Let's sally forth into the world to right all wrong.

Man of La Mancha opened tonight. There really aren't words to describe how absolutely brilliant the show was.
"Hear me heathens and wizards and serpents of sin. Now you're dastardly doings are past. For a holy endeavor is now to begin, and virtue shall triumph at last!"

The royal wedding is tomorrow! Yes, I am indeed getting up at 4.30 to watch it. Don't judge.

Let's make it to the end.

Didn't have rehearsal yesterday. I had to take a practice ACT that morning. Pretty uneventful.

Let's dream the impossible dream.

As I've been ranting about it enough, you should probably know that I'm in Man of La Mancha, which opens this Thursday night. Today at rehearsal, I was lucky enough to be allowed in the auditorium to watch the other cast run through the show for the last time. Man of La Mancha, if you're expecting me to explain what it's about, is very very hard to explain. You cannot be told what it's about. You have to listen and find out for yourself. If you have 45 minutes, sure, I'll tell you what the story is, and some of the main themes, but if you're wanting a short little summary, so sorry, mate. Anyway, before we started the run through, we were all called into the choir room to write our own directors note, and what is most important, to us, about the show. This was the hardest assignment I have ever had to do.

"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Too much sanity may be madness. To seek treasure where there is only trash. Perhaps to be practical is madness. And maddest of all, to see life as it is, and not as it ought to be."

Let's remember.

I sort of maybe passed out right after rehearsal last night, so I apologise for not writing. Is anyone listening..?

Let's find eggs.

Jeez, what is it with me and late night blogs and nothing interesting to say!

Well, it was Easter. I don't even really understand why my family celebrates Easter. No one in my family goes to church or is very religious at all. And what's the deal with chocolate bunnies? When did bunnies ever come into the picture of Christ on the Cross?!

So many things I could say. So many things I won't for fear of offending people.

Anywho, have fun choking on those disgusting hollow double crisp rabbits.

xx

Ps. And eggs?!! How did they ever get associated with bunnies and Zombie Jesus?!

Let's travel through time and space.

DOCTOR WHO
DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

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DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

DOCTOR WHO

Let's fume as much as we want.

Personally, I think that when you're angry about something, you should be allowed to rant at your family, and they should listen and just let you fume. Then, you should be allowed to go into your room and listen to your iPod until you cool off. Similar to my post yesterday about tech week, family especially should be understanding about things and let us have our little moments of ranting. All for now, byee.

Let's understand.

Alright. Something that's getting on my nerves.

A Definition:
Tech Week--An excruciatingly long week comprised of daily 6 hour rehearsals usually running overtime in which many numbers are run over and over and there is much time to do homework and sit around, however, it is a very tiring procedure and most of the time, there are essays for other classes that must be completed on a computer, therefore keeping students up late into the night after drama has finished.

Diagnosis:
Excessive crabbiness mixed with occasional emotional outbursts, mainly characterized by lack of sleep.

Symptoms:
-Short temper
-Irritability
-Hunger for fast food
-Sleepiness

Remedy:
-Understanding parents and siblings, who become lenient in the mornings and nights especially to the irritability of the student in question
-Plenty of food
-Good music
-Occasional naps throughout the school day

Ultimate Cure:
A fantastic show by the end of tech.

Let's be on the dot.

Some updates:
-Music video entry for Mike Lombardo's contest will be posted on Friday
-Might post some informational vids (both for funsies and for school projects)
-New song should be posted this weekend
-Man of La Mancha opens next Thursday (I'm in the Thurs and Sat cast)

Books I'm reading:
-Lord of the Flies (Golding)
-Don Quixote (Cervantes)

Sleep I've gotten:
Too minuscule to take into account.

Hope this was mildly readable. Much too tired, what with focusing on filming vids for YouTube.

Ciao.

Let's find. (Like Hufflepuffs!)

