We had our first rehearsal

We had our first rehearsal last night for Orgasmo Adulto Escapes from the Zoo…

shit. What an amazing group of strong, talented women. I’ve never done a show that was just women before. The vibe I got walking into the theatre was far different than any feeling I’ve ever had meeting a new cast before. They are all so different, and yet so tough and so beautiful… and different. It was almost frightening. I don’t see myself as a powerful woman - but walking into that room and feeling that power coming from everyone else - and having them treat me the same way - was sort of a frightening wake-up call to me. It’s easier to just slip through life without ever really harnessing that power… to sink out of sight and forget that it’s okay to turn that inner potential energy into kinetic energy. I was completely envigorated by the entire situation. For so many years, I’ve spent the vast majority of my time surrounded by guys. I never really understood why I felt so much more comfortable with men, and now I’m starting to. Realizing that inner power is frightening, and extremely difficult. It makes some women really competitive. I don’t know how it all works, but what I do know is that I’ve never felt competitive with my guy friends. And, although the women in the cast are not competitive people - at least not in a negative way - I can see where the inclination would come from. I see women who are so strong and so grounded in who they are and what they want, and it makes me question myself. But, at the same time, it can be an incredibly impowering experience, and that’s how I think this show is going to be.

One of the other actresses, the fantastic Dina Maugeri, saw me in Pearl, which kind of shocked me. I still don’t feel like I’ve been here long enough that anyone should know who I am. Aimee said at rehearsal that she picked us partially because she knew that we would be women who could work together without being competitive or snipy - she knew it about the rest of the cast because she knows them personally, but she knew it about me because she “checked up on me”. (I bet she talked to Bill Cole, who’s in Unfair Arguments with Existence with her right now, and who was my director in 14/48. He’s such a great guy.) It was a really unsettling - but very positive - evening, and I’m anxious to really get started in this rehearsal process. Part of why I liked Mass Murder so much was all the one-on-one time I had with Jeff…. well, this is going to be a totally different experience. Instead of one and a half hours one-on-one with the director twice a week (and not seeing everyone else’s work until tech), we’re going to have one FOUR HOUR LONG rehearsal one-on-one each week, and then we’re going to all come back together once a week to do it for each other. It’s going to be SO GREAT.

Now, if I just had a job, my life would be perfect. ;)
(and maybe a clean apartment.)