One week into 2014...

Already a week into 2014 and so much has happened.  I've been sick with a cold/sore throat for most of it but stayed true to my new song at Karaoke and finished out a great run of Babes In Toyland with an awesome cast and crew!

Last Saturday was my last week playing Mary Contrary in Babes In Toyland.  It ran for six weeks at The Miles Playhouse and we had our original cast together for the final performance.  I felt it was my strongest week singing (even with the laryngitis I had earlier in the week) and we all had so much fun in our roles and bringing magic to the room!  At the end of the show we take photos and talk to the kids and their parents.  One girl came up to me, and after we took pictures together she said that I was her favorite actress and she wanted to go grow up and be just like me.  Those are the moments I live for and the reason I do what I do.  I want to inspire people and here I was 25 years later, performing in Children's Theater, doing exactly what I watched other actors do, and knowing at that time I wanted to do the same thing.  It's one of my favorite acting moments to date!

Meeting my favorite fan ;)

I'm also so glad I got to see a bunch of my cast mates in Rapunzel which was playing at 1 pm on Saturday as well.  I felt like a little kid watching and booing for the villains and cheering for the prince and princess.  It was so neat to watch the children's faces throughout the room taking the show in.  When we were performing for Babes In Toyland I wasn't able to see how much the kids really enjoyed us as I did watching this other show.  It's literally magic :)

The Babes In Toyland cast after a performance in December!

By Wednesday I had a full-on sore throat so I'm surprised I was even able to sing for my first night back hosting Karaoke in 2014.  I opened the night with 'Here Without You' by Three Doors Down and joined Marty on a couple songs throughout the night including 'Careless Whisper' and 'Lucky' by Jason Mraz and Colbie Callait.  My new song of the night was 'Bathwater' by No Doubt and since I had some friends visiting I also sang Tracy Chapman's 'Give Me One Reason To Stay Here' which was great for my low turtle voice.  It's all about song choice and I think I chose right considering I was under the weather.

 Creating Arts is gearing up for another great season and they're casting a bunch of their upcoming shows in the next week or two and I can't wait to get involved with another show.  This cold better scram pretty soon so I can be all prepped and ready for Princess Time!

Mom's Visit to LA!

Mom came to visit me almost two weeks ago so she could see me in my play, 'Babes in Toyland,' and luckily she found a great flight and we were able to spend a few days together before Christmas!

She got in on Friday afternoon so she came into The Garage to visit me at work that night and got to try one of my favorite meals, the Loaded Chips, and hang out with some of my regulars and friends.  On Saturday we had the play, which she loved.  Although, she started tearing up during one of my solo's and that almost made me cry but I was able to hold it together till after the show.  She got tons of pictures of me with the kids and there were lots of little ones at the show that day.  She also got to see me read in Church which was nice!  After that we had Dinner at Tender Greens which was delicious and had some Yogurtland and Game Night along with one of my favorite Christmas movies, 'Serendipity' later on since she had never seen it.

Mom with Me (Mary Contrary) after the play 'Babes In Toyland'

On Sunday I had set up a Brunch at Skylight Gardens in Westwood, with Unlimited Mimosa's and all sorts of goodies.  My Short Rib Eggs Benedict was incredible not to mention, there was no shortage of champagne.  We went next door right after Brunch to grab some espresso and coffee and I'm not joking, I had the smallest double espresso I have ever seen.  I think there was more in my sugar packet than my cup!  We took a nice long walk that afternoon and made Dinner at home, my Gnocchi & Tortellini Recipe and had a quiet night in :)

Brunch with Mom at Skylight Gardens

We spent a good part of Monday doing some shopping and then made my Carrot Soup for Dinner and went to The Castaway in Burbank for dessert and after-dinner drinks.  If you haven't been to The Castaway, the view is amazing, and even a photo doesn't do it justice.  On Tuesday we went for a walk in the morning before heading to the airport a couple hours later.

