Magic

It's the big night.
An hour and a half before the show will make its debut, the actors begin gathering in the dressing rooms, putting on makeup, placing props where they need to be, and donning costumes. They have weeks and weeks of rehearsals under their belts, and last night's final dress rehearsal went marvelously. Still, there's a thrill of nervous excitement in the air. Will everything go as smoothly tonight as it did the night before?
Crew members flit about anxiously testing lights, administering microphones, and setting the stage. They have only a short while to make sure everything is perfect--if it isn't, the actors will be the ones to suffer. The orchestra warms up and awaits its first cue.
The spectators begin trickling into the theater and finding their seats. Although they aren't supposed to, cast and crew sneak peeks at their audience through the curtains. Their delight is tinged with hope; will this audience, large though it may be, react favorably to the show they've worked so hard to perfect?
Before anyone knows it, everyone is gathered backstage waiting to go on. The director stumbles out and makes a quick preshow speech, trying not to let on that he's just as nervous as his cast members. When he cracks a joke and the audience chuckles, the actors shoot each other encouraged grins.
With the director's speech completed, the orchestra's first tentative notes pierce the stillness of the auditorium. Cast, crew and staff draw in their breaths. Here it is. The moment of truth. Now or never. Here goes nothing.
The music swells into a crescendo as the orchestra picks up speed, and in a sudden burst of movement and color, the cast explodes onto the stage. The nervous energy the actors have been swallowing back all evening only drives their performance onward; nothing can stop them now. This is the moment they've all been waiting for. It is this moment that keeps them coming back again and again.

Home sweet home

This has been a really weird couple of months for my family. For one thing, we're moving again. We just moved a year ago, but a mix-up with a bad-egg of a landlord has actually opened a great opportunity for us. We just purchased our very first house! Very exciting (I'm loving the fact that I get to paint my room for the first time in my life) but also very stressful. Moving is chaotic, especially when the move-ees are a family of packrats. I hate the idea of stuffing my treasures in boxes and moving them in disarray. It'll be great once we're at the new house and unpacked, but for now, it's just work and stress.
Another fun situation adding to our stress levels is my dad's job. Bad economy equals bad job security, and even large industries like my dad's are looking to cut some employees. My dad's in a good place--he's a great worker, and he has several other job possibilities lined up should he be downsized--but the not-knowing what will come next is still stressful, especially for him.
In the midst of all of this weirdness, there is my favorite activity in the whole widest of the world: theatre. At the moment I'm tap-dancing in/stage mananging a musical called "The Brain From Planet X." And not only that, but I'm fulfilling one of my lifelong dreams: being in a show with my theatre coach, a.k.a. my acting benefactor, a.k.a. my dad. He's in the show, too--playing the role of the ever-suffering and taciturn Private Partz. (Get it? Private Partz? Tee hee!)
The show is hilarious--it's a parody of all those oh-so-cheesy 1950's the-aliens-are-coming-to-take-over-the-world sci-fi movies. Plus it's a musical. Perfection much? The characters are all larger than life, from the hard-working inventor-for-the-government perfect-1950s-father Fred to the faithful-alien-lackey Zubrick to the world's oldest one-star general, General Mills. (Once again: tee hee!)
And besides the show, there's the theater itself. Buck Creek Players is my second home. Ever since I walked through the doors to audition for A Christmas Carol: Scrooge and Marley a year and a half ago, BCP has offered me nothing but opportunities and great friends. Even when I'm not directly involved with a show, I just love being there. I've acted, assistant directed, stage managed, run sound, and built sets. I love it all.
It's strangely grounding for me--amidst all the chaos and disorder of moving, painting, packing, etc., I know that every night, my dad and I will jump in the car, make the half-hour trip to Buck Creek, and sing through the score of the show or block out scenes. I love watching Dad perform on the stage I'm so familiar with, among the actors, directors, and crew members I know so well. I love sharing the experience with him. He's cheered on my acting endeavors for so long, I love knowing that this time, I'll not only be cheering him on, but I'll be right there with him backstage. It's a dream come true.
To a fearless father who wasn't afraid to audition with his daughter, no matter what the outcome: thank you, and all my love. You're the best in the world.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

