Sorry I haven't updated in a couple of days but I can fill you in very quickly.
Monday: Just rehearsal for HONK! Learned new songs, blocked new scenes, you know the drill. Theune came by quickly so I could give him a tour of the children's theatre. It was great being able to show him this theatre I have been working in for the past two months.
I went out for milkshakes with my friend Madison who just graduated from Grand Valley and lives (and is from) St. Paul. It was great talking about things from back home and hearing about each others lives in the Twin Cities.
Tuesday: I woke up with a super sore throat and just a queasy feeling so I called in sick to the internship and literally slept all day.
Wednesday: Woke up again not feeling the best so I called in again and slept all day. Very boring days. I hated missing my internship. Hated it!
Thursday: I made myself go to the internship, but it has been a hard day. Today was the runny nose, sore throat, and headache portion of my cold. It sucked but I was really glad to be back.
In the morning, at 7am, a good amount of us interns met at the theatre so we could all go out to breakfast before work. A surprising amount of interns showed up (9 out of 12ish). We had the best conversations and it was just great being around people since I had been stuck in my apartment for the past 2 days. I am really going to miss these people.
When I went to HONK! later the stage manager was super excited to see me (he is my age and a fellow intern). Ed greeted me the best ever...which still wasn't that great but I will take it! Some students asked me how I was feeling and seemed to miss me. But not that many and I didn't dwell on that for two long but tried instead to have a good time with them. At lunch we had a mini musical dance party so of thing and I did a little too much and exhausted myself. Oh well, it was fun. We pretty much have the whole show blocked, choreographed, and sung. Which only took less than two weeks, crazy. We just have a few things to clean up and then we will be ready for show week next week! We also have the majority of costumes and props. We are so ready for show week!
Today after the internship we had a resume workshop. Ellen Baker, who is the Production Manager of CTC, lead the workshop. She went through how to write an application letter, a resume, explained some important tips for interviewing, and gave us some employment resources. SO FRICKIN' AMAZING AND HELPFUL!!! She is the person in charge at CTC of hiring the majority of the staff so she knows her shit. She gave us two guides: one for designers, stage managers, administration, and technical theatre staff and one for actors. She then took our resumes to look over to correct and to help make them more powerful. So I should be getting my resume back with helpful tips from the Production Manager of one of the top children's theatres in America!!! What an awesome opportunity. That was the main reason why I went to the internship today because I knew this would be important. Too bad I snuffled through the whole thing, it was worth it though.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Day 49
Today was an awesome day. Today was "spend the day with the Theune family". The Theunes are here from Michigan on their vacation, going to the Mall of America, of course, and visiting me.
We first went to the Mall of America aquarium where we got FREE tickets because I knew one of the people that work there (he is an intern at CTC). THANK YOU CHRIS! So that was great, we went knowing that Chris was going to give us 50% off but then a manager or someone was there by him and said "Oh you're with Chris? Then you get your tickets for free." It was awesome.
The aquarium was amazing. I think the best part about it was reminding myself that it was in a mall! Here are some pictures:
We first went to the Mall of America aquarium where we got FREE tickets because I knew one of the people that work there (he is an intern at CTC). THANK YOU CHRIS! So that was great, we went knowing that Chris was going to give us 50% off but then a manager or someone was there by him and said "Oh you're with Chris? Then you get your tickets for free." It was awesome.
The aquarium was amazing. I think the best part about it was reminding myself that it was in a mall! Here are some pictures:
We then went to the Theme Park in the Mall of America and rode a couple of rides. The girls rode a swing ride and then the twins, Nikki and I went on a roller coaster. It was really fun. Oh and then we met Spongebob, my favorite Nickelodeon character. I wasn't excited at all. :P
Then we all went to Como Zoo in St. Paul. Which is a FREE zoo and it was pretty awesome for being so. More pictures:
Then after the zoo, we went out to dinner in Downtown Minneapolis (after the girls insisted that they see my apartment, of course :] ). We went to Brit's Pub. And I had my first alcoholic drink with my favorite teacher/director/mentor/etc and his wonderful wife. He just sent me this picture.
It was an awesome day with a truly awesome family. These people are a blast! Have a safe trip to Packer Land and then back home to West Michigan Theunes!!!
Also tomorrow Theune is coming to CTC to see where I work. I am going to give him a quick tour. It's going to be awesome showing him this amazing place I have been working at this summer.
Also I am having coffee after the internship tomorrow with my friend Madison who just graduated from GVSU and lives in St. Paul. I haven't seen her all summer and it is going to be great to catch up.
Such a wonderful, wonderful day. :) I am definitely going to bed early tonight.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Theatre Games
Thought I would make a list of all the new theatre games I have learned so far. I took them from other interns and teachers, so feel free to take as well. :)
- "Vampire"- There is one person who is the vampire. The whole group, including the vampire, has their eyes closed. Everyone moves slowly around the room. (There should be some people, the teachers, with their eyes open making sure no one runs into anything). The vampire finds people and taps them 3 times on the shoulders with both hands. The person they tapped must wait 3 seconds, scream and then fall to the ground and then wait another 3 seconds and become a vampire as well. If 2 vampires tap each other, they say, "Num, num, num" and move on. When everyone becomes a vampire, the game is done. Played with: High schoolers.
- "Bus Stop"- One person at a time sits at the bus stop (can be a bench or whatever). Another person comes up and improvs a way to get the bus stop bench from the first person. It is usually something awkward so the first person will run away. This is a fast paced game. So if the first person shouldn't wait until they feel super uncomfortable to left the bus stop but when the second person does the first awkward thing. Played with: High Schoolers.
- "Zip, Zap, Zop"- Like "Zip, Zap, Zoom". You pass the word around, one word at a time, by pointing your handing out in front of you like you are praying and make eye contact with the person you are passing it to. I have also played where on the Zop you can yell "Sea Monkeys" and the group has to yell "Unite". Played with: High Schoolers and 4th-6th Graders.
- "Footstepper"- The group spreads out equally in the space. One person is the leader. The leader jumps and everyone needs to jump at the same time as them. If not, they're out. When jumping the leader can step on other people's feet to get them out. After the leader jumps, he/she then points to another person and they become the jumper leader. Once the group gets a hand at the game, the goal is to work as a team to get to only one person in only a minute. Played with: 4th-6th graders.
- "Falling Numbers"- Everyone gets a number. There is one leader who calls out a number (I suggest using a piece of paper to write down the numbers because when the numbers get out, it's hard to remember who is in and who is out). The leader calls out numbers, and whoever is that number needs to start to fall down, the rest of the group tries to catch them. If the person falls to the floor they are out, if they are saved, they get to stay in. Played with: 4th-6th graders. (this is one of my favorites).
- "Honey I Love You"- One person is it. That person goes around the circle asking "Honey if you love me will you please please smile?" The other person needs to say "Honey, I love you but I just can't smile." If the second person smiles they are the new "it". If they don't smile, the "it" goes to another person. They can do whatever they want vocally and physically but they cannot touch the other person. Played with: All ages.
- "Doggy Where's Your Bone"-A person sits in a chair with a "bone" underneath them (the bone can be anything). The rest of the group sits in a circle around the "dog". The group goes one at a time to slowly try to steal the bone without the "dog" noticing (the "dog" has his/her eyes closed). If the "dog" thinks someone is or has taken their "bone" they must say stop and guess who has taken it.
Those are all the games I have written down! I know there are more. I will probably make another list soon.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Day 47
Today was not as an eventful day as yesterday but it was still a good day.
I seem to be back on Debra's good side. She complained to me about the show she is directing (Assassins, which is the 5 week Senior intensive) for more than 5 minutes. I enjoyed it though. I then asked her if on the Monday of the week I leave to go back to Michigan, if I could sit in on her rehearsal for the whole day, and she said "Duh, you can come in anytime you want." Frickin' love her. I just am dying to see how she directs.
