It was like a ritual that senior cast bonding night always went over time, even if we added an extra hour to the sit down, we always ran late. I prayed to myself as I ran backstage through the dark alongside of other cast members and crew rushing to get props, finish costumes or get shift ready that all would go well and no one would get hurt, but to also enjoy what could possibly be my last time performing on my high school stage. With less than five minutes until the overture started my praying time with God was rushed and cut short.
Standing behind the main traveler curtain, I took in several deep breaths, gave our stage manager Rose a hug told her thanks and that I loved her and waited a few more seconds before I headed on stage as a cranky old woman selling flowers. Although I barely got any stage time as the cranky old woman, and I mean barely any time as in all I was supposed to do was walk right across the stage, I fell in love with the character that I had made myself become. Before I knew it, my short time on stage as the cranky old woman was over with and I hurried to get rid of my props and begin my quick change into an older crapshooter.
I remember back when we had first done our very first full run straight through from the beginning of Act I to the ending of Act II, it seemed like forever between all of my scenes, and that I wasn't getting very much stage time. It was apparent though on Saturday night that that was all false.
Every show I seemed to over work myself in one way or another, physically or emotionally seemed to be one of the options. It seemed that it took me only four years how to handle myself in both of those ways to make the best of the show. Because of over working myself in the past, I never really appreciated the friends I had come to make with fellow cast members or the tech crew. As I sat backstage, uncomfortable in the foreign male attire of a suit with a tie that felt like it was constantly going to choke me even after I messed with it countless times that I realized what I was doing wrong.
During cast bonding, I addressed several people who I had become extremely close with over the last year or two, and gave my thanks for everyone supporting me when I was having major hip pain. Towards the end though, I began crying with a wave of emotions that hit me so hard and so fast I didn't know what to do except end my speech and pat my tears off my face hoping I didn't take any stage makeup off with it. There's was no way that I could address every single person that held me up over the course of the show. Even when someone smiled at me, or asked me how I was doing, it always seemed to lighten my mood.
Sitting backstage, I confronted those people and told them how thankful I was for them and how proud of them I was. At the end of the night, it wasn't about how much stage time I didn't have, or how uncomfortable my costume was; I was thankful for my friends, my family.
It's cliche, I know, but theatre is my family. And I never really truly experienced that feeling until this year. We're a large, loud, energetic, dysfunctional and weird group of kids, but we're a family. We all have had our ups and downs with each other and with the show, but we all pitch in together and we somehow manage to work through things and stick it out together. We can lean on each other for anything; there is absolutely no doubt about it, theatre IS my family.
I don't know how the rest of my senior year will go, but one thing is for sure, Guys and Dolls has changed my perspective on many things and I'm going to miss my theatre family so incredibly much next year.
days until I become an adult: 38
days until graduation: 170
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
stage kit & pre-show routine
Hello lovely internet people! It's great to be back blogging again, it's been difficult for me to be motivated to write a blog post this month since I've been writing away for NaNoWriMo as well as working on the musical that is fast approaching.
By fast approaching I mean, our first audience showing is on Tuesday and our official opening night is Thursday. I've decided that I'd share some behind the scenes stuff that I've been doing for this show, including my organizational methods and how I prep before show time when I have to layer on the stage makeup that is a pain in the butt.
I can't believe it's taken me over four years to get this organized for stage makeup and other things of the sort. I used to just put my stage makeup in a pencil case with some hair ties and bobby pins and off I went. Over the years I've been progressively become more and more articulate when it comes to organization, and this year was no different. It's been weird to be back in a show, let alone a show that I have a lot different things I need to do.
My best friend Levi asked me to help him pick out brushes the other day that would last for a long time and were of good quality. We eventually ended up also picking out a tackle box for him to keep his things together and organized. I of course loved the idea and simplicity of it, went home that night and put together my own in my own tackle box (after of course I moved my tackle out into a different box). I can't believe that I never thought of using a tackle box to get organized.
I primarily use the top layer for my stage makeup so it's all right there and easy to access. I have my brushes, eyeliner, brow liner, lipstick, q-tips, lip balm and my Ben Nye makeup we use for stage makeup. The spare compartments I use to put bobby pins, hair ties and jewelry that I might be wearing before I change into costume.
