went well, but the audience was pretty quiet. It looked a bit more full than last night, but it's really hard to tell from the stage. Personally, I feel like I sang the aria the best I've sung it in the theater, so there's a personal triumph. I also feel that I was more connected to it emotionally, and less concerned with voice technique, which is another triumph.

The lilies in Mom's bouquet opened today, so it's even more gorgeous than I realized it would be

And some angel brought some decent non-candy snacks to the green room. Someone else actually brought vegetables, which I grubbed on with my dinner.

The dinner was from Humpy's, which is across the street. A bit over-priced if you ask me, but the fish was good. And there's leftover rice that I can eat tomorrow before the show.

And here's a photo from the show, taken by local photographer, Denny Wells. Dig those cheekbones!

3/30/12 - It's Opening Night!

What happened today:

We open tonight at 8pm! If you're near Anchorage, come check us out!

I have a lot of little errands to run today, so if I have time, I might make it over to the theater.

Had a good workout at the gym, feeling good about sticking with it so well for the past four weeks.

Wrote out cards for everybody in the cast and crew.

General ramblings:

The student performance last night went really well, and the kids were an AWESOME audience. They really loved it, and they clapped and cheered and whooped for everyone. Besides that, it was just good to have an audience at all. It really changes the energy, not only of the performance, but the hour leading up to the performance. When you can hear the crowd milling around in the house, it just adds something to your soul. 

I forgot to post this yesterday - a couple of nights ago, I almost left my computer in the theater! Holy cow, that would have sucked. Clearly my mind was on other things, because that is very unlAike me. I had actually left the building before I realized it. And last night, I was already driving away before I realized that I wasn't wearing my glasses! What's funny about that is that it wasn't my vision that made me realize it. I went to push my glasses up on the bridge of my nose...and there they weren't! Ha!

Quick edit from the dressing room during intermission. Everything seems to be going well! Really well, even! The audience is responding a bit (I always wish for more,) and I felt like my aria went pretty well. When I turned to Maria for the second B section, there was a tear glistening on her cheek! How moving. It almost got me choked up. But maybe her knees were just hurting from kneeling on the hard floor. I admit, I'd love a big huge bravo from the audience one of these nights... just sayin'.

Here's where I am today:

Feeling more vocally confident after nailing the aria for the past two nights. Woot. Ready to get the show running, though this weekend is going to be killer - four shows in 48 hours....can that even be right? Friday night, Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, Sunday afternoon. That's within 48 hours, right?

3/29/12 - Final Dress Rehearsal - Student Performance

What happened today:

Actually slept past 8:30am, which is amazing. No matter how late I stay up, I've been having trouble sleeping in. I guess I'm getting enough sleep because I'm not tired, but I just really wanted to stay in bed later.

Ran four miles at the gym, straight through, even without water breaks. That felt pretty awesome.

Got opening night gifts for the cast. Didn't sent me back too much, but with this big of a cast, it adds up!

General ramblings:

Anchorage drivers are baaaaaaad. Seriously, people, LOOK BOTH WAYS.  At least there's a whole lot less ice on the roads, but c'mon, people!

Oh! I should make sure to talk more about how my voice felt after rehearsal last night, after writing here about some issues that I was having. In practice yesterday, I started paying closer attention to how it feels to sing the same pitches in a Handel aria or a Mozart aria. It comes down to singing differently in my passaggio. Whether I want to say lighter, or pushing less air, or higher placement in the face and mouth (probably a bit of all of that,) but I kept all of that in mind last night, and I felt like the aria went far better than it has gone all week. And then I felt like a million bucks. Feeling like I'm singing poorly really weighs heavily on me.

They decided to age me even more last night. And add a crucifix. I think I look like my dad's mom. Eesh.

Oh, found this little treasure in the gutter today. I DO have a bit of corn stuck between my molars...

Oh, I dropped a line in one scene with Maria last night. I think I flubbed a line, and then just dropped the one after. But she is a champ because she just kept going. I apologized later and she didn't even remember, so that's great. Amen for colleagues who are on top of it!

Here's where I am today:

I can't believe it's the final dress! You know what feels weird is having an almost-week in the middle of rehearsals where we didn't run the show because we were working on sound tech. That really killed the momentum that builds in the three weeks leading up to opening night. Interesting phenomenon.

Kind of wishing I was home this weekend because Noodle has a cool gig this weekend and I would like to be there supporting him.

Glad to be up to 4 miles running! Bloomsday becomes more and more possible, yippy!

3/28/12 - Dress Rehearsal Number Two

What happened today:

Woke up with a headache, blech. Either due to change in air pressure (supposed to rain and snow today) or the fact that I ate half of a huge cinnamon roll heaped with cream cheese frosting right before going to bed. Who can say.

