Wednesday, January 18, 2012

A gutsy bottom end

So I had my practise for the audition I may or may not be doing on Thursday, last night. I'm generally not too good in singing auditions - I'm either too relaxed and familiar or so nervous I forget the words, the music and the breathing.

Last night was very chilled due to it just being a practise with the Director and MD, just as well as, having gone to the trouble of writing my words out only to leave them at home! I sang 'I want to go to Hollywood' from Grand Hotel (one of the shows that will be included in the concert) which I didn't know before but having listened to it several times I really like it and have been busily singing away to it in the car for the last 2 weeks :)

For the first time in my life I managed to sing something in front of someone the same way I manage to sing it when I'm on my own, I fluffed some of it but generally I managed to do some good belting. The result of which was being told I have 'a gutsy bottom end'. I shall take this as a compliment, look at the other song that I was told to and then go back on Thursday and see if I can get through it without stopping, hopefully retaining my gutsy-ness!

Tonight is the first blocking rehearsal for Blood & Ice, I've managed to learn the first 6 pages or so, although I'm fairly sure I'll forget all of it as soon as I stand up for blocking!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Line learning - never as easy as you think!

After a hectic week involving my birthday, moving house, 2 weekends in work, the birth of my nephew (4 weeks premature), first read through of Blood & Ice, going to see my tiny nephew and spending the day with him; I am sitting in Coventry waiting for the hour when I must pick up a sofa (and various other objects) from one house and take it and the objects either here of back to Bath - before heading out to a character workshop for B&I.

So I thought in this lull I should do some more studying up and line learning. I managed to put myself into a small state of terror by listening to the read through on my way up here last night - I stopped trying to repeat lines after about 15mins whilst the realisation of just how much I have to learn slowly dawned on me. I think what is worrying me more is that I've NEVER had this many lines to learn (or even half this many!) and it's been at least 5 years since I did any major bit of acting. Still, at this moment, I am still relishing the challenge do have decided to apply myself to the creation of a 2 timelines.

One to help me visualise Mary's life and the happenings there in

And one to help me plan out learning all of the dialogue.... I'll start with the 1 page which I do not speak on, and go from there!

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Aunty/ie

Ahh, the question of titles - but at the end of the day it doesn't matter.

Matthew David Pearse Cliff came into the world yesterday, 4 weeks early but still weighing a healthy 6lb 8oz! Vicky is doing OK but she had pre-eclampsia so they are keeping her in for monitoring etc. Was a worrying time for a bit there.

On top of this it was my Birthday on Saturday , which I'm fairly sure Matthew's will eclipse from now on! (it's fine last years was the last important one for a while!), and I moved house, and was in work all weekend.

Still to get my Birthday presents.

Lovely folks helped me move so only took 4 hours. New house is good, although tgere's an ammonia type smell in my room that comes and goes which is not so good!

Didn't have to call any ambulances for this PST w/end so an improvement on the last one......

BLOG rehearsal tonight was fun - thinking of having a go for a solo, see how that pans out.

Mostly very nervous about 1st Blood& Ice rehearsal tomorrow, so an early night with Frankenstein and Mary's diaries as light reading!
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Wednesday, January 04, 2012

Packing again

So a new year and this years resolution? To be a bit more resolute about typing on this blog!

Got a lot going on at the moment (but then, when havent I?!), the biggest thing being that, after a glorious year of living in the most oppulent street in Bath I am moving to steeper climbs and cheaper rent (and an actual house, first in five years!) so am in the midst of yet again packing up my stuff. This is being aided by the fact that I now have specialist packing boxes and I wrote what goes in which the last time I moved.

Decent Rogues will be on again in half term, slightly different cast, very different venue and then it goes onto a week run in London. I won't be doing the short run in London because.....

I have manged to get the main part in a play which is on the following week. I will be playing Mary Shelley in Blood & Ice at the Rondo Theatre (end of March) and I have to admit to being more nervous than I have ever been about any part - not least because I'm onstage on every page and I've never had to learn this may lines - even without the 6 year gap since the last time I did a play in a theatre. Although Mary Magdelene in the Passion Play last year was pretty epic......

Work is OK, despite saying we'd ease off the work load due to having one less member of staff we still seem to have a jam packed term! Past prefect coming in tomorrow to have a natter about how WCMD is going and the cool theatre type stuff she's been up to - and another one appearing on Saturday to help out with the PST weekend, very proud.

Yup, that's right, Saturday is my 31st birthday and I shall be spending the weekend working and moving house. Joy. Although hopefully some festivity shall occur in the evening, if I can persuade people to help me move stuff!