Intense

If I had to choose just one word to describe this whole off-Broadway rehearsal experience thus far, that'd be it: INTENSE. From the music, concepts and characters, to the grueling hours, expectations and pressure being put upon us....it's all just SO. frickin'. INTENSE! The music is some of the hardest I've ever heard and the concept of the show is incredibly complex and layered, making character and acting choices extremely difficult. Granted, I don't have many lines (which I am actually thankful for -- I don't mind at all baby-stepping into this thing), but even so, I am learning through this whole process that it doesn't matter if you never open your mouth once on that stage, you need to *know* who your character is and know the purposes and reasons behind why your character says/does/thinks what she does, otherwise you (and the relationships on stage between characters) won't be believable to the audience.

The first week of rehearsals was actually incredibly exciting and fun. I was like a little sponge just soaking up as much information as I could -- watching Tom direct, watching the other actors find and develop their characters, learning how blocking is done, and what it takes to build a show from the ground up. It was all so fascinating.

Week 2 was much rougher. The long, long days started getting to all of us (most of us in the cast are working full-time jobs all day, then rushing to rehearsals for another 4+ hours of work at night during the week, in addition to weekends), and with the introduction of the aforementioned difficult music, the intensity of the whole thing was kicked up a notch.

Now we are in week 3 and my little sponge is all dried up. I'm still trying to take it all in, enjoy the experience, count my blessings, yada yada, but I am just so worn out and overwhelmed! Part of the problem is that it's all a bit disorganized -- some of the music is only JUST NOW being finished (as in finished being written!), we've only learned bits and pieces of the first act ensemble numbers, and have had only one (1!) dance rehearsal so far. And this thing opens in THREE WEEKS, people! I mean, I'm no off-Broadway-acting-expert, but I think -- I *think* -- that's NOT a good thing! So yeah, everyone is feeling the heat, so therefore the heat is being turned up on us (the cast).

I am hanging in there, as we all are, but unfortunately it is more frustrating than fun at this point. The good news, however, is that this is NOT the norm (according to my fellow castmates who have done professional New York shows before). The pressure, the hours, the stress and disorganization is not usually this bad, they say. So I figure (if I decide to continue down this road) that if I can make it through this, I can handle anything! Right?!

I really don't want this to sound like I am railing against this show or the writer or director or anyone involved. I honestly am so thankful for the opportunity, and recognize that I am incredibly lucky to be a part of this thing. As with any type of work or big project like this, sometimes things just take an incredible amount of stamina and hard effort and there are usually bumps along the way. Plus, more often than not in life, the harder the road, the better (more worthwhile/valuable) the outcome, right?

And in the end, I think it's going to kick butt. I really do. If we can pull this off (and I KNOW we will!!), I think the public (you!) will be in for a real treat.

**(which is the perfect lead-in for my sales spiel!)**

Opening night is June 11 and it only runs for 10 days, so if you haven't gotten your tickets, click here to do so now!

:)