From Farmville to Nashville

One week left of The Confession! Who knew something could go by so fast. It's been a summer full of lessons and new decisions. This show definitely turned me into a different performer and I'm grateful for all the rewards and challenges that this role brought.

Here's an article by the Goshen News about the show: Amish-themed production "The Confession" (shhh...don't tell anyone that I didn't go to Stanford)

I also had no idea when I left NYC for farm country that I would not be coming back. I think taking a trip down the slow lane alongside horses and buggys made me realize I was not ready to go back to the hustle that is NYC. I love the opportunities that make NYC so unique, but I didn't have the peace I needed about going back. So, after lots of prayer and a giant leap into the unknown, I have decided to move to Nashville! 

Proverbs 16:9 says it best, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." I have no idea what the future will have in store, but I do know that God is currently working out the details. 

This Gypsy Life is always on the move...so, next stop: NASHVILLE!

The Real Tear-Jerkers

Well, it's already been 7 weeks into our run, and I still never want this contract to end! It has been such a privilege to perform with such talented people, and it's been an even bigger privilege to be a part of a show that can move people in so many ways.

During the first few weeks, a couple came up to us after the show. It was an older gentleman and his wife, who was in a motorized wheel chair and could not speak. The gentleman told us that his wife had read all the books of our musical and loved them but later had a heart attack that made her lose her memory, including the memory of our story. He re-read all the books to her so she could remember and then brought her to the show. There were tears streaming down her face and I heard every word she said, although nothing was said out loud-- and I thought OUR show was tear-jerking!

A few shows later, a couple came up to us who was celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, they wanted to attend their first ever musical. This may not seem like a big deal, but for us theatre folk, we all remember our first musical. We remember where we sat, who we watched, and what we dreamed about while watching. It's hard to believe that our show will be remembered as their first musical and I couldn't be more thrilled.

Probably the most poignant comment I've received after our show is one woman who came up to talk to us during dinner. She told me that, like my character in the show, she found out she had been adopted. She recently learned who her birth mother was, but had not gone out to find her or meet her. After watching our show, she had been moved so much, that she decided to go find her birth mother.

Coming into this project, I had no idea of the extent it would touch people. I am constantly blessed and humbled to be a part of this and know that God is working through us.

I've compiled a couple clips from an early performance, so you all can get a taste of the show! It's gut, ja?!

A Buggy on the Shoulder

This year, the Gypsy Life has brought me from New York City to Shipshewana, IN. Even when I told my friends from Indiana where I would be, they still replied, "Where??"

Shipshewana is a town of about 500, but due to the popularity of their famous Flea Market, can grow to about 40,000 in the summer. Horses and Buggys are a normal sight to see, and the smell of horse poo fills the air.

This photo is outside the grocery store, where we had to find parking amidst the horses. And although the Amish still roll in style in their buggys, they are a little more advanced than one might think. I've heard that some of the Amish have Facebook, and are also known to have strobing lights in their buggys when they are out on the town on the weekends. 

Amish homestyle cooking is probably the most fattening thing I have ever seen/eaten. Lots of butter, MSG, and pie. Even when the cast was offered the lunch menu that included only half a sandwich and a cup of soup, every meal was still served with a big slice of pie. 

I'm excited to see Shipshewana bustling in its prime season this summer, especially knowing that we have two full days off during the week due to the Shipshewana Quilting Festival! I'm also excited to learn more about the Amish ways and customs here. But for now... I'll just have to take what I know to the stage! 

The Bachelor

Recently, I attended the Unified Professional Theatre Auditions and the Southeastern Theatre Conference. I just HAD to recap the experiences here for my friends who don't know about them, because they are just too crazy to leave uncommented about!

Actors are weird enough on their own...but imagine 1,000 of them getting together in one weekend to audition for 70-80 theatre companies with only 90 seconds. Crazy, right?! You only get one audition for the whole day that determines how good the companies think you are, who you will be called back for, and if you even get to attend the dance audition later that evening. So...no pressure, or anything...

Then, you have the lovely actors who go around yelling how many call backs they got, posting it on Facebook, and proceeding to ask you how many you got.