Today, my school had a used book sale. Now of course, you browse through and find countless boring romances, books about pregnancy, plenty of travel books, too many cooking books, and the odd Hardy Boys or Box Car Children. But if you dig close enough, you might find a gem. The gem I found was Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Coincidentally, the spring musical I'm part of is Man of La Mancha, which is a wonderful musical based off the book Don Quixote. It's times like these that you wonder why that particular book was essentially thrown away by it's previous owner. A text such as this, that is choc full of wonderful imagery, words that I didn't even know existed, and eloquent sonnets woven in with the thrilling, yet politically relevant story line. Why on earth didn't the original owner keep it? Perhaps because it's 1050 pages long, or maybe because the cover was a little too uninteresting. To me, books are essential to human life. Books, no matter how terrible (cough cough Twilight) some are, expose us to different places, circumstances, and people, and teach us about human nature. And besides, someone put their time and effort into creating something they want people to read and remember, so every book should be respected. And realistically, is there anything better than curling up on the couch with a cup of tea and a good book? I'm tired, so I'm going to go read some more of Don Quixote and go to bed. (:

Let's not forget.

BEDA day 18. Failed. I'm so very sorry. I shall now sit in shame while I type my 19th day's post.

Let's dance.

So as some of you may be aware of, Mike Lombardo is holding a contest for a new music video for his song, Caroline. For info on how to enter the contest, click here. Anyway, I was thinking about submitting one. Problem is, I would have to tape it and edit it in one day, Good Friday, as that is the only day I have time to do such a film extravaganza. One of the rules in the contest is that it has to be a dance video. I'm thinking tap, since that's the only kind of dance I'm relatively good at. Anywho, I'll be up in Wisconsin, so I'll most likely film some tap all around Lake Geneva, in random places. Should be interesting. Well, it seems I am once again taking a lazy day blog post. So sorry, dear fellows. Too bad. Deal with it. Nighty night!

Let's be lazy once again.

Another lazy post. I'm dreadfully sorry for the excess of boring posts. I shall entertain you once more by...hm...seem's I've used up all my backup plans.. well.. this is awkward. I'll make it less awkward by looking at you funny 0.o

Best,
Helen.

Let's laugh....and be nerdy.

As a result of Hank Green's latest jokes video and the wonderful Internet, I have found all the nerdiest Harry Potter jokes simply for your enjoyment:

Knock, knock!
Who's there?
Wingardium levio.
Wingardium levio-who?
It's wingardium leviosAAAAAAAAR!

Knock, knock
Who's there?
Cornelius
Cornelius who?
Well, that's politics for you.........

Q. Why did Draco cross the road?
A. So he could swing his hips at Potter.

Q. Why did Professor Snape stand in the road?
A. So no one could tell what side he was on.

Q. Why do Slytherins cross the road twice?
A. Because they are doublecrossers.

Q. How many wizards does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. Two. One to hold the bulb. One to rotate the room.

Q. How many Gryffindors does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. Three and you know who they are.

Q. How many Ravenclaws does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. They all starve to death in the dark with books in their hands.

Q. How many Slytherins does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A. One to blackmail a Hufflepuff.

Q. What do you get when you cross a Ravenclaw with the infirmary?
A. Ill-literacy

Q. How many Potters does it take to change a light bulb?
A. One: he holds it and the world revolves around him.

Q. How many Slytherins does it take to light a wand?
A. Just one, really, but he has to be accompanied by two thugs *cough* *cough* Crabbe and Goyle *cough* *cough* and an ugly girl *cough* Pansy *cough* that grows on his arm.

Q. Why did God make the sky blue and the grass green?

A. Because he knew that Slytherins were meant to be stepped on.

Q. How many Weasley's does it take to light up a wand?
A. Seven: Ginny to look upset and do nothing, Ron to sulk, Fred and George to blow it up, Percy to yell, Charlie to hold it in front of a dragon and Bill to roll his eyes at everyone.

Q. How many Voldemort's does it take to light up a wand?
A. Now you see that's why he's called the DARK lord.

Q. How many centaurs does it take to light up a wand?
A. None, Mars is unusually bright today.

Happy Birthday, Emma Watson!

Let's be original.

Again, not too much to write about. 10.38 my time, so I should probably be getting some sleep. I will leave you with some inspirational and original haiku's.

Stickers on the shelf
Spell my brother's name, this book
Must have been his.

Orange light blinking
Pop up reminds me too late
Computer is dead.

Man of La Mancha
Tech begins. So glad
No Veda.

The end. I hope you found those to motivate the rest of your life. And if you didn't catch the sarcasm, I pity you for living in such a pink world. Oh. And I wrote a song today, so expect a video on YouTube in the next couple days.

Let's sleep.

