Play is the THING!

 This is the lovely and talented cast of "Mr. Pim Passes By"; the excellent little piece of theatre written by A.A. Milne....who wrote Winnie the Pooh!! How wonderful is that?! Well the play is just as delightful and heartwarming as our childhood heroes of the Hundred Acre Wood.

I was very fortunate to jump on this bandwagon by way of being the assistant director; the director then asked if I would like to play the maid....I remember very clearly I was still cleaning houses at the time for my daily income...I looked at the sponge in my hand; I looked at the toilet I was about to clean; I almost cried while telling her I would love to be a part of the show.

 Now every show starts with a 'read-through.' This is multi-fold:

It gives the entire cast a chance to meet on equal terms.
Allows artistic leadership at the theatre to greet the cast and talk about their work.
Everyone sees things like costume renderings, set drawings, props etc...

In short everyone really gets a good feel for the show upon which they are about to embark.

Also we read the play. And that is usually the most exciting, most funny, most delightful version of the play you will ever experience....and sometimes they provide scrumptious snacks :)


Part-way through the rehearsal process I was so excited to say hello to one of my dear friends from college who also moved up to Seattle this year.

She has been an exemplary Assistant Stage Manager...but I already knew that about her! I've served under her Stage Management before and felt in very safe hands.

It's especially nice to have a familiar face mixing in with new friends in my first professional foray into acting.

This is what happens when we get into dress rehearsals.

I lug out make up kits....scrounge around for spare tweezers....clean, scrub, reorganize, etc, etc, etc....

....in the end I have one highly efficient, very organized make-up kit that I can take with me proudly to the theatre!

 I opened a show with this lovely lady and it was a wonderful feeling 

:)

Performances themselves feel like an entirely different show from rehearsals.

You're getting to know your fellow actors in new ways; you're playing with them onstage every night; you are getting to know yourself every night in a new way; you are wearing a freaking costume (I love mine to death...think downtown abbey) and you are doing something for a living that gives you life...

....at least it does me :)

If you're lucky, you have the best people at your side who agree to switch hats with you and take pictures of the event.

This amazing woman inspires me to be a well-rounded human being in addition to honing my craft. She has done so much and continues to live life with gusto and determination.

I love her.

Every night, after the show:
the wig comes off
the braids come out
the two pin curls on the top of my head come unspun
the costume is hung up
and this is something of what i look like>>


At the end of the day I can look back and say: "I've done a thing today. I've done a thing I love. I've done a thing I've chased after since freshman year of college. I've done a thing."

Because it's important to me to say that to myself. It's also important that I understand the good things that have happened.

One of the most special things I experienced with this show had nothing to do with my acting...nothing to do with the stage...with the makeup or costumes or writing of the play....

...it was having my siblings in the audience on a wednesday night. This was the first time for any of them to really see me act onstage.

 After that play, we went out for drinks and I just couldn't believe how blessed I am to have them. They are my favorites. And I love them dearly. 

It's wonderful to have outside anchors reminding me throughout the drama of theatre of who I am, what I want, where I've been, where I could go....

-Gin