...and also the busiest, which is why this blog has been neglected for a month.
In the past four (or is it five? Hmm...can't recall.) weeks, a ton of stuff has been going on with me. Creative stuff? But of course. Time-consuming stuff? You bet.
Here's a few of the many things which have kept me on the move and off the computer for the last month:
1) Running lights for Peewinkle's Puppet Studio's Christmas shows. Talk about your adorable holiday activities for preschoolers. I look forward to working this show every year. The puppeteers who perform here are awesome, and the show is so sweet, funny and cute that I never get tired of watching it.
2) Going back to square one on my current attempt at a novel. When I say current, I mean the project that's been hammering around in my head for the last two years. THAT project. *Facepalm* This time, though, I think I've actually made progress. My characters aren't wandering around in a desperate search of a map, a plot and a good stiff drink any more. I've finally figured out where they're going and--with some luck--how they're going to get there. More will come on the blog about that, but for the time being, know that Faery Tail (working title, folks--please excuse) is back on track.
3) Finishing up asst. directing Home For Christmas, Buck Creek Players' Christmas show of the year. This was an amazing experience. The director for this show is one of the nicest, sweetest, most considerate people I've worked with. She gave me a ton of awesome opportunities to try my hand at directing, casting, blocking, you name it. The cast was absolutely incredible--we had a great mixture of veterans of the stage and newcomers, but they were all wonderful to work with across the board. I had a blast--and learned a lot about directing and all that it entails. The show closed last Sunday, and while I was sorry to say good-bye to my Home For Christmas family, I was--and am--looking forward to my next theatre project...which is...
4) MY FIRST EVER SPEAKING ROLE ONSTAGE!!!!!!!! This is by far my most exciting news. I, Ruthie, have at long last gotten a speaking role! The show is "All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten." It's based on the work of Robert Fulghum, and I've gotta say, it's awesome. It's just the right mixture of profound and silly, heartbreaking and knee-slapping, simple and deep. There's not a scene in this show I don't love. If you haven't heard of Robert Fulghum, take fifteen minutes and google him. I promise you won't be disappointed.
Anywho, I auditioned and was cast in the show three weeks ago. I've attended two rehearsals so far, and the cast and crew are all awesome. I can't wait to get to know them better. We're breaking for Christmas at the moment, but we'll be starting up rehearsals again in January full-force...which means four nights a week. Teh woot! Again, there will be more about this to come. :)
So that's my story, and I'm sticking with it! My current project is pretty much relaxing, rejuvinating, and looking forward to my favorite day of the year...CHRISTMAS! Mwahahaha! The next two weeks are completely school-free and project-free. The only things I've got left to do are wrap a couple of presents and clean my room a bit. Heheh. This week is all about the Christmas countdown, but next week I'm planning on knuckling under and getting some chapters written on my novel. 'Cuz, let's face it...as of January 5th, my creativity is going to be pretty much focused on getting ready for opening night of Kindergarten!
Thanks for the patience with me, guys. This blog'll get a little more consideration now that the holiday rush has slowed a bit. :) Love you all, and more to come!

For Camelot!