Today, my AP Euro teacher told our class that our homework for the night before the exam is to go to bed before 10.00 and only study for an hour. That test isn't until May, but I figured I would be mean and only write a wimpy paragraph for y'all. Or for myself, since I'm practically talking to myself. It's all good. Nighty night. xx

So one day, Rene Descartes went into McDonalds and ordered a burger and a drink. The cashier asked him if he would like to super size his order. He replied, "I think not," and disappeared.

Yes, Hank Green made a video today using a version of this joke, but I like my AP Euro teacher's version better. So there.

Just one more: What do you get when you put dynamite into a French bathroom? Linoleum Blown-a-part.

Tee hee. European history is fun.

Let's keep art alive.

I was just listening to a song called Art is Dead by Bo Burnham. Now, this song is a complete satire, as are all of his songs, if you don't know much about him. But I think this song in particular brings up a good topic: How little people know about a career in the arts. Here are the lyrics:

art is dead, art is dead
art is dead, art is dead

entertainers like to seem complicated
but we're not complicated
i can explain it pretty easily
have you ever been to a birthday party for children
and one of the children won't stop screaming
cause he's just a little attention attractor
when he grows up to be a comic or actor
he'll be rewarded for never maturing
for never understanding or learning
that every day can't be about him
there's other people you selfish a******

i must be psychotic, i must be demented
to think that i'm worthy of all this attention,
of all of this money you worked really hard for
i slept in late while you worked at the drug store.
my drug's attention, i am an addict
but i get paid to indulge in my habit
it's all an illusion, i'm wearing make-up
i'm wearing make-up, make-up, make-up, make-up

art is dead, so people think you're funny
how do you get those people's money?
art is dead, we're rolling in dough
while Carlin rolls in his grave, in his grave, in his grave.

this show has got a budget
the show has got a budget
and all the poor people way more deserving of the money won't budge it
cause i wanted my name in lights
when i could have fed a family of four
for forty f****** fortnights, forty f****** fortnights

i am an artist, please god forgive me
i am an artist, please don't revere me
i am an artist, please don't respect me
i am an artist, feel free to correct me
a self-centered artist, self-obsessed artist
i am an artist, i am an artist

but i'm just a kid, i'm just a kid, kid
and maybe i'll grow out of it

As well as linking the video of this song here, I'm also linking a really great speech from Karl Paulnack, the music director at Boston Conservatory College, talking about the importance of music and performing, and about how people don't seem to understand the difference between musicians/actors and entertainers here.. It's quite long, but really worthwhile.

Back to the song, I think it's important to address the fact that many parents (luckily, mine aren't included in the mix) don't understand that music or theatre or any art of any kind is more than a past time. It becomes a need. We persue the arts not because it's just a fun little thing we enjoy, but because if we didn't, we would not be happy and would feel like we didn't have a purpose. In general, people respect the lawyers, the mathematicians, the doctors, the scientists, even the authors and filmmakers, heck, even famous movie actors! But the long revered love for live theatre and live music is quickly dying out.

People would rather go for a career that will be stable and earn them money than go out on a limb and take a chance on Broadway. By the way, this is by no means saying that being a lawyer or a doctor is worse than an actor, everyone has the crack they fit into. Back to the point, moving more from the arts in general to theatre, there is so much disappointment in acting. There are 100 yes's to one no. And like Bo said in his song, "I am an artist, please God forgive me, I am an artist, please don't revere me, I am an artist, please don't respect me, I am an artist, feel free to correct me. A self-centered artist, a self-obsessed artist." Actors are the ones who have the most insecurities because of all the rejection they go through trying to get the next job. In a slow phase, you would wonder, why didn't I become an engineer when I had the chance, like my parents always said?

The answer lies in scientific brain research. The brain does not mature until the age of 25. This means that when we go off to college, around the age of 18 or 19, we're only about 3/4 as mature as adults, even though we legally are adults then. Ever notice that young children are way way more creative then adults and teenagers? Brain chemistry. Because of the less mature brain, kids take chances and are much more willing to be risky and creative than adults. So when we go off to college, we take the chance that we might not make it to Broadway or might not do well in showbiz, and might have to give up. But because we took that chance, we find out soon enough whether we've got it in us. Adults will never fully understand our drive for something new and exciting and risky. It's our decision, and although we do take into account what people expect from us and want us to do, it's ultimately our final say because we are willing to take the chance even if there might be consequences. 