Tonight is the second full dress rehearsal. Let's cross fingers that it goes non-stop for reals!

It was a veritable heatwave today!

General ramblings:

Because of waking up with a headache, I decided that I just wanted to sit in a cafe for hours and play on the internet. So that's what I am doing.

This morning on the radio, Nirvana was on one station, and Pearl Jam was on another. Wouldn't it have been cool if Soundgarden had been on another?

They decided to age me quite a bit more tonight.

Here's where I am today:

Right now, I'm at the theater, curtain is in an hour. My head still feels tender, like it could go back to aching if I'm not careful. I had a good practice session, but I think I'll take another couple of advil before the rehearsal. I got excellent parking again today. Maybe it's just not a big deal. Not crazy about being aged more, but it's not my decision. Tomorrow we have a student audience, which I think will be great. Having an audience is wonderful, in any case, but the student rehearsals I've done in the past are always the best audience. Their reactions are so honest. And this is a particularly great show for kids to come see.

3/27/12 - Dress Rehearsal Tonight

What happened today:

Used the Kaladi Brothers wifi from my car in the parking lot. I will give them plenty of business this week to make up for it.

Going to the gym for an easier workout

Having pho for lunch with Maestro! I've been craving asian soup, and he knows a good Vietnamese place. Sweet!

Having our first full dress rehearsal, which will be the first time through the show with everything - costumes, make up, staging, sound cues, set pieces, props, quick changes. Crossing my fingers for a smooth run!

Got make up put on me!

General ramblings:

Had an anxiety dream about the show. I felt like my voice was really wrecked in rehearsal last night, and that caused me to toss and turn and have this anxiety dream. I feel like my voice feels great for most of the day, and then I get into the theater and push and by the end of the aria, I'm cracking. Tonight I must force myself to sing as if I'm singing in my practice room, or in a shower, imagine I'm getting all kinds of reverb, place the tone high against my hard palate. And then trust that it sounds fine. Maybe having the wimple covering my ears will force me to concentrate on how it feels instead of how it sounds. That would be an awesome way to use that to my advantage. 

Added later - I had a good practice and I think I tapped into some ways that I can help myself not push and blow myself out mid-"Climb." I hope I can remember it all in the moment on the stage!

The pho was totally delicious. I just had the basic beef pho, Maestro had that with tripe. Gross. The idea of tripe totally grosses me out. But he loved it. Ew.

Added later - We did it! We made it through the rehearsal, ALMOST non-stop. Though getting started was rough. It took three tries to get the show going. The first time, the girl who sings the first line of the show, a solo Latin chant, was given the wrong pitch and then we all took the pitch, so we were musically awry. While we were stopped fixing that, it was discovered that people were STILL standing in the wrong places. So we corrected that. And we started over.

Then the curtain went up, we sang a page or so, and all the headsets for the crew simultaneously short-circuited and died. They couldn't immediately figure it out so they got seven walkie-talkies for the crew to use. So the curtain came down again.

Third time was in fact a charm, and we went start to finish, with almost no stops.

One other thing, we were tweaking my mic, which is turning out to be a pain to co-ordinate with the wimple. I had taken off the veil to fix this...and then left it in my dressing room before my next entrance. Oops. That is a mistake that I will not make again.

Here's where I am today:

Excited to come and do a show today. While I was practicing today, I took a little pause and realized that I've sort of been feeling resistant to the show lately. I think you just get to that point in the rehearsal process. I didn't realize I was there, but once I did, I made the active choice to not be that way. And I am excited to come to the theater tonight and really be IN the show, IN every moment, fully involved, full brain engaged.

Added later - I felt vocally better, mostly. The approach to the high note at the end of "Climb," (right in my passaggio) still fried a little bit. But I was aware of thinking lighter, Mozart-y and Handel-y, and that's a good first step. I feel like I'm learning how to sing in this theater.

3/26/12 - Sitzprobe Tonight

What happened today:

Called the internet company, they said they can knock 50% off the bill as a courtesy.  Gotta call back with the host, for security reasons, but still, I'll take 50 percent off!

Sitzprobe tonight. I always love hearing the orchestra for the first time.


Found out that my make-up call may be two hours before curtain. I hope that changes because that's a bit ridiculous.

Ran five miles, feeling a little sore, but really good about it. Yay for indoor track!

General ramblings:

My hosts family came over yesterday and made pizzas. They left me a delicious calzone for when I came home last night.

And this morning was sourdough waffle morning again, score!

So, at this moment, I am at Kaladi Brothers, waiting to go over for the Sitzprobe. I always love the first rehearsal with the orchestra, and Maestro said they are sounding really good.