In the call back room (and by the call back room, I mean hotel room where there's one chair and a bed), the companies can ask you to do anything. I think my favorite was when a company asked my friend to just run around the room and act like she'd had too much sugar. I've had to sing songs I've never heard of to a karaoke track with no indication of where the song even starts...and somehow make it amazing! Some companies have even asked me to tell them about my family...?

All day, it's an emotional roller coaster. You go into a call back and think they love you. You think that you are the perfect person for them, but then you realize they are dating hundreds of other people. I'm on The Bachelor and I didn't even know it. Companies are hot tubbing with other people (figuratively) and when you don't get a phone call, you don't get a rose.

I attend these conferences every year because, while they are crazy, they really do book you jobs. In NYC it's frustrating to not even be able to audition for someone, but at these conferences you are guaranteed to get seen by every company...and at the end of the day, 90 seconds is way more than 8 bars!

I'm happy to report that, thanks to SETC, my Gypsy Life will continue to the "heart of Northern Indiana" at Blue Gate Theatre this summer. I couldn't be more thrilled and grateful to play Katie in their musical "The Confession."

I'm sad to leave NYC just as it's getting warm, but excited to open a new chapter in my life!

it's beginning to look a lot like...Audition Season

Whew! This week has worn me out and it's only the beginning of audition season! Between working, auditioning, and taking lessons, I feel like I have no time to just sit on the couch and watch the Hills...but I guess that's not why I moved to NYC!

Just to give you a little taste of an average day: The night before, I get home from work around 1:30am or 2am and I wake up probably around 7am (that's way later than some of my friends, they get up at 4:45... I don't have their stamina!) and go sign up at the auditions I'm going to that day. I am non-equity so I sign up on the Non-Equity list. Then there is the Equity Member Candidate list, and then the Equity Alternate list, and then the ACTUAL LIST of Equity people. So as you can see, my list is last priority and it's usually a miracle if they get to the non-equity list.

Although I am so thankful that I've been able to sing for some big shows, when they cut it down to only singing 8 bars, it's not very rewarding. It's been frustrating to want to feel like a performer, but to never get to perform.

But, I'm not discouraged yet- give me a few more weeks :)

Romans 8 says, "Live under the control of the Holy Spirit. If you do, you will think about what the spirit wants...the mind controlled by the Spirit brings life and peace."

I am reminding myself constantly that my life is not my own. I was not created to worship myself and live in a self-centered world, I was created to worship God. So in the grand scheme of things...auditions don't matter. What matters is that I am honoring God and worshipping Him through the gifts that He's given me. It's hard to see this when everyone seems to be only living for their career...but it's a breath of fresh air to step back and realize that life is so much bigger than that crammed holding room.

To 2012:

While being cheesy and updating my status on Facebook about 2011...I realized I was writing a lot more than just your average status...so here it is- another blog!

2011 started in New York City--working, of course, --in a different job (oops I mean two jobs), living in a different apartment, and hanging out with different friends.

I had no idea my life would change drastically in a short month after January. I accepted a job in NORTH DAKOTA,

started a relationship,

traveled,

and met so many new people along the way.

Moving back to NYC wasn't easy, and I still feel like I'm settling in, but 2011 has taken me on some incredible journeys.

I learned so much about myself and God, and how God loves to use us when we are completely and utterly unprepared, and can only rely on Him. I am so thankful for every lesson of 2011.


So to 2012: You have a lot to live up to.

Hopped off the plane at LGA with a dream and no cardigan.

I woke up this morning to a nightmare about my bank account being low...and then I realized that is just the beauty of living in NYC.

My second season in NYC has already proved to be challenging, but also rewarding. I've seen God work in so many ways since I've been here, and I'm so excited to see more of Him in everything. 

Since my arrival on Oct 8, my days have been filled with sweet reunions of friends, classes with my fabulous teachers, and the arduous task of finding the right job. After trying my hand at babysitting, promo, temp agencies, and serving, God provided me with the job I really wanted, which was to work at an upscale restaurant where I would only need one job! I can't wait to start training this week!

And a new improvement this year- I no longer live in a hallway! But of course, I still had to make my room look like it just came from the Adpi house...

I'm so excited for the things ahead: my new job, bible study, church hunting, auditions, and building new relationships. 

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

<3