No Business Like Show Business

For the past few months all my blog posts have featured, at some point, a plug for a show I was in called The Hired Man. I harped on about it so much before hand that it only feels right to write a post about how it went and also just about what it's like to be involved in theatre in general. Now that I'm no longer in the land of wigs, farmers boots, and petticoats it will be fun to look back over the whole process of the past 8 months...

*stares off into the middle distance* #emosh

Auditions

Auditions are certainly the worst part about being in a show but at least you get them out of the way at the start! If you've been following my blog for a while you will be well aware that auditions are sometimes great experiences for me - ones I leave on an absolute high knowing I've done my best, and sometimes they are the most soul crushing and horrible experiences - where you've bared yourself (not literally, it's not that kind of audition) for the panel only to mess up and let yourself down or for them to tell you you're not good enough. 

My audition for a part in The Hired Man was actually a fairly pleasant experience! I was absolutely terrified though, I can't lie. I had worked so, so hard for that audition. I knew all the scenes and pieces of music inside out and had researched and really thought about the character (I hadn't thought about much else for the two weeks leading up to the audition to be honest). I don't think I could have been much more prepared but there's something about having to deliver in front of a panel of six people and knowing this is your one chance to get it right which can make you feel a little nauseous! The two actors, Mollie and Emrys, who read in the other parts made the experience really great as they were amazing and so helped my vision of each scene to come to life - thanks guys!

Rehearsals

Once the cast list has been released, it's time to crack on with rehearsals! Some of my happiest memories from my whole life are of times in a rehearsal room. Until it gets super close to a show and everyone's a little stressed, rehearsals are fun filled times with your friends, watching a show start to take shape. Rehearsals for The Hired Man were so much fun - from note bashing to scene blocking to choreography learning. A huge shout-out to our director Ed, musical director Julie, and choreographer Kerry for being so organised and amazing during this process!

Most of the characters in The Hired Man are adult farmers and miners who lived over 100 years ago - a far cry from the group of 21st Century teens who had to play them! For this reason our director led a lot of workshop based rehearsals so that we could explore how it would feel to be living their lives; what it was like to live through war, to work the land, to be trapped in the mines, to lose loved ones, and to fight for rights we now take for granted. We even went on a trip to the Imperial War Museum in London to carry out further research. I absolutely loved this whole side of things because I'm a little bit of a history nerd and found it all really interesting! I also feel that it helped me make my performance much more authentic as I really appreciated what it would have been like to live the life of my character. As the song 'Work' from the show says: "If you lived our lives, you'd feel the same. In your heart too would burn such a flame".

The squad take the Imperial War Museum

Tech and Stress

The correct term for this next stage would be the tech and dress but I've called it the tech and stress because it is bloody tense times! I think we lost count of how many pencils our director snapped out of pure rage in these last few rehearsals... tense times indeed! Although this stage is rarely the most fun, it is vital in producing the polished production that you see as a member of the audience. Every scene must be walked through to mark out every lighting cue, entrances and exits must be clarified, props and staging has to be set in the correct places on and offstage etc. As the majority of our rehearsals for The Hired Man had taken place in spaces other than the actual theatre, we had to tweak some of our dance numbers; 60 performers dancing on stage presents some logistical problems!

One of the things I was most excited about regarding being in The Hired Man was the costume. I've always wanted to be in a show that's meant I can wear period dress. All I'm saying now is be careful what you wish for. Don't get me wrong, I still loved my costume, but boy is it treacherous trying to navigate stairs in that skirt when it's a blackout on stage! In addition to the outfit, I had to have a hair piece because my natural hair is short. Similarly, this was all fun and games at first as I was loving having long hair again, but it wasn't so fun by the end of the night when it would be KILLING ME! It felt like my head was being stabbed all over. The ritual of taking the thing out at 11:30 every night was painful for both me and my mum, haha!

My moaning aside, Craig who was our hair and make up stylist was incredibly talented and did such a wonderful job of all the beards, mustaches, hair pieces, and ageing make up which really helped make the show more authentic and believable. 

I personally think that Ben, Oscar and I all look better hairy... amma right?

For me, by far the worst part of the show was the microphone tape. That stuff should be banned. Banned I tell you! Basically, to hold our mics in place we had to have a little strip of transpore tape on our cheeks and back of our necks. Having these lil blighters ripped of at the end of the night made me want to cry. Whenever I've had this in shows before it hasn't been bad at all so who knows what this particular tape was made of. It left me with the biggest most gross spots on the back of my neck too which took ages to go! I would joke with some of the guys backstage that having my tape ripped off was worse than my son dying in the show. What, I'm a thespian, I can't help being a little dramatic lol.

