Ideas in Performance: Spring 2010

Well…we’ve been back for almost 2 weeks now.  I’ve been thinking about everything we did in NYC and what it means for me. I’ve been trying to focus on what I actually want to do. I now know that I really just want to act/sing, either one is fine. I didn’t really realize this in NYC, but more right after NYC. As soon as we got back, I jumped right into tech week for a Studio 115 show that I was stage managing. Though this was my fourth stage managing experience, I think I finally got it into my head that I don’t want to stage manage for a living, or ever again for that matter. Being in NYC, seeing all the shows, and meeting all the actors really made me realize that I just love performing, in any aspect.

In other exciting news…I got a very special text message last Monday morning from Alice Ripely!  I had given her my contact information while we were in NYC and she texted me the day after we got back (of course…).  We’ve been talking via text message for the past week or so and I’ve learned a lot from what she’s been telling me. I think her path is similar to what I want mine to be. Alice Ripely didn’t go to grad school, she just started acting right out of college in San Diego. I really feel like that’s what I want to do. I feel like grad school for me, if it does happen, will be far down the road. I want to get out there and start auditioning as soon as possible.

Also, this week I got a Facebook message from Leigh Ann Larkin! I had messaged her about A Little Night Music before we left and she wrote me back the other day. I loved her performance in that show, so I’m really looking forward to what information she can give me.

What am I going to do after I graduate?  Anyone who has asked me that has gotten pretty much the same answer.  I tell them that I will hopefully be going to auditions and acting in regional theatres around the DC area.  I really don’t have many plans for the distant future.  I’m more worried about what I’m going to be doing this summer.  If I don’t have anything planned, my parents aren’t going to be happy…I’m not going to be happy.  I’ve been looking into summer theatre festivals, but I haven’t found much.  I would love to do a program like I did last year or be in a non-eq company at a theatre, but I’m having trouble finding theatres to apply to. 

This past Wednesday, I auditioned for the non-eq company at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where I was an acting apprentice last summer.  If I had to choose a place to spend my summers every year, it would be at the base of Mt. Greylock in Williamstown with the Festival.  My experiences there last year were simply amazing and I want to go back.  However, much to my dismay, I don’t think that I’ll be spending my summer there this year.  My audition definitely wasn’t disastrous, but it wasn’t spectacular either.  The song would have been worlds better if I had warmed up more…meaning if I had actually warmed up (I know, I know, I should have been more prepared.  I really don’t have any excuse for messing that up.)  The monologue went okay, I think.  I really don’t remember much about it.  I think the auditors enjoyed it.  I hope they did.  It was definitely the stronger performance out of the two.  While my audition wasn’t a complete failure, I know it probably didn’t wow them.   The two girls that went before me both had amazing voices and I could feel myself cringing slightly at the sound of my wavering voice.  I would be thrilled if I got a callback, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.  I guess the coming week(s) will tell.  Honestly, I would love to go back to Williamstown in any role.  I would love to be a Workshop intern, or the apprentice coordinator or an assistant to anyone!  While that wont really help with my acting abilities, I really would just love to be surrounded by the loving family I found there last summer.

So anyways, while my impending fate with the non-eq company at Williamstown torments my mind, I know that I must find some other options for the summer.  I am going to be auditioning for The Mikado at the Capital Hill Arts Workshop in a couple weeks.  I will warm up before hand for this one!  I’ve learned my lesson (which I had already known, but just didn’t think about)!

Please!  If anyone reads this, if you have any ideas for me for summer theatre festivals, let me know!  Post them here or email me at jeanmariehufford@gmail.com!!

• I had a couple hot dogs from a couple Sabrett’s vendors during the week.  Not bad.  I did have a stale bun once, but it wasn’t too bad for a $2 hot dog. 
• I got a hot pretzel on day.  It was quite large and I couldn’t finish it, but that could have also been because it was pretty dry and I didn’t have anything to drink.  I would definitely pay $3 for another though.
• Ray’s pizza was quite good.  After my first piece was eaten by someone else, I decided to get another piece later in the week.  However, it would have tasted so much better if it hadn’t cost me $6 for a slice.  I think I’ll stick to the $1 slices from those corner pizza shops.
• The elevators at the Marriott Marquis are intense.  The center elevators made me dizzy and the outer elevators are just crazy to ride in, especially when they go through the floors.  I think they could make a amusement park ride out of those elevators. 
• I passed by the Arch at Washington Square Park on Saturday when I was walking from brunch with some friends to the Lucille Lortel theatre.  I’m glad that I did.  It reminded me of the triumphal arches in Rome and Paris.
• I also passed by Le Petit Puppy.  So cute!  I wanted to play with the puppies.  “How much is that doggie in the window?…”
• On one of the days I was by myself, I visited the Trump Tower.  I don’t have much to say about it…it’s a building owned by Trump…I would have liked to go up it though.  Tiffany’s is always intimidating to go in to.  I feel like one wrong move and I’ll break all of the china and knock all of the cases over. 
• I also stopped by the Plaza hotel and felt sorry for the carriage horses.  I know that they are treated well, but they should be in the country side, away from heavy traffic and paved roads. 
• Dean & DeLuca’s.  Not a cheap cup of coffee. 
• On the way to Grand Central Terminal, Mackenzie and I saw Bryant Park.  We saw people playing checkers and people just sitting around reading and talking.  Not a bad hang out place.
• I saw the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building on the first day we walked around.  I didn’t see the Woolworth building until I went to the Hudson River Greenway. 

