Unscripted - A Blog for Actors - Backstage

A Good Scare is Hard to Find

This last Halloween, I dressed up as fourteen year old. I know, I know, not scary at all (Well, a little scary....Eeek!  High school can be scary!!!).  And actually, I dress up as a fourteen year old every day, so it was really no  big deal.  The reality was I had two shows the next day and  I had no friends in Seattle and no Halloween parties to go to, so mostly I sat in my hotel room and ate a bunch of those mini candy bars and cried!!..."Wahhhhh!!!  Last Halloween in NYC was soo fun....and scary!!"  Boooooo....Now it's almost Thanksgiving and this year's scary season has passed on by.....

I decided in Toronto to make up for the lack of scariness and spookiness in my life, by going on a ghost tour of the Elgin and Winter Garden theatres with a few of my August peeps on Friday the Thirteenth.  I was sure that the tour would result in some scary sightings and leave my heart pounding! 

My New Friends Whitney and Speidi

I have a confession to make.  It's really awful.  It's really so, so awful, I can't even believe I'm sharing it with the entire Backstage Blogosphere.  Promise not to judge me?  Okay?  Promise?  

Well, it all started in Toronto when one night after the show, instead of reading a magazine or book or practicing my guitar to chill out, I turned on the television.  TV's not so bad, but I've been proudly off of TV for quite sometime.  When I was in Brooklyn, I didn't have cable and turning on my tiny screen was a rare occurence.  On tour, I've been staying in places with all kinds of cable and movie channels, but I've been so busy enjoying each new city that I've barely taken the time to notice. 

Anyways, my TV watching in Toronto started out innocently enough.  I'd catch the end of some old movie on AMC or a little news from the day, but one night something special caught me eye.  The TV screen exploded with pop music and beach scenes and beautiful houses.  Girls with shiny lip gloss and tan legs were walking and laughing.  Sooo pretttttyyy....They all looked like they were having so much fun!!  I couldn't turn the channel.  "Ohmigod Audrina!  I can't believe Justin would say that to you...that's just like...ugh...like, I don't know...."  

A Sign

This is a picture of a big bright sign I passed while walking around in Toronto one evening.  It stuck with me.  

Lemon's Lurve List: Johnny Mercer

The other night after the show, I ran a bath for myself.  I stuck my hand under the water and turned and adjusted the knob until the water running from the faucet was warm and cozy.  While I let the bath tub fill up, I turned on the TV and flipped through the channels, seeing if any bit of news from the day caught my eye.  

Something did catch my eye "It is the best of all trades to make songs and the second best to sing them."  The quote appeared silent onscreen before introducing a two hour AMC special on the life of Johnny Mercer.  

I started watching.  I learned about how Johnny Mercer met his wife, and his life in Savannah, Georgia.  I was reintroduced to some of the jazz standards like "Old Black Magic" that I'm sure I've heard a bunch of times but never thought about who wrote the words.  In addition to being a singer/songwriter, Johnny Mercer was also actor!  Like me!  Pretty cool, huh?  

Toronto is Treating Me Well

One week into Toronto and I can safely say this is my favorite city so far!  Of course, no city is as good to me as New York City...but damn, Toronto is sure coming close!   

Perhaps what I am loving so much is my set up.  My new digs are pretty fancy!  My room is super comfortable and decorated how my sweet imaginary studio in Midtown Manhattan or loft in Williamsburg should be decorated. I even have a full kitchen, which means I can make oatmeal with honey every morning for breakfast.  (My favorite!)  The theatre is a skip away!  I found an amazing local coffee shop a hop away.  The martini bar downstairs stays open late after the shows, is delicious, and has some pretty sweet jazz music on the weekends.  There's a more than sufficient gym and spa free of charge on the 5th floor, and a delicious and cheap diner can be found just around the corner!  

Playing Teacher

Almost every night I play a fourteen year old pothead, but last week I got to play a different part!  Thursday, I got to be a teacher!  Me and my buddy Paul, who's a very talented actor himself, headed to a performing arts high school in Seattle and taught a Master Class.  

Being a teacher is something I have always wanted to do, so when I got the opportunity, I jumped on it! Theatre is my favorite thing in the whole world, so what could be better than sharing my enthusiasm for the stage with other students!  It wasn't too long ago that I was a student myself.  In fact, I feel like I still have a lot to learn and am constantly soaking up what I can from the older, experienced actors I'm traveling and working with.  But it sure is nice to feel as though I might be able to take some of what I know from my own audition and performance experiences and pass it onto others.    

Seattle Space Needle

I'm a busy girl!  For the first time in a few weeks, I have a real day off today!!  In Portland and Seattle we had such busy performance schedules, there wasn't time any full days off and adjusting to each new city definitely takes a little time.  One of the coolest things about going to each new city is trying to get out and be a bit of a tourist and see things unique to that city.   

Last week was Seattle, and despite our full performance schedule, I tried my best to get out and see a few things!  On one free morning, I teamed up with my new friend and cast mate Delanna and headed out to explore!! 

Free Breakfast!!

What's one of the best thing about living in hotels?  Free breakfast!! I want it, and I'm gonna try to get it at every city I can. 

With every new city, I get a sheet from the company manager explaining the different hotels and what they offer.  We review the information and then we can pick what hotel we want to stay in.  The first things I look for are a gym...and free breakfast!  In my mind free breakfast extends into meals way past breakfast time.  I always grab extra apples and yogurt and bread for later.  Why not let free breakfast extend into free lunch or free snacks before the show??  

Stage Fright

Stage Fright....Eeek!!...I suppose every actor deals with stage fright at some point.  Whether it's opening night of a big important show or just getting nervous for an audition, stage fright is no fun!!  I get Stage Fright the most when I know a cute boy I like is going to be watching me!!  

For the most part, I've been able to keep it together every time I experienced those crazy nerves sneaking up on me, but Opening Night in Portland,  I found out about a whole new kind of Stage Fright!  This kind of Stage Fright had me scared for my life!!

I Miss Peter the Penguin

LA's dessert air and pollution are drying out my vocal chords.  I do some screaming in the show, and so far I've been able to keep my voice strong with lots water and warming up.  But things changed when I got to LA.  Maybe the eight shows a week schedule is just finally wearing on me, but my voice is getting soo dry, especially on two show days.  But today, I remembered what I was missing to really keep my voice healthy.....a humidifier!!

During Spring Awakening I adopted the cutest, most adorable little Penguin shaped humidifier named Peter.