May 10th - 16th

May 10th - 16th

50 days!

Sunday

I hit the gym in the morning and then James and I went to see The Last Five Years (a musical) at the Duchess Theatre on Catherine Street.  I finally had an opportunity worth wearing my favorite heels to!  When we arrived our seats had gotten upgraded (!!) so we got to sit in the stalls (i.e. orchestra).  Happily we got our sweets and planted ourselves in our new seats.  The place was packed with Musical Theatre students (we call them MT's).  I made some joke about MT sounding like "empty" because musical theatre's got such a horrible reputation for being all song and dance - and no substance.  This is not entirely untrue, which may be why I'm a bit of an elitist about musical theatre.  However, this was a show I actually thought had some substance and was surprised to see all of the 18 year old, skinny, trendy hopefuls in the audience.  There's only two parts in this show (Cathy and Jamie) and the woman playing Cathy was very good.  The guy playing Jamie was not that good, and his accent slipped up a few times.  (They could've really used my accent expertise, haha).  Otherwise I can say I thought it was a pretty decent London restyling of a distinctly NYC show.  Besides, they only had a week or so to rehearse for it and it only had 7 performances.  All things considered it was entertaining.  

The Duchess.

  

The set.

  

Our pre-show photo shoot ritual.  House lights are making us look a bit washed out.  James saw the second picture and was like "Wtf am I doing?!"  No idea.

  

I was leary about getting theatre district food, usually it's overpriced and bad.  Turns out this is the same no matter what country you're in.  At least I had good company.

Monday

Nia has been leading a yoga class as a warm up for us on Mondays, which I'm definitely taking advantage of.  Nia is a certified Ashtanga yoga practitioner, and I love her style of teaching, so I was there, with bells on.  An hour of yoga in the morning is golden.  I always hate it while I'm doing it, but love how I feel after.  This is my love/hate relationship with any form of exercise (except dance).  

Then we had seminar with Katerina to discuss the conference (I was still seething about the IT problems) and then we had lunch.  The afternoon was broken up into three groups of people going in to the Live Room (recording studio) for a Microphone Technique class with the head of Sound Design at CSSD - Gregg Fisher.  He gave us a HUGE lecture about ear health.  Gregg told us that any sound that reaches 85 decipals damages hearing, and that we can only stand about an hour of that before serious damage takes place.  He then said that you can only be in a club (which normally plays music at about 110-115 decipals) for about 15 minutes before damage occurs.  That ringing you hear in your ear after a loud concert is your body telling you that you have permanently lost certain frequencies of sound.  I have to admit, this guy scared the shit out of me.  My career is about what I can hear and see.  With the eye strain I've been suffering from and the tinnitus (ringing in your ears) that runs in my family apparently, I'm a little concerned.  Maybe I won't be getting to the club this summer as much as I thought.    Anyway, I could talk about this lecture for a while, but will save you from that.  He taught us about the different types of microphones, pop shields and how/where to stand.  Very interesting.  I got to come home around 4pm (so nice!) and then went to the gym for an hour.  

Tuesday

Nia led the Student Limber, doing a singing workshop.  This girl is so talented.  Not only is she a yoga practitioner, she's also got a BA in Music and a Master's in Jazz singing.  Today she taught us a Swahili song.  I snapped a few quick pictures and got to record a bit of it.  

 

Nia :)  Corin, Thomas and Chris - our lovely bass section.

Nia teaching us the parts to the song.  From left to right seated is: Alex, Niamh, Lu, Mette and Mel.

Here we are.  Swahili song - a bit silly, but fun :)  

Stupid poor quality video.  I'll figure it out someday.

Then we had Text with Alex Bingley who worked on Pinter with us.  I really enjoyed this, although sometimes I am not a fan of the way Alex teaches.  The content is good though and I love Pinter.  Anyway, during a break between classes (on our very short 10 minute lunch break) I was checking my email (like I do) and when I connected to the internet at school Skype automatically signed on and my mom called.  There were a few people from my course with me and I was SO happy to be like, "This is my mom!!" to all of these people who have become my surrogate, make-shift family while I've been away.  I can't wait until graduation when everyone can meet her.   She was just heading out for work, which they thought was hilarious, as we'd already been in class for about four hours.  