The next two layers are basically just the rest of my normal makeup that I have, and most of it I can use in some way in my stage makeup routine. I have several things of lipsticks varying in shades, mostly they're all red. My lonely tube of mascara that's on the fits of dying on me. Nail clippers I find come in handy not only for clipping nails short but to clip away any spare threads on costumes. I have my other eyeliners tucked away, in the only place they fit. And my mom's Mary Kay palette. I like the idea that there's still empty compartments for room to grow.
The bottom of the tackle box is a mess. But it's all the big stuff that won't fit any where else but has a major role in my pre and post show routines. I have a can of hairspray, jar of cold cream, toothpaste, deodorant, face scrub, toothbrush and baby wipes. Where's a comb or brush you might ask? No where, I normally don't brush my hair, but I use a wide tooth combed; I do it this way because my hair is so long and thick I usually put it in a bun or braid. For this show, I play an old lady vendor where the costume head said she wanted my hair to be crazy, so there's really nothing specific I need to do. And then for being a man, I just put my hair in a bald cap. No need for combs or brushes here.
These are the products that I'm using for this show. Most of these are Ben Nye products.
The lipstick is Maybelline in the color of "wine on ice" or A78. I've used this for my lipstick for shows since 2008. It works well for me because the color a shade of red that doesn't look harsh paired with my skin tone but still shows up well on stage. It especially works well for this show because it doesn't look like I'm wearing lipstick from the audience so it doesn't look weird when I portray a man. The only down side to this lipstick though is the fact that it fades off rather quick. I have to keep applying the lipstick several times throughout the show. My first two shows I kept the lipstick on my body at all times and any time I was offstage I was reapplying it.
The mascara that I use, I'm not sure if it's still available or not, but I love it so incredibly much. It's from the Mary Kay Signature line in the color "BLACK" OR KH22, it's a lash lengthening mascara and it is a really really nice black. It works well for lashes that are light in color, like mine.
The black eyeliner I have here, that I've been using a lot, is so worn down that I have no idea what brand it is.
I won't spend much time on the Ben Nye stuff because I'm hoping to post a post specifically about the brand and how to use it properly in the near future. But if you've never worn stage makeup, or at least Ben Nye makeup, the foundation is really thick and it's difficult to get used to. It took me nearly all night on Thursday to get used to wearing it again. The brush that's used for drawing facial lines, KB-00 is crap. There are much better brushes for facial lines, like EcoTools eyeliner brush that Levi bought. The KB-00 is just poor quality in my opinion of all the times I've used it.
This is everything that I use for my pre and post show routines. I have a combination skin type, where sometimes it oily and sometimes it's dry. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to anyone because each person's skin is different and reacts to stage makeup different. My face tends to break out when I wear stage makeup because of the foundation, these routines really help.
Both routines follow each other, so it's like a circle every single night. And it takes a while, but it's worth it.
PRE-SHOW:
1. In the morning before I go to school I wash my face with Pond's Cold Cream. It help moisturizes my face and keeps my face clean and soft through the day.
2. I brush my teeth before I head to the school in the evening, or usually right after I have dinner. I hate being on stage with someone who hasn't brushed their teeth after they've eaten dinner, I never want to be that person. I use Crest Baking Soda and Peroxide Whitening with tarter protection in Fresh Mint with a travel toothbrush that I keep in my travel bags normally.
3. I take a baby wipe and gently wipe down my face to get rid of the oils from my hands because I have a habit of touching my face a lot during the day and any other dirt that might have ended up on my face. I've used a different brand of baby wipes every show, and I can say that Huggies is the best that I've tried. They're not scented, they're gentle but they get the job done, especially when it comes to my post-show routine.
POST-SHOW:
1. I use the baby wipes and gently take off the layers of stage makeup in circular motions. It's important to use circular motions because I've found if I go any other way it irritates my skin. There really is no way to get it all off with just a few wipes, I go through at least ten every night. And even then I've never been able to get it all off.
