Gavin Creel masterclass and show
It was both surreal and terrifying to sing for one of my Broadway idols, but it was completely worth it and such a special couple of hours. I don't think I've ever met anyone quite so genuinely sweet and talented at the same time. He has this total aura of confidence while also being completely humble and personable. The only thing more amazing than singing for him was going to his cabaret-style concert a few night's later- I'm probably being repetetive of my original post about this, but being there with my old voice teacher Amanda during his rendition of the Rainbow Connection made both Danyele and I little teary.
Meeting Sutton Foster
Of all the items here, this one is perhaps the most special. There's no one in the world like Sutton Foster, and the fact that this picture even exists just makes me glow inside. I know I'm sounding a bit over the top, but I'm just hoping that some of her incredible fierceness was transferred to me during that hug..... more on Sutton later in this post!
Conor concerts (March & August)
AND in 2012 I saw Conor Oberst twice. Can I have all of these spectacular people around every year please? Moving on, I saw two Bright Eyes concerts this year, and I like to think that they were particularly special ones. The first was in March in Miami, and it was the inaugural show on the tour of his new album. He played all of my favorite songs (they're all my favorites, but still) and it was just magical. The second show I saw was even more amazing- it was on an island in the middle of a river in upstate New York on the most beautiful summer night you could imagine. It was so perfect, and if I could relive that night over and over again I would.
TheatreBridge
My six weeks of acting at Brown this summer were some of the most challenging and exhausting of my whole life. And yet I think about my weeks of Carol's workouts and endless Meisner almost every day. It's as if I keep finding out different things about what I learned during my summer at Brown, and I wonder if everything I took in during those weeks will ever stop becoming new to me. What I'm trying to say is that this summer gave me a totally new perspective on acting... and everything. And really, what's more important than the opportunity to change the way you look at things?
Summer roadtrip and 2 shows
So I think I've pretty thoroughly covered my 2 week college touring trip in the post linked above, except for something really important- the two shows I saw in New York! I've been procrastinating about writing a full description of them, and so I thought I'd post a little something about each here, hopefully to be continued later!
Jerusalem was a eccentric play that was fully brought to life by some extremely powerful performances. Mark Rylance as Rooster was incredibly fun to watch- sometimes it was actually hard to tell if his extreme audience-controlling magnetism was due to his innate charisma or simply the fact that everyone had come to see him do his thing and do it well. Here is his spectacular Tony acceptance speech... Mackenzie Crook was typically awkward in his extremely Gareth-ish role (I admit was a bit starstruck getting his autograph post-performance).
Seeing Sutton Foster in Anything Goes was completely unforgettable and I wish I could see her in every performance. Reno is just the perfect role for her- she gets to be her adorable, semi-dorky self while also showing off her total effortlessness as a performer. She is really a true star now and she knows it... it's just the most fabulous thing to watch. The rest of the cast (particularly Joel Grey of course) were great and the show overall was an adorable barely modernized adaptation of the show. But the reason to be there was Sutton Foster and it was completely worth it. We got to see her after the performance and she was even more scarily tall than the last time I saw her. If I'm ever lucky enough to meet her again, I'm wearing stilts...
Getting my drivers' license
I wrote extensively about my whole insane DMV story (see the link above), but my experience of learning to drive overall has been so crazy and yet really rewarding. It sounds very typical, but I really love and appreciate the new independence I have now, even if it just comes in the form of a drive to Pinkberry or Whole Foods.
Testing madness
For Danyele and I, this past year has been a frenzy of APs, SAT IIs, and PSATs. This has certainly not been a particularly great or memorable part of my year, but on the other hand everything has thankfully turned out really well so I thought I'd include it here. Also, I kind of miss our frantic pre-test study sessions at Starbucks in a weird way... maybe it was just all the beverages? (See empty glasses below-)
Shows- Aida, A Chorus Line, MCT
I have to admit that my shows this year worked out a little differently than I expected. But regardless of it all, I've had a fun year with lots of theatrey activities. I learned some intense African dances to be a Slave in Aida, and I got to perform one of my all-time dream roles as Diana Morales in A Chorus Line. And the best part is that I'm just starting to get involved with an amazing new company way down South- MCT. I can't wait to become an even closer member of their family and I'm super excited for our trip to the MTI competition in Atlanta. I've always wanted to play Sara in Guys and Dolls, and with a little polishing I think our abridged version is actually going to turn out really great.
And a visit from Hannah
My ex Facebook-wife and I met 3 summers ago at nerd camp, but we've stayed in touch online ever since. When her wonderful sister (and Youtube sensation) Bella had to come down to Miami for a soccer tournament, a reunion was planned... and it couldn't have been more fun. I've asked Hannah, who is a devoted reader of this blog, to do a guest post on our 2.5 days together and I really hope she says yes! I can't wait for her next trip to Florida.
Here we are doing the signature "Dara pose"...
Click here for the best bits of 2010 and 2009.
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