Moments in the Woods.

What was that?

Was that me?
Was that him?
Did a Prince really kiss me?
And kiss me?
And kiss me?
And did I kiss him back?

Was it wrong?
Am I mad?
Is that all?
Does he miss me?
Was he suddenly
Getting bored with me?

Wake up! Stop dreaming.
Stop prancing about the woods.
It's not beseeming.
What is it about the woods?

Back to life, back to sense,
Back to child, back to husband,
You can't live in the woods.
There are vows, there are ties,
There are needs, there are standards,
There are "shouldn'ts" and "shoulds"

Why not both instead?
There's the answer, if you're clever:
have a child for warmth,
And a Baker for bread,
And a Prince for whatever-
Never!
It's these woods.

Face the facts, find the boy,
Join the group, stop the Giant-
Just get out of these woods.
Was that him? yes it was.
Was that me? No it wasn't,
Just a trick of the woods.

Just a moment,
One peculiar passing moment...
Must it all be either less or more,
Either plain or grand?
Is it always "or"?
Is it never "and"?
That's what woods are for:
For those moments in the woods...

Oh. If life were made of moments,
Even now and then a bad one-!
But if life were only moments,
Then you'd never know you had one.

First a Witch, then a child,
Then a Prince, then a moment-
Who can live in the woods?
And to get what you wish,
Only just for a moment-
These are dangerous woods...

Let the moment go...
Don't forget it for a moment, though.
Just remembering you've had and "and",
When you're back to "or",
Makes the "or" mean more
Than it did before.
Now I understand-

And it's time to leave the woods.

Where fairy tales collide, and musical numbers are performed...

Time and Place

Start Time:	Friday, June 22, 2007 at 7:00pm
End Time:	Saturday, July 7, 2007 at 9:00pm
Location:	Comtra Theatre
Street:	Route 19 North
City/Town:	Cranberry, PA

Into the Woods is an award-winning musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.

The musical intertwines a collection of uncensored versions of 18th century Brothers Grimm fairy tales. An original story involving a Baker and his Wife's quest to begin a family ties together the stories of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel, and Cinderella.

The musical makes heavy use of syncopated speech. In many instances, the characters' lines are delivered with a fixed beat that follows natural speech rhythms, but is also purposely composed in eighth, sixteenth, and quarter note rhythms as part of a spoken song. Like many Sondheim/Lapine productions, the songs contain thought-process narrative, where characters converse or think aloud.

The score is also notable in Sondheim's output because of its intricate reworking and development of small musical motifs. In particular, the opening words, "I wish", are set to the interval of a rising major second and this small unit is both repeated and developed throughout the show, just as Lapine's book explores the consequences of self-interest and "wishing."

To order tickets, please call 724-773-9896

Comtra Theatre is located on Route 19 North in Cranberry Township, PA, about a mile north of Cranberry Mall and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

It isnext door to Domenico's Restaurant and across the highway from West View Savings Bank.

If you're coming from the North, we're on the left side of the road. From the south, we're on the right side.

Performances are scheduled each Friday and Saturday evening at 7:30pm
Doors open at 7:00pm

Musical Tickets are $12.

Not so late breaking news...

I have a cell phone. Thanks to help from the lovely Paigetta, of course!

Want the number? Leave me a comment.

Don't care? Ignore this update.

Simply marvelous!

NOT the Hilary Duff movie, people.

Cheaper by the Dozen" is about an efficiency expert who runs his large family the way he runs a factory. Any method he can find to save time or energy, he implements it. Fittingly, the play is as efficient as can be, breezing through three acts and a whole lot of congenial humor, all in only approximately 100 minutes.

The play is set in the 1920s, as remembered by Ernestine and Frank , children #s. 2 and 3 in a family of 12. They are affable hosts as they reflect on their rigidly structured but very happy childhood.

Please call 724-773-9896 to make reservations.

Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7:00pm.

Plays and comedies are $10 per ticket.

Comtra is pictured on the home page of this site (http://www.comtratheatre.com), and is located on Route 19 North in Cranberry Township, PA, about a mile north of Cranberry Mall and the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Located next door to Domenico's Restaurant and across the highway from West View Savings Bank. If you're coming from the North, we're on the left side of the road. From the south, we're on the right side.


Come see it!

25 Questions.

You're my friend. I'd like to know 25 things about you. Just hit "View My Complete Profile" and pick the 'Email' selection. It'll be confidential. (entertain my ass!) Thanks!

You'll be surprised how much you didn't know about your friends after this!