When I got upstairs...I was late (since I was talking to Debra). So the group were already working on learning some songs. When we transitioned into blocking some more scenes, E came up and thanked me for yesterday. I asked her if she was feeling better and she said yes. Poor girl. But she seemed really excited to be back. And seriously this was a bonding experience, she is one of my favorites now...if I can have favorites. :)
We have blocked about half of the show!!! The students' homework for the weekend is to memorize their parts for that half of the show. Next week we will finish blocking the show, and I am sure, start doing some run throughs.
Lunch was so successful today!!! We did a scavenger hunt and it caught all of the rowdy boys' attentions. So good thing to know for the future...if you have a lot of rowdy 4th-6th grade boys to entertain give them something that will occupy all their attention, something that is very organized. It seems very obvious now. :)
I have decided to stay on HONK! for the rest of my time here. No other camps or half days. I really like what we are accomplishing with this camp and the students are fun and incredibly talented. The only negative is I can't figure out what Ed wants from me. My plan is to ask him, again, straight up. He is just very independent with his directing that he has a harder time giving me things to do. So I am going to try to just start doing more without him telling me. Like taking certain actors into the hall and running lines or something. I am also going to talk to Sean to see what he thinks, if he has any advice. I just know Ed is a wonderful director and I want to learn his secrets...but he has a hard time telling people what they are! So I need to work harder to get them. :)
I have a great weekend planned for me! The Theunes are coming to the Twin Cities area tomorrow afternoon!!! We are going to go see Annie Jr. at a local theatre and maybe some other things. Sunday we are going to the Mall of America! I am so excited they are letting me be involved in their vacation. I am very excited to see them all. Have a great night, y'all!!!
I seem to be back on Debra's good side. She complained to me about the show she is directing (Assassins, which is the 5 week Senior intensive) for more than 5 minutes. I enjoyed it though. I then asked her if on the Monday of the week I leave to go back to Michigan, if I could sit in on her rehearsal for the whole day, and she said "Duh, you can come in anytime you want." Frickin' love her. I just am dying to see how she directs.
When I got upstairs...I was late (since I was talking to Debra). So the group were already working on learning some songs. When we transitioned into blocking some more scenes, E came up and thanked me for yesterday. I asked her if she was feeling better and she said yes. Poor girl. But she seemed really excited to be back. And seriously this was a bonding experience, she is one of my favorites now...if I can have favorites. :)
We have blocked about half of the show!!! The students' homework for the weekend is to memorize their parts for that half of the show. Next week we will finish blocking the show, and I am sure, start doing some run throughs.
Lunch was so successful today!!! We did a scavenger hunt and it caught all of the rowdy boys' attentions. So good thing to know for the future...if you have a lot of rowdy 4th-6th grade boys to entertain give them something that will occupy all their attention, something that is very organized. It seems very obvious now. :)
I have decided to stay on HONK! for the rest of my time here. No other camps or half days. I really like what we are accomplishing with this camp and the students are fun and incredibly talented. The only negative is I can't figure out what Ed wants from me. My plan is to ask him, again, straight up. He is just very independent with his directing that he has a harder time giving me things to do. So I am going to try to just start doing more without him telling me. Like taking certain actors into the hall and running lines or something. I am also going to talk to Sean to see what he thinks, if he has any advice. I just know Ed is a wonderful director and I want to learn his secrets...but he has a hard time telling people what they are! So I need to work harder to get them. :)
I have a great weekend planned for me! The Theunes are coming to the Twin Cities area tomorrow afternoon!!! We are going to go see Annie Jr. at a local theatre and maybe some other things. Sunday we are going to the Mall of America! I am so excited they are letting me be involved in their vacation. I am very excited to see them all. Have a great night, y'all!!!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Day 46: One for the books
Today was a crazy day. Crazy but interesting and good.
The following post is only suited for mature audiences. Thank you very much.
This morning I walked in to a girl (very pretty...barbie doll type, one of my students) telling me that her stomach was hurting her and she just wanted to let me know. I told her to take as many breaks as she needed throughout rehearsal, but just to let us know. About 5 minutes later she came up to me and said that she was feeling worse and that she wanted to call her mom because her mom would know what to do. So we went downstairs and she called her mom. She cried while telling her mom that she wasn't feeling well. But the mom seemed not to be able to pick her up right away and told her to try to stay.
So I took (let's call her E) E to the green room to lay down. I got her some water and a cold compress for her head. I then went back and told Sean and Debra what was going on. Sean asked me if E might be feeling bad about the role she was cast and that maybe this upset stomach was from that. I said no, I thought she was happy with her role. I also said that E thought it might be from something she ate. Then Debra looked at me and asked if it might be her period. That she is old enough to be starting it for the first time (E is 13 years old). I first thought that this couldn't be the answer. Debra asked me if I wanted to ask E. I said that I probably could but that I might be a little blunt about it and this is obviously a sensitive situation. So Debra asked E where her stomach pain was, and E pointed to her lower belly....where most girls have cramps. Debra then asked her if she has ever had her period and E said no. Debra then said that this may be her period and that if she needed anything, like supplies, she could just ask me. Debra left and I tried to distract E by talking to her. She was wiggling a lot and was in obvious pain. Then she asked for the trash...so she could vomit in it. I gave her my hair tie and rubbed her back. I also told her it was okay after she told me sorry and that she didn't have to be embarrassed.
After that she went to the bathroom a lot...it seemed to be to check if she had gotten her period yet. In the meantime, Sean came down to ask if she wanted some Sprite or some crackers. E didn't seem to care, so since Sean is so frickin' nice and cares for kids, he got her some anyway.
After she vomited, she called her mom, and her mom said someone would be there soon. Someone got there a hour later.
After the many bathroom trips, E told me she needed the trash again...and again we repeated the vomit game.
Then finally after the millionth bathroom trip, E came out and announced to me, that there was blood. I told her I would be back with a pad asap. So I jogged down to Sean's office and told him that I needed a pad (my backpack was upstairs...so I couldn't get any of mine). Sean said we could get one from the machine...but we didn't have charge. So I found another female intern and asked her for one. And of course she had one. I gave the pad to E and made sure she knew how to use it...not really that hard. After she went to the bathroom again, Sean came down the hall and announced to me that he had "stuff" for me. I looked in his hand and he had a tampon and pad from the machine. :D He was really proud that he had figured out that he has a key to the machine. I love this man.
When E came out of the bathroom she had calmed down quite a bit. Since she now understood that she wasn't dying. She then took a nap. I sat by her reading a magazine. Later she woke up and asked me some questions about being a woman aka will cramps always be like this and will they last forever?!?
Then soon after someone came for her. That person was her wide-eyed step father who was just recently filled in by Sean. What a whole nightmare of a situation for E. :(
E and I went upstairs quick to get her stuff. I then told her that I would have supplies tomorrow if she needed any and that she should not be embarrassed to ask because all girls ask each other for them. Then I told her that when she gets home she needed to take some meds and take a nap. I felt so bad for her. She had such horrible cramps... I don't think I have ever had any that bad.
Later Sean said to me that I handled the situation really well. He also mentioned that this was probably the most important job I have had to do here at CTC so far. Which I have to agree. This girl will remember this traumatic situation for the rest of her life and it was important that there was someone there like me to handle the situation in a positive and respectful way. It's interesting the things you learn that's aren't theatre related on a children's theatre internship. :) But I am thankful this experience. I can now add to my resume: Can deal with females just starting period. :P
After this situation, in another classroom, a teacher accidentally hit a kid in the face. She was gesturing and the kid somehow got behind her and she hit him. He started screaming. His lip was cut over and there was lots of blood.
So Sean's joke for the day: "It was a bloody day." :D I seriously enjoy this man so much.
There were some other minor things that happened in my class...minor injuries but not as important. But the lesson for today was that there was some fucking shit going on.
Lunch was better today. We decided to let them play tag. Which wore the students out and made their afternoon teachers thank us...so we should probably do it tomorrow too.
I had another production meeting for HONK! after the internship today. Nothing too much going on. It was just great to be included and able to see how a professional production meeting is run.
