This Week in Liffe Lessons

Do you ever have a week chock-full of life lessons?

When something comes my way, especially if the message is repeated more than once, I realize it's a sign to pay attention to the lesson. It's like the fortune in the cookie. :)

So what were the big lessons for me this week?

1) Practice. When you practice something - any kind of activity from sports to the arts - you improve your skills and your game.

This week I performed in a small staged reading of a new musical, and it was wonderful to be immersed in the material for a full 2 days. The music was very complicated with lots of different time signatures and harmonies, and it could have seemed daunting. But by practicing my part, I went into the performance feeling strong and had a great time! :)

I also started a writing class this week. I've written dramatic pieces over the years, so I wanted to try my hand at comedy, and so I enrolled in a class at The PIT. The teacher is great, and he also affirmed the lesson of practice. The more you write - again, the more you practice anything - the better you get at it.

2)  Find the positive and cheer each other on.
This lesson was also gleaned from my new writing class, and I thought it was a great philosophy.

Too often, in art especially, people will rip each other apart. There's a great scene in Mel Brooks' "History of the World Part 1" where a caveman artist is born, promptly followed by the birth of the critic.

But if we can find at least one positive and expound on that, who knows what other treasures we might find?

Next week we're going to get into constructive criticism, but this also reminds me of a lesson from one of my first musical theatre classes at AMDA. We had this great teacher named Karen, who was quite old... "as old as the hills," you might say. She reminded me of a combo of Ethel Merman and Aunt Clara from "Bewitched."

She was wonderful and would encourage the class to give feedback after each in-class performance. But we were not allowed to say a performance was "good" or "bad." We were encouraged to say what was "effective" or "ineffective" about a performance, and this language created a healthy playground for us all.

This takes me to...

3)  Love your self.

As a petite woman and actress, I've always been aware of caloric inntake. In high school and college, I used to skip meals and even went on the Atkins diet to rapidly lose weight for an audition for "Days of Our Lives." This worked for a brief while until my body rejected this way of living. My blood pressure plummated during an audition and I passed out, literally falling flat on my face and breaking a tooth. It scared the heck out of me, and so I've made sure to eat healthily ever since.

I'm really into juicing right now and simply love it. I'm still working on losing the pounds. I hit the gym and power-walk everywhere, but I'm not a stick-thin actress - never have been. I'm curvy and I like to dress in sexy attire, so I wore a dress for this week's performance, and one of the gals in the cast complimented me on my figure. That made me feel great, and I told her how great she looked.

"Well, I can't dress like you," she said. "You have such beautiful arms, but mine... I need to cover them up."

I was astounded because A) I didn't see myself that way, and B) she was GORGEOUS! I mean, seriously, I hope I have this woman's figure when I get older.

So this made me realize that we don't see each ourselves as others do. Yeah, there are many harsh critics out there, but often, we're our own worst critics.

(artwork by Rita Lloyd)

We really need to love and appreciate ourselves as we are RIGHT NOW. Sure, there are pounds to lose. Yes, there are things we may not like about ourselves, but can you imagine how good we would feel if we really loved, supported, appreciated and took care of ourselves right now? To really love every part of ourselves.

Some good things to think about.

Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dream-a-Thon

About a year ago, I hopped on a plane to my hometown of Hemet, CA and spent a weekend filming a scene for the independent feature film musical, Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dream-a-Thon.

The film is built around the concept album by the psychadelic folk rock band, Hippie Cream. It's about a young man who seeks to find the cure for his grandfather's illness by undertaking risky dream therapy.

My brother, Sean, is the drummer for the band, and I have long been a fan of their work. When he told me they were doing a feature film musical in the style of a science fiction B movie influenced by The Ramones' "Rock n Roll High School," I knew I had to be a part of it.

The director Daniel Philip Maggio cast me in the cameo of Marty's Dream-Mom, and it was a pleasure to play such a role.

The cast and crew for Marty were simply stellar. Everyone asked about the New York scene, and it was fun to bring my experience to their party, so to speak.

The young man who plays Marty, Wesley Houdyshell, is a natural! And director Dan Maggio is really one of the most professional, patient, encouraging directors I've ever worked with.

