More commercials for the play and our creepy corporation; GlobalCytodynamics

So, The Limitations of Genetic Technology is a hit. Audiences love the combination of comedy and tragedy, the actors are rocking it and the producers are thinking of a one week extension. Pretty heady stuff. I'm not going to get into all of the emotional ups and downs of the last week. I'm just going to share a few AWESOME commercials for the show and wish you a very restful weekend. Come see the show!! Click here for tickets!

The Limitations of Genetic Technology ROCKED opening weekend!

We opened The Limitations of Genetic Technology this weekend. The preview on Friday night was rough, but Saturday night was awesome and today, though played to a small house, was also a good show. The process of putting up a new play is always such a roller coaster. You don't know what the end game looks like, so there is this kind of blind faith that you follow as an actor; that the director and producers and creative staff KNOW what it is that they want us as actors to do or create. Many times they don't. They are exploring it right along with you. It can be extremely frustrating at times and I personally sometimes just want to be told what to do. The challenge is in hanging in there, letting yourself make mistakes and take risks and stand there naked and uncomfortable. Our awesome director, David Watkins Jr. is really good at developing new works. He makes you feel, in that crazy, uncomfortable and vulnerable place, comfortable and safe and guided. And it pays off: When you open the show and it flows from one moment to the next and the audience goes right along for the ride, well, that is simply magic.

As a final treat: Here is an industrial that is part of the play. Tempted?



Congratulations to our amazing creative team: Luis Reyes for his wonderful play, David Watkins Jr.'s inspired direction, and OffChance Productions; (Steven Calcote, Luis Reyes, and Victoria Watson, and co-produced by Reena Dutt) for producing.

THE CAST
Ben Fuller
Harmony Goodman*
Sarah Lilly*
Kyle Nudo*
Bruno Oliver*
Nancy Dobbs Owen*
Skip Pipo
Cathy Diane Tomlin*
Jeffrey Wylie
*these Actors are appearing courtesy of Actors' Equity Association

THE PRODUCTION TEAM
Production Design by David Mauer
Sound Design by Cricket Myers
Lighting Design by Matt Richter
Costume Design by Lauren Thomas
Original Music by Russel Wiener
Video Production by Steven Calcote and Butcher Bird Studios
Stage Management by Kristen Hammack
Sign Language Consulting by Jody Stevenson

Reasons to be optimistic about today's youth

So, my last several posts have been heart wrenching and difficult to write. Today's post is more fun and gives me reason to believe that all is not lost in the cultural war for our youth. (Good lord, when did I become so old??? That is, I am afraid, another post.)

The back story: I asked my fifth grade class to bring in recommendations of music that they like, that they would want to dance to. I teach them classical ballet, but am always looking for ways to make it more relevant to their lives. I want them to be engaged and excited about it.

The partial list:
The Beatles
The Doors
ACDC
Guns and Roses
Pat Benetar
Nirvana
Paramour
The Ramones
The Dead Kennedys
Kiss
Led Zeppelin
Bob Marley
Janis Joplin
Green Day
John Lennon
Kool and the Gang
Arrowsmith
Queen
Leonard Skinner (I Know A Little)
Selena
The Stokes

I have to say, I find this list (and there is more, just didn't want to bore you...) kind of refreshing. There were some Disney pop stars on it too; Lady Gaga made an appearance as well, but no Miley or Britney or ...well, you get it. There is hope for the youth of America. At least as far as music goes.

Extremes...

Wow. What a whirlwind of emotion the last week has been. With the loss of my dear friend Weiferd, my mother's 75th birthday celebration, teaching, rehearsals for my new play and the ongoing accolades for Skeleton Stories all accompanied by a nasty cold, I think that I have experienced everything that there is to experience in the last seven days.

Weiferd's funeral was so incredible. The chapel was filled with family and friends from his disparate worlds. The sermon was fiery and heartfelt and inspiring. I spoke, as did his best friend Shannon, several family members and a model and a body builder. Each aspect of his circle of friends brought together for the first time. It was amazing and tender and heartbreaking.

from our 2009 Golden Gate Bridge Shoot

I flew directly from Oakland to Las Vegas for my mom's 75th Birthday celebration and extravaganza...what a change in emotion and tone. Las Vegas is just unreal. The immense Americana of it--the excess, the cheap sexuality, the lights, the overwhelming noise and vulgarity. My niece looked up to me at one point and asked why everyone was wearing such short skirts. She had just witnessed one that barely covered what it should...

We had an incredibly overpriced but tasty meal, and saw Cirque De Soleil's Beatles Themed Show, Love. The whole trip was a surprise for my mom, and she was definitely surprised. I got to spend time with my favorite small person and even saw Mr. Obama's plane take off the next morning. Even though I would have liked to have spent more time in the Bay Area, I have to say that it was nice to move onto a celebration....

The Girls....

Adding to that the intense pressure of being in rehearsal and teaching 20 classes a week and I, for the first time since being a small child, went to bed at 8PM on Saturday night. All worn out....I love the show I'm in. I'm super proud of Skeleton Stories. Life is crazy and busy and full of extremes and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Another good bye...

My all time favorite shot

My dear friend Weiferd died this week. Weiferd has been photographing me since I was 17. He is, or was, an AMAZING dance photographer and one of the nicest people on the planet. A funny looking guy, who hung out at dance studios. It's hard to separate my personal loss from the community loss. We've worked together for my entire adult life, but he ended up shooting EVERYONE in the dance world. I could always count on Weiferd to make me laugh, to make me feel beautiful, strong, fearless. I would climb anything, freeze my butt off, hang off of anything to get a great shot for him. I will miss him so much. We last shot together just two weeks ago and when I was feeling low, I posted a pic just to remind myself that I am a strong woman with options. That is what he gave me and for that, I will be eternally grateful.

Here are a few of my favorite shots;

From our last shoot, on Santa Monica Beach

Dancing in the park....

From the famous shower series....

From the bridge shoot

and again...

There are so so so many more, but for now..

Just Because I Can

I thought I'd post a photo from a recent shoot on Santa Monica Beach. The picture makes me feel powerful and strong, something that I forget, as an actress in LA, that I am. I am a powerful person. I make things happen. I am in control of my life. And if it doesn't go the way that I want it to, I can go off and join the circus.

Tech Rehearsal

I'm sitting in the theater at the tech rehearsal for Skeleton Stories. I love this show. It is touching and lovely and ugly and heartbreaking and gross and beautiful. The cast is amazing and the design team astonishing. I'm terrified that my work in it is not up to snuff, even though everyone has said only nice things about it. Isn't that always the case though, that feeling that we all have of not belonging, of not being good enough. Of course this business in which I am completely immersed emphasizes it over and over. "We've decided to go a different way, you are not what we have in mind, you are nice looking but we want a knockout...." The list of rejection sentences is endless. I was just rejected by a manager with whom I really wanted to work. That was hard. Very. It feels much more personal when they meet you and then reject you, rather than just throwing your picture into the trash. To balance that disappointment, I was cast in a new play, The Limitations of Genetic Technology, which will also take place at Theatre of Note. David Watkins is the amazing director. I just saw his current play, Meditations, Eva Hesse, for which I also auditioned (not getting cast was another of those losses that landed) and it was gorgeous. I am really excited to work with him. The timing of this next play is so much better as well. So, for each loss there is a gain. What I need to learn is how to make the pluses mean more than the losses. It's an ongoing process. For today, I am concentrating on this amazing production and looking forward to opening night, Friday October 1.