We opened on Friday (the 13th... spooky :p) But before opening night, Over the Tavern had a preview!

This was my first official preview, and sometimes I feel like I am such a newbie. While Dane, who plays the lead, Rudy, has less experience than I do, everyone else has done really big stuff at really big theatres, so they're old hats at this preview nonsense, and Dane seems as cool as a cucumber. Me, on the other hand- I was really nervous. During my biggest scene (which is in the second act), I was shaking so hard that my legs were visibly moving and my teeth were chattering. It was kind of ridiculous.

We had a great, forgiving preview audience. They probably added ten minutes to the show with their laughter. There was one guy who we weren't a fan of, though. It is the understanding with a preview audience that the preview is still a performance, so if the director wants to stop the actors, he can. This guy in the audience decided to speak (at normal volume) all of his comments and questions, as well as repeating every line he liked. One of the character's catchphrase is "Freeze!" and the one time, she yelled it and we hear this man's voice go, "FREEZE!" All of the actors hesitated for a millisecond, because we thought our director was stopping the scene. Although audience enthusiasm is good, I hope we don't have another person like that.

In this show, I wear a HUGE beehive wig. I didn't wear the one I was actually wearing for the show until preview night, and I know it shouldn't have, but it really threw me off and distracted me. I've never worn a wig in a show before, so that definitely factored in, and it is also really heavy and I had no idea what I could do in it since I'd never worn it before. The whole first scene that I wear it in was done very precariously- I have to run three times and wipe water off of the floor, and I had no idea if the wig was going to stay on or not. It did, thankfully... and the last two performances we did felt much better.
We hadanother issue with the wig, hoewever- the cap of the wig is... "shallow" is the only way I can think to describe it as. It barely covers my head, and because of this, a wig cap for my real hair is out of the question. My real hair, which is lighter than the wig's hair, pokes out. It's okay if my hair pokes out, because I'm guessing this beehive was done in the bathroom at my character's school. However, it's quite obvious that my hair is a different color... so yesterday, my mom came up and helped me dye it! I've always wanted to dye my hair for a role, but I was admittedly very nervous. My hair is a mdium brown anyway, so to make any differenc, we had to get black dye. I was really worred that I would end up looking lik goth girl, so we only left it in for 15 minutes (as opposed to the reccommended 25.) I proved to be a good choice- my hair still looks black, but it's really a very, very dark brown- and a perfect match to the wig! The director loves it, so my goal is accomplised. I'm not dying it back until after spring break (too quick of a turnaround, and I need to pack to go to England over break), but I do have to dye it back eventually because it doesn't match my headshots anymore.

Opening night was great, and I felt much better about it all round- my wig felt much more secure, and I didn't feel like I was going to forget all of my lines (just some of them, LOL.) I almost feel too comfortable. One thing that has been consistent, however, is how I feel right before I go on for the first wig reveal. It's a hugely comical moment, and I'm always afraid I'll laugh and ruin it. So before I run on, my legs burn and my knees turn to jelly. Not fun, really.

What is fun is the show itself. It's such a wonderful show. I hope we get a good review; the reviewer was there last night and we were told that, though he laughed through the whole show, he liked dark dramas, so he might ntot give the play itself (not necessarily the show) a bad write-up. It is a really great, show, though.

I've begun to realise that the whole crying/not crying thing is only a big deal to me... my fellow actors seem to think that it's perfectly acceptable to fake it when necessary. Is it weird that this idea has never occured to me? Though I'd still prefer to cry for real, it makes me feel a little more at ease; maybe everyone doesn't expect me to cry all the time. As one of my "brothers" said, "Being able to cry doesn't make you a good actress; it just means you can cry." I do get tears in the scene where it really matters to me because it hits pretty close to home and is quite sad, but I do have to fake it a lot of the time in the other scenes.

I'm already getting a little weepy at the thought of this show closing. Everyone is so amazing and I just want to be in shows with them forever.

My immediate family's coming to the show today, which makes me really nervous. I think they'll really like it, though, especially my parents, who grew up Catholic.

In other news, Cabaret Club has started at school. Auditions were last Monday. I had initially planned to sing Some Things Are Meant to Be from Little Women, but changed it at the last minute to It Might as Well Be Spring. I wasn't sure if this was a good decision because I sang it for the same people last semester, but after I finished, I was glad I changed; I know I can get volume in that song, and I'm comfortable with it. I'm comfortable with Some Things while in my car, but I've never performed it. And... I got four callbacks, same as I did last semester! The theme is classical musicals, and I was called back for Tonight (WSS, Maria), Telephone Hour (BBB), I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair (SP), and I Enjoy Being a Girl (FDS). I didn't think I'd be able to make callbacks because of my lack of car, but they were awesome and let me do the callbacks I'd missed later when time allowed.

I was pretty surprised when I saw the cast list the next morning. I had thought I was only called back for ...Hair because my friend is the director... but I was cast (not just me, but still)! I didn't get a solo in Tel. Hour, but it's a group number, so I'll be in it anyway. I was surprised that I didn't get into ...Girl because the director really seemed to like my audition. I did however, get a solo in the closing number, So Long, Farewell (SOM). I'm also in two more group number, Shipoopi (Music Man), and Put On Your Sunday Clothes (Hello Dolly). While I wish I had more solos, I am so happy to be in more than one number. Though the show goes quickly, I like the spend more of my time onstage, rather than the dressing room.

On Wednesday, I'm trying out for Knight Star, which is some kind of college singing thing... I'm not exactly sure what it is. I think I'm going to sing Astonishing from Little Women.

My voice lessons are going well- and I get to work on The Simple Joys of Maidenhood from Camelot for my B'way solo... I love that song and never thought I'd get to work on it. So, all sorts of exciting things are happening!

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