A rehearsal free night tonight. Ahhhhh.....

I love Oklahoma! I didn't expect to enjoy this role this much, especially since my heart was set on playing a different role this summer, but it's lovely to work with a costar again in a second show, even if it wasn't the costar I was expecting.

We rehearse in a tiny church gym with acoustics that guarantee a headache after a few minutes. If someone walks into a corner and whispers, the reverb can overcome a room of talking actors. Crowd noise is unbearable. The director has cut off rehearsal because he can't bear the barage of the actors hitting high notes (the one high-ish one in the show).

Our music director is a professional, and is putting together the pre-recorded orchestra track himself. Right now it's very raw, but he's allowing us to give imput into tempos and timing. Curly and I, after a lugubrious reprise post-proposal scene, asked for a faster tempo, since the kissing was already over for the scene, so we weren't leading up to anything, and it needed to be more "Yay!" than "Ahhhhh." The director said he'd write that down.

Le Musee du Rodin had it's last read through last night before our performance for the Seattle Playwrite group on the 6th. One actor was pushing for another reading tonight, but luckily the cast voted her down. We've already had 5 rehearsals - unheard of for a reading minus set, blocking, or costume. We do get to keep our accents, which were hanging in the balance for a few days. I'm glad. I spent a lot of money and time to get mine down pat.

Only a month until Oklahoma! opens!!!! Sadly, I don't get to try my own dream ballet. They've got much better dancers than me - and the director is tied to Laurey overlooking the ballet from the 2nd floor balcony of the farmhouse. But I do get to dance front and center in Many a New Day, which is great fun!

In answer to Angie, about how many stage engagements I've had:

Engaged (or 'pinned', I suppose, since that was the "thing" in Bye Bye Birdie) 5 times.

Married 6 times. But Sound of Music was my first stage wedding, Oklahoma will be my second.

In a relationship that presumably ended in marriage, 2 or 3, depending.

Divorces - 2
Flings - 1

Relationships ending in the death of a partner, 1.

Relationships ending in my own death, 1.

(Drea, can you name the shows?)

A shortie.

I'm working full time. I'm in rehearsals five nights a week. Last night we choreographed "Many a New Day." I'm so happy that Laurie gets to dance it, instead of just sing. Tonight Act 1 opening, and proposal scene at the auction. First day of blocking and we've jumped straight to the punch.

This week is going to be very long. I have an audition this evening before rehearsal, and on my non-Oklahoma days I have a read-though and a pickup rehearsal for Le Musee du Rodin, which peforms July 6.

Next week I audition for The Sound of Music. Again. Different company. Still haven't heard back from Village, but neither has anyone else, so no disappointment yet.

I should have more rehearsal stories soon. There's not much to say about the past week of vocal rehearsals except that it's not my favorite part of the process.

Off work early. At the library waiting to use a practice room. Going to see Night Flight tonight at the Moore. Tomorrow I have a callback. And I caught myself today saying "We've got tables a-plenty" and realized I'm already taking on Laurie for the summer....ergh.

A productive day, ending with an Oklahoma accent coaching. Trying to turn my second hand Texan into reasonable Oklahoma - without any of the R&H horrible transliterated New York Oakie is a challenge. And then, determining if I will stand out too much if I do a real accent and the rest of the cast does the musical theater one will be another thing. Fard. (Fired) Hard. (Hired) All (I'll - but not Texan Aihl).

Studying Oklahoma!

Preparing for a role is my favorite part of a play. Except actually performing. That's saying a lot, too, because I even like tech rehearsals. (The only thing I don't like about performing is the initial meet and greet, where the very excited production team meets the actors and tells us what makes this experience unique. After signing a contract, getting measured, meeting the cast and getting my script, I can save the socializing and stories of past productions until the production is up and rolling.)

Yesterday I checked out a book on Oklahoma Territory. I've read Green Grow the Lilacs to find some more interesting character traits (there are tons), and I've also checked into what books were published within 15 years of 1906 to find out what her influences may have been. Or which ones I'm choosing them to be. I've looked up movies set in Oklahoma besides Oklahoma! to get a real accent started as I learn lines, and I've started developing a back history and motivation for Laurie based on interchanges in the original play that didn't make it into the musical. I know who Curly is, how much older he is than she, how long she's loved him, and how long he's known she existed. I know where she grew up, what happened to her parents, and why she escapes into dreams and is so frightened of something bad happening.

The audience won't be aware of any of this, of course, but it helps me to know all of this about her, making her more than a two dimensional musical theater ingenue.

My script has several pages of post it notes in it, and I spent the other evening with a pot of tea and a yellow highlighter going through my script. I love my job!

I have news! I got a callback for Meet Me In St. Louis at Village Theatre! Next Saturday!