BTG WEEK 6

Hello Friends!  I know I know!  I'm behind!  But I have been very busy so #sorrynotsorry
here is what I did during week 6!

Monday July 13, 2015

Today we started rehearsal for "The Club"!!!  Yay! Finally I get to be back in rehearsals!!  We started the morning off by having a "meet and greet" of the cast/crew/available company members.  The play is co-directed by Rocco Sisto and Barbara Allen, Musical Direction by Deborah Lapidus and it features Maureen O'Flynn, Annette Miller, Deborah Grausman, and Stephanie Hedges.  After the meet and greet (which included a bagel spread!) we did a read/sing through.  The principle actors received their parts prior to the first rehearsal so they came in with the songs learned and partly memorized.  My part is called "Little Henry" or "Henry 2" and it was created for our production.  I will be following the butler character, Henry, around and singing with him and dancing with him.  The apprentices didn't have much to do during the read through (except for Sophie who has a principle role) but it was amazing to watch the professional actors work.

After the read through we broke for lunch.  Then when we resumed rehearsal we got into learning/fine tuning the music.  Maggie and Annika got released a little early, but I had to stay because they were going to work some "Henry bits".  We did not end up working on the Henry stuff, so I was released early.  On my way home a sudden rain storm happened and I got drenched.  DRENCHED!  Please see the evidence below.

drenched.

so. much. water.

Tuesday July 14, 2015 

Today was full of learning music!  We were called at 11am and worked the most complicated song of the show until 1pm.  Then on our lunch hour we ran to Laurin Publishing (the apprentice classroom space, the awful cement room) for a Q& A session with David Adkins (the writer and star of Thoreau) and to rehearse for the Kern Musical Monday (which is next Monday).  We then ran back to the Garage at the Colonial for the rest of the Club rehearsal from 3pm to 5:30pm.  

then we collapsed into heaps on the floor because we were tired.

Wednesday July 15, 2015

Another day full of learning music!  We had rehearsal from 11:30-1pm working on two different songs, and then we worked from 2pm-4pm on two other songs.  At 4pm I had my costume fitting!  Woo!  I get to wear an edwardian era butler's tuxedo.  I laughed out when I saw myself in the mirror!  Pictures to come later!

Thursday July 16, 2015

Today we only had rehearsal from 10am-12pm because we have a 4 hour long rehearsal for the Kern Music Monday.  We had a bit of a shock at the beginning of the rehearsal because we found out that Stephanie was dropping out of the production, and that Maggie was going to be bumped up to a principle roll.  It was a shock, but I was so excited for Maggie!  We then sang through the play.  

When rehearsal ended we ran over to Laurin Publishing for the 4 hour Kern rehearsal.  We finished blocking the rest of the medley and ran through the bits of the show. 

We then had to car park.  As always.

Friday July 17, 2015

At the start of rehearsal the directors decided to cut bits of the show.  So we went through the cuts, and later in the afternoon we went over more music.  While I was on a break, I got called in to be fit with costumes again.  But this time I got to be a model for the Costume designer to show the directors!  

One of my "looks"

After rehearsal we actually collapsed on our beds and pasted out.  so exhausted.  But we got to wake up and go.......CAR PARKING! oh joy.

Saturday July 18, 2015

We had a short rehearsal today, 10-12pm!  And we ran through music again.  

After rehearsal we went to park cars again. What joy.  

Then we had the rest of the day off!  I took a two hour nap, and had a leisurely afternoon.

Later in the evening we went to the opening part of "I Saw My Neighbor on the Train and I Didn't Even Smile".  Then we went home and passed out again.

Sunday July 19, 2015

Day off!  Woooohooo!!

Maggie and Eleanor SwimmingWe slept in and went for bagel for breakfast.  In the afternoon, Maggie, Eleanor and I went to My Dad's friend, Lori Bernstein's house in West Stockbridge.  We spent a bit of the afternoon in her pool and petting her dog!  Then a HUGE thunderstorm (complete with  tornado and flash flood warnings) rolled in.  We sat the tornado warning out in her bedroom, and then she took us out to dinner (because the BBQ she had planned got rained out).  It was a wonderful afternoon and a great escape from Buel house! 

Enjoying the Pool.

Lori's beautiful house.

Beautiful West Stockbridge.

Sorry for the glob of pictures!

More to come.

XOXO,

Kate

BTG WEEK 5

Week 5 went by incredibly fast!  I can't believe we are almost half way done with the program!  Now for the good stuff:

Monday July 6, 2015

We started the week off by having stage fighting class with Tony Simotes.  We learned how to do a round house punch, and the reaction to it.  He also talked to us about why we do theatre, and our purpose for doing theatre.  We later had class with Tara Franklin and more Suzuki training.  Suzuki is kicking my butt.  It hurts my feet.  A lot.  So it is not my favorite thing.  But I am trying to stay positive!    We spent the afternoon doing laundry and food shopping, quite the productive afternoon.  

