Where in the world is Blah Blah Beki? I’ve been asking myself that all day. Blah…..Blah….. That is exactly how I have felt today, as I sat around doing pretty much nothing. I found myself asking, Where are you? Where have you been lately? What happened to those goals you set at the beginning of the year? Not resolutions, people break those…but the easily attainable goals? 1. Write 3 times a week 2. Walk/run 3 times a week 3. Family dinners 3 times a week I’m seeing a pattern there. A lot of 3’s. Maybe that was my problem. In baseball, a pattern of 3’s means you are out. Did I strike out before I even started? How can that be? Blah. The new year is not a total wash. There have been some new ventures, projects and excitements. Theater: I got cast in a new show, which was exciting. I was ready for a new project. Then the show got cancelled before it even got into rehearsals due to an unforeseen illness of the director. I also got cast in a Fringe show, but alas, I have to turn it down because I will most likely be traveling during Fringe to attend my niece’s wedding. ( no show/sad, wedding/good) …..but before you start feeling sorry for me….. I will be singing with four other very talented singers at a Benefit Concert/Variety Show on March 29th! I am looking forward to being on the stage again, and especially with some good friends! Great duets, group numbers, and lots of fun! Work: I started a new job last month. It seems to be right up my alley, but I am still getting to know the company. I am doing product demonstration/sales. It combines my acting...
Theater: Why It’s Fulfilling, Even When You Are Running On Empty...
posted by Beki
I got to take a nap yesterday. When I woke up, it was 10:45. A.M. I’m not sure what that says about you when a nap is needed by 9:00 in the morning. Actually, I do. It means you have been living in a whirlwind for the past few weeks and your body has finally said…I need a break! The past several weeks have been a little hectic for me, but I have loved (almost) every minute of it. Lizzie Borden The Musical opened last weekend, with rave reviews I might add. Opening weekend is always an exciting time, albeit a bit exhausting. Especially when you are coming out of a week of 10 hour a day tech rehearsals. Those were preceded by weeks of regular rehearsals, of course. On top of the opening of a show, my children also started school. Hello 5:30 a.m. alarm. I have not missed you. It didn’t take too long for my internal alarm clock to kick back into gear either. That little ticker is quite the over achiever, let me tell you. My actual alarm clock never even GETS to do it’s job! And if ALL THAT wasn’t enough. We put our house on the market. BAM! Just like that. It was something we had been talking about doing for a while. Simplifying. Finding the areas in our life where we can just….reduce. So, we pulled the trigger. That was a shot I definitely felt. The sting didn’t last long though. It’s amazing how the threat of strangers coming into your home to look around and judge whether it’s “good enough” or not will push you out of your mourning period and into action mode. ACTION MODE: Rehearsals. Memorizing. School. Packing lunches before I’m awake. More...
Sink or Swim
posted by Beki
Today I am heading off for an 8 hour day of tours at Titanic. I will start off shadowing someone else, but by the end of the day, it will be sink or swim for me. No pun intended. I have been doing lots of research on Dorothy Gibson, the famous silent film actress who survived the Titanic. She is who I will be portraying as I give my tours. The “Original Harrison Fisher Girl”, or “Gibson Girl”. She was more than that though. Quite a lady. At the age of 22 she was the highest paid actress in film. Probably why she could afford a first class ticket on Titanic. I am still trying to find her “voice”. Playing a historical figure, is something new to me. I guess if there is nothing for me to reference, then no one else can either. No comparisons! I’m excited. I really love the history side of this role. I have genuinely enjoyed doing all of the research and stepping back in time. It is fascinating to walk through the exhibit and see artifacts that actually came from 2 1/2 miles under the ocean. That were actually on the Titanic. There is money, paper bills, that are still intact because they were in a leather bag. I get goosebumps when I think about it. Maybe I’m just a nerd. And the stories. So many stories. Lives lost. Lives saved. People who became heroes that night. I love to see ordinary people who do extraordinary things when it matters most. So, I’m a little nervous. Only because there is SO MUCH INFORMATION to remember. The tours are about 1 hour 20 min long. That’s a lot of facts to be spewing out. What makes it scary is...
Measuring Up: Costume Fitting Day In the Theater...
posted by Beki
Have you ever been “sized up”? Have you had someone look at you, and you can tell they are looking to see if you “measure up”? You feel exposed, don’t you? Almost like you need to cover up? You want to say, “Stop looking at me so…personally!” Get out my bizness, so to speak. I had the wonderful opportunity to get “sized up” twice in the past week. Literally. It was costume fitting time for both the show Lizzie Borden, and at Titanic, The Experience. Let me tell you it’s very….intimate. Lizze Borden was first. I am playing three different roles in this show, so I am assuming I will have three different costumes. There are none made yet, so they were just getting measurements. The costumer was a pro, and very lovely, and knew exactly what she needed. This always helps and makes this process go a lot smoother. She whipped her tape measure around my body like a cowboy roping a steer. I half expected her to flip me on my back and throw her hands up in the air. Shoulder to Shoulder. Shoulder to wrist. Bust. Hips. Waist. Hip to floor. Back. Torso. Diagonal torso across the bust “because she has boobs”. As she is shouting out my numbers to her assistant, I find myself biting my tongue to keep from saying things like…..I just ate lunch…..I’m kind of bloated today…..I’m actually about to go on a diet, should I check back with you?…..so, how ARE my numbers? I know. Pathetic. Then I went in to Titanic. Totally different experience. They already have a rack full of costumes, so the costumer was trying to help me find one that would work with my character, and also work for me. She pulled...
They Like Me, They Really Like Me!...
posted by Beki
After a week of learning new music, cramming monologues into my tired brain, driving back and forth in the pouring rain to one audition after another… ok, 4 total…I got some exciting news. I got cast in not one, but two of the shows! Now, before you start jumping up and down for me and spill your cereal all over your computer, here’s the bad news. I can only do one of them because the shows overlap. Just my luck, right? I really wish I could do both, BUT, the silver lining is, now I join the elite few that can say, “yeah, I turned that offer down”. That makes you sound really important. So, the show I AM going to do is called Lizzie Borden. Does that name sound familiar? That’s because it is about a real person. An axe murderess from the 1800’s to be exact. She was tried for killing her parents. With an axe. Sounds pretty dark, doesn’t it? Don’t worry….it’s a musical. When you put stuff to music it’s…fun! We start rehearsals in July and the show opens August 24th. What’s super exciting is that I’ll be working with Tony award winning director, Kenny Howard, an amazing cast, and the talented Michael Wanzie who wrote the script. Ok, now, put down your cereal and jump up and down for me! YAY! Now that I have a new show to be excited about…I can pull myself out of the pool of self pity I’ve been sitting in over the last show I auditioned for and DIDN”T get in. I mean, you can’t get them all, right? So, to show how OK I am with it now…I am going to share with you my audition video from that show. That’s right. The one...