I’ll be playing this! Guess I gotta go blonder…

Yep, that happened. And I was trying to not look down at my own chest, thinking about how I’m not sure I’ll need the padded bra the director of 9 to 5 suggested for the girls cast as Doralee (aka: Dolly Parton’s character).

I guess that’s my way of saying that I’ve been cast as Doralee in Empress Theatre’s production of 9 to 5 for the summer.

The support and excitement about being cast as Doralee is amazing! I’ve had several people say I’m perfect for it, and I definitely think I can relate to the character a lot, considering I’ve run into some similar situations as Doralee has in the past (judged because of how she looks, rumors spread that made her feel like a “bastard at the family reunion”). Let’s just say I’m super excited to step into this roll!

From the first couple of rehearsals, I can tell this will be a fun bunch of people to work with and this will be a completely different theater experience for me. There’s going to be a lot of character development (super excited for that!) and journaling apparently. I already journal, but whatever floats the director’s boat!

Another thing that’s different is that the lead roles are double cast. So that means, seven of the 14 performances, I’ll play Doralee. For the other seven, I’ll be a part of the ensemble and sing Backup Barbie in Backwoods Barbie (PS: That song is one of my favorites!). Should be a jolly good time, but if you want to get tickets… talk to me first so you get them for a night that I’m Doralee (as you should want to do!).

Do yourself a favor and go find the soundtrack on Spotify. The music for 9 to 5 is pretty much awesome… I don’t think people give Dolly Parton enough credit. The woman is a genius.

Under this hair is a brain, not that you’d ever care. 
And you only see tits, but get this, there’s a heart under there. 

Yep, pretty much. :)

That promise may not last long.

Reason being: three shows that I would love to be in and have some of my dream roles in have auditions coming up in the next couple of weeks. The shows?

• RENT – Maureen is a dream role of mine. Even ensemble would be awesome in this show though. If all else fails, I want this one.
• 9 to 5 – Doralee has my name written all over it. Blonde-check. Country girl-check. Double D’s-check, check.
• Legally Blonde – Do I really need to elaborate again?

9 to 5 auditions up first on April 30/May 1. RENT on May 5. And Legally Blonde on May 20. So technically if one of the first two doesn’t work out, I can hope for Legally Blonde. And if none of them work out, I may fall into a hysteric depression and think that I’m not good enough.

Haha, that won’t happen. The hysteric depression might, but not the negative thoughts part. But it would still be disappointing. If I don’t get cast in RENT I may do the lip thing. You know… that lip thing.

But gah… why must I have all these things that I want to do and then a show I want to be in comes up and I’m just like, “I want it all!” It’s a problem and I have a feeling I have major ADD.

I want to be in all the shows all the time but I simply haven’t the time! (Alice in Wonderland, anyone?)

Well, we shall see what will unfold after I actually audition for the shows. Wish me luck!

Hello, my name is Mikael and I’m a performaholic. This meeting is now adjourned. 

You know animation sequence where the dinosaurs are living and being joyous? And then all that is quickly squashed in the rain with a huge meat-asaurus (they say it’s a T-rex, but based on the animation versus bone structures I’ve seen, I beg to differ–the jaw bone is completely different) coming in and eating the poor stegosaurus. Which also happens to be one of my favorite dinosaurs, but I digress.

Oh, but then it goes through the extinction of the dinosaurs where the music actually totally creeped me out for the longest time. I’ll give Stravinsky his dues–he’s a musical genius–but man. That does not sound like springtime to me. More like Halloween…

MOVING ON.

From there, Jurassic Park came out when I was five and what did I get for my sixth birthday? The VHS. Yep, we’re talking retro 90s videos. I still have it in my movie collection.

Growing up, I never really gave up on my fascination of dinosaurs. Love natural history museums but only if they have dinosaur bones. Love documentaries and TV shows about dinosaurs. Whenever there was a dinosaur project in school, I was all over it to the point where I did a whole clay layout of a maiasaura and her nest. And I totally downloaded the Jurassic Park Builder game as soon as I realized it was available just so I could have a dinosaur park!

I mean, come on! They were the first living, breathing creatures on Earth (as far as we can tell) so the fact that these magnificent beasts lived at all is amazing. And then humans sprung out of the earth 65 million years later and all we can find are bones and footprints.

