(no subject)

[sagesaria]

And now for some ramblings about Tommy that aren't fangirling about getting the number I wanted;

The show's really starting to come together now. We're storyboarding the second act right now; I play a reporter in the second act so I'm gonna be pretty much everywhere. I need to learn my part in the Sensation reprise; it's the same part that's in the first one, but I wasn't taught that part so I have to catch up. I think I can pick up on it, I just need to know which part of the chord I'm singing XD;

We're still looking for a four-year-old Tommy; we've got two more kids to audition, I think. But we have a ten-year-old Tommy; Brit's small and tomboyish enough to pass as a young boy so she auditioned. That made me feel a lot better about the scenes with ten-year-old Tommy; Things go much more smoothly when we have an older person who KNOWS us and is willing to let somebody pretend to take advantage of her. Still a little concerned about Sparks though; creepy doctors+unfamiliar four-year-old=? But hopefully we'll find a kid soon and can talk him/her through it so they don't totally freak out.

The principles got their costumes yesterday. It was a little jarring seeing Brit; the Tommys where all white suits and I'm so used to seeing Brit in stripes and stuff. And she was wearing a wig too; I was almost like "...what did you do to your hair o_O" XD

We're moving to the stage we'll actually be performing on (we've been in the theatre building) on Tuesday, and I think that's also when we'll meet the band. I can't wait!

One of the things I really love about this experience is being able to talk to each other like our characters. I'm always scared that people in theatre would get annoyed at me for doing that, but I did it a lot in my class last semester and it's happening a lot here. Even from the crew; our music guy Chris actually yelled "Gracie! Where's your husband?" once when Aaron was missing XD And we also get moments like Brit screaming "Daddy noooo!" when Aaron tried to strangle her, Aaron going "Hey! Get off of my wife!" when somebody was wrestling with Gracie, and some fun with Uncle Ernie, such as when we were storyboarding Sparks and I handed a folder to Aaron, and he opened it up and said "...AIDS?!" and Brit yelled "DAMMIT ERNIE!", or Andrew and Brit (the two Tommys) hovering over Bacon (yes that's his nickname. it's awesome. and he plays Ernie btw) going "You molested usssss" in a creepy voice

I'm still lukewarm about doing this for a living or a hobby or whatever. It's a lot of work; I'm not sure I could do it all the time. And I've also recently had a few low self-esteem days and gone "Oh I'm too fat to be in anything really important." I'm also really picky about the things I audition for; if it's a musical I don't even consider auditioning unless it's one I know. Not the best attitude to go into theatre with, am I right?


- chorus girl in the wedding scene, somewhere on stage right
- during the air raid after the wedding, I come out of a burning building on stage right then get blown away when a bomb explodes in front of me. I may or may not have somebody with me; originally Brit was going to be with me, but then she became ten-year-old Tommy
- head nurse in Sparks; I escort Tommy to the doctors and follow the gurney taking notes and talking to the doctors, and in the end of it I examine him myself
- nurse in Sparks reprise; I run a series of tests with bells and drums to see if Tommy reacts
- very end of Pinball Wizard; not sure where I'll be there or what I'm doing yet, but I'm there
- end of the underture in act 2; I move the mirror onstage
- reporter in Sensation reprise; I stand at the microphone in front on stage left and sing with three other reporters
- help spin a pinball machine on stage left in Pinball Wizard reprise or whatever it's called
- one of the crowd in I'm Free reprise; I'm not sure if I'm a reporter or not but I'm in the crowd on stage left

note: the parts where I'm moving stuff may change as we get further in; we are eventually going to have a tech crew lol
also a reminder; stage left is the actor's left when facing the house, meaning that it would be the audience's right

Comments

[maugorn.livejournal.com]

You are right. Performing for a living or even a hobby is hard hard work. Lots of sweat and sacrifice.

In defense of it, and as I'm sure you know, the rewards can be amazing and unlike many other endeavors. To know that you've created something special is a big rush.

As for the self-esteem thing-
Stay strong, or as strong as you can.
While there are still alot of people who believe that fat=/worthy, in entertainment that doesn't have to always be the case EVEN THO ALOT OF IT IS BASED ON IMAGE. That is changing, but there is also a phenomenon that you can access if you're willing to chance it.

Notice how alot of rock&rollers aren't the prettiest of people. Some of them are for sure, but there are alot of plain and sometimes downright ugly musicians who make up for it with their talent, and have become quite desirable during their careers despite what would be, on the surface, a disadvantage.

They truly manage to affect an "end run" around the normal standards of beauty. It's a funny thing, performing. When you do it well, it's almost like that GIVES you the right to do it. When you perform well, people are naturally drawn to you and want *your* approval.

Personally, I think that you *do* have the kind of charisma that befits a good performer. I know you're down on your looks and your appearance, but as cliche as it is, there's alot more to you than just that IMNSHO.
When you embrace this charisma that you seem to posess and use it as part of your performance, you have a very winning presence. I base this on the way you won over your first big audience at "Puttin' On The Hits". Your sincerity and your sweetness and your ability all shone thru and made alot of that other stuff you're worrying about not matter nearly so much.
By the end of your song, you won over an entire auditorium full of high-schoolers, who are notorious for being some of the roughest houses to play to.
Don't let yourself forget or discount that. That was a VERY BIG DEAL that you were able to do that.
If you can do that, I think that you've got *something* to offer to the world as an entertainer.
Your looks are something that can certainly be an asset, but they are NOT the end of the story in this field.

As for being too picky about the parts you audition for, well, yeah, when you're starting out, being over-picky runs the risk of you self-selecting OUT of alot of good opportunities. But you know, there's also alot to be said about not wasting your time on a gig that's not fulfilling. Ultimately the best way to feel good about any decisions you make is to learn as much as you can about your opportunities before you jump in. To know what you're turning down.
It's hard to know without experience, but it's not impossible to learn.

You may find yourself changing your mind about some shows and some parts as you grow and learn.
I certainly did. There's songs I play now that were almost toxic to me when I was your age.
You may also, as you get more experience, learn to better spot potential disasters and dead ends before you fall into them.

Don't sweat all that too much right now. That kind of wisdom, maturity, and experience has a way of finding you. Just be prepared to learn something no matter what you choose. As long as you make good use of that knowledge, you'll have few regrets.

In the meantime, enjoy the opportunity you're having right now.