1. The Bethesda Fountain:  I wish that I hadn’t waited until the last minute to visit it!  I could have spent a lot more time sitting on the steps and just relaxing.  I’ll definitely go back the next time I’m in New York.  I am glad that I went after the snow had melted though.
2. Lincoln Center and the New York Library for Performing Arts:  I’ll admit, I went there twice during the week.  I wish that I could have spent more time exploring the books and the floors.  Such a great place for resources.  I loved looking through the plays and the sheet music.  I think that I could spend a whole day there.
3. Grand Central Terminal:  Mackenzie and I went on Friday, March 5th.  It is such a beautiful building.  I wanted to freeze in place and see what people would do, but I decided that it wouldn’t have the same impact.  We tried to find the Whispering Gallery, but we couldn’t find it on any of the maps and Jefferson called me in the middle of our search. 
4. MoMa: Modern art is definitely an interesting art form.  I especially find the canvas ripped down the center to be…interesting.  I do however like Andy Warhol and his Campbell’s Soup Can series is such a famous series.  If I had had more time, I would have loved to see the Tim Burton exhibit.  However, it was sold out.  Sad.  I do wish that I had gone to the Met also.
5. The Drama Book Shop: Loved it.  I wanted to buy everything.  I was surprised by the amount of scripts and other theatre related books they had.  I only allowed myself to buy one script this trip, but I’ll definitely go back when I visit the next time.  I’ll admit, I went there a few times during the week.
6. Stage Doors:  It might be quicker to write about the stage doors I didn’t wait at, but I’ll go through the list.  On Friday, February 26th, a bunch of us waited at the Race stage door and got autographs from James Spader, David Alan Grier, and Richard Thomas.  On Saturday, February 27th, a few of us tried to wait at the stage door for God of Carnage, but we think that the actors had already left by the time we got there.  On Sunday, February 28th, Tara, Mackenzie, Sarah and I waited at the Hair stage door.  We got a picture with Will Swenson and autographs from many of the actors.  On Monday, March 1st, a few of us waited at the stage door for A Behanding in Spokane and I got autographs from Zoe Kazan, Sam Rockwell, and Martin McDonagh, the playwright.  The stage door for A View From the Bridge was crazy.  I got an autograph from Corey Stoll, who is Marco in the show.  On Saturday, March 6th, while we were waiting outside the Lucille Lortel Theatre, the cast of The Pride came out and we got pictures with a few of them.  The In the Heights stage door was like a rock concert mob.  There were so many tweens and young adults waiting for Corbin Bleu to come out.  The group of us that stayed got autographs from Michael Balderrama, Corbin Bleu, Eliseo Roman, Gabrielle Ruiz and a few others.  Such a nice cast! 

So, I finally have some free time to finish my posts about NYC!  Took me long enough…oops.  On Saturday, we went to see The Pride at the Lucille Lortel Theatre.  I liked it for the most part, but I seem to always sit behind a much taller male audience member and I missed the majority of what happened center stage.  I am grateful that the set incorporated mirrors, because I could at least see the actors backs in the reflection.  I enjoyed listening to the dialogue and I thought that the actors, especially Andrea Riseborough and Ben Whishaw, did an amazing job at distinguishing their characters in the different time periods. 

After The Pride, I walked over to the New York Theatre Workshop to finally meet with Matt.  I’m so glad that the meeting actually took place and we didn’t have to move the time again.  Needless to say, I felt horrible about postponing the other meetings and bought him a box of chocolates.  Matt really pushed for continuing my education.  I have always had graduate school in the back of my mind, but I never really thought about pursuing the idea.  But he made me think harder about it.  I know that I’ll definitely need to continue learning to gain a better grounding as an actor, but I always thought that I would defer applying to schools for a couple of years and earn some money (hopefully) and build up my resume (hopefully).  Matt told me that this was a good time to start applying and look around for scholarships and grants.  Most schools will allow accepted students to defer for a year or so if they can’t attend immediately.  I’m still not sure if I will apply this year, but I’m definitely starting to think about it more. 

