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!
Performances, Taking Sides, Voices From Chornobyl | 14.09.2007 15:33 | No Comments
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.
Performances, Rehearsals, Taking Sides | 5.09.2007 16:05 | No Comments
This past weekend I performed in Suzan-Lori Parks’ 365 Days/365 Plays that was produced by Smart Gals Productions.
There were a total of 5 of the plays performed and one of the Constants.
“Empty Bucket” was a one actor performance, where the actor carried water from one bucket to the other with a thimble. The actor could involve passerbys with an extra thimble or the actor could just focus on the task.
“All’s Not All Well” was not performed by actors but Smart Gals posted flyers of Dad’s in search of a home, with descriptions of each’s personality, strenghts, and a photo of themselves.
“Net” was performed with three actors. All three were playing a card or board game until an audience member showed up. At that point the actors worked their lines into the improvisational talk.
“David Hampton Daydreaming” was the fourth of the plays, and this was “performed” by a peddle boat peddaler who had a big sign on the back of the boat with two arrows pointing to opposite directions and the sign showing “Be Famous - 235 Miles”
The fifth performance was the Constant of the mourning woman.
Originally I was asked to perform in “Net” but at one of the rehearsal meetings I was asked if I could perform on one of the afternoons the “Empty Bucket” piece. I happily said yes. I put the entire weekend aside for this play, I attended 3 of their 5 free writing workshops and I was really committed.
The plays were mostly interactive with the audience and peoples reaction was always fantastic. When I did the “Empty Bucket” piece, I got kids to help me carry the water with the extra thimble. A hispanic couple who didn’t understand what I was doing helped me and so did many other passerbys.
The “Net” was fun, because I could interact with the other performers and the audience alike.
But the Constant was the most rewarding for me as a performer. Performing as the mourning woman was not of my interest, but when one of the performers couldn’t make it, for some reason I jumped on the opportunity.
I had no idea how I would mourn and cry for an hour in a public space. I had no idea if I was up for this challenge for this intimacy. But once I stepped into the role, holding the black umbrella, dressed in all black, there was no stepping back, no thinking about it, but I had to do it.
And, wow, was it a great exercise. I cried for an entire hour not realizing the passing of the time. I cried for the worlds poor, I cried about this worlds injustice, I cried because there was trash everywhere, I cried for my grandma, my sister and for the people who died in the war.
People came up to me, talked to me, took my picture and asked me questions about the play. And I didn’t stop my mourning, didn’t stop my crying. It was a fantastic experience.
I want to thank Christine Berry, the founder of Smart Gals, for trusting me, for believing in me and for giving me this gift of learning about myself. As an actor and as a person, I learned a lot this weekend.
(People, who wrote about this weeks 365:
Strange things spotted in MacArthur Park
All The Sweet, Green Icing
Smart Gals & Mamas Hot Tamales Present
365 Days/365 Plays, Performances | 16.08.2007 15:34 | No Comments
I’ve waited 9 months and I can finally put Suzan-Lori Parks 365 Days/365 Plays on my resume. Wohoo!
Four years ago the Pulitzer Prize-winning Suzan-Lori Parks sat down and committed to writing a play a day for the next 365 days. The world premiere of this play cycle is being performed as a yearlong national festival simultaneously in major cities and communities around the country.
I’m part of the Smart Gals Production of this weeks plays and I’m also every night at their free writing workshops. The writing workshop is part of the 365 Days/365 Plays in celebration of Suzan-Lori Parks commitment to write every day for an entire year.
If you want to join me tonight and tomorrow, come to Mama’s Hot Tamales on 2122 7th Street, 1/2 block west of Alvarado, across from MacArthur Park. Tonights subject is Nonfiction writing. Fridays is Songwriting. Come from 7 pm - 9 pm. It will be fun.
There are bike racks up front and the Metro Red Line Station is just around the corner (Westlake/MacArthur Park.) I can pick you up at the station if you let me know that you are taking it.
On Saturday and Sunday come out to MacArthur Park for the plays. The performances are at 10 am, 12 noon and 2 pm all over the park and “incognito,” so you will have to discover them. How to discover them and other info you can find on the Smart Gals Production website www.SmartGals.org.
