Hello all!
Right now I'm in New York City relaxing at my friend Chrissy's house until my meet-up with an agent tonight at Ripley-Grier. Yesterday I met with Peter Rofe of PDR Voice Coaching in New York. We met because I wanted to get assessed for his class that he's having in a few weeks. It's an all day class. 10am-6pm. So the price was up there but actually incredibly reasonable for the location, the teaching, and the length of the class.
First of all: HE ACCEPTED ME! Secondly....
That means I'm broke.
Until Friday when I get paid. But yeah I mean broke. Haven't-been-this-broke-since-college broke. Thank-God-I-bought-my-bus-ticket-before-I-came-here broke. Didn't-eat-more-than-a-bagel-and-granola broke. BROKE.
A thought: How do we fund these lives of ours? I always want to take classes, but the prices, while they are usually reasonable, are still out of my reach. So what gives?
Maybe I'm not working hard enough. Perhaps if I had more survival jobs. What I do know is this: I need to get better at managing my money.
Yesterday was a wake-up call that I needed. When I talked to Peter about this life he said that to get started in this business takes money. It's true. It's true that it takes money to make money. But you invest in your career. It's like starting a restaurant or opening a shop. You invest. And hopefully you'll get that money back ten-fold. That's what I'm hoping for. Not hoping. That's what I'm going for. That's what I'm going to do.
I am humbled. I applied for a part-time job at Starbucks. We are amping up our eBay store. I re-applied for my Macy's Villager job (which I LOVED last year). I am still doing SP work and baby sitting. Clearly, however, I need more money to fund my life and dreams. Thank GOD I met with Peter yesterday. I truly felt that I was in the right place at the right time.
Today I sat down and wrote out a budget for shared expenses and personal expenses. I have minor debt to pay off and I'm gonna do it goddammit. I am going to get myself out of this rut. Just like Irina said I WANT TO WORK. (Was it Irina? Or Masha or Olga? I can't remember).
So November will be my month to figure this all out. And I will figure this out. One day at a time.
-Cindy
p.s.: Anyone looking for help? (:
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Constantly Looking For The Next Thing...
So much news!
First of all, my show Luckiest Kid with White Pines was a wonderful success. We close today at 2pm (which is why I'm trying to squeeze writing this in before doing yoga and heading to the theatre). At first the audiences were tiny. I honestly haven't performed for such small houses since college. But it was humbling and I believe that everyone who came to see it got a great performance. There were times I was bummed out that there weren't a lot of people there, but the cast and everyone else involved was so amazing that we all went out there and put out a fantastic show each and every time. Luckily this past week has been picking up with almost full houses.
I also got my final Voice Over Demo! I'll be posting it on my website soon once I have time to update it. It sounds really great and I'm really excited to take this next step in my journey as an actor. It'll take time to build up but I'm happy to have this new focus, considering I've felt like I've been floating around, not really sure what I'm doing in my theatre career. So to have something like this that's almost like having tunnel vision is actually welcome in my life.
Recently, I think because it's been nearly a year since my friend Reuben passed away, I've been thinking a lot about him. At times it's all consuming and other times it's fleeting. So I'm writing a show. I need to get this out of my body and share this with the world. It's no use keeping it to myself. I'll go mad. So I've been writing a piece in my head and a bit on paper about grief. In February I did a piece with Brat. Shit. Crazy. II and this piece is influenced by that. I actually wrote a proposal recently to a theatre company here in town to get some help with development so we'll see how that goes. I should be hearing this week. More on that later.
While I don't have anything official lined up in theatre, life is busy busy. Our eBay store is going well and we have SO MANY ITEMS to add. Now with the show closing I'll be spending a lot more time in the apartment doing just that. Add add add. It takes a while but once people start buying your items and you can pay your rent doing that, it's worth the time. We're getting better at it. Click the link below to see our store.
Tomorrow I'm meeting with my acting coach Peter Schmitz to go over monologues and some sides for an upcoming audition that I have. I'm also going to talk to him about my direction in theatre. Applying to schools and summer programs and whatnot. I am also meeting with an agent in two weeks and going to an EPA in NYC to get seen by a Shakespeare Theatre.
The going has been tough with getting work in theatre recently but you know I have a great community here and wonderful friends. I've been actively attempting to not feel sorry for myself but use the rejections as a motivator (working out, looking for more work, reaching out to people, etc.). I've also been better about trying to keep working while waiting to hear back from a job so that when that rejection does come (not that it always does but you get my point) I can say to myself "I have so many other things going on, I'm doing this and that. And while I would have liked that job and it hurts to not get the job, I gave it my best shot and it wasn't meant to be". Though getting three rejections in one week hurt (not gonna lie) but I had my cast of Luckiest Kid to hold me up and give me love. That's just the best.
Also this week I went to a workshop with Tassos Stevens of Coney (a theatre and game company in England). **SIDE NOTE** I was really tired after having a long day before the workshop but I went because I said I'd be there and I read up on the company and I promised myself I'd try to get out there and do more things. I had a tendency to just bail on parties and theatre because I was "tired", but who isn't? And seriously what else am I gonna do stay home and do...what? But I am also trying to monitor when I am actually tired. **END SIDE NOTE**
Here is a bio for Tassos: Tassos Stevens is an England-based thought leader in the field of game design, audience engagement, and innovation and the founder and co-director of Coney. Stevens specializes in delivering play to people in all kinds of spaces, wherever they are.
