Ladies' Room

"Ladies' Room" is a play written by Utah playwright Aden Ross.  I actually performed the same character in this play twice in two years.  It was produced by Girlfriends Productions at the Art Barn in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The play is set in a ladies' restroom in the Caesar's Palace Casino in Las Vegas.  Characters included a lesbian blackjack dealer, a female seminary student hanging out in the ladies' room studying while waiting for a bus, a showgirl, and older woman with a gambling problem, one character I just can't bring to mind at the momen (but I know I'm going to smack myself because it will come to me right after I hit 'publish') and the cleaning woman, played by yours truly.

This character was a real challenge for me, not because I had never done that kind of work in real life (I have).  The cleaning woman was supposed to come onstage singing...nearly every entrance.  And not just any songs...Aretha Franklin songs.  Given my lack of musical theatre history, and the fact I had been told I should do something else because I had no future in musical theatre ... I was about as intimidated as I could get.  For weeks of rehearsal I refused to sing the lines, and would only recite the lyrics.  Finally the patient, but exasperated director said, "I don't care what it sounds like.  The character is a cleaning woman.  It's not supposed to be Aretha."  So I whisper-sang.  There was encouraging positive response.

One of my castmates made me a tape (that dates this production, eh?) of all the various Aretha songs in the play, as well as some other goodies for inspiration.  I also wound up using one of the other songs, "Jesus is Easy", by Martin Mull (of all people).  I'm sure some people will take that as sacrilegious  but to someone who does not feel worthy, it can speak to Jesus's forgiving nature, IMO.

A local club gave the cast and crew a year's membership each, and a lot of nights we would wind up there (especially on karaoke night).  The first time I got up to sing, I needed a couple of vodkas to screw up my courage.  And I sat at the table shaking afterwards, but other than that it was a success.  BTO's "Takin' Care of Business" became my signature piece.  Why no Aretha?  That was the hostess's choice.

In the second production, the woman who had played the dealer became the seminary student.  The woman who had been the older woman was then the dealer, and there were one or two new actresses to fill the vacancies.

I learned a lot in and from "The Ladies' Room".

The Importance of Being Earnest

"The Importance of Being Earnest", a comedy by Oscar Wilde, will always hold a special place in my heart.

Ten years, two continents and countless jobs after I dropped out of college after a soul-stifling year of studying a subject in which I had no interest, and being told I had no future in theatre, I saw a notice for auditions at my college for this play.  I thought to myself, "I should do that!"  Then I walked closer for the details.  OH NO!  The auditions were that afternoon.  That little "don't even think about it" voice that we all have started shouting, "It's too quick.  I don't have anything prepared.  I can't do it."

From out of who-knows-where, a different voice whispered, "Go ahead.  Just try it.  If you don't get cast, you'll be no worse off than you are right now, and you'll won't have to wonder 'what if'."

So, I went.  Luckily, years of Anglophilia and watching countless reruns of 'Brit-coms' paid off.  Then came the waiting until the next evening until the cast list was posted.  I walked down the steps to the door on which the list was posted to find that I had been cast as Lady Bracknell.  I floated back to my car and went to my job at Domino's.  I still remember telling everyone there, as many times as they would listen, for oh, the entire shift.

Rehearsals went - well, as rehearsals go.  I was sharing an apartment with three other young women at the time.  I remember memorizing by typing out each line 5 times, then typing two consecutive lines 5 times, up to five lines at a time, going through the scene that way and then whittling down the list at the end.  Kind of anal, I know, but hey, it worked.

Three days before opening night, at our last Sunday rehearsal, the director (our professor) did not show up and attempts to contact her were unfruitful.  As we could not get into the theatre space, we decided to do a line-through in the lobby.  Instead of Earnest's younger brother being carried off in Paris by a chill, we all had Southern accents and the young man was carried off in the bayou by syphilis.  I have never laughed so hard without chemical assistance in my life.

The next night, a substitute director/professor came in and let us know that the former director had had an 'incident' and she would be in the hospital for some time, but not to worry, the show would go on.  The show must go on...right?  I remember my costume being pinned and worked on during the final dress rehearsal.

There were four performances.  My mother attended each one, often with other people in tow.  I forgot lines once during the run of the show, but luckily the actor playing Earnest made up a line that sparked my memory.

I guess I didn't do too badly, because I was fortunate to be involved in 5-6 plays per year for the next 5 years or so, often acting, but also doing tech work, directing, etc etc etc.

So, what is the moral of today's story?  If you really want something in  your life and it's not there yet, evaluate your perceived limitations to see which ones are real.  For instance, I will never be an Olympic athlete.  But one day I may get to visit the Olympics.  Our dreams may not come true in the way or when we want, but if we 'earnestly' (sorry for the pun, but I couldn't resist) seek something, we can usually manifest our dream in some form.

Happy Days

If you came here lookin' for 'the Fonz', you will be disappointed.  Sorry.  The "Happy Days" about which I am writing is the play written by Samuel Beckett in 1960-1961.  Beckett was born in Ireland and lived most of his adult life in France.  In 1969, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature.  He wrote books and plays, of which 'Happy Days' is one.

In 'Happy Days',  the main character, Winnie, is buried up to her waist in dirt.  The sun shines 24 hours a day, and she is woken and notified of time to sleep by the ringing of an alarm.  Winnnie's purse is filled with all her precious things, many of the same as you would find in women's purses today, with the addition of a revolver and a music box.  Every day they are spread out in a certain order across the mound of dirt that encases her, and every night they go back into the bag.  And she talks how every day "will have been a happy day"

Admittedly, a Beckett production takes some getting used to.  My first experience was with "Waiting for Godot".  It was produced by the Utah Shakespearean Festival, which is phenomenal; I had also not read the play first or attempted to find anything out about it or Beckett.  There was so much repetition, and the play was so absurd...that my mother and I left during intermission.  I know.  Looking back it makes me cringe to think I dd that.

I played Winnie in 'Happy Days' during the same month I wrapped up my college degree in Finance.  A man you had worked with my theatre professor had wanted to do this play for a while.  The professor probably had the acting chops to do the role, but it was a college production and therefore needed student actors, and my professor...had certain chemical issues during that time period.  Maybe my mind is clouded by t h e distance of time, but I think the director wanted me to play the part...because I don't remember auditioning.  I got to play some fantastic characters that normally went to older actresses.  But then, I've always been described as 'older' than I am chronologically.

Winnie mentions "The Merry Widow Waltz" during her ramblings, so the director had a music box specially made with that tune.  Wow...talk about a humbling experience.

I had done another play at the Art Barn in February.  During March I was supposed to be light technician for 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next" - but one of the actresses had to drop out and they asked me to take her part about a week before.  I probably should have refused given the size of the task awaiting me in April, but it was acting, so of course I said, "I'd LOVE to!"

Lest I forget, in the second act, Winnie is covered up to her neck in the dirt.  The first act lasted about 30 minutes, the second act about 15-20.  The only other character is Willie, Winnie's husband, who lives in a cave on the back side of the mound.  He speaks about a total of 40 words the entire play.

I spoke with my "Cases in Financial Management" professor, whose class was once a week on Tuesdays, about getting out early in order to make evening rehearsals.  He was very agreeable.  In fact, on the night of the final dress rehearsal, unbeknownst to me, he allowed all the students to leave early ... provided they attended the rehearsal.  I was so touched; my performance was very emotional that night.

I came to the conclusion that Beckett is like Shakespeare.  At first glance, sometimes both appear incomprehensible.  But once you know the plot, relax, and let yourself go into the flow of the words...beautiful stories emerge.