icantihaverehearsalagain

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 31: Final Post

Over the past month, I’ve gotten used to doing these blogs before I go to bed. I’m kind of relieved that I’ll have a little more relaxation every night, though. And I’ll have rehearsal 4 days a week after break, so not having to write a blog whenever I get back will be very, very nice.

I was also very excited that I actually kept track of my comments in Google Sheets with the dates and the comments. Except I didn’t put it in the google doc that we were supposed to. And I didn’t put links. So I have to go back and find all of the links. Oh well. I’ll get over it. I commented on pretty much the same people’s every time, anyways.

Since tomorrow is April 1st, I’m going to be on high alert for April Fools pranks. Good thing I don’t have French tomorrow. THere’s no way we would get things done on April Fools. I also have to actually do the comment thing, and I have rehearsal from 6-9, meaning I won’t be home from 5:15-10. Great. Just great. Like I said, a blog post tonight is way better than tomorrow. I’m glad March is over.

As an end-of-March treat: here’s some links to me singing in stuff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sg58eZjwlTI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXiBjuvFjRg

I used to have more, but I’m too lazy to find them. 🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #singing #please actually don't watch those videos #theater #rehearsal #I'm actually kind of bad #stop #don't you dare click that link

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 30: My Voice is Nasty

My voice sounds disgusting today. Singing voice, that is. I was practicing earlier today, and I sounded like a 10 year old attempting to be Idina Menzel. It was not good. I always end up in a bad mood when my singing is bad. Unless it’s intentional. In which cad I will be in a perfectly happy mood because of my mouth making your ears bleed.

I know everyone has their off days, but I have to continue to practice a lot if I want to continue to perform. No one’s going to care that your singing was perfect yesterday when you’re up on a stage and your voice cracks or goes flat. You have to train yourself to stop that from happening.

To do this, you must:

1) Drink lots of water (no milk, chocolate, or other food items that may close up your throat)

2) Always breathe correctly (even if you’re just singing in your room with no one else home. just do it)

3) Don’t try anything that isn’t in your range (I once made the mistake of trying to sing a song that was way, way, way too low for me. it took 2 days to get my voice fully back)

4) Don’t sing too much (if you’ve been singing for 30 minutes straight and you have lessons or a rehearsal later, then it is probably time to take a break before you hurt your vocal folds)

Yes. I said vocal folds. Not cords. Folds. I won’t force you to look at a picture of them because they gross me out, but feel free to google the  vocal folds so you can see that they are not, indeed, cords.

THat’s all I can think of for today. Good thing this is the second to last post. 🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #singing #vocal folds #soprano #i should never attempt tenor #ever again #it still hurts me

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 29: Memorization

I have to be off book by the end of break. In case you don’t know, off book is a term for when you have all of your lines, blocking, and songs memorized (you’re no longer using the script anymore, therefore “off book”). There’s always the possibility of calling “line” in the middle of a scene if you forget something, but it is generally frowned upon if everyone else is off book.

Today, I decided to spend a lot of time going over my scenes for Mary Poppins without looking at my script. I don’t have too much dialogue in the show, but when I do, it’s important enough that I have to get it down word for word. I’ve never really had a part whose lines were too hard to memorize. They all were either small enough that it didn’t take long to memorize, or interesting enough that I wouldn’t forget my lines. One summer, however, I did have to memorize 70ish lines in 2 days. It was incredibly stressful, but it is completely necessary when you commit to being in a show. Plus, once you get your lines down, the fun part starts and you get to actually start building your character. The character I play, Miss Andrew, is really fun to play so far, even though I’ve been running through all the scenes reading down at my script.

I can’t wait until I can run through everything with my hands free to act. It’s honestly so much easier than when you have a book in front of you. 🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #mary poppins #miss andrew #off book #line memorizing #yay #fun

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 28: High School Musical

I just got back from my middle school’s production of “High School Musical.” I was, obviously, a long time member of that drama club, so of course I had to go. It was great! Some of the kids that I’ve been in tons of shows with I saw perform tonight and they were amazing!

