Hello ....
I had to take a short break again from blogging. I have been working a lot, but also very caught up in a special project: Stop the Virgens.
I first heard about this super secretive project through an email from a friend of the producer. It said that the creator/writer was Karen O (who I knew right away from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), but otherwise, details were sketchy. They were doing a reading up north and when I was called in for an audition and couldn't get away from work, I told the casting director to call me if it came back to NY. I thought I'd never hear from her again. But alas, just a few weeks later, my phone rang again...
This time, I was free for the audition, and in a new position at work - and mentally. I thought, Why Not? Sure, the details were blurry. Sure, it was being coined as a "psycho opera". Sure, it's spelled "virgens" with an E for some reason. But, really, Why Not?
It was the most crazy and fun audition of my life so far. With director Adam Rapp and Karen O. herself in the audition room, I was ready to sing. But, first I went through the craziest "movement call" ever with the choreographer, Mariangela Lopez (now Mari to us all). She is, for sure, one of the most spontaneous and daring choreographers I have ever worked with. Had I not been in a "Why Not?" frame of mind, I would have probably laughed so hard that I couldn't dance or sing, started crying out of embarrassment, or asked the panel if I was being punk'd. This was a far cry from jazz or musical theater dance class. It was ... severe and organic. I loved it. In fact, after our co-dance session (which was to Heartbeats by The Knife, thank you soooo much. I love this song.) and cool down, and even after I sang, I thanked her before I left the room. I even emailed my friend to say "Thank you so much for encouraging me to go to that audition. I don't think anything will come of it, but I had such an amazing time." While we were emailing about it, I got the offer to be in the chorus. And I thought... Why Not?
So, here we are, several weeks and long rehearsals and many revisions later and it's opening night. I'm fighting a severe virus, I wear a hot, itchy wig, and I'm crammed on a riser full of other women in hot, itchy wigs... and I don't care. Even missing lots of hours and money from work (though it's crossed my mind) doesn't bother me at this point. Pros and cons aside, I'm so glad that I said "Why Not?" to this project. It's so different from anything I have ever done, and it helps me remember why I need to get creative. It's not just a cliche- it really does feed my soul.
Watch this short trailer from the Creators Project about the show. See snippets of rehearsals, the band, and the set... all amazing.
PS: I knew who Karen O. and Adam Rapp were... and I was already pretty darned impressed. But, I failed to look up the band, musical directors and other contributors. When I had started hearing whispers of "he's in that band" or "he did this project" or "she was a part of this thing", I finally plugged their names into the 'ole Google machine. Turns out that most of these people are well known, and pretty rad. The good news is that in real life, they actually are pretty rad...though far more quiet and unassuming than I imagined they would be for being such rock stars or leaders in their creative industry. Even more impressive.
*Me in gray with other members of the chorus. Plus, Nick Zinner from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs for good measure.*
So, maybe next time something strange and unassuming comes my way, I may just say Why Not? again... and hopefully it will turn out just as worthwhile as Stop the Virgens.
XOXO
Kimmay
I had to take a short break again from blogging. I have been working a lot, but also very caught up in a special project: Stop the Virgens.
I first heard about this super secretive project through an email from a friend of the producer. It said that the creator/writer was Karen O (who I knew right away from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs), but otherwise, details were sketchy. They were doing a reading up north and when I was called in for an audition and couldn't get away from work, I told the casting director to call me if it came back to NY. I thought I'd never hear from her again. But alas, just a few weeks later, my phone rang again...
This time, I was free for the audition, and in a new position at work - and mentally. I thought, Why Not? Sure, the details were blurry. Sure, it was being coined as a "psycho opera". Sure, it's spelled "virgens" with an E for some reason. But, really, Why Not?
It was the most crazy and fun audition of my life so far. With director Adam Rapp and Karen O. herself in the audition room, I was ready to sing. But, first I went through the craziest "movement call" ever with the choreographer, Mariangela Lopez (now Mari to us all). She is, for sure, one of the most spontaneous and daring choreographers I have ever worked with. Had I not been in a "Why Not?" frame of mind, I would have probably laughed so hard that I couldn't dance or sing, started crying out of embarrassment, or asked the panel if I was being punk'd. This was a far cry from jazz or musical theater dance class. It was ... severe and organic. I loved it. In fact, after our co-dance session (which was to Heartbeats by The Knife, thank you soooo much. I love this song.) and cool down, and even after I sang, I thanked her before I left the room. I even emailed my friend to say "Thank you so much for encouraging me to go to that audition. I don't think anything will come of it, but I had such an amazing time." While we were emailing about it, I got the offer to be in the chorus. And I thought... Why Not?
So, here we are, several weeks and long rehearsals and many revisions later and it's opening night. I'm fighting a severe virus, I wear a hot, itchy wig, and I'm crammed on a riser full of other women in hot, itchy wigs... and I don't care. Even missing lots of hours and money from work (though it's crossed my mind) doesn't bother me at this point. Pros and cons aside, I'm so glad that I said "Why Not?" to this project. It's so different from anything I have ever done, and it helps me remember why I need to get creative. It's not just a cliche- it really does feed my soul.
Watch this short trailer from the Creators Project about the show. See snippets of rehearsals, the band, and the set... all amazing.
PS: I knew who Karen O. and Adam Rapp were... and I was already pretty darned impressed. But, I failed to look up the band, musical directors and other contributors. When I had started hearing whispers of "he's in that band" or "he did this project" or "she was a part of this thing", I finally plugged their names into the 'ole Google machine. Turns out that most of these people are well known, and pretty rad. The good news is that in real life, they actually are pretty rad...though far more quiet and unassuming than I imagined they would be for being such rock stars or leaders in their creative industry. Even more impressive.
So, maybe next time something strange and unassuming comes my way, I may just say Why Not? again... and hopefully it will turn out just as worthwhile as Stop the Virgens.
XOXO
Kimmay
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