A Busy Week!

Monday:  Having stomach trouble and a lot of difficulty sleeping because of it.  Finally got to sleep about 4:30 a.m., got up to take Coyote out and feed her then went back to bed and didn't wake up until 2:30 in the afternoon.  My schedule is ALL out of whack!  Started vocalizing and trying to choose my material for my agent audition tonight.  I am still having vocal issues and can't figure it out.  I stopped taking my allergy meds in case that was the problem but my voice is still cutting out on me.  I have an appointment with a voice specialist on Friday morning to see if a doctor can help me figure it out.  I've had too many wasted auditions because my voice is not in good shape.  Anyway, I drank a ton of hot tea to try and hydrate my chords for this audition.  There is a company called Actors' Connection (there are several like it) that does "seminars" which are basically paid auditions.  They bring in agents and casting directors and you can sign up to audition for them.  Tonight I had one with Michael Kirsten of Harden Curtis Agency which is one of the better agencies in town.  I sang "Master of the House" from Les Mis and "Beauty and the Beast".  The first thing he mentioned were my selections show I know my brand and how to present myself.  The voice was stronger than it has been but I still wasn't happy and my nerves got the better of me.  Yet, he gave me an 8 out of 10 for my performance, which I thought was generous, and gave me a few tips.  He said he thinks I'm very castable and would be a great utility player as he thinks I can player both older and younger.  I've often been told my age is a little hard to pin down to which I always say "fat don't crack". Anyway we chatted for a bit and he told me to keep in touch with him, that he wants to know what I'm up to which at least shows interest and isn't a dismissal so I consider that mission accomplished!  He particularly wants to know how a certain audition I have this week goes.  I certainly didn't go in expecting to walk out with an agent so I'm pleased. I have another one of these things Thursday night.

Tuesday:  Low key day.  I ran over to Equity to sign up for an ECC for next week since the list was posted today.  I'm number 90 so not bad.  After that I went down to NYU to meet Meg after she finished teaching and we had coffee at a cute little cafe in the West Village.  You'll remember Meg was my roomie and Mother Abbess for The Sound of Music.  We caught up for about an hour before she had to get back for a private lesson.  Tonight I was supposed to go up to Jeff and Erin's but Erin got called in to work and couldn't afford to say no so we rescheduled for tomorrow night.  So I'm sitting here in the apartment processing my hair color.  Yup, it's a hot, happenin' night in NYC!

Wednesday:  Got up early and headed for Pearl for an EPA for the full season at Alhambra Dinner Theatre in Jacksonville.  First time I felt really god about how I sang.  The guys were lovely.  I honestly don't care if anything comes of the audition.  I was just glad to have a voice and be able to sing confidently.  I went up to Equity just to check the bulletin boards and see if there were any free shows available.  Nada.  So I wandered over to the Gershwin to try the ticket lottery for Wicked.  Many of the Broadway shows do this.  You show up 2 1/2 hours before showtime and put your name on a slip of paper to be drawn at 2 hours to curtain.  They are heavily discounted and in the front row.  I usually don't like to sit closer than ten rows back at least but hey, for $26.25 and a show I have never seen I can't complain.  My name was picked and I got an aisle seat to boot.  There were maybe 40 people that didn't win.  Cute, they give you a button that says "I Won the Wicked Lottery".  I enjoyed the show though after so long it's hard to live up to the hype. I was telling Bryden I just don't enjoy shows the way I used to and I wonder if it's because the theatre has been demystified for me knowing the business and so many people.  I also often sit there thinking "Well hell, I can do that!"  One ensemble guy kept looking into the audience and an ensemble girl full-on watched the conductor.  Of course you keep an eye on the conductor but not looking right at him!  It was just very amateur-ish.  The leads were strong and the costumes were beautiful.  Adinah was in the original cast and I wish I could have seen her do it.  When the show let out I went up to the Dakota and Strawberry Fields in Central Park to pay my respects to John Lennon as it was the 30th anniversary of his death.  It was nuts up there!  Cops and news vans everywhere, helicopters overhead, tons of people.  I couldn't even see what was going on at the circle "Imagine" mosaic but some musicians were playing and the crowd sang along to one song after another.  I was freezing so I didn't stay long but I took a few pics and some video.



A rose placed in front of The Dakota



The Dakota



I hightailed it back down to Hell's Kitchen to meet Jeff and Erin at the Westway Diner on 9th Ave. for dinner.  Mmmmmm...turkey burger and matzo ball soup.  I spent the rest of the night studying my sides (scenes) for my Thursday audition.