1. Ever punch someone in the face?

2. How old are you?

3. Are you single or taken?

4. Eat with your hands or utensils?

5. Do you dream at night?

6. Ever seen a corpse?

7. Have you ever wished someone dead?

8. Ever wanted to delete me?

9. Whats your philosophy on life? and death?

10. If you could do anything with me, and have no one know about it, what would it be?

11. Do you trust the police?

12. Do you like country music?

13. What is your fondest memory of me? Be honest.

14. If you could change anything about yourself would you?

15. Would you date me?

16. What do you wear to sleep?

17. Have you ever peed in a pool?

18. Would you hide evidence for me if I asked you to?

19. If I only had one day to live, what would we do together?

20. What is your favorite thing about me?

21. Do you think I'm attractive?

22. What's your favorite color?

23. If you could bring back anyone that has passed, who would it be?

24. Tell me one interesting/odd fact about you?

25. Will you post this so I can fill it out for you?

Smokey! Get Out Of That Cat Nip!

Rachel and I went to the pet store today to stalk our GREAT friend Debbie from "Shady Pines" (emphasis on 'shady'), and to buy Rach's cat, Smoky, some cat nip. We had a five minute conversation with the sales lady about it having the same affect as Marijuana seems to have on humans.

Now, the only question left unanswered (I believe Rachel asked this of the pet store woman...)

If you roll it and smoke it, would it have the same affect on us as it does on Smokey?

We may never know. All I know is, Smokey got one and a third ounces for a steal.

Rachel Aileen: so the cat's outside getting stoned
Me: haha stoooned kitty
Rachel Aileen: hahah
Me: love it.
Rachel Aileen: I imagine him taking it to the streets. Smokey doesn't come home at night cause he's pushin nip on the corner
Me: he's a pretty big supplier in this area.
Rachel Aileen:so I hear
Me: Hey, don't tell anyone where you heard this from...
Me: but I think the Narc cops are onto him.
Me: I heard some talk. ya know?
Rachel Aileen: oh, man
Rachel Aileen: he's got so much hope..so much goin for him
Rachel Aileen: I never should have got him hooked
Me: You can't blame yourself.
Me: these things start so small...it's not even a blink of an eye before they snowball
Me: have you thought about intervention?
Me: N.A.?
Rachel Aileen: sigh, yes..I have
Rachel Aileen:it's just..so much trouble
Me: Hard to track down guys that'll sit down with him and agree not to encourage his habits?
Rachel Aileen: haha
Rachel Aileen: ah
Rachel Aileen: precisely
Rachel Aileen:I mean he's almost 50 in cat years..he's an adult
Me: he should know better...
Me: and like, it affects them SO much, you know?
Rachel Aileen: he should, it's a little out of control
Rachel Aileen: his tricks are loosing there form
Rachel Aileen: their*
Rachel Aileen: losing*
Me: Really?
Rachel Aileen: he's given up catching mice
Me: Wow, Rach. that's bad.
Rachel Aileen: mhm...
Rachel Aileen: really.
Me: I just...I ... I never thought it would end up like this... :'(
Rachel Aileen: I know...I didn't either.
Me: *sniff* Sorry, I'll try to hold it together.
Me: this has to be so hard on your poor parents.
Rachel Aileen: oh, yes..well..they put it all on me, ya know. I mean he's my responsibility
Me: that's not fair! He's just as much their son as he is your brother!!!
Rachel Aileen: well, he's actually more mine than his
Rachel Aileen: er..theirs*
Me: they have him 9 consecutive months out of the year, though.
Me: you asked them to look out for him.
Me: to take him under their wing!
Me: and what happens?
Me: you come home...and...and...
Rachel Aileen: i know...I KNOWW
Rachel Aileen: OH
Rachel Aileen: ah
Rachel Aileen: the agony
Rachel Aileen: the injustice
Me: WHY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????????????????
Me: OH WHYYYYY?
Rachel Aileen: I DON'T KNOWWW
Me: *sob*
Me: Check this out.
Me: http://thirdeyedumb.com/2007/04/children_have_begun_artists_ha.html
Rachel Aileen: hahah wow that's awesome
Me: lol
Rachel Aileen is away at 10:04:54 PM.
Me: lol I love you right now.
___________________________________________________________________
Auto response from Rachel Aileen:

Rachel Aileen: I imagine him taking it to the streets. Smokey doesn't come home at night cause he's pushin nip on the corner.
Michelina: You can't blame yourself.
Michelina: these things start so small...it's not even a blink of an eye before they snowball
__________________________________________________________________

Me: and always!
Me: ...and Smokey. God bless him.





We are a special pair, us two.

Only 101 Days to Go.

I forgot how insane my family is. Today was a crazy one, but if I go on and on about that - that would be emo. Instead, I'll talk about happy things. Let me think. Today was a good day, some of it. I've been reading a book called 'Jesus' Son.' It's a compilation of short stories, very good imagery and analogy use. I think that sometimes it takes a really realistic writer to inspire imaginative creativity (no guarantee it'll be HAPPY imaginative creativity, though).

