Zwei Welten

Been listening to German Broadway recently. It's quite amusing when you know a bit of the language. Don't know why, but it tis'.

My parents have made me stop going to tech rehearsals, which is down right depressing. Honestly, tech is one of the only things that still manages to be enjoyable. Now, I could go into a whole 'out of control' rant here, BUT I SHALL NOT!

Muhahahahaha Take that anxiety!

So yes, German Broadway, it's amazing! Jekyll and Hyde, Tarzan, and Lion King are all that I've been able to find. But I'm sure if I search hard enough I'll find more. Quite obviously- I speak a little of it. (Shut it! German Two counts!) And I love the sound of the language. To all you haters- suck my..ahem..

So, I suggest you look into some good old fashioned 'Konig der Lowen' or um..'Tarzan' 

Sorry for all most posts being depressing lately, I'm trying to be happier with them because this wasn't meant to be a bitch blog, but it's starting to turn into one.

NEVER! I REFUSE! I AM COMPLETELY SANE!

Well that last one is debatable. But anywho, to prevent any further boredom on your part I shall cut this one shorter than usual.

All my love

Ashton

Circle of Life

Wow two Disney titles in a row? Well this is just on behalf of my slight obsession with all things Julie Taymor. I really think the titles I write have almost nothing to do with the entry beyond the first paragraph, but still. Lion King for the win?

So I'm at the point in a show where I want nothing to do with my actual life, honestly if I could work all day long until I eventually end up passing out on top of the cell block I would. Beyond my personal and school life falling apart at my feet I really have nothing else.

There's something comforting in working that long. I know I'm a masochist n'all but really, I love the feeling of coming home covered in paint and only having to think about what I'm gonna do after chorus rehearsal tomorrow.

I suppose I can't really beat around the bush on what I'm really saying- outside of Theatre life pretty much blows. Can't get the grades, can't get the guy... Just generally epicly failing at everything but painting, and even that's a bit shoddy. I'm sure eventually I'll get out of this slump, but for now it's gotten to the point where I've canceled my Facebook because I'm tired of the anxiety it gives me.

God this is supposed to be a theatre blog and I've turned it into some kinda bad teenage soap opera. Enough of this crap! Story time!

So as of right now I've almost died three times in the last day. Once was in the middle of a Huck Finn project where I was supposed to do a fake spit take and instead started choking in front of my entire AmStud class. Since it was a theatre-esq project they all thought I was just doing really good at acting. But you know, I'm not that good, of course not. So I was about to blackout when I finally managed to get some air in. Of course I was laughing at myself the whole time so it was pretty messed up to say the least.

Second time I tripped on one of the cell blocks and almost fell off the second story.

And the third time I almost got hit by a bus.

Something's trying to kill me I swear...

So I think that's enough for today, kinda run out of replays on YouTube for Lion King. That and I have a pre-calc test to study for (which I might not actually fail thanks to the subject matter actually being applicable to life)

Your's truly

Ashton

Poor Unfortunate Souls

Theatre IV has one and only one perk- getting to do frivolous projects that have nothing to do with the black plastic monster that currently sits in the back of my car.. (my portfolio for those of you who've never encountered such an object)

So as such, we're doing a musical theatre project, which allowed me to fangasm all over the whiteboard. For those of you not paying attention- I know a lot of Broadway shows. Drowsy Chaperon, Bat Boy, Memphis, Mamma Mia, Into the Woods.... Someone stop me before I turn this post into a giant list. 

Anywho, I shall be doing 'Poor Unfortunate Souls' from Little Mermaid (Yes.. it did run on Broadway) Jaded manipulative individuals seem to be my forte. I hope this isn't some sort of subconscious desire that needs to be checked out. I'm already crazy enough, I don't need un-diagnosed psychopathy... 

Chicago's going..well enough. I've decided to take up a new anti-gossip banner, mostly because I have the naive belief that if I stop talking about everyone else I might just possibly be left alone. Maybe. I don't know what it is about the seniors, but none of them have any respect what so ever for anyone but themselves. 

Wait, that's not true, some, actually most of them do... I just remember the bad ones. Wait, gha, no, I won't talk about anyone.. ANYONE! 