YOU HAVE FOUND CONEY
The workshop was great fun! We played games! And I met new people. Tassos is a lovely, talented man who ran the workshop with grace. I wrote down all the games we played because of our theatre camp and the kids that we have in the camp are getting older and can handle some more challenges. This past summer I really focused on ensemble and I think it worked. Certainly having more of a focus helped lift the performances past what they have been in the past.
The next day New Paradise Laboratories (who hosted Tassos and Coney) had a party and Tassos did a beautiful piece called Jimmy Stewart, An Anthropologist From Mars, Analyses Love And Happiness In Humans (And Rabbits). Coney's work is guided by three principles of adventure, curiosity, and loveliness and this performance was just that. All of that. I hope I can use the ideals and games I learned in my upcoming work and teaching.
Alright. I must work out and get ready for the last show of Luckiest Kid.
You rock.
-Cindy
First of all, my show Luckiest Kid with White Pines was a wonderful success. We close today at 2pm (which is why I'm trying to squeeze writing this in before doing yoga and heading to the theatre). At first the audiences were tiny. I honestly haven't performed for such small houses since college. But it was humbling and I believe that everyone who came to see it got a great performance. There were times I was bummed out that there weren't a lot of people there, but the cast and everyone else involved was so amazing that we all went out there and put out a fantastic show each and every time. Luckily this past week has been picking up with almost full houses.
 |
| The Cast of Luckiest Kid |
I also got my final Voice Over Demo! I'll be posting it on my website soon once I have time to update it. It sounds really great and I'm really excited to take this next step in my journey as an actor. It'll take time to build up but I'm happy to have this new focus, considering I've felt like I've been floating around, not really sure what I'm doing in my theatre career. So to have something like this that's almost like having tunnel vision is actually welcome in my life.
Recently, I think because it's been nearly a year since my friend Reuben passed away, I've been thinking a lot about him. At times it's all consuming and other times it's fleeting. So I'm writing a show. I need to get this out of my body and share this with the world. It's no use keeping it to myself. I'll go mad. So I've been writing a piece in my head and a bit on paper about grief. In February I did a piece with Brat. Shit. Crazy. II and this piece is influenced by that. I actually wrote a proposal recently to a theatre company here in town to get some help with development so we'll see how that goes. I should be hearing this week. More on that later.
While I don't have anything official lined up in theatre, life is busy busy. Our eBay store is going well and we have SO MANY ITEMS to add. Now with the show closing I'll be spending a lot more time in the apartment doing just that. Add add add. It takes a while but once people start buying your items and you can pay your rent doing that, it's worth the time. We're getting better at it. Click the link below to see our store.
 |
| Alfies Nook |
The going has been tough with getting work in theatre recently but you know I have a great community here and wonderful friends. I've been actively attempting to not feel sorry for myself but use the rejections as a motivator (working out, looking for more work, reaching out to people, etc.). I've also been better about trying to keep working while waiting to hear back from a job so that when that rejection does come (not that it always does but you get my point) I can say to myself "I have so many other things going on, I'm doing this and that. And while I would have liked that job and it hurts to not get the job, I gave it my best shot and it wasn't meant to be". Though getting three rejections in one week hurt (not gonna lie) but I had my cast of Luckiest Kid to hold me up and give me love. That's just the best.
Also this week I went to a workshop with Tassos Stevens of Coney (a theatre and game company in England). **SIDE NOTE** I was really tired after having a long day before the workshop but I went because I said I'd be there and I read up on the company and I promised myself I'd try to get out there and do more things. I had a tendency to just bail on parties and theatre because I was "tired", but who isn't? And seriously what else am I gonna do stay home and do...what? But I am also trying to monitor when I am actually tired. **END SIDE NOTE**
Here is a bio for Tassos: Tassos Stevens is an England-based thought leader in the field of game design, audience engagement, and innovation and the founder and co-director of Coney. Stevens specializes in delivering play to people in all kinds of spaces, wherever they are.
YOU HAVE FOUND CONEY
The workshop was great fun! We played games! And I met new people. Tassos is a lovely, talented man who ran the workshop with grace. I wrote down all the games we played because of our theatre camp and the kids that we have in the camp are getting older and can handle some more challenges. This past summer I really focused on ensemble and I think it worked. Certainly having more of a focus helped lift the performances past what they have been in the past.
The next day New Paradise Laboratories (who hosted Tassos and Coney) had a party and Tassos did a beautiful piece called Jimmy Stewart, An Anthropologist From Mars, Analyses Love And Happiness In Humans (And Rabbits). Coney's work is guided by three principles of adventure, curiosity, and loveliness and this performance was just that. All of that. I hope I can use the ideals and games I learned in my upcoming work and teaching.
Alright. I must work out and get ready for the last show of Luckiest Kid.
You rock.
-Cindy
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