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Just because you can and it takes 45 seconds, please follow the link and enter to win a trip to New York because, why not? And if you win, well perhaps you will take me with you. 

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Best Weekend

I can't even believe this amazing weekend I got to go to. Every year there is a theatre conference "UTA" Utah Theatre Association held at a different college each year. Every high school in Utah goes to it. This year it was at West Minster, but we still stayed in hotels because it was part of the "experience." even though we were so close. I honestly thought it would be kinda fun but kinda dumb with a bunch of local people and stuff. But Oooooooooooooh man.

Broadway Director/Choreogropher as well as another Broadway Choreogropher were there. Not just one thing on broadway. The Keynote Speaker Jeff Whiting has directed-soooo many broadway shows. Hairspray, Hair, Wicked Anniversary, Jersey Boys, Young Frankenstein-off the top of my head. That's not the end of it at all. He has been in numberous broadway shows then started directing and choreographing. He actaully is from Utah and then moved to New York and has been there for a long time. I learned SO MUCH.

 

 

 

 

So, before hand I registered to audition for the Pyramid Prize at Open Jar Institute. I knew nothing about this before hand. The Open Jar Institute is a training program taught by broadway directors and stars and casting directors, etc. I registed online and got my audition to be at West Minster because I would be at UTA. So I brought a long my sheet music and was excited. It was an audition for acceptance into that training program in New York, but one lucky high school student would be chosen to go there free tuition.  So any way good audition opportunity I decided to do it. 

 

 

UTA started Thursday afternoon. Friday morning we heard from the keynote speaker Jeff Whiting. Holy freaking bananas. He said everything I've always wondered and wanted to hear. He told his story a little, said some experiences of him at audtions from the directors point of view to let us know what the directors are thinking. He said once he was having auditions for Hairspray. 4,000 people showed up. I won't go on about his talk but just know he is amazing and has done countless shows as director, choreogropher, casting director, as well as acting ,singing ,and dancing. Okay so he's the real deal.  He is the founder of Open Jar Institute and he created it because he says when he moved to New York he learned everything the hard way and wanted to give people living in New York the reality and the current tips and connections and all that. So this is the guy I was auditioning for.

 

 

The rest of Friday there are breakout sessions with lots and lots of workshops you can choose from-from lighting to makeup to accents to dancing to acrobats to stage combat. Everything. So I went to a dance audition from a way fun guy. He was a really energetic preformer person. We danced and also he talked a little bit about dance auditions. He auditioned 64 times before he ever got told yes. Anyway, great class. Super fun!

 

 

Then 5 high schools in Utah were showing their school play and -(By the way EVERY high school in Utah is here. Lots of kids.) we went to Sweeney Todd at Judge Memorial. It was THE WIERDEST MUSICAL I HAVE EVER SEEN. Why in the world would anybody want to put that show on? It's sooo creepy and evil and dark and scary. Didn't love it. I didn't like the play but the actors actually were fantastic. But it was 3 hours!!

 

Okay. Sweeney Todd ended at 5. My audition started at 5. Freaking out. I was the only person from my school going to this audition but my teacher still knew and said it would be fine. We get back on the bus and go back to W.M. I run run run into the building and they said I would need to do the dance audition first because it was the last group. Usually you sing first and then dance..but since I was late I did it this way. So luckily I was wearing dance clothes. So I left all my music and bags with my friends and ran downstairs into the dance audtion room!

 

 

This was SO. FUN. Holy cow I can't express how much I loved this audition. The choreogropher, James Gray was EXACTLY. Exactly how I pictured broadway choreogrophers to be like. If you have seen the TV Show "Smash" he reminded me of the director in that. He was from England and had an English accent. He was a phoneomenal dancer and also as endless shows and tv he has choreographed and what not. He was just such the real deal...I don't know how to explain him. He wasn't mean-but he was just so professional and treated it like a professional audition. So I was a tiny bit late but still caught on. So he taught the dance combo, everyone ran it maybe...3 or 4 times. Then once in groups and then it began. He called 4 people at a time with our resumes. He called me first but I was kind of glad cause I had to hurry and go sing. So me and 3 others went out and did the combo...then we did it again and he said thank you.

 

I couldn't believe how he could know in that short amount of time, when it seemed like 60 percent of the time he was writing on our resumes and not watching! He watched, looked down and wrote, looked up and then it was over! I learned a TON from this. Not as far as dancing. This is what I learned: It really has almost nothing to do with the actual steps...because EVERYONE CAN DO THEM! The dance was not hard. At least if its a dance audition and dancers come...it was not hard...dance wise. This is why it's hard..because everyone can do it..you have to stand out be the one that he looks at! So yes you have to be a good dancer by adding your own personality and everything. I guess if you didn't dance you might not get it..but it wasn't like tripple pirouettes and stag leaps or anything. Just fun sharp broadway choreogrophy. I wasn't too nervous for that though it was so fun for some reason. So as far as how I did...like I said I definitely got all the steps..I have no idea as far as standing out though. Oh well I did the best I could.