Tuesday July 7,2015 

Today we had our last Suzuki lesson.  And she kicked our butts.  My core is still hurting from it.  We then had class with Mark, and worked on Kern once again.  We once again had car parking, and I got eaten alive by Mosquitos.  

Sorry my posts are not as exciting!  We are in a routine now, and nothing very exciting is happening right now.  It is all training that would take too much to get into!  But I start rehearsal for "The Club" next week, so I should have some more exciting things to post.  

Wednesday July 8, 2015

Today I was so excited!  Because.....drum roll......My Dad came to visit me!  He called me about a week before and said that he had some business in NYC and wanted to come up and see me. So I was in a very good mood today.  The day also started off with a wig fitting for "The Cub".  It was interesting because in the show all the women play men, so we were getting fitted for men's wigs.   It was very silly, and I now know for sure that I do not look good with a men's haircut from the Edwardian time period!  The funny thing was that even with the wig on, I still looked like a girl (damn you baby cheeks!) so they decided that I will get a mustache! (Yay baby cheeks!)  I think it will be funny to have a mustache. 

Dad and me in front of Buel House 

Anyway, after the wig fitting we had stage fighting class with Tony Simotes.  Today we learned the grappling hold ( I think that is what it is called).  It is when someone "attacks" you from behind, puts their arms around your trunk and hold/grabs the back of your neck.  Then we learned a combo with the stage punch, and grappling hold and then an elbow to the stomach.  His class is a work out, I was very sore the next day from "thrashing" about in the grappling hold.  After Tony's class we had Musical Monday rehearsal with our director Elyn Collier.  Elyn is a directing apprentice this season and has been assigned to director  the Kern Musical Monday.  We blocked several of the songs, and reviewed several others. 

After class I met up with my Dad and Marianne (my grandma!) and we went to dinner at a local Italian restaurant.  Then we hauled ourselves over to Stockbridge to see "Deathtrap" at the Main Campus.  After the show we drove back to Pittsfield and I stayed with them at their motel.  It was a sketchy place, but it was nice to have a private shower and a big bed all to myself!  Also air conditioning.  I forgot what a cool room was like!  And TV! So many things I didn't know I missed until I had them again! 

Thursday July 9, 2015

Dad woke me up early because he had to drive back to Newark,NJ to catch a plane.  So we had a quick breakfast at Ottos (a local breakfast joint) and then him and Marianne dropped me off at Buel house and they were off!  It was a quick visit but I had a great time with them and I was glad I got to share a bit of my life here with them.

7AM breakfast

When I got back to Buel I took a quick nap (yes, it was that early) and then we went off to Musical Monday rehearsal.  I was assigned another piece of music, "Life Upon the Wicked Stage" from Show Boat.  Basically I was given the song, ran through it once and then blocked it.  It was a whirlwind, but I really like the song! :)

We had the rest of the day off, and we spent it napping and relaxing, and practicing our music.  And in the evening we had, once again, car parking.  But we were parking cars in the pouring rain.  And by pouring rain I mean torrential down pour.  I'm starting to believe that after this summer I'll be prepared for anything.

Friday July 10, 2015

We started our morning with Stage Fighting with Tony Simotes.  And we learned the art of the hair pull.  We learned how to do it with two hands and then with one hand.  It was pretty interesting.

Let me direct you to your parking spot.

In the afternoon we had another Masterclass with Kate Maguire.  Since the Bells are Ringing kids were in tech it was just the Poppins and Club casts.  She decided that she wanted to work on Shakespeare monologues.  ( I was unprepared for this since the last time we did contemporary and only 2 people got to go). So when she told me to perform, the only monologue that came to me was Brutus' Oration from "Julius Caesar", a monologue which I have not touched in over a year.  So when I went up and started I got about three lines in and totally spaced.  Completely spaced.  I started again and once again spaced.  (I believe that I said something along the lines of "Romans, Countrymen, and Lovers.  Hear me for my Cause and be silent for what you oh SHUT UP"  I was so embarrassed!  Kate then had me grab my phone to look up the words, and worked with me to drop my breath in so I could drop my voice down. Once I did that, BAM! The speech came back to me!  It was like Magic!  And then I kicked butt! ;)  A little humiliation now and then is good for the soul, right?  This was the first day where we really got to see each other's acting abilities, and let me tell you, we are a talented group.

Later I had car parking again (not in the rain this time!) and then we met Christian, Eleanor and Mollie at Patricks Pub for dinner/ a drink.  It was a fun evening!

Saturday July 11, 2015

So Saturday was technically our day off, but we had to go to  Safety Training.  "Thoreau, or Return to Walden" closed on Saturday and we had to help with strike.  So this training session was about how to be safe.  And it lasted 5 min!  But it was stuff we all have done before so it was nothing new to us.

We had Car parking in the afternoon (naturally) and then went home to get dressed for the opening night of "Bells are Ringing".  The show was very cute and I think we all enjoyed it.  After the show was the opening night party. I left early because we had to be in Stockbridge at 8am!  Once home, Eleanor and I found ourselves home alone, so we ordered Pizza and watched the pilot episode of Hannibal.  Then we realized it was 2AM and had to rest up for the work day.

