Hello folks (my faithful three...)! I just completed my first full week of rehearsals in Manhattan for the national tour of Damn Yankees. I had a day off today to go to church at home and spend some time with my mom, but I suppose you might be wondering how my week went.
I stayed primarily in New Jersey with my Dad and step-mom and commuted into the city every day. I have about an hour train ride (unless it was a holiday schedule, which this week was ALL holiday schedule, in which case it's more like an hour and 20 minutes, ick!), but the studio where I'm rehearsing is only a couple of blocks from the train station, so that's perfect. And a Starbucks is on the way, so double bonus!
The first day wasn't so hot, I didn't know anyone and I felt really alone, but as we went on, I started asking people questions about themselves (no actor hates to talk about him/herself), which opened a lot of doors. There are more guys than girls in the cast, but everyone seems pleasant, and might I add, TALENTED. Everyone also seems to be health nuts, so it's keeping me accountable to not eat junk food all day, which is fantastic.
The gal who I'm understudying couldn't be there for some of the rehearsals this week, so I stood in to learn the opening number for her, which is a big "Meg" number, so the cast got to hear a little of my singing. It was kind of a way to prove myself as a professional, and I got a few comments on how well I was doing (including a really nice comment from Denis Jones...if you don't know him, google him, he's our choreographer and he ROCKS MY WORLD), which was a huge ego boost considering how green I am in the "industry."
Sidenote: I also really love Skip Brevis, our music director. He's obsessed with balloons and that they help your lung capacity and breathing strength (he's right). Check him out, too.
Aside from learning the role of "Meg," I have my ensemble role as well. I do just about nothing, but the few things I am doing are super fun, and then I go away for a while. I am getting paid a lot of money to do a tiny amount of work, plus a free tour of the country, so I'll take it. There are a ton of talented people in the cast, so I plan to take full advantage of picking their brains and learning from their experiences. So far we've just about finished the first act, and this week we're working primarily on the second.
I love the city, despite the holiday hubbub and hoopla from New Year's (yes, I did work on NYE). Working makes me want to live there. We'll see!
Perhaps this week I'll take some pictures to post. One more week of rehearsal in the city, and then we do a week of tech in NJ, and we're off!
