Eve's Blog

As you can tell, the title of my entries reflect what i’m doing when I’m typing. Right now I’m eating banana chips.

Anne Frank will open in two weeks from this thursday - HOW CRAZY. I feel like we just started. We’ve all taken huge steps in rehearsal and now since we’re all off book we can work on details - cause and affect. Establishing relationships between characters will be clearer and easier without having to carry around the script, searching for lines. I’ve found, especially since I’ve been studying improv, that listening on stage SAVES you. It sounds like a simple concept, but it’s often difficult to stay focused when you’re worried about forgetting your line or when something interesting is happening on stage. Also, our generation and culture is so distracting that listening is like a lost art to most. Last week I was frustrated since I couldn’t seem to jump into the correct diary moment after a scene was over. My challenge was to figure out a way to make this transition organic where I could no longer contain myself and needed to “write.” The sollution was, simply, listening. Sometimes I still get a little anxious right before I’m suppose to “write my diary” but then a word or phrase jumps out and hits me in either a radio broadcast or the last line said. The tactic is working, hoorah!

I believe we’re going to have great audiences. People from the Buffalo community are excited about the show as well as parents/friends/profs etc. Also, we have a very large group of high school students coming the see morning shows on the 14th and 15th of november. I have to miss class - DARN!

I dont know if I should call myself an actor. I always feel odd when I do. Maybe it’s the flamboyant, arrogant stereotype that always goes with it and I don’t want to be viewed like that - ever. However I like to think of actors as public servants - because we are when you think about it. We experience the extremes of all emotions in front of an audience so they can vicariously live through us and see a whole other world. After a show it’s always interesting to see how theatre may have affected your opinion on a certain subject. Also, mayeb what memories popped into your head where you might have felt the same in a similar situation. Theatre is a simplified concentration of life… in an hour and a half to two hours the audience will experience life, love, loss, pain, joy, passion, anger, hate - and at the end, there’s a cathartic moment! Sit back, take it in, breathe…

So much more entertaining than watching TV.

Posted by Eve at 11:32 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Snow this early?! If I were mother nature I would have held off on the snow for another month or so. Buffalo’s trees are crushed! This last weekend was strange… no electricity or heat in our apartment sent rachel and I outside wandering Buffalo to keep warm. Walking helped where our chilly apartment did not.

You never meet a stranger in Buffalo when lake effect snow happens… people always offer help — and beer.

Aside from our devastating snow storm, driving bands, and power outages… the weekend went well. In rehearsal on Sunday we did a stumble through of act one which made me realize that I am about 80% off book. It did go well however. I’m learning to share the diary’s as though they had just come to me, rather than announcing them like I’m reading them right from the page. Since I do not have a scene partner in the diary moments it’s tough when I don’t see the person I’ve chosen to talk to … In acting I and II it is important to fully understand the concept of “who am I, where am I, and what do I want?” so instead of reciting a monologue, objectives are being persued. It makes remembering lines easier because they just naturally come to you instead of fishing for lines… it’s in you’re body and out of your head. I have to be off book for Act II by the end of this week, so I guess i need to pay attentioned these techniques and make it work. Yesterday I had trouble falling into the diary entries and it’s because I was not paying attention to my who i was talking to and the actions I wanted to play on that person.

I have two tests tomorrow. I’ve been staying on campus with friends to keep warm, living out of duffle bags and eating Kashi cereal, soy milk, bananas and oatmeal. EXCITING!!!!

Posted by Eve at 11:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Today’s weather went as follows: overcast morning with a bit of drizzle. late morning had sunshine, some rain, a rainbow, then a bit of sleet. At around 2pm the snow started coming down and it really hasn’t let up yet. Weird. Yep… It’s October 12th and Buffalo has a nice layer of wet, heavy snow on the ground. The trees haven’t even lost all of their leaves yet! The weight from the snow is making the branches bend and snap off the trees… put your car in the garage.

