Theatre 🎭

Ever since I was little, I have LOVED the Peanuts gang. When I was 2 we lived in Italy for a while and I watched the Christmas and New Years specials on repeat. Every year o try to watch the various holiday specials as they come out on TV, but this year is the most exciting of all, I get to be a part of A Charlie Brown Christmas at the Wilton Playshop in Wilton, CT.

I have always loved performing, for as long (maybe longer) as I have been watching CB specials. When I was little I would write and perform shows on the windowsill in my Grandma Carol’s living room and force everyone to watch. I would also assign roles to my little sister, and boss her around.

My Mom was a music major and her love of music rubbed off on me. I have been singing since I could talk. She started teaching me how to read music when I was 4, and I had my first official voice lesson when I was 11.

I have been doing community theatre in CT since 2011 and have been riding the ensemble train.  I decided to audition for this show the Monday before my kidney stone surgery, since I could not make the drive to my chorus rehearsal in NY. I never expected to be cast in the show, let alone as Lucy, but here we are the night before opening night!

I didn’t realize how much theatre means to me until I took a few years off and felt a huge gap in my life. I did not perform in a show between December 2015 and May of 2018.  I took a break from backstage life between December 2015 and the spring 2017. Many factors went into my break, but it was mostly due to my work schedule. I worked until 7:30pm 3 nights a week, and most rehearsals start at 7pm, so I was very limited in the things I could participate in.

My first show back was Its a Bird, Its a Plane, Its Superman The Musical and it was a good way to come back.  The show is VERY cheesy, but it was a fun ensemble to be in.  Being a living cartoon was a great acting challenge for me, and this show is what really made things click for me as an actor.  One of my colleagues in the show put me on the spot and had me name my character for the opening scene (thanks Robert) and that helped me find who I was on that stage and helped me to tell the story.  I had honestly never thought to do that before, and that simple moment changed my acting life!

I was under a lot of stress during that show.  I knew that my nanny job of two years was coming to an end, due to scheduling changes, and found a new job, but that new job did not last.  The show was a constant in my life when everything else was totally upside down.  I knew that I had to find a job that I could fit theatre into.

I interviewed for the job that I now have during the last week of the show.  I was able to tell them upfront that being on stage is important to me, and they are very good about being home on time, so I am able to have a life outside of work. They have even let me out a little early this week so I could get to tech week on time/early.  They rock!

The theatre that I am performing at this weekend is only few miles from my house, this is providing me with a great balance between work/home/show and I am LOVING it.  This is my biggest role, and it hasn’t been easy for me. I’m honestly glad that the show is only 30 minutes long.  Its a good stepping stone to confidently auditioning for bigger roles.

To sum up this end of tech week brain dump (sorry for the disorganized thoughts) I am very glad that I got back out on stage vs being behind the scenes and I am very thankful that something truly good came out of me having a kidney stone. If I hadn’t been stuck close to home before surgery, I would not have auditioned for the show. Every cloud does have a silver lining after all.

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