And that brings me to the last line of Bo's song: "But I'm just a kid, I'm just a kid, kid, and maybe I'll grow out of it." That's what some parents hope, don't they? That their little kid will grow up to make lots of money and be stable and happy? But if you're born to be a performer, you've got to be a performer. It's as simple as that. You'll never truly grow out of it.

All for now, stay creative. xx

Let's rethink.

Don't really have much to say. It's been such a long day, it doesn't feel like I even had school today. Man..that never happens. Anywho, I'll leave you with some words of wisdom if you've had a bad day, stolen from Mattiejpwn:
"Top 5 Things To Remember When You're Having A Bad Day

1. Harry Potter risked his life every day trying to take down the dark lord.
2. Cervantes had to put his life in the trust of his play to save him from the Spanish Inquisition.
3. Even Frodo Baggins didn't give up when all seemed hopeless. He carried on.
4. Edmund Pevensie had to prove he was trustworthy to a lion.
5. The Doctor faces trouble at every turn he takes.

Are you sure you're still having a bad day?"


The end.

Let's keep it real.

So, quick update: As for the question I asked yesterday, I have indeed stepped down from the role, and am much happier as a result. I also just uploaded a video to YouTube, about the Protestant Reformation (don't judge my nerdiness :3), and am beginning tech week(s) for Man of La Mancha, my school show.

With that out of the way, I'd like to talk today a little about a show I saw last night. I went to see Aida at a local, off off Broadway theatre. The one thing that I find to be horrible about live theatre is the fact that after watching a beautifully performed show, and being lost in that world, you have to snap back into reality. The reason for theatre, as I've mentioned, is to draw you away from real life and let you watch another story for a change. As I was talking to some new friends at rehearsals for a play I'm in, we got onto the topic of normality. One of the guys said, "I don't think any actors are normal. We live in pretend worlds, playing pretend people. That's why we're so convincing as normal people on stage." I think that basically sums it up. An actor's livelihood is done by playing characters, a big charade. And actors are usually the most insecure people of all. We live to be other people, not ourselves, so when a play or a musical or a dance number is finished, what do we do? We have to immediately snap back into our own lives, and deal with our own problems that we don't know how they will end. The good thing about theatre is that all scripts have an ending, a resolution of some sorts, whether good or bad. What's life's resolution. Will you succeed in an acting career? Will you drown in real life when you're not cast in a show? Just some things on my mind, I suppose...

Let's not judge.

Alright, starting tonight...or tomorrow morning, whenever you read this, with a serious question. If I were to step down from a show because of scheduling problems, not liking the people in the cast much, not particularly wanting to hear songs sung by people who I know I can sing better than, and wasting my time doing homework at the 4 hour long rehearsals when I'm only in 3 scenes, would you think I was a diva?

This completely legitimate question (which I will be hopefully resolving by tomorrow), got me thinking about how we view both ourselves and other people. Human beings in general are so fixated on our own image that we become paranoid about what others think of us. The way we dress, our stance, our teeth, our music, our books, even the pitch of our voice, become grains of sand scratching at our minds. And when faced with a question like mine, above, our insecurities our revealed when we begin to worry about how people we may never even see again will think of us after a certain action. Almost all of us are insecure. Face it. To that minuscule percentage of people who are perfectly secure with themselves, I envy you greatly. But for the rest of us, we may never be completely secure at all. In fact, we will always be thinking about how other people see us and what they think, not even putting ourselves in their shoes. I assure you that if you take a moment, not just a little wimp of a moment, but a full on think-party, and contemplate exactly how you would react if someone did whatever you are thinking of doing to you, you will know better what to do.

And with that, I say goodnight, and I hope you have some sort of security blanket, whether it be footy pajamas, a stuffed old polar bear, or a favourite song playing in the background to get your off to sleep, all of which I have right now.

Let's change for the good.

Thinking about doing a live show this weekend. Thoughts?

I'd like to get input, if anyone is even reading, on what I should do for my personal channel on YouTube. I'd of course like to cover more songs, and am working on a few songs of my own at the moment, but since I'm so busy, it's very hard to find time to write or learn songs. So, I've been thinking about doing a series of informational videos. I'd probably do mainly European History, as it would help me study for my AP Euro exam in May, but I'd also like to try to explain, in an interesting way, of course, a maths or chemistry topic. Ideas?

