Update 1: Opening night of R.U.R. was last night, and the show just keeps getting better. I’m really stoked for my parents to be coming to see me/the show Friday and my BFF TK coming Saturday for the final show and the incredibad after party.

Update 2: I am running for the Social Coordinator position on the Drama Students Federation (DSF) Executive. Elections are next week and I’ve got my fingers crossed. I only have one opponent, so i’ve got a 50/50 chance! I like those odds.

Update 3: I don’t actually have a third update, but check out this DSF election poster I made (before I realized we don’t actually campaign… too bad).

M.

Updates, updates, updates! I’ve been working very hard on the spropets [sets/props] crew for the University of Guelph’s main-stage production of R.U.R. [Rossum's Universal Robots] this semester and having a blast doing so. The set is looking really great, I can’t wait for show week! My parents and my BFF Tiffany are coming to see the show from back home, which will make show week even better! March 20-27 is our show week, which is only two weeks away! Watch out for a link to some production photos I’ve taken throughout the process.

I’ve also been hard at work rehearsing my Fundies (Fundamentals of Directing) scene project. The actors are doing a really great job and everything is going quite perfectly– especially considering how hair-brained I can be. We’ve had three rehearsals so far and I’m hoping to bring the girls in for an in-class rehearsal this Wednesday.

Last night my friend Karl and I saw Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland so that I can review it for my Contemporary Cinema course. The film was really well done, I was very impressed with the whole thing.

And now, the piece-de-resistance: I was involved in a 24hr project this weekend! Starting at 7pm on Friday, I was involved in the writing and directing of a 15-30 minute play, which was performed at 7pm on Saturday. The resulting play was entitled ‘Battery Life’ and I hope to get the performance video uploaded as soon as possible onto this blog. I really love 24hr projects. Their challenge/reward cycle being a grand total of 24 hours is definitely a plus.

What is there left to be updated about? Hmm…

I may have a summer job already! My aunt has this full-time nanny job looking after a young girl of about six and a boy of about four that she is willing to give up for the Summer. She says she needs a vacation. The downside of this job is that I would have to spend the Summer in Timmins instead of at home. This is also kind of the downside, since Timmins is where my cousin lives and I could potentially get a lot of work done on my musical/my own music-related endeavors.

Well, we’ll see how everything goes I guess. S’later internet!

It sure has been a while. Not too much has been going on lately, but I thought I would update what could be updated.

I’m in my fourth semester at the University of Guelph now and after a couple weeks I can officially say that this semester is already 100% better than last semester! Unlike last semester, I actually have Theatre courses! On top of that, I have ones that I ENJOY! I’ve got a course in Directing, which is incredible. My prof is unbelieveable! We’ve been assigned this directing assignment were we have to cast and direct a scene from a play, to later be presented in class. I’ve chosen the play “Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)” by Ann-Marie MacDonald. If you are not familiar with this play, you can read a pretty thorough synopsis here. Really looking forward to working on this. I’ll try and get a video of the scene posted on here.

On top of that, I have a course in Theatre Tech, where I am a member of “SPROPETS” (Sets & Props). We are working on a show called R.U.R. to be put on by Guelp’s School of English & Theatre Studies in March. I hope to get photos up from that aswell.

Another fun course I am taking is Contemporary Cinema, in which we watch movies (documentaries mostly) and then talk about them. So far we have watched Farenheight 9/11, The Weather Underground and Prom Night in Mississippi. Very interesting films, all of which have their own pros and cons.

Lastly, I have a course called “Theories of Drama and Theatre” and it is a snooze. My prof is an Ent. Enough said.

Other than school-related stuff, I have been working away on a very special personal project. I have expressed in the past my desire to write a musical, correct? Well, the first idea I had really wasn’t working for me. But this new idea is moving along quite well. I’m not ready to divulge any specifics about the project but basically it involves taking the discography of a favorite artist of mine and working it into a story. In a way, the final product will be similar in format to something like “Mamma Mia!” which took ABBA’s gold album and created a story around it. And if this musical can be HALF as successful as Mamma Mia… ahah. But even if it’s not, I’m sure having a ball of a time working on it! I’m hoping to get some serious work done on this project in the summer when I’ll have a chance to get together with my father’s cousin who is a musician.

Well then. You have been sufficiently updated! See you guys on the flip! M

*Note: The mp3 files linked on this website stopped working, so I took them off. Looking for a new/better way to share my music with you!

I’ll be sending it via express mail tomorrow to ensure that it arrives on time [Due Date is Monday December 7th] and then it’ll be anxious waiting until December 21st or something agonizing like that. I’ll keep you posted!

