My new voice teacher, Jen DeRosa. I got goosebumps listening to this. Cannot contain my excitement.
Progress is being made in Manhattan
I’ve been searching for a voice teacher since I got here. I had no connections, and had no idea where to start, or who I could trust to actually be educated enough to know how to properly train me. All of the teachers that looked reasonable cost a ridiculous amount of money. One of them was $200 a lesson. There is absolutely no way I could afford that.
I ended up going to the Musical Theatre head at Pace, and getting a list of recommended voice teachers. I got into contact with one of their graduates, Jennifer DeRosa. She has a great background, and is exactly what I’m looking for. She specializes in sopranos who want to work on their belt. Hello. Hi. We’ve been communicating a bit, and I’m probably going to start taking lessons within the next two weeks. She costs $72 dollars a lesson, which is almost double what I paid at home, but still doable. Even though I might have just applied for two jobs to pay for it.
Dance classes have been going well. I’m really loving my Modern teacher, and I’m hoping to get into some more classes with him next semester. Josh Acord has the exact teaching style that I like, and I’m learning a lot from him. I want to attempt to join a tap class next semester as well. I definitely miss it. I don’t have the extra funds to be taking any classes at Steps On Broadway like I was planning to.
I’ve also made the decision that I’m not going to try and audition for the BFA Musical Theatre program. I’m going to stick to the BA. The BFA requirements makes you stay in the program for four years, no matter when you start, and I really don’t have the extra 52 thousand to spend an extra year at Pace. The BA will really give me the same training, and allow me to take some other classes that interest me. I might even minor in Sociology or Communications.
College has definitely opened my eyes to all of the career paths in the world, but theatre is still my number one choice.
I had a lovely conversation the other day.
I was on a bus, going from Manhattan to Rochester to visit my friend who goes to school in Geneseo. While waiting for the bus to leave, I had been reading my sociology text book. The woman next to me had noticed, and when I put it away asked me about it. She started talking with me about why I like it, and asked me if that’s what I wanted to do with my life. I told her it would be, had I not been in school for acting.
She looked really surprised, and then smiled. She then proceeded to tell me a story about how she was from a very large family, and she was the first one to go to college. She had seen a movie with her siblings, and then went home and told her mother she wanted to be a movie star. Her mother said, “Colored girls aren’t movie stars; they’re school teachers.” The woman didn’t want to be a school teacher, though, and she fought to move to New York to attempt to make a name for herself. Her father supported her full force, and she did it. Even though she didn’t make it in the business, she was proud of herself for following her dreams.
I don’t know her name, and she doesn’t know mine. But she told me to never give up, because even if I don’t make it, I’ll always know that I tried.
When people ask me why I’m risking everything to be an actress, this is what I’ve always told them. It was amazingly nice to have someone reinforce from experience that I’m doing the right thing.
adiamondintherough-xo asked: how long have you been doing ballet?
I’ve only been taking ballet for about a year and a half. I pick things up quite quickly and was put into an advanced class, so I think I might have missed a few things along the way.
One of the reasons I’m not terribly upset about my beginner class!
VocaPeople!
Manhattan has been out of this world.
I don’t think I’ve ever been happier. This is so obviously my home. Being surrounded by the culture, and the acceptance is absolutely thrilling. The fact that so many people can live and thrive in one place is like nothing I’ve ever seen.
Pace University has been great so far. I am taking two dance classes this semester, Modern Dance and Ballet I. I haven’t been to Modern yet, because I signed up late, and I also had a stomach bug. Tomorrow morning will be the first time I take the class. I had Ballet for the first time today. It’s going to be fun, but I also feel like I may shoot myself. I’m no where near an expert in the art of ballet, but what we are learning is like, pre-school standards. Today in class our instructor taught us how to do a plie, a releve, and a ront de jomb. She said we would be doing a lot of barre work. She also said that no matter how good we were, the class would be moving slowly. I’m going to take this as an opportunity to perfect my technique. It is in no way harmful to anything I’ve done before, and even though I might die of boredom, it can only perpetuate good.
On Sunday, I had the opportunity to see VocaPeople. As an acapella singer, and as someone who write acapella arrangements, I was absolutely enthralled the entire time. It was an absolutely fabulous show. The arrangements were amazing, as was the singing. They also had the perfect amount of comedy laced in to keep the entertainment level riding on high. This is seriously a performance I would recommend to anyone. They are a group that needs more press, because they definitely deserve to be pushed up a level to full on Broadway prestige, instead of their Off-Broadway status.