To get on to the blog post, I'd like to talk a little about a the song For Good, from Wicked. This idea came to me during my choir class at school today, because we're singing a medley from Wicked. While the altos were working on a section of the medley, I listened to the words they were singing, For Good, and delved into though upon the matter. We change people's lives every day, whether it be telling someone their jacket looks good on them, or even something like not holding the door open for the little old woman behind you. Not because you're spiteful, but because you truly were not aware. And now imagine how they have been changed by you. Has it been for the good, or for the worse? Can you feel what it would be like to hear a person say that because they knew you, they've been changed for bad?

The title and main line of the song has always interested me. By saying "I have been changed for good," do they mean, "I have been changed forever, I will never be the old me again," or are they saying, "I have been changed for the better because of you, and you have made be a good person." To me, I think they mean both. "Not only have I been changed for the better, but I will be changed for the rest of my life." Just think, now, of that one person who always smiles at you in the hallway during passing periods. When they smile, they make you smile, and you suddenly get a warm feeling in the heart of your stomach, and your day instantly gets better. So what I'm trying to get across, is that no matter how small of an action we make, we will affect other people, whether it be good or bad. Think about everything you do, and be inclined to change people for the good, rather than the bad.

Sorry to go all philosophical on you. Tell me if you're bored. I won't take offense (:

Let it rain.

The thing I like about rain is that it seems to wash away all the bad in the world. The sun, however bright or happy it may seem, shines light on the many flaws of human kind and all the mistakes we have made. My theory is that every time we sin, or do something bad, the tears we could shed, even the smallest bit of responsibility and embarrassment we feel, gets sucked up into the sky, until they form enormous clouds. The clouds shade us from the harsh sun that burns the back of our necks, telling us we are wrong, and finally, when there is so much "I'm sorry" in the sky, the clouds burst and rain comes pouring down, drenching the earth and washing out the errors we've left. I'm not one for sunny days. Sure, once in a while, they're really nice to have a walk in, but my ideal day is one where I can sit in a cozy corner and read a book while listening to the rain thud on my attic roof.

I suppose this also ties into what my AP European History teacher mentioned today, while we were analyzing documents for a paper as a class. She wanted us to speak up more, but she was sympathetic to our fears. "It is the most horrifying thing to be wrong." I absolutely agree on this. The majority of the time, more timid people stay quiet because they fear that if they say something incorrect, they will be ridiculed and it will be the end of the world. However, isn't it better to be wrong now, rather than later? Isn't it better to be able to fix your mistakes in a safe environment rather than making them in a place and time when they're irreversible?

We all have to be wrong sometime or another, and when we are wrong, we just have to forgive ourselves and remember that we're human and we are not always right. I reckon that's why we have thunderstorms and great summer rains. The sky knows that we're people who make mistakes and who fear being wrong and who don't forgive easily. That's why they give us a break once in a while with a good wetting.

Let's just have fun.

I don't really have much to say today. BEDA day 6. There's no limit on how long these should be, is there? I do hope not. I'm afraid I've not too much to inform you on. Happy April 6th!

Let's try.

This post will be based on an essay that I finished...let's see...4 minutes ago. Now, the topic of the essay was human truths, and what human traits perpetuate corruption. Of course, being an English class, I had to use evidence from Night and Fahrenheit 451, but I thought for this post, I would sort of outline my views on the subject with things that happened today in the most uninteresting life of Helen. 

I suppose the first thing that made me think of doing a post on this topic happened during my choir lesson. I had never gotten a piece of music back from the student teacher, and he had us sing it today. I asked to share with a friend because I knew for a fact that he had lost it, it not being with the unclaimed music. She offered to ask him about it for me, but I turned her down, saying it wasn't a big deal, and I would memorise the music soon anyway. Though this definitely was a very minor incident, it made me think of human truths. It's nature, I realised, to take the easy way out and to, bluntly, be lazy; letting something slide rather than jumping on it and drawing attention to yourself. If I had asked for my music, the worst he could have told me would be to share with someone. To me, I think we all need to step it up, including myself, and take charge of a situation instead of thinking, 'I'll do it next time,'. 

The second event was when I came home today, and both my parents began lecturing me about the numerous music and theatrical lessons I am taking, and about my seeming inability to want to practice. I retorted with the reply that I didn't like people listening to my singing or piano playing or monologue reading because family members were too judgemental. Looking back on the incident, I found that for myself, it's a matter of insecurity and fear of consequences, the reason I don't practice as often as I should. I'm afraid, 1, that those listening will hear my mistakes and criticise me deeply about them, 2, that I really am not talented and those listening will feel sorry for me, and 3, that if I don't practice enough, my parent will be angry, and if I practice too much, they'll be angry about the constant soundtrack coming from the living room. It opened to me another human truth: We become paranoid when we are devoted to something. We focus on what we think the outcomes will be, and the many possible mishapping, when in reality, we should be living and thinking in the present, and trusting that we're doing the right thing. 