After everything today, I went out with some intern friends: Logan, Lynn, and Melanie out for dinner and to see Little Shop of Horrors. It was a really great evening with great friends and a good show. This was my first time seeing Little Shop, and I have to say that I wasn't disappointed. We are hopefully all going to explore the Mississippi River/St. Paul next week. I can't wait.
Now, I have to get to bed, since it is late here. But I'll write tomorrow of course. Miss all my Michigan friends and family, but I will be home soon enough.
The following post is only suited for mature audiences. Thank you very much.
This morning I walked in to a girl (very pretty...barbie doll type, one of my students) telling me that her stomach was hurting her and she just wanted to let me know. I told her to take as many breaks as she needed throughout rehearsal, but just to let us know. About 5 minutes later she came up to me and said that she was feeling worse and that she wanted to call her mom because her mom would know what to do. So we went downstairs and she called her mom. She cried while telling her mom that she wasn't feeling well. But the mom seemed not to be able to pick her up right away and told her to try to stay.
So I took (let's call her E) E to the green room to lay down. I got her some water and a cold compress for her head. I then went back and told Sean and Debra what was going on. Sean asked me if E might be feeling bad about the role she was cast and that maybe this upset stomach was from that. I said no, I thought she was happy with her role. I also said that E thought it might be from something she ate. Then Debra looked at me and asked if it might be her period. That she is old enough to be starting it for the first time (E is 13 years old). I first thought that this couldn't be the answer. Debra asked me if I wanted to ask E. I said that I probably could but that I might be a little blunt about it and this is obviously a sensitive situation. So Debra asked E where her stomach pain was, and E pointed to her lower belly....where most girls have cramps. Debra then asked her if she has ever had her period and E said no. Debra then said that this may be her period and that if she needed anything, like supplies, she could just ask me. Debra left and I tried to distract E by talking to her. She was wiggling a lot and was in obvious pain. Then she asked for the trash...so she could vomit in it. I gave her my hair tie and rubbed her back. I also told her it was okay after she told me sorry and that she didn't have to be embarrassed.
After that she went to the bathroom a lot...it seemed to be to check if she had gotten her period yet. In the meantime, Sean came down to ask if she wanted some Sprite or some crackers. E didn't seem to care, so since Sean is so frickin' nice and cares for kids, he got her some anyway.
After she vomited, she called her mom, and her mom said someone would be there soon. Someone got there a hour later.
After the many bathroom trips, E told me she needed the trash again...and again we repeated the vomit game.
Then finally after the millionth bathroom trip, E came out and announced to me, that there was blood. I told her I would be back with a pad asap. So I jogged down to Sean's office and told him that I needed a pad (my backpack was upstairs...so I couldn't get any of mine). Sean said we could get one from the machine...but we didn't have charge. So I found another female intern and asked her for one. And of course she had one. I gave the pad to E and made sure she knew how to use it...not really that hard. After she went to the bathroom again, Sean came down the hall and announced to me that he had "stuff" for me. I looked in his hand and he had a tampon and pad from the machine. :D He was really proud that he had figured out that he has a key to the machine. I love this man.
When E came out of the bathroom she had calmed down quite a bit. Since she now understood that she wasn't dying. She then took a nap. I sat by her reading a magazine. Later she woke up and asked me some questions about being a woman aka will cramps always be like this and will they last forever?!?
Then soon after someone came for her. That person was her wide-eyed step father who was just recently filled in by Sean. What a whole nightmare of a situation for E. :(
E and I went upstairs quick to get her stuff. I then told her that I would have supplies tomorrow if she needed any and that she should not be embarrassed to ask because all girls ask each other for them. Then I told her that when she gets home she needed to take some meds and take a nap. I felt so bad for her. She had such horrible cramps... I don't think I have ever had any that bad.
Later Sean said to me that I handled the situation really well. He also mentioned that this was probably the most important job I have had to do here at CTC so far. Which I have to agree. This girl will remember this traumatic situation for the rest of her life and it was important that there was someone there like me to handle the situation in a positive and respectful way. It's interesting the things you learn that's aren't theatre related on a children's theatre internship. :) But I am thankful this experience. I can now add to my resume: Can deal with females just starting period. :P
After this situation, in another classroom, a teacher accidentally hit a kid in the face. She was gesturing and the kid somehow got behind her and she hit him. He started screaming. His lip was cut over and there was lots of blood.
So Sean's joke for the day: "It was a bloody day." :D I seriously enjoy this man so much.
There were some other minor things that happened in my class...minor injuries but not as important. But the lesson for today was that there was some fucking shit going on.
Lunch was better today. We decided to let them play tag. Which wore the students out and made their afternoon teachers thank us...so we should probably do it tomorrow too.
I had another production meeting for HONK! after the internship today. Nothing too much going on. It was just great to be included and able to see how a professional production meeting is run.
After everything today, I went out with some intern friends: Logan, Lynn, and Melanie out for dinner and to see Little Shop of Horrors. It was a really great evening with great friends and a good show. This was my first time seeing Little Shop, and I have to say that I wasn't disappointed. We are hopefully all going to explore the Mississippi River/St. Paul next week. I can't wait.
Now, I have to get to bed, since it is late here. But I'll write tomorrow of course. Miss all my Michigan friends and family, but I will be home soon enough.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Day 45
3 weeks today and I will be making my way back home. This internship has really gone fast.
Not too much to report about HONK! Just learning songs and dances, and blocking scenes. The biggest thing I did today was work with the cats by splitting up their lines (the cat is usually played by one person, but in our show we are having two) and then reading through it with them. This was really fun and exactly what I want to be doing. Helping the actors with their parts. These actors had a great idea about their cats...they want one to be smart and one to be dumb. So we were discussing how to make these lines fit those descriptions. I loved it. I told Ed at the end of class that I really enjoyed this and would love to do more of that kind of work. Ed said he would try but that their wouldn't be that many opportunities for it....grrrrr. I am getting sick of turning music on and off, making copies, watching him teach the cast how to act and dance, and etc. I know it comes with the intern territory....but it can get kind of boring sometimes. BUT I do really love watching the students work though, that is very entertaining and Ed is very good at what he does. I just hate having to shush the students that are not onstage. That is not fun at all. Oh well, there are always going to be ups and downs to being an intern.
Lunch went better today...but not very much. We started off playing Wax Museum, which is a stupid game in my opinion but the kids really enjoy it. But it's a game where people get out and then can't play anymore. So the kids that weren't playing anymore were running and screaming around the room. So I switched the game to a game called People, Trees, Storms that I learned at Grand Valley. It was much more successful. It didn't exclude any students and it had the students running....the goal was to try to get some of the energy out. I think we are going to play this game tomorrow as well since it was so successful. Yay! Even though we had so much success with the game, there were still students that didn't want to play but instead wanted to run around the room...it was very distracting. Oh well, can't win them all.
After the internship I went out for coffee with Melanie who is a new intern from Memphis. It was very nice chatting with her. And I had been craving an iced chai ALL FRICKIN' DAY!
Mostly likely tomorrow, a group of interns and I are going to see the musical Little Shop of Horrors. I have never seen this show but I have always wanted to. Anna, who was a teacher I worked with last week, is the director of this show. I am really excited to have an "intern outing" and to see another show.
Not too much to report about HONK! Just learning songs and dances, and blocking scenes. The biggest thing I did today was work with the cats by splitting up their lines (the cat is usually played by one person, but in our show we are having two) and then reading through it with them. This was really fun and exactly what I want to be doing. Helping the actors with their parts. These actors had a great idea about their cats...they want one to be smart and one to be dumb. So we were discussing how to make these lines fit those descriptions. I loved it. I told Ed at the end of class that I really enjoyed this and would love to do more of that kind of work. Ed said he would try but that their wouldn't be that many opportunities for it....grrrrr. I am getting sick of turning music on and off, making copies, watching him teach the cast how to act and dance, and etc. I know it comes with the intern territory....but it can get kind of boring sometimes. BUT I do really love watching the students work though, that is very entertaining and Ed is very good at what he does. I just hate having to shush the students that are not onstage. That is not fun at all. Oh well, there are always going to be ups and downs to being an intern.