Strands of Fire

Daniel's soon-to-be-wife walked into the cozy restaurant, a whirlwind of creamy snow twirling dizzily around her, only to quickly be sucked up by the vacuum created when the heavy wooden door closed with a satisfying k-chuk. Daniel quickly rose to greet her. After gently lifting off Monique's heavy green pea coat, and seating her in a weighty coal-colored throne, he stole a moment to simply drink in her energy. Enthusiastically chatting away, telling secrets of Christmas shopping, and bridal party dresses, she was completely oblivious to her own charm, the breathtaking delicacy, yet thick power to draw a captive audience of one. He held her beloved in his focus, letting her laughter wash over him.

Daniel couldn't help glancing at Monique's newly manicured fingers as she slipped them out of her black velvet gloves. The ring he presented to her a short two years ago rested on her left hand, the exact picture of elegance. It seemed as though it was only yesterday he was down on one knee, gazing into her dark chocolate brown eyes. He stared at her, and she continued her talk of errands ran throughout the day. Monique brushed the stray strands of fire out of her eyes, and tucked them behind her ear. "By the way," she was choosing her words carefully, leaning over her stemmed glass of red wine,

"I ran into Olivia today while I was shopping for your mom's Christmas present. She and I grabbed some brunch before I went back to shopping. I decided on a small Sapphire bracelet. It was on sale, and her birthday is in September so, that's her birthstone. I think she'll like it, don't you?"

"Back up, cutie. You ran into whom?" To the best of Daniel's knowledge, Olivia moved to Connecticut to obtain her PhD and start her own practice. She moved out of this tired little town ages ago. The charm it holds for Daniel and Monique stifled Olivia.

"Yeah, she's engaged to that guy now...what was his name? You know the one, she's been with him for about five years now, something with a J..."

"Jonathan. Jonathan O'Dae."

"That's right! What a nice guy he is. She's really happy; they're getting married about two months after we are. Isn't that exciting? We had wedding talk, it was great. You know, the girlie things. Oh, and..."

Daniel's thoughts interrupted the flow of conversation. O'Dae. Daniel remembered him all too well. When Daniel left Olivia for the last time (little did he know then that was the end of not only a relationship, but a long-time friendship), Jonathan whisked Olivia off to far away places, even though she still had her apartment just down the street.

Olivia was in the same graduate school program as Daniel. They had similar classes and ended up being semester project partners. When winter break came around, they continued to speak on the phone, and by January, Daniel fell for her. He knew he wasn't her "type", but that she was beautiful and outgoing. He was just quiet, more reserved, not as popular or well-known around campus. However, in March, he made a name for himself and her heart began to flutter faster at the mention of him.

Soon, invited him to her apartment. They were there often. One night, he didn't leave. And the next night, and the next night...they just talked until they couldn't keep their eyes open anymore. They were more than a couple come summertime, more than that, they were best friends. Each at separate internships, yet always bouncing ideas back and forth. She was his stronghold. She saw things, ways to make projects more innovative, and her input improved his performance. She swore he was inspiring her to be something more than just average.

But, time changes things. Time really does change things. People say words they don't mean, and hearts are quite breakable, even in today's day and age. By December, the 'together' status changed to 'apart' and back again almost weekly. At the end, there was nothing more to say. He couldn't be with her, as badly as he desired it to be so; she knew life without him would be unbearable. Begging, pleading, and second chances - all were exhausted.

Daniel moved on, perhaps more quickly than he should have. Monique was his shoulder to cry on and a funny face to make him smile. Months later, Daniel heard of Olivia's new beau, and it was - surprisingly - a shot to the heart. Old wounds were opened and they bled freely. It was so painful; he felt he had to talk to Olivia again.

That ended poorly. And now? They haven't spoken in years, via her request. He heard from former classmates and friends of friends that Olivia was going to be very successful far away from this little town. That was the last he knew of the closest friendship and heaviest heartbreak he ever had.

Her voice was pressing, insisting. Monique reached out and squeezed her almost-husband's hand. "Isn't that great, darling?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, what?" Daniel shook the cobwebs of old memories out of his head, and looked up at her.

"I said, isn't that great, darling?"



Ok, that was only a LITTLE emo. I'm watching Nick @ Nite and typing, so give me a break. It's the best I can come up with while I'm zapping my brain into an oblivion of Carlton doing that weird happy dance he is so good at. Bedtime. Peace, out.

There is a River in Judea

Often times I dream of music,
Of the river that freely flows.
And it sings a song sweeter than honey,
One everybody knows.

Late at night, I hear it singing.
Then again when I wake at dawn.
And it fills me up with hope and goodwill,
The will to go on,
Go on.

There is a river in Judea
That I heard of long ago.
And it's a singing, ringing river
That my soul cries out
To know.

I believe it keeps on travlin'
But it rests on the Sabbath day.
And the time when it pauses in stillness,
I almost hear it pray.
When I'm weary and downhearted,
How I long for the song it sings,
For the calm within its gentle blue,
The peace that it brings, it brings.

There is a river in Judea
That I heard of long ago.
And it's a singing, ringing river
That my soul cries out
To know.