2. When I get home I wet my face with lukewarm water and then gently massage St. Ive's naturally clear apricot scrub for blemish and blackhead control. I leave it on for just a minute or two without touching it and then I wash it off with a washcloth and warm water. I use warm water because my skin is really sensitive to water temperatures. And of course, circular motions I have found, work the best.
Today is awesome because: I remembered to finally take my hoodie to the laundry mat to wash it.
current location: bedroom among a pile of clean clothes that can't fold themselves.
current word count: 18,644
days until the fall musical: 4
days until I become an adult: 55
days until graduation: 188
By fast approaching I mean, our first audience showing is on Tuesday and our official opening night is Thursday. I've decided that I'd share some behind the scenes stuff that I've been doing for this show, including my organizational methods and how I prep before show time when I have to layer on the stage makeup that is a pain in the butt.
I can't believe it's taken me over four years to get this organized for stage makeup and other things of the sort. I used to just put my stage makeup in a pencil case with some hair ties and bobby pins and off I went. Over the years I've been progressively become more and more articulate when it comes to organization, and this year was no different. It's been weird to be back in a show, let alone a show that I have a lot different things I need to do.
My best friend Levi asked me to help him pick out brushes the other day that would last for a long time and were of good quality. We eventually ended up also picking out a tackle box for him to keep his things together and organized. I of course loved the idea and simplicity of it, went home that night and put together my own in my own tackle box (after of course I moved my tackle out into a different box). I can't believe that I never thought of using a tackle box to get organized.
I primarily use the top layer for my stage makeup so it's all right there and easy to access. I have my brushes, eyeliner, brow liner, lipstick, q-tips, lip balm and my Ben Nye makeup we use for stage makeup. The spare compartments I use to put bobby pins, hair ties and jewelry that I might be wearing before I change into costume.
The next two layers are basically just the rest of my normal makeup that I have, and most of it I can use in some way in my stage makeup routine. I have several things of lipsticks varying in shades, mostly they're all red. My lonely tube of mascara that's on the fits of dying on me. Nail clippers I find come in handy not only for clipping nails short but to clip away any spare threads on costumes. I have my other eyeliners tucked away, in the only place they fit. And my mom's Mary Kay palette. I like the idea that there's still empty compartments for room to grow.
The lipstick is Maybelline in the color of "wine on ice" or A78. I've used this for my lipstick for shows since 2008. It works well for me because the color a shade of red that doesn't look harsh paired with my skin tone but still shows up well on stage. It especially works well for this show because it doesn't look like I'm wearing lipstick from the audience so it doesn't look weird when I portray a man. The only down side to this lipstick though is the fact that it fades off rather quick. I have to keep applying the lipstick several times throughout the show. My first two shows I kept the lipstick on my body at all times and any time I was offstage I was reapplying it.
The mascara that I use, I'm not sure if it's still available or not, but I love it so incredibly much. It's from the Mary Kay Signature line in the color "BLACK" OR KH22, it's a lash lengthening mascara and it is a really really nice black. It works well for lashes that are light in color, like mine.
The black eyeliner I have here, that I've been using a lot, is so worn down that I have no idea what brand it is.
I won't spend much time on the Ben Nye stuff because I'm hoping to post a post specifically about the brand and how to use it properly in the near future. But if you've never worn stage makeup, or at least Ben Nye makeup, the foundation is really thick and it's difficult to get used to. It took me nearly all night on Thursday to get used to wearing it again. The brush that's used for drawing facial lines, KB-00 is crap. There are much better brushes for facial lines, like EcoTools eyeliner brush that Levi bought. The KB-00 is just poor quality in my opinion of all the times I've used it.
This is everything that I use for my pre and post show routines. I have a combination skin type, where sometimes it oily and sometimes it's dry. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to anyone because each person's skin is different and reacts to stage makeup different. My face tends to break out when I wear stage makeup because of the foundation, these routines really help.
Both routines follow each other, so it's like a circle every single night. And it takes a while, but it's worth it.
PRE-SHOW:
1. In the morning before I go to school I wash my face with Pond's Cold Cream. It help moisturizes my face and keeps my face clean and soft through the day.