Here's where I am today:

Today was a really good day, many things went right. That is great, I am thrilled about all of it. But I must admit, I'm starting to look forward to going home. I know it's way too early to start thinking that way, but there it is. I'll probably go up and down with that all this week. And then when the run starts, I'll have other concerns, and then when my family comes, I'll have still other concerns. So I'm going to let myself feel lonely for Noodle today.

3/25/12 - Day Off at Arctic Valley...sort of...

 What happened today:

We're going snow tubing today! I've never done it, I'm super excited! It seems a little less death-defying than I thought, but that's good!

Maestro was featured on the front page of the Arts section of the paper today, with a huge photograph and a really nice article. Awesome!

Practiced music for my recitals with Noodle that are coming up. Felt good. I needed that because yesterday my voice felt wrecked and it bummed me out.

Had a lovely phone call with Noodle. He has a big gig tonight and I wish I could be there to see him play. Boo.











Edited later to add -

The snow tubing place was sold out! So we made our own fun on a hill in the parking lot. It was so beautiful being up there!

General ramblings:

Something I didn't post about yesterday - the thaw started yesterday, and oh my hell, it's about as scary and treacherous as the ice and snow! Water all over the roads, and in some places, not even just off to the side, or at corners. At one block of Benson Boulevard, near Old Seward Highway, it was a few feet of water across the whole roadway. Luckily, most people were slowing down to deal with it. My little car could almost not take it. And I was worried that when I stepped on the brakes, the cars behind me might not see. Man, that really sucked. And of course I kept thinking, what happens when this freezes overnight?

Yeah, so the tubing didn't happen. So we parked in the lot, and right by the lot was this big old hill that some kids were sliding down, just bare. So we started doing it, too. I only did it once because I was not too keen on climbing back up the hill in snow that is many feet deep. So I just took a bunch of photos.

You can see why I didn't want to bother climbing back up. I only went down when Captain agreed to move the car to the bottom of the hill, hahaha. After we were done, it was time for hot chocolate of course. Maestro felt bad that we didn't get to tube, (it was his idea in the first place,) so he bought us a round of cocoas and we sat around gabbing.

3/24/12 - Wifi-ing from Kaladi Brothers at the Theater

What happened today:

Tested out the wifi downtown. Seems to be good so far. Being without internet gives me such agita.
Today is our Dress Tech - meaning we try to run the show in costume! How fun
Less than a week until opening!!

Added later - Blogging from the theater. Just on a break.

General ramblings:

Finally put the Netflix app on my phone, so I was able to watch tv shows last night while falling asleep. That's a nice thing to figure out how to do. Though staring at that little screen in the dark, right up close to my face may not be very good for my eyes. Gotta dim the screen

Trying something new with the blog today - I'm going to post it now, and then edit later in the day. Want to get as many posts published as possible, get this important information out to the public!!

Added later - Teched through the whole show! It's been a long day, and we still have two hours left. The wimple covers my ears and makes it really hard to hear the piano or myself. So I pushed and really felt like I sang really poorly. Blech. probably my worst rendition since I've been here. Sitting around for several hours before didn't help either. I didn't think we were going to get to it before our lunch break, so I didn't refresh my warm up. My own fault, totally, but I got super cranky.

3/23/12 - May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor!

What happened today:

Going to see "The Hunger Games"!!!!!!
I have the day off otherwise, probably go to the gym.

General ramblings:

It was cool to hang with the cast last night. Walking back to my car, though, I got to see downtown Anchorage after dark. Possibly a scary place. Pretty dark, lots of places where someone could jump out at you. Or just sneak out at you. And this was disturbing - I saw one guy sleeping on the street, in a sleeping bag. It was only about 10 degrees out. I heard him talking to another (probably) homeless guy, and he seemed ok. But wow, man, that was harsh. 

The Hunger Games was good, I liked it. I did not love it.  But I'm realy glad we all went to see it. I think everyone liked it.

Today my host was billed for my internet usage. I can't believe it, I had no clue that they would do that, I thought you just pay for your modem and use it as you see fit. But they've been charging by the mbps or whatever - $185 for the past (almost) three weeks. Oy. I'm probably going to have to ask Dad to spot me those two bills. And now I don't have wifi at home for the next two weeks. How sad. Good thing I had gotten to the end of Season One of "Downton Abbey!"

Watched Law & Order while working out at the gym - going later in the afternoon is the way to do it! Helped me do elliptical for 40 minutes and stairmaster for 15 - awesome.

Found out there's wifi at the theater, so I'll haul my computer over there tomorrow and see how that goes. The Kaladi Brothers Cafe that's attached to the same building also has free wifi, so hopefully one of them will be steady.


