2010 Wrap-up: A VERY good year.

I shall warn you all now: this is going to be a post where I toot my own horn a bit. I apologize in advance for this...

As the final hours of 2010 wind down and the year comes to a close, I look back at all that has happened and think "DAMN! What a hot year it has been...". I am feeling more fulfilled professionally and physically than I think I have in a LONG time, if ever.

That is not to say there have been downs along with the ups; there always are. Financially, the year sucked, but guess what, it did so for just about everyone else. And if I really look at the situation, I'm doing OK, though goodness knows I would love some decent health insurance.

But these downs gave only served to heighten the ups, and they taught me valuable lessons along the way. The best I can sum up said lesson is this: THE UNIVERSE KNOWS WHAT IT IS DOING...most of the time. Whoever or whatever is out there has a pretty good grasp on things. I, personally, don't care what you name it, be it God, Fate, Buddha, Kharma, Goddess...I am not going to tell that you are wrong in what you believe because you are right, and as long as you don't tell me that I have to believe what you do or you are going to throw me in Lake Michigan or stretch me, then we are all good. Remember, "There are more things on heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."

(Climbs down off soap box, chops it up, tosses it into fireplace, lights RedEye newspapers, settles onto couch, and snuggles with cat)

The foundations for this year actually started all the way back in 2008, when I left the wilderness and was embraced by some of the loveliest ladies I have ever known. In 2009, more ground work was laid in the summer when I met another theatre company, very close to home, who let me run around Scotland casting spells, and then, in the fall I became acquainted with a group of theatre geeks...who happened to be running around as pirates at the time.

Anyway, I started the year cast, which is a lovely way to begin the year. I thought I would be playing a slutty soprano in "Lend Me A Tenor", but, in what proved to be the first of many mishaps that challenged the production, I ended up playing a frazzled 80's upper-middle class wife in "Rumors". Despite the fact we seemed to keep losing cast members, I had a really fun time and got to do my first spit take...

February started well. It is nice seeing what should be a dead, empty Pier full of people who are there because of something that is being shown at your movie theatre. It is nice knowing that before or after they come watch the show, they are spending money at your neighboring businesses.

The middle of February...was not so much fun. I am eternally grateful for the amazing circle of friends that hugged and held me. Hindsight being 20-20 and it is amazingly clear: the right choice was made. Being in the middle of it SUCKS.

Here is where the valuable lesson comes in. Namely, the universe whacking my upside the head. I won't lie: it hurt. A lot. It always does. The universe, however, has plans for us, and sometimes to make us widen our gaze it SMACKS us so hard we can't even see through the tears. But, the tears end, we pick ourselves up, and then we see why...

Then March rolled around, and I was asked if I would like to play a soprano...again, I just realized...and run around Victorian England.

And the year REALLY got going.

"Sherlock Holmes: The Last Adventure" was a truly amazing experience and I will never forget it. It challenged me professionally. It forced me to get into really good shape (YOU try wearing a corset with a muffin top). We were critically lauded. We were Jeff Recommended. We were financially successful. We were one of the tightest casts and crew I have ever worked with. The year could have ended in August and I would have ticked it off in the win column.

But the universe wasn't done yet...

I ended up in the late 50's in New York running around with a married man but then falling in love with the guy who had loved me from affair in "The Apartment". Being pulled in some two weeks into rehearsal was fun...

Oh, and remember the theatre geeks who were running around as pirates? They want me to come play with them as a rabbit. Also, I get to go back to Victorian England, only this time as a sexy vampire vixen.

I am starting 2011 the same way I started 2010, only instead of being booked until March I am booked till June!

I am in some of the best shape of my life, and writhing around Castle Dracula and hopping around the English Countryside should help even more....

I am a part of two amazing theatre companies, one of whom gladly lets me swing rapiers and broadswords, the other of whom makes me say Shakespeare backwards...

I am married to someone who is writing for Wizards of the Coast...and writing...and writing...and having writers he looks up to rejoice in being eaten by monsters he created...

I am turning (shudder) 30!

I am surrounded by an amazing circle of friends, most of whom put up with me...

I am desperately awaiting a number of books and movies that, even if they suck, I shall enjoy them...

I am loved by a lovely boy and a WAY-too-smart-for-her-own-good kitteh...

So as the year 2010 comes to an end and 2011 rolls over the hill, here is my message to you:

Look around you. Everyone has something good that happened to them. Cherish those moments. Enjoy your friends and your loved ones. Know that the universe never smacks you unless it knows you can deal with it, and, sometimes, it is smacking you for your own good.

Be thankful. Celebrate.

Have a lovely 2011!

Preping for a role...

Go see a movie with me, and two things will probably happen:
1) I will look at an actress and start drooling like crazy over her costume. This happens often, and sometimes with regrettable consequences on my wallet...
2) I will, once the movie is over, immediately go across the street to the Borders, or go home to I-Tunes, and buy the soundtrack...