Although the cast was only about 60 people this year (last year there were about 80), they put on a show that had me clapping my hands off at the end. I knew they would. They made it as good as (or even better) than the movie that I first watched at age 6. I miss being in such large scale productions, but being in the audience is just as great! This is the first time I have sat in our huge auditorium on the other side of the stage, watching all of the work that that they put into it come together and cheering at the final speeches for the eighth  graders.

When I was in these middle school shows, it was just called the “Millstone Township Middle School Drama Club”, and now they’re called “Eagle Productions” and have a logo and everything. The sets were perfect, too. Overall, I am so amazed by how much everyone has progressed since I have last seen them.

SO yeah, I’m pretty happy at how good that was. Definitely going to see next year’s show. 🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #theater #high school musical #millstone middle school #eagle productions?!?!? #that was so cool

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 27: I Have a Head Ache

As the title states, I have a massive headache from the semi formal that was tonight. I just got home, and I have to say it was awesome! At first, I didn’t dance at all, and I kind of awkwardly stood there on my phone like I usually do. Then, I realized that I was being stupid and I started kind of dancing. I suck at all kinds of dancing, so that was the best I could do. 

Everyone that didn’t go tonight really missed out. I am completely out of energy right now. I’m so exhausted right now that I’m typing 10 words per minute. It was totally worth it. Since I don’t listen to pop music, today was my opportunity to catch up on what everyone else usually listens to. And, I got to just spend time with my classmates without the pressure of classes or studying. At my middle school, there was a dance every month. I feel like we should try at least every other month, because that was really, really fun.

Tonight was overall pretty great. I have to sleep now because of how much energy I used up. It was awesome. 🎭

#sol2015 #sol15 #slice2015 #semi formal #gatsby #old sport #tired #hths kids are fun

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 26: Voice Cracks

Today wasn’t my best singing day. At all. I had a rehearsal for Mary Poppins where we worked on my solo and my duet with Mary. It was all going pretty well for the first hour or so. Then, it happened.

I tried to hit the high note at the end of my first song and the most inhuman sound I have ever made screeched out of my mouth. It was absolutely horrifying. Sure, there were only 6 other people at rehearsal, but I didn’t hear any of them making sounds out of one of those screamer videos that are on the internet. It was actually that bad. I drank my entire water bottle after that, and even then, I still was a little bit hoarse afterwards. I don’t know why it happens. It rarely ever happens to me.

I don’t know why the world wants to embarrass me today. Why couldn’t this have happened on one of the days when I wasn’t singing by myself? It frustrates me. I can hit notes more than an octave above the one I so horribly butchered today. I really hope I’m not getting sick. I am not a happy person when I’m sick. Trust me. 🎭

#sol15 #slice2015 #sol2015 #singing #soprano #i suck so bad #help me #please

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 25: Dress Shopping

Shopping is one of my favorite activities ever. I don’t even know why. Sometimes, I go to the mall for hours and I don’t even buy anything. Yet I still try to go back as much as I can. My brother thinks that I’m boring, but I have plenty of friends that would gladly shop with me if needed.

I live close to the Freehold Mall, so that’s pretty much where I always go. After dinner today, I went out to Macy’s with my mom to look for a dress for semi formal. I know I didn’t really need a new dress, and I know I could have worn my 8th grade dance dress. But I wanted something more colorful, and my dance dress is too big now, anyway. The new dress fits the theme better. Today is my lucky day, I guess, because I ended up getting the first dress I tried on. It fit perfectly. And I’m a pro at getting stuff on sale. Today’s dress ended up being more than 40% off, and my 8th grade dance dress was actually 83% off. That’s a HUGE deal, especially since stores like to overcharge on dresses since they know that a lot of girls will stop at nothing to have the perfect prom/dance/anything dress. But I know better. After all these years of walking around the mall for 7+ hours a day, you would expect me to.

Just so you know, if you ever need someone to go shopping with, I am totally up for mall shopping all the time. I will have to stop at Starbucks though. What? Frappuchinos are good! 🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #dress #dress shopping #macys #saaaale #im a pro shopper #no joke #saved like 40 bucks today

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 24: Ice Cream

I really like ice cream. Like, a lot. The day we had ice cream for French class I could barely control myself from eating all of it. And yes, I am dedicating this entire post to ice cream.