I met up with Kate to discuss our plans for IPP as she is still, thankfully, my buddy.  She asked me to talk about what I would do if I had to get up and present today.  I said I'd talk about my anxiety disorder and how it affects my life, give some context on what it entails physically and emotionally.  Then I'd give some background on how the Fitzmaurice work has really helped me deal and that was my draw to it.  Kate seemed pleased with what I had to say, so maybe I'm heading in the right direction.  I don't suspect this will be an easy process though.  

We had to record the MA Writing Broadcast Media's radio plays that day, so we'd been cast and scheduled all day to come in and record.  They weren't the most amazing plays I'd ever read for, but they were fun, regardless.  I got to play a 14 year old Irish boy, an American girl and a radio personality.  The other people on my course trying to do American accents was so funny, and they kept apologizing and asking if they were doing it right.  They're sweet.  For as much as I am ready to go home, I don't know how I will leave these people in 40-something days.  We're pretty close, the lot of us.

I had a rough day because I almost had an anxiety attack.  This was pretty scary because I haven't had one in about two months and there wasn't really a reason why I was feeling so anxious.  I think I'm missing home a lot more than usual and a general despairing feeling of self-doubt keeps washing over me as soon as I feel like I'm finding my feet.  I think maybe it was because I hear tomorrow about the VASTA Scholarship.  I had a tutorial with Bex today, a recent MAVS grad from last year who has come to fill in for Tara's tutorials (while Tara is in Poland) and she's applied for this scholarship too, so my self-loathing was getting the best of me.   But I tried to refocus myself and do some Fitzmaurice work.  When I got home I went to the gym too for about 45 minutes which helped.  

Colin and Corin recording a scene from the radio play.  That black circular thing in front of the mic is called the pop shield which prevents that pop noise you hear when someone puts too much air behind their "p" or "t" when they speak.

On my breaks between plays I, oddly enough, played piano.  I am easing myself into the vast unknown of being self-taught in piano, but am proud to say I know two pop songs now: "Homecoming" by Kanye, ft. Chris Martin and "Love in this Club" by Usher.  Granted, the Usher song is only four chords, but the Chris Martin one I am quite proud of.  I told Tim and he thought this was hilarious.  Video for Homecoming.

Wednesday

I slept in until about 9:30am and then hit the gym for an hour.  If I didn't have this new music I'm not sure I'd be able to do as much cardio as I have been.  All I did today was work on my research proposal (which still isn't to my satisfaction) and go to the gym.  And eat.  I went to the gym again after dinner.  I burned some 660 calories today.  When I really want something, I have to commit fully.  Also, I'm not really seeing the results I'd like to be seeing.  I've still got a lesson plan to do for Friday (a group class) which I'm a bit nervous about, so I've (like an idiot) put it off.  

Thursday

We had our second day of Radio Plays, so I didn't have to come in until noon (yesss).  I got to sleep in a little and get my trip to the gym out of the way.  I recorded my last radio play and had lunch with some people from my course.  

Me and Colin rehearsing our sexy radio scene :)

  

Being silly.  They were singing "We Are The World"...

Left to right: Alex, Colin, Daniele, Chris & Jeff.  

Daniele up close and personal

This is how I felt all day.

Then I let Thomas borrow my camera for the other play that was being recorded so he could get pics of everyone else.

  

Mel and Jeff.  Sue - the woman running the show.

  

Corin and Thomas.

  

Colin!  (Love that boy!)  Corin and Colin studying their scripts.

  

Chris rehearsing.  Thomas and Chris.

  

Mel, Jeff and Mette.  Jeff and Chris.

