We're All Amused...

OMG - it's here! Tech week for 'The Wild Party'! I can hardly believe it...it seems like this journey started oh so long ago, and now here we are! The cast is SO incredibly excited about tonight after spending the weekend together in LONG LONG LONG rehearsals. We did our cue to cue on Saturday and our sing-thru with the band yesterday.

Even though we were at the cue to cue practically all-day on Saturday, the cast had a great time with one another. It was probably the most random and yet the most fun cue to cue I have been too. This cast likes to have fun and likes to have fun with one another. Nikki was reading the autobiography of Jenna Jameson...and she leaned over to me to tell me that there was a 'Top Ten List' for a particular sexual act. Well, being the extrovert that I am, I took her book and proceeded to read them out loud to the cast - while on stage. Everyone stopped and listened...it was quiet comical and made the day a bit more bearable. Well, that and the numerous games of Scrabble that were being played on phones as well as cuddling on the bed, floor, or wherever cuddling can happen! And even after being there all day...some of the cast went and grabbed food and hung out some more. Sidenote: this is an awesome cast and we kind of all love each other.

On Sunday the cast was pumped because we got to hear the six-member band for the first time. Sidenote: they sound amazing! It totally got us energized and excited about the week ahead. We were good last night and decided to go our separate ways and spend time with our loved ones and other lives after rehearsal...knowing we would be together the next seven nights.

That brings us to tonight and this week. I have already talked to some of the cast today, and we can't wait to get to the theatre tonight. Lights, set, costumes, props, full-band, etc. tonight - all the final pieces minus an audience. The energy is going to be high...and I hope I don't disappoint myself and I get all my music, steps, and energy right. This is such a fun show to do every night, but it is also so dependent on everyone in the cast. We are such a unit for this show. It was funny, I was talking to one of my friends about the show and explaining that we have to be so comfortable with ourselves, with our bodies, with everyone else's bodies and have no inhibitions. A lot of the show is very personal and we are very physical with one another - we have to trust. And trust we do. It's not every show you can bring 16 random people together and have such a trust and a comfortableness...but with this show you have to, and we do. And Scott is brilliant in his casting with that - every show he does. You always see that trust and commitment from his actors.

So with that...let the fun continue and bring what it will tonight and the rest of this week. Get your tickets for this show - it's gonna be hot, it's gonna be dark, and it's gonna make you think. Opening day is just three days away!

We're In The Theatre!

Wow - what a week! Monday we moved into the theatre space for the first time - everyone was so excited, as up until now, we have been rehearsing in a church rec room and the dance studio. While I will miss getting to look at myself in the mirrors at the dance studio (take that whatever way you would like), I was pumped to get in the actual space.

This is my first time performing in this space. I have seen a number shows in the theatre, just never made it to the other side. The audience is close. I mean - close. A lot of the show we are the 'greek chorus' of sorts, providing insight for the audience...so that means we're right up on the audience - in their face. This also means I have to be precise with my harmonies and lyrics and have total control of everything at all times. There's no room for error.

So, the first night in the theatre was good. It took a bit of work to get familiar with the space and how the dance numbers would play out, etc. The bed was WAY bigger than we were expecting. I mean WAY bigger...but it's very cool looking. I'm anxious to see the set come together even more over the next week. When I left rehearsal Monday night, I knew I still had a lot of work to do on my own. I knew I needed to still go over the music and some of the lyrics. There are a lot of words in this show. This is a hard, hard show. Tuesday night was a bit more difficult...but we got through it. We didn't really move forward with the show, just kind of came to a halt. I may or may not have been a bit frustrated when I left on Tuesday night (usually meaning I was).

It was probably good we had Wednesday night off - gave us a chance to re-group on our own, collect our thoughts, and re-focus. It was funny...because as I was talking to the cast, everyone felt the same way. And Tuesday night almost made us stronger as an ensemble and we were ready to tackle whatever came at us. There was so much energy amongst us last night - you could totally feel it. As soon as the first number ended, we all walked off stage and were like, 'yeah, that really felt good tonight...wow'. I think Scott and Allison realized it too - Allison kept commenting that she couldn't take as many notes on the show as she wanted to because she was being pulled into the story and all the cool stuff that was happening on stage. We took a gigantic step forward last night, and it felt good. It felt really good. This is going to be a show to be proud of and we still have two weeks to get it to an amazing place...it's only forward and up from here.