May the time not be too distant
When we meet by the river (meet by the) shore.
'Til then dream of that wonderful day
As we sing once more, once more:

There is a river in Judea (hallelu)
That I heard of long ago (hallelu),
It's a singing, ringing river
That my soul cries out (my soul cries out)
To the river in Judea.
Hallelujah




The line 'I almost hear it pray' is my favorite, even though sopranos don't sing it, there's this BEAUTIFUL tenor part, it makes my heart rise every time. :-)

I sang 'Roxie' from Chicago at a choir concert on Saturday, and messed it up! *Takes a Bow* THANK YEEEW! Heh, ah well, tis a smaller thing.

I like to listen to my old choir concerts on CD, which I am doing now, very interesting to hear how a group grows and changes and diminishes, just to grow again.

You know, I have the best poem ideas when I am awake, but exhausted, just after the alarm rings for the third time, or so. However, they slip my mind by the time I sit down at the computer.

I already have three finals down, only two to go. Oh me. I'm ready to get outta here for the summer. I haven't even started packing, though. Which is not so cool. But it will get done. I'm on key duty most of tomorrow, so that will be a great time to take care of this... *ahem* clutter (to put it lightly).

'You'd notice him...and even without like cluckin' like a hen, everyone gets noticed now and then...'

I'm in "Cheaper by the Dozen" and "Into The Woods" already this summer. Rehearsals will start as soon as I get home. Oh! And an audition for "Once on this Island". I think I'll sing 'The Wizard and I" and "Nice"...or maybe "Times Like This". They're all by the same writers who did Once on this Island, so that's helpful. Keep your fingers crossed! I already am Ernestine (great name!) and Little Red Riding Hood!

So, I guess I'm getting noticed, at least in community theatre.

I should update the ol' resume.

"I hope I haven't taken up too much of your time."

I'm off to get more boxes, drop off my First Aid kit (yeah, that was due Friday. My bad), and turning in old paperwork.

Peace, love, and gorgeous weather.

April Showers...

"April showers bring May flowers..."

Ha! That's a laugh. It's currently:
30°F
Light Snow
Wind: W at 31 mph
Humidity: 88%

Welcome to Johnstown...otherwise known as an Antarctic Hell.

Today, we shall discuss how to stay warm when traveling from Hickory Hall to Krebs Hall on snowy April mornings.

Usually, all one would have to do is walk outside their side door, into the bright warm sunshine. They would walk past Laurel, past the student union, library, Biddle Hall, the 'Quad' (which is really a 'Triad'), and walk into Krebs. However, it is not bright, warm, or sunny...

Instead, what one needs to do is go the long way out of Hickory, in order to keep warm until the very last second. Then, cut through Laurel, avoid those exercising in the rec. room, and run in to the Union. Go up the Union stairs, though the top entrance, and proceed to take the 'Biddle Bypass.' Walk all the way through Biddle, come out near Blackington, go into Blackingtown (because even if you're inside for a second, at least you avoid the snow falling off the roof and the wind that is strong enough to take you off your feet), and sprint into Krebs before hit with a falling icicle.

And THAT is how you get around UPJ. I admit, it's tedious, long, and unnecessary - but...IT'S SNOWING IN APRIL! So, it doesn't really matter how ridiculous my route is, because nothing tops snow after the first week of March.

Today, it's snowing. And it has been for about three weeks now.

I want you all to know, I'm protesting Mother Nature. Today, I wore Green Flipflops. Tomorrow, I may forgo my winter coat. By Friday, who knows? I may just walk around campus in my bathing suit.

I think that the weather just needs reminding that winter is over. Someone forgot to send a memo somewhere, and now it's gross outside. See what happens when you don't file paperwork in a timely manner?

Visual DNA

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Just love me through the chaos

What's going on? WHY AREN'T YOU SEIZING THE BOY!?
I have a big head...and little arms... I'm just not sure how well this plan was thought through
-- Meet the Robinsons


Every time I see that commercial I crack up. My brother and I were hanging out at home Sunday afternoon, I was packing, and it came on. I paid no attention, but my brother proceeds to burst out of the bathroom in a bizarre pose with his arms shrunk into his shirt, and he screamed 'I HAVE A BIG HEAD! AND LITTLE ARMS!' I looked at him like he was nuts, he sat me down and made me watch the commercial. Thanks Mark!

I'm assistant directing for Golgonooza AKA: co-directing/props managing/stage crew to directors go-between/ secretary. It's a good time. I'm not used to Dylan, the official director, or his style. But I know it will be a good play when we're all through. My organizational creativity and his absurdest ideas will blend well together.

I was chosen to be a Resident Director of a large first year building for the 2007-2008 school year. Yeah Hickory Hall! I'm excited, but this week is a little stressful. Interviewing returning RA's, and new candidates, selecting the strongest staff possible - oh my. I'm confident that everything will turn out very well. Still, nerves are getting the best of me.

Scheduling. I convinced mom to let me drop my sociology minor. Thank God.

