Smoke on the Mountain Opening!

Smoke Cast minus Lamar - the preacher
Scott Bradley and I . Seven years after my first contract with him.

Becky and Mike (better known as Mama and Daddy)

Waiting to make our grand entrance

The twins -- Dennis and Denise

This weekend we opened "Smoke on the Mountain". Talk about a fun show -- it is filled with gospel songs, bluegrass instruments, and tons of comedy. This may be one of my favorite shows ever. It has been a perfect weekend to open too. We had full houses both shows today which made the performances extremely exciting. I play the fiddle, upright bass, and guitar in this show -- all of which I am a novice player. It has been a great rehearsal process considering Scott Bradley was the director. He was my director at Jenny Wiley for two years. It has been great to work under him again and his expertise. Our cast is great too. Their musicianship is humbling, and their comedy is hilarious. Most of them are friends I have worked with before so familiarity was not a problem in rehearsals. If today is any indication of the rest of the run then I am very excited for the next month.

This experience at the Legacy Theatre has been quite different because I am BUSY, BUSY this time. Not only am I getting ready to open another show on Thursday, but I am music directing the children's musical and teaching voice lessons. Despite the full planner, I must say I absolutely love all I am doing and feel like staff at the theatre. Bethany and Mark have done a wonderful job of keeping theatre alive at a time when many theatres are closing and employing actors when jobs are scarce. They are great friends, and I am so thankful to be back.

Also, I want to wish my niece Josie "Happy Birthday". She had her family party today, and I was sad to have missed it. She is a delight to our family, and I pray I get to spend lots of time with her this fall!

Also, I want to express my thankfulness for my job and the consistent work I have had since August of last year. In a time when no job is secure, I feel very blessed to have worked full time in the theatre world. I know God has blessed me in this area, and I appreciate every day I get to be onstage. Performing has been my dream since a little girl, and although I am not on Broadway (yet :), I am so thankful to be living my dream. My heart goes out to those without jobs right now. I am constantly being reminded that in times like this God will provide for people, but He has placed me here to be His hands and feet so I may be His choice vehicle of provision. I pray my eyes stay open to the needs of others and not just my own.

Sweet Escape

How tiring it is to check a blog that is never updated. Today, that is not the case with this blog. Updating is in progress. It has been a busy, fun-filled couple of weeks for me in Atlanta. I have been rehearsing for "Smoke in the Mountain" and "MVP", learning three instruments, teaching voice lessons and acting workshops, and music directing the kid's musical. Despite the lack of free time, I must say I am thoroughly enjoying all of it. Many of my close friends are here so it has been a delight thus far.

In the last year, the stage has become a true privilege for me as opposed to a job. Our "entertainment-oriented" culture is obvious proof that our society as a whole is desperately seeking deviations from reality. Whether it is participating in a virtual sport or an everyday Netflix delivery, we want a break from life. The stage is my escape opportunity, and fortunately, it is my job. My labor is pretending! As an adult, I find pretending becomes more difficult with every year. Things that used to be so natural become uncomfortable or hard to remember. For the past six months, I have been getting paid to go to work and truly pretend. I cannot think of anything more challenging or any way to keep me younger. And in my past two productions at the Legacy, I have played girls on personal/religious journeys. As I explore these journeys, I find they both realize God's love for them. And in pretending their thoughts, I have realized His immense love for me. I hope you all find an escape that leads you to the same truth.

Resurfacing

Hooray for Holidays cast and band

Kevin is the company owner and a dear friend of mind.

Apparently, Keith didn't want to be under the mistletoe w/ me.

Hanging out in the lobby on a "Kathy Fry" Friday

Are we addicts when we have to have it on Christmas morning?

The Fabulous Fifties section. Yes, I am (once again) the nerd.

Yes, I am finally resurfacing and getting back into the blog world. My last two months in Wisconsin were a mix of great and horrible. Great because I loved all the people I worked with. Horrible because I was sick literally the entire time. It seemed I was hit with a plague of diseases and sicknesses for two whole months. There is too much for me to recap so I have posted some pics that convey much better than my words. I am now in Georgia rehearsing for Smoke on the Mountain but will try to better maintain the blog and post pics. I have to play the stand up bass and fiddle in this show so I think some pics of that would be blog worthy. Until then, I hope all are well and have a wonderful 2009!