 

 

So then. I run run run upstairs. Drinking water running through my song. They called my name and 2 other people. The three of us went in the auditorium together. Here comes a twist in the plot: We go to none other then Jeff Whiting himself, and he said that the accompanist actually was playing in a show that night, and she had to leave. So if we would please come to his vocal workshop Saturday morning, and audition for him then. Okay. So we left.

 

 

You may think I would be relieved..but I was kind of dissapointed because I've never felt more excited and less nervous for an audition then this one and I just was ready and in the zone, so I was dissapointed I couldn't get overwith and be done and still had to sing in the morning. But anyhow that's show business! ;) (Right Izzy?)

 

I could either go to his workshop at 9:30 or 11:00 so I chose the 11:00 one. At 9:30 I went to a broadway bootcamp dance one, with the same choreogropher who did the dance audition. So fun again! This guy is just the best! His accent is glorious. He gave some amazing tips and told some funny stories of bad auditions and stuff. I LOOOOVED his class!

 

K. So then I go to the vocal audition workshop...Jeff asks everyone who wanted to sing for him to work on their song to raise their hand and he would draw their name from a hat. So the workshop went he drew names, they came up gave the music to the pianist, sang, and then Jeff would work on it and help them make it so much better acting wise so they weren't even thinking about singing..it was incredible. He had lots of tips and techniques. He called my name to make sure I was there cause he knew I had to audition, but he ran out of time and I never sang at the workshop. So I went up to him on the stage when it was over to remind him, and he said -Oh yeah stick around for a minute.

 

So 5..7 minutes later after everyone was done getting pictures with him and getting his autograph, he goes over to the accompianist and says "Anne do you mind staying and playing on more?" as she was getting ready to leave. And then she said "Yes anything for Annie!"

 

Yes! Anne Puzey was my musical director in Fiddler on the Roof, Cats, and Joseph! So we knew each other! Anne Puzey directs many shows at Hale and is obviosly amazing if she is the accompanist for this conference. She's just the best in Utah and does everything. It was good because if she said "Anything for Annie" That means he knows she knows me and she liked working with me. ...trust me since she is so professional, sometimes at the Children's Theatre some kids made her pretty frustrated..that's all I'll say. Anyway. So I gave her my music took my spot and auditioned.

 

It was.. well it was good. You don't ever feel you did your best at your audition and always think of things you could have done different. When I sang it with my voice teacher I was so much stronger acting wise, but I still did fine. I don't know it wasn't what I wanted it to be but it wasn't bad. So then he said "Wow that was worth the wait. Thank you, you're very talented." And then he had to go.

 

 

So lot of things I knew.

 

1. What I had learned from his workshops...you NEVER KNOW what the director is thinking. They might have loved you but it doesn't mean they are going to smile and praise you. He said most actors always think the directors hate them if they don't get picked, but there is too much that goes into play.

 

Anyway I am just glad I auditioned. I learned more at this then I have at anything else. I can't believe how productive you can be in one day! This is why I hate school. School stops me from doing so many things. We go to school, then have 2 hours of homework and I'm like How am I supposed to spend my time doing anything productive and fun and challenging if I have to sit here and do Chemistry for an hour and a half. Anyway.

 

 

 

SO. side note. So Tonight I got home and was telling my mom all about it and every single thing I could remember. I told her about Jeff and how he went to Brighton and BYU. And then she's like Well how old is he cause maybe he had your dad. And I'm like OMG I didn't even think of that! He's like 40 ish something so maybe!  So I run out into the garrage and find a yearbook from 89-90. Go to the index...look up Whiting and he was there! Oh my gosh! And he was like Drama sterling scholar, and voted "most talented" and in drama club and choir and I thought it way cool. I wish it would have crossed my mind then so I could have seen if he had my dad as a teacher. My mom or me might email him and ask him just out of curiosity.

 

 

 



Les Miserables

Was absoloutely..stunning. I finally saw it, with Emily and Dana. It was fun seeing it with them I am glad I waited to see it with them! Going into it, I had some expectations because of different things I heard. The most common thing I heard was that Russell Crowe was a bad singer. Because of this, I expected worse than he was! So that was a plus. I was expecting worse than that. It wasn't the most pleasent voice to listen to but really it didn't bother me like a lot of people complain about. I don't think it was so bad it ruined anything. He played his part very well so that's whats important.

