Todays rehearsal was so much fun! I think I laughed some tears 
I wish I could see the production as an audience member. I got goosebumps a few times during the run-through.
Cindy said that she got emotionally involved when she watched the rehearsal. Cindy read the book a million times, she knows some of the lines by heart and if she still gets moved, that says a lot.
I’m looking forward to performing tomorrow night. I’m nervous but I’m also very excited!
This cast is pretty amazing. I feel completely safe with everyone. I felt safe just crying my eyes out yesterday. I was crying from exhaustion. I felt safe today falling asleep while we were running lines.
That’s all we did today at rehearsal. Running lines. We ran them italian style, which is the speed read. We ran off book and on book. We red a few scenes separately and we also red the entire play from beginning to end stuttering, trying to remember our cues and our lines. It was great!
Tonight was very casual. No acting. Just rehearsing lines. And I felt very comfortable with everyone. It was a great rehearsal. And I got a shut-eye as well
Yesterday I had no time to work on Chornobyl. I’ve rehearsed for another play, that will open in October, then I had to do some VO work for that other play. After that, I ran to vote at my Neighborhood Council election and then I was off to a Women In Theatre Quarterly Mixer that I was hosting. I didn’t get home until 11 pm. Dead tired!
I didn’t read the book, I didn’t pick up the script, I didn’t practice my lines. Nothing. The only thing I did was find in the morning a pair of thick knitting needles and some thick yarn. And I knitted three rows in the “library.”
I liked the idea of knitting during Anna’s interview. Cindy loved it so much, she asked me if I could knit something 10 feet long. Ha! She said that it’s not necessary but she loves the visual of Anna knitting an endless scarf.
I love the idea as well and even though Cindy said it’s not important, for me it is. I want to make the directors vision true. It’s her play and I love to be directed. Not bossed around. But directed. And Cindy does it well. So I’m going to try to knit an endless scarf for Sundays performance.
So much to do! I hope I’ll know my lines tonight at rehearsal. I’m really nervous. Only 4 days left. And I’m worried about my cues. I’m worried about remembering my lines. I’m just a nervous wreck today. Aaaarrrrggghhh!!!
Anna Petrovna Badaeva loves nature. And so do I. Cindy offered me Anna’s role because she new that Anna and I are very compatible.So why do I struggle with my character? Why do I struggle with my lines? Why do I have such difficulty to connect to some words? Because I did not live through the disaster?
Tonight, after rehearsal I rode home on my bicycle and four full grown coyotes crossed my path. I slowed down and followed them. They stopped and looked at me. They were curious. I held my distance. I watched them and they watched me.
Then three of them started playing with each other. They looked beautiful. They let me watch them. And when I decided to go, one of them ran ahead of me and the other three were following me while they were chasing leaves on the ground.
I was so happy with them, I had to laugh out loud. I thought of Anna. I thought of her and I thought, this is how she would laugh. This is how she would feel amongst the animals. I think I truly found the connection with her tonight. I found the connection we share. To the animals. To earth.
What will happen to the part of her life that I can’t connect to? Who knows. I’ll keep looking.
I’ve been rehearsing all week long for two plays that I’m involved in. “Taking Sides” and “Voices From Chornobyl” (I just built the website for it, check it out) two plays that are historical and that are heavy.
I have been rehearsing each day rotating the plays. One day I’m in Russia in 1986 and the next day I’m in Berlin, Germany in 1946.
My head is spinning and I just want to cry for all the people, for all those in the unknown, for all those who suffered. I want to scream, and wail after some of the rehearsals. And I want to shut everything out at times.
But I love what I’m working on! I love that I feel so alive that I can feel so much! I love the emotions that come up during rehearsal and during research.
Tomorrow I’m back in Russia and Sunday in Germany again. What a week! What an adventure! What a journey! I’m glad to be alive and healthy!
Today we had our first real rehearsal for “Taking Sides.” The cast came together at 12 noon at the little SkyPilot Theatre in Toluca Lake and after we signed away our life for the next 5 weeks of rehearsals ( 
) we got on our feet and on stage and worked Act I until almost 4 pm.
It was exhausting! Mentally! As we are getting to know each other as actors, we are also getting to know each others characters.
Michael Brainard, who is directing this play, directed me in two other plays at Stages Entertainment in Orange County. He was the first person to cast me on american stage
(Yes, Mike, if you are reading this, the truth is out. To be completely truthful, Mike, I am forever grateful for giving me your trust, the first time in “A Murder of Crows” and then a second time in “Frontier.” Working with you gave me a lot of confidence as a performer and as an artist. I thank you for that! And now you are giving me your trust for the third time. This is an actors dream come true!)
Rob Tepper, playing Lieutenant David Wills, I worked with before on “A Bright Room Called Day” by Tony Kushner and he is an amazing actor to work with!
James Sharpe is playing Major Steve Arnold, who blew me away at the table read and I’m looking forward to working with him for the next 10 weeks.
Katy Boyer, who has quite the acting experience on imdb, plays Tamara Sachs, and I’ll guarantee that her performance will blow your socks off. At todays rehearsal she didn’t hold back even though she had her hands full with the script and her pen.
Wilhelm Furtw??ngler is played by Benton Jennings whom you will probably recognize from many movies, tv show and/or his commercial appearances.
Helmut Rode is played by Eric Johnson, whom I can’t find anything about on line. Eric’s character is so amazing to me. It reveals so much about us human beings.
And lastly, I’m playing Emmi Straube, the secretary to Major Steve Arnold. I love me role for many, many reasons! I have so much going on internally. And I get to speak a few lines in German. I always wanted to speak German or Hungarian on stage and now I can (thank you, again, Mike!)
This is my short introduction to the cast. I’m still trying to absorb todays rehearsal and as I try to sort things out for me and for my character, I am feeling greatful for writers like Ronald Harwood who write meaningful plays with great characters that I can sink my soul into.