Lunch went better today...but not very much. We started off playing Wax Museum, which is a stupid game in my opinion but the kids really enjoy it. But it's a game where people get out and then can't play anymore. So the kids that weren't playing anymore were running and screaming around the room. So I switched the game to a game called People, Trees, Storms that I learned at Grand Valley. It was much more successful. It didn't exclude any students and it had the students running....the goal was to try to get some of the energy out. I think we are going to play this game tomorrow as well since it was so successful. Yay! Even though we had so much success with the game, there were still students that didn't want to play but instead wanted to run around the room...it was very distracting. Oh well, can't win them all.
After the internship I went out for coffee with Melanie who is a new intern from Memphis. It was very nice chatting with her. And I had been craving an iced chai ALL FRICKIN' DAY!
Mostly likely tomorrow, a group of interns and I are going to see the musical Little Shop of Horrors. I have never seen this show but I have always wanted to. Anna, who was a teacher I worked with last week, is the director of this show. I am really excited to have an "intern outing" and to see another show.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Day 44
Today was audition day.
They reviewed some songs in the morning, then did their audition song for Ed and Victor (vocal coach). These kids are seriously talented. This was one of the least painful singing auditions I have ever been to. It was fun listening to all the different types of voices.
Later in the morning they did some scene work...which was also part of the audition. Again it was fun watching them all. Very fun.
I had to go downstairs to do lunch with the younger kids. (Which takes really important bonding time away from my HONK! group...but next week I will be able to have lunch with them, so no worries). The kids downstairs were crazy and wild today. We tried to lead some games and it was kind of successful... The kids who were playing the games seemed to kind of be into it. But the kids who didn't want to play with us...were kind of a distraction. Tomorrow we are kind of giving in and playing a game that all the kids seem to want to play. It's kind of a mystery game...but not really.
After lunch, my HONK! students reviewed some dances and then had their dance auditions. Seriously I am so impressed by their dancing. SO GOOD. And they learn so quickly.
Then they did some "call backs" and some students had to do some more singing and scenes.
Then Ed, Victor and Mackenzie (choreographer) left. Leaving Sam (stage manager) and me in charge. We played some games with them. We played "Kitty Wants A Corner", "Honey If You Love Me", and "Party Quirks". So lots of fun games (If you want to know how any of these games work let me know!)
Then Ed, Victor and Mackenzie came back and sat the students down in a circle and told them their roles. Which was cool but sad at the same time because I then got to see the excitement of the students when they got the role they wanted and the disappointment when the students didn't get the part they wanted. There was a little boy who kept repeating over and over that he could believe he got the part he got...he seemed to be really disappointed about it. Most of the other students kept to themselves. But I could read their faces of course. It is hard to keep those kinds of feeling to yourself: excitement and disappointment.
After work I walked out and realized how hot it was. I looked later on weather.com and it said the temperature was 96 degrees but felt like 120 degrees. Soooooooo gross. So an intern offered to drive me home. Thank God for nice people!
They reviewed some songs in the morning, then did their audition song for Ed and Victor (vocal coach). These kids are seriously talented. This was one of the least painful singing auditions I have ever been to. It was fun listening to all the different types of voices.
Later in the morning they did some scene work...which was also part of the audition. Again it was fun watching them all. Very fun.
I had to go downstairs to do lunch with the younger kids. (Which takes really important bonding time away from my HONK! group...but next week I will be able to have lunch with them, so no worries). The kids downstairs were crazy and wild today. We tried to lead some games and it was kind of successful... The kids who were playing the games seemed to kind of be into it. But the kids who didn't want to play with us...were kind of a distraction. Tomorrow we are kind of giving in and playing a game that all the kids seem to want to play. It's kind of a mystery game...but not really.
After lunch, my HONK! students reviewed some dances and then had their dance auditions. Seriously I am so impressed by their dancing. SO GOOD. And they learn so quickly.
Then they did some "call backs" and some students had to do some more singing and scenes.
Then Ed, Victor and Mackenzie (choreographer) left. Leaving Sam (stage manager) and me in charge. We played some games with them. We played "Kitty Wants A Corner", "Honey If You Love Me", and "Party Quirks". So lots of fun games (If you want to know how any of these games work let me know!)
Then Ed, Victor and Mackenzie came back and sat the students down in a circle and told them their roles. Which was cool but sad at the same time because I then got to see the excitement of the students when they got the role they wanted and the disappointment when the students didn't get the part they wanted. There was a little boy who kept repeating over and over that he could believe he got the part he got...he seemed to be really disappointed about it. Most of the other students kept to themselves. But I could read their faces of course. It is hard to keep those kinds of feeling to yourself: excitement and disappointment.
After work I walked out and realized how hot it was. I looked later on weather.com and it said the temperature was 96 degrees but felt like 120 degrees. Soooooooo gross. So an intern offered to drive me home. Thank God for nice people!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Day 43
It's very hot here. Yucky. But thank God my apartment AND CTC are air conditioned. Just walking from the apartment to CTC and later in the day back to the apartment, were enough to really get me sweating.
Today I started the 3 week intensive for middle schoolers. These kids are really talented. Seriously. We sang through some of the songs, and they picked them up really quickly AND sounded good. Then we learned some dances (which I had to participate in) and they picked up on the dances also really quickly...whereas I, did not. :) Dancing is one of my goals this year to work on more...if that means taking a class at GVSU or really listening to Ed when he teaches us these dances, I will do it. Ed is really talented. He went away for about a half a hour to a hour and choreographed a whole dance and then came back and remembered it enough to teach the kids....plus his dance moves are really impressive. He is so talented and knows what the hell he is doing.
Dancing was really the most I did. Other than making copies, taping the floor (this is when you tape what the real stage is going to be like on the rehearsal floor and what kinds of things will be on stage so the actors will get use to the area they will have), and other intern like things. I also did a lot of watching, which was fun, since these students really know what they are doing. And if they don't know what they are doing, then they still try. It's going to be a really impressive 3 weeks.
Tomorrow afternoon we are holding auditions for their roles. They had auditions to get into the show in April but waited until now to give them their parts. So today, we tried for an ensemble feel which we will have in a lot of the show. This is nice so everyone felt good about getting into the show, but no one felt like shit because they didn't get the part they wanted etc. But now they will know each other a little bit more and know where Ed is going with the show. So hopefully the rejection won't be as hard...but we'll see.
I lead lunch today with Briana. This meant that I had to go all the way to the basement (my class is on the 4th floor again!) and eat lunch with the little kiddies and then take them into the dance studio and entertain them. Today we played a game called Sandman. This game is like Assassins, if you know that game. A sandman is secretly picked by me (students close their eyes, and I tap one of their heads). Then the students go around greeting each other, by shaking each others hands. When the sandman greets someone, she/he needs to wink at them. The person who got winked at then needs to count to 5 and then fall to sleep (lay down on the floor). The players need to try to figure out who is the sandman. If they want to guess who it is, they need to yell out STOP! If they guess wrongly, they "go to sleep". It was kind of a successful day. It really didn't keep their attention for 30 minutes though...so next time (tomorrow) we are going to do two games instead of one.
After the internship I stayed at CTC and helped out Ritchy. Ritchy also is a costume/wardrobe person (he was the education assistant who took over for that sick teacher). He has worked in wardrobe for about 10 years. He is doing costumes for the show Anything Goes at a neighboring theatre. I offered my help a week ago and he took it. Especially since his first dress is tomorrow and he still has a lot to do. So I stay there for about 2 hours and sewed a lot of snaps. Which is a pain in the ass job but I know Ritchy appreciated it. It was my good deed for the day. :)
Today I started the 3 week intensive for middle schoolers. These kids are really talented. Seriously. We sang through some of the songs, and they picked them up really quickly AND sounded good. Then we learned some dances (which I had to participate in) and they picked up on the dances also really quickly...whereas I, did not. :) Dancing is one of my goals this year to work on more...if that means taking a class at GVSU or really listening to Ed when he teaches us these dances, I will do it. Ed is really talented. He went away for about a half a hour to a hour and choreographed a whole dance and then came back and remembered it enough to teach the kids....plus his dance moves are really impressive. He is so talented and knows what the hell he is doing.