God creates dinosaurs. God destroys dinosaurs. God creates man. Man destroys God. Man creates dinosaurs. 

Dinosaurs eat man. Woman inherits the earth. 

My question is how can we not be fascinated by dinosaurs?

Oh, and I used to think that mountains got their shapes from the backs of dinosaurs. Like brontosaurs or brachiosaurs. Driving to Bear Lake was always a treat because I’d be watching out the window at the Wasatch mountains and thinking, “Man, dinosaurs were huge! I wonder why no one’s dug them up out of there yet.”

Young minds–gotta love them.

Now I’m not sure if you know, but Jurassic Park recently hit the big screen again… this time in 3D. And I saw it and loved it even more than I did as a kid. It literally was like a brand new movie. Looked amazing, sounded amazing. All the above. 

First off, the soundtrack is seriously one of the best parts of the movie. It’s one of the best in cinematic history (next to The Mission and Titanic). John Williams is just a magnificent genius. I’ve listened to the soundtrack probably 50 times in the past month.

And the dinosaurs look SO REAL. It’s like I really think they’re alive and I want to go to Jurassic Park and almost get eaten by raptors. Now that would be the adventure of a lifetime. And the IMAX 3D kind of helped make it seem that way.

And because it’s now 2013, I felt justified in updating my collection with the collector’s edition Bluray/DVD/virtual copy Jurassic Park trilogy. It came with an awesome hand-crafted/painted T-rex figurine. Check it out:

Now a fire has been lit under my butt for me to go buy a stupid HDMI adapter for my Macbook Pro so I can actually watch the movies in all their glory.

So I may be just a tad obsessed with dinosaurs. And Jurassic Park. And … yeah. My co-workers have noticed my insane enthusiasm for Jurassic Park and its soundtrack lately. To the point where one let me borrow her magazine since it had some inside scoop on the movies. And another started humming the Jurassic Park theme song too.

Some obsession is healthy though, right?

What’s your current obsession?

“Love the energy!”

Those were some of the responses to my most recent production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. While with that kind of show, it’s normal for it to be fun thanks to it’s wide variety of styles of songs. After hearing it so many times though, I got to thinking about what the best and worst comments to receive after a show are. As in from audience to performer/cast member. Here’s what I got:

The Good Comments

1. “What a fun show! I really enjoyed that!”

Every artist loves to hear their work is enjoyable or makes someone smile.

2. “Wow, that was a really good! It’s hard to find something to critique.”

This usually comes from fellow theatre peeps or people who know more than the average joe about them performing arts. Makes other performers do a silent fist pump, but they smile really big and say, “Really? Thanks so much!”

3. Genuine smile with a “Good job!”

Not overly enthusiastic, and not bad either! They enjoyed it but it didn’t make a big impact. Rather this, then these below…

*   *   *

The Bad Comments

1. “That was… interesting.”

Yeah, no… that means they didn’t enjoy it, thought it was strange or likely fell asleep.

2. “Well, you (and/or so-and-so) were good.”

A total cop-out. Trying to flatter the actor while silently inferring that the rest was crap (or just not very good).

I have gotten this one before (long time ago). Like a slap in the face to everyone I worked with. Even if I agree, it’s hard to hear since you’ve developed relationships with these other artists.

3. “It wasn’t my favorite show, but not bad.”

They are trying to be honest which is good. They didn’t love the show though and that tends to make a performer a little disappointed. They did put in all that work…

*   *   *

The Worst Comments

1. A forced smile with a “Nice job” attached to it.

Just… no. Not good. Walk away. They don’t even have the nerve to be authentic or say, “I didn’t like it. Sorry.”

2. Not even making it through the show…

Honestly. If someone walks out during the show or leaves during intermission, they hate it and the performers (if they learn about it) will feel horrible.

Personally I’ve only ever left one show at intermission and that was because I’ve never been so bored out of my mind and the fog machine clearly wanted to suffocate me. It was Julius Caesar and I wanted to stay alive. I literally couldn’t breathe. And the whole of Stratford-Upon-Avon right outside waiting for me to check it out; it was my first time there. I have no regrets. The next show I saw there was much better anyway and the fog machine was, thankfully, turned off.

