Showing posts with label Christmas on the Air. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas on the Air. Show all posts

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Christmas on the Air update






Here's a little about my show. (We only have 11 performances left!)  It's been really fun to work with a small cast (5) and they are all so talented, really stunning people.  It is set at the Rosebud Opera House on Christmas Eve, 1949 as a live radio broadcast.  I'd love to show pictures from the show, but I don't have any yet.  Here's just a few from backstage.  Kendra is the assistant to the stage manager (Brad) and one of her many pre-show jobs is to do my hair as I can't seem to reach the back of my head once I've got my emerald silk dress on and I have to have it on before my hair is done because there's only a side zipper and a very small head opening in my dress and it ruins any hairdo. 
Paul (in the tux) is my husband and the main "chocolate" voice of the airwaves, Aaron plays our son, Danny, and Cari is "Kitty" in the red dress.  Deb plays the wonderful piano player "Sylvia" and she has a fun cooking show too.  I play "Yolanda" who is from Appeldorn, Holland and I do the show in a Dutch dialect.  I have a talk show called "Let's Be Frank" where I answer questions and concerns from my fans.  Otherwise, the show is chalk full of stories and songs, plus "off air" conversations and mishaps which provide a lot of fun for each audience.
Much as it's been tiring and stressful, I will be sad to see it close.  I've really enjoyed the company, the journey with the audience (at one point "the power goes out" and we have to sing by candlelight and the audience sings some carols along with us; I love the idea of that kind of simple collaboration), and I have discovered so much about my singing voice and overcome many hurdles each show.  I'm so thankful.  Dave has done a great job on the homefront, and I pitch in most free moments.  I'm so glad I did most of my Christmas shopping early.
I'll try and post a picture of Aaron and Brad and maybe one of us onstage soon.  Meanwhile, "Frolick Kerstfeest!"

Friday, December 5, 2008

Saturated




This week has been more about trying to get healthy and do the minimum of extras so I've done very little blogging.  I'm able to sing in the show fairly well, but it's strange.  Like singing over a constant trickle at the back of your throat.
I came home to Donovan crafting and Weston dancing in the window like a mouse, in his gorilla suit that is now two sizes too small.  (We're talking wedgie time.)  
Today in the show a woman asked during my "talk show" to tell the story behind the mistletoe, which I didn't know, so I made one up about a boy chasing a little girl to the oak tree and wanting to steal a kiss.  "No, no" she said, but he insisted, claiming that the special fungus (I should have called it lichen or something else, but oh well...) the "mistletoe" had a special magic that would allow him to kiss her and be her bride!  It was a bit silly, but once I launched into it I knew there was only one way to get through: go big!  It was fun.  Then in the evening show I had a difficult one where a man asked, "What are you doing after the show?"  A lot of people laughed and I said slyly, "I have plans...(pause) but if they don't work out, I'll let you know."  Paul pretended to get upset (my husband in the show) and then I said to the man, "I hope God grants you the desires of your heart" or something like that.  It was a tough pickle because I wanted to honor the story of Yolanda but also not shame the man who was brave enough to speak out.  Funny, how that one part of the show is the most changeable, the most exciting, terrifying, and the most... real.  It's always a gift because the audience knows they're in on something unique, just for them... but often no one asks.
Alysa (a student) came to our door over supper break and sang us a little Dutch song for Sinterklaas Day.  She brought a plate of goodies and wished us a happy Christmas.  That was sweet.  Alysa doesn't usually show up at our door.  She's beautiful and strong, but she doesn't quite know it.  She's on the cusp of a real breakthrough in terms of letting her soul spill through in her acting and in life.  I'm pleased.  I just hope she gets on it.  She could be a real leader in her class.  There's so many beautiful young women in our program right now, I'm afraid some may feel shadowed.  Hummm....
Greek class is winding up and the pressure is on for performance night with coaching too.  A lot of students (myself included) are still fatigued from the day in Calgary on Monday, and they have another concert at Rosebud Church with the choir this Sunday.  Busy times.
This is now Saturday morning as I'm finishing the blog I started yesterday, and my two little ones were squashed into a small car with their hats, mittens, stuffies, and swim trunks for a party at the pool in Drum.  Again... I could just weep as I waved goodbye.  Little Weston was snuggled into the middle in a booster seat.  I hate having them swim without me.  I love swimming, and I love seeing their glee and exuberance with the slide, the rope swing, or just splashing.  And of course, I worry about them in the change room, forgetting things, slipping... ---drowning... you know, all that kind of stuff, not to mention the roads were icy last night.  Marie says they salted them, which is good.
So yeah, at least I was able to stay home and nurse my cold a bit.  The oregano oil I choked down for my sinus infection is still burning my throat a bit, but I got to do some dishes and laundry and that will help Dave feel better too.
I wish I had time to weed through all our drawers (especially the boys) and pull out things we no longer use.  I still feel the weight of an unbalanced Christmas in our part of the world.  I like to give, but now my conscience is pricked with my consumerism.  I wish I could just buy crafts that artisans make, or make all my own gifts... better get on that now for next year, I guess.
I wish my blog could be more poetic more often.  These days it feels like a streamline of thoughts where my concerns surface, but I don't have enough perspective to draw bigger connections all the time.  I guess it reveals my state and this is what I have, and I'll trust that it is still better to share it.  At least it helps me clear my head so I can have eyes for grace when it appears, even in my weaker state.  Things like: Alysa at my door and new cozy red socks.   Hummmm