Anne Hathaway. DANG. Now for some reason she bugs me just a little, and I kind of even was trying not to like her in this. But she won. I don't even know how she did that well. I was trying to imagine that on the set and she has to be an amazing actress to be able to do everything she did. Every little thing she did was so good. At the beginning of I Dreamed a Dream, I didn't love it, but I think that's because I and everyone has their own idea of how that should sound. But she made it completely not about her voice and it was as if she was straight up saying it..plus her voice was strong enough and pulled her through. Gahh I just can't believe how she cried and sang like that. She better win an award. She proved she can do absoloutely any role now.

I think even musical haters would like this movie. Sometimes you didn't even realize they were singing if that makes sense..cause the acting was so there. Not like you really didn't know they were singing...but I didn't find my self listening for them vocally like I normally do in musicals. The more I think about it the more I love it. I want to go see it again.

LOVED Eponine. She was the real deal.

When Marius sees Cosette in the street scene...I thought that scene was so well done. You feel so bad for Eponine though. On My Own was just spectacularly done. Her voice was just so there, when they filmed that I bet she wasn't "thinking" about singing (loudness, softness, hitting the high notes) AT ALL. She could just act. It was something to see.

Alright. Hugh Jackman. In the first scene I definitely didn't know that was him. I kind of didn't know what to think in the first scene..I was kind of like..okay this is gonna be alright. But he sang "Who Am I" SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOD.

My FAVORITE part he walks into the courhouse in Who Am I and sings

    "Who am I? 24601!"   Not only did he sing it well but that's just so cool that he says his number after all this time.


The thing that stuck out to me that Javert sings was BIG. I was thinking about this line the most. When he is on the bridge he sings,
   "And does he know that granting me my life today, This man has killed me even so?"
MAN that was deep. Javert spent his whole life hunting Jean Valjean down, and JeanValjean sets him free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I realized nothing JeanValjean did was for himself. Even when he stole the bread it was for someone else. The reason he was running from Javert in one part is cause he was protecting little Cosette. He saves Marius in the sewer...just everything.

I would LOVE your comments and to hear what you liked/ didn't like. Favorite actors, favorite songs.


Although I loved that it wasn't recorded in a recording studio, and what they sang in front of the camera is what was picked up. I wanted the music to be louder and bigger and just louder!
Some scenes I kept waiting for the music to be like BAM! But it was kind of quiet. Okay now comment please.

THIEF

OH MY HECK. My faaaavvvorite nike high tops were stolen!!! I just got them for Christmas! They were in the dressing room at school. And they were stolen. Three other things of other peoples were stolen too. I used to just be like ...dang that sucks! ...if somebody's stuff got stolen, but now that my shoes got stolen I'm MAD. I hope I see someone wearing my shoes in the hallway so I can say

"Oh my gosh those shoes are sick! Where did you get them?.......


 MY FEET???!!!"


How do peopl have the nerve to steal. I can't imagine just taking something like that. AGGGH.

"Broadway Revue"

I'm in the "broadway Revue" at my school right now. Every year there is one, and it is a combination of three musicals, and it is always student directed. This year it is Grease, Mamma Mia, and West Side Story. Tomorrow is the last night!!!!:) I'm so excited for it to be over. The rehersals have just not been that fun...there are 2 songs in the whole show that are super fun..We Go Together (Grease) and Dancing Queen (Mamma Mia). But holy cow some "theatre kids" are driving me bonkers. I can not stand them any longer. Sometimes I have to turn around and walk away so I don't say something mean... :)

Just little things like in the dressing room..someone came in and said "Good Luck!"
......It might as well have been the end of the world for some of them. Everyone GASPED and was like YOU CAN'T SAY THAT!!!!! Cause it's supposedly "bad luck" to say 'good luck' in theatre, you're supposed to say "break a leg." I wanted to shoot them all. I hope I'm not sounding too mean right now!! Gee wiz I have been around them for too long! Mostly it's fine I guess....yeah it's good. Just moments when I wanna be like...
ARE YOU KIDDING ME! Chill out. Just Chill. You're actually not dying right now.

I told the above story to Jesse about "good luck" and he said,
     "Can you get me a backstage pass before the show so I can go tell every one of them good luck?"

And I swear someone is always being dramatic and crying or doing something for attention and I'm like, can you just be normal for a second. And it isn't everyone obviously. Some people are chill.

It's actually a pretty fun show I guess..its not a great show...it is student directed. That is why I told no one to come :)

Welp. That was probably the most boring thing I've ever written on my blog.

Dance Combo

This is just a little video of a combo we did in dance. We filmed it so I thought why not?