Through all of the insanity, something is missing. I don't know what it is, it's nameless, it's ominous, it's quiet. I'm tired, not sleepy. Tired. It's weird, I'm oddly dissatisfied with my sophomore year. But I'm fulfilled by certain experiences that have made it worthwhile. I think that I haven't found the balance of insane work and quality friend time. I feel like I've lost connection with a lot of the 'LLC kids'. I miss it.

We do the best with what we have. That's all anyone can do.

I hope this empty feeling goes away.

To us. Whoever we are.

So I will bear my folly back and follow you no further...

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
bro·ken /ˈbroʊkən/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[broh-kuhn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–verb
1.
pp. of break. –adjective
2.
reduced to fragments; fragmented.
3.
ruptured; torn; fractured.
4.
not functioning properly; out of working order.
5.
Meteorology. (of sky cover) being more than half, but not totally, covered by clouds. Compare scattered (def. 4).
6.
changing direction abruptly: The fox ran in a broken line.
7.
fragmentary or incomplete: a broken ton of coal weighing 1,500 pounds.
8.
infringed or violated: A broken promise is a betrayal of trust.
9.
interrupted, disrupted, or disconnected: After the phone call he returned to his broken sleep.
10.
weakened in strength, spirit, etc.: His broken health was due to alcoholism.
11.
tamed, trained, or reduced to submission: The horse was broken to the saddle.
12.
imperfectly spoken, as language: She still speaks broken English.
13.
spoken in a halting or fragmentary manner, as under emotional strain: He uttered a few broken words of sorrow.
14.
disunited or divided: Divorce results in broken families.
15.
not smooth; rough or irregular: We left the plains and rode through broken country.
16.
ruined; bankrupt: the broken fortunes of his family.
17.
Papermaking, Printing. a quantity of paper of less than 500 or 1000 sheets.
—Related forms
bro·ken·ly, adverb
bro·ken·ness, noun
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source
pain /peɪn/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[peyn] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun
1.
physical suffering or distress, as due to injury, illness, etc.
2.
a distressing sensation in a particular part of the body: a back pain.
3.
mental or emotional suffering or torment: I am sorry my news causes you such pain.
4.
pains,
a.
laborious or careful efforts; assiduous care: Great pains have been taken to repair the engine perfectly.
b.
the suffering of childbirth.
5.
Informal. an annoying or troublesome person or thing. –verb (used with object)
6.
to cause physical pain to; hurt.
7.
to cause (someone) mental or emotional pain; distress: Your sarcasm pained me. –verb (used without object)
8.
to have or give pain. —Idioms
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was told I have the ability to sing like Amy Lee from Evanescence, once. I was told I was beautiful, once. I was told I look better without make-up, once. Once, once, once upon a time.

Everyone matters to me. If they are a part of my life, or ever were - they matter to me.

I'm broken and in pain, but so was Job. He got through. I need to find God again...

Words can't describe the past month. It would be impossible.

I feel exhausted and ill and don't know how I'll get through the next minute, hour, day...but I will.

Pray for me, if you have a moment. I know I can be safe in God's hands.

Love, me.

This Is Heaven To Me

THIS IS HEAVEN TO ME

By: Michelina, Grade Four

When you go to heaven the first thing you will do is go to the Gates of Heaven. You will then go into a palace and see God. Heaven looks like the sky on Earth but mostly it is white clouds. The gates are golden and have a sign on them that reads HEAVEN. At night time in Heaven it’s never dark. When you feel tired you put your hands in a machine next to your cloud and your hands tingle. You get recharged and you’re not tired anymore.

God is very big and he is waiting for you inside the Gates of Heaven with the Head Angel. God has brown hair and blue eyes. He has a very, very deep voice! He says to you, “Hello! I’ve been expecting you. You will be here forever. You have earned yourself the right to live here. You will be able to earn your wings by being sent to Earth. You will be a guide there. After you have taken care of this person for a long time you will be able to earn your wings! Here we go!”

God takes you down to Earth and makes you go into someone so you can watch the person. After five years of watching this person you get your wings so you can jump out of the person. Then you go up to Heaven.

When you live in Heaven you live on fluffy white clouds. When you want something all you have to do is snap your fingers around and you get it. The best thing about Heaven is that you get to eat whatever you want.

The person that you most want to meet in Heaven is God because you’ve been waiting your whole life to meet him. In Heaven you can do anything you want (except something bad). If you want to see your dead pet then all you do is spread your wings and go down through the universe and then through your galaxy and you will find your pet in the stars!

If I could talk to someone who is in Heaven now I would want to talk to my great-grandmother Michelina. I would like to meet the person I was named after. I would like to know what she looks like, what her voice sounds like and what her personality is. I think she was a nice person on Earth. I think she can see me now in Heaven.

As long as you are a good person you can go to heaven and have eternal life forever. It is so simple, don’t you think so? I do.

