Rosemont, IL

As quickly as it was off to Myrtle Beach, it was back to Illinois.  We arrived and had the afternoon to get ourselves settled and ready for tech rehearsals the following day.  Teching is always a LONG process.  Lots of sitting around waiting to be called on stage.  Once you are on stage, it takes about an hour, sometimes more, to light and tech one number.  Our call time for tech was 1:00pm to 11:00pm.  Though it may be a long process, and at times a bit boring, it's always so exciting once we move from the rehearsal space to the theatre.  And even though there may not be an audience yet, those first few days on stage get us geared up to perform for thousands of people a day.  We love it :)  There's no greater feeling to me than being on stage, doing what I love, and feeling the accomplishment of my dream.  

Opening Day, November 20, 2008:  2:00pm was our opening show, and around 10:00am rumors started flying that 13 people had called in sick with a stomach flu.  When we arrived at the theatre, the stories were true and more than 13 cast members, half of wardrobe and crew were all sick.  1 hour before the opening day show, the ensemble was called to the stage and we had to re-block the entire show, because 2 of our boys were out sick.  The swing went in for one of the guys, but there was no one to fill the other spot.  For each number we went through, people changed places, ran on and off at different times, and filled in the holes where people were missing.  It was frantic and definitely kept us on our toes for the first show with an audience.  When we arrived at the theatre it looked like a scene right out of a movie.  All of stage management, wardrobe and crew were wearing doctors masks and some with rubber gloves.  Over the next 3 days, probably a total of about 40 people got hit with the stomach flu.  We didn't do a complete show with the proper number of people until 7 shows into the run.  Viruses are scary...eek.

I already called out for 2 days (6 shows) because of a bad sinus infection that started on Thanksgiving.  I am currently still recovering.  I tried to fight my way through 2 shows yesterday, but I didn't make it.  After the act one of the first show, I had to go out.  That show takes so much out of you and I was so weak.  It was frustrating.  However, today and tomorrow are days off for me to sit around and recover.  

I hope all of you are doing well and had a great Thanksgiving!  Lots of love!

Slacker!

So, I've been slacking big-time on the writing.  I apologize.  Let me give you a quick synopsis of what's been going on around here.  First of all here are some more pictures from Myrtle Beach:

This is the small rehearsal studio for Chi/Louis (please note the green doors in the back, those are fitting rooms, since this was previously a clothing store):

Rest of the small rehearsal studio:

Here are some picture of the floor in the main rehearsal studio (a.k.a. Famous Footwear)  In this picture AJ (one of our stage managers) is said to be "right foot on 17 at the upstage numbers"

More floor craziness:

Stage Left lettered.  I am standing upstage:

We always run through Nutcracker in costume so we can get used to jumping around with an extra 30lbs of weight.  Oh, right, and not being able to see!  This is me and Haley:

The three Russian Bears, Connor(he loves being a bear, can't you tell?), Victor, and Dominic:

Adam, one of the little people in the show:

Ballerina Bears rehearsing with Brad, out dance captain:

More bears, including Sugar Plum and Rebecca who is our Mrs. Claus (bottom corner, left)

Interracial bear??:

Kingston Plantation where we stayed:

These were the condos we were in:

Ok, so there are the rest of the Myrtle pictures!  2 show day today and then I'll catch you up on what's been going on over here in Rosemont, IL.  And there is MUCH to tell, so be prepared!  Love you and miss you all!  

Day One At School

Yesterday was day one... And this morning when I went to get out of bed was a big reminder that I was in rehearsals for 8 hours yesterday.  Ouch.

So, we rehearse at an old abandoned mall called The Waccamaw.  It's basically a huge one-level mall that's been taken over by dancers.  There are rehearsal floors that have been laid down and spiked in the 4 largest rooms, and the others are filled with company management offices and wardrobe.  We have been rehearsing there for the past few years, so it's always nice to go back to somewhere familiar for torture :)  I had my first costume fitting yesterday and got 3 of my old costumes back (I like them, they fit me well!) and my old heels to use for rehearsals.  We sang first thing and then spent the rest of the day learning and cleaning "Rock and Roll".  The way the rehearsal process goes is that we learn one number a day until the show is complete.  Then, we start to piece everything together.  We learned "Rock and Roll" yesterday, but may not return to it for 3 days.  So, it's up to us to do our homework. (Hence why we call it "school"!)  We have notebooks and music folders standing by while we rehearse so we can go make choreography notes every chance we get.

The floor is marked out the same way the stage will be.  It's basically a huge grid.  Downstage (in the front) the stage is numbered from "0" to "24" on each side of the stage.  (0 being the middle, and numbering out to 24 on each side)  Then, on each side going from downstage to upstage, (front to back) the stage is lettered from "A" to "N".  There is a big blue star which marks the very center of the stage, and other miscellaneous markings.  There are also lines going from stage right to stage left, the dotted, the red, the green, the brown and the blue.  It's difficult to explain this, but when they tell us where to stand think of being in a game of battle ship.  "Alanna, you'll be toeing the green, at 5, and then you'll travel to 11 between L and M."  YIKES!  As you could imagine, very overwhelming your first year trying to understand it all!  Toeing, heeling, standing on; yes they are that specific.  And you better make it there everytime, too!  Once you learn where you're going your travels on the stage become muscle memory and there's no need to glance at the floor every 5 seconds to figure out where you're going!  I'll have to take pictures.  It's much easier to understand that way!  Time to shower and do some studying!

Myrtle Beach

So I've been in Myrtle Beach for a couple of days now!  The weather when I arrived on Sunday evening was about 70, and by Tuesday a cold front came through.  So, it's officially cold here.  No beach for me this year :(  Our condo is cute and beachy (Kind of reminds me of the Golden Girls!)  I haven't really done too much except go to the gym and get ready for rehearsals to start since I've been here.  The rest of the ensemble finishes arriving today, and rehearsals begin tomorrow.  I am SO nervous!  It kind of feels like the first day of school again.  Me and Haley (who I've done the show with every year) will get together just to decide what to wear for the first day of rehearsals tomorrow.  Ridiculous, I know...  and how to wear our hair, and how early we should arrive, what food to pack for the day, etc.   Tanner's cast will leave next Thursday, so when he's gone I'll room with Haley.  Below are some pictures of the condo I'll be in with her.   

      My Bedroom

   Foyer

Living/Dining Room

   This is the wallpaper in our kitchen...

Well, that's all for now.  I will write more tomorrow!  Hopefully my feet survive :)