It was so nice to spend a few days with her, just me and her, having some fun here in LA and having her be at one of my shows.  Thankfully, I'll get to see Mom and the rest of my family in just a few days when I head back to Wisconsin for a nice long week for Christmas and the Holidays.

Check out my recipes here :)

Carrot Soup 

Gnocchi & Tortellini Dinner

'Babes' Opening Show!

This Saturday was the opening of the show I'm in, 'Babes In Toyland' at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica.  It is a Children's Play for ages 11 months to 6 years and families, and we sing, dance, and act, getting the children involved in the fun.  It's running for the next 5 weeks on Saturday's and starts at 11 am and lasts just a little over a half hour.  You can find all the information on the Creating Arts website at: Babes In Toyland

Our cast is small with just 5 people but I really felt like we all lit up the stage once the show started and we heard the kids yelling out answers to what time of year it is and how one would get through snow.  After that, the rest of the show is a blur for me because I felt like my adrenaline went through the roof and the amount of energy I exerted took over and I just remember seeing the happy smiles on the kids faces, and smiling proud parents as their children were dancing and singing along with us.

Showtime for Little Bo Peep, The Toymaker, Mother Goose, Tom Piper and Mary Contrary!

We sing some Christmas songs as well as children's favorites, and a few songs from Nursery Rhymes and I have a couple solo's as well.  Maya was our director, choreographer, and singing coach and she pulled all of us together to bring an amazing show that will continue to improve week after week!  It was almost a let down after the show was over and I went back home and went about my day but thankfully I have 5 more weeks of performances to get my acting fix.

This is definitely a great company to be a part of and I can't wait for what else I can get involved with in the future :)

'Babes In Toyland'

I got it!  I auditioned for the role of Mary Contrary in 'Babes In Toyland' a week and a half ago and found out a couple days later that I booked the role!  When I first saw they were holding auditions I was super excited because I used to watch the movie with Drew Barrymore, Keanu Reeves, and Eileen Brennan all through the Christmas season (and Summer, guilty pleasure) and now I was getting to audition for it.

The audition consisted of a cold-read and song.  When I got to the audition and saw it was a scene from 'Music Man' I got a little nostalgic remembering I had played the role of Amaryllis when I was 14, and sure enough, the cold-read scene was one I did in that exact play, except this time I would be reading as Marian Paroo.  Since the play was a musical, we all had to sing so I chose 'Baby Love.'  I felt great about the audition and knew that it was a waiting game but I was really hoping to be cast.  I sent out a thank you for having me in to audition on Monday and by Tuesday I had confirmed the role of 'Mary Contrary' and was sent the rehearsal schedule, script, and music.

 

My hardly can contain myself smirk...
and this headshot reminds me of Christmas!

'Babes In Toyland' opens in a week and a half, as they have a very quick turn-around and prep for this show especially since it's for The Twinkle Theater.  This show is recommended for children 11 months to 5 years old accompanied by their family's as an introduction to theater.  As soon as I found out the show was for babies, I was totally in!  Of course, I would love for all of my friends in LA to come and see it as well because it is a Christmas/Holiday Show; there's singing, dancing, and acting, and will just be a fun experience, plus I might nuzzle you with a Teddy Bear :)

We've had a couple rehearsals already, meeting the rest of the cast, whom are mostly from the Midwest, ran through the script a handful of times, along with the music, figured out the blocking and this weekend we will probably be running through the entire show considering the following Saturday, November 30th, will be our first performance for the public.  The show runs on Saturdays at 11 am at the Miles Playhouse in Santa Monica on Lincoln & Wilshire Blvd and goes until January 4th.  So we will be performing 6 shows (one of which I will be in Wisconsin for, so someone will be filling my role that week) put on by the Creating Arts Company who will also have other shows running in the same weeks just on different days.

I'm so excited to be a part of a theater show again as it's been 8 years since the last time I did theater.  Singing to each other in rehearsals makes my ears smile, that's how happy I am, to be doing exactly what I love!  I can't wait for our first show in just 10 days!!

You can find out more information about the show and get tickets here:
Babes In Toyland Tickets