Acting

Any Dream Will Do

Acting, Theatre

I’ve had a conversation with almost every performer I’ve ever worked with about dream shows and/or dream roles. We all have them, no matter how out there or unrealistic they may be. I, for one, know all about the unrealistic as most of my real dream roles are men’s roles (hello, Ren in Footloose and Phoebus in Hunchback of Notre Dame). But, along with those that we know will probably never happen, there are also a few that we just can never stop dreaming about.

These roles and shows have been prominent in my mind lately because I’ve either seen or done some of my dream shows over the last year. One of my dream roles which I may never be able to play is Peron’s Mistress in Evita. I absolutely love the show and the music and I’m so happy that I was able to do the show last year as part of the singing ensemble, but playing Peron’s Mistress has always been a dream role of mine. Previously, it seemed like it could still be in reach, but at 28, I’m really at the edge of being too old, so maybe it’ll stay a dream forever. However, her song is a great audition song that I love to use, so maybe I’ll just continue to live out that dream in auditions.

I have other dream roles such as Joanna and Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Lucy in Jekyll & Hyde, Lucy in You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, and Kate (Lilli) in Kiss Me, Kate and The Taming of the Shrew, just to name a few. I’ve also been very lucky to actually get to play two dream roles so far, Sorel in Hayfever and Rhoda in The Bad Seed. I’ve played many different roles that I’ve loved and enjoyed, and also definitely played some roles that were not my favorite, but there’s just something about fulfilling those dreams that helps keep you going for future shows and allows you to continue to dream.

Beyond just dream roles, there are also so many dream shows that I just want to be a part of. While I would love to play Sally in Cabaret, just being able to play one of the Kit Kat Girls would be a dream come true. I love Les Misérables, and while I definitely connect with certain characters over others, I would be so happy to just be part of that show in any role. Other dream shows for me would be Hunchback of Notre Dame, Rent, 42nd Street, and Wicked, just to list the first few that come to mind. I’ve also been amazingly lucky to already have done one of my dream shows last year, Titanic: The Musical, and I will happily do that show over and over because I just love the music so much (top 3 favorite score, check it out!).

I find that dream roles and dream shows are interesting because they don’t always overlap. Just because you have a dream role from a certain show doesn’t mean you dream of actually doing that show. Often, I’ve found that it can be an all-or-nothing situation with your dream role because if you don’t get that role, it’s not worth doing the show. I can understand this on a few levels because I’ve experienced it myself. If you audition for your dream role and don’t get it, accepting another role in that show can be challenging. I think that it can create a natural separation or judgmental barrier between yourself and the person who has the role you wanted. Even if you don’t find yourself to be a judgmental person and don’t go looking for conflict, it’s only natural when you’ve dreamed of yourself in that role to compare what you would do to what the other performer is doing and evaluate their choices.

In my opinion, it’s not always a bad thing to compare how you have interpreted a character’s actions and how someone else has. Sometimes I see other performers at auditions or performances and think that I wouldn’t have made that choice, but that it’s interesting and different, and how it really works. However, I’ve definitely also watched and focused on choices that I really didn’t think worked, but that’s the very nature of interpretation.

Regardless, these dreams give us something to look forward to and strive toward. They keep us looking forward, continuing on, and learning new things. I will continue to strive toward my dream roles and shows and some will stay dreams, but some will become reality and that makes it all worth it.

What are some of your dream roles and dream shows? Let me know in the comments!

Getting Back into It

Acting, Theatre

I worked on shows pretty consistently all while growing up, whether it was acting, stage managing, assistant directing, or running tech. The longest break I took was during college. I did a couple of sporadic shows during the first couple years, but I took a hiatus from 2012 (after Much Ado About Nothing) to 2017.

Finally, in 2017 I had my BA in English, I’d spent a little time in 2016 traveling after graduation, and then I had acquired a full time job with evenings free and was actually able to do a show! Just as I was starting to think about getting back out there, one of my very best family friends, JoLynn Jones Ibanez, called me up and let me know that she was asked to direct Our Miss Brooks at Huntington Beach Playhouse and asked if I would come read for one of the teenagers. Naturally, I said “okay!”

Auditions in themselves will be another post entirely, but believe me when I say that I felt so bad for my friend. On the first night of auditions, when I came down, there were four of us. On the second night of auditions, she only had two people show up. So, with only six total people for a show written for at least 15, we started calling everyone we knew.

I called my mom, who graciously agreed to take on two small parts. She then called our good friend, Karla, who came in bringing her stepdaughter and another actress she had directed before, Emily. JoLynn ended up roping not only our stage manager into taking a part, but also her nine year old son, and my mom brought in a teenage neighbor. Finally, after cutting out a couple extra characters, we had a semblance of a cast.

Thankfully, we had a wonderful cast and crew because we went through many difficulties in the rehearsal process. This was HBP after leaving the library location, so we were rehearsing in a small storage space that was full of costumes and set pieces up until hell week when we were trying to get used to the actual space we’d be using while the set was built around us. Additionally, because of the time constraints on us being in the building, we didn’t do a full run-thru of the show until the invitational address, in front of an audience.

Then, once we finally opened, there were more battles to come. We were performing without mics in an auditorium that eats sound. Some of the younger actors were not used to needing to project so much, and even the veterans were having trouble making themselves heard. We also had the unfortunate problem of performing a script that was a remake of a well-known radio and tv show. The script, in itself, is not the greatest one I’ve ever done (though, admittedly, also not the worst), but I’m not sure it would have mattered how well it was written or how well we performed it. People came in knowing the title and expecting to see what they knew, but it just wasn’t that. Not only were a lot of the original characters’ names changed, but the personalities as well. It was natural for people to think of a cheap imitation and be disappointed when it was not what they were expecting.

However, despite all of the problems we encountered through the run, I had a wonderful time. We had such a great cast and I was able to work with some good friends whom I had not had the pleasure of working with on stage before, such as Eduardo and Karla. I also made some great new friends, and I always love working with my mom.

Now, allow me to spend a minute talking about how amazing my mom is. If you’ve ever seen her perform or acted with her, you know how brilliant she is. She has great comedic timing and is so funny. I’ve done quite a few shows with her now and it is always such fun to see her get into character. Plus, she’s always making everyone laugh. This show in particular she took on two roles: a flighty music teacher and a haughty, overbearing mother. These characters could not have been more different and she had such a switch between the two. She wore a distinctive hat as the teacher and a wig as the mother. She had a different walk, a different voice. It was wonderful and she was hilarious. Actually, she’s pretty much always hilarious so make sure you check out her next show, Old Acquaintance, at Westminster Community Playhouse! They’re in rehearsals now, so you’ll be hearing more about it soon.

So, was Our Miss Brooks the best show in the world? No. Did we have an amazing cast and director? Yes. Did audiences love it? Some did, some didn’t. Did I have a great time? Absolutely. I made wonderful friends and learned a lot about the types of parts and shows I want to do in the future. Jane was a really fun role and very different from myself. She is shy, sweet, and smitten with the star basketball player. Plus, it’s always fun to play the ingénue, and I’ve had so few opportunities thus far. It definitely would’ve been type casting had I played the villain, but it’s fun to be sweet and innocent for a change.

I always try to take something from every experience. Whether it’s new friends, fond memories, or lessons learned, I am thankful and take that forward into my next endeavor.

So tell me, what is it that you hope to take with you from your experiences doing or attending theatre? Let me know in the comments!