Thursday:   I had my auditions, once again at Pearl Studios.  It went incredibly well although I thought for sure I was getting a callback but haven't heard anything.  I mean I nailed it you guys!  I was so happy!  I made smart and interesting choices that paid off with laughs from the casting directors.  The C.D. talked to me about when callbacks were and when I would hear something but alas nothing.  I don't usually get that invested in my auditions but I was so confident that if I don't get one I'm going to be really disappointed.  When I left I went up to Equity to volunteer on the Stephen J. Falat Holiday Basket Project.  Through Actors' Equity, over 3,000 gift bags filled with a mix of necessities ( like scarves and sweaters) and goodies (like CDs and candy) are filled and delivered to local AIDS organizations and hospitals for people suffering from this terrible disease.  I read about the project in the Equity News and knew that I had to help out while I was in town.  I plan to go back and help out next week too.  It was such a nice atmosphere and it felt really good to be helping.  The floor usually used for auditions is completely closed to auditions and every room is filled with all of the bags and boxes of goods.  Here is the large studio where I was working.

I came back home to take Coyote out for a walk and lay down for a while before my Actors Connection thingy.  I did another agent audition and FINALLY I had my full voice.  He had some very positive feedback for me.  I'm still going to the voice doc in the morning but man was it good to sing full out and confidently for the first time in weeks!  Here are some shots of Manhattan Plaza (where I'm staying) all gussied up for the holidays including the outside decor and their version of a menorah.

New to my must list: Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion.  Gals, if you suffer from dry winter skin get thee to a drug store for this stuff!  I get it bad and it's been even worse in NYC since I'm out in the cold so much and this stuff is amazing.  It's light and sinks in to the skin really well with no oily or greasy feeling and the moisture actually lasts 24 hours like they claim.  I am a total convert.

Friday:  Another early morning.  Ugh.  Even Coyote didn't want to get up and go outside.  Today was my doctor appt.  Dr. Sarah Stackpole, voice doc to the stahhhhhhs, was quite interesting but man did she know what she was doing.  She only treats professional singers and has quite the clientele. Anyway we talked and went over possible causes of why my voice is failing in my lower register off and on, sometimes a few days, sometimes a few weeks.  Then she scoped me.  A little camera is inserted into the back of the throat (gag) and it films your vocal cords while you vocalize up and down the scale.  When she watched the video back I got grossed out and she got real excited (she's very enthusiastic about her job).  She said now she knew what the problem was and I had a great case whatever that meant.  She said I didn't need injections or surgery, that my cords themselves were perfect.  The problem was my arytenoids which is what the cords are attached to.  Then conversation then went like this:

Have you ever had chicken pox?

No.

Have you had the measles?

No.

Have you had shingles?

No.

How about herpes?

What?! NO!

So no cold sores?

Ohhhhh, yeah I get fever blisters on my lip every once in a while.

There ya' go.

Yes, I have vocal cord palsy which means when I vocalize one side is moving in to the other at a different speed causing missed sounds and with the way they meet that is why it's my lower register that's affected.  And it's caused, in my case, by the herpes virus! Gahhhhhhhh!  She has changed my allergy meds and given me prescriptions to have on hand the next time this problem comes up: steroids and Valtrex!  I can't believe I have to take Valtrex for my voice!!!  Bizarre...yet funny.  She said if this goes on often enough I may need to be on the Valtrex forever.  Awesome.  But at least it seems to be treatable.  And for some reason, because she scoped me, I had zero copay.  Score!

I took myself to brunch at the diner then rushed home to get ready for the taping of "The Nate Berkus Show" uptown.  I met my friend Jeff Funaro (from Mack & Mabel) at the CBS Studios on 57th.  We were screened by security (Jeff was disappointed to not be frisked), herded, filled out paperwork then shepherded into the studio.  It all went by very quickly.  Jeff and I laughed a lot and made our own fun.  I have no idea when it will air but we're both on a camera a couple of times depending on the editing.  The episode was kinda lame.  Didn't get any good tips from this one and there were no giveaways!  Boooooo!  I thought Oprah's progeny would for sure give away something even if it was just a book or something.  Carson Kressley was on in a silly segment so of course that was fun. The audience warmer was very funny.

Jeff and I with out Nate Show tickets outside CBS Broadcast Center

Now I am finally back at the apartment, showered, with new groceries and a sleeping pup, watching "Fred Claus" on TBS. After a crazy week I wanted to take tonight off!  Oh, FYI no callback.  You guys know that when I don't deserve a callback I know it and admit it but this one is a mystery.  A very frustrating mystery.  Alas, on to the next audition! I have one next week and then probably none until February.  I'm taking advantage of the down time to go to Texas to see Mom and Dad for the first time in two years!

I hope you guys are all having a nice holiday season!  Love you all!