TOO BUSY!!!

Life can just be so crazy sometimes. I never got to write about my experience with the P.S. Series. Let's just say it was really stressful. Low budget, picky directors, and very little time to prepare. I got sick the week of the performances and spent almost every day in the costume shop with a box of tissues and hand sanitizer. Only one of my wardrobe assistants showed up every night which made me help the actors change when I was supposed to be watching the performances. I finally got pictures of everything but I was really glad when everything was over.

Besides all of the above I still had to deal with school. I got really sick in March and April which is why I haven't written since January. I started two new jobs at the end of April. The first is at a place I've been wanting to work at for over two years, Field's Fabrics. I was so happy when they called for an interview and after the interview received the job within 45 minutes. I felt so special. After that David's Bridal called for an interview and I got a job in alterations there. I have been working both jobs which makes me work every single day of the week including weekends. I rarely have a day off. Which can be really tiring and stressful.

I took summer classes during May and June so that I'll be able to graduate in December. Just yesterday I took the graduate exam (GRE) so that I can start applying to grad schools. The University of Illinois wants my application by September while the University of Washington would rather have it in December. I'll need to take a trip down to Illinois for a portfolio interview and will hopefully be able to meet up with the Washington professors at U/RTA in Chicago.

I really need to start getting my portfolio together. I've done so much sewing this summer and still plan to do more. I've got a renaissance outfit to make for my cousin as well as five bridesmaids dresses for a high school friend. Her wedding is in October but I'd like to get them done by the middle of August so that fittings can be done. After those are done then I plan to enjoy the rest of my summer by making stuff for myself and my boyfriend. Hopefully I can get everything done before school starts again at the end of August. I'm going to be pretty busy.

BUT I love sewing so its okay.

Being A Costume Designer

I am the costume designer for the P.S. Series. Two one act plays are performed by students, directed by students, and designed by students with aide from the faculty as a way to learn the trade they hope to make a career out of. The plays will be performed on the mainstage so I am really looking forward to seeing my costume design ideas and creations on the Grand Valley stage.

I was given a key to the main costume storage areas and the shop because it is necessary that I am able to work freely within these areas. I have classes that run into the evening and work so I am unable to be in the shop until after the costume shop manager and costume designer have already left. I am so thankful that they have let me work in there while they are gone. I work really hard to show them how much I appreciate the responsibility they have given me and take great care with everything I use.

There have been many ups and downs with these productions. Dealing with two directors is a bit difficult because both have desires and things that they want to add or change about the look of the costumes in their production. I'm having to costume fourteen actors with an extremely low budget as well as late rehearsal times that make it difficult for me to attend and do measurements and fittings. I am dealing with five three-hundred-level courses, two jobs, and the piles of homework that goes along with the courses. Late night rehearsals are difficult to attend and even when I do attend there are actors who are late or absent and I have to plan another rehearsal in order to get everyone.

It's really disappointing when I find a blouse or sweater in the costume storage that I really like for a certain character and then the actor tries it on and it's too big or too small. The garment works amazingly with my design but because of my low budget I must put the ill-fitting blouse or sweater back and search the numerous boxes and racks for something else that will resemble my design and fit the actor.

I'm looking forward to constructing a few garments. I wanted to create the costumes for the title characters because I want them to stand out and be unique. I don't want them to blend in with the other characters because they are both the focus in their respective plays. For "Bye, Bye Margarita" I am making a white salsa type dress with black trim and a red blouse with a black lace overlay for the character of Margarita. For "Wanda's Visit" I am making a very bright and colorful blouse that fits the plus sized Wanda (played by a very skinny young actress). Dealing with the fat suit has proven a bit challenging but I hope everything looks nice in the end.

I can't wait to have pictures of the productions and the costumes that I created. I'm really, really excited to see this all come together.

Opportunities

I always forget to write on this thing. I actually got a role in a production this year. I was cast in the Nerdfighter's (student group) live version of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog as Penny, the lead female character. It was the most amazing experience I've had here with theatre and I am so proud of myself that I got the role. It was a musical so I had to sing which was awesome and I had a blast being up there on stage. We had three performances in a small black box type theatre and we sold out every night with some people standing in the back. My family came from Lansing as did a few friends and since the space was so small I could see everyone who was there. My boyfriend showed up on opening night as a surprise because I would have been so nervous knowing he was there. It was nice to see him afterward though and he told me he was really proud of me (that means so much). Acting is such a thrill for me, but designing is a whole lot stressful in the end.

In other news: I have just been asked to be the costume designer for the P.S. Series here at GVSU. I will be handling two one act plays with about 3 or 4 actors each. It is the first mainstage show I will be in charge of and I am really excited about it. It's going to be a great thing to put on my resume for graduate schools.