See you there!
365 Days/365 Plays, Performances | 9.08.2007 16:17 | No Comments
I’m finishing up the SAG ULB short film with Tom Martin and Brian Lennon titled originally “Nicked” and now retitled after my character “Adelinde”.
I worked with Tom and Brian last year on several plays and this time they wrote a short script for film. They wrote the part for me and I’m very happy to be working with them again.
We started shooting two weekends ago and this weekend we are finishing up.
Wohoo! Back at work! I love working with these guys!
Oh, and Jeff Hohimer is working on this short film as well. Jeff is the actor with whom I worked with in “Beauty And The Beast” in May, and I also worked with him last year on the plays with Tom and Brian.
So the team is together again. I’m excited and I’m ready for my close up!
Filming | 27.07.2007 16:14 | No Comments
I can’t believe I screw up this bad! And all I could think of during the audition was, that I totally screwed up, which made my audition even worst.
David, a TH member, posted a casting notice for his play workshop on Tribe and also on another casting website. I asked him, if I could post the casting notice in the Women In Theatre newsletter, since there were a few mature roles for men and women, and our members would appreciate the casting notice.
He said that it would be a great idea and when I also told him that I would love to be considered for one of the roles, he told me to email him my headshot and resume.
After my submission, David emailed me back and told me to come for an audition on Monday the 16th.
Well, in my big excitement, I didn’t realize, that the email said audition. I, for some stupid reason, thought that I was reading for the part (+ other roles, as he considered it in the email.)
On the morning of the audition (or the reading as I thought) I talked to my Agent, who was asking me, if I would consider adding a last name, because I don’t get called in for auditions.
This conversation didn’t last long, but it gave me a late start to the reading (audition) and I jumped on my bike and hauled ass to get to the given location. (I’m glad I was on my bike, because cars were in gridlock all over because of constructions and accidents.)
As I arrived at the Pico building I had to find a secure, non-moving, non-city property object to lock my bike to, because they didn’t have any bike racks. (Maybe some of you folks out there could help me put the word out to request bike racks at every public facility.)
When I locked my bike up, I got into the elevator, rode up to the 11th floor, and I see all these great looking, dressed up ladies, waiting outside the room, that is marked “Auditions.”
First I thought I was at the wrong place, but then I realized that I myself was wrong at the right place.
Ooooooh, I got so upset at myself! I went to the bathroom, to try to cool myself off. My face was beet red from racing my bike across town, I was sweating (not glowing this time) like a pig and I wasn’t dressed up. Waaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!
I couldn’t do much about my looks and as soon as I got out of the bathroom, one of the assistants called my name and I had to go in.
I tried to keep a cool face (even though my blood was pumping and the veins on my temple must have been bulging) and said hi, and started to read with another assistant (who is already cast for the play) for the character that was assigned to me.
As I was reading, so was David the director who was auditioning me. Hmm. He should be looking at me, I thought, but maybe my beet red face was so distracting that he couldn’t handle the sight.
So now I’m really pissed off at myself for not being prepared in any way. I was auditioning, when I thought that I was just reading for the workshop and the director can’t even bear looking at me.
My head was pumping, I was beating up myself internally while trying to maintain cool and put together.
I’m sure they thought the worst of me, and I don’t even want to imagine what their thoughts could have been.
I screwed up this one worst then I ever screwed up any audition. It will take me a while before I get over this.
But I think I owe a HUGE APOLOGY to David and the ladies in the room for wasting their time.
I will read the emails better next time and I will not show up unprepared ever again for any audition (or reading!)
Auditions | 19.07.2007 15:37 | No Comments
The Urban Velo Issue #2 just came out and a cyclist from Puerto Rico wrote to me saying “I saw you on Urbanvelo. Way to go sister? keep riding strong.”Wohoo! This was some exciting news! Yeay. I had to go right away to the Urban Velo website and I downloaded the issue right away.
I clicked away at the pages until I found the special all-women edition” of I Love Riding in the City” and I found me on page 16.
Check it out and click on the photo to get linked to the photographer (on the homepage of the link is my cousin and his girlfriend) and click on the article to be linked to my acting website.