Here's where I am today:

My tongue is all rough from eating too much salt, that's where I am today. Ha! Kinda bummed about the wifi BUT I just installed the Netflix app on my phone, so I can watch movies and tv to pass the time. Tomorrow is a long long day - 9:30am - 7:00pm. I foresee a lot of sitting around, so again, patience is key. That's cool. 

3/22/12 - More Sound Tech

What happened today:

Finally used the indoor track at the gym instead of the treadmill. It. Was. Awesome.
Maria is buying everyone tickets for "The Hunger Games" tomorrow, suh-weeeeet!
Did some more sound tech in the theater
Hung out with the cast at Humpy's

General ramblings:

Running on the track was seriously great. All my usual muscles are sore in the right way. For some reason, the treadmill just felt hard the past couple of times I used it. It disheartened me. But here's the thing - the track is only about 1/16 of a mile. That's a lot for my brain to keep track of when it starts to become blood and oxygen deprived. And I feel a bit silly passing all those people in the weight-lifting area. I ran four miles, so that's at least 64 times around. (I added a few extra laps because the inside lane is ABOUT 1/18 of a mile, and the outside lane is ABOUT 1/16 of a mile. (It's all approximate) I mostly kept to the middle lane, so I added a lap for each mile.) I know that when I've seen people do it, it's a bit comical how often they come by. But so be it. I also added one sort of sprinting lap at the end, which always feels good. Like, hell yeah, I still got fuel in the tank, buddy.

Here's where I am today:

Looking forward to seeing The Hunger Games tomorrow!!! Eleven hours!!!

3/21/12 - Another Day Off

What happened today:

There was an earthquake here last night! I believe I was still awake, just barely, but I didn't feel it
I had a good practice, reminded myself of some arias.
Finally learned how to properly set the alarm when leaving the house! I've been faking it for two and a half weeks!
A guy at the grocery store scanned his Safeway card for me and saved me 5 bucks!

General ramblings:

I felt like a cranky old lady at the store, being scandalized by the cereals that were there. I mean, how can they market that as "cereal" or even "food" when it is so obviously CANDY???

Also, I needed to buy vitamins, and the best option was the Disney Princess Gummies. Hoo boy. Everything else was in gigantic bottles. They are actually shaped like princesses, too.

My workout felt long and lame, so I cut my jog short at about 2.60 miles. Tonight I think I'll carb load so I can go longer tomorrow. I opted for a frozen dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. It did not look like the photo.

Alaska drivers are laaaaaaame. Sorry, y'all, but I've seen some pretty heinous behavior on the roads.

I realized that today is the exact halfway point of my stay here! From here on out, I'm closer to going home than being away. That's cool, and I believe the second half will feel more busy. I hope, anyway.

Here's where I am today:

Hmm. I don't have much for this segment today. I'm right atop the hump of this contract. What more can I add to that?

3/20/12 - Moving into the Theater for Tech Week!

What happened today:

Had some of the delicious Zabar's French Italian roast that Noodle sent me - perfection!

Worked out at the Alaska Club - elliptical and stair master
Had my first rehearsal with the mics in the theater, and it was pretty painless

General ramblings:

Walking into the gym, I saw some art in the snow. I think this photo is particularly artful, with my shadow

And after the gym, I had delicious leftover quiche, a great high-protein post-workout meal.

So, going to the theater, we have to find our own parking. I am hellbent on finding as much free parking as I can. That can really add up! I know of at least one place that is free after 5:30pm, but I had to arrive at the theater earlier than that, so my first plan of attack was to scour the area for a meter. Then I realized that I only had 85 cents, 15 cents short of paying for the hour. What to do. WELL! I found a meter right in front of the stage door and.... it had an hour and a half already on it! So I didn't even have to use my change at all! As Noodle says, the Sound of Music/Parking gods were on my side.

So they put mics on us and we went through our scenes. There was a lot of waiting around, but really mostly painless. I sang "Climb" and it was hard not to over-blow on my first time singing in the theater, but now I know. It reverberates in a totally different way in there. And the rehearsal space was sooooo live, hard concrete everywhere. It was great singing there! Now I have to get used to this. And speaking. much. slower. Basically learning how to use the mic again. But I think we're on the right track for getting it going.

Oh, also, the Captain has a cold that was bad enough to keep him home from rehearsal tonight. Someone mentioned that some of the kids are sick. They can't really help being little petri dishes. So I am washing my hands like crazy, making absolutely sure to take my vitamins and zinc, and my host gave me a bottle of Airborne, which I'll start taking tomorrow. Can't hurt, right?

Here's where I am today:

Good. I'm glad to see it's already the 20th. Getting the package of Zabar's stuff made me a bit home sick. If we are already in the 20s of March, I'm that much closer to going home. Tomorrow is a day off, so I'll have to think of something to do.