Finally, the third happenstance of the day was while I was playing piano. The song, which I suppose has some importance to this post, was Everything Else, from Next to Normal. I was simply sight reading it, trying to play the accompaniment. The lyrics of the song expose the joy one feels when one has an escape from the world. "Everything else goes away [when I play piano]" sings Natalie during the song. Reiterating from a previous post, theatre is what people go to as a distraction from their real-world problems. While there is great comfort, for anyone, at the theatre, or at the sports stadium, or at the cinema, whatever your personal distraction is, when the song finishes, or the crowd roars, or the credits pop up on the screen, it's over. You have to go back into the real world and deal with your problems. This opened to me a final truth, that even though ignorance is bliss, and it's easier to go with the crowd and try to block out what you don't like, there is a time that you will have to deal with it. You can't escape from everything.

I hope I haven't been too boring. How on earth did I manage to write my English essay as well as this essay-length post? The world will never know. Have a good life, all. Sorry if that sounded dismal, but we are talking about life, now, aren't we. xx

Let's make friends.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am currently involved in two musicals and a play. One musical with school, one with a group 20 minutes away, and the play with a group 15 minutes away. It's always hard to go into big gatherings of people, regardless of whether you know someone or not. I find that with school shows, being an underclassman has the disadvantage that all the 'cool' people are the leads and everyone is talking to each other and having a grand ball while the group of 'chorus nerds' sit together chatting. Parallel to the away from home shows, where everyone knows everyone in the cast but you, and you're just too shy to say anything and end up sitting alone reading a book. Personally, I always have a fear of not being accepted into a cast and being miserable at rehearsals. However, today, with the first rehearsal for The Importance of Being Earnest, there was a different vibe. See, the interesting part of this story comes at the end, so I'll spare you the details of the beginning and middle. In a nutshell, we read through the script, marked in a few cuttings, and introduced ourselves. Now, when we all stood up to leave, instead of the two guys I didn't know going off to their cars and driving home, and instead of the 4 girls I hadn't properly met walking out to dinner together, I was greeted warmly by the first guy, who apologised for forgetting my name, and eventually, I learned the name of each cast member. Side note: I've always considered myself a fairly shy person, most especially around people I haven't met. Anywho, it made me think about the ways we treat other people at the most simple of events, such as this read through rehearsal. Most people, if they have friends near them, will immediately, naturally gossip to that friend and disregard the newbie, either too deep into their conversation, or under the belief that someone else will 'entertain' the person no one knows. But that little percentage of people who don't fall under the previously mentioned category, will ask the newbie to join their group of friends, and try to make them feel part of the family. Now, I'm not saying that the people around have to take responsibility, I do know that one has to be open to make new friends or to fully be accepted into a group. And I've realised, through my experiences with joining a cast, and also with directing shows myself, that if you don't put yourself out there, expecting to meet new people and make new bonds, and to overall, have fun, you won't have fun, and you won't meet and make friends with new people. I suppose all I'm trying to get across, is that in order to have a good time, and to make connections with people, and all in all, to be a thoughtful person, we all have to open up and put ourselves out in the crowd. In order to save the drowning person, someone has to throw the rope, and the one in the water has to grab onto it.

Let's be chill.

