Anna in blogland...

today is the last day that we have rehearsal before this show opens!!

this is our set. i have been so blessed to be such a part of this experience. i have seen this set go from an empty room to a couple of wood walls to paint and now this...

i don't know if any of you have ever done any acting, but it is a whole new world!!!

A few things: it has been hard to get into my character because she is happy, lost, sad, frightened, alluring, sexually invisible, and innocent from one scene to the next. I didn't know what "stage left" meant, what alot of the terms are. I knew nothing about the WORK that goes into all of this until i started it. Makes me appreciate acting so much more now. Even the bad actors get major KUDOS from me!!!

If you click here, you can see the photos from last night's dress rehearsal. I was the one taking the pics, so there aren't very many pics of me. Plus, i am sans-wig. I have two wigs in this show and because i have so much hair, and a big head, our hair guy is on the fritz trying to find a 'do for me. otherwise, it was pretty much character.

for those of you who don't know, the play is set in 1929, in a Cigar Factory, we roll cigars by hand and hire a "lector" to come in and read to us. He chooses Anna Karenina by Tolstoy - thus "Anna" in the tropics...

The first few photos you see are just of everyone getting into costume. Being in those dressing areas just made my day!!! Then you'll see some of the crew that does lighting and sound.

So, it's a Cuban family and our director/genius, Allen, decides we should get some dancers pre-show to set the mood. This dance is so sensual and soft and ... fantastic. i wish you could see it. i will have to have someone video tape it so you can get the idea. Anyway, this is the show setter. As soon as they end their dance, we start our first scene. Since i was on stage, i couldn't do any actual photography, so you won't see any of that until later.

We run the show like we're doing it in front of an audience. if we lose our lines, we have to drown in it and find our way back out. I LOST MY LINES IN EVERY SCENE LAST NIGHT. We all have to speak in Spanish accents. it's craziness i tell ya. it's sooooooo hard to stay in character. we get a break between acts and then at the end of the night we have to sit down in front of our director for "NOTES" This has been the hardest, yet BEST, part for me. This is when he critiques you in front of everyone else. And you have to take it. There have been nights when i've done a shit job and he tells me. There are nights when i am spot on but my accent went who-knows-where. He picks, pokes, jabs... and you have to take it. It's awesome.

That is our most serious part. I love the photos of all of us during this because you can tell how serious we are about our critiques. Love this!!!

i wish you could all see it. because i'm really proud of myself for doing this! and i want to officially thank my friend Jason, (Chester), for introducing theater to me. For asking me to audition and thus bringing me into this wonderful experience!! I love you this much and am soooooooooooo ready to get my "Conchita" on!!!

and i hope you all enjoy the pictures!!! i shall return to blogland when this is all over!!!!