Dancing was really the most I did. Other than making copies, taping the floor (this is when you tape what the real stage is going to be like on the rehearsal floor and what kinds of things will be on stage so the actors will get use to the area they will have), and other intern like things. I also did a lot of watching, which was fun, since these students really know what they are doing. And if they don't know what they are doing, then they still try. It's going to be a really impressive 3 weeks.
Tomorrow afternoon we are holding auditions for their roles. They had auditions to get into the show in April but waited until now to give them their parts. So today, we tried for an ensemble feel which we will have in a lot of the show. This is nice so everyone felt good about getting into the show, but no one felt like shit because they didn't get the part they wanted etc. But now they will know each other a little bit more and know where Ed is going with the show. So hopefully the rejection won't be as hard...but we'll see.
I lead lunch today with Briana. This meant that I had to go all the way to the basement (my class is on the 4th floor again!) and eat lunch with the little kiddies and then take them into the dance studio and entertain them. Today we played a game called Sandman. This game is like Assassins, if you know that game. A sandman is secretly picked by me (students close their eyes, and I tap one of their heads). Then the students go around greeting each other, by shaking each others hands. When the sandman greets someone, she/he needs to wink at them. The person who got winked at then needs to count to 5 and then fall to sleep (lay down on the floor). The players need to try to figure out who is the sandman. If they want to guess who it is, they need to yell out STOP! If they guess wrongly, they "go to sleep". It was kind of a successful day. It really didn't keep their attention for 30 minutes though...so next time (tomorrow) we are going to do two games instead of one.
After the internship I stayed at CTC and helped out Ritchy. Ritchy also is a costume/wardrobe person (he was the education assistant who took over for that sick teacher). He has worked in wardrobe for about 10 years. He is doing costumes for the show Anything Goes at a neighboring theatre. I offered my help a week ago and he took it. Especially since his first dress is tomorrow and he still has a lot to do. So I stay there for about 2 hours and sewed a lot of snaps. Which is a pain in the ass job but I know Ritchy appreciated it. It was my good deed for the day. :)
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Day 42
The last few days have been pretty awesome.
Thursday Night: I saw Harry Potter with a couple of friends and it was incredible! Such a great ending to the series and my childhood. I will read these books to my children and I will also continue to read them to myself over and over again. Yes, they are just that good.
Friday: Showings went really well. Morning was okay...still kind of chaotic but the students performed, the parents enjoyed it, and that's all that matters. Afternoon was just awesome. They sang and danced to 4 songs ("Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis, "Hard Knock Life" from Annie, "Monkey Around" from Seussical the Musical, and "So Long, Farewell" from Sound of Music.) They did so well, and you could tell they were having fun. It was very sad to say good bye to all of my k-3rd graders. I think this is one of my favorite groups to work with. So loving and so much fun.
Next week I start the 3 week intensive of Honk! with middle schoolers which is also one of my favorite groups to work with. I already have the songs in my head just because I listened to the cd once or twice. The songs are quite catchy.
Saturday: I went out to eat with two intern friends. We went to a bar type restaurant and I had my second drink as a 21 year old...I suck at drinking...but I try. We picked a really bad restaurant because the Twins game was going on at the same time and this restaurant was right next door to the Target center where they play. And of course the people I were going with were running late (one got lost and the other couldn't find a parking spot) so I stood in front of the restaurant while hundreds of Twins fans passed by me for a good 20 minutes. It was actually some very nice people watching. Also I got hit on...which was entertaining and the guy was actually kind of cute. :) After dinner we went to see Harry Potter! Yay! for me it was the second time and for the other girls it was the first. It was just as good as the first time. This time I wasn't so emotional so I caught a few more things during the movie.
Sunday: Today I am doing nothing. I actually slept in until about 11:30am. I couldn't believe it but it was really nice. I may go on a walk soon, since it looks really nice outside.
Next weekend my high school director/teacher and his family (The Theunes!) are coming here for their vacation to go to the Mall of America! So we are going to hopefully see a show together and go out for dinner. It will be really nice to see them and have some people I really know here to hang out with. I cannot wait to see them all. Have a safe trip Theunes!
3 more weeks here and then back to Michigan. I am excited about going home but sad that my time here is almost done. There is still a lot I want to do here before I go. One being seeing more shows.
Thursday Night: I saw Harry Potter with a couple of friends and it was incredible! Such a great ending to the series and my childhood. I will read these books to my children and I will also continue to read them to myself over and over again. Yes, they are just that good.
Friday: Showings went really well. Morning was okay...still kind of chaotic but the students performed, the parents enjoyed it, and that's all that matters. Afternoon was just awesome. They sang and danced to 4 songs ("Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis, "Hard Knock Life" from Annie, "Monkey Around" from Seussical the Musical, and "So Long, Farewell" from Sound of Music.) They did so well, and you could tell they were having fun. It was very sad to say good bye to all of my k-3rd graders. I think this is one of my favorite groups to work with. So loving and so much fun.
Next week I start the 3 week intensive of Honk! with middle schoolers which is also one of my favorite groups to work with. I already have the songs in my head just because I listened to the cd once or twice. The songs are quite catchy.
Saturday: I went out to eat with two intern friends. We went to a bar type restaurant and I had my second drink as a 21 year old...I suck at drinking...but I try. We picked a really bad restaurant because the Twins game was going on at the same time and this restaurant was right next door to the Target center where they play. And of course the people I were going with were running late (one got lost and the other couldn't find a parking spot) so I stood in front of the restaurant while hundreds of Twins fans passed by me for a good 20 minutes. It was actually some very nice people watching. Also I got hit on...which was entertaining and the guy was actually kind of cute. :) After dinner we went to see Harry Potter! Yay! for me it was the second time and for the other girls it was the first. It was just as good as the first time. This time I wasn't so emotional so I caught a few more things during the movie.
Sunday: Today I am doing nothing. I actually slept in until about 11:30am. I couldn't believe it but it was really nice. I may go on a walk soon, since it looks really nice outside.
Next weekend my high school director/teacher and his family (The Theunes!) are coming here for their vacation to go to the Mall of America! So we are going to hopefully see a show together and go out for dinner. It will be really nice to see them and have some people I really know here to hang out with. I cannot wait to see them all. Have a safe trip Theunes!
3 more weeks here and then back to Michigan. I am excited about going home but sad that my time here is almost done. There is still a lot I want to do here before I go. One being seeing more shows.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Day 39
I had my first professional production meeting today. And it was intimating as hell, but I survived. Ed asked me if I wanted to join in on the production meeting for Honk! It was during lunch and I really couldn't say no. It was up on the 4th floor in a room called the Skyline Room aka "the best room with the best view in the building, so all the important people are there". Scary. And of course I was so nervous about going up there, that I forgot to bring a pen/pencil and a piece of paper to take notes. Not like I really needed to...but it would have looked like I was excited about it and actually prepared. Dammit. Oh well, it was okay. I have three weeks to show them all what I got and this is all a learning experience anyway. This was the first time on my internship that I was actually scared/intimated...so I think that's good. Especially since I have been working here for 4 weeks at a Professional, Tony Award winning, Equity theatre.
The classes went well today. Just working on things for the showings tomorrow. So not too much report there.
I was tired/hyper today...weird mood. I needed to drink coffee but then I was hyper because of Harry Potter opening tonight. Which I am now going to!!! YAY! So I can't wait and have no idea what to do with myself right now. I can't nap because I am so excited. But tomorrow I am going to be so tired. But whatever, it is going to be so worth it. I cannot wait. It's going to be so stinking good.
The classes went well today. Just working on things for the showings tomorrow. So not too much report there.
I was tired/hyper today...weird mood. I needed to drink coffee but then I was hyper because of Harry Potter opening tonight. Which I am now going to!!! YAY! So I can't wait and have no idea what to do with myself right now. I can't nap because I am so excited. But tomorrow I am going to be so tired. But whatever, it is going to be so worth it. I cannot wait. It's going to be so stinking good.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Day 38
I talked to Ed right when I got into my internship today about Honk! next week. We now seem to be on the same page about my objectives for working with him on this show. Yay!