Showtime baby!

Being in this show was just the best. I love the pre-show feeling of opening night: the nerves and excitement and apprehension. This show was no different. Most of my family were there on opening night and it was amazing seeing them in the audience, completely enthralled by the performance. I loved every second of performing that show - from the emotional moments to the comical moments. A particular highlight for me every night was a part of the show that no one actually got to see... In one of the songs 'Get Up and Go Lad' a group of us had to move across the stage and then up the stairs through the audience, we were then in a room at the back of the auditorium where no one could see us. I can't remember how this started but at this point during every performance we formed a dance circle and danced our little hearts out whilst some other members of the cast were continuing the song on stage. This little tradition became one of the things I looked forward to the most. It was so silly and just hysterical. So, shoutout to my dance squad: Thomas, Livi, Ellis, Archie, Xav, Dan.

It's all very well me saying that the shows went well but you can see here what the professionals said about it. Along with great reviews like this one and a 5 star review from the Oxford Times, we got some amazing messages from the composer of the show, Howard Goodall! His parents came to watch the show and enjoyed it so much that they came back a couple of nights later, this time with Goodall's brother too.

Screeshot creds to Sofia

The feeling of singing, acting and dancing your heart out on stage is like no other feeling on earth. I think it's one that you need to experience in order to understand. That's probably why we all got a heavy case of the post-show blues after this one, because we were really craving that buzz. 

The show must go on!

Would this really be a Katie's Corner post if I didn't have some sort of disaster or embarrassing story to share? True to form I got myself into a couple of pickles during show week but one particular nightmare took place during the Saturday matinee performance, I was coming offstage during a blackout (and when I say blackout I mean blackout, you literally couldn't see a thing), went flying over a stool that had been left in the wings after a previous scene and landed on my right hip. Turns out that concrete and bone is not a good combination. As soon as I was backstage, the team were putting cooling gel, and a bag of frozen peas on my injury and dosing me up on painkillers. I then had to alternate between a stick-on cooling patch and the bag of peas depending on whether I was on or off stage. I was also left with a lovely souvenir of the show: the most ugly bruise I've ever seen. But hey, it could have been a lot worse - I mean, it didn't stop me going for it at the after party!

Why there's no business like show business.

A friend of mine, a certain Miss Ellie Grieve once posted a photo on Instagram with the caption: "Musical theatre is so much more than singing, acting and dancing. It's the months of rehearsals, the hours spent learning combinations of dance moves or memorising lines, the chance to (for a number of hours) completely detach from the person you are and pretend to live a life where your problems (big or small) melt away, And that is a wonderful gift I am lucky enough to have experienced." I took a screenshot of this and saved it when I read it for the first time because I felt it summed up my experience beautifully and simply. I believe that there are certain emotions and experiences that cannot be expressed through words alone, I believe that when music comes in to play, you can express far higher and deeper levels of human emotion and experience. Musicals do just this and to be a part of it - whether that is by observing it or by performing it - is so powerful.

Finally I just want to say thank you to everyone who was involved in The Hired Man. From the cast and crew to everyone who came and watch. I had so much fun and wish I could do the whole thing again. And thank you for reading this post, it is very much appreciated as always.

Love,

Katie xxx

From Mountain Tops to Valley Lows

This past week has been quite the journey. I've gone from feeling like I'm stood on a mountain top to feeling like I'm lying in the deepest valley and then back up again . It's been a week of friends, singing, crying, laughing, hope, and despair.

Last week was spent building up to an audition I had at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School on Friday. I was very nervous - particularly after being rejected from the last two schools I had applied for (see previous posts) but I was also really looking forward to performing for the panel. I felt that the audition went well; I performed my pieces the best I could, and the panel were really lovely so the interview part was fine. However, as I left the room afterwards I thought to myself 'I feel like that wasn't enough'. I don't really know why but I just felt like I hadn't had the 'wow factor' (if that's even a thing!). Yet just as I had gathered up my things and was preparing to leave, one of the women from the audition panel came out to call in the next person but instead of going over to him, she came up to me and said "Thank you again so much for coming!" she then gave me a thumbs up and a sort of wink and said "So, yeah, hopefully see you very soon!"

