The Small Things

Lately, I have been very grateful for the small pleasures that pop up out of large chaos (aka my life).

The other day I went to the grocery store and heard "Please Mr. Postman" playing over the speaker-system. I smiled to myself and immediately began mouthing the words in a way that would not be too noticeable -- singing to oneself in the grocery store is not cool -- to the others in the breakfast food isle. Then an employee in his 40s or 50s walked down the isle to add some cereal boxes to the shelf. And as he worked, he whistled. He whistled the tune of "Please Mr. Postman" and it made me SO HAPPY! Seriously, he validated my love of oldies, my desire to sing along with The Marvelettes and brightened my whole day simply by whistling a song. It was GREAT!

A week and a half ago, my friend had a birthday party -- complete with balloons. The balloons resided in a house this particular friend group frequents, so over the past 10 days we've...played with balloons. It must look like the craziest thing to see a group of 20-somethings passionately playing balloon volleyball games as if they were 8-years-old again but playing those games has made me feel better than I have felt in months. I'm so grateful for my friends and their balloons. :)

The smile of a small child can change my life. And recently Caroline, Annie, Ellianna, Jackson, Shikindra, Kyeesha, Deveontre and Maequan (who is actually a teenage, not a small child, but has a great smile anyway) have all given me small bursts of joy.

Did you know that the sky could be seven different, vibrant colors all in the course of three hours? As I was driving to Colorado yesterday, I was o'erthrown (sorry, the Shakespearean term is, actually, needed here :)) by the color of the sky. At once it was 5 different shades of blue -- each more beautiful than the next and separated by clouds that looked like swirled cream. Then, as the sun set, an intense pink lined the horizon, the sun bursting from behind the gathering clouds. Finally, the sky turned a deep purple (I tried to think of some clever pun about the rock band "Deep Purple" to put here but, alas, my thoughts were in vain) as the sun descended behind the rising mountains. I don't remember ever seeing the sky quite that kind of purple before and said a small prayer of thanks, in awe, for the creation around me.

All this having been said, was it wrong for me to cringe when I heard a U.S. senator on NPR equate chasing a greased-up pig with Americana and strong, upstanding, Christian citizens? Perhaps my negative reaction came from a legitimate fear that state representatives think cruelty to animals is a positive American tradition. Or, perhaps it rose from the dark, snooty place inside me where my pride resides. If the later is the case, perhaps I should just get over myself and let others enjoy small pleasures for themselves... : )

You Know You're an Adult When...

...

1.) When you take kids to Boo at the Zoo and are the only one there at the end of the day to carry the sleeping 3-year old through the Zoo, across the parking lot, AND the field (because it was so busy you had to park on the street) to your car while her little sleeping body keeps falling away from (and sliding down) your body.

2.) When the lawn mower runs out of gas with fifteen feet of grass left to cut.

3.) When you realize that the only reason you buy Strawberries is because you THINK you should eat them...but you actually like Dried Apricots better, so you decide you can buy dried apricots instead (without guilt!) because THEY ARE FRUIT TOO!

4.) When you consider that maybe security is better than adventure.

5.) When you buy new shoes you call your "job interview shoes" and make sure they don't get muddy.

Speaking of Beautiful...

And now...for some thoughts on something beautiful in Abilene...

I just came back from a concert performed by the Abilene Christian University Chamber Orchestra. (My friend Emily Lafont is their PRINCIPAL Oboe player. :) ) The first piece they played was "Five Variants of 'Dives and Lazarus'" by R. Vaughan Williams. It was a BEAUTIFUL piece. I can't even describe to you the wonder my heart felt at hearing this fine music played by fine musicians. It almost brought me to tears, and I don't cry.

And it got me to thinking about the nature of beauty. Was Baden Baden SO beautiful to me not because it was actually the most beautiful place I'd ever been, but rather simply because it had been weeks since I'd seen a sunset? Was Williams' piece SO moving because it had been so long since I'd heard such music played live rather than because it is a truly exquisit piece?

I don't know much about music, and even less about sunsets, so I guess I'll never know unless one of you reading this happens to be an expert on music or sunsets and wants to tell me. Untill then, I'll just sit in quiet gratitude for the beauty I see, hear, smell, taste and feel around me.