M.
[Needless to say, I was not a finalist at SnoFest 2010... Their loss, obvy.]

From the website: The Snofest Idol winner will receive a 3 hour recording session at Haggarty Sound Studio and $200 in cash. $100 will be awarded to the second place winner, and $50 to the third place winner.

For more details about it, click here.

M.

Ajoute:
I have decided to on my favorite wedding song thus far [A Moment Like This] and my favorite Glee song [Taking Chances] for my 2 song demo!

Man, I knew that buying that Blue Snowball Mic was TOTALLY WORTH IT!

P.S. Doesn’t three hours in a professional recording studio sound like an opportunity to get my original songs produced?

The reason I havn’t blogged in a while is because not too much has been going on lately. Or, well, I didn’t think anything was going on but now that I think of it, stuff has definitely being going on. So, here’s the update:

I have joined my university’s improv troupe, called ‘Players Without Strings’ and we’ve been meeting weekly since early September. At first we were meeting once a week on campus but after a few meetings we’ve moved ourselves to a multi-media studio in downtown Guelph. Since the move, we’ve been meeting twice a week [on Tuesday's and Wednesday's] from 6-8. Having only done a timy amount of improv before this, I have been having loads of fun playing and learning a whole bunch. Improvisation is a great skill for an actor to have and I am loving every minute of it. Plus, working with PWS makes me feel one step closer to my dream of being an SNL castmate : P

Over the past month I have been working with some close friends/classmates on a group project for my Theatre Historical Studies course. This may not necessarily career forwarding but let me tell you, it has been a LOT of fun! I am project coordinator and I’ve been having such a good time working with these people. Including me, there are six members in our group. I think we have the largest group in the class. I’m hoping to get a decent video taping of it tomorrow when we present in class. We’re first to present too, which is super exciting. We’re setting the bar extra high, so our follow-up acts can sweat it out : P

I’ve just written and submitted a one act play for an original play festival at my university. Basically the Drama Student’s Federation puts on these mini festivals of 20-30 minute one-act plays at the beginning of each semester [O-Week and Sno-Week] and if my play is chosen, I get to cast, direct and ultimately produce it. Also, if it is chosen, it’ll be produced super close to my birthday! So, fingers crossed on that one! Woot!

Last but not least, I am planning on spending my summer [May-August] doing an Internship in NYC. There are at least five theatre-related interships I have found thus far in the city and I’m going to apply for all of them and see what happens with that. Regardless of what internship I get, I will be doing this though Swap Canada, because they specialize in making these things happen efficiently. A friend of mine [who will hopefully be going with me this summer] was deported this past september out of England for not having the right documentation, and I do NOT want that to happen to me! No big black X’s on my passport, thank you very much. At this point,  planning process is still in its infancy but I will definitely update here when I know more abOOt it.

M.

P.S. Here are some of the places I have been looking into that offer internships:

• New York Musical Theatre Festival
• New York Theatre Workshop
• Playwrights Horizons
• Manhattan Theatre Club
• Ars Nova

I am most intersted in Literary internships because I have realized in the recent past, with the help of my bestest friend TK, that I have a passion for playwriting. Either I want to work with playwrights or I want to work with directors, because I have also always enjoyed directing. And as much as I enjoy acting, I feel as though being the playwright or director of a show makes you more necessary, while actors are often seen as disposable or easily replacable. Playwrights are especially important because they are the play makers. Without them, there is no play, so…

I want to be a play maker.

Thank you very much for coming out to this year’s auditions but, unfortunately you have not made the Call Back List.

It was a rigorous week with over 130 auditions and with accepting only 20 people for the cast we unfortunately have to make some cuts.

If you are at all interested in still being a part of Curtain Call behind the scenes please contact us via email and we will send you the appropriate information.

We thank you again for coming out and we hope to see you as part of our team this year or in the years to come.

Best, Adam”

I have to admit, this one hurt a lot more than usual…

Ajouté: 5:14 P.M.
Wrote ‘em back offering to do work on costuming for the show. That’s new.
THAT, I know I can rock. TTFN.

As of right now, the night before, I have decided on “Somebody To Love” and “On My Own” as my two contrasting songs and this jem as my audition monologue. The monologue is supposed to be 1-2 minutes and unfortunately, that one is quite a bit longer. But you know what? I’m just gonna bank on the fact that I know it well/can tell it pretty decently that maybe it’ll mesmerize them into forgetting about how long it is! Plus, it totally still works when it is performed at an allegro moderato pace!

Goodnight.