My heart LEAPT. I wanted to look around at everyone and be like 'did anyone else just see that?!'
When I met up with my mum afterwards I told her about it but we both agreed that I shouldn't get my hopes up too much. I knew that even though they might have wanted to give me a recall, they have to consider everyone together and could easily decide that they already had plenty of girls like me. Bristol Old Vic audition well over 1,000 applicants a year with only 14 places up for grabs (and only half of those being for girls) so I knew from the start my chances were extremely slim! And sure enough, I received an email at 11:13 yesterday morning to say they couldn't offer me a place for October 2017.

Despite expecting this to some extent, it still crushed me. The whole thing was definitely made worse by the fact that I couldn't help taking what that woman did to heart - it gave me hope and made me feel like I had a chance of getting through. I think it was pretty insensitive to say what she did without being 100% sure - because of course I would take it to heart! As humans we always look for meaning in things, we strive to cling on to the words of others.

Right now, this sucks, but I'm going to take this week off audition prep to focus on what really matters to me: my friends, my family, my work, and singing/acting for my own enjoyment - then next week I can get back to work to prepare for my last audition.

On days like these it's so easy to sit and say ' life really sucks right now'. However, I don't think that's true. Some really great things have happened over the past few days too and it's up to me to choose whether to focus on those things or to focus on this one really rubbish thing. I'm not saying that when something bad happens you should just push through it straight away and pretend it hasn't happened - far from it! It's important to feel and process your emotions. Indeed, yesterday I had a good old sob for about 10 minutes which helped me to get all the hurt and anger and bitterness and disappointment out of my system! What I am saying however, is that we can choose whether to dwell on the negatives and we can choose whether we let the negatives determine how we feel about life as a whole.

Some really great things that have happened since my audition:

1. Because I was in Bristol, I could meet up with my wonderful friend Grace who is studying to be the best vet in the world (maybe I'm a tad bias) at the University of Bristol. We ate veggie goodness at GBK, caught up, and giggled a lot. I left my time with her feeling very loved.
   
2. I then went to stay with my best friend, Laura, who is studying to be the best oncologist in the world (again, maybe a teensie bit bias) at the University of West England. She knows that whenever we go to Pizza Express I always order the Padana so she bought that for us to have for tea! Then I got to meet her boyfriend for the first time - beforehand I was planning on grilling him (y'know, you've got to make sure your bff gets only the best), however it ended up being that me and Laura basically recounted every major embarrassing event from my life to him. We discovered there is a considerable amount of said embarrassing moments!!! I think it's safe to say that I terrified the poor chap. In all seriousness though, it was lovely sitting and drinking tea with them and getting to know the guy who's making my friend so happy :)
   
3. On the train home from Bristol the next day, I was sat opposite the sweetest middle-aged couple. They got really confused over the seat numbers and got very excited about the little packed lunch they had made which included those little juice cartons that you drink from with a straw. I don't know why they made me smile so much, I guess sometimes it's just the little things that people do/say that can be the most entertaining.
   
4. Saturday evening was the MYCO Open Mic Night. This meant that everyone in the company had the opportunity to perform whatever they wanted. I performed a solo and a duet with my friend Oscar. I loved every single second of it! The stage is my happy place. There's nothing that makes me feel better than singing my heart out for an audience. More than this however, on Saturday I just loved watching everyone else do their thing. I felt honored to be able to perform alongside such incredibly talented people and to be able to call them my friends! Tickets are now on sale for our show 'The Hired Man' which is going to be EPIC (if I may say so myself). Buy them here. Also, you can watch my solo from Saturday evening on my YouTube channel - just click here.
5. After I got the email to say I hadn't been accepted, my brother Matt and I headed for the McDonald's drive-thru. I hardly ever get a McDonald's but this was a level of depression that only chicken nuggets could ease. We blasted out tunes like 'Roar' by Katy Perry, we sung (rather badly) at the top of our lungs and whacked out some pretty horrendous dance moves, but I definitely felt better for it!

   

   Disclaimer: these photos were taken whilst stationary.

6. In the afternoon I had lesson scheduled with a young girl to whom I teach singing. The lesson went really well and I felt so proud - she had obviously been practicing what I had been teaching her and had improved so much!
7. I was working in the late afternoon/early evening with one year old twins that I look after. Honestly seeing their little faces light up and watching them speed-crawl towards me when they see me come in is just so amazing... It kills me every time... MY HEART JUST CAN'T COPE.
8. After work I met up with one of my best chums, Beth, who is back from University for a few days. We drank wine and ate bread and it was blissful.
9. Finally, messages like this from my friends and family have kept me going. Thank you to you all, you truly are the best and I'm so blessed to have you.