The final piece the orchestra played was a jazz-inspired work called La Creation du Monde (The Creation of the World) by Darius Milhaud. This piece was very difficult, but they played quite well. I was really impressed. As I listened, I also found myself watching the musicians. It was funny to me how they seemed to match their instruments. For example, the principal violinist, or the concertmaster, was very put together. His black clothes matching his dark, gently-combed hair and his posture strong, allowing him to look intimidating without looking mean. His was very, very focused on his music and his gently moving hand both grabbed my attention and unnerved me as it looked -- like most Violinist's hands do -- like his hand actually had no power of its own, but was barely holding onto the bow and being pushed up by the arm.

Just a few seats over, the saxaphone player was so cool. He was a tall man, kind of lanky with whispy hair that looked like it had been stuck down to his forehead with gel. He sat comfortably, almost slouching, in his chair and moved his shoulders and back as he played. It was the most fun to watch this guy's face. His eyebrows changed with every note, and I could guess what emotional charge the next set of music might hold simply by watching his face. It was wonderful seeing someone so connected to his music.

The Cellist , though, was my favorite. She had the elegance of someone who knew she was important, but the coolness of someone who intimately loves her instrument. She had black high-heals on and played with intensity and focus, yet as she held the large, stringed-cello against her body, she seemed sometimes to be laughing with the music. The knee of her beautiful black pants bore the white mark of the occasional brush of her bow.
Needless to say, it was a great night.

If you'd like to hear the Williams piece, you can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ4bx4r1VeQ
The video that accompanies it is kind of trippy, so just minimize the screen and listen.

The first part of the jazzy, Milhaud piece can be heard here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGN0je3x8_M

the second part, here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MyNpa5GEnw&feature=related

Beautiful Baden Baden

After three weeks we left Northern Hamburg for Baden Baden in the South of Germany. After two-show days on Saturday and Sunday we loaded out all the costumes (the sets and light guys did their stuff) onto trucks, crawled into a Nighliner Bus (at 3:00am) and headed across the country.

Here's a photo of my "bed" on the bus:

there was no window to the outside, so it was very dark and rather uncomfortable. The rocking motion of the bus actually made me feel like I was one of the many immigrants who have left Hamburg by boat.

After a fitful night, the bus reached our new theatre in Baden Baden, Germany:

And I got a view (the view from the Costume Work Room BALCONY) of what may indeed be the most stunningly beautiful place I have ever been.

Here are some photos of Baden Baden. They are from the balcony in the theatre, my hotel room, the walk from my hotel room to the balcony in the theatre and of a hike Mary and I took through the "Black Forest" to castle runis that overlook the city. They certainly don't do the town justice, but here they are:

I was really happy to be off that bus...

Photos from a small river-walk that ran along side our walk from hotel to theatre:

The (ominous) Black Forest:

I brought an apple to eat along the hike up the "mountain". Suddenly, eating an apple in the middle of a forest made me think of Snow White. Here are two of my attempts at taking a photo of myself while pretending to be Snow White/dramatically eating an apple while hiking through the Black Forest:

...it's not like I'm an actress or anything...

The castle! We made it!!

The following photos are from the castle...

...including me trying to be dramatic, but just looking very confused...

The Great Hall!

Historic Hamburg

Okay, now that I'm back in the States, I finally have time and access to a computer so I can upload photos and give a brief (at least I'll TRY to keep it brief) overview of my time in Germany and Switzerland. Most of the photos and stories will come from my free time (Mondays and some mornings when I didn't have to go into the theatre until the afternoon).

So, let's start at the very beginning: the first city I went to was Hamburg, Germany (yes, this is where Hamburgers come from : ) ). I spent a lot of time during the three weeks I was here learning about the history of this city. It was an important port city during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and many people left Europe for the Americas and Australia from Hamburg. Occasionally, on our walks home from the theatre Mary and I would hear a blow horn from the harbor -- not something I was accustomed to after living in Denver and Abilene, but very cool.

Hamburg also had a BEAUTIFUL History Museum. I went there twice to see as much as I could. Here are some photos of things I saw there:

A model of the city in the Renaissance and Old Shoes


A corset! and a Pianoforte! It was all really beautiful and fascinating.

And last but not least, the German National Theatre was established in Hamburg in the 18th century. One of the founders, Gotthold Ephraim Lessing wrote this book:

"Hamburg Dramaturgy" (yes!), which became the most important book on theatre theory of the Enlightenment. Hamburg became (and still is) a hub of cultural and artistic activity. Many important performers had ties to Hamburg, like Adele Dore, who is represented here:

Germany, of course, was the center of the early days of the Reformation. Here is a photo of a statue of Martin Luther at a local Protestant Church:

There was a big fire in the 19th Century that destroyed much of the city and was again hit hard by Allied bombs during World War II. So the city has a very interesting mix of old buildings and brand new ones. The juxtaposition of the old and new, the pristine and ruined was not something I was prepared for, and rather arresting.