Theatre Survey

Theatre Survey

LAST SHOW ADDED TO YOUR RESUME:
Carnival - Princess Olga

LAST SHOW YOU AUDITIONED FOR:
A Midsummer Nights Dream, Shakespeare

DID YOU GET IN:
Yes! :-D

LAST SONG YOU USED AT AN AUDITION:
Vanilla Ice Cream, from the show She Loves Me

FAVORITE THEATRE (VENUE):
I really like IUP's theatre.

FAVORITE MUSICAL:
I have to pick one?

FAVORITE PLAY:
This week? Hmmm...

FAVORITE ROLE YOU'VE PLAYED, AND FROM WHAT SHOW?
I really liked Annie in Over the Tavern.

FAVORITE ROLE OVERALL THAT I WOULD LOVE TO PLAY:
Christine - Phantom of the Opera
Kathy -The Last 5 Years
Eliza - My Fair Lady
Laura - The Glass Menagerie
Connie - Barefoot in the Park
Harper - Angels in America
Hermia - Midsummer Nights Dream
Maria - Sound of Music

SUPERSTITION:
I pray before I go on stage or I can't do it. Also, shaking my hands out like crazy, hair spraying my hair, touching up make-up last minute, asking someone if I look okay...etc.

YOUR GOAL IN SHOW BUSINESS:
Get paid and be part of something excellent, not just passable. To do an amazing job. To change lives through theatre. To succeed in the art of being an actress, not just a performer.

FAVORITE DIRECTOR:
That I've worked with? Biff Barron and Dave Newhart


WHAT WAS YOUR VERY FIRST SHOW?:
Alice in Wonderland

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A DANCE SOLO?:
AHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA...if you count the hip wiggle thing I did in Carnival or that bed swaying in Lucky Stiff 'dancing'.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A SINGING SOLO?
Mmmhmm

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THE LAST PERSON TO TAKE A BOW?
Indeed.

NAME A SHOW YOU'VE DONE MORE THAN ONCE:
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

HAVE YOU BEEN TO NEW YORK?
Twice.

HAVE YOU BEEN TO LA?
Nopers.

WHAT'S THE SCARIEST PART OF AN AUDITION?:
Waiting to go in and audition, or waiting for the cast to be announced.

WHAT'S THE BEST PART OF AN AUDITION?:
All of it. It's exhilarating.

NAME A SHOW YOU WOULD NEVER DO AGAIN:
I'd do any show again for the experience, even if I couldn't stand the show itself. Why miss an opportunity to gain a new insight of the theatre?

NAME A SHOW YOU COULD DO FOR YEARS:
Again, I'd do any show for years if I had the opportunity. But probably Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge or Lucky Stiff.

NAME A PERSON YOU'D LIKE TO WORK WITH AGAIN:
There are way too many people to list here.

WHAT ARE YOU AUDITIONING FOR NEXT?
Golgonooza.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PERFORMING?:
Since I was 10 years old.

DO YOU CARRY YOUR HEADSHOTS AROUND WITH YOU?
No, I need to get some professionally done.

DO YOU KEEP IN TOUCH WITH PAST CAST MEMBERS?:
Only ones I like.

ON A SCALE OF 1-10, HOW IMPORTANT IS GETTING PAID?:
1. I don't care. It's what I love, it's my passion, it's what I was made to do. If I happen to get paid for it, that's awesome.

SOMETHING EMBARRASSING OR UNEXPECTED THAT HAPPENED TO YOU WHILE ON STAGE?:
Once, I spilled soda EVERYWHERE. Another time, I had water spit out onto me. Another time, I had to drink something quickly on stage and it was some sugary sweet stuff - something we never used before and it coated my throat so by the end of the song I couldn't get the last notes out and the other actor on stage with me had to cover my butt. Oh! And, I had a snake trying to choke me. That was neat.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST MEMORABLE PERFORMANCE?
I don't know that I could narrow it down to just one performance.

WHO IS THE MOST DIFFICULT PERSON (ON STAGE OR OFF) THAT YOU HAVE EVER WORKED WITH?:
Like I'm gonna say here...haha. Nice try.

EVER BEEN NAKED ON STAGE?:
No way. No one would pay to see that.

WHO OR WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST INSPIRATION OR INFLUENCE?:
Oh, I love Audrey Hepburn. And Kathrine Hepburn. And Deborah Karr. And Idina Menzel.

BEST PROFESSIONAL SHOW(S) YOU'VE SEEN?
Hairspray, original cast, NYC April 2005

BEST COLLEGE SHOW(S) YOU'VE SEEN:
Like I can answer that in an unbiased way.

BEST COMMUNITY SHOW(S):
Gosh. Not sure...

BEST HIGH SCHOOL SHOW(S) YOU'VE SEEN?
Not to be partial, but North Allegheny does a really good job with their shows.

ON STAGE, HAVE YOU EVER...

BEEN KILLED?:
No

BEEN DRUNK?:
Yup yup!

PLAYED SOMEONE HALF YOUR AGE?
Mmm...no.