Wohoo! I’m very excited about this, because I love this magazine! Yeah!
Publicity | 29.06.2007 16:15 | No Comments
It’s going to be a busy weekend with the EdgeFest and the The Bicycle Film Festival and the HelMel Block Party at the Bicycle Kitchen.
The Bicycle Film Festival is this week from June 28th through July 1st in Hollywood at the Vine Theatre.
The EdgeFest is on June 30th from 12 noon to 12 midnight in Downtown L.A. at the Regent Theatre.
The HelMel Block Party is on July 1st from 12 noon to 8 pm at Heliotrope Drive at Melrose Avenue in East Hollywood.
Join us for a ride on Saturday to both the EdgeFest and the Bicycle Film Festival.
We are riding to the EdgeFest on Saturday at 11:30 am from Hollywood to Downtown. We are meeting at the Hollywood and Western Red Line Station to see my play “Voices From Chornobyl” in the early afternoon.
Tickets are $12 for the entire day and they have an open bar.
At around 3 pm we will be heading back to Hollywood to the Bicycle Film Festival where we’ll stay until they kick us out.
Tickets are $8 per screening (and pst! You can bring your own bar )
Please, please, please, RSVP with me if you are joining me on any of the rides.
I haven’t heard back from many of you and since I will be making spoke cards, I’d like to get a head count.
Bike Ride, Performances, Voices From Chornobyl | 25.06.2007 16:23 | No Comments
I’m holding a workshop this coming Sunday at the SAG Conservatory Summer Session that will be held at the AFI in Hollywood.
If you are a SAG Conservatory member, sign up to my class!
One class will be on Sunday at 10:30 am to 12 noon and the other one will be from 1 to 2:30 pm.
Classes and Workshops are only for SAG Conservatory Members and they are free.
To make reservations, you must call the Conservatory hotline 323.856.7736 or show up on the day of the event with your Membership card and choose a workshop or a class then.
I hope to see all of you SAG Conservatory Members there
ShowBiz 2.0 | 22.06.2007 16:16 | No Comments
I got cast in the stage play/reading of “Voices From Chornobyl” that will be performing at the EdgeFest on Saturday, June 30th. (Yes, it is spelled with an “o” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chornobyl), it wasn’t a mistake.)
We had our first rehearsal last night and the director Cindy Marie Jenkins is pretty amazing. I haven’t seen a director who gives this much homework to their actors. I don’t think it’s bad. I thinks it very, very cool.
I know, that most of the research the actors do themselves however, I did some plays and films that had historical significance, and non of the directors ever bothered with details. In my experience, it was always up to the actor to gather background info. Or not.
But Cindy had a big pile of paper for us to take home and read over (and yes, all the paper was recycled, with old scripts on the back side! I love her for that!)
She gave us background on the play - The original book was written by Svetlana Alexievich and translated into English in 1999. Cindy Marie Jenkins adapted it and had the first reading at the Fountain Theatre, Hollywood, in 2005 and then the first stage performance at the Open Fist Theatre, Hollywood in 2006.
She gave us the Chernobyl history broken down to the minute and seconds as the accident happened.
She gave us some information about the continuing hazards of this accident. If you are interested in reading up on it, follow the BBC link. Fascinating a scary!
Cindy also gave us a print out that compares Chernobyl with other disasters and a few pages of an interview with the writer of the original book.
I’m going to do my own research and I’m also going to interview my family. In 1986, when the accident happened, my immediate family and I lived in Germany. But the rest of the family was in Hungary. We had crops and we all were afraid. Afraid of the unknown. The women didn’t know if the radiation will affect their future children. We didn’t know if it was all right to eat the crops, the fruits and vegetables. There were pop songs about the accident and it’s after effects. We made fun of the incident, and we were crying over it at the same time.
It will be a very interesting journey! I’m looking forward to it and I’m very happy to be part of this play. This is something that I can relate to. This is something that is relevant even here in the United States.
If you don’t have anything planned for the 30th, we will be performing at 2 pm at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. Ride your bike or take the Metro. The Red Line is just around the corner. Come and say hi to me afterwards.
Auditions, Goals, Rehearsals, Voices From Chornobyl | 16.06.2007 16:13 | No Comments