Don't Make Me Release The Flying Monkeys

Theatre@First's pledge drive to raise $5,500 to produce FREE Shakespeare in the Park in Davis Square has almost reached the goal! But we're $293 short, and if it isn't raised in the 3 days remaining, none of the pledges will be collectable (that's how Kickstarter works).

At this point, I'm going to presume that everyone on my f'list who was going to pledge has already done so. So I'm appealing to existing backers: add $5 to your pledge! We can put this over the top today! We're so close, and adding to your pledge is so easy. You don't even have to pull your credit card out. Just click the link below, log in, go to "Manage Your Pledge" and add $5 to your total pledge in the box. I just added my fiver. Come on, $5 is a beer. Can you buy a beer for Shakespeare? He'd totally buy one for you.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/555988002/free-shakespeare-in-the-park-in-somervilles-davis

Let's finish this!

Theatre@First's Much Ado About Nothing has been cast, and I'm very excited that I'm going to be playing a member of the Watch. It's the perfect small role for me right now, since I need to keep the majority of my focus on my job search. Just a handful of lines to keep track of, but plenty to do, and I can share in the energy and fun of the production without stretching myself too thin. And, I get to be a Watch with the awesome Laurie B, who played my mother-in-law in Cabfare For The Common Man last summer. I'm really looking forward to our first read-thru on Monday. :-)

There's a summer thunderstorm happening right now, in January, in Boston, but I'm in a good mood. Hey nonny, nonny!

Festival@First:C'est Levine! had a phenomenal closing night, with another jaw-dropping full house. I can't believe we're on this side of it already. It seems like yesterday that it was just an idea beginning to brew.

As announced by Beckie, this was our biggest selling show in the history of Theatre@First. It beat all previous attendance records. Once all the receipts are in, I think it may also be the most profitable show in our history. Huzzah!

Last night's performance felt different than any other, for me. For the first time in several years, I felt like I was working with the audience, working off their cues and energy. It was just like the old days, before I Got Nervous. It felt like a channel opening back up after being closed for a long time. I didn't feel the adversarial dread of the audience that has plagued me for the last 3 years. I had no fear that I would black out on a random line -- I simply knew that I would not do so, and that even if I did, I am a capable actor with the skills to get out of it smoothly. I knew that I could make them laugh, make them say "awwwww," and apparently make them get teary at the end. I felt entirely in control and at the top of my game, for the first time since 2004. Aside from the Radio Dramas (where no nerve problems exist), last night was the first reminder of what it was like to feel joy in performing, in giving. I'm receiving medical exploration and treatment, something I should have done long ago. Am I coming back from what I was sure was performance death? Maybe I am, at that. Baby steps from here.

I will totally miss being in regular contact with playwright Mark Harvey Levine. I loved getting to know him and working with him. I hope he submits a play the next time we have an open-submission festival.

I went to two lovely cast gatherings this run (Thank you Gilly and Jude!), which is less than usual for me but leave me alone, I'm older than the sun but I was over-scheduled and wracked with PMS until Saturday, so I enjoyed the socializing that I did do. Jay was at last night's performance and accompanied me to the cast party. We got home very late after a detour to Jude's for a green drinky, and didn't retire until 4:30 AM. We slept 'til noon. I love my sweetie. He looks good wearing cows.

Bear hugs to the entire cast, crew, and company. Here's to keeping the meter running. :-)

Last night we had our first official rehearsal for Cabfare For The Common Man. As a character actress, it's completely thrilling to finally get to play the love interest. Even as a young actress, I never even once got cast in The-Girl-Whom-The-Boy-Gets role. Then and now, I generally play The Bitch or The Ditz or The Battle Axe or The Saucy Wench. At long last, today I am The Woman. Better late than never! :-)

And on Friday, I get to be with my own Romantic Leading Male, beowabbit, after his weekend away and my busy week of rehearsals. Stand-by for Act I... ;-)

It looks like my summer plans are shaping up like I hoped they would. I've been cast in Theatre@First's 4th annual one-act fest -- Festival@First: C'est Levine! I can't believe this is our 4th festival, already. I'm excited about my 3-headed role with its schizophrenic challenge. And there's the bonus perk of getting an onstage reunion with the mighty, mighty mangosteen, among others.

I wear another hat in the festival, which is being the company liaison with our playwright, Mark Harvey Levine. Mark is a hot up-and-coming voice whose many short plays are being produced all over the world to enthusiastic reviews. I'm so proud that we're getting to showcase his work early on in his career, and hopefully some day we'll be able to boast that we caught a rising star. He's a wonderful talent and a lovable ol' mensch.

In addition, I'll be going into the studio with the rest of the PMRP cast of Red Shift to record the radio drama written by our own derspatchel. Stand by for podcast, and remember, GREEN'S NOT A FLAVOR.

Maybe beowabbit and I will get a chance to sneak out of town for a weekend late in the summer, but for now, I'll be right here.

Does anyone know if Director Carl D. has an LJ?