Saturday night we went to see In the Heights.  I thought that it was a fun show.  I loved the dancing and the whole cast had such amazing energy.  I want to be able to dance like that!  I do wish that we could have seen Karen Olivo and Lin-Manuel Miranda, but I think that Gabrielle Ruiz and Corbin Bleu definitely held their own as Vanessa and Usnavi (respectively).  I loved Olga Roman as Abuela Claudia.  What a powerhouse!  She deserved that Tony nomination.  I was blown away by “Paciencia y Fe.”  Wow, just wow.  Such passion and honesty.  I also loved Eliseo Roman, the Piragua Guy.  His voice is just amazing.  At the stage door, I mentioned to him that I had seen his YouTube series “Legally Brown: The Search for the Next Piragua Guy” and we had a quick laugh.  (Everyone should check it out!  Matt Morrison, Noah Weisberg, Allison Janney and many others make appearances in the episodes.)

On Sunday, I unfortunately wasn’t able to see Venus in Fur, which was one of the shows I was really excited about.  However, I was invited to go backstage in the Gershwin Theatre by Andy Karl, which was an amazing experience.  He showed me around the entire theatre and took me on stage.  I really wanted to ride on Glinda’s bubble…but I refrained from asking.  It was just there…empty…only a couple feet above the stage…but I knew that I couldn’t.  Oh well…next time?  Kidding.  Anyways, Andy told me about how he got into theatre and had some great advice.  I unfortunately had to leave at half hour, but that gave me time to visit the Bethesda Fountain and explore more of midtown on my own. 

Unfortunately, we had to leave that night, but I know that I’ll be visiting soon (not just the quick trip this past Tuesday and Wednesday).  I feel like I gained a lot of knowledge about what it takes to be an actor in New York.  While some of what I was told was cautionary, I feel like being an actor became more accessible.  I know that it’s going to be a rough path to go down, but after going to New York the idea that this is what I want to do with my life became more cemented in my mind.  I probably wont move to New York right after I graduate.  I’m going to stay in DC.  But if the opportunity came, I wouldn’t hesitate to move to New York.

“Oh, if only there were Broadway shows I could see during all this free time I have…. not”

I have not stopped since I got back from NYC.  I launched right into Tech Week for Fresh Horses as an actor and the lighting designer.  In addition to that I had to hold rehearsals for my directing scene. And tonight I have to perform my second workshop piece in MTP (Musical Theatre Performance). Busy, Busy, Busy… I love it.

Amazing how a little time in a big city can really put things into perspective.

I started writing this post last Monday, but I got side tracked with tech week and school work.  But anyway, I wanted to catch my blog up on what I did from Wednesday night to Sunday. 

So, Wednesday we went to see Fela! and it was so much fun.  I went in with the mindset that I wouldn’t like it, but I was definitely proven wrong.  I loved the energy and I thought that the cast did an amazing job.  There was such honesty in their performance.  I thought that the lighting was great and the concert atmosphere kept me interested.  I loved the projections, especially the one of Fela’s mother.  So cool.

Thursday afternoon I met with Jeremy Beck, who was at Williamstown last summer and did Quartermaine’s Terms with.  He and Simon Jones are both in techs for The Cocktail Party at the Beckett Theatre in Theatre Row on 42nd street.  Jeremy had some great stories about auditions and his experiences in New York.  After lunch we went to the theatre and he showed me backstage.  I met the costume designer, who told me some of his stories.  Towards the end of their lunch break, Simon came back to the theatre and we said a quick hi before they had to start rehearsal.

Thursday night I met Ray Lee at a Starbucks.  We chatted a bit about his experiences in college and New York.  I was sad that he has also experienced troubles with not getting cast because of his ethnicity.  We bonded over the fact that we’re both Korean and he told me all of the locations for good Korean food in the city.

After my meeting with Ray, we went to see A Little Night Music.  I liked the performance.  The complexity of Sondheim’s music and lyrics always amaze me.  I thought Leigh Ann Larkin’s performance was amazing as Petra.  “The Miller’s Son” is such a hard piece to perform and her performance of that song was the best that I have ever seen.  The show may not be one that I would desperately want to see again, but I enjoyed the performance I saw.

On Friday, Mackenzie and I decided to do some after her meeting with Joe.  So we went to Grand Central and tried to find the whispering corners.  When we were there, I got a call from Jefferson Mays saying that he was in the Village and had time to meet with me.  We hopped on the 6 train and headed downtown to meet him at Cafe Orlin.  Shortly after we arrived, Jefferson’s wife Susan joined us and they told us about some of their experiences in theatre.  Jefferson told us about how I Am My Own Wife evolved.  I had no idea that Doug Wright pretty much wrote the play for Jefferson to act in and that he was involved with the process since the beginning.

I was going to meet with Matt McGrath after my meeting with Jefferson, but I got a call telling me that the curtain time for The Book of Grace was half an hour before we thought it was going to be.  Luckily Matt was super nice about it and agreed to meet with me between performances on Saturday, which I’ll get more into later.  So, The Book of Grace was definitely not my favorite.  I never really got into it.  I’m not exactly sure what it was.  Maybe it was the acting, maybe it was the writing, I’m just not really sure.  I started to get interested when Buddy started to film himself, but I quickly lost interest again.  Maybe the people on the other side of the audience distracted me too much.  I thought the set was neat and I the projections were awesome.  I’m not really sure why I didn’t like it, I just didn’t.  Oh well. 

More to come later!

We were asked at the beginning of the semester to think about our “discovery,” something about us that we would find during the semester that would tell us more about who we are and what we want to do after graduation.  Our trip to New York was a research trip to help answer that specific question.  While in New York I was asking myself “Do I want to sew for the rest of my life, or work on wardrobe?”  “Do I want to stay in theatre or merge into film?”  Understanding of course that I can always change my career should I desire to, I set out to answer the questions.

What I found out was not all that surprising to me.  This semester, while working on Romeo & Juliet, I started to feel bored with what I was doing.  Maybe it was the routine day after day sewing that annoyed me.  I love to sew, sure, but maybe what I love is sewing things that I want to sew, for myself or others.  That’s not to say that I do not love my job, because I do, it’s just that sometimes I just don’t feel like sewing.  And if that is the case, a job in a costume shop is probably not the best place for me.

However, I also love wardrobe.  Kevin has told me that my skill would be wasted there, and I am ever so grateful for that compliment (I also fear that my reputation is greater than myself.  Martha called me an excellent stitcher, a term which I would not exactly use), I really do love wardrobe.  I also love film.  Although I learned that it is not hard to do both, working as a swing in the theatre, and then doing the other projects for film, I am sure that I want to explore wardrobe, in theatre and film, after I graduate college in eight weeks. 

“There is security in insecurity.”  Although I cannot for sure at this moment tell if I will succeed or not, I will do my best to do great work, make a name for myself, and never fall short of work.  Although projects come and go, there will always be another one.  This is a fickle industry, and I am nervous, but excited to learn more, meet people, and go places.  Here’s to Mary Wash and what I learned, and here’s to the future and what I will become.  L’Chaim.

I’m terrible at blogging. I kind of hate it. Can I come up with a better way to communicate apart from talking and/or writing? Telepathy? Jedi mind tricks? 

I changed my header pic, though. Check it out.

It’s not that I don’t have anything to say. In fact, I have a decent pile of half-constructed entries in here, some of them written while in NYC, some earlier. 

Here’s one from Thursday the 4th. Kind of abrupt taken out of whatever context I intended to put it in, but here:

There’s still a lot of uncertainty and I’m drawing a blank out of what I want to get from this trip in terms of how it applies to the course. What constantly rears its head is the obvious, practical objective: make connections and find information that will get my ass employed after I graduate. Superficial, but it is what it is.

So far, from the interviews and meetings I’ve had during this trip and prior, the tricks of “making it” in this business are pretty consistent: Network. Take any and every opportunity. Make sure you love it. That sort of thing.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s all very valuable. However what I’ve come to love are the little discoveries and moments I have with theatre professionals. Take, for instance, Monday’s meeting with Greg (different Greg, that’s not a typo). We were on the subject of what stage managers do when they decide they want to “settle down” i.e. raise a family or the like. And many of them become production managers, or- get this- directors. I was taken aback by this at first, but then it made perfect sense when you think of how close in proximity the SM works with the director, with the exception of the AD if there is one. And that the stage manager essentially takes on the role of the director once the show opens, maintaining the artistic integrity of the show. 

I’m not very confident in my artistic integrity, so it’s what I anticipate will be another challenge in pursuing this career.

And then, of course, this evening Gregg mentioned that an SM could lose their job if they fail to do that. Well, live and learn. I have a lot to learn.