Finale

It's hard to find words to describe what this week has truly been like...but as that is the task with which I am charged, I'll do my best.

On Saturday, we had a rehearsal in the city to retouch everything and keep it in our bodies for the shows on Monday. It was one of our best rehearsals; there's an energy in the city that adds a level of freshness as well as some new tones to the performance, so that went off without a hitch.

The rest of that day as well as Sunday (which was given to us as a personal day) was spent exploring the city and seeing a couple more shows. It's incredible how wildly different parts of the city can be. From Soho to Greenwich Village to Times Square to TriBeCa to the Financial District, there is literally a place for everyone to find a home in NYC. I think it also showed the difference styles of everyone in our group as we spent time in the city. People fell into natural groups and spent time in different parts of the city, which isn't a bad thing a all, of course. It was nice to see the different things people favor and learn even more about my classmates.

Monday was our most hectic day in the city. It started with 10 AM tech rehearsal in the theatre, which took us a couple hours. After that, we had about three hours to eat some lunch and change to prep for the shows, which started at 4:00. We all made it back to the theatre in time (despite some minor snafus in terms of wardrobe) and were ready for our first show.

All three shows went very well. Our sister school for showcase, California Irvine, was great; I really enjoyed their performance. We had a great number of people from the industry in attendance and their responses were very favorable. And of course the turn-out and support from family, friends, and alum at the final show was awesome. It never fails to impress me the lengths to which the KSU family will go to support each other.

After the final show, I met up with Chuck to see if I had any specific responses from agents that I needed to act upon within the few days I was staying. There were a few agencies that just wanted a headshot and resume when we actually move to the city, but there was one agency that wanted to see me specifically, so I set up a meeting with them for the following day.

I find it incredible that as a performer, I can stand in front of hundreds of people and not break a sweat, but throw me in the business aspect of the industry and I start shaking like a shaved chihuahua. My first meeting with an agency was somewhat nerve-wracking, needless to say. This preliminary meeting was basically a get-to-know-you session where they talked to me about some different things and we both got a feel for each other. I thought it went alright overall. They want to hear me sing some more when I get to the city before any decisions are made, but I thought things went okay.

I had one more day in the city with my family, then we hopped in the car (they drove here) and shipped off for home this morning. I can honestly say I'm sad to leave the city. There's an energy there and the theatre being made there is just incredible. Things just feel different in the city...and I can't wait to move there.

I'll post again with updates should things come along that need updated, but the bulk of my blogging is now complete! If you have any questions or want to know anything, shoot me a message and I'll try to address it in my next blog.

So long for now! And thanks for reading.

Days 19/20: The Final Countdown

Wow...what a week. It's hard to believe it isn't even over yet!

We had more evening rehearsals leading up to our preview at the main Kent campus. It became abundantly clear during those rehearsals that we really had taken the showcase and made it our own; really found our groove and took ownership of our performance. Terri also gave us some great advice about agencies and casting directors (which I won't post here for fear of misquoting or spreading misinformation)that was really helpful. She's always a great source for professional advice if you're lucky enough to have contact with her.

Our preview performance went extremely well. We filled up the black-box and audience response was very positive, so that was a much needed confidence booster before our trip. It was a bit emotional; it was our last time performing as a group and a class at Kent, so the tears came close to flowing. But at the end of the day, we all felt that much closer and ready for...

The plane ride! Our flight left at 6:40 AM this morning, so we landed in NYC at 8:05. Our first day here has been incredible. We were lucky enough to meet up with an alum who lives in the city now and knows the area and all the good spots for food and lounging. Top all of that off with a Broadway show (in this case, American Idiot) and it's hard to think up a better day! A word of advice: student rush! If you can, make sure you get those tickets. Not only are they incredibly cheap, but the seats still give a pretty good view of the stage and don't detract from the experience. They are a God-send to any students visiting the city.

