Phew, I'm beat. I decided to go into work early today because I had a practice track to put together for one of my students and I don't have a keyboard where I'm residing (I'm currently house-sitting for a couple friends of mine). Then, while teaching my students, the need for more practice tracks came up, so suddenly I had three or four more to do. I got some of them done after work but there are still a couple that I haven't touched but will in the coming days. Then I will be able to send them out to the respective students and all will be well... except that by then I'm sure I'll have something that needs attending. Nope, it never stops, the planning and rehearsing and shopping for costumes and putting together playlists and practice tracks, practice tracks, practice tracks. But today I got the sweetest gift from one of my students. She missed class last Monday because of Halloween so my employer suggested maybe writing her a note the studio could then send her via snail mail. Being an avid letter-writer and admirer of said snail mail, I thought this was a great idea and took him up on the suggestion. When my student, therefore, came into class today, the first thing she mentioned was that she got my letter, followed right after with, "So I wrote you one back."
AWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!! Honestly, my heart melted and soon I was a puddle. It's moments like these that make teaching so worth all the extra hours one puts into planning and keeping in contact and creating all those practice tracks.
Ah, now that the wine is chilled and the kubi is thawed, it's time for an update on the whole audition situation that went down last Tuesday. I wrote that blog post about how Wishbone saved the day and all that jazz. Turns out I was wrong. Wishbone did help in that brief moment but the person who really saved the day was Saint Joan herself. See, even after my Wishbone revelation and new-found commitment to positivity I was still having a hard time really sinking into the monologue I had chosen. As it was now the day before my audition, I was kind of in a panic as to what the heck I was going to do come Tuesday. But of course, I had to put any thoughts about it on hold because I had to get to work.
It was during this drive that a little voice from beneath my consciousness glided up into my thoughts and directed me toward a monologue I had not thought about or performed in ages: a monologue from Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw that I first learned for the RCM Speech Arts and Drama program approximately 10 years ago. No sooner had the thought popped into my head than I started reciting the lines, my memory near perfect. I forgot who I was. I forgot where I was going. All I knew was that in that moment I was Joan and she was me and we were in the moment together.
I cried. I knew then exactly what I had to do, as crazy as changing your audition pieces the night before is (and believe me this is so not what I would usually recommend to anyone I coach). Instead of cringing at the thought of doing something completely different than what I planned, however, I felt a sudden moment of peace, followed by excitement at the thought of performing that monologue, as well as the song I decided to switch to. This just helped further confirm the right decision, no matter how crazy.
The next day I was ready. I'd checked my lines to make sure I was 100% correct in my memory (I was), read the few scenes right before my monologue to review the context and stakes (man, did my theology studies sure help in that regard! Knowing why heresy is such a big deal was especially helpful), and sang my song along to the accompaniment. If all else failed, at least I was ready to have fun performing some pieces I absolutely love.
It was the right decision in the end. My audition wasn't perfect (at one point Don, the accompanist, and I got a tad lost in the music, but we bounced back quick enough) but it felt like me: fun, faith-filled, and positive. Daryl Cloran was very nice and I wish him all the best as he and the rest of The Citadel team work together to put together a smashing 2017/2018 season. And if I get a role somewhere in there, that would be good too!
So end the ramblings and the day (but not the wine! Come to mama!).
Joyanne :D