First class was a little rough. The teacher did some activities that were really boring and not very active for the whole class. Only a few students were acting at a time and the rest were in the audience sitting, watching, and waiting. Not easy things for k-3rd graders to do. I even had trouble. It was more than a half an hour of doing this same activity. I left once for a coffee break and then whenever a student asked to go to the bathroom, I said "thank God" and went with them. This is something I NEED to remember for this age group. If I do this sort of activity again ALL students need to be involved, they cannot and should not sit still for that long. Or the class needs to be broken up into two or more groups to do that sort of activity. That was torture.
We wore name tags again for the 3rd day in a row. But instead of putting our real names on the name tags we put our Superhero names on them. So I had to create a name, and I have to say I am not very pleased with my name. Rainbow Queen. I have rainbow powers. Yeah, I know, a little lame. I had one boy come up to me and tell me it was a horrible name. :) I asked him if he could think of a better one, I would definitely love to hear it and use it. He could not. Boo. There were some great names in the group: Sea Swallower, Jackster, Super Flower Lily, Super Strong, Nature Saver, and so many more.
My second class was much better. I LOVE the way Anna (the teacher) had the students create their story. She picked out 3 songs that the students will dance and sing to, that kind of structure the story. The songs she picked out: "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis, "Hard Knock Life" from Annie, and "Monkey Around" from Seussical the Musical. She wanted the characters to somehow be in jail ("Jailhouse Rock"), then get on a pirate ship ("Hard Knock Life"), and then end up in a jungle ("Monkey Around"). She split the class into 3 groups. The first group had to make up the story from the beginning and how they got into jail. The second group had to make up the story from the jail until the pirate ship. The third group had to make up the story from the pirate ship until they were in the jungle. This method gave us a really interesting, original, and fun script that all the students contributed to. And it only took about 15 minutes to write the whole thing. Brilliant.
After work went out with Logan to get iced chai teas at a coffee place close by to CTC called Spyhouse. It was nice having some girl talk.Thank God, she is at this internship.
Sad news: probably will not be going to tomorrow night's midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2. So so so sad. But it all makes sense. I am most likely be going to Friday night instead to that midnight showing. I just need to keep reminding myself that it is STILL opening day...even if I am not seeing it the first chance available. Oh well, at all I will see it. Still breaks my heart a little bit.
First class was a little rough. The teacher did some activities that were really boring and not very active for the whole class. Only a few students were acting at a time and the rest were in the audience sitting, watching, and waiting. Not easy things for k-3rd graders to do. I even had trouble. It was more than a half an hour of doing this same activity. I left once for a coffee break and then whenever a student asked to go to the bathroom, I said "thank God" and went with them. This is something I NEED to remember for this age group. If I do this sort of activity again ALL students need to be involved, they cannot and should not sit still for that long. Or the class needs to be broken up into two or more groups to do that sort of activity. That was torture.
We wore name tags again for the 3rd day in a row. But instead of putting our real names on the name tags we put our Superhero names on them. So I had to create a name, and I have to say I am not very pleased with my name. Rainbow Queen. I have rainbow powers. Yeah, I know, a little lame. I had one boy come up to me and tell me it was a horrible name. :) I asked him if he could think of a better one, I would definitely love to hear it and use it. He could not. Boo. There were some great names in the group: Sea Swallower, Jackster, Super Flower Lily, Super Strong, Nature Saver, and so many more.
My second class was much better. I LOVE the way Anna (the teacher) had the students create their story. She picked out 3 songs that the students will dance and sing to, that kind of structure the story. The songs she picked out: "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis, "Hard Knock Life" from Annie, and "Monkey Around" from Seussical the Musical. She wanted the characters to somehow be in jail ("Jailhouse Rock"), then get on a pirate ship ("Hard Knock Life"), and then end up in a jungle ("Monkey Around"). She split the class into 3 groups. The first group had to make up the story from the beginning and how they got into jail. The second group had to make up the story from the jail until the pirate ship. The third group had to make up the story from the pirate ship until they were in the jungle. This method gave us a really interesting, original, and fun script that all the students contributed to. And it only took about 15 minutes to write the whole thing. Brilliant.
After work went out with Logan to get iced chai teas at a coffee place close by to CTC called Spyhouse. It was nice having some girl talk.Thank God, she is at this internship.
Sad news: probably will not be going to tomorrow night's midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2. So so so sad. But it all makes sense. I am most likely be going to Friday night instead to that midnight showing. I just need to keep reminding myself that it is STILL opening day...even if I am not seeing it the first chance available. Oh well, at all I will see it. Still breaks my heart a little bit.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Day 37
Morning Class (SUPERHEROS!): Time flies for me in this class! I really think it is because of all of the awesome students in this class. I have a blast with them! Today, after I did a statue scene with a group of boys, I went around and high fived them all. A big mistake. This lead to millions of rounds of "high five, low five, too slow!" Which I was totally fine pretending that they all tricked me each time. The boy from yesterday (we will call him K) still liked me! Yay! Today we had a poking war. He would poke me and then I would secretly poke him back. So much fun.
In this class we played some walking games where we acted like either superheros or villains. We also acted out a scene where some of us were superheros, some were villains and some were prisoners. We also are trying to make a list of all super powers we can think of. Right now we are up to 82 different powers. By the end of the week we want to be up to 200. I thought the class was fun and entertaining until Ritchy (who is the assistant for this class) told me that one of the students told his mom that he was bored during the class. Which I can understand. The teacher is trying to do some activities that are a little advanced for k-3rd. It is a hard age group to keep together because the 3rd graders are grasping the activities much quicker than the kindergartners. I really hope this kid comes back tomorrow and that the teacher tries some new strategies to keep him involved. I would really like to learn from what he does from here.
Afternoon class (MUSIC JAMS): I have a couple girls in this class that follow me around. :) So I make sure to do everything that the teacher is saying so that these girls will be doing what she says. Today we worked on a dance we learned yesterday to an Elvis song (title slips my mind right now). We also learned a dance and the singing to the Annie song "Hard Knock Life". The students will be pretending they are sailors/pirates on a ship and that they have a hard life. It is as cute as it sounds.
I think Anna (the teacher) is doing a really great job with this class. I think her style would be the closest to a style I would use. She has control of her classroom but isn't always yelling at the students. She goes to the flow and takes the students' inputs. She also plays music all the time. I do enjoy learning from her.
This morning Sean announced that I would be in charge of the "lunch break" next week and that I can pick a partner to work with. (We do activities for the students after they eat their lunches). I picked Briana, who hadn't done it yet. I think we are going to do a Mystery week! Each day we will do a mystery type game. Some ideas I have: scavenger hunt, the game assassins (winking game-will probably change name), a game like Mafia, and set up our own "murder" mystery story where everyone is a suspect. It should be a lot of fun, but lots of planning.
After classes today, I went in to talk to Sean about Honk! Which is the 3-week intensive for 4th-8th graders that starts next week. The director, Ed, said to me a couple of weeks ago that my main job would be to do props. After thinking about it, I went to Sean and Debra and asked if there would be more to the job than props because that is not what I am here for. I'm here on a education internship. Sean said he would talk to Ed about it and get back to me. So today I asked what Ed said.
Apparently, the job will not just be props. I will most likely be pulling props with the Prop Master and Sean, but for not very long. Then I am just in charge of tracking the props (making sure they are in the right spots, knowing where they are going onstage). Sean said my job will hopefully be more like Assistant directing. Which is much more of what I want to do. But he told me that I need to talk to Ed myself and tell him what my objectives are, so I can get all I can from this experience. Sean said this is going to be a great experience. He said that the students that are in this show are intense, serious, and talented. And that I will learn a lot from Ed. Which I think I will. I want to know how he is so organized, straightforward, and what his secrets are for teaching. But Sean told me that I need to be selfish about my internship. That if this isn't something I want to do, I can tell him anytime. He said to try it a week, and if by the second week I don't want to do it I can do something else, or I can go to half days. I have a feeling that I am going to like it. Sean also told me that I have been getting great reviews from my past teachers. That the best part of me is that I am confident in what I am doing. He said a lot of interns go into the classes a little scared...but that I don't do that (I just don't show it :] ). He also shared with me that Debra was really impressed by me, that I came to them about the whole props job and shared my concerns with them, instead of just doing what they ask without enjoying it. That's a big thing to hear from them. I then asked Sean, if the teachers had any things they thought I should work on (because that is what I am here for, to improve), but Sean said not yet! He said that at the end of the internship he will give all the interns information about what they worked best at/with and suggestions on what to work on. That seems really helpful.