Here are some photos of the old and new of Hamburg side by side:

On one of my free mornings I went to a museum/memorial for WWII victims that was in the basement of a bombed-out church. There was a concentration camp in the outskirts of Hamburg and after it was heavily bombed and large portions of the civilian population lost homes, jobs or their very lives (those who made it to underground bomb shelters survived but the above ground shelters weren't even strong enough to save people from the heat from fires and bombs), the inmates at the camp were ordered to pick through the rubble to collect the dead for burial and make sure all bombs had actually exploded. It was humbling to stand in that city knowing its tragic and violent past.

Photo of Hamburgers quickly leaving their homes:

Nazi Propaganda: "Mother and Child"
All that is left of the church where the memorial now stands is the bell tower and about half of the outside walls. What used to be the church itself is now an outside courtyard with a few statues and memorials. Here are my two favorites:

This one is called "The Ordeal" and had a quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer (who opposed Hitler) attached to it, "No man in the world can change the truth. One can only look for the truth, find it and serve it. The truth is in all places".

This statue is called "Angel on Earth". The statement under the title reads, "Take my hand and let me lead you back to yourself".

After I went thorough the museum, I noticed that my ticket also gave me access to the bell tower. I hadn't planned on going up (because I'm kind of afraid of heights) but because I had already paid for it, I thought, why not? Now, I know why not. Going up 75 yards of this:

all alone in a glass elevator is NOT fun. In fact, it is small panic-attack producing. Take my word for it.

But once I was up there, I was rewarded with this view of the sky...:

Of the city...:

Of my hotel (the tallest building)...:
Of this McDonald's sign (LAME)...:
and this Emergency Sign, which informed me that in the event of an emergency, I should not worry because I would be able to escape using this spiral staircase which went down the outside of the gigantic bell tower...:
Can you see the TERROR on my face?:

After the War, Hamburg continued to be a place that welcomed excellent artists, particularly musicians. And it wasn't long before the best band of the 20th century came to this humble city. The Beatles (before they were world famous) spent time living in Hamburg's seedy red-light district on the Reeperbahn street (where they used to make ropes for ships), where they played in the "Star Club". Here's a photo of the club. Check out my previous blog for a photo of ME on the street "Big Freedoms" (an excellent name for a street in the red light district...)

Some 40 years after The Beatles first set foot in Hamburg I followed suit and got to work with these lovely Hamburgers:

This is a photo of the German helpers who assisted us in Hamburg. They were WONDERFUL and I'm so glad to have met them!

Well, my friends, that's an overview of my time in Historic Hamburg.

Stay tuned for the article on Beautiful Baden Baden!

What You Say Daddy Peter?! How I'm Learning to get rid of Those Lonesome Blues and be so Happy Here on Cat Fish Woah

So every time Porgy (of Porgy and Bess) sings to his Bess, 'I wanted you to be so happy here in Cat Fish Row' it sounds like he's saying, 'Cat Fish Woah'. And it makes me laugh.

Something that doesn't make me laugh is how this computer won't let me upload photos. I'm in Baden-Baden, Germany now and was more than prepared to share some photos of Hamburg and Baden-Baden now, but alas, the photos will have to wait...

I'm learning so much in this land of long days, late nights and the sleeper bus (insert photo of my bunk on the sleeper bus, which actually was a rather bumpy ride. As we were leaving Hamburg (a port city) I imagined I was a German imigrant from the 19th century heading out of the city on a ship to an unknown land across the ocean). This land where singers never check their costumes until 5 minutes before places when ten of them freak out because they're missing their apron or hat or pants (o.k. the pants are a legitimate reason to freak out).

This land of wonderful German costume helpers (insert photo of the girls who helped us in Hamburg who were very nice, helpful, AND gave us incredible presents when we left -- including a CD of the Beatles on the Reeperban in Hamburg!!), Italian restaurants on every other corner, and lovely parks (insert about a billion photos of the fantastic park that was 2 minutes walk from the hotel in Hamburg and the park just outside the hotel in Baden-Baden where I saw a crane this morning!)

