After costumes/make-up were added, I HAD to add to my original playlist, a little less for the songs themselves, than for the amazing women singing them - and their style in the corresponding videos.
Big hair, big shoulders. Oh, yeah!
Titus Andronicus opens tonight and I'm proud and excited! After costumes/make-up were added, I HAD to add to my original playlist, a little less for the songs themselves, than for the amazing women singing them - and their style in the corresponding videos. Big hair, big shoulders. Oh, yeah! Joan Jett & the Blackhearts - I Love Rock N RollTina Turner - We Don't Need Another HeroThe Babes With Blades Theatre Company marketing team is in a 'rebuilding' phase and this is the first show where we've had some fresh blood (heh heh!) and strong follow-through on ideas. It's not perfect, but there are new levels of accountability and sharing of responsibility. I'm now the Marketing Director and am hoping to put some plans in place that will be easy to replicate going forward but that's a long process and we won't know how well it goes until after it's done (or will we?). For now though - major props & shout out to the one and only Elyse Dawson. Elyse joined the Babes as an Artistic Associate shortly after our 2014 production of L'Imbecile and has been eager to help with marketing efforts. For Witch Slap!, fellow ensemble member Barb Lhota had created Tarot Cards for a meet the cast campaign on facebook (they were awesome and included a 'Which Tarot Card Are You?" type survey that had been going around facebook. After some brainstorming with the ensemble about the Titus Andronicus story and it's themes, we came up with the idea of Toe Tags for the cast announcement. Elyse put together a short questionnaire about the cast & their respective characters, including how they (might) die & their epitaph. The result was awesome: an image that is compelling along with information that whets the appetite for more - it's pretty well-known that Titus is Shakespeare's bloodiest play so reaffirming that our version would not be shying away from that reputation but that we'd also be finding that dark humor (what's your favorite pie?) that is also in the play. Then she threw out the idea for a trailer that involved a meat grinder! Why not play up the Grindhouse aspect of this play? We gathered some pie, some fake body parts, Jen Mickelson's teeth (yes, those are her real wisdom teeth saved from their extraction years prior!), a pork loin and a video camera. Then, she recruited her buddies at Ready Freddy Films to help with editing. Enjoy! (Oh, and book tix, while you can!) Animals - Maroon 5 The song made me think of the obsession & carnal-ness of Tamora, but then I saw the video and the blood pour and I knew this belonged on the playlist. P!nk - 'Cuz I Can Obviously this one is more for the lyrics of the song than the video... Fall Out Boy - Centuries And another one that seems to have created a video specifically for my interpretive needs! #TamoraRAWR may only be a thing in my head, but someone else created an art-form of Shakespearean characters and their #hashtags.
Kudos to Good Tickle Brain for being so clever & funny! I'm feeling good. Despite the scale number 'meaning' nothing, it does feel good that it's gone down recently. But what feels great is that starting yesterday, I feel taller. I'm not sure how else to explain it - I was walking to the grocery store (it was sunny yesterday, which helped with the energy levels a bit) and I had swum on my lunch. For some reason, my legs felt stronger, my torso felt longer and I just felt taller. When I was seated at my desk after the swim session, I found myself much less hunched forward than I usually am.