So all in all, a really great day. It's good to hear these sorts of things from Sean, so that I know that they care and that this internship is really worth everything that I have sacrificed. It is also great to hear that I am being successful at this sort of work. Good feelings.
Have a great night/day! Talk to you tomorrow!
In this class we played some walking games where we acted like either superheros or villains. We also acted out a scene where some of us were superheros, some were villains and some were prisoners. We also are trying to make a list of all super powers we can think of. Right now we are up to 82 different powers. By the end of the week we want to be up to 200. I thought the class was fun and entertaining until Ritchy (who is the assistant for this class) told me that one of the students told his mom that he was bored during the class. Which I can understand. The teacher is trying to do some activities that are a little advanced for k-3rd. It is a hard age group to keep together because the 3rd graders are grasping the activities much quicker than the kindergartners. I really hope this kid comes back tomorrow and that the teacher tries some new strategies to keep him involved. I would really like to learn from what he does from here.
Afternoon class (MUSIC JAMS): I have a couple girls in this class that follow me around. :) So I make sure to do everything that the teacher is saying so that these girls will be doing what she says. Today we worked on a dance we learned yesterday to an Elvis song (title slips my mind right now). We also learned a dance and the singing to the Annie song "Hard Knock Life". The students will be pretending they are sailors/pirates on a ship and that they have a hard life. It is as cute as it sounds.
I think Anna (the teacher) is doing a really great job with this class. I think her style would be the closest to a style I would use. She has control of her classroom but isn't always yelling at the students. She goes to the flow and takes the students' inputs. She also plays music all the time. I do enjoy learning from her.
This morning Sean announced that I would be in charge of the "lunch break" next week and that I can pick a partner to work with. (We do activities for the students after they eat their lunches). I picked Briana, who hadn't done it yet. I think we are going to do a Mystery week! Each day we will do a mystery type game. Some ideas I have: scavenger hunt, the game assassins (winking game-will probably change name), a game like Mafia, and set up our own "murder" mystery story where everyone is a suspect. It should be a lot of fun, but lots of planning.
After classes today, I went in to talk to Sean about Honk! Which is the 3-week intensive for 4th-8th graders that starts next week. The director, Ed, said to me a couple of weeks ago that my main job would be to do props. After thinking about it, I went to Sean and Debra and asked if there would be more to the job than props because that is not what I am here for. I'm here on a education internship. Sean said he would talk to Ed about it and get back to me. So today I asked what Ed said.
Apparently, the job will not just be props. I will most likely be pulling props with the Prop Master and Sean, but for not very long. Then I am just in charge of tracking the props (making sure they are in the right spots, knowing where they are going onstage). Sean said my job will hopefully be more like Assistant directing. Which is much more of what I want to do. But he told me that I need to talk to Ed myself and tell him what my objectives are, so I can get all I can from this experience. Sean said this is going to be a great experience. He said that the students that are in this show are intense, serious, and talented. And that I will learn a lot from Ed. Which I think I will. I want to know how he is so organized, straightforward, and what his secrets are for teaching. But Sean told me that I need to be selfish about my internship. That if this isn't something I want to do, I can tell him anytime. He said to try it a week, and if by the second week I don't want to do it I can do something else, or I can go to half days. I have a feeling that I am going to like it. Sean also told me that I have been getting great reviews from my past teachers. That the best part of me is that I am confident in what I am doing. He said a lot of interns go into the classes a little scared...but that I don't do that (I just don't show it :] ). He also shared with me that Debra was really impressed by me, that I came to them about the whole props job and shared my concerns with them, instead of just doing what they ask without enjoying it. That's a big thing to hear from them. I then asked Sean, if the teachers had any things they thought I should work on (because that is what I am here for, to improve), but Sean said not yet! He said that at the end of the internship he will give all the interns information about what they worked best at/with and suggestions on what to work on. That seems really helpful.
So all in all, a really great day. It's good to hear these sorts of things from Sean, so that I know that they care and that this internship is really worth everything that I have sacrificed. It is also great to hear that I am being successful at this sort of work. Good feelings.
Have a great night/day! Talk to you tomorrow!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Day 36
First day back at CTC after our week long break. It felt SO nice to be back.
This week I am working with kindergarten-3rd grade. The morning class is called SUPERHEROS! And it starts at 9:30am and goes until 12:00pm. The afternoon class is called MUSIC JAMS and starts at 1:00pm and goes until 3:30pm (I get to go home early!).
It's only been the first day and I already LOVE this age group. They are at the age where they cling a little bit more. My 4-5 year olds did this a little bit but it was different. In the morning class, I had a boy in the first class take a liking to me when class was almost over. All he was doing was side bumping into me on purpose, so I did it back. We did it for a little bit. Then the next thing I knew, when we were lining up for lunch, he was holding my hand. :) He then made sure he had a spot next to him at lunch so I could sit by him. He got a little sad when we realized we wouldn't be in the next class together (there are two sessions of MUSIC JAMS at the same time). So I hope he still likes me tomorrow. :)
Then in the afternoon, I had a whole group of girls take a liking to me! The teacher put us into groups to dance and to make up our own stories. So I was with these girls throughout the afternoon. I felt a huge smile come on my face, while we were circling up, when one of the girls asked me to sit by her. They all made me feel so loved.
Plus the activities we did in those classes were so much fun. It was like we were just playing the whole time. Which is what theatre is, when you get down to it.
The teachers for both of the classes seem great. I don't know that much about them except that they do a lot of theatre around the Twin Cities area. I can't wait to get to know them both more. It was a very good day today...but I am already exhausted!
This week I am working with kindergarten-3rd grade. The morning class is called SUPERHEROS! And it starts at 9:30am and goes until 12:00pm. The afternoon class is called MUSIC JAMS and starts at 1:00pm and goes until 3:30pm (I get to go home early!).
It's only been the first day and I already LOVE this age group. They are at the age where they cling a little bit more. My 4-5 year olds did this a little bit but it was different. In the morning class, I had a boy in the first class take a liking to me when class was almost over. All he was doing was side bumping into me on purpose, so I did it back. We did it for a little bit. Then the next thing I knew, when we were lining up for lunch, he was holding my hand. :) He then made sure he had a spot next to him at lunch so I could sit by him. He got a little sad when we realized we wouldn't be in the next class together (there are two sessions of MUSIC JAMS at the same time). So I hope he still likes me tomorrow. :)
Then in the afternoon, I had a whole group of girls take a liking to me! The teacher put us into groups to dance and to make up our own stories. So I was with these girls throughout the afternoon. I felt a huge smile come on my face, while we were circling up, when one of the girls asked me to sit by her. They all made me feel so loved.
Plus the activities we did in those classes were so much fun. It was like we were just playing the whole time. Which is what theatre is, when you get down to it.
The teachers for both of the classes seem great. I don't know that much about them except that they do a lot of theatre around the Twin Cities area. I can't wait to get to know them both more. It was a very good day today...but I am already exhausted!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Day 35
Today I went with my intern friend Chloe to see Twelfth Night that was being performed in a park. Her boyfriend was in it and a lot of other people she knew.
It was a really great show...the best performance of Twelfth Night that I have seen (I have only seen one other, so not too much competition). I LOVE the whole idea of theatre in the park. When I first heard about this idea, I thought it was stupid and wouldn't really help the theatre/play. But I was wrong, so wrong. This show was just a great example on the best way to do theatre in a park.
First, they put their audience in the shade, good choice, so we can actually pay attention to you, instead of the sweat that is pouring down our legs. Second, it was on a hill, the audience was on the top of the hill, and the "stage" was at the bottom of the hill. Third, they used the different levels of the park. They were behind us, really close to us, really far away etc. They would use the trees, grass, whatever was there. They turned their backs to us...but made sure we could still hear them. There was never a time I couldn't hear anyone, which is hard when performing outside. Four, they had characters doing other things in the park while they weren't "onstage". We could still watch them and see what they were doing, even if they weren't the main focus. One of the characters during the show even walked to a dock by the lake, which was a little bit away but still in our sight. Their choices were very fitting to the park atmosphere. I really really enjoyed. I would LOVE to do something like this back in Michigan.
Today was also the first day I rode the bus somewhere. And I would like to report that I survived! It was not scary at all. Except the guy on the way back who was drunk and didn't want to pay his fare...but he was just being really stupid not scary...and he smelled bad.
My internship starts back up tomorrow!!! YAY! I am excited to get back into it. I don't know what age group or topic I am working with this week, but I am sure it will be a good week anyway.
It was a really great show...the best performance of Twelfth Night that I have seen (I have only seen one other, so not too much competition). I LOVE the whole idea of theatre in the park. When I first heard about this idea, I thought it was stupid and wouldn't really help the theatre/play. But I was wrong, so wrong. This show was just a great example on the best way to do theatre in a park.
First, they put their audience in the shade, good choice, so we can actually pay attention to you, instead of the sweat that is pouring down our legs. Second, it was on a hill, the audience was on the top of the hill, and the "stage" was at the bottom of the hill. Third, they used the different levels of the park. They were behind us, really close to us, really far away etc. They would use the trees, grass, whatever was there. They turned their backs to us...but made sure we could still hear them. There was never a time I couldn't hear anyone, which is hard when performing outside. Four, they had characters doing other things in the park while they weren't "onstage". We could still watch them and see what they were doing, even if they weren't the main focus. One of the characters during the show even walked to a dock by the lake, which was a little bit away but still in our sight. Their choices were very fitting to the park atmosphere. I really really enjoyed. I would LOVE to do something like this back in Michigan.
Today was also the first day I rode the bus somewhere. And I would like to report that I survived! It was not scary at all. Except the guy on the way back who was drunk and didn't want to pay his fare...but he was just being really stupid not scary...and he smelled bad.
My internship starts back up tomorrow!!! YAY! I am excited to get back into it. I don't know what age group or topic I am working with this week, but I am sure it will be a good week anyway.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Day 34
Today I went on a tour inside the State Theatre on Hennepin Ave. It's a gorgeous theatre from the 1920s that has a lot of history. Some including becoming a church for the Jesus Christ People, being restored afterword, and fighting for the building to not be knocked down and become a shopping/food center.
It is a theatre that is up to date with it's technological equipment. So it has shows come and perform on it. It does have some touring Broadway shows perform on it but not that many because of it's size. The Orpheum Theatre just down the street is the one that houses the majority of the Broadway shows. Many shows start here and go to Broadway like The Lion King. It started in Minneapolis, and worked out its kinks before it went to New York.
I took a lot of pictures of the Theatre...so I will try not to post all of them. Just a lot of my favorites. Enjoy!
It is a theatre that is up to date with it's technological equipment. So it has shows come and perform on it. It does have some touring Broadway shows perform on it but not that many because of it's size. The Orpheum Theatre just down the street is the one that houses the majority of the Broadway shows. Many shows start here and go to Broadway like The Lion King. It started in Minneapolis, and worked out its kinks before it went to New York.
I took a lot of pictures of the Theatre...so I will try not to post all of them. Just a lot of my favorites. Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Day 31
Today I decided to walk downtown but in a different way than my normal. I walked a few blocks over to Hennepin Ave. I knew on Hennepin there were some very pretty theatres that I could look at and take some pictures. Then I decided after I found the theatres, I would go back over to Nicollet (the street I normally take into Downtown) to find somewhere to eat.
My plan changed a little bit. I went to see the theatres. Very pretty but in a very busy part of the city. It is very different from Nicollet. The part of Nicollet that I usually walk on to go downtown is called Nicollet mall. So there are a bunch of stores. But the only cars that can go down that street are taxis and buses...so not that much traffic.
After I took pictures of the theaters, I went back over to Nicollet St. It was still a little bit early for dinner, so I decided to waste some time in Barnes and Noble. I bought a magazine (Entertainment magazine all about Harry Potter!!!) and still wasn't that hungry, so I found a Gap and some other stores and went window shopping. I then found a store that was a tourist trap for people who wanted Minnesota stuff. Perfect for me. I just bought some postcards and told myself I would be back to buy some shirts/sweatshirts and some gifts for people.
Finally I was hungry so I tried to find a new restaurant. There was this one cute restaurant that had outdoor seating. I went inside and the place looked super fancy. I asked to see a menu but everything was a little too expensive for me...so I left. Instead I went next door to Panera, which I haven't been to in forever! It was yummy!
Look at how pretty that sky is. It was perfect weather today.
Target- LaSalle and 9th street.
Hennepin Ave showing off their Pride. :)
Hennepin State Theatre
Pantages Theatre
Orpheum Theatre
This theatre hosts the Broadway touring shows.
Currently showing WEST SIDE STORY!
I found a way I can go this Saturday to tour these theatres for $5. I am definitely doing that! They are older theatres with gorgeous stages...at least that's what I have heard. Hopefully I can take picture while I am there.
I had a great day. I have no idea what I am going to do tomorrow...but I'll figure out something!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Day 28 and 29
21st birthday was awesome. Really awesome. I thought it was just going to be bowling with two other people and getting a couple of drinks. But they surprised me.
I was sad that there were only a couple people coming but I was still excited that they wanted to do something with me. Lynn (who organized the surprise) picked me up and brought me to the bowling alley. When we were walking to the bowling alley, outside the bowling alley was a whole crew of CTC intern friends. More than expected, and some that told me they could not possibly make it. I think I was in shock for a good 10 minutes with a huge smile stuck to my face. Then I learned they had gotten me a cake and a card (or rather Lynn did, and had everyone sign). So nice.
We went into the bowling alley, and started off with the cake. This was because some people couldn't stay for very long. They sang to me beautifully with harmonies at the end, just like theatre people do. They also didn't have candles, so I had to act that I was blowing out the candle.
Then a couple of us ordered drinks. My first drink was something called an Alpine Flower. It had jasmine infused vodka, lemonade and other stuff. We all got it. It was very good. Then as we were trying to figure out how to keep score for bowling (it was an old bowling alley! So we had to keep score on paper. It was very cool), find our balls and shoes, another intern came to surprise me!!! I didn't know so many people knew. Later Lynn told me that she really wanted to make it a surprise and make it so I didn't know who was coming. But once I knew I wanted to do a party, I started a facebook event inviting people. So she asked people to not reply/reply with a maybe. I love how I always take control of things. :)
We bowled two games. The first one I got a score of 52....I know b-a-d. The second game we did crazy bowling (granny style, eyes closed, backwards granny style, sitting down etc) I got a score of 75. Of course.
They wouldn't let me pay for anything...since it was my birthday. Which was very nice, since I have only known these people for about a month.
After bowling, Lynn, Hannah, Hannah's girlfriend and I went out for frozen yogurt. So frickin' delicious. If that place was closer to my apartment, it would be my demise. After yogurt, we all went home. I know, it's not the typical 21st birthday, but I think it was perfect for just meeting these people in a city I just moved to. I feel very loved by them. There is no way I could ever re-pay them for their kindness.
Although, I can't wait to come home to be able to have a 21st with you all. So be ready.
Today, the 4th of July, I have done nothing but read, eat, nap, go online etc. And once again I am totally fine with it. I have been reading The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and am on the last 50 pages...so all I wanted to do was finish it. But tomorrow I will HAVE to find something to do. Whether it's just walking around the city or reading a book in the park. I can't hang out in this apartment tomorrow too.
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