I feel very lucky. All of my film experiences have been really great with top-notch casts and crews. I've played leading roles in NYU shorts and won the Craft Award for the 1/2 hour film Sincerely Yours. I've done big-budget stuff, worked as a stand-in on The Sopranos, played an extra in Spiderman, and walked by Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex in the City.

The cast and crew of Marty were just as professional as any of these cinematic teams. Everyone put their hearts and souls into the film. Plus it was SO MUCH FUN!

Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dream-a-Thon premieres tomorrow June 17 at 7 PM at the Historic Hemet Theatre. If you're in town and feel like taking a walk on the wild side (artistically), check it out! I have no doubt it's going to be a blast!

Power-walking to an Audition

Today I power-walked to an audition at the York Theatre Company. This lovely little theatre is on the east side of town, so it provides an artist like myself the opportunity to take in the sights of Manhattan whenever I boogie over there.

I come from the West Side, so I get to pass all these landmarks and beautiful buildings like the MoMA.

I had met Kara Herold and her folks there when she came to show her film, Bachelorette 34.

That's when I was rockin a platinum blonde look. :)

I also passed the Irish pub across from the MoMA where I had met The Twisted Sisters, Tina and Maryanne, for lunch with their college kids, Rob and Molly.

Obviously a fun group! :)

Then I passed HA! Comedy Club where The Sisters came to see me in the musical Hell's Belles last year. I usually give the club a smile as I dash by, but today I was seriously power-walking, so I zoomed by and suddenly found myself at Rockefeller Center.

It was a particularly beautiful day at 30 Rock. The flags were flying, the sun was shining, and a nice breeze was moving through the trees. Just gorgeous!

Then I zoomed by the south side of St. Patrick's Cathedral. The grass smelled freshly cut, and it was such a heavenly scent. The city doesn't usually smell so nice - in the summertime especially.

Then I boogied over to St. Peter's Church where The York Theatre abides. It was such a lovely walk, and I had a blast at my audition. What a great way to spend the day! :)

SciFi Girl

Ok. I'm coming out.... I'm a scifi fantasy girl. :)

I have been loving HBO's miniseries, "Game of Thrones," based on the novel by George R. R. Martin (my husband's reading the book now, and then I'm stealing it). And apparently I'm not the only one! :) There are a ton of awesome blogs about the series - and the books - all over the world! Just Google "Game of Thrones," and you'll see.

For those who need a quick overview, it's a tale of one throne, seven kingdoms, and a bunch of families vying for power. It reminds me very much of the War of the Roses, the Medieval civil war in England, which I studied in preparation for my characters in the acting company at Penn Ren (we covered A LOT of history in rehearsals).

I think that's why "Game of Thrones" works. It hearkens to a time we're familiar with, drawing upon tales of old like Ivanhoe, but it's definitely an original tale that has the fantastical inclusion of dragons and the undead.

The characters are also very rich. My favorite is Tyrion, a dwarf, played by the marvelous actor, Peter Dinklage, who proves his wit is sharper than than the swords most men carry. He is the son of a rich and terrible family, and his sister, Cersei, is a cut-throat queen with a "win or die" attitude. Her cold, cold smile speaks volumes.

Actress Lena Headey is obviously doing her job with this character, because... she scares me.

Then there's the rightful heir to the throne, a young girl named Daenerys, who is sold in marriage by her brat of a brother to a horse warlord named Drogo. But instead of withering under the strength of her warrior husband, Daenerys blooms and becomes a very strong woman of her own. I love that she's finding her power!

This theme of empowered women actually correlates to a book I'm reading called "A Discovery of Witches," by Deborah E. Harkness. The heroine is a brilliant Yale historian named Diana, who is a reluctant witch from a very powerful magical family. She's actually afraid to use her power, but the more she denies it, the more it becomes imperative that she must accept her supernatural talents and learn how to use her power.

There's also a delicious vampire and several daemons, and of course, lots of witches! It's a fun world that Ms. Harkness has built, combining fact with fiction, chemistry with alchemy. Think Bones meets Charmed (or more like the movie, Practical Magic) with a lot of classical references and wonderfully smart, sensual story-telling.

Of course, it's not lost on me that the theme of women finding their power is very prevalent in my life right now. And I'm excited to turn the page of my own adventures. :)

Stay tuned!

Broadcast Music, Inc.

For a few years now, I've been privileged to work with emerging composers and lyricists, "the musical theatre writers of tomorrow," at Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI).

Andy Monroe introduced me to the group when he asked me to sing a song from his new musical "The Kid," which has since gone on to win countless awards, including The Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New Off Broadway Musical.

I've also worked with Robby Stamper, who was the musical director for The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, and has had recent success with the musical, "Helen on 86th Street."

Next week, I'm performing in the final presentation of a new musical by Glenn Bassett and Adam Cohen, and it's incredibly exciting to be part of something so new. I've done some song presentations for this duo in the past few weeks, so I know their musical groove, and it's cool to be on the ride.

More Faire Days

I blogged yesterday about a friend I met at one of my first professional acting gigs: The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. And actually, many of my life-long friendships have come out of that amazing experience. I still keep in touch with many of the performers, stage managers, directors, producers, and shop-keepers.

The Twisted Sisters, or "The Herb Sisters," Tina and Maryanne are particular favorites. We tend to cackle like witches when we get together, and my husband often says that he expects us to fly around when he's not looking.

I met my husband, Rob, at the Faire 21 years ago. We were both cast in the professional acting troupe and became fast friends. He was the wickedly funny Cardinal Synne, and I was the thief, Polly Pickalittle. We shared lotsa laughs and fell very much in love.

I feel so blessed that we're still so in love and are still best friends!

It's an incredible journey, and I am so thankful for the people in my life and the opportunities that keep coming my way. We keep learning and loving and growing every day.

Blessed be! :)

When Good Things Happen to Good People and Good Actors

One of my first professional gigs after going to The American and Musical Dramatic Academy was in the Shakespearean improv troupe for The Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. You heard me right: Shakespearean Improv.

It was seriously one of the best gigs for a young actor. Tons of Shakespeare, coupled with customs and manners of the 16th Century, and TONS of improv.

Best of all... getting paid for it! :)

When I left the desert of CA for the lush countryside of PA, I had no idea what I was getting into. I'd never seen any place so green! And I was quite overwhelmed. My entire family was back in CA, and I had just made quite a leap: a 5 month contract, rehearsing 6 days a week, and performing 8 hours a day.

I felt like a fish out of water until I got to the conservatory where the actors were being housed. It was an old church with bats in the bellfry. No lie! And the first person to greet me was Kacey Camp, who was going to play Queen Elizabeth herself!

Kacey was so gracious and instantly welcomed me with a hug. She was like the Rock of Gibraltar, and we formed a fast friendship. We're both Aries, we're diehards for Shakespeare, and we're both very passionate about the acting profession.

When my husband, Rob, and I moved to NY, Kacey was here too! Her home was a safe haven for us, a place to try audition pieces and watch classic films.

Over the years, we've all traveled about the country. Rob and I went back to the Faire in PA and got our Actors' Eligibility to be part of the stage actors union, and Kacey went to Atlanta to do some stagework there. Then Rob and I returned to Manhattan, and Kacey went to LA.

We've both made strides in both cities, and have always cheered each other on, in good times and bad.

Right now is a GREAT time, because Kacey just had a juicy role on Season 2 of the FX series: Justified. Her part comes right in the middle of episode 12, Reckoning - just like the meat of a sandwich. :)

I'm so proud of her! And inspired. Kacey has been plugging away, just like I have, for many years, and it's a great lesson of persistence, patience, and professionalism.

You never know when your moment is going to come, but if you give up, if you quit trying, you lose the opportunity to be there when it happens. So keep at it!

Comedy tonight!

Performing with Jen Curran's sketch class from The PIT. I play a secretary on "The Crystal Meth Diet" by The Kids in the Hall, perform in an SNL sketch called "Surprise Party," and more!

He's My Brother

When I was 5 years old, I asked my parents for a sibling. I was tired of being an only child. I was very imaginative and very good at entertaining myself, but I wanted a playmate, someone to share adventures with!

My parents promptly told me that I was "Enough," which was said with an exhausted, sardonic weariness.

Luckily, 5 years later, they changed their minds and gave birth to my brother, Sean. He was the most incredible being I'd ever encountered, and I adored him instantly! He could have wrapped me around his little finger, but luckily (again, notice all the good fortune here?) he was such a cool kid that he just seemed happy to snooze in his blankie or gaze at me and smile.

He was, and still is, my best bud. :)

Within a year, he was already dancing to Kenny Rogers, who was my mom's favorite singer at the time, but I made sure to dig out my parents old Beatles records and give him some real tunes to groove to!

Little did I know that, a few decades later, he'd bring The Beatles back to me, as well as remind me of other great musicians like Stevie Wonder, Pink Floyd, and countless other rock n rollers.

See, my brother, Sean, is a drummer. He's a major music delver, always searching for something to tickle his brain, heart, and soul.

I remember the first time I watched him on drumset. It was like watching Jackson Pollock paint. It was that magical.

And it's still a delight to watch him play, to hear him make music. He's played with a few different LA bands like Smug, The Wild Complete, and various others, but my all-time favorite is Hippie Cream.

Most of the members reside in our hometown of Hemet, but they've played all over southern CA, and they have a feature film coming out in June based on the concept album, Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dreamathon. I play Marty's dream-mom, and it was a thrill to be a part of it.

So why am I telling you about my brother today? It's his birthday! And as I always tell him: he was the gift to me the day he was born.

I love you, little bro! Happy Birthday!

Support Your Local Artists

Tomorrow night, after rehearsing for my sketch comedy show, I'm going to see a friend and fellow artist, Tracey Gilbert perform her first one woman show, Little Known Facts, at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.

Having worked with Tracey on The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, I know what an exceptional performer she is, and I'm so proud of the work she's done on this solo show. It's going to be a blast!

It makes me think of all the wonderful artists all over the world who are brave enough to put their work out there - like my friend, Chas, who's pursuing an opera career in Berlin, or every cast and crew member I've ever worked with who are making their careers happen... wonderful filmmakers from NYU and PA and CA... incredible musicians... I feel so fortunate to have worked with so many talented people!

There's Andy Monroe and Jack Lechner, who won the Outer Critics Circle Award for the new Off Broadway musical, The Kid, of which I got to perform a few of their early demos.

There's my brother Sean,  in Hemet, CA, who's getting ready for the premier of the independent feature film, Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dreamathon, of which I  was delighted to play Marty's dream-mom.

The film will be shown in the historic Hemet theatre on June 17.

And of course, there's the sketch comedy show I'm doing on May 26 with 10 talented performers at The People's Improv Theatre. 

It's a graduation performance of famous sketches from SNL, Kids in the Hall, Mr. Show, and more, and one of the things I loved about this class is thate very time I entered the studio, the halls were filled with laughter.

Everyone I've invited to the show have been so enthusiastic about it, which makes me smile. But then again, everyone loves to laugh. :)

Hope something fun has tickled you today.

The Fighter

Finally got a chance to see "The Fighter," and - WOW! - what a great movie!

Based on the true story of boxer, Micky Ward, the film received countless nominations including Best Picture. I can see why! The cinematic story-telling was gorgeous, and who wouldn't be interested in a story about an underdog finding his strength?

Academy Awards and countless other honors went to supporting actors, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, who absolutely transformed themselves for the roles of Micky's brother and mother. It was astounding work!

But I was also impressed by Mark Wahlberg's performance as the "quiet lion" Micky Ward, a man fighting not only for his career but to bring the volcanic people in his life together. It was great stuff.

And the supporting cast was incredible! A delicious ensemble of characters! The sisters! My god! They were a tornado of estrogen at its fiercest! And Jack McGee as Micky Ward's father, George, was so grounded and real. I wished he was my dad! :)

Amy Adams was also incredible as the tough-girl bartender who becomes Micky's sweetheart and "rock." Her versatility as an actress just keeps growing and growing. I can't wait to see what she's going to do next! She is full of surprises!

Lastly, I have to commend director David O.Russell for his vision of this film. There were so many incredible moments. And the cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema was just beautiful! Kudos to the entire production team, cast and crew!

I wish I would've caught this movie in the theatre, because I bet it was great on the big screen. But I will say the DVD extras are awesome! This film is a keeper!

Practice, Practice, Practice

One of my friends is getting ready to do her first cabaret / one woman show next week, and it's been delightful to share the growth process with her. We were talking about practicing the other day, and how some things get easier with practice - like how singing constantly and healthily strengthens the voice and expands possibilities. Sometimes you discover you can hit higher notes, etc.

It makes me think of that old joke: How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice.

I had a musical showcase last night, and I have a sketch comedy show next week, so I've been afforded quite a playground to practice in. It's interesting to note different strengths and weaknesses, how things that are easy require a different kind of practice from the things that are challenging. No matter what, it whets my appetite to put in the time to train and enjoy the process.

Bonnie Gillespie wrote a cool article, paralleling The Super Bowl to acting, doing everything you can to train and be at the top of your game, "showing up, suiting up, being ready, and staying in the game."

My teacher, Jen Curran, at The People's Improv Theatre (The PIT), has prepped our sketch group about being aware of what you can and cannot control as a performer, and practice is one of the things you can control.

The last thing I'll add about practice is to enjoy the process. Some of the material I've been working on has been made famous by phenomenal performers, and it could be tempting to be challenged by that. I was telling my brother it's like being afraid to play Hamlet because Laurence Olivier, Kenneth Branagh, or Sarah Bernhardt have played the role before.

We all have a voice, we all have a unique interpretation of the character.

It's been really exciting to find my voice, to discover different facets and explore it further.

Going boldly forth! :)

How Much Can You Memorize?

I feel like I'm on a game show lately called How Much Can You Memorize?

 I've been so wonderfully busy with classes and rehearsals for upcoming showcases. And in the midst of all that, I'm getting called in for auditions, as well as hitting EPA (Equity Principal Audition) casting calls.

I received a script yesterday for an audition tomorrow, so I'm working on that tonight. Plus I have a scene from Les Liaisons Dangereuses that I'm performing on Monday in a showcase for Scott Frankel, so I'm rehearsing for that.

One of my classes is a sketch comedy class at The PIT (People's Improv Theatre), and our awesome teacher gave me 2 more scenes to add to the sketch I'm doing on May 26th at 7 PM the theatre, so I'm definitely juggling a lot of memorization.

But it makes me think of Tina Fey's book Bossypants where she writes about working on sketches for Saturday Night Live, and how, no matter what, the show goes on whether you're ready or not.

I've been in many shows from theatre to film that have definitely had last minute script changes. Never have I juggled so many scripts before at once, but I am absolutely LOVING IT! :)

Bring it on!

Everything's Coming Up Roses

It's a little after Mother's Day, but as I always tell my Mom, Every day is Mother's Day!

My mom has never been a Mama Rose type, although she did ask the director of The Tragic and Horrible Life of the Singing Nun, upon being introduced, "How do we get this show to Broadway?"

This is the woman who told me at the age of 5: "Live Out Loud!"

She was so young when she had me. I don't know if she ever got to make her dreams come true. But she gave my brother and me a great love of music, literature, film and art, so it makes sense that we both turned out to be artists.

I don't think she and my dad knew what to do with me when, again at the age of 5, I proclaimed I was going to be an actress. They came to every school play, enrolled me in dance, gymnastics and music classes, asked their mothers to help finance voice lessons (thanks to both my grandmothers), and drove me to my first professional gig in San Bernadino where I played an orphan in "Annie."

As I've grown, I've been compared to her a great deal. I have a picture on my desk at my day-job, and one of the guys at work said, "Woah! I thought that was YOU!" And I take that as a compliment.

She's a beautiful woman - inside and out - and I'm proud to call her my mother and my friend. We are still learning a lot from each other.