Costumes are important for an actor, especially in a period piece like "Sherlock Holmes". How you move, how you react, even how you speak can be affected by what you are wearing. You try talking a mile a minute when you are wearing a corset that gives you LOVELY posture, but kills your breath intake...

However, for me, music has, for a long time, played a very large role in getting ready for a part. A good soundtrack can make an OK movie better, and a good personal soundtrack can pump you up and get you into the right mood for whatever character you are getting ready to put under the lights and in front of an audience or a camera. Heck, I've even done soundtracks for big auditions...though having your I-Pod stay on all of the previous night and be out of juice the day of the audition and is never a good thing...

While not as extensive as some people I could mention, my music library is pretty varried, so it is fun to come up with a playlist for pre-show preping. Playlists with me are most often chronological within the plot of the play, though sometimes songs are just tossed in where they seem to fit. Also, doing a period piece doesn't ever, for me, preclude modern songs. If the mood it right and fit the character, I'd probably throw rap on a playlist...OK, maybe not, but you get my point. Sometimes, the very act of going through your music and picking out songs can help you connect with that character, and trace their journey.

There a few groups that I would reccomend to anyone looking for a good pre-show playlist. E.S. Posthumus is an absolute must. They are incredibly varied and good for both relaxing or getting your blood flowing. Two Steps From Hell just put out their first public release: previoulsy, they worked only with studios on fantastic music for just about every action-adventure trailer in the past two years. Loreena McKennitt is always a favorite, and usually makes it on.

To prep for Irene Adler, I went all over the place...she is a complex woman, and "Sherlock Holmes: The Last Adventure" definitely takes her on a wild ride.

1. Unstoppable by E.S. Posthumus: Probably best known as the trailer music for the Robert Downey, Jr. "Sherlock Holmes"...it kinda HAD to go on. Plus, it IS a good opener.

2. American Woman by Lenny Kravitz: I'm playing Irene Adler...how could this NOT be on there?

3. Black Velvet Band by Bully Ruse: The story of a man led astray by a bewitching woman...and I needed something calmer at this point...

4. You Give Love A Bad Name by Bon Jovi: "I play my part, and you play your game..."nuff' said.

5. In The Light by Full Blown Rose: This is just one of those songs that felt right..."lift me up, lead me from this place, let your love be mercy on my face..."

6. Mysterious Ways by U2: Next to "American Woman", this is another one that had to be on there. Irene is someone who "can never be solved"...

7. You Are Loved (Don't Give Up) by Josh Groban: Mr. Groban is another that makes it on more often than not, and sometimes more than once (see below). Simply because I am (most of the time) a hopeless romantic, this song had to go on the list.

8. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga: Hush a quiet all of you. After three slower songs, this gets me pumped and, let's face it, there is ALOT of not so good romantice choices Irene makes, and even when she does, it ain't the safest relationship...plus the video ROCKS!

9. What About Love by Heart: Because this SHERLOCK HOLMES, people. Someone who, felt that to the "softer passions" was "Grit in a sensative instrument, or a crack in one of his own high powered lenses, would not have been more disturbing than a strong emotion in a nature such as his." And because as Irene, I get to yell at him about that.

10. The Rocky Road To Dublin by The High Kings: It was in the movie. It is fun and up-tempo. That's all I need.

11: At The Beginning by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx: See hopeless romantic above.

12. Moonlight Sonata by E.S. Posthumus: Heard this once and instantly threw it on the list. Traditional tune, modern spin. Lots of violins, so something Holmes would know, but also very dramatic and grand.

13. Hallelujah by Rufus Wainwright: What happens when we let our guard down...more Irene and Larabee

14. Breath No More by Evanesance: Who are we, really? This song just hits me the right way. I think it is the piano.

15. Now Or Never by Josh Groban: Once again, hopeless romantic. There is one scene that needs about six songs, including this one, running beneath it. I also like the reference to a "clockwork silence" playing on the "man vs. machine", the denial of things being black and white, and the urgency of the refrain in a still, calm way.

16. Let It Go by Cavo: The title says it all. "A chance to change, or stay the same, one night without, the blame, that'll never go away..."

17. Fill My Heart by Two Steps From Hell: Belongs to that same scene that needs all kinds of songs running beneath it. Grand, romantic, and a bit traditional.

18. Taking Chances by Celine Dion: Not. One. Word. The ultimate get over yourself and take a risk song.

19. After The Fall by Two Steps From Hell: Anyone who knows Holmes cannon knows that, for title alone, this gets a spot. That and it plays as a lovely mix of heartbreak and hope.

20. I'm Still Here by John Rzeznik: This may have to get shoehorned into all future playlists: I'll find a reason now that "Treasure Planet" FINALLY got loaded onto I-Tunes. I love the words, and the message behind them can be used for Irene easily. Also, anyone who knows Homes cannon knows that this, also based on title alone, gets a spot...

Well, that's it. Want to see these in action? Then you'll just have to come check out "Sherlock Holmes: The Last Adventure"

TaTa!