2. I brush my teeth before I head to the school in the evening, or usually right after I have dinner. I hate being on stage with someone who hasn't brushed their teeth after they've eaten dinner, I never want to be that person. I use Crest Baking Soda and Peroxide Whitening with tarter protection in Fresh Mint with a travel toothbrush that I keep in my travel bags normally.
3. I take a baby wipe and gently wipe down my face to get rid of the oils from my hands because I have a habit of touching my face a lot during the day and any other dirt that might have ended up on my face. I've used a different brand of baby wipes every show, and I can say that Huggies is the best that I've tried. They're not scented, they're gentle but they get the job done, especially when it comes to my post-show routine.
POST-SHOW:
1. I use the baby wipes and gently take off the layers of stage makeup in circular motions. It's important to use circular motions because I've found if I go any other way it irritates my skin. There really is no way to get it all off with just a few wipes, I go through at least ten every night. And even then I've never been able to get it all off.
2. When I get home I wet my face with lukewarm water and then gently massage St. Ive's naturally clear apricot scrub for blemish and blackhead control. I leave it on for just a minute or two without touching it and then I wash it off with a washcloth and warm water. I use warm water because my skin is really sensitive to water temperatures. And of course, circular motions I have found, work the best.
Today is awesome because: I remembered to finally take my hoodie to the laundry mat to wash it.
current location: bedroom among a pile of clean clothes that can't fold themselves.
current word count: 18,644
days until the fall musical: 4
days until I become an adult: 55
days until graduation: 188
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
NaNoWriMo 2011: a glimpse of the first 6,000
I decided since I can't really string along anything important enough sounding of a blog post for you guys to read, since it IS NaNo time. I decided I'd share with you a small portion of my novel from the first 6,000 (I haven't quite made it there yet, but I'm rounding up, I'm at 5,837 words currently). Feel free to comment what you think and stuff like that.
Also, this is unedited. Just "word vomit" as I read in a comment earlier today in the forums on the NaNo site.
Sam and Dae were pretty close siblings considering how much their father favored Dae and their mother favored Sam, many people thought that the favoritism would eventually tear the siblings apart. But it hadn’t, or at least not yet. Sam Schneider standing tall at six feet and three inches towered over both Dae and their father. He was by far the most athletic out of the Schneider family, he was on the school swimming, basketball and soccer teams for his entire high school career and continued on playing soccer in college at New York University. The only thing that really resembled his father was his ability to argue on anything and stand behind his beliefs and research. Although he never debated, Sam was a genius when it came to finding the truth out about something and could plan a strategy that no one could understand or see coming at them. Sam was what his father called “lawyer material” but still wanted to be proved that he had it in him.
Also, this is unedited. Just "word vomit" as I read in a comment earlier today in the forums on the NaNo site.
Sam and Dae were pretty close siblings considering how much their father favored Dae and their mother favored Sam, many people thought that the favoritism would eventually tear the siblings apart. But it hadn’t, or at least not yet. Sam Schneider standing tall at six feet and three inches towered over both Dae and their father. He was by far the most athletic out of the Schneider family, he was on the school swimming, basketball and soccer teams for his entire high school career and continued on playing soccer in college at New York University. The only thing that really resembled his father was his ability to argue on anything and stand behind his beliefs and research. Although he never debated, Sam was a genius when it came to finding the truth out about something and could plan a strategy that no one could understand or see coming at them. Sam was what his father called “lawyer material” but still wanted to be proved that he had it in him.
“What
are you doing tonight?” Sam asked as he walked through Dae’s open bedroom door
and shut it behind him before making his way over to sit on a pile of neatly
stacked clothes on her bed. He watched
her from her bed as she started replacing things in her room and pulling a few
things out of her suit cases they used to pack her things up from school.
“Probably
meeting up with the others in the City to celebrate before all hell breaks
loose." Dae responded as she placed a photo frame with her and Brooke at a
boutique in Paris from two summers ago.
Letting out a sigh she turned to face Sam, “Why? What’s up your sleeve?”
She questioned with a sly grin beginning to slide onto her face.
Today was awesome because: I received my piano book in the mail today.
current location: freezing bedroom
current word count: 5,837
days until the fall musical: 15
days until I become an adult: 66
days until graduation: 199
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