3. “That was awful! I don’t know why I sat through that.”

Honesty–good. Message–bad. No one wants to hear this, but if it’s true, what can you do? The silent treatment would be preferable. Or at least being told in private so other people don’t overhear.

*   *   *

The Best Comments

1. “I cried it was so good!”

You made people feel all the feelings. Mission accomplished. :D

2. “You made me understand this show/its message/that character so much better than anyone before.”

I actually got this one last year when played Muzzy Van Hossmere in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Knowing that I played the role in such a way that someone liked it better… is awesome.

3. “That show really spoke to me. The message was so clear and it deeply affected me/changed my life. Thank you.”

Anyone ever says this, hug them. They need it and and deserve it. Possibly the very best comment a performer can receive.

And my personal favorite… 

3. “You should be on Broadway.”

Anyone tells you this, you know you’re good and you know they liked your performance. … And yes, I’ve been told that before too. But that’s between me and you, okay?

*   *   *

As far as giving comments/critiques to any performer, I only ask this: be genuine and be honest. If you didn’t like it, tell them. Just don’t go on a rant about how you hated such-and-such. They’ll get the picture without the whole enchilada. And if you like it or even love it… tell them in as much detail as you can. ;)

So what are your thoughts on this list? Any others you think should be on it? 

What’s the best/worst compliment you’ve offered a performer/performance before?

Launched myself into a new project… a podcast!

One of the best gifs ever, btw…

Technically, it’s not mine–it’s my blogger buddy Peter‘s baby. I just happened to be the first guest and the resident audio engineer for the time being.

If you want to take a listen to what Pete and I discussed in his first podcast last week, you can find all the magic here. Pretty sure that making a podcast is super fun!

The second episode is up as of this morning too! Sarah from Metamorphocity was the second guest and, though I wasn’t present, it was fun to listen to the two Canadians banter about everything from what got them into blogging, to running for Miss Canada, chicken fingers and crop circles. Tell me if you can hear their Canadian accents too.

This is not to say I’m not pursuing my new goals, I’m just adventuring into new territory, getting new experience and having a good time.

For if you can’t get off the path ahead of you to check beneath that unexpected rock, you may not ever find the treasure. 

… That’s a good one. I think I’ll keep it.

Peace out!

January

Goal

• Completing the Whole30. — DONE and documented. Now eating that way about 75% of the time. 

What else happened

• Auditioned for Les Miserables at Pioneer Theatre–not cast but that’s okay.
• Rehearsals for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
• Looked for a place to live and found one!
• Wrote my first freelance article for a magazine (wasn’t a goal, but it’s a step in another direction I’m tackling!).

February/March

Goal

• Edit my NaNoWriMo Novel and polish up the ending. — Got through one read-through and copyediting… nothing as far as really editing things that need to be added/changed.

What else happened

• Joseph: Rehearsals in February and performances in March.
• Moved into my new apartment.

Here’s where I need to start making adjustments.

So I have a confession. I want to do all the things! Things like:

• Start a side-business for copywriting and voice-over work.
• Finish writing and editing all of my novels so I can publish them.
• Compose and write more music for an album/EP.

All this along with being able to work out down in the fitness center at my new apartment complex, keep a sane head at work and start auditioning for shows again by May or June. Joseph just ended and girl needs a good break.

#AllTheHairspray Update: Ended up only using 2 bottles of hairspray during the course of the show. Finished the second bottle on closing night oddly enough. I need to go track down who guessed closest so I can send them a nifty giftcard!

But if there’s anything I’ve learned over the past few months is that you have to plan and that you have to take small steps to make big things possible. So I’m going to take a few “baby steps” in the next couple of months to get where I want to be.

Having a major Brandgasm between April 12 & May 31 to learn the tricks of the trade for good design/copy to make an effective business (step toward first bullet).

Learning to play guitar starting April 22 for six weeks (from Berklee College of Music, no less). Have you ever heard of Coursera? Because seriously… it’s awesome. Legit universities offering free online classes spanning hundreds of topics? Yes, please (a good step to have in pursuing third bullet)!

A reassessment of spirituality. This is more of a personal thing that I might go more into later. I’ve just been in a weird funk since this time last year, and it’s time that I address it. Gotsta figure out what I need to have a spiritual balance.