   

   Laura Perry, you're the real MVP

So to finally get to the point... What I'm trying to say is that even when something happens that makes you feel like your dreams have been crushed or you've been let down or your heartbroken or you just want to give up, there are always good things to focus on. I'm still upset about the outcome of my audition but by coming up with a list of good things that have happened, I've realised that the good usually balances out the bad. So this week when people ask me how I'm doing or how my week is going, I'm going to say that I'm okay and that my week has been good overall. I'm going to choose to dwell on the positives of my week as well as the bad. Life is never as simple as being at the top of the mountain or being in the bottom of the valley - it's a mixed bag. No day is all good or all bad.


Thank you so much for reading, I hope your week is going well!
It would mean so much if you could follow my blog (there's a little blue 'Follow' button at the top of the page on the left), thanks!

Love,
Katie xxx

Gap Year Bucket List!

10 things I want to do before September 2017...

1. Apply to drama schools e.g LAMDA and Guildhall. I am fully aware of how near-impossible it is to get a spot at one of these prestigious, elite, and highly selective institutes. However, I know that I will hugely regret it if I never try. Therefore, I've made the decision to go for it... but have also secured a place at the University of Brighton to study Primary English Education with QTS  in 2017. I shall be documenting my application and audition journey!
2. Become more courageous! I struggle with really bad travel anxiety which holds me back a fair bit. For example, this summer my parents and brother travelled to Barcelona for a week, yet I had to stay at home as the whole idea was just too terrifying for me. (It's a very hard thing to explain and talk about but I will definitely be discussing it in more depth on here at some point.) I want to increase my ability to cope with travelling by exposing myself to what scares me in the hope that I will build up some level of tolerance. Therefore, I have invested in a railcard and plan to visit lots of my friends who have now gone off to University in various cities across the country. Again, I shall be documenting these little adventures on here! 
3. Sing, sing, sing! As mentioned in my introductory post, my main passions in life are singing and acting. Consequently, several of the things on my gap year bucket list relate to these two interests. These things include: singing at weddings, busking, registering with Uni-versal Extras Ltd. (a company which casts extras for major films and TV programmes), regularly uploading covers to my YouTube channel, writing songs, and applying for a place in the Musical Youth Company of Oxford (MYCO).
4. Get a job. Ideally at Whittards (who sell the most incredible mugs, tea, and hot chocolate!) or Brown Bear (an independent baby and children's boutique), or some form of work with children.
5. Learn to play the piano or guitar. This is one I'm not massively optimistic about as I struggle to be disciplined about practising them! But I hope that, without the excuse of having school work to do, I can be strict with myself!
6. Write a blog. (!)
7. Gain more experience of working with children. As you will have seen from the first item on my list, if I don't get into drama school I will be heading off to University to train as a primary school teacher. I therefore want to gain as much extra experience of working with children as possible over the coming months. Things such as babysitting, volunteering at a toddler group, volunteering at a local primary school - and at a local school for children with special needs - are all on my list. 
8. Bake and cook lots and lots! As I also mentioned in my introductory post, I love to bake! My Grandpa bought me a beautiful KitchenAid mixer for my 18th birthday, which has to be one (if not the) best gift I've ever received. (Yes, I am that sad gal who, when told she can have a big birthday present of her choice, goes for baking equipment over a laptop or any other similarly normal teenage want... Aha!)
9. Learn sign language. Just one of those cool things that I've always wanted to do. I shall be hitting the library for some 'teach yourself' books and of course shall be scanning the internet for tutorials and online lessons.
10. GET WELL! School has most definitely not given me the space or flexibility to attempt to combat my health conditions: ME/CFS, neuropathic/chronic pain, IBS, anxiety, and depression. For this reason, my health has deteriorated over the past couple of years and so I intend to use the coming year to try out different treatments, gradually build up my strength using physiotherapy and swimming, and generally look after myself more.

Phew. So there it is. It will be interesting to look back on this post in a years time to see how much of this list I managed to achieve! Speaking of which... I have already achieved some of it in the first few weeks of my gap year! I have been given a job at Brown Bear, have started volunteering at a toddler group twice a week, have got a job working as 'mothers help' for a woman who has her hands full with 9 month old twins, I (rather miraculously after I thought I'd messed up my audition) got into MYCO, and I have - of course - started a blog. I'd say that's a pretty good start!

Thanks so much for reading, look out for updates on how I'm getting on with my list.

Love,

Katie xxx