US Airways

Yesterday I flew home to the sunshine state from an airport in Philly. I have never had such a horrible flying experience in my life! I was already depressed from leaving my mother and family but this flight pushed me over the border into the homicidal territory. We left the house at seven thirty to get to Philadelphia on time. We actually got there a little early which is a first ever so we had to wait for an hour before i could board.. then the flight was delayed, another hour. So I finally get on the plane and because of technical difficulties we had to wait a half an hour before taking off. One on the plane the handed out stale pretzels and if you wanted the cheese nips you had to pay three dollars! I finally arrive then have to wait two hours for my luggage because they cant unload it if there is lightning. I didn't leave the airport until around five o'clock. I will never again in my life fly with US airways.

Forbidden Broadway: A Disney World

You might enjoy this. I did!

High School Musical

This year my drama teacher, Ms. Evans, decided that that the brilliant, fun, thrilling play that we would have the grand honor of preforming this year would be .... High School Musical ( a jump, leap, fall and crash away from Les Miserables). Well it wasn't as excruciating as I believed it would be. I auditioned for the role of the eccentric drama teacher, Ms. Darbus. I have to admit it was an incredibly fun part. For our first show it wasn't too bad........ .. . It's differently .. cheesy, but I think that it worked well to unite the group before we head into bigger and badder things (and I don't mean that as in 'quality of performance') =)

Forbidden broadway

Previously I had heard of "Forbidden Broadway" but I never really took the time to look into it. However, the other day when I was looking up music I came across these hilarious Broadway parodies. Some of my favorites were " Don't cry for me Barbra Streisand", "Bernadette in Gypsy" ("...and Ethel Merman, just forget her. Lets not discuss (shh) Ethel Merman"
"Merman's got me pissed") and "Stupid-careless-fictional-nonsensical-verboseness". I was laughing so hard I cried when I first heard these songs. I recommend looking into these songs or the show for some bashed up comic relief

Vent

Theses people (aka drama club) call themselves thespians and yet they have never heard of common plays such as Les miserables or funny girl! They have no idea who Barbra Streisand, Liza Minelli, Judy Garland or Patti Lupone are, just to name a few. For god sakes they thought Madonna was "superb" in Evita! It drives me crazy that these people wish to pursue a career in theater and yet know nothing about its history.

Just to let you know: I am on vacation so if i fail to post every day, cut me some slack.
Thanks!

Will & Grace

Will & Grace, America's favorite homosexual sitcom. Recently I have become quite addicted to Will & Grace. I watch it loyally every weeknight at eleven o'clock on Lifetime. " Homos are a hoot" God, I love Karen (Megan Mullally). I find myself quoting her all the time, which works out pretty well because I'm always around gay guys. Honestly, I'd much rather be around a gay guy than a straight one. If you're never around homosexuals, you will not find Will & Grace to be humorous.

"Grace: I want to marry...'the one.'
Karen: And well you should, honey. How else are you going to get to 'the two' and 'the three'?

I recommend Will & Grace if you're ever in need of humor/ homo therapy.

All the world truly is a stage.

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
~ Shakespeare

People who have not experianced the passion
for theater do not understand it.
Performance is not defined by a stage.
If your an actor or an actress its not
a career or hobby, it's who you are.
It lingers in your blood and soul.
Its hard to explain this to people.
Theater is so much more than a stage,
its a form of life.
My parents have always thought that
I was foolish to be so engrossed in it.
They don't understand that I don't have a choice;
its who I am.
This is on of my favorite poems and
I do believe that it sums it up pretty well.



Of course, I must add one of my favorites :
" If all the world's a stage,
I want better lighting."

TGIF

Have a good weekend everyone!

My first audition : Les Miserables

When I was about nine my Nanny, Papa, Mother and I went into New York to see Les Misérables.

It was the first show I had seen on Broadway. I enjoyed the show immensely; however, there was one character that particularly stood out to me, Fantine. There was something about her character that deeply moved me. I would spend long hours in my room reenacting, over dramatizing and belting her parts. So you can imagine how ecstatic I was when my drama teacher announced that we were to preform Les Miserables that year. I practiced relentlessly for the upcoming auditions (obviously, I was auditioning for the part of Fantine). Well, eventually auditions came. I was out of my mind nervous because this was my first audition and getting the part meant the world to me. For my audition piece I chose " As long as he needs me" a slow ballad type song that Nancy sings in Oliver

We didn't get a big show for auditions the first night, it wasn't horrible either though. Close to twenty five people. I was one of the last people to audition. The people who had sung so far weren't bad, but they weren't fantastic either. When I got up Ms. Dupree ( Drama teacher) was slumped in her chair and she really looked like she had enough, which made me a little skeptical. I willed myself to move my legs and bring me center stage. I sang my range by the piano, still shaky from nerves. I sang my peace and eight bars from "I dreamed a dream". By the end of my audition Ms. Dupree was standing up and beaming at me. I have never felt so good in my life.

