2010 Wrap-Up

2010 was a pretty good- and busy- year!

January: With the film company I’m with, Enscribe Studios, filmed a short called Never, which is one of our best films to date. Nearly got arrested while filming it for accidental trespassing. Had a terrible audition at a big theatre; I’m still too embarrassed to go back. Dyed my hair (accidentally) black. Saw Spring Awakening for the first time with my friend Megan. Went to my first theatre festival, which was quite an experience. Started the spring semester of my sophomore year of college, including a lot of first time classes in things like Shakespeare, Children’s Theatre, and Directing. Turned twenty. Got asked to sing in my friend’s summer wedding, something I’ve always wanted to do. Started piano lessons. Read and saw Peter Pan for the first time. Went on a ton of auditions.

February: Found out that my acting type is an ingénue, which was news to me. Out of love for my friend, agreed to be in a scene that I hated because I had already done it and didn’t like the play. Started writing a play based on/around Peter Pan. Auditioned a lot. Half of my classes were snowed out for about two weeks. Auditioned for Peter Pan at a huge, you-will-never-be-cast-here scale theatre. Was inundated with schoolwork. Became obsessed with A Chorus Line, helped by the awesome documentary Every Little Step. Saw a casting session from the other side of the table. Was given the duet Sixteen Going on Seventeen in my school musical theatre club, a milestone for me there. Read some awesome plays.

March: Started to go crazy(er) over not having a show. Put on a fun version of The Princess and the Frog with my Children’s Theatre class for a class of sixth graders (and I got to play the princess!) Became a cheerleader. Obama came to my school (I didn’t see him.) Auditioned a lot. Dealt with the mold and mouse problems in my dorm room. Was cast in my first student film playing a murderous teenager; we shot for three days of awesomeness. Filmed an Enscribe teaser for a new miniseries that I was asked to write- action, something brand new to me.

April: Discovered ALL CAPS, which is now my favorite band. Got new headshots taken. My friends Stuart and Courtney visited me at school. My beloved dog Missy died at age fifteen. Auditioned a lot. Did my second student film at my own university. Did my third at a different school. Got accepted into a giant, hard-to-get-into audition. Performed in my first piano recital. Got my first non-acting job.

May: Finished my sophomore year of college. Auditioned for the national tour of Next to Normal. More auditions. Visited Stuart and Courtney at their college. Started my tour guide job. Started to become obsessed with Dr. Who. More filming with Enscribe, which resulted in the usual adventure/us getting in trouble. Got cast as Portia in The Merchant of Venice- my first Shakespearean role ever.

June: My sister graduated high school. Started Merchant rehearsals. Went to the Met. Participated in the ginormous audition. A well-known playwright (one that I love) sought me out on the internet and wrote me a letter. Got a new agent. Was forced to watch all three extended versions of Lord of the Rings in one day. Tried to begin the study abroad application process.

July: Got cast in a play of one-acts at the very first theatre I ever performed in. Rehearsal, rehearsal, work, rehearsal. Had a full-out Shakespeare rehearsal in my backyard. Opened Merchant.

August: Closed Merchant. Blogged Every Day in August (BEDA.) Upgraded cameras. Opened and closed the one-acts. Started and finished Mockingjay, a book that, no matter how I felt about it, hit me harder than a lot have. Moved into school for my junior year.

September: Started out my first full day of my junior year crying in my professor’s office. Declared a creative writing minor. Started a cheerleading club. Auditions. Was cast as Alice in Alice in Wonderland. The school finally let me start applying to English colleges. Saw Time Stands Still on Broadway.

October: Got accepted to Queen Mary University of London, my top choice. Injured my left foot to the point that it still hurts me three months later. My mom got a cat. I bought my plane ticker to London. Got cast in a duet from one of my favorite musicals, Chess. Saw ALL CAPS, among other artists, in concert, which was incredible. Opened Alice in Wonderland. Got a position as a teaching artist with Philadelphia Young Playwrights. Saw The Scottsboro Boys on Broadway. Was cast as Jane Moore in Life With Mother Superior. Dropped out of cheerleading. Dressed as Hermione Granger for Halloween.

November: Closed Alice in Wonderland. Participated in National Novel Writing Month for the third year and won for the second; in the end, the novel was 63,023 words long. Mother Superior nearly fell apart but magically pulled itself together and had a great opening weekend.

December: Closed Mother Superior. Finished the first complete draft of my Peter Pan play, Straight on ‘Til Morning. Saw Time Stands Still again, this time from the third row orchestra. Finished my junior fall semester. Went back to my alma mater for the first time since senior year. Began packing for England. Went to Washington DC with Enscribe. Rang in the New Year with Stuart and his family.