I had planned to do a post about writing today, as I haven't written about my author-ish efforts of late, but then I watched Camelot, and decided I needed to write about that.
This isn't the movie version of Camelot; it's an actual stage performance that was videotaped. Richard Harris still plays King Arthur, although he's quite a bit older than he was in the movie, and Meg Bussert plays Guinevere. We've been watching this for school over the last three days (hey, c'mon, it's a LONG SHOW) and just finished it up today.
*Rubs hands together* Now, where do I begin?
First of all, let me say that I'm much more easily touched by watching stage performances than filmed ones. Yes, this stage performance was filmed, but it was still a stage performance. Whatever happened onstage that night, be it the perfect run or the show where everything fell apart, that was what was going on that tape. And what happened onstage was something magical.
As an actor, I think that one of the most important skills you can develop is having what I call a "range of emotions." This basically means versatility; the really astounding actors can go from heartbroken to outraged to lovestruck to ecstatic and everything in between, they can do it in a brief span of time, and--here's the clincher--they can do it believably. There are very good actors who don't have this quality; they're the ones who get typecast, or stick with the character bits where they can showcase their talents. Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
But if you want to talk about having a range of emotions, let's talk Richard Harris for a minute. Oh, my word.
King Arthur is such a legendary figure to begin with that tackling this role must be a challenge. Throughout the show Camelot, Arthur is everything; from an empty-headed schoolboy to a fearful husband fleeing from his bride, from a young king bursting with ambition to a weary, desolate king who has lost everything important to him. And everything in between.
Richard Harris pulled this off STUNNINGLY. Everything he did was textbook perfect. In the first act when he meets Guinevere for the first time, he was spry, energetic, and absolutely charming. In the second act after he argues with Guinevere over Lancelot he is nostalgic and tender. But the section that really blew me away was act thrree, when Arthur realizes that Guinevere and Lancelot are in love, his illigetimate son is plotting to take the throne, and his beloved round table is breaking up.
Take the scene when Guinevere is going to be burned at the stake for treason. Richard Harris walked onstage--no, really, he didn't say a word. He just WALKED OUT ONSTAGE--and you instantly knew everything he was thinking. His step was both despereate and exhausted, both tortured and uncertain. He turned to face the audience, and your heart broke. He didn't even have to speak!
And then there's the scene right towards the end, when Guinevere and Lancelot come to him just before the battle, begging to be taken back to Camelot and punished rather than face the coming war. Richard's face was soaked with tears by the end of that scene. Soaked.
...and I thought that I was hot stuff when I cried a little onstage for the first time last year during acting camp. Sigh.
His performance alone is enough reason to watch this rendition of Camelot, but it gets better. Although I do believe that he is far and away the best actor in the cast, his fellow cast-mates do measure up. Guinevere is very good, and although Vanessa Redgrave's performance in the movie might have been more fleshed out, Meg Bussert can SING! Woohoo! Richard Muenz as Lancelot is smouldering and passionate and a joy to watch; and Richard Backus is a positively eerie Mordred. (Hmmm...lotsa Richards in this show. Heh.) And don't even get me started on Barrie Ingham's King Pellinore--the second he walked onstage in act one with that dog, I was rolling on the floor with laughter. The sets and costumes are exquisite, too; I could wax eloquent on both, but fear that I've expounded the virtues of this performance long enough.
The bottom line is this: if you haven't seen either version of Camelot, see at least one of them (and I HIGHLY reccomend this version.) If you've already seen the movie version, see the stage version, too. It's SO worth it.

Theatre endeavors

As promised, here is a brief (but enthusiastic!) report on my dealings in theatre of late.
Just recently I was contacted by one of my friends at Buck Creek Players, who was wondering if I'd like to run sound for their upcoming show, Flaming Guns of the Purple Sage. I've run sound at Buck Creek once before, for their production of Mark Twain Tonight. I'm not sure what my rehearsal schedule is going to be for this--I'm supposed to be meeting the director tomorrow evening, and I assume I'll get a better idea of what's going on then.
Then, starting October, I'll be assistant directing Home For Christmas, also at Buck Creek Players. The lady who's directing is a good theatre friend of mine; she produced the first show I was ever in, was in Mark Twain Tonight, and got me set up with my first assistant director gig (which was last spring.) She's really talented and super nice, so I'm looking forward to working with her.
I'm also slated to stage manage at Buck Creek next spring, but I'll give you more details about that when it gets closer to time.
Buck Creek Players is one of my home bases for theatre; Indiana Repertory Theatre is another. I just got out of summer acting camp there last July; it's an amazing place, and if you ever get a chance to see one of their shows, I HUGELY recommend them. I have not met someone working at that theatre, be it artistic director to janitor, who hasn't been creative and kind and wonderful to work with. I don't have anything in particular coming up at this theatre, as far as I know (I'm much more likely to take classes there than to be in productions there, lol) but you can be sure that I'll be attending shows. If nothing else, I'll be seeing their annual production of A Christmas Carol, which always features an amazing cast and is fantastic to watch.
I'll do a more expanded feature on each of these shows as they come and go, but for the time being, there's where I am in the acting world. :)