My grades suck, my social life's dead, and the only thing I have left is slowly fading away in intensity. I need work and stress to function, and not being something important to the show is killing that. I'm on chorus and I don't dance. I'm kinda on tech but not really... Just kinda lost between the two with neither of the groups really accepting me. 

I'm sorry, this wasn't meant to be so depressing, none of the entries are, but I suppose with my current mindset I can't really write like anything else. 

Now I'm off for yet another date (but not really) with the Russian. 

Ashton

Voulez-Vous

Guess what show's been on my mind lately? Ten points if you got it right...
I have to say, in that particular scene, the one thing I always focus on is one of the chorus girls' shoes. If you go to about halfway through the camera man focuses on them, and I don't know why but I like the shot. (maybe I have some sort of minor foot fetish... idk?)

I'll make this short, mostly because I want to prove to myself that I'm not crazy for doing this!

Injury count for the day- 2! Down to an all time low! I got two splinters from building the cell block, and a bruised nail from a drill deciding to miss the screw and go for my hand.

Speaking of the cell block, the guy that comes in does tech with us was trying to figure out how to make the jail cells be able to open, and I passively suggested the shower rods we have in our wood heavens. He said no of course, but apparently that gave him an idea...my one and only shining moment this week.

Overall the shows progressing quite nicely, my personal and school life are taking nosedives into a spiraling oblivion though. I guess you really can't have it all.

On a side note, I went to go see a middle school show yesterday, and, like all middle school shows are, it was awful. BUT! Their Aladdin was absolutely adorable... to quote a friend of mine 'If he were three years older and five inches taller....'
Okay, pedo mode power off.

So I made commie cupcakes for my token love interest. Maybe, just maybe, I could lace them with roofies and see where that gets me! I'll have to post a lovely picture next time I get access to the only Iphone in my household. I'm sure they won't last tomorrow once my cast gets a hold of em'

I need to actually sleep tonight, so I'll cut this off before I go off into a huge tangent about stupid Russian boys...

Love and Kisses
Ashton

Overtures

Have I ever mentioned how happy overtures make me? Many an awful days have been upturned by the simple instrumental mix of songs that precedes a musical. I don't really know where this tangent is going, but it seemed like a good opener after such a long absence.

I guess I should do a quick update? (don't worry I'm not going to bog you down with paragraphs of Theatre drama, I've been living that for the past three months.)

Life's been pretty stressful as of late, I ended up doing 'Rocky Horror' with the same Theatre that did 'Into the Woods' Although this time I was traipsing around in a corset and garter belt instead of my customary blacks. That show was...interesting to say the least. To tell the truth, I wasn't supposed to be allowed to do the show due to time constraints, but I'm glad I got to be in it none the less.

I was a phantom (the chorus) and it was the most amazingly freeing things I have ever done. If you ever get the chance to see the show or be on cast DO IT! It may seem a little weird at first, you may get molested by people twice your age, but the experience as a whole is worth it.

SO while I was doing that I was also the Assistant director for a school production of 'Battle of Angels' by Tennessee Williams. Again, one of the most stressful but most amazing things I have ever done.

I use that word a lot don't I? AMAZING!

Um, what else can I summarize? Honestly to much has happened for me to bring it down to a couple of paragraphs...

We're knee deep in Chicago right now, and I feel like I should be excited, but I can't fight the eternal feeling of inadequacy that seems to haunt everything I do. On the upside, one of my cast mates is attractive enough to make me care about going to rehearsals ;)

Other than personal things, I can't think of any particularly interesting stories to tell...

OH WAIT NO! I discovered I have latent painting abilities when I had to do a picture of a church at eleven o clock at night two days before opening. That was fun. I'll have to post a picture next entry.

Because I promised myself I'm not giving up on this!

Lovingly yours

Ashton

Birds

I should have known those godamn birds would be the death of me the moment I walked in today, well yesterday I suppose considering it is now about midnight. Anyway, I digress, I got up in the hot as hell heavens and couldn't find the fishing pole, after ten minutes of lookinng I found them...Missing two birds.
That's right, the godamn teen cast had broken the mother f-king birds, and who's job was it to fix them? That's right, Ashton. So after fixing them I had to re-feed the fishing pole, while sitting in the hot as hell theatre watching a rehersal.
Oh how I wish that was the end of my adventure, but no. Not at all. In the middle of the show, just as I'm about to swoop down and give Cinderlla yet another reason the see a psychiatrist, yet another one drops dead.
Right. On. Stage.
But just as I'm about to go 'oh shit' Cinderella raches down, grabs the bird and sings 'To fix' in the most amazingly convient cover ever.

