Relaunch (Part Duex...err Tois... I think)

(Insert awkward rambling about relaunching the blog here)

Now that that's out of the way, on to the fun!

I'm hoping with this relaunch we can see the blog update 3 times a week (ambitious I know). In those updates I'm hoping to start different talking points to keep the blog relevant and give me things to talk about. So far I have:

Speak the Speech: These sections will be where I take a famous speech or character from the classical repertoire (Shakespeare, Webster, Moliere, and for argument's sake Chekhov etc.) and break it down in various ways that would be helpful for the performer. Completely nerdy I know but I love it and textual work and I want to share. 

20 Questions (or Is it an Art, a Craft, or a Business?): This will be where I get to talk about the weirdness that is the entertainment business. Headshots, scripts, auditions, callbacks, grad school... It's all up for discussion. I'll pull from my own personal experience as well as the community.

Sitcom Situations: Those beautiful brief shining moments of comedy in my life as it speeds towards what I'm convinced is a Shakespearean Tragedy. This time, it's personal...

Peanut Gallery: Reviews about the things that interest me. Shows, books, movies, ideas, cultural phenomenon etc. Hopefully hilarious, definitely honest. 

Performance Potpourri: Anything else I'm working on that doesn't fall into these neat categories. Ranging from filming Batman to writing a scifi series, it all ends up here. 

Here's the fun part of how I envision this going forward, this is going to be a multimedia blog. There will be videos, articles, podcasts, guest appearances, pictures, jumbo trons, sky writing... 

... Ok maybe not the last two, but you get my point. So buckle up everyone, Something Shakespearean is back!

I'd rather be flying a TARDIS

“Leap and the net will appear” – Robin Williams The Crazy Ones

Jet setting is hard work, y’all. I’m writing this while sitting in the San Francisco Airport about an hour an a half before boarding my 12 hour flight to London, England where I will have a cab waiting to whisk me away to my wonderful new flat and I will meet a unicorn on the way who will introduce me to Robert Downey Jr. (Who would just so happen to be in London at the time) and we would have amazing adventures (Me, Rob, and the unicorn) and it will be epic….

Ok, so I may or may not be exaggerating the adventure that is my life…. I have to go through customs first after all. And we all know customs won’t let you take delusions of grandeur over international borders. 

 

Really though I’m sitting here, desperately charging all of my electronics in hopes they won’t die on the flight, trying to let it sink in. I have been an emotional lightening rod since Wednesday. I got weepy at the thought that I drove 1-84 for the last time in a long while today. I HATE I-84 and its teeth gritting, foam at corner of mouth inducing traffic, and yet there I was in the front seat with tears falling down my face. 

My life has been full of serious “goodbye”, “see you later”, “go knock ‘em dead”’s for about two weeks now and it’s coming home to roosts. I’ve cried more in the last two weeks then the last 4 years and that’s saying something because I graduated from undergrad only a year ago.

On the other hand, I’m so incredibly excited. I have a hard time keeping still as my body so desperately aches to be there already! I’ve been waiting since February to go and do and dare. Now that I get to… Now that I am, I find myself tripping over my own two feet, which shouldn’t be surprising if you know me. 

 

It brings me back to one of the first lessons I learned in view pointing as an actor. For those not in the know viewpoints (In a really unfair brief summary) is about learning and building movement performances as an ensemble that requires complete openness to environmental and interpersonal cues. The hardest part of a viewpoint exercise is… the beginning. Because how do you make an ensemble piece if one person starts it? Eventually our professor told us to stop thinking and to “go before you’re ready”. 

Now I know he was quoting his mentors, but that’s really the life lesson I’m taking with me right now. This next year for me is about being open to lessons. Lessons I’ll love. Lessons I’ll hate. I have no idea what I’m in for this year besides what I’ve read. 

Am I scared? Undoubtedly.

Am I in for the ride of a life time? Absolutely.

Am I going to hate it so much at times I will want to quit? Goes without saying, really.

Will that stop me? I’d like to see them try.

I’m going before I’m ready. I’m jumping on the count of 3… Ok... 1…2…

 

…3…

Things I have done instead of blogging...

1. Slept
2. Stared wistfully out my window
3. Worked in a retail hardware store
4. Ate far too many girl scout cookies
5.  Dressed up for Halloween
6. Celebrated Thanksgiving
7. Celebrated Christmas
8. Celebrated New Years
9. Resented Valentines day
10. Closed the season at The Oregon Shakespeare Festival
11. Moved back in with my folks in Portland to save money
12. Went to New York City
13. Auditioned for Grad Schools
14. Filmed an independent film
15. Filmed two Public Service Announcements for Clackamas county
16. Signed with an agent in Portland
17. Auditioned for a bunch of Shakespeare companies in Portland
18. Read many many MANY plays
19. Did some acting coaching
20. Started writing more
21. Started working on some plays
22. Made a budget
23. Abandoned budget
24. Grumpily went back on budget
25. Participated in a 3 person flash mob in times square
26. Cleaned my room
27. Was cast in a show for this summer (Will tell you what it is when I've signed all the papers)
28. Did the laundry
29. Had callbacks at two grad schools I was convinced I would never see the inside of in my life
30. Did the dishes
31. Started working on a web series
32. Found and have had many drinks at a Doctor Who themed bar in Portland
33. Cut my hair
34. Dyed my hair
35. Ate some delicious food
36. Ate some ok food
37. Snuggled my cat
38. Drank a LOT of coffee
39. Drank even more tea
40. Saw a good majority of the Oscar nominated films
41. Re-started my voice lessons
42. Took a few naps
43. Got lost on the subway far too many times
44. Bought new shoes
45. Wore some fabulous dresses
46. Started planning my future career moves
47. Considered giving it all up and running away with the circus
48. Realized that the above plan was silly because I have no circus skills
49. Firmly abandoned circus plans upon remembering the the clown's native habitat is the circus
50. ... etc.

If you read that entire list, Congratulations! You are far to invested in my life. I hope to get back into the swing of blogging and writing some actual advice posts as we move on forward. I want to be as clear as I can as I make different career moves and invite y'all into my process of becoming a full fledged actor.

With that said I hope to spend the next few posts about my adventures in New York City and my search for a grad school. So stay tuned!

Cheers!

Tamara