After lunch we had a 4 hour session with a woman named Gillianne Keyes (Estill work) and I have to admit, it was probably the most boring visiting lecturer we've had yet.  I appreciate her work, I just don't think I'll ever use it.  Also, she spent the first two hours talking about the anatomy of the larynx and I kept thinking, We learned this FIRST term, how does she NOT know that??  I was bad and worked on my Scheme of Work (research proposal) and emailed during the first two hours of her lecture.  I haven't been so blatantly disrespectful since the God-awful lectures I was forced to go to at CCSU.  We had a little break in which Colin and I treated ourselves to some well-deserved Swiss chocolate.  Here's me about three hours into this lecture:

It was also really cold, hence the scarf and she made us wear obnoxiously large name tags, so large in fact that I had to pop my collar.

After a long day sitting in chairs (there was maybe 30 mins of practical work total?) I came home, had a bit to eat and Skyped with Adrianne.  She and I have had some amusing "I Miss America" chats recently:

Me:  I'm having hummus with this box of Triscuits thin crisps Jen brought me.  

Adrianne:  Ooh nice call.

Me:  This American cracker is loving these American crackers.

Adrianne:  Matthew sent me Hershey's.

Me:  Aw, nice boy.

Adrianne:  Who thought someone would ever long for a crap American chocolate in a world full of delicious European stuff?

Me:  You are in the chocolate capital of the world.  Other than like...Switzerland.

Adrianne: But Hersheys!  That shit's like gold!  I'm like: Taste America, bitches.  

Also, the Triscuits are gone.  And no, I did not eat them all in one sitting.  

Friday  

I got up early enough to work on my lesson plan for Trinity Laban and decided to bit the bullet and use this opportunity to challenge myself.  I chose to do Fitzmaurice Voicework, which I'm still learning myself, but I think it's so valuable, especially for this age group.  I wish I had been exposed to it three years earlier than I was.  So I met up with Thomas and we rode the train in together, got lunch at GBK (!!) and went in to meet with Tony to find out about our schedule.  Turns out I got to teach first.  Also, they were running auditions for the musical revue they're doing in June.  So my students had their class with me and then auditioned, and Thomas's students did the opposite.  Thomas and I got to sit in on the auditions too, which was really enjoyable.  Reminded me of just how nerve-wracking auditions can be.  I completely empathized with them.  

My students really took to the Fitzmaurice work and I was thrilled by their enthusiastic response.  They wanted more of it, so I said we'd do some more next time.  Then I sat in on auditions until about 5pm and met the Musical Director who said she'd "heard a lot about me" whatever that means.   I would hope that's a good thing.  She wants them all to have American accents.  Translation: I will be doing show support with them in June as Thomas is Austrian and a bit scared of the American accent.  

Starting to get a little worried about finding a job when I get home.  Since Jen left I have felt that I am quite ready to come home, but at the same time I'm pretty terrified of not finding a job in the area, what with loans to pay off and the need to move out of my parents' house.  I do not, I repeat, do not want to end up in the middle of Wisconsin teaching at some unknown state school until I've paid my dues.   I'm at the best school in the world for what I'm doing, I'm hoping that might get me somewhere.  No word on the scholarship, and I have no idea what I'm doing with my IPP.  I thought I did, now I don't know.  Sigh.  I took this stress and worked it out at the gym.  60 minutes on the elliptical flew by.  My mind was elsewhere.  

Saturday

I did another hour on the elliptical this morning.  I slept really hard last night, but as soon as I was conscious again I was on edge.  I had brunch with James, who I haven't really seen all week.  I chatted to Adrianne and did laundry.  I was supposed to go to Kate's friend's house for dinner, but I bailed last minute because I was feeling anxious.  

Sarah sent me an email saying one of my ex's is proposing to his girlfriend.  I don't know how I feel about that really.  I'm jealous of their happiness, really.  I want that kind of surety and happiness.  All my friends are getting engaged and having babies.  It makes me nuts.  It makes me feel pathetic for being single.  Also, how can I have a proverbial "crush" on someone so very far from me?  How logical is that?  

Note to self: turn off left side of brain.  Having a rough day.  I watched Weeds and taught myself a new song on piano.  Chew on that, Wyllie.  Going to bed early...why is anxiety so exhausting?  I need a vacation.