Drama

So tomorrow - Friday January 9, 2009 is the beginning of everything I've been anticipating for since May of 2008. Ever since my Mom announced her decision to step down as Director of the North Kingstown Creative Dramatics Program and hand over the entire thing to me I have had a mixture of emotions. At first I was extremely nervous and scared and then I began to become more confident as I started thinking about what to do. Once I became confident in taking over I started getting excited and anxious for it to start (and the year hadn't even ended yet, Wizard of Oz was still in rehearsals!!). So I started planning and decided on doing Beauty and the Beast. I had been trying to convince my Mom to do Beauty and the Beast ever since we started five years ago but each year she would say no. So this year it was MY decision and nobody could stop me now.

So I requested a copy of the script from MTI (Musical Theater International) and they sent me a perusal copy for a few weeks. I looked it over and my insides were bursting in excitement. I started to become un-focused on Wizard of Oz and could think of nothing else but 2009.

After Wizard of Oz went up and the 2008 Drama Year had come to an end - of course I had that "Now What" kind of depression that follows me at the close of each production but I also had the knowledge that I had a LOT to do in the upcoming 7 months. And so I started planning. And planning. And then ... planning more. I contacted the North Kingstown High School to book the auditorium for the weekend I wanted (June 13th and 14th) but was told to call back in the fall - Columbus Day Weekend.

In September Elia (my musical director) and I stopped by Ann O'Grady's house to check out costumes. As I walked into the house Ann tells me that I'm crazy for doing Beauty and the Beast because it's a very difficult show, and has a very wide vocal range that makes it difficult for children to hit the notes. She said that even she had to get some of the older members of her group - upper year high schoolers to play Belle, Beast and Gaston (which she constantly called Gafreau - what??). So I went in to the house bursting with happiness and then was slammed in the face with a reality boot. I was deflated. She did however tell me that this year the Jr. version of the show was going to be available and I should do that version. I didn't want to do the Jr. version. I wanted to do the full version.

She went on and on about this and that and how everything I wanted to do wasn't the right thing. I told her about how I found a website that lets you rent a magical rose and a magic mirror, that are really amazing and cool. And she shot back with - 'Mike Hyde does a really neat magical rose so that it's floating, you should do that.' Eventually I stopped telling her anything. During the hour and a half we were there just perusing the billions of costumes she kept telling us about how she did the show and how it was hard and how it came out great but she's seen a lot of shows that have fallen flat and that she's the best and that she pays her helpers and how she has put on 117 shows and only 2 of which were awful. Her head was blowing up with her arrogance and I just wished it would pop so she would stop telling me what a failure I was going to be and the show was going to be.

I left - making up some excuse of having to do something or the other. I called my mom and complained to her about the entire experience and she told me to just let it go, that Ann liked to talk and to not listen to anything she says.

I decided to listen to my Mom. Ann does have a bit of an 'i'm better than you' attitude, and there's nothing I can do to change that. I have to give her credit, she has been doing this a long time and her shows are great. But I'm not her and I want to do things my way. I did listen to her on one thing, I gave in and decided to do Beauty and the Beast Jr. for two reasons - one the Jr. versions are always easier to Direct and easier for the kids to learn the lines and songs - two, the royalty fee was far less money than the full version's royalty fee so that would give me more money to spend on other cooler things.

So once that was settled I worked on everything else. I finally got in touch with the NK High School and booked the Auditorium and two Chorus rooms for June 25-28th. I booked the Community Center for classes and Rehearsals and found out how much costumes/set would cost, how much the magical rose and the magic mirror would cost, how much sound would cost, how much head sets / follow spots would cost, how much the cyc would probably cost and then filled out the Project Proposal form to send in to the North Kingstown Arts Council so they could approve my budget of $7,073.00 (or somewhere around there).

A couple of weeks later I was notified that my budget was approved!!! There's one weight lifted off of my shoulders...about twenty five more to go! I immediately filled out the royalty form for the show and brought in the paperwork to Stephanie at the Recreation Department for her to send in the payment to MTI.

In mid-December I talked to Al at the Rec. Dept. and he informed me that the sign-up sheet for the classes went out to both Middle Schools (WMS and DMS) to the kids. It made it all the more real and all the more that it's happening soon! Now all I had to do was wait.

In the interim between the end of Wizard of Oz and this moment I had made out a class syllabus for all the grades, made a prompt book of the script, bought and made some of the costumes, and worked on some of the assignments that are to be handed out...so everything is set.

On Tuesday (January 6th) I arrive home to find two boxes on the porch step off of my car port. I was wondering what they were. And lo and behold they were all of the scripts and necessary stuff for putting on the perfect show. I couldn't believe it. I thought it would take a few more months to get the scripts for the show! I don't actually need them until April! But there is about 3 weights off of my shoulders!

So now it's Thursday (January 8th) and finally - FINALLY - after seven months of torturous wait...tomorrow is the big day. The first day of the new NK Drama Program. The first day of classes for the 6-8th graders. I am all sorts of nerves and excitement.

I have these moments when I think - 'Can I really do this?' and other moments of 'This is so great! I can't wait to take the helm and make this the best year ever'.

So what do you think, my faithful Reader? Do you think I can do it?

Are You Still Drunk Off The Egg Nog?

My Christmas was good... uneventful. My niece was sick. That put a small damper on the day. She is three. I got everything I asked for. I didn't ask for much. I was glad it snowed earlier in the week. I enjoy seeing snow on the ground at Christmas time. I ate too much food. I drank too much egg nog. But it was all good. I saw my family. That's always fun and challenging and puts you back to the age of ten. 

I can't believe it's almost 2009! I think I have New Years plans. I just wish I had someone to kiss.