Okay. There are a number of other people who want to use this computer so I'm going to end this edition here... (promising more with photos sometime!) with a short list for those who are theatrically-inclined:

Here, for the ACU Theatre Majors (and anyone else who is interested) are some things I've learned from observing performers (mostly those playing Bess):
1.) Memorize the relaxation exercies you learn in class! Doing a show is STRESSFUL and it makes it harder on yourself and everyone else around you when you're not relaxed. Use what you learn and breathe!
2.) When doing a love scene, make sure you have actions, otherwise it's much easier to get lost in the 'I am really in love with this person' world. Even -- indeed, especially -- if you don't have lines, make sure you have character-driven actions. They will help keep your head on straight.
3.) LOTS of people will tell you that you're fabulous (especially after you come off stage after a love scene with a 'sexy man'. Don't let it get to your head.
4.) Be nice to everyone. Everyone.
5.) You will be invited to party. Be smart about it. If someone asks you to go to a club on a Saturday night (after a two-show day and before a Sunday two-show day) get a good night's rest instead. You will be refreshed and enjoy the next day's performances, they will have a hangover.
6.) For costumers: when you're running up and down three flights of stairs for the 7th time in the past two hours, find something that will keep your spirits up. I listen to music when I deliver socks and t-shirts at the top of the day, and recite Shakespeare when I deliver costumes and fetch things for the performers at the end of the day. It even surprises me how just a few lines of As You Like It, or Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth can change my outlook and energy level. : )

o.k. That's it for now.
Expect the next installment soon (I hope!)

Ich Spreche Kein Deutch: Or how CNN, BBC, and Eurosport Became my German Roommates

This is me with my Porgy and Bess back stage pass!

This is me before I left...

This is me after I arrived: jet lagged and TIRED!

The view of North Hamburg from my hotel room

Me on the street the Beatles Played on!! Yeah, yeah, yeah!!

I have learned German! Or…at least how to say, “I don’t speak German” in German…
Needless to say, I’m grateful for three English-language channels (including the Olympics!) on the television in my hotel room. When I’m not listening to European news or the Beijing Diving Competitions, I am at the theatre, working. I can’t even think of how to being to describe what this experience has been like. So I’ll just list facts. (I'm trying to add photos, but I'm having trouble, so bear with me...)

Hamburg By Numbers:

15: The number of times someone has confused me as a German and tried speaking to me in Deutch within the first three days (I’ve since stopped counting).
Also the number of hours I worked on my longest day.

13: The average number of hours I work each day.

11: The number of days I worked (with an average of 13 hours a day) without a break.

9:00- 10:00am: the time I usually have breakfast (at the hotel)

12:00am: The time Mary (my teacher and the head costumer on tour) and I usually stop by the McDonalds in between the theatre and out hotel for “dinner”.

24: The floor my room is on at the hotel.

6: The number of Germans who interchangeably work with us in the costume shop and backstage (by the way, their English is 500 times better than my German).

3: The number of opera singers who sing “Bess” and who I am in charge of dressing (and undressing) before and after the show

5: The number of quick changes I have to help Bess with during each show (9 per week with two on Sat. and Sun.)

28: The number of shirts I have to distribute to the men in the cast every day.

56: The number of socks I have to distribute to the men in the cast every day.

1: The number of times I’ve been to the red light district (during the day) in Hamburg and walked down the street where the Beatles played when they lived in Hamburg before they became world-famous.

13 minutes: The amount of time it takes for me to walk to the theatre from the hotel.

3: The number of Europeans who have expressed interest in asking me out.

0: The number of times (as of yet) I’ve actually gone out with a European and the number of (human) roommates I have and the number of windows in my bathroom (I miss the sunlight).

12: the number of NEW performers we had to fit for costumes in three days.
Here is a photo of my in the fitting room:

68: The number on my official “Porgy and Bess: All Access Pass”. Here I am with it:

2: Hamburg’s rank as one of Germany’s largest cities (surprised me!) Here are some photos of Hamburg I’ve taken from my hotel room and during my one day off.

A LOT: The amount of Hamburg that was destroyed in a fire in the 19th Century.

EVEN MORE: The amount of Hamburg (an important harbor city) that was destroyed by World War II bombs. There is still a lot of construction around the city and it’s rather strange to see 18th century (and older) buildings standing right beside cold, modern skyscrapers.

1: The assistant stage manager who reminds me of Caleb Todd (a friend of mine from ACU Theatre). Caleb, if you read this: I almost put my hand on my shoulder and batted my eyes within the first day that I met him. J He is new to the company, too, so I instantly had a friend with something in common. How grateful I am to have someone who reminds me so much of home.