And BiSC 2013. Duh. 

As far as music goes, my first goal that I want to do is turn Kellie Elmore’s poem “The Sweetest Thing” into an acoustic song with the piano. It’s rare that I read something and instead of reading it straight, my mind hums a melody with it… and she said I could. :)

Oh, and sleep. I’ve lacked a lot of that lately and that needs to be fixed too.

While focusing on those things, the novels will have to be put on hold unless I find a moment where I simply must work on them. Sigh.

Man, I knew I’d have to revamp my goals… but now it feels like a complete overhaul into taking baby steps. Which I will have to do again once my guitar and Brandgasm courses are done. You’d think planning baby steps wouldn’t be so daunting, but it’s a little scary to think… “I can actually do these little things… then I may actually reach that dream that I’ve always wanted to do!” A little scary, thrilling and all-together awesome.

I guess that’s why they say patience is a virtue.

The exhaustion, the pain, the fast food, all the hairspray that is surely clogging up your new bathtub drain, a cold sore and even the sinus infection. Yep, your fault. 

It’s all because of you. You and your stupid want to have to be a in a theater production. You didn’t know it would be this stressful, huh? 

But guess what? The 30 minutes up to a show, the show itself and (potentially) the couple hours after make it all worth it. I’m not exactly sure what it is–adrenaline, sheer excitement, what have you–but that is the time when everything else just flies away, and I can focus on putting on a show.

One of my favorite parts of the show are the few minutes where the show is beginning and I’m sitting behind the third curtain on stage left, watching the story start to unfold. I feel like that’s my moment of getting into character, so by the time I get up to dance, I’m rarring to get my show going.

Performing is my jam and I’ll be damned if I don’t put on a good show, regardless if my sleep suffers or if I do three shows in a row. I will give it 115% every time despite anything else going on. Every time. Guaranteed. (Buy tickets to Joseph here or by clicking the photo.)

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday (plus some Saturday’s), my hair goes through a disastrous amount of hairspray, my face is exposed to more makeup than anyone should ever have to put on, and then the costume changes… oh, the costume changes. Luckily, I have a process now so it’s easier, but we have some super quick changes, one even involving a wig.

Pulled double duty on Saturday as I did both the matinee and evening performances. My body is still hating me. I get to do it again this Saturday since my counterpart is up for a full-ride scholarship to college and can’t be there. So I’m not complaining… it’s nice to see the other cast and catch up since we haven’t all been together since rehearsals.

Oh, wait… going out to eat with the cast after some of the shows could be a culprit  to the exhaustion too. The cast has got to bond, yo–and the food doesn’t hurt. Ever been in a high-energy show? You’re hungry by intermission. Curtain closes and it’s a rush for the nearest restaurant. Almost. After we say hi to the audience first.

But then someone in the other cast finds your “emergency stash” of Muscle Milk, efficiently leaving you out of sustenance without your knowledge the following night. Yeah, that happened. I about wrung the poor guy’s neck.

And I’ve had my fair share of costume malfunctions already too. Such as my sandal coming off of my toes and whipping around my foot as I danced The Song of the King. Yeah… that was fun. And kind of hilarious. I got a lot of props from the “brothers” watching from backstage for that one.

It’s been exhausting (and at times, aggravating) and painful but I’m loving every minute of it. Even if that means catching up with friends over text/FB, watching my addiction shows while doing my makeup or eating breakfast, writing this blog in five minute bursts (it’s taken me two weeks–don’t judge), or resorting to not washing my hair for three days simply because the curls will hold better on dirty hair.

But I’m doing what I love so I’m good. Put on a happy face and dance! :)

Oh, and an update on #AllTheHairspray–finished one bottle a little over a week in, but my new bottle (Aussie) is a little bigger and seems to do more with less. You still have a week to guess how many hairspray cans I’ll go through, but I’m anticipating no more than 4 max.

PS: Joseph got extended to April 2! If you want to come see, you can buy tickets online here. 

—

So that’s why I’ve had very little time to blog this month (and also missed Blips of February–oops). Bear with me. I have big plans that are brewing. It’s going to be an epic year. 

*   *   *

If you were to compare my life today to my life three weeks ago, it would be nearly impossible to find any similarities, except for the hot pink jeans I’m wearing. Those are just too awesome to not be a constant. But besides the pants, not much else is the same.

