I have been in San Diego for almost two whole weeks now and I could not be having more fun. The show has definitely turned out to be more work than I had anticipated but it is 100% worth it. I'm staying in my own apartment that is almost entirely beige. One cast member said it looks like I live inside a paper bag, I thought it was a good observation. Since moving in I've been back to LA once and brought a second crop of my belongings including an orange comforter and my UCLA throw blanket to add just a splash of color. I also brought a handful of my kitchen necessities because the kitchen here is a little less than inspiring. And it has an electric stove. Womp womp. Just takes some getting used to. I have already begun creating new recipes including some BOMB mahi mahi tacos which hopefully I can post the recipe for when I have a little more time.
Since rehearsals began I have delved even farther into the land of old lady-ness. Our rehearsals start every morning at 9am. And since our rehearsal space is a minor drive I get picked up each day at 8:20. Oye, for all you theater people out there you know how tough it can be to get up at such an early hour. This means I have to be showered, packed, warmed up physically AND vocally all before about 8am and ready to belt my face off by 9am. Phew now you see why I've turned into a grandma. Due to these early hours my bedtime has creeped lower and lower. I think my earliest shut eye time has been 10pm, and it's happened more than once. Dear early 20's I apologize for making you miss being a real person, but for now my body and vocal chords are needing some 70 year old resting time.
Despite my new schedule the show is going fantastically. Our creative team is fantastic and amazingly collaborative. Working on a brand new musical means many changing lines and lyrics everyday and although it can get confusing, it's a wonderful adventure. Today will be our first "tester" audience of children. It's not a preview, but rather a stumble through with kids present to get a feeling for how they will respond. I'm excited for them to see it, especially since this is my first real Theater for Youth show. Also on the bill for the next few days is a real day off on Sunday since I spent last week's day off rehearsing in Malibu. AND on Monday our playwright returns to rehearsals to see our progress which will be a very exciting day. I have to admit when I signed up for this kids show I anticipated the usual ABC, cheesy, campy kids bunk, but this show is far from that stereotype. The music is sophisticated and melodic, the subject matter (some of which is based on Frida Kahlo's life) is anything but simple. I really can't wait to see how the kids take it. If they get squirmy in our short, but more serious moments.
I must be going to catch my ride, but expect an update soon!
PS Our show has it's own twitter page so if you want to follow we update it a few times per day and often include at least one picture. A few days ago I was the picture tweeted on the official La Jolla Playhouse twitter page. I felt pretty fancy.
you're fancy and i love you and this answers many of the questions left in my voicemail.
ReplyDeletealso my first week here i was hittin the hay at 930pm!! it was the only way i could get in a run and starbucks before i was picked up for rehearsal. my bedtime is now typically 2am if theres not matinee the next day. our lives are nuts.