More than I would like to count: The number of times I’ve messed up and really frustrated a performer.

More than I can count: The number of times a performer has expressed thanks to me.
Completely: How grateful I am that 1.) Mary likes Italian food (just like me!) 2.) that I live RIGHT NEXT to a public garden (here are some photos of the garden and me in the garden) and 3.) that I have a WONDERFUL recording of the song “It is Well”.

This song has (at least for this week) become by mantra. "When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say it is well, it is well with my soul".

I Don't Know How to Speak German

So I arrived in Hamburg yesterday (Thur) morning after about 17 hours of traveling (through Denver, New York, and Paris). I was picked up by the Asst. Maniger of the Company and brought to the hotel, which is right in the middle of Hamburg (a pretty big city, by the way). After taking a shower, unpacking and an hour nap, I headed out to check out the city (mostly I needed to stay awake -- I start working today and can't be jet-lagged.) There is a beautiful flower garden and park just outside our hotel. I discovered it after getting ice cream at an ice cream stand. I have no idea if the guy charged me the correct amount -- because I don't speak a lick of German. That has been the worst part, feeling a bit overwhelmed because I can't understand anything. I even walked into a Starbucks (totally U.S. thing to do) because I knew I could simply pick up a bottle of water and hand it to the cashier, and then could see on the cash register how much I owed. Hopefully I'll get more and more confident as the days go on.

But the city is beautiful, Mary (my boss) is here (we had dinner last night) and the people are friendly -- they also walk everywhere. When I was on the street, I had numerous (and various) people walking and riding bicycles right next to me.

I'm excited to get started working today!

Okay. More (and photos!) when I have more time on the internet.

BFA = Best Fun in Abilene

I graduated from Abilene Christian University on May 10th with a BFA in Theatre: Acting and Directing. Here I am with my family on graduation day!

Exactly one week later I presented my senior Capstone project: The Shakespeare Celebration: A Scene Festival.

I spent the greater part of the school year directing some 30 elementary school students in scenes from Shakespeare's plays and, on 17 May 2008 we presented them at the Alliance for Women and Children in Abilene. It was a great success and I loved working with them! Here are some photos from the performance day:

The Alliance for Women and Children then asked me to come and do some Shakespeare workshops with their middle school girls summer camps. I had a wonderful time sharing the story of As You Like It with the campers, but especially enjoyed talking about "growing up" issues they face and connecting some characters as well as lessons from "As You Like It" to the girls' own lives.

I chose to focus on "As You Like It" this summer because the Abilene Shakespeare Festival was also performing it this summer (my students got to come a see the opening night performance). I was in the production, which marked my fourth summer with the ASF. I was THRILLED to get to work with the director, actors and designers again!

Here I am, in a corset line, with all the women in the production and with actor who played Orlando, my love interest, in the show:

My best friend, Emily, and I got to play best friends in the show, which was fantastic. After four years in the ACU Theatre department, we'd never gotten to act together, so it was a real treat. It was especially good because she is leaving in September to nanny for her sister and brother-in-law in Bangladesh for a year. We were able to use the show as a kind of "last hurrah" before we part. We've grown very close over the years and it's impossible to describe, here, the mixture of excitement for our futures and sense of loss and sorrow as we're living apart.

The photo at the top is of Emily and me in our "As You Like It" costumes and this one is of us on my graduation day.

After "As You Like It" closed, I got a job baby-sitting in July, and started looking around Abilene for a more long-term position. For the past three years I've worked as the Study Abroad student worker in the Center for International and Intercultural Education at ACU, but as I'm not a student anymore, my job there was scheduled to end in August and I needed another source of income. That's when the opportunities to travel with the Opera (and my former teacher, Mary!) and teach in Rwanda happened to drop in my lap. It seems everything has been orchestrated. I received the offer to tour Europe on 20 July, quit my job, said goodbye to as many people as I could get a hold of in Abilene, packed up my house and drove to Denver by 02 August. Needless to say, it's been a few of crazy weeks.

The rest of the summer was mostly spent at my church in Abilene, New Life Church of Christ. I've developed incredible friendships with many different people at New Life, and I will miss them all -- and my lovely flatmates who have put up with me for the past two to three years -- as I head to Europe. Here are some photos of me with my New Life friends.

This was when I went through the bathroom window (just like the Beatles' lyric, "She came in through the bathroom window"!) at my friends' house.

I leave Denver on Wednesday morning and I've already checked out Internet Cafes near our first hotel in Germany, so the next post should be coming soon! Stay tuned!