Damages - January 7th, 10pm

Damages - Season Two - January 7th - 10pm FX

Watch this show. Do what you must to see the first season. It is above and beyond anything else on television. The writing and the acting and the editing are top notch.  

Don't miss it! And let's discuss.

The Holiday Season

When I was a youngin' I would have a countdown until the holidays, especially Christmas. December was the best month of the year and I couldn't wait to spend time with family and wake up on Christmas morning anticipating what Santa brought us.

Here was our Holiday tradition when my brother and I were children.

On Christmas Eve day we would go over Grandma Dot's house and spend the afternoon eating delicious appetizers and playing with the cousins. We would always have the best time. I would stare in awe at the pile of gifts that stood upon the fireplace in the living room of her house wondering how in the world all of the perfectly wrapped gifts could fit in that small space. It was like a child's dream. I seperated the gifts and put them into piles, a pile each for Robert, Me, Ryan, David, Angelo, Andrew, Anthony, Adam, My mom and dad, Uncle David and Auntie Lena, Uncle Bobby and Auntie Kim and Uncle Al and Auntie Donna. (and in the years to come more piles for Haley, Rocco, Milania, Robert & Jacqui). But when I was young - a kid it was the grandest time. We would sit by the gifts waiting for the adults to come to their senses and come into the room for us to open them. When they finally came in we would go from youngest to oldest (and the next year from oldest to youngest) and each open one gift and then the rotation would start over again.

Once we opened all of our gifts and talked and played for more time my mom, dad brother and I would leave to go to Grandma Jennie's house for another exciting time. Adam and I would sit and watch TV and bother our parents asking when Auntie Shirley, Uncle Leon, Becky and Ben were going to get there - as they were ALWAYS late! Then they'd come and we'd play for a while and then sit at the kids table and pretend to drink wine (which was really apple cider - we did this at all of our holiday functions when with each other). Then we'd have to rotate each year between me and Becky and Adam and Ben as to who would do the dishes. Somehow every year Ben and Adam would weasel their way out of it and Becky and I would always have to do the dishes...(same thing at Thanksgiving, Ben and Adam always got the wishbone damn boys!) So then we would bug our parents, Grandma, Grandpa, Tia and each other about opening gifts. It would take forever (well not forever, but in our young impatient minds it would feel like it).

Once gifts were opened we'd play with whatever we received and have a blast. We would vow to call each other the next morning to tell what we got from Santa and we left, where all the way home Adam and I would peer out the windows into the black night looking for any glimpse of the red sleigh with eight reindeer.

Once home we would rush to put our PJ's on and jump into bed, but not before promising each other that if one of us woke up before the other we would wake that person up and then wake up our parents to go to where Santa left the gifts. But there was one rule...we couldn't wake up before 6am. And of course I would always open my eyes when it was still pitch black out and look at the clock...it would only be 3am and the excitement of the knowledge that just in the other room lay a pile of toys from Santa and I couldn't for the life of me fall back asleep. So I would lay in bed with my eyes closed and pretend to sleep until the clock read 6:00am and I would run in and wake up my brother and we would both jump on our parents bed to get their butts up!

We would pull mom and dad down the hallway into the living room and each ran to our gifts, which were seperated so we knew whose were whose. My gifts were always on the two chairs and leaning against the table between them and Adam's gifts were sprawled across the couch. We would be so wide awake with amazement and excitement. We would take inventory in our heads and yell at our parents as to what we got. We would play and have fun and then go back to sleep for a little while and then play some more. We called Becky and Ben as promised and we relayed what we got.

Later in the day we would head on over to wherever my Grandma Dot was (either at Uncle David & Auntie Lena's house or Uncle David and Auntie Donna's house) and we would have dinner there.

Now Christmas isn't that big of a deal. It's fun getting gifts for my younger cousins - Haley, Rocco and Milania...as they are adorable, but as for playing, I miss being a kid.

The New Year

I love the holidays. I love the food. I love the music. I love the decorations. I

I love the possibility.

And for some the holidays are sad. I can see that. If the one you loved was gone. If you never had the money you wanted to spend what you wanted to spend. I know some find the music sad.

And as sad as I can be throughout the entire year the holidays make me happy.

I find possibility.

I am always alone. It makes New Years kind of a drag, but I get through it.

I wish I could translate the possibility I have during this time of year throughout the whole year. Everything that bugs me in life doesn't bug me so much during the holidays. And it's never been about a present for me.

It's always been about the possibility. The possibility that I will be okay. That there is still hope for me. That I will find love. That I will love myself. That I will be a good friend one day. That I will be a good writer. That I will be a good person. One day it will happen. The holidays give me that. The colored lights. The smell of pine. The giving.

I've found this year that throughout all my failures I learned to stand up for myself a little more and not be such a push over. That's big for me.

And lets not forget egg nog. I love egg nog. Paula Deen has a great egg nog recipe.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm stuffed.

What did everyone have for Thanksgiving?

I bet Lindsay had some pumpkin pie. :)

All About Amanda

Amanda lives in Boston. We met in college. She didn't like me at first, but we eventually became friends. We've been friends for seven years. I saw her this week in Boston. We don't get to see each other much living in different cities, but we talk often. We both have similar jobs (and hate them!) and we both have similar attitudes towards people (we hate them!) -- but if you're some anonymous person reading this then I would be especially kind to you. That's no b.s. -- Lindsay and I write (not often enough probably), but it's hard to imagine anyone else reading this (unless we force their hand, which we sometimes do). Anyway, it was a fun weekend. We went to Newbury street. We shopped. I bought some great Marc Jacobs jeans. The weather was great. We got all dressed up for this party. Her family is very nice and the plane ride to and from Boston was agreeable. What's next? Thanksgiving! Okay.. Halloween too.