Come one Dover!

I GOT MY MAGICAL E-MAIL. (who knew - it comes via e-mail not phone call.) It feels oddly - normal? People want to celebrate with me, but I'm kinda...calm? I think the main reason for this is that I am still so traumatized by the contract that was taken away from me that I am paranoid the same thing will happen again. I think this theatre is much more on top of their game though. (TOUCH WOOD!) As soon as my INK is on the contract - THEN I will pop open the bubbly!:) I also think I'm experiencing what Trouters described when he was cast as Romeo. You get all excited - YAY! Then you think - oh crap! This is going to be hard and scary. It's only a week of rehearsals, which is NOT a lot to learn an entire show! EEEEEK! I'm basically a put-in. (My understanding is - the rest of the cast performed this EXACT show before - a few weeks ago - and it is now transferring to the new theatre, and I am taking over at track of an actress who didn't, for whatever reason, do the transfer. I'm PRAYING PRAYING PRAYING they put me as a first soprano and not a mezzo. Mezzo = ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sort of at the mercy of whoever I am replacing I suppose. And LOTS of choreography to learn. PLUS I HAVE LINES! WITH A COCKNEY ACCENT! EEEEP! (I have a cameo part as a drunken cockney street woman/friend of Alfred Doolittle.) So the whole ordeal just as scary as it is exciting. (Though, as aforementioned, after I INK IT, I think it will be FAR more exciting than scary!) I'm up for the challenge. I think I've improved enough as a musician to carry my own part - even if it isn't first soprano. I just can't listen to the soundtrack and get first soprano in my head. (PLEASE LET ME BE FIRST SOPRANO!)

But don't get me wrong, it's an incredibly exciting contract! The director has even directed on Broadway! He seems to work a lot, so if I do a good job and he likes me, I might work a lot too! (Touch wood and cross fingers!) It's a LONG contract, which is apparently very enviable A) because it's always nice to be employed and B) It means I will qualify for health insurance. It's a contract where I can still live in the city and go to other auditions, do other projects, teach pilates, direct whatever one act opera we come up with, and basically still carry out evil plans galore! AND - there is a Christmas hiatus which means I can go home!:) It's also apparently a very good regional theatre. Even Reinking was impressed. The guy who was the original Jekyll/Hyde in Jekyll and Hyde works there a lot as a director and performer. AND - it's MY FAIR LADY. I mean - who doesn't love MY FAIR LADY!? I COULD HAVE DAAAAAANCED ALL NIGHT! I COULD HAVE DAAAAANCED ALL NIGHT! And stiiiiiiil have beeeeggggged for moooooooore!:)

So - here we go! Tighten up you dance belts! We're going INTO THE FIRE! HOPEFULLY a soprano fire but we'll be ready for ANYTHING!

I GOT A JOB! I WILL SOON BE WORKING ACTRESS! And they are already building my costumes!

This also makes me feel MUCH more justified in quitting my job at STEPS. Truly though, how could I continue after my magical night with Boydy? When I first wrote to Boydy, I wrote that I would be happy to clean toilets for the RSC, and he responded with "I'm going to make sure you never have to clean toilets." WTF self - REMEMBER WHO YOU ARE! You are Boydy's guest - you are with the company - and worth so much more! Capable of so much more. Ready for so much more. I'm not sure I can ever put into words what that night gave back to me --- released in me - how it empowered me - but that's o.k. It doesn't need to spoken - it needs to be acted upon - and I feel I am doing that. And I am SO THANKFUL the universe gave me those few hours of much needed Boydyness and Trouterness. Thanks to that - I now feel I am free and able to fly and reach my full potential!:)