Sunday July 12, 2015

Dead after strike.

So we woke up very early so we could get to Stockbridge on time.  We had an 8 hour work day scheduled.  We first did two hours of striking the set of Thoreau, which involved throwing away bits of foam, lugging big rocks and bricks from the theatre to the scene shop, and sweeping the stage clear of debris.  Then the electrics crew came in and we helped them strike the lights from Thoreau, and helped them hang the new plot for the next show, "I saw my neighbor on the train and I didn't even smile".  And by helping hang lights I mean, move the ladder for the electricians, and bracing it so it doesn't fall, and grabbing various light fixtures and gels.  It was 6 hours of this very tedious work.  We were all exhausted at the end, and veged out for the rest of the afternoon.

Don't make me move anymore! 

More to come next week!

XOXO,
Kate

BTG WEEK 4

Hello Friends!  Week Four went by so fast!  I can't believe I am already here writing another post! Now for the good stuff

Monday June 29, 2015

We started our week off with our first Suzuki lesson!  I was so excited to learn this method of training, it was one of the things I was looking forward to the most.  I soon realized that there is pain, lots of pain involved.  At least for me.  The whole concept of Suzuki is learning to be more aware of your body when you are acting.  So when you are standing on stage doing a monologue your whole body is alive, not just your voice.   Anyhow, it involved mostly your lower body and core.  We started class off with an intense yoga warm up, and more core workouts (I feel this summer will be the summer of the core), then we got into the good stuff.  We started class off learning the "Slow 10" walking, followed by learning how to do standing and sitting statues.  By the end of class we were all exhausted, it is very physical work.  The next class we had was rehearsal with Mark Gionfriddo.  We worked on the Kern Musical Monday pieces.

Later in the afternoon, Maggie and I went for a drive (everyone else had rehearsal and we were sick of being stuck in the house).  We found a nearby lake and took a walk around it, then drove around the Pittsfield area.  We ended up near Mt. Greylock, which is the highest point in Massachusetts.  So we drove to the top of the mountain, but couldn't enjoy the view because the clouds had begun to roll in just as we got to the top.  

Tuesday June 30, 2015

Today we started class with Mark, but today we worked on our Sondheim/Schwartz pieces.  Later in the afternoon we had class with Tara Franklin, our Suzuki instructor.  Tara was an acting apprentice in 1997 and even ran the program for a few years.  She is currently in "Sleep No More" in NYC.  We went over the "Slow 10" walks, statues, and even learned some of the famous Suzuki walks (however we did not do the stomping due to the concrete floors).  The day was completed with the dreaded car parking. (It's not that bad, I just like to complain)

Wednesday July 1, 2015

We started our morning off with Yoga!  I love yoga, it is so relaxing! And it helps strengthen your muscles.  We were supposed to have a masterclass with Kate Maguire, but she had to reschedule for next week.  So a few of us went to a coffee shop instead, and had a nice relaxing afternoon.  We then had class with Mark, where we worked on our Sondheim/Schwartz pieces.  The evening was completed once again with car parking.

Thursday July 2, 2015

Today was a great day!  We only had one class, which was with Mark, and we worked on our Kern songs.  Following class, we drove to Albany, NY to get Chipotle! It was an hour drive, but so worth it.  Everyone was happy with the decision, and we decided it was a trip we must make again.  After our Chipotle adventure, we went to the mall in Albany.  The Berkshire Mall is lacking in good stores and is very sketchy, so it was  nice to have so many options! :)  We then drove home and had to do car parking.  But I got to work concessions and I made $22 in tips! Whipee!

Friday July 3, 2015

Our day was started off with with Stage Combat lessons with Tony Simotes.  Tony helped start Shakespeare and Company (just down the street from us), he is a veteran actor from both NYC and LA, and he is an expert stage fighter.  He spent the entire time talking to us about his life, so we haven't learned any of the cool stuff yet.  After his class we had class with Mark again and worked on the Kern again.  Later that night was the opening night of Deathtrap.  Of course we had to work car parking, but today we stayed and snuck into the theatre to see the show.  I thought it was amazing, and I plan to see it several more times.  It is a show that has a lot of complexities to it, and I want to analyze it more.  After the show was the opening night party.  We stayed to socialize and talk with the actors.  We had a great night!

Saturday July 4, 2015

Today we had the day off!! Yay days off!  Yay America! The Mary Poppins kids had to march in Pittsfield's annual parade. It was pouring rain outside, and they were such troopers!  Maggie, Sophie and I went to support them.  Later in the afternoon, (and when the sun finally came out), the company hosted a picnic for everyone.  We took pictures, had hot dogs, played corn hole.  It was fun.  We then went to the lake to take more pictures, and then went home and had a party with the rest of the apprentices. It was fun!

Sunday July 5, 2015

Another day off!  Yay!  Today we slept in, and then went to a local lake in Lenox.  It was a nice relaxing afternoon in the sun.  We then went home and saw the movie "Spy" which was hilarious.  It was a nice relaxing day.


More to come next week!

XOXO,
Kate