PLAYED SOMEONE TWICE YOUR AGE?:
Not yet.

CRIED?:
Yes, oh heavens yes.

FIRED A GUN?
No

DRIVEN A CAR?
On stage?? Say what!?

BEEN IN A DREAM SEQUENCE?:
Yuppers. 'Woof woof!'

BEEN KISSED?:
Once.

Thanksgiving.

Well, it's Thanksgiving break! My laundry is done, my bags are packed, my nails are done, my room is clean (that's a lie), and I'm waiting for my mom and little brother to come and pick me up and whisk me away to Philadelphia for some quality family time.

They're only four hours late.

I should be doing something productive, like reading or writing an essay or memorizing for acting class. But no. I'm updating this instead. Isn't that productive?

Here's a little do-dad. Enjoy:

Laying on the bottom bunk
The red glowing clock burns the time onto my retinas
1:56am
I'm in between that place of wakefulness and dreams
And I'm talking to you about God and drinking and love
You're smiling and playing with my hair
You know how much I love that
I'm staring you in the eye
And we're promising each other never to make that mistake again
We're whispering words of intangible sights
We're screaming out loud
Our thoughts are flying into the nighttime air
And I watch as they float around the crown of you head
The fresh air blows in through the open window
And it's the only thing I can think of....
I kiss you.






Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Eat lots of turkey!

Secrets.

There is a whisper of a word
spoken loudly and
absurd as it sounds, one
can never be sure be--
(careful who you trust)
--cause it seems as though this rumor might
be based on truths.
Promise me, promise me, you won’t
breathe a syllable of what
I’m about to tell you,
if it’s kept quiet it never
happened. Between those
sheets of sweeter than chocolate
love forever, more than wakeful
sleep, we shared a secret
and a promise I couldn’t keep.

You and Your Contradictions.

You have no idea and you have every inkling.
You are on your toes and you are totally relaxed.
You don't know who it is and you speak their name clearly.
You are lost and you are found out.
You know the time is not right, and I cannot talk but we are still on the phone.
You cannot dance and you are swinging to the music.
You are all alone and you are right next to me.
You stand up tall and you are crumbling to the ground.
You think but you have shut down.
You cannot play and you are tossing the ball.
You refuse to speak above a whisper and you are screaming at the top of your lungs.
You sing something pretty and you do not know the notes.
You hate the sunshine and you refuse to play in the rain.
You close your eyes and you can see everything.
You smile and you let the tears roll.
You tap on the keyboard but you have forgotten the words.
You hug your stuffed animal and you say you have grown.
Your stomach hurts and you run harder still.
You claim you are not right and you hate that I agree with you.
You claim to see light but all you talk about are shadows.
You think you are listening and you cannot hear me.
You say that I have killed you yet you are holding the knife.



Just random stuff, nothing good or meaningful this time. I thought I'd type something emo and not creative out while I had a minute, haha. ;-)

Did You Know That Your Glove Size Is The Same As Your Shoe Size? It Is The Truth...

"Oh my gosh," a camper exclaimed. "Miss Emily, Miss Emily! My foot! It's bigger than my hand!" I loved teaching four to eight year old theatre campers for that reason. "Yeah, Riley," I replied, "it sure is." She examined her hand, which was resting peacefully on her foot until this discovery. Placing her fully extended hand on the bottom of her flip flop, she tilted her head to the left, and then to the right, trying to take in this mind-blowing, life-changing observation. She pulled her sister's hair and said, "Maive, look at this for a minute."

Riley was absolutely mezmorized by the simple fact that her foot, was indeed, larger than her tiny little hand. Maive, being three years younger, didn't seem as fazed by this little known fact. She continued chewing her Goldfish and sipping her sister's canteen of juice every once in a while. However, Reily's gram crackers lay forgotten by the Arts and Crafts table, as she found different ways to place the palm of her hand against the heel of her foot. Soon, she decided that things might change if she adjusted the way she sat. So, the next time I turned around, Riley was on her back, her feet bent backwards next to her ears (a position I'm not sure any human with the correct amount of bones and joints can accomplish safely), gently resting on top of her hands.

"Miss Emily," she demanded, sitting upright. "Why has no one informed me about the size of my feet? " I explained that everyone, basically, had hands that were a bit smaller than their feet. She did not accept this readily at all. "No," she said, "I think that I must have been born with a disease of 'Rather-us Large-mon-ious Toes-eys Syndrome', and when the doctor told my mommy that I was going to be born that way, her and daddy cried and begged him to say that it wasn't really true and that he was making it up but he said it was the truth and it was real. And then I was born and they decided they would never tell me that I was doomed to live the rest of my life with gianormous feet and itty bitty hands! And now that I've discovered it, they're going to send me off into a spaceship! With lots of other people who have big feet! And then I won't be able to play the Great Bear in our show! And then what will we do, Miss Emily? Can you call the aliens and write me a note saying I can't go on the spaceship with the other big feet people until after camp is over? Please?"