Speaking of grad school. I have been working on finding a school with a master's degree in costume design and I think I found one in Illinois. The University of Illinois has a MFA in costume design at their Urbana-Champaign campus. It's about 2 hours south of Chicago. My advisor here at GVSU says that it is one of the best programs in the country so I am starting to prepare everything I need to so that I can get in. I still have about a semester before I really need to worry about it but graduation is a year away and it fill fly by. I'm hoping to do an internship next summer or fall for more experience. I really hope everything goes as I plan.

My Blue Lake Summer

So I am nearing the end of my summer job at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. I have been a counselor in the Left Bank unit in Wells cabin. I take care of 11 girls for two weeks and my group switches every two weeks. The first two sessions I had girls going into 11th grade and the last two sessions will be girls going into 9th grade.

I have really enjoyed my time at Blue Lake. I've made so many new friends among the counselors and am staying in contact through snail mail with some of my campers. This is seriously one of the best jobs I could ever have. I get to be in the woods surrounded by nature with music all around me. There are some stresses and some tough days but I make it through because of my awesome counselor friends.

Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp

So I applied to Blue Lake to work as a camp counselor and I was hired!!

I will be working there from June 21-August 22 with middle school and high school girls as well as the theatre classes and other activities with all of the campers. I am really looking forward to this experience and know that it will look good on a resume some day.

I went to Blue Lake when I was younger for band in 8th grade and then for choir before my junior year of high school and I had a blast there. I always hoped that I would be able to be a counselor and this summer seemed the best for it. I was really apprehensive about getting the job but everything went so smoothly and I got it! I couldn't believe it. When I got the email that I was hired I had to tell everyone and called and sent texts to everyone that I could.

To me this is one of the best jobs I could ever have, besides a sewing related job. I hope that I have some time to working on designing but I especially hope to be heavily involved in any theatre performances they may decide to put on. I also bought a Wicked karaoke track CD so that hopefully I can perform a song or two while I'm there, if there is the possibility. If not, then I hope to just sing in the cabin with my campers and show them the amazing-ness that is Wicked.

Super excited for Blue Lake! Wish me luck! :)

Things Change As Time Passes

So it's been a really long time since I last wrote and a lot has changed.

As a theatre major I basically have to take classes in every area (directing, stagecraft, acting, costume design, and theatre history). When I switched to being a theatre major my full intent was to be an actress and perform on Broadway. I still hope to do this but within the past few months I have discovered that I much more enjoy working in the costume shop and spending my time behind the scenes and backstage helping the actors get ready.

A friend in my acting class helped me get into the GVSU mainstage show Rhinoceros and I was able to help with the costumes during tech week and the performances. My main job was to paint one of the actors green and gray before his scene and then during his scene add more paint to his hands and face as well as put on horns that would get bigger and bigger. I had a blast helping this actor as well as many of the other actors in the show. I also got to sew a few things for the show (like tablecloths and torn clothes) and get to know the head costume ladies and their shop. I will hopefully get to work in the costume shop next year for pay which will be the best job ever. To sew and get paid for it is the best job I can think of.

It is that latter sentence that makes me feel like I belong in costume design/construction. Acting was a desire and I'd still like to be on Broadway some day but sewing is my passion. Sewing is one of those things that de-stresses me and if I could sew every day of my life, I think that would be amazing.

Slow Going

So things have been pretty uneventful since my last post.
I auditioned for quite a few shows here on the GVSU campus including RENT and Into the Woods. For RENT I was called back for the ensemble but to be a part of the production meant quitting my job and losing $200 every two weeks. It just wasn't the right thing to do at this time in my life. I need the money. Into the Woods was auditioning but since it was based in the Opera theatre I was a little bit out of my league and didn't get called back. During both of these audtions, RENT and Into the Woods, I was struggling with the sore throat troubles I mention below.
I have also auditioned for a Shakespeare Company based in Grand Rapids, as they were casting for Pericles. Even though I was not cast, I have been asked to audition again for their production of Hamlet next year and be a part of their small company that performs at small random venues like Barnes and Noble.

Life has been rather frustrating for me lately. I have been very sick with some type of sinus or nasal illness and can't seem to get it to go away. It has caused a lot of trouble for my voice. There are days where singing is almost impossible. There are other days where I am surprised by the clarity of my voice. I am taking a class this semester called voice for Non-music majors. Many of our assignments require singing and we even perform in class. I can't say how many times I've had to ask for a few days off for vocal rest, too afraid to sing with my voice in the condition it is in that day. I'm afraid to sing. That's really depressing me. I am even more depressed when I try singing and the sound that comes out is unfamiliar and not good.

So basically the last few months have been slow and depressing. If my voice doesn't clear up soon I'll be searching desperately to find every possible solution besides the doctor, since she didn't help any when I saw her in September. I'll just have to be really careful, take things slowly, and hope that I can get my voice back to tip-top health. My career depends on it.