The week (not for the weak)

Another week of slightly insane days, but this time the only nighttime activities are fun ones. (Not that rehearsals and performances aren’t fun; they are, but they are also work.) Last night and tonight at home, cooking dinner to relax
Wednesday: Traviata with a generous friend
Thursday: a VIM recital byHeather! and a get-together of Wolf Trappers
Friday: a Wordless Music concert (um, hello? why haven’t I known about this series before this week?!)

The days are filled with running between Iphigenie rehearsals (watching, trying to capture my character’s blocking) and Figaro rehearsals (singing, trying to get my Italian diction a bit more soignée), plus fitting in auditions where ever I can. Today I sang for the Sullivan Foundation again. I was very happy with my performance, but I’m reminding myself that this is a whole new competition this year. Last year’s award far from guarantees a bigger award this year; with a whole new judging panel, it’s anybody’s ballgame. All we can do is our best, and I think I did today.

(I need to give a HUGE thank you to MS, the tireless and sweet woman who organizes the Sullivan competition. I must have called to change my audition time four times, as my rehearsal schedule kept changing last minute! She was so patient and flexible, and I am very grateful. There are lots of good folks in this business, you know?)

All of this leads up, of course, to our first Figaro on Saturday afternoon! It’s a strange rehearsal period. We have, largely, a whole new cast, but since this is the second presentation of this production this season, our rehearsal time is shorter, just about ten days. There will be one orchestra rehearsal (Thursday), one run-through (Friday), and no time on the set or stage. It’s a time to use all our powers of visualization at home in our down time and get the blocking into our bodies and minds that way, rather than running the scenes over and over for weeks. It’s tough, and not a little unsettling, but it’s also an exciting challenge.

Dinner time! Last night’s Moroccan vegetable stew with polenta (my new favorite comfort food) made a great lunch today. Tonight I think I’ll make a fancy salad and pair it with a slice from the Pizzeria across the street… ok, maybe two. A bit of tasty indulgence.

Oh, one more thought: today the director of Figaro told me to go ahead and play Barbarina a bit more grown-up, a little less “cute.” Hooray! She’s still a kid, but my stage personality doesn’t really lend itself to cutesy, so we’re thinking she’s more like 15 rather than 12. I’m imagining her as a slightly younger Meg from Brigadoon…