Ice cream is a major staple of my life. I eat it after rehearsals, before rehearsals, after school, every single day in the summer, and especially when on vacation. I mean, why not? It’s so good. My only problem is the location of ice cream. In my town, there are no grocery stores. There is a tiny pharmacy next to one of the pizza places, but the only food they sell is milk and bread and stuff like that. It’s kind of annoying. There are a number of ice cream places on the edges of town, but that’s only because they’re all on the border by Manalapan or Freehold. So, they’re all on highways or major roads and I can’t walk because they’re over 5 miles away from my house and sidewalks don’t exist.

Here’s a Guide to Ice Cream in Millstone:

WHat You Need:

-a car

-a LOT of money (ice cream is expensive)

-exceptional locational skills (or a GPS that has Millstone roads on it)

Where to Go:

-out of Millstone. seriously.

-alright maybe there’s at least 3 places in Millstone with ice cream

-Dairy Queen (it’s ok, I guess. takes 10 minutes to drive there from my house, but it’s a nice place to go on the way back from Six Flags)

-Olivia’s Ice Cream (used to be Cree-Mee Freeze. I haven’t been there since before the name change because of the location on the highway, and it’s kind of small)

-Jake’s Cree-Mee Freeze (the newer location of the latter ice cream place before its name change, only I just found out today that it’s actually in Manalapan…)

-anywhere in Freehold (ice cream everywhere)

-a grocery store to stock up on stuff for when you won’t have a car/driver

-anywhere else in the county

-all of these places that aren’t in Millstone but Yelp say’s they’re the best I can get: http://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=icecream&find_loc=Millstone%2C+NJ+08510#find_desc&start=0

So yeah, don’t come to Millstone during the summer. If you do happen to go to SIx Flags though, I can give you directions to Dairy Queen, since it’ll be a lot cheaper than in the actual park, and you’ll have the whole place to yourself (and probably me. I practically live there in summer). It’s only about 4 minutes away from Six Flags. Yeah. 🎭

**UPDATE: My mom has informed me that Vesuvio’s, the totally awesome pizza place, actually sells ice cream. I am literally so happy right now. I still can’t walk there, but at least it’s close enough that I could, in theory, walk there**

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #a blog not about rehearsal?!?!?!? #amazing #ice cream #millstone #actually its millstone township #the real millstone is in north jersey and is way more interesting #but we have six flags #so we win #HA

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 23: Another Day Off

I had another day of no rehearsal today! And what did I do on my day off? I jammed to my favorite songs from musicals. That’s right, friends. I listen to show tunes while doing homework. People’s usual response is “why don’t you listen to REAL music?”. MY answer to that is: what makes my music not real music? Because it has everything that regular songs do.

Anyway, the reason why I was listening to so many musical songs was because I am going to try to arrange an a cappella Broadway medley. And no. That doesn’t mean I’m just taking out the background music of songs and sticking them together. It doesn’t work like that. If any of you have seen Pitch Perfect, then you’ve heard what most a cappella arrangements/medleys try to achieve. It’s a lot more complicated than you would think. The reason why I’m doing Broadway songs is because arrangements exist already for most pop songs, and because it better suits my voice than other songs do.

So far, I haven’t picked exactly what songs I’ll add, but I’ll keep you updated (if I find out before the end of March). 🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #a cappella #broadway #showtunes #yayayayayayayayyyyyy

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 22: More Rehearsal

Today was a kind of lazy day for me. I didn’t do much. I slept in until 11 after yesterday’s performance. I ate breakfast at noon. Well, I actually had rehearsal today. So it wasn’t that lazy. I ate lunch on the way to rehearsal in Deal since I have a 30 minute ride.

When I got to rehearsal, it went as a rehearsal for Mary Poppins usually does. I put on my character shoes once I got there, and then we did vocal warm ups. They taught us the song Jolly Holiday, and then we blocked it. I am ensemble in this number, so there are a lot of parts where I have to listen very carefully to the others’ lines for my cues. It was overall not as tiring as rehearsals usually are, which is kind of weird, since it was 4 hours long. I am very proud of myself for staying awake during it. That may have to do with me waking up at 11, but whatever.