Three weeks ago, I was living with my best friend in Texas, cleaning out my office, and walking away from my very first 9-5 job. I was running in tank tops and going to yoga classes at the gym. I was pouring a glass of wine and saying goodbye to my childhood best friends. I was selling my bed, donating unwanted clothes to charity, and packing a suitcase. I was filled with overwhelming stress, anxiety, and sadness, mixed with a bit of excitement and joy.

Today, I am living in Canada with my boyfriend, self-employed and building a business I love. I am running in three layers with gloves and practicing yoga in the living room. I am drinking a hot cup of coffee and leaning over to kiss my love one more time (because I can). I am learning to be content with only the belongings I brought in my two suitcases. I am filled with peace, love, ever-growing acceptance.

When I made the decision to choose love and move to Canada, I knew I was on the brink of a major life change. Besides the obvious factors of living in another country and the effects that moving in together has on a relationship, there are emotional challenges that come with any transition. Preparing over the past few months and the reality of the past three weeks has taught me that transitions don’t have to feel so overwhelming.

Here are three simple ways to navigate any transition with ease:

1. Reflect

It takes insane amounts of courage to take the leap and make a transition that will alter your life. The most effective way to feel more courageous is to set aside the time to reflect upon your life, your decisions, the present moment, and the future. Grab your favorite journal or your closest friend and explore your feelings, become comfortable with the idea of failure, and begin to recognize your inner critic. Use this time to map out your expectations, erase the idea of comparison from your mind, and discover your limits. And finally, develop a way to take care of your self. Self-care is such an over-done topic, but it really is essential to your sanity. Maybe it looks like closing your personal email after 8pm, maybe it’s going for walks on Saturday morning, or maybe it’s reading a good book before bed.

2. Prepare

Preparing for your transition will increase your confidence and erase your feelings of fear and self-doubt. You can do this by outlining The Necessities, or everything you need to do before you begin your transition. Grab a pen and begin making a list. This will immediately relieve stress and help you feel more relaxed and organized. A strong support system will also boost your confidence, so gather friends, family, and mentors you can turn to when you need a little extra support.

3. Take Action

The most difficult part of any transition is actually taking the steps to move forward with intentional effort. A few easy ways to do this is by creating a routine that works with your schedule, branching out and trying new activities and hobbies, becoming a “regular” at local hangouts, and creating an accountability system for yourself.

All transitions are challenging and accompanied by feelings of doubt, fear, and uncertainty, so remember to be patient. It takes time to adjust to new situations and create a stable, fulfilling life. Be kind to yourself and know that you are incredibly brave for taking this step forward and chasing your vision of a life you love.

*   *   *

Ashley Wilhite is a Life Coach who helps courageous women break free from expectations, create radical change, and begin living a bigger, bolder, more radiant, super awesome life.  Whether you want to move across the country, backpack through Thailand, become a yoga instructor, end that toxic relationship, or quit your soul-sucking job, Ashley will help you change your life, one daring adventure at a time! 

You can find Ashley at Your Super Awesome Life.

So I’m going to have a little contest called “ALL THE HAIRSPRAY!” for the month of March since that’s how long the run of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is.

My hair has turned into a ringlet ball stiff with the stuff (twss). Why not have a little fun with it (twss again!)?

Okay, in all seriousness now…

This will take place here at MikShorty, Twitter and Facebook. I will give hints throughout the month as to how many cans of hairspray my hair has hoarded.

The person who guesses the correct amount (or is closest) will receive a $10 gift card of their choice, such as iTunes, Starbucks, Amazon, etc., etc…

Here are the rules:

1) ONE (1) guess per person – however, you may change your guess up to the last week of March.

2) Follow me on Twitter and/or “like” me on Facebook to participate! It can be one or the other or both.

3a) Tweet your guess to @MikaelShort or with the hashtag #allthehairspray.
OR
3b) Post a comment or message with your guess on my FB wall or contest status updates.
OR
3c) Post a comment on this blog post with your guess.

4) The deadline to submit a guess or to change your guess is Monday, March 25.

If more than one person guesses correctly, I guess that means they each get a gift card!

So here it goes… how many cans of hairspray will my hair consume this month? ;)