Probably it's the lengthening of my body for the front crawl stroke...which is great, because I've not been pushing myself too hard, so my stamina levels are a huge disappointment to me right now (15 minutes and fluctuating between 14 & 16 laps in that time is my current level). Feeling a difference in my body's physicality, even if it's not yet apparent in the way my clothes fit, has been good for me yesterday and today. Especially since today started the cravings...(This is the PMS section) There's something magical about being a woman. The female body is truly amazing and wonderful and I'm usually quite happy with my soul's choice at being a woman this time 'round. But damn, the menstruation cycle can be annoying. It took me years to figure it out - the term 'cycle' is misleading as it indicates some sort of regular thing, that is the same every time it comes around. It's not. Not even a little. Some things are similar and can be anticipated, though. For instance, I'm about a 4 days from my scheduled start time (sorry if that's TMI - but I did warn you) and I want to eat everything. I constantly have the munchies. I constantly feel full and still want to eat. It's a compulsion. I don't always have specific cravings (though sometimes it's anything sweet) but I do have that smoker's habit/oral fixation for needing to move my hand toward my mouth. The strength of the craving sensation is unpredictable, but the sensation itself is a pretty reliable part of my personal PMS. This is also the time that I start feeling lethargic. Real lethargic. I want to sleep all day - I have trouble physically keeping my eyes open. Some people get scatter-brained, I just zone out. I tend to sleep well through the night (thank God!) but still wake with no energy. (When I started feeling this way and it wasn't yet my period, I started worrying about health & such, but now I'm wondering if it's just my PMS adjusting as I age) As you can imagine, these two things are not conducive to my current #TamoraRAWR goals. I'm trying to remain positive and keep focused, while also being conscious of where I am physically and emotionally, and honoring what my body needs right now. I still went to the gym yesterday (I really DIDN'T want to!) and I bought grapes (if you're gonna snack, snack healthy, right?) and SnapPeas and when I 'feel' full, I'm doing my best to put the fork down. Tomorrow I'm hoping to hit a class at the gym for the first time in a long while - I may end up coming home & napping for longer than the class was, but damnit, I'm gonna work out first. I had a really good session of voice work today and I'm glad I'm prepping early for Tamora. It wasn't until last night that I felt good about my work in Hotel Aphrodite, and I know it's because I didn't do my major homework early enough in the process. After doing the homework, I felt a huge difference in my connection to the character and the style, but also in my confidence to play & have fun. Unfortunately, my creative juices and the 'aw fuck it' attitude that allows me to really let go don't usually show up until the few days after my period, so I guess we'll have to wait a little to see how crazy Fanny Tinderbox really might end up being...only time will tell. Patience is not a virtue I have. I've heard people talk of the "Runner's high" and the endorphin boost they get from working out...and I'm waiting for it. I know, I've only been working out 'steadily' for all of 4 days, but damn, I'm TIRED! Is it the rain? Is it my brain? #TamoraRAWR is mewing like a baby kitten right now. Image from the iGive facebook page - you can "like" it here.
#TamoraRAWR update - yesterday, my friend Shaun taught me an ab exercise series called 'the hundred' - I was able to do 80 during rehearsal last night (I forgot what the other exercise was!). Today, I'm going to the gym after sleeping in ridiculously late today - salad for lunch & buying more veggies for the Vitamix. Also debating the purchase of a sun-light to battle the sleepiness of the last few rainy days and the pending gloom of winter...
It's official - I've been cast as Tamora in Babes With Blades Theatre Company's upcoming production of Titus Andronicus.
And today was day one of what I'm calling #TamoraRAWR preparation. I turned 35 this year and my body decided to change on me - I've gained 5 pounds and I want it gone. I know what you're thinking - 5 pounds? Really? Here's the thing - I've always been fit, healthy, active, etc. Never super-skinny (though it does run in my family), but always on the thinner side. I turned 20 and moved to London for a year, where I quickly gained nearly 40 pounds (something about being fat & happy!) which freaked me out a little bit. Turns out my body wanted to keep about 20 of those pounds as I suddenly had breasts (I went from a 34B to a 34DD) and hips (baby got back!). I was 142 at my highest weight. Then, I started working out, eating better (cheap food = pasta which equals weight gain for me!) and settled at a comfortable 128 for the rest of my 20s. My 30th birthday came and I jumped, quite suddenly thanks to some fun new medication, to 135 (fluctuating, every few days or so, between 133 and 136, so I just claimed 135). Since turning 35, I'm now steadily back at 142 (and depending on the day, the scale, and if I'm wearing shoes, as high as 145). I've still been working out - at times with the goal of getting back to 135 pounds, at times with the goal of 'having more energy' and at times with the goal of 'I'm super stressed, I need to go sweat NOW!'. Now I have a new goal: I want to be Queen of the Goths. Tamora is a warrior. She is strong - and I want to be strong. I've already invested in the gym membership financially, but now I'm investing time, energy, and focus. Eyes on the prize. If I happen to shave those 5 pounds off in the process, yay me. (and yay not having to go clothes shopping cuz the jeans from last year ain't fittin' so good no more!) Also, I haven't received it yet, but I bought a "Nutrition Pack" from Arbonne that includes a 60 day supply of protein supplement, fiber supplement, and 40 energy drink packets...let's see if it makes a visible difference in the workout plan. #TamoROAR Day 1 - 16 laps in the LAFitness pool + 1 veggie & protein filled smoothie |
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September 2018
Kimberly Logan
This is my blog (aka: mind dump). For my full site, please visit www.ActorForHire.net Categories
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