I have a lot of work to do. I’m very near to being off book for tomorrow’s rehearsal, there’s only a couple of monologues that are split up between me and another character that I have to go over. It’s a tad difficult. So yay for being off book. At the moment i’m ‘flat lining’ because i’m irritable, swamped with a billion and one things I could be doing, and all I really wanna do is yell and pitch a huge fit. That won’t do so here I am breathing heavily.

There’s a gala at the Burchfield I’d like to work tomorrow, only I have a rehearsal to go to. All’s well and i’m cool with that… I’ll miss the crowd i usually hang with there though.

I have not seen my favorite bestest bud Abby in four hundred years.

This weekend is another field trip adventure (hopefully) with Heather. We’re planning on heading to Doors Open Niagara. The US and Canadian landmarks (museums, galleries, bldgs, etc) are all open to the public as a festival this weekend. www.doorsopenniagara.com

Posted by Eve at 06:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

I treated myself to coffee this afternoon - it was so good. I only have it every other day, and I really like it for the taste, not for the buzz… a caffine buzz makes me feel jittery.

The end of the last week was busy and this long weekend was dedicated to a little R and R. Thursday night I saw Stop Kiss which was enjoyable and we celebrated accordingly at the after party at Coles. After all of our opening nights we have a get together at Coles (a restaurant and bar) down on elmwood. Friday was tough to get through and I didnt even feel like I was at my classes…

THE LONG WEEKEND… I went apple picking with friends on Saturday and totally felt like I was on a field trip in 2nd grade. I picked around 5 dozen apples and gave some to M & D and some to the grandparents. Saturday evening I visited with a friend who I’ve known since high school. She was on a short break from her busy life at Cornell. Late that night we meandered around the psych center - always a good time even though you’re followed around by the security guards because they think you’re plotting to break in. Also, it can be dangerous… it’s dark and dark… and well, dark. Sunday and Monday was full of sleep and rehearsal and a trip to Wegmans - the best grocery store on the planet.

Rehearsal and school: I’m behind in my reading. I’m attempting to catch up. Key word is attempting. Days are full, not gonna lie. I thought gettin off book was going to be more difficult than it is. We’ve completely blocked act one. Just going through the blocking and being physical and acting at the same time I am convinced that I’ll be off book by this friday. Then we start blocking act II. Speaking of getting off book i’ve reminded myself of a Shakespeare monologue that needs to be memorized. Oops. Back to campus I go.

Oh, right - black licorice and Meatloaf’s “Paradise by the dashboard light” are two of my favorite things… to explain the title…

Posted by Eve at 06:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

After a long rehearsal last night, here I am in grover cleveland reading my medieval art articles. Our rehearsal went well - 4 hours went by quickly and it was fun. The cast is becoming even more comfortable with each other as a family on top of our friendships we already have. Very cool.

Question: If you cannot stay awake, if coffee is not an option, then how do you go on reading? It’s nearly impossible… and today is rainy, cool and dark which makes me want to hibernate. I feel like it’s 7pm right now and it’s nearly noon!

Tests tests tests. One A couple of B’s… Not bad, considering I was probably not studying as much as I should have… or maybe as consistently. Sticking to studying in the library is the best bet for success in my case only I chose home with all the distractions. It’s okay.

My room mates and I threw a massive party at our appartment satuday night. It was amazing! It was like a big family reunion because all of our good friends who’ve been out of town or traveling were around and got to hang out, catch up, and do some dancin’! The shindig lasted from about 9:30 till about 4:30 in the morning. We even had the entire place cleaned by 5am and I was in showered and in bed by 5:30. People helped pick up, we swept, mopped the floors and vaccumed. The dishes were done and the counters were wiped off… so when I woke up at 11 the next morning I had nothing to do but lounge about. Friends want more, and more will come… but after Anne Frank is over because I cant handle another party now.
Stop Kiss opens thursday night.

That’s all. Ciao.

Posted by Eve at 11:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack