Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, though the entire nation is on a holiday it hardly seems like one at first.  The airports are busy with travelers visiting relatives across the country.  The freeways are filled with bumper to bumper  traffic. Shopping centers are crowded with sale shoppers.  Businesses are conducting last minute dealings before closing early on Thanksgiving and opening early for black Friday.  After all this stress gathering around the dining room table with friends and family makes it all worthwhile.  Giving thanks on Thanksgiving is a wonderful tradition.  At  first it may be disguised as a commuter nightmare but ultimately, it is a time to be with family, friends and give thanks.

The dining room table is filled with all the goodies I try to stay away from for the most part of the year.  My favorite dish is roasted potatoes.  I love potatoes it is a comfort food for me.  My eyes grow wide as I see them on the table and my fork digs deep into the potato dish first.  And I thank my lucky stars for that delicious starchy taste.

You don't need a holiday to be grateful for your blessings, however small they may feel.  Giving thanks should be an act we implement in our daily lives.  Just like that sense of relief when finally sitting down to Thanksgiving dinner, giving thanks  daily has a healing effect.  Its like letting out a big sigh of relief.  Giving thanks doesn't have to be communal, it can be a  introspective act.  And it is as easy as looking at yourself in the mirror and thanking in the morning for your health, your life.

So, dig into your thankful plate of blessings and stick your fork in the blessing that makes your eyes grow wide.
Happy Thanksgiving.

as featured in Malibu Chronicle (www.malibuchronicle.com) 

The Art of Letting Go

#LettingGo is an art.  It's a daily practice and it applies to so many things.  After an audition, it's especially hard.  And it only becomes easier with lots and lots of practice.  I used to obsess about my performance in the room.  My brain would play over and over and over again to the point of depression.  I would fixate on details of what I did #WRONG.

Letting go is especially hard when the people in the room comment on how amazing your performance was.  Even you pat yourself on the back and you are proud of your time.  And then you don't hear from them or you do but they've chosen someone else.  Letting go is hard, it stings.  #OUCH.

Letting go is difficult,  you've played the entire shoot in your head.  You can see the cameras, you see yourself, the set.  You picture yourself in the role.  You can't wait to shoot.  You have prepared for the role, in fact you are the role.  But you didn't even get the audition. #FUCK!

Letting go with relationships that don't serve you is the same.  You don't want to do it.  But you know you have to.  You have to press "#DELETE" on the friendship.

For me letting go is easier if I think of it as  "if its meant for me it will come back".  In my experience some don't and some do.  Even roles.  In fact it just happened to me recently.

Regardless, letting go is an art.  That you have to keep at daily, in your passion, in life .....  so you might as well get to practicing. #FIN

Dumb & Dumber To & More

Out of my busy schedule.  I made the time for the MOVIES. 

I went to watch Dumb & Dumber To.  I can tell you I was

laughing the entire time.  Yes at time the jokes pushed the 

envelope.  It was so funny.  I enjoyed watching these two

amazing actors reunite portraying Loyd and Harry.  Two best

friends who go out of their way to outdo each other on practical

jokes. Again pushing the envelope.  SPOILER ALERT.  But its 

got a great twist at the end.  I am glad I went to watch it.  

It was an early day.  Meeting with production crew for a short

I will be involved in.  So I am looking forward to this team

getting together.  I can't wait.  You'll hear more details about it 

in the future.  

Malibu Chronicle, All Good News will be new on stands first 

week of December.  Check out my new Beauty Day Tips so 

exciting.  

I have an audition tomorrow. & Monday.  For Monday there 

is a scene (dramatic) & I am doing a monologue from a Street 

Car Named Desire, the character of Blanche.  "He was a boy 

just a boy" speech.  I'm working on it now.  Memorizing, 

working on character and working on movement.  

Check out this short I was in What I Am.  Director Areeb Ravzi

was great to work with and so creative.  It was a wonderful

experience.  

Every body is asking.  I didn't get the theatre audition but 

I got a call back.  So I was thankful to be reading with such 

amazing actors. Looking forward to watching the play. 

I still feel there is a Hermia role in my near future.  I 

feel it. 

I stopped by the Jay & Ish show today.  We had a great time. 

PS4 rocks hard.  I loved the entire interface.  

Thanks to Jay & Ish and the rest of the group, tonight.

I look forward to next week to learn choreography for the
Bollywood project

Love you all goodnight.  

Audition - Yeaahhh me

I don't write about every audition, maybe I should. I audition every week for commercials mainly, but also for shorts and features.

I hadn't been submitting to Theatre gigs because they require a lot of commitment.  And to be honest I've been burnt before.  Giving my soul, my time, my talent and then being burnt by the thing i love most did leave a very tender part in my heart. But lets be clear I wasn't hurt by theatre i was hurt by people running it.  Maybe one day I'll openly share.

Regardless theatre is what I love the most.  There is nothing like that moment where its just you and one white light.  And you can't see anything but faint silhouettes.  Its a dream.

I submitted to this theatre audition because it was for the role of Hermia in A Midsummer Nights Dream by William Shakespeare.  I had a late theatre audition in Hollywood on Hollywood Blvd at the Cupcake Theatre.  And as I walked across the street to the location.  I realized I was living my dream.  This was it.  It's not about reaching the goal, but about the journey getting there.

The audition consisted of a 2 minute comedic classic monologue.   I decided to do the "Fie Fie" monologue from The Taming of the Shrew, of course the role of Kate.  I had been preparing for a couple of days. I walked in gave my headshot and resume and was told "you can go in."

I walked in to a theatre with one warm light leading me to the stage.  It was just me and empty theatre and the producers way, way in the back of the theatre.  For one second I enjoyed the moment and then I was instructed to begin.  I took my moment to get into the role and I began.  I moved as I had rehearsed with ease and I knew this monologue frontward and backward. I heard my voice and I was loud regardless of the thundering construction noise happening next door.  I forgot my last two lines but no one knew and I finished it like a champ.

They kindly said they liked my voice.  They loved my movement.  I told them they had made my day. They responded I had made their last hour. They were happy I had come in.  I was so happy to hear positive feedback.  I had been rehearsing up on my feet and they saw it.   They saw my movement and heard my voice.  They watched my performance and not my nerves.

I don't know if they'll give me the role, but I'm happy to have auditioned.  I'm happy I enjoyed my moment on the spotlight.  I'm happy to remember that I love theatre and that I'm on the right road.
If I don't get a callback I'll be upset. But I'll keep going, its just a rehearsal for that one big role I know is coming.

Thank you Cupcake Theatre.

Celebrate Your Auditions

Learn to celebrate auditions.  Most casting offices get over one thousand submissions for each role they are casting.  I am being conservative on that number now.  If you get an audition, that office has picked you out of those thousands of submissions.  Yes, you!.... They want to see you, they thought you were right for the part, they want to meet you, they like your look.   Whatever it was, you were picked.  You were especial even though you may not have gotten the role.  You won the opportunity to audition, you were invited to that room.  Celebrate your auditions.