I said we could write it right now, if she wanted to. She went to get me a crayon and some pink construction paper to write her excuse letter to explain her absence to the aliens. As I watched her re-tell this story to poor, unsuspecting Maive, I thought to myself:

"Well, we are at theatre camp."

In ten years, we'll see her on Broadway, playing some sort of dying and dramatic swan, I'm sure.

Over The Tavern

COMTRA THEATRE PRESENTS

By Tom Dudzick
Directed by Dave Neuhart

By Special Arrangements With The William Morris Agency

Go back in time to Buffalo, New York in 1959 and join the Pazinski family as Rudy, the youngest of four childrent, confronts his doubts about Catholicism and family dynamics. This heart-warming story will amuse but also provoke thought as the family lives day to day life in their apartment "over the tavern".

Meet the Pazinskis':

Rudy: Matthew W---

Ellen: Annette Q----

Chet: Tom L-----

Annie: Michelina P------

Eddie: TJ S------

Georgie: Josh B------

And their favorite nun:

Sister Clarissa: Donna M----

SHOW DATES: August 4, 5, 10*, 11, and 12th at 7:30 p.m. (*Thursday performance)
Call for tickets!

PLEASE NOTE: While people age 10 and older will enjoy this show, there is some language that may not be suitable for all theatergoers.

Wating for the Next Big Thing

Waiting For The Next Big Thing

I’m from the North Hills, which is twenty minutes or so outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is suburbia, folks, and you can’t get away from it. It is not the country, but definitely not the city either. And at age nineteen, I am stuck here like a piece of chewing gum in my little brother’s hair. It can be pretty, the grass and the trees and the strip malls. But one tends to get bored easily, so I rely on my ‘people-watching’ abilities. I know you have heard of ‘bird-watching’, so I can compare ‘people-watching’ to ‘bird-watching’. I sit down in a restaurant, a store, on a bench, in a public restroom, and notice how people act. I hear amazing love stories and horrible tragedies. I meet a bunch of people that have no story, besides the one I supply. You would be amazed at the type of inhabitants of this area.

I was in Starbucks yesterday, and I was going about my people-watching, as usual. Behind me was a group of middle school students who were enjoying a celebratory breakfast with their classmates before the last day of school.

“And then SHE said to me that it didn’t matter what we did so long as we did it, and I told her she better chill because it’s the last week of school and then she retracted her claws!”

The group of three girls and one boy laughed. A second boy joined the group and was greeted with a ‘hey, hottie!’ He wasn’t that attractive. I was watching these thirteen-year-olds sitting around, putting up their masks and pretending they were greater and more secure than they really were. When the parental units entered the scene, reminding them of their commitment to one final day of school before three months of freedom – the seventh graders blushed with embarrassment. How dare their mother act like she KNOWS her son and his friends? How embarrassing. Total social suicide. What a way to start the summer.

The business men on the couch next to them hardly noticed the mother’s social blunder. “It’s hard,” the thirty-something man in a navy blue suit explains to his elder, who dawns a gray blazer. After a sympathetic nod, the younger man continued, “this constant hiding and lying and denying that there is anything wrong. You would think someone would come up with a ‘no strings attached’ system for carrying on an affair.” The older man stared at him long and hard before asking in a quiet voice, “are you breaking up with me?”

A loud crash from the display table made the father of a sweet looking imp, cringe. He dragged his daughter, who looked to be just under schooling age, up to the front with one hand, while holding the remains of a broken mug in the other. “Hand the nice lady the money, Olivia.” His impatience could not be masked by his sweet tone. Olivia started to cry and her father handed the cashier the money himself. He bought her a cookie, told her accidents happen, and at least there was no hot coffee in the cup like the LAST time she broke one. She laughed and hopped onto her father for a piggyback ride to the car.

There was one lone girl, who was almost a woman, sitting by herself at one of those very small round tables that barely fits two people, but Starbucks tries anyway, just to make it look like there is more seating. The result is a cluttered look, more than anything. She watched everything around her, and was taking mental notes. She was bored to tears and sucked into the other people’s lives that she had been watching, all at the same time. She drank an over-priced ice coffee, and looked as though she was waiting for the next big thing. No one spoke to her, though she made eye contact with everyone. They could feel her nonchalant stare. She should have been out having her own life, instead of living vicariously through others just to write it down later. Everyone sees her quietly observing their lives and no one speaks to her, no one invites her in, and no one knows why she is there. I know why she is there. She is there to build a character for a role she will play on stage some day. She is there to gain writing material. She is there to learn about her surroundings in ways others care not to. They know where they live, they wave hello to their neighbor, and never know their children’s teachers. She does not want to become that. She wants to know the people that live around her so personally, she could finish their sentences. She wants them to read this, and see that they are noticed. She wants to break the mold.

And all the while, these caffeine consuming, time managing, private lives citizens of the North Hills, just twenty minutes outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, assume it’s just another day around town.