Take a deep breath and sigh...

...because I officially dropped out of Pirates of Penzance. I was just not going to have enough time this semester because my SWAG class just happens to have several film screenings at night that run into Pirates rehearsal times. I was also getting some minor pressure from my friends in the student run theater group to be in the Broadway Revue with them. But that is not the full reason I dropped Pirates. 

Anyways, regarding the Revue, the director is working on getting the rights to various songs, but was recently rejected for the use of Summer Nights :(. So it looks like she'll have to change that song (and any others that become vetoed by publishers refusing to grant us rights to perform songs). 

With cat-like tread...

This is what happens when I have little to do during break - I found this video from the 1983 movie of Pirates of Penzance. I find it highly amusing both for the craziness and energy of the whole thing. I'm getting excited for it :) (even though several of my friends have dropped out). Enjoy!

So much to do!

I didn't think I'd get around to another blog post before the end of the semester, but I can't focus on work much longer.

I'm relieved to be finished with classes, even if it means I now have to deal with finals (ugh). I'm currently progressing through my only remaining finals: math and costume design. I'm not worried too much about either, but just want to be home. I currently have two problems left on my math final so that should be pretty easy. My costume final is a whole other story: as mentioned last post, I have 8 full on designs for A Midsummer Night's Dream, 10 historical re-drawings, 2 performance reviews and a director's note. I am proud to say I am moving through each fairly decently. I have 6 more re-drawings and 4 design sketches left, as well as both performance reviews and the director's letter. One thing that has really helped me with the drawings is drawing off another person's shape - e.g. I have taken my neighbors, photographed them, drawn them in the poses in the photos, then put my clothing designs on them. It has really helped me with proportions because I have something to look at and I'm not drawing a body from thin air. So if you are reading this blog, who knows, you might be a character in my designs.

On another note, a group of students here has formed a Shakespeare troupe and is performing Romeo and Juliet. Good news: I went to a meeting today and they said I could be a couple of minor parts in it. Bad news: Pirates starts on the 13th of February and R&J will perform late February/early March, meaning I might not be able to do it :( I'm waiting to see if we will get a schedule for Pirates over break so I can decide and tell the director (who is only a first year and seems really on top of things. The exercises we did today were reminiscent of what I did in WHSTE *sigh*). I'm hoping that even if I can't be in it, I can maybe help with costumes.

Arrrgh matey!

I received the news last night that was cast in my college's production of The Pirates of Penzance as a pirate/cop! I'm so glad to be in a Gilbert and Sullivan piece! I do have to admit that I would have rather been cast as a daughter of Major General-Stanley, but they sing really high and I can't sing that high. I've always heard that evil (are the pirates and cops evil?) characters are fun to play and I guess that's true. It's also a good thing because I have been cast as a goody-two shoe character for as long as I can remember. We go to a dance rehearsal today and I can't wait to find out what I will be doing!

Also, Urinetown opens 2 weeks from Friday!! We are close to ready (if you don't count finished costumes, props and sets) and I think it will be a good show - not all that fancy, but certainly very silly! We have dress rehearsals starting on the 13th and tickets go on sale that week.