Tomorrow, I get a no-rehearsal break. Yay! So my next couple posts won’t be that interesting, just to let you know. 🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #rehearsal #mary poppins #jolly holiday

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 21: When You're an Addams

This blog post is a collaboration blog with Giselle and Joe. Yoooooo we had our one and only performance for the Addams Family tonight. It was awesome. Like, really awesome. Joe: “the pit band was uh really good and I liked playing When You’re an Addams” Giselle: I was a part of Crew and let’s just say we are the best. We got to slide onstage in our socks at the end to take our bows. I love the High Tech traditions. There was a point where we were still moving furniture in a black out and the lights came on early,but all in all it was awesome and I loved working with everyone. Gillian: We really pulled the show together today. And everyone is just really cool in general. There were a lot more people in the audience than I expected, and they actually laughed and cheered a lot, too. Overall, it was a great show and our nice meet up at Applebee’s was great, too. I can’t wait to participate next year in PAC!!🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #theater #the Addams family #pit band #stage crew #acting

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 20: Wow

Oh my gosh. Mother nature has really done this time, hasn’t she? Why did it have to be TODAY, of all days? Today is opening night of THe Addams Family. Except it isn’t. Not anymore, at least. Because of the stupid snow, our show was canceled.

After all of this work, I really looked forwards to having 2 shows. Instead, we did a full run through and were about to get ready for the show when we were told that is was canceled. One hour before the show was originally supposed to start. I had to run outside through 6 inches of snow to get to my mom’s car after that. I couldn’t even see the sidewalks. Just a couple hours before, we walked from HIgh Tech to Brookdale in the not-too-bad snow on the sidewalks with actual visibility. We go outside at the end of our run-through? Six inches, it’s still snowing, and we can’t see anything.

Today’s horrible event is even more reason for us to do amazing at the show tomorrow night, though. And even more reason for people to come. I mean, I had fun at the run through, so I guess it’s just like another tech week rehearsal. We’ll be super extra ultra prepared tomorrow. I know it. 🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #the addams family #tech week #mother nature is a bitch #too much snow #theater #I bet someone said good luck #you never say good luck on opening night #or macbeth #don't say macbeth in a theater #EVER

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 19: It’s (almost) Show Time!

It’s finally here. The High Tech High production of The Addams Family is tomorrow night and Saturday at 7. I’m going to bed super early in preparation. We’ve been working on this for a while, so I would really appreciate your support by coming to the show. There’s nothing you have to do when you’re there except sit in the audience and watch. Won’t take that much effort. I promise.

Today, at rehearsal, my voice started feeling scratchy. Then I started coughing horribly. I almost panicked. I can’t get sick the day before the show. I just can’t. Not after all this work. Therefore, I’m going to sleep right now, and I will most likely try to be on vocal rest tomorrow. Meaning, my talking will stay at a minimum (whispering is actually worse for your voice than talking is). I’ll probably be quieter than usual, but I guess that’s ok because we have a trip anyway.

I should get to sleep now. I can’t be tired tomorrow, because sick or to, I’m still performing. Like they say, “the show must go on!” 🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #hths #tech week #vocal rest #show #the addams family

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 18: Costumes (Tech Week Part 3)

Today, we had our first dress rehearsal for the Addams Family. I’m tired, as usual. I had a lot of fun though. We did a full run through of the show. Band, costumes, props, and everything! This was the first time I tried on my ancestor costume, and I think it contributes to the mood very well. It even has fake blood on it. Pretty cool if you ask me.

The only thing is, it’s kind of itchy. And hot. The one thing all theater kids can agree on is that costumes are the most frustrating part of a show. Amanda did an amazing job putting costumes together, though. It’s just really hot inside the Brookdale Performing Arts Center. And dancing is difficult even when you aren't wearing a really long dress. You get over it after the first scene though. I, personally, find it weird to perform in a show where the costumes aren't big and different than normal clothes. It’s always more fun.

I know you’re tired of hearing me talk about tech week, but it’s literally all I’m doing right now. I promise I’ll stop if you come to the show on Friday or Saturday at 7:00 PM at the Brookdale Preforming Arts Center. I would really appreciate it if you did. Thanks. 🎭

#sol2015 #rehearsal #sol15 #slice2015 #theater #costumes

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 17: Please Let Me Sleep

I went to sleep last night at *:30. I am still exhausted. So don’t tell me to go to sleep earlier. It doesn’t work. Plus, during tech week, we have to get home really late only to have to eat, do all of the day’s homework, and get to sleep in a matter of a few short hours. Sometimes, I feel like I can’t make it through one more rehearsal.

Today I even had to go in for a one hour piano/voice lesson as soon as I got home from rehearsal. My piano skills are really falling behind, and in voice I needed to practice the songs for the Addams Family. My dinner was a stale Dunkin Donuts bagel on the way to piano from Brookdale. I haven’t stopped to catch my breath since the end of the school day. I wore my dumb Converse again. Today seemed to be a mess for me.

BUt I still love rehearsal. No matter what happens this week. The songs in the Addams Family are great, the dialogue is really funny, and everyone in PAC (actors, tech crew, pit band) is amazing. I even look forwards to walking to the Brookdale performing arts center with everyone at the end of every school day. Even when I’m just chilling in the dressing room, I enjoy myself. 

Basically, the only bad thing about tech week is the overwhelming exhaustion when you get back from rehearsal. At least it’s only one week. All I know is that after all these years of doing tech weeks and rehearsals, the novelty and excitement of the week before the show never wears off. 🎭

#sol2015 #sol15 #slice2015 #hell week #tech week #pain #ouch #my feet hurt #I'm going to sleep now #theaster #the addams family #when you're an addams you do what addams do AND die anyway because of rehearsals

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 16: Start of Tech Week

Tech week started today. It’s exhausted all of my energy. But that’s what tech week is for, isn’t it? Although these rehearsals for the Addams Family aren’t as long as some tech week rehearsals I’ve done, that doesn’t mean they’re not as tiring.

We ran through the entire show, but we had to do all of the singing sans pit band because the pit wasn’t set up yet. Singing is a tiring activity in itself. Add in the fact that this is a very dance heavy show, I have to sing really high, and continually checking when my cues are and you have one huge, tiring monster of a show. Not that that’s a bad thing. When we pull this off, it’ll look great.

Basically, I am so tired right now that I’m going to sleep when I’m done writing this. It’s 8:30. One hour earlier than usual. Maybe if I go to sleep now, tomorrow’s rehearsal will be more forgiving. Or at least I hope so. That’ll definitely feel nice. Sorry this post is shorter than usual, but as you can see, I am exhausted. 🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #tech week #hell week #addams family #musical #theater #tired #dancing #i need new shoes

[icantihaverehearsalagain]

SoL 15: Stage Makeup

Before I went to sleep and woke up because I forgot to post today, I had to pack my rehearsal bag for tech week tomorrow. Most of the stuff that I packed is stage makeup. Stage makeup is probably the worst part of being in a show. It’s very thick, looks weird when you aren’t on stage, and is a pain to wash off.

Usually with foundation, you want the shade to match your skin tone to make sure your face is even. WIth stage makeup, the foundation is supposed to be at least 1 shade darker than your actual skin tone so you aren’t washed out by the stage lights. This means that if you don’t blend it enough into your scalp and neck, you’ll look like you’re wearing an orange mask. Contouring has to be a lot more dramatic, too. You have to literally look like you could stab someone with your cheekbones.

However, in the Addams Family, I play a ghost. Which means much, much lighter foundation, a LOT more blending, and so much contouring that I’ll look like a skeleton in the end. THe thing is, I’m not that good at makeup. In theory, I know how to do it, but when it actually comes to applying it, all bets are off. I’m more likely to stab myself with eyeliner than actually make a straight line on my eye. I guess it’ll look better when I’m on stage and everyone’s far away from my face, though, so it’s not that bad.

Now, I have to get back to my sleep after it was interrupted by thoughts of, “Gillian, you didn’t do your blog post for today! Are you really going to give up on those 31 days now?” I have teeeeech weeeeeeek rehearsals tomorrow, so I better get as much sleep as I can. 🎭

#sol15 #sol2015 #slice2015 #theater #stage makeup #i suck at eyeliner #i wish i had done this post earlier #now I'm gonna be dead tomorrow morning