This
year...hmmm.....this year went by really fast.
So, January was the start of a new term for me (still acting in
Rosebud)
and the class schedule was very busy. However, I did find
time to head to Lake Louise for a weekend with my friend Sarah (the
pianist from Gifts of the Magi). We had agreed to make a trip
together during Gifts but had to wait for the new year because we
couldn’t go while still under contract for the show.
Girls gone wild.....
An
actor’s contract generally involves everything from payment and
schedule, to not changing your appearance (hair cut, etc), to not
putting yourself in the way of bodily harm (extreme sports,
motorcycles, etc). Well, the wait was worth it. We
had an awesome time with wonderful conditions.
In February, I went to New York with my class. It was a lot
of
fun and we
had some cool workshops and saw some good shows but I didn’t love it
half as much as I loved last year’s trip to England. Though I
did see
two shows that I thought were exceptional. The first was a
drama
called Other Desert Cities and the second was a musical from the
creators of South Park called The Book of Mormon.
When we got back from the trip we began rehearsals for The Crucible
(the
spring student show). I had been cast as Danforth, the main
judge in
the Salem trials, who is usually played by a 65 year old
man....
Fortunately, the
director decided our Danforth could be a
middle aged
woman (only a little age make-up!). Being a part of that show
was
incredible.
Other than the show I was still busy with classes (theatre history,
acting,
voice, stage combat). This year’s stage combat class was a
sword fighting class, an all girls sword fighting class. We
had a
lot of fun. Though, it was quite difficult to find fight
scenes that
had any girls in them at all, let alone only girls. Most of
us just
picked our favourite fight scenes, gender be damned.
Voice over...
Laura in New York!
In April we had a class with a Rosebud graduate that was all about
learning to have a good audition. It was stressful and crazy
but we learned a lot and got to meet some prominent directors in
Calgary which was really cool.
In May, rehearsals for Anne of Green Gables (the summer Rosebud Theatre
show) began. I had a small role in the show and since I was
not an ASM this was the most relaxing rehearsal process I’ve been a
part of so far.
The show was a lot of fun but my favourite part of the summer was all
the weekends I spent at home on the lake. We didn’t have
Sunday shows this summer so I had three day weekends for three months,
and the weather was gorgeous so I spent very little time in
Rosebud. It was nice to spend so much time with my family and
Camrose friends.
In the fall I settled back into a Rosebud routine with classes and
work. Since then I have been keeping busy in a student sort
of way (a
few classes, some homework, a lot of TV and unhealthy
food...) The big
thing for me in the new year will be my Final Project. As a
fourth
year student I have to produce my own show (instead of a final exam or
paper). The show I want to do is one that I wrote in a
playwriting
class last spring.
So now, I have to
get a team together to help me
(director, designers, fellow actors) and I have to get approval from
the Ed Team and I have to budget and market it and be super organized
in general. I’m further along in the process than I’ve made
it sound
and I’m pretty excited.
Well, that’s all for now.
Merry Christmas!
Nothing like a nice day on the water!
Fun with Friends
Snowboard trip to Lake Louise
Sarah & Laura
Laura
Wake surfing
Water skiing
Boat
Anna, Andrea and Sam
Natalie Surfing
Brian
Natalie on two skis
Laura
Laura
Kjel - learning to surf
Sam
Natalie - showing off on one ski!
Laura
Laura - another great day!
Laura in New York
Laura, Jesse, Natalie
...waiting for a performance in New York
in Times Square!
Natalie, Laura, Amy and Jesse - the "Final Four"
Last year of Acting School at Rosebud!!!