Please web, do not jynx this one…

I know I did well in that audition room, one of the best auditions I’ve ever given and I am proud of myself for trying, regardless of whether I was cast.

Nothing but love to the Cast of Unity, can’t wait to see the show!!

m.

I know I’ve said it already but my cousin Laurie has rightfully earned the title “Best Bride I’ve Ever Worked With.” She was soo easy to please and super gracious/grateful.We had a last minute addition tot he program because the priest insisted that we have a song play during the book signing. My mother suggested I sing Amazing Grace [which honestly, I did not want to do/ Don't really want to do again. I've doen it for one wedding and it went really well, so I don't want to jynx it/ not live up to the hype the second time around]. Instead of singing, I threw on a lovely acapella version of it by Leanne Rimes and the Bride loved it.

[Aside: She gave me this super cute silver music note necklace.]

I guess I should also mention that her new husband was/is really great also, He’s such a nice man. They’re lucky to have found each other. You can really tell that these two are majorly in love. They were so happy, stealing kisses from each other. Happily obliging the many [often obnoxious] hecklers who were furiously clanking knives to glasses all throughout dinner.

The maid of honours speach and the father/daughter dance are my absolutely favorite parts of weddings. Those are the parts that really bring me thisclose to tears. I honestly cannot wait to give my maid of honour speach at @tea__kay’s wedding, when it happens. It’ll be blubbering tears all over the place, let me tell you. If I ever get married I’ll really be looking forward to her speach too. Oh! and of course, my father/daughter dance. There’ll be some more blubbering tears then too.

Though I am not really worried about it now, I do wonder sometimes if I’ll ever get that dance, since marriage seems so long away for me. Heck, I don’t even date! My father isn’t getting any younger, and it would simply break my heart if I never get to live that moment.

In the meantime, my daddy and I always partner up to dance to “Footloose” together. He and my mom arn’t married and so, when my aunt Lousise got married, older bachelor brother [my dad] had to dance for change in his socks. Family tradition. Well, I’ve been told [though I've yet to see the video evidence] that my daddy-o did a perfectly Kevin Bacon-esque choreographed dance to Footloose. When I found out about this, I just HAD to start a tradition of my own.

Looking back, since my cousin Gaetan’s wedding last summer, I have had a constant stream of wedding gigs. His wedding lead to my Uncle Ken’s wedding, which is where I was asked to perform at this wedding. For a second it was looking as though that stream might end, but there are whispered talks of having my parents finally tie the knot. (!!)

They’ve been together for about 28 years now and though they both believe that a piece of paper wont change a thing, a core of us are really pushing for it. When we moved away from our home town of Timmins Ont. almost 10 years ago, we’ve returned to visit our relatives down here on average one or twice a year, for christmasses, weddings, anniversaties, etc. Both sides of my family are up here, and we can only imagine how great of a party a combination of all of our relatives would be! Having the wedding up here, of course, we’d be able to see everyone at once!

My father made a comment at the wedding dinner/party last night that ‘when he gets married, I have to sing Shania’s “From This Moment On” during the first dance.’ Which is funny, because not only is he hinting that it’s about time that he and mom get married, but I remember looking through wedding-style songs when I was trying to choose the perfect ones for Laurie’s wedding. When I came across that one, I knew I couldn’t use it because it was reserved for Mom & Dad’s day.

That song is originally a duet too, and I would love to perform it as such. My dad’s cousin here in Timmins, Ray Piquard, is a musician and I think it would be SO great if he and I could collab on that song for the first dance. I know my dad would just bawl, he’d love it so much. He mentioned today at the gift opening that he would get married just to hear me sing. He’s my #1 fan, truly.

It took me a while to convince him that changing career paths from the “practical” forensic science to the “impractical” theatre wasn’t a bad idea, and now he is just 100% behind me. Well, maybe that is an exaggeration, since he does not want me to move away to NYC what-so-ever. Heh. He’ll cry then too.

[Sorry in advance daddy. Love you.]

So, that’s all I’ve got to update re: Weddings of Summer ’09. September means back to school time and it couldn’t come any sooner. I’ll be back in Guelph tomorrow, then I’ve got to audition for Acting II. Just sending this out to the universe/ wishing on the Golden Pony, but that is one audition I would be very grateful to rock. The play we’re doing this semester is called Unity (1819) by Kevin Kerr, which I’ve been told has a lot of stong female roles. Also, the fact that his last name is the same as @tea__kay’s makes this girl feel me very good about auditioning. Like its a sign. Positivity abounding from this girl for sure.

This year is going to go very well.
Everything is going to work out the way it should.

I’ll let you know more about the happenings as they happen.

m.