Today, I had the first rehearsal for a musical I was recently cast in. Little Women is the musical, and the part I am playing is Aunt March, the batty old lady. I've decided that for these blogs, I will try to mention my personal life/things specific to me as much as possible, and focus more on things happening around me and life messages (now doesn't that sound artistic). However, my post for today does begin at rehearsal. We started off the rehearsal with a read through, and I learned that when one is triple casted, one doesn't have many lines to read at the initial read. That being said, we finished the entire play, and then moved on to a team building activity with the time remaining. Our task was to create a 5-8 minute melodrama from the time period of Little Women (1800s) with our cast. We were successful, after a half hour of planning, in acting out a very dramatic scene that included a leprechaun, train tracks, English children, and a detective by the name of Sherlock Drew. And on that happy note, we all exited the building to go home, or, as a few cast members were planning on doing, go out to dinner. I sat on the bench outside the community house, watching people leave, and waiting for my mother to pick me up, when a small black car carrying a few people from the cast (who I didn't really know yet) who had decided to go out to a restaurant caught my eye. The driver, who was my age or a little older, turned the corner to get out of the parking lot, when a grey van backed straight into her car. A split second later, the girl jumped out of the car, burst into tears, told her friends to go home, and tried to get her mother on the phone. The old man, who had reversed into the girl's car, hopped out of his car and immediately began yelling at the girl about not being able to drive correctly and about all the damage she had caused to his car. Now, to cut this story short, the girl's mother arrived, she screamed back at the man, telling him he had to yield for oncoming cars, the girl was comforted by her friends, and the directors found the funny light in this scream-a-thon between the two parties. Looking back on these two incidences--the theatrical creation and the collision in the parking lot--I noticed that life really is just a melodrama. People get so worked up about things that happen in the space of three seconds, and end up being so devoted to their side of the argument, or their 'role' that people on the outside, watching the entire shebang happen, find the humour in the situation. Now, granted, this was a serious affair, both the man and the girl will have to pay for their cars to be repaired, I believe that people need to sometimes just take a breath and look at their performance as one looking in, and find the sunshine in the clouds. Let's just take a ice-pop and stick it down our shirts, okay? For just as the people acting in a melodrama believe their performance is serious and heart wrenching, there will always be one person watching who thinks it's the best comedy in the world.

Let's work.

This morning, I woke at 7.30 am, took a shower, squeezed into tights and a dress, and drove down to a college to compete in the NATS Classical Competition (National Association of Teachers of Singing). By 9.30, I was warming up in French, and at 11.00 precisely, I sang in English, French, and Italian for two judges, the lovely accompanist, and the room chair. After a quick stop for lunch, I raced back to the building to meet up with some friends from a vocal camp, and soon after, ran down the stairs to check the finals list. Not making it, my mother and I left, drove back home, and while she was in her office on her computer, likewise, I was doing the same, catching up on Youtube subscriptions and trying not to cry. At 4.00, we left the house yet again, this time driving to a local theatre to pick up a script for a recently cast show I will be in, only to find that the scripts hadn't come in yet, and to be presented with paperwork that only made me more excited to rehearse. We made a quick stop back home, as I had forgotten my glasses, and turned back around to head into the city. After walking around an enormous mall, purchasing much too much, and waiting for a glass elevator, my mother and I walked down to a restaurant across from the theatre in which we would later see a show, and ate a delicious meal about 6 feet away from Tom Hanks, who was with his son, son's girlfriend, and who we guessed was his father. While talking excitedly on the phone to my father about the incidence, we made our way to the theatre across the way and went to see Working the Musical, keeping our eyes peeled for more celebrities. Seeing none, I let myself be lulled into the beauty of a musical after a day of disappointments. I suppose this is what life as an actor or singer or dancer is bound to be like, only with much more swearing, many more tears, and 100 "no"s to a single "yes". It's all about the job. One audition after another, one failed competition after another. There's no escape for us performers. People, normal people, go to the theatre to escape from real life; to delve into a world of make believe and pretend, where there will always be a resolution after the standard hour and a half. I reckon we actors must accept the "no"s and the tears and the countless disappointments and learn to trust ourselves and be confident in our talents and, as someone has to be a janitor, someone has to be an actor.

Let's do this.

30 Blogs. 30 Days. It's a party.
I have indeed decided to do BEDA. For those of you who don't know what BEDA is, because obviously I'm such an interesting person that you followed my nonexistant blog posts in anticipation for an event such as this, it stands for Blog Every Day in April. I would have loved to do VEDA (Vlog Every Day in April), but alas, I have no time to spare. This month, I will most likely be ranting about how busy I am and how my life is spent at rehearsals and school., and of course, Harry Potter. Because who, honestly, would be able to write posts once a day for a month and not be able to mention this boy wizard at least once. Because this is the very first post for April, bear with me as I mention my other locations on the wide, wide web. Follow me on Twitter, stare at me awkardly on Youtube(and subscribe, of course), and read these same posts on Tumblr. Don't forget to smile as you painstakingly (most likely) sing for SEDA, talk to a camera for VEDA, type for BEDA, and, of course, read mine, and everyone else's posts for REDA.