I literally just got back from the Palace Theatre, and and AMAZING performance of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. I had some serious doubts about the show. I did a show in high school called “Back to the 80’s.” It was indisputably the worst show ever written. Similar to Priscilla, it was a show based around music from the 80’s. Unlike Priscilla though, it was absolutely painful to sit through. The cast of Priscilla was phenomenal. Opening with It’s Raining Men was a great idea. It brought the energy out right away, and got the audience dancing in their seats. The show started to drag a bit after the first few songs, but that may be one of my only critiques. After intermission, it picked way back up again, even more so than how it started. The second act was nothing if not energized. I walked out of the theatre dancing, and I know I wasn’t the only one.
The Priscilla costumes were mind blowing. I swear, I don’t know how they did it. I don’t think I could ever even begin to put some of those things on, let alone dance in them. The entire cast did amazingly with some truly outlandish costumes.
Will Swenson as Tick/Mitzi, while a great actor and, leaves a little to be desired. His diction was lost completely, and at times I had no idea what was going on because I couldn’t understand him. I’m not sure if it was putting on the Australian accent, or just not realizing he was doing it, but very often he talked quickly and incomprehensibly. Hitting high notes also seemed to be an issue for him. Or, if it wasn’t one for him, it was one for the audience, because it was grating as anything. His vowels made me want to punch a baby.
Tony Sheldon, playing Bernadette, was a sweetheart. It took about 15 minutes of him being on stage for me to realize that no, that is not an actual woman. He played the part very well, especially considering it was his Broadway debut!
I have to be honest. I have always had a soft spot for Nick Adams. He is one of my favorite actors. He just brings this energy to the stage that I can only hope to live up to. And I’m jealous of his flexibility. And his dancing. And his singing. And him. Basically, I want to be Nick Adams. (Does that sum up his performance enough?)
I’m going to see Stomp this Thursday for the second time, and I know it will be just as amazing as it was the first.
New York City is my home now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
August is coming to an end, and I’m two days away from moving to Manhattan!
I haven’t been able to update sooner due to Irene. I lost power for a few days, and I still don’t have internet access at home. I’m currently in the public library catching up with the outside world.
On August 23rd, I spent the day in Manhattan with a few friends. The entire day just made me that much more excited to move in. That night we saw How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. It was wonderful! The show itself is very well written, and the cast just really made it stand out. Daniel Radcliffe was very good. I saw him in Equus, and knew that he had a good grasp of the stage. His American accent was pretty spot on. It made his voice about an octave higher than it normally is, but if anything that made it more amusing. He did have an odd tendency to bend his legs, take large steps, and stand on his toes though. It was almost as if it was a nervous habit. I don’t remember that showing at all in Equus, so I’m pretty stumped. It was slightly distracting in it’s awkwardness. But he is a very talented actor, and his singing voice has really improved, though at times his height was incredibly amusing.
John Larroquette. How do I even begin to describe this man? His talent is outstanding. He really took his character to a new level. He was absolutely hysterical the entire time. I have always been a fan of his, and this show definitely raised the bar. I have never, ever, been able to pronounce his last name correctly, though. But I finally have his autograph!
Christopher Hank played Bud Frump, and I will most definitely be keeping an eye out for him. I’ve never heard of him before, but he is extremely talented. He was very sweet when he came out of the stage door, taking his time with the fans. He has really put his name on my list.
I do have a few complaints about the portrayal of Hedy La Rue. Tammy Blanchard is a very talented actress, and did a wonderful job with the role, but needed to look about twenty years younger. While she acted everything perfectly, it was mildly distracting that she seemed to be the same age as J. B. Biggley. The character is supposed to be set up as the daughter of one of Biggley’s old classmates, not the sister. Her age just really messed with the plot line for me.
The show as a whole was quite impressive. Some standout numbers included Brotherhood of Man, Coffee Break, and Grand Old Ivy, plus the entire scene surrounding that song. Every other line had the house in tears. Ellen Harvey just about completely stole the show when she jumped into Brotherhood of Man. I don’t think I’ve ever clapped so hard in my life.
In other news, I ended up not sending the headshots in to Royal Pains. I just had too much going on getting ready for school and working. I’ll save them for next time.
I’m finally starting school! For some reason Pace doesn’t start until the same time high school does, so I’ve had the same amount of summer as I always have. But in two days I’ll be living and breathing Manhattan! I’m trying to work it out to get into a dance class, and I need to set up some voice lessons to start working on auditions again. I really am hoping to just get out there and audition for everything, just because. There’s no time like the present!