Tomorrow we have a morning rehearsal in a studio in the city to brush up on showcase, then we get the rest of the day and Sunday off to relax and prep for the show. Monday is the day. And it'll be here before we know it.

Which means it's time for me to get some sleep.

Day 18: One Week Left!

First of all, you'll have to excuse me for the lack of updates this past week. Between school, the showcase, auditions, callbacks, and rehearsals, it's been a crazy couple of weeks.

Our focus this past week has been fine-tuning our songs and working on specific moments within the showcase. Now that the show has been in our bodies and we've started taking ownership of it, it's the little moments that will propel the showcase from "good" to "amazing," and the latter is what we really need in order to attain the representation we all so much desire. Don't get me wrong: the show is absolutely incredible and I'm constantly blown away by the talent our class has. But everything can always be fine-tuned, no matter how good you think it is.

This week is our tech week which leads up to our preview performance, so there's plenty to keep us busy this week. I'll post when I can. Next stop: New York!

Day 17: Two Weeks Remain...

Sunday's show at Salem went very well. The audience seemed to enjoy it and we had a very positive response. It was interesting to finally put the show in front of people and watch their reactions. This performance didn't give us the most accurate read, however, as most of the audience was much older and less acquainted with the style of music we're performing than the audience in New York will be. But it was still great to perform it for an audience and start to get a feel for what that will truly be like.

We ran into a couple of business-end hiccups this week (concerning scholarships, agent response, etc), but with Terri's help we're getting all of those worked out and things should be good to go by the time we leave. Speaking of which, it occured to me in class that we are now less than two weeks from our scheduled performance date. It's strange to think that this huge event in our lives is so close to finally happening, yet here it is! Seems like yesterday we were walking into the Music and Speech Center for the first time. Now it's the Roe Green Center and we're all prepping to fly out to New York City to start our lives in the business.

As stressful as it can be, I couldn't be more excited. And I wouldn't want to share it with any other group of people.

Days 15 & 16: First Stop, Salem

This week, we began evening rehearsals every day that we could, which throws my "Day __" titling system off, but I'll continue to use it for now just for clarity's sake.

As I mentioned, we began evening rehearsals this week now that the Spring musical is over. We blocked all the transitions from song to song and now have a great flow going through the show. It was imperative that we complete all of this within these past few days because on Sunday we take the show to Salem for our first public performance. It's slightly nerve-wracking to get it up on it's feet so quickly, but that's the task we all must face. I'm comforted by the fact that every faculty member who has seen it has had very positive things to say and is so supportive of us.

I'll post again after the trip to Salem. It'll be interesting, but I can't wait for it.

Day 14: Complete! For Now...

Thursday's class was cut short again due to call times for the spring musical so weekend accomplish as much as we normally do. We did, however, finish putting together the order and transitions of our showcase, so the package is complete! I'm excited; it flows very well and works wonderfully.

On Saturday we came in for a couple hours to work with the choreographer on the beginning and the end of the show. Given the songs we've chosen, it isn't very dance-heavy at all. It's still important that weir the time and effort into it and look good. Now all we have left to do is cut down the length of some of our pieces and block the transitions, then we're finished!

Everyday brings us closer to showcase. And I know we'll be ready.

Day 13: Come Together

Today's class was rather exciting, I thought. We began with some people looking at showcase outfit possibilities with Terri. You don't necessarily think about it, but what you wear and how you're presented are almost as important as your performance. I'm pleased to say that my outfit is picked and I couldn't be happier with it.

Next, we started putting together the order in which we'll perform and began building transitions using one of our group numbers to help keep the showcase flowing. As i've mentioned before, it's important to keep the show moving as a cohesive unit to keep interest piqued and focused on our performances. So far ir sounds like it's going to be amazing and really work well, which is great news! Things are really starting to come together and mesh.

Next class should see us finishing all of our transitions as well as possibly looking at how to cut some of our solo numbers down a little bit. So until then!