Vintage

"Don Giovanni" by Mozart. I loved all of the voices we had for principle artists--a fantastic group I must say! So, I am backstage watching Eleni, our Donna Elvira, sing her last aria in "Don Giovanni" last night. I felt wistful--a longing to know how things might have been if I had chosen this world. And like that, it hit me. I hadn't missed anything. This path, to follow Opera, audition in NYC during the "audition season" in Nov and Dec, all of it, I had not ever known such a path existed until 2 years ago!! Though I had been friends with everyone in the Music Dept at ORU, had Principle Cellist, Oboe, Trumpet, Concert Master, Lead Soprano, Lead Tenor, Lead Alto, etc.--all these people, I hung out with! Not ever was I made aware of such a path. All we talked of was touring in the summer, of which I did a lot of, and where we would go to Grad School. I had always wanted to do the Operas that were put on by the Dept, featuring all of us, but never had the time. Between Frontline, Chamber Singers, Women's Chorus, Concert Choir--all which had rehearsal times multiple times a week, and their own folder of music to learn, their own concert schedules to be at) required classes and homework, music/core classes and homework, Voice classes and practice (as primary instrument), piano class and practice (as secondary instrument), and working a part-time job to pay for my schooling on a graduated plan, not to mention a social life and being "Social Chairman" for a year or so; I really haven't a clue how I would have fit in learning an Opera part seeing as sleep was down to 4-5 hours a night, maybe!! Any music student knows what I speak of, as I am not the only one who has had some craziness to deal with on the musical road to graduation and happiness! Had I known though, of the possibilities our SOX artists experience or the path our Principle Artists take, I might have made a few sacrifices in order to do so. Maybe. Then I could say I truly regret not going this route, but I can't, seeing as I never knew it was here. SO, what am I wistful for? I had a friend chide me last year when I mentioned living a bit vicariously through the SOX artists last season. She reminded me of all I had--two beautiful girls and a family, and I sing some great Jazz! She misunderstood me. After several failed attempts at trying to relay what I meant, I have finally found the words, as I woke from sleep, they were on the tip of my tongue. I could have chosen that way, auditioning in NYC, traveling still, knowing chapter and verse every schools music program and faculty in the Music School Universe, have my Masters. I probably wouldn't be married and my adorable girls would not be in my life. So what do I have then? Despite not knowing this choice, it came full circle. God gave me the desire of my heart to be able to sing and be in some of my favorite Opera. I also sing Jazz once a month with my Jazz Trio, I get to rock it out on occasion with Dave and the Wavetones, and I can chose where I want to go to sing instead of just auditioning! God has given me all of my favorite music to sing and perform on a regular basis, anywhere in the world I want to go!! AND I have family to share it with! That was my Epiphany! Wow. SO, I say all of that to say, that maybe someone out there is trying to decide what's next, afraid if you let go one thing you might not have it a again. Not true. I'm living proof. Follow your heart. Know that the doors in front of you, open and before you, are the ones you are meant to take. If they aren't there, or it doesn't look exactly the way you planned it, don't worry about it. It will make sense further down the road. God knows what He is doing. Trust Him.

Sorry to keep everyone in suspense! This past week has been 6pm to 6am shifts all week. It even cut into my rehearsals for "Don Giovanni" with Shreveport Opera...sigh...I did a lot of crawling, kneeling, and lying down on set. There was a lot of invading personal space this past week. In one shot, Nick's stunt double, me and the other stand-in for the daughter were told to smoosh together while lying on the floor--me holding a half down on my front pose and him on his back--in short, awkward and uncomfortable. We spent what seemed like an eternity there, b/c my arm fell asleep! I guess one of the other stunt guys thought it would be a great pic to take, so with permission, I have a shot of it posted in the gallery for those of you interested. Lots of standing around while the crew set up the lights and cameras. Nicole stood close to us at one point. She asked how we were doing, and smiled at our replies. Being some of the best actors in the biz, they tend to get into character when they are on set, and remain there even when they aren't filming the shot at the moment. So, what may seem like being ignored or snubbed, isn't that at all. With that said, Nick Cage also became more animated this week as well. He looked around more, making eye contact on a normal basis. I even got a smile out of him a few times. He caught me by surprise one time, as I passed him while walking from set to base camp. I was looking to the right, and as I turned my head back, he was walking towards me to the left wearing a white t-shirt and jeans--I almost didn't recognize him! He must have been waiting for me to look his way because he smiled and said, "Hello there! How are you?" To which, I choked out a "I'm great!"  I thought, Fantastic! My moment of glory, and I sounded like I swallowed a frog! As it winded down, the farewell to Nick and Nicole took place. I prayed for an opportunity to present itself for a picture with either, but especially Nicole Kidman, since I was her stand-in, but I didn't get it. I'm hopeful of another opportunity down the road though! What an amazing time it has been! I'm so grateful! Thanks for sharing it with me.

On set a couple of nights ago, we did a shot in the back, next to the lake. They built the light around me again, from pitch to midday. I also rehearsed running across the lawn with the steady cam man. I rolled my ankle on one take, b/c the lawn was slanted and wet with dew. I walked it off, and mentioned that maybe Nicole should take her shoes off for this one--and she did. It was a fun night that went fast and ended soon. Tomorrow night is an all night shoot. I'm hoping I have the strength to make it through without exhausting myself. Don't get me wrong, I love it, I'm just not accustom to burning the candle at both ends.

I have some pics I was allowed to post up here under "photos" on the menu bar. I hope to have more before the production's end.

I have been on set almost everyday, but I haven't done a whole lot. It's a lot of waiting around and entertaining yourself. I met Nicole's stunt double who has done a few movies, of whom was also very personable. She doubled for Mystique on "X-Men", doubled in the movie "i-Robot", and few others you'd recognize.I believe the man whom she was with also stunt doubled for Hugh Jackman on various projects. I did get to sit in the Porsche they used while they fixed lighting. Although, last night was more fun than usual for the night shoots we've been doing outside recently. At about 12:30AM, they called "New Deal" and "Second Team", which is us Stand-ins. They came over and grabbed Nick Cage's stand-in and me. When I arrived at the place I was to occupy, Director Joel Schumacher, asked us whether we had seen the rehearsal or not. Nick's stand-in gave a vague answer, I think he was just trying to be funny, but I chose to admit I hadn't seen anything, as I never heard them call "rehearsal". The Director, glared at the other stand-in and then turned to me, thanking me for my honesty, and went on to explain where they needed me. I stood still for about 30-45 minutes, while they built the light around me in the dark.