Four days later she told us that there were not enough guys to eloquently cast the roles.

I cried.

That is the big, juicy, gut wrenching story of my first audition.

Hiding emotions

Of all the skills I have picked up through the outlet of theater, I have to say, the one I am most thankful for is the ability to hide my emotions. I began to learn this lesson when I was young, however, in 10Th grade my drama teacher verbalised this to me. I was having some family issues that she knew about, and she was always willing to give advice or just listen. This one particular time I was telling her how I couldn't stand my step mom. She told me to think of it as a performance, when things get rough don't lose control of your emotions. Think of yourself as a performer playing the role. That way you will feel like you are in control. I still follow this advice and it helps me, a LOT! The first thing you learn as a performer is to only allow the audience to see what you wish them to see. When people can see your emotions they find your weakness. By allowing them to see whats most beneficial to you, you protect yourself. I'm not saying be cold, but its a vicious world. Especially in theater, people are most competitive and if they discover your weakness they will tear you apart. Don't be cold, just be wary.

Morals and Values: Music and Entertainment

Whenever I turn on the radio the first thing I hear is some rap song about how some guy was doped up drugs and slept with his next door neighbor. Personally, I find it appalling. Its amazing how in such a short period of time standards can drop to such a low level. That is one of the reasons I enjoy Broadway. Throughout the years Broadway has remained the same overall, though it certainly is not a pillar of righteous morals, it will always maintain its glitz and glam with dignity. It is natural for people to attempt to grasp a stronghold when they find that their society is drowning. That’s what Broadway is for me. No matter what’s going on in the world I know that Broadway, theater and show biz will always remain at a level of excellence and except nothing less. “There’s no biz like show biz”

Celebrity high horse: Barbra Streisand

The other day I was looking up the prices for Barbra Streisand t-shirts. Most of them ranged from forty to fifty dollars! Its absurd, they're 100% cotton. There is no gold threading to reasonably explain the sky rocket price. That's just the t-shirt though .. Barbra Streisand tickets range in the thousands area. What happened to thirty dollar concert tickets? Its no wonder these celebrities ride a high horse. I really do love Barbra Streisand despite what I've heard about her inflated ego.
1This made me laugh :
Top Ten Signs You're In Love with Barbra Streisand
10. You see all of history as being divided into two main periods: pre-yentl and post-Yentl.
9. You refuse to buy People magazine because you think they ripped off the title from her song.
8. You're in federal prison for gluing a giant wig and fake nose onto the head of the Lincoln Memorial.
7. You come to after a huge natural gas explosion and say, "forget about me, how's Barbra Streisand?".
6. By dating her you risk destroying your marriage and your presidency.
5. You spend hours in bookstores crossing "Einstein" out of science books and writing in "Streisand".
4. Two words: restraining order.
3. The "funny lady" tattoo on your ass.
2. You write her long rambling letters about your new CBS talk show.
1. You are Barbra Streisand.

introduction

Hello Everybody! I know I haven't posted in an eternity, forgive me.
I believe that if you have a passion for something you should express it in every way possible. That is why I’m writing this blog, all the World’s a Stage. As most of you know (and if you don’t the title should clue you in), my passion is for theatre, Broadway and the like. So, I will be posting this blog a few times a week for those who are interested. In this blog you will be able to find all the latest updates in the thriving culture of theatre; I will include everything from local school accomplishments/gossip to the Tony’s , blooming new actors, fun plays and cracked ribs (We love you Idina ^-^). I read a surfeit of books on theatre performance as well so if I find anything that I believe might be a handy tip to any thespian I will be sure to include it!

As of now I would like to introduce the reader to the Cappies program. It is a great organization to get involved in if you have the opportunity to do so. The Cappies program is all about critiquing other schools shows and writing a review. It was an absolute joy to be a part of it this year. You have a team for your school, and you go and see the schools performances that you have signed up for then discuss it with the rest of the Cappies that came to the show. At the end of the year there is a gala and awards are handed out. It’s basically a mini Tony’s awards ceremony. Check it out at http://www.cappies.com/