Definitions

www.dictionary.com defines “creativity” as such:
“The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination: the need for creativity in modern industry; creativity in the performing arts.”
I’ve taken classes from an actress who has a unique way of tackling a script. When she’s given her lines, she goes through them one by one and marks every word that interests her, that she’s unfamiliar with, or that seems important. Then she takes the first word she marked and looks it up in four or five dictionaries—starting with a modern dictionary, and working her way back until she’s using an old English dictionary. She methodically finds every possible definition for the word in question, and looks at how each different definition might affect her reading. She does this for every word she’s marked—it’s her way of finding complex, intricate layers in the language of the script.
I can’t claim that I looked up the word “creativity” in five different dictionaries, but I did search around a little bit, and this was by far my favorite definition. There’s a lot going on in just those few little sentences.
“The ability to transcend traditional ideas” is a good beginning. Looking past the “norm” of the world around us isn’t creativity in it of itself, but it’s certainly the first step. Living by the guidelines that society (and tradition) have set up for us can be difficult enough without the added challenge of seeing around those guidelines. I also love the word “transcend.” I mean, come on, that’s just a rockin’ awesome word.
But the second part of that sentence is the meat of this definition: “to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination.” This is what creativity is all about—creating a story out of nothing but your own thoughts; weaving an image on a canvas that, before, was nothing but a white blank; strumming a chord on a guitar and choosing words to accompany it. Creating something out of nothing, something that needs to be shared with the world.
And the word “meaningful” jumps out at us, too. Creativity doesn’t have to mean taking on the Big Questions, or the current issue of the moment. Creativity doesn’t have to leave the audience with tears in their eyes, or walking away murmuring, “That was so powerful.” What creativity does have to be is personal. Maybe you’re writing a story about bananas that go to the moon, but if that’s what means something to you, it’s creative. And maybe you do tackle Big Questions, but that’s because they mean something to you. Creativity has to be meaningful—not necessarily to the intended audience (if there is one), but to the creator.
Which brings me to this blog.
I’m a seventeen-year-old who is growing up in the Midwest of America. I’m an aspiring actress/teacher/author who spends a lot of time in community theaters, in my room writing fantasy stories, and making up silly games based on tv shows with my little brother. All three are equally important to me—all three are ways that I am creative. I also spend some time making animated music videos and playing the cello—these are also ways that I express myself.
How are you creative? I can’t begin to imagine. There are a multitude of ways to be creative. Maybe you write music, or dance, or make programs to teach people how to do their job. Maybe you’re creative in ways I’m not even aware exist. However you express yourself, I’d love to hear about it.
So I’m bringing my story to the web. I’m going to express myself in a new way: by writing daily (or as often as I can) updates about what I’m doing to express my imagination. When I audition for a show or get a part in a play, I’ll write about that. When I’m working on a new story or a new music video, I’ll share that with you, too. I might interview people I know who express themselves in unique ways, or review shows, books, songs, etc. that I’ve seen/read/heard. Maybe sometime I’ll write about going vintage clothes shopping with my aunt, because that’s a way that I express myself, too, believe it or not. :P
But the point is, I want this to work both ways. The fun of a blog, I think, is that it’s an open communication. You can read my story, but I can also read yours. Share your blog links here, share your stories, share yourselves. This is all about creativity, and I want to know how other people pursue it.
So to conclude this inaugural post, welcome one and all, and I hope to hear from you soon. :)