Weekly update

Things are going well here. We had our first rehearsal for R&J yesterday morning. I am pretty siked about this show. All the actors are just...really...good! Its very exciting to just observe, and even more inspiring to be apart of the company. For me, Shakespeare is a whole new ballgame and a bit intimidating, but to these folks, I suppose R&J would be like me doing Hello, Dolly! or something...(oh, readers, please don't hate me for making that comparison!).

The company on a whole is so appreciative and friendly towards the intern company. The artistic director/producer makes a point to tell us we are appreciated, the choreographer takes us aside and tells us, as does the cast. It really makes the work a pleasure.

The last two days the intern company started our "professional training" program. We had a movement class that I found pretty intriguing. We were taught along Laban's principles; we explored body and energy levels/tempos, as well as polarized ideas, such as a person's energy being strong vs. weak, loose vs. tight, and so on. If one was to walk in on our class, they would see us moving around the space looking pretty foolish, but actually, it was a great exercise about the physicality of character. I just ate this all up. I plan on reading up more when I get home.

The costumes are gonna be so cool! We have a girl who comes in just to paint the shoes. I'll have to sneak a picture. She takes regular, Payless-looking, one inch tall, block heel tan shoes and transforms them into brightly-colored period looking ballroom shoes. What an incredible imagination she has (plus shes really nice too, I'm glad she moved into the dorm this week).

Gotta say, dorm life is awesome. I love the concept - door open, friends come in! door closed, friends stay out. Its very social and friendly here. I've even started talking to the receptionists at the front desk (got out of a parking ticket that way), and talked to some students here for summer school. I had forgotten what an alternate universe college campuses tend to breed. Its really very nice...although...I will be happy to have a separate bedroom, office, and kitchen when I get home.

There is a chapel room in the basement (gotta love Catholic Universities!) that has a piano...which means...I have adopted it into my own private practice studio. I have my own key to the costume shop which is likewise in the basement of the dorm, which holds the other elements I use for practicing such as a full length mirror and high heels. I am really very satisfied with my dorm arrangement. Now I even have a voice studio here with a baby grand piano (I just have a wonky upright at home).

Two night ago I was practicing for my recital (which is straight from the 24 Italian Arias book...that is a pretty funny inside joke for any voice major), and I could tell people were just hanging around outside the door. Guess they aren't used to people hollering in the basement very often. One student even knocked and complimented me on my singing. Anyways, what I learned is that those songs which I had brushed off as "so easy" are actually sort of tricky, and I foresee much practicing in my little chapel. I have about two weeks before my recital, I know I can get in shape by then.

The weather here is actually pretty nice. Its been hot, but not nearly as humid as back home. It also tends to rain a bit every day. So far we've only had to cancel one show due to rain, which happened to be opening night. Guess it was due to the curse of Macbeth.

We have dance rehearsal at 9am every single day. Many days this upcoming week, I only have dance from 9-10am, then the show at 7pm. It'll be nice to stay out of the hot sun, but man, is it difficult to be up early!