So that's the end of my rant about the birds. I fucking hate birds now. They're right below snakes on my list of species to extinct.

We were supposed to do two shows today, but...Well no one really showed up to the three thirty one so we canceled it, got ina few more rehersals and went to dinner. I did have to run home and grab my ten pound make-up kit for several of the boys. Sigh, I wish one of them was datable. But no, gay, taken, or way to old.

Just about the only interesting thing that happened at dinner, well actually several things happened. For one, We didn't have enough room in the car for all of us, so Curtis had to stretch across the backseat, as in, on top of us. And then a waiter thought we were dating.

Yes. Me and the gay guy.
FML

So, my dad just came upstairs to yell at me, so I guess I'll cut this one shorter than the last. [I know, you're all praising your deity of choice]

All birds must die
~Ashton

Hello Little Girl

Well, I decided to combine the almighty powers of my passion for Theatre and my need to type out my experiences in...Life. And here is the result, an awesome blog completely devoted to my obsession with everything having to do with gaff tape, safety pins, wooden cows, and homosexual chorus boys.

I should start off with a better introduction, the name's Ashton. Or at least, that's my name according to you. I'm an actress in high school, though I'm trying to both tech and acting. My ultimate dream is to direct, although I don't know if I would look good with the gray hair of stress that seems to plague every director I've had. I'm still learning...A LOT, and I have a long way to go before I'm ready to do any of this professionally. For now, I'll stick to school and community. Oh and my favorite show[s] right now is[are] Bat Boy and Book Of Mormon.

I do believe that is the basics of myself. Now on to more important things, like what the hell has been up in theatre world recently. Or at least, community theatre world.

Starting off, Sondheim can go to hell, no really, I know he's one of American Theatre's Treasures [Emphasis On The Capitals], but I really think he must have made this show as some sort of sick joke. I am referring, of course, to 'Into the Woods.' The most difficult, fucked up, brilliant shows ever written. The basic premise, in layman's terms is 'A bunch of fairy tales meet up and screw with each other because somehow they're all related.'

Sounds crazy in theory right? That's what I thought, but this guy at the theatre who is the archetypal 'Sage' in this Odyssey of teenage proportions explained most of the symbolism behind the show.

For example, the Wolf and Cinderella's prince are often double cast because with both the stories are based on 'The Chase'. The Wolf for Little Red, and The Prince for The Princess [Cinderella] The way he explained it was that the prince is meant to find the princess not necessarily to be a good husband to her. Which really is done a thousand times but is really cool symbolism when you consider Sondheim basically took a wreaking ball to the fourth wall to do it.

In short, Sondheim can go to hell, but maybe not as far down as the hacks behind 'Shrek: The Musical' [God don't even get me started..]

I'm in love with this cast. Considering the fact I came in the very last minute, [Final Dress Rehearsal, Again Emphasis On The Capitals], they've been really accepting and understanding when I screw up [which is often]. I loath the idea that actors are just these pretentious idiots who can't handle taking care of themselves, because even though I'm there I can't be everywhere at once and they do a lot to make my job easier.

Annnnnddd then there's the hot guys. Of course most of them are flaming, as with all productions, and the rest are at least twice my age, but it's nice to look on occasion And really? Just because some one's gay doesn't mean they become any less attractive to the opposite sex. Man 'Rapunzel's Prince' is quite the looker. And he's amazingly nice...and talented.

Why are they always gay? Why?

Right. Theatre.

So anyway, what went wrong this show. Lets see.

Well for one, the CD kept cutting [yes, we can't afford even a pianist, suck it]. So The Wolf's first song, which is already creepy enough. Creepy as in pedophilia. Was done completely accapella. For all you who lack musical inclination, that means 'sans-music,' this made it all the more creepy.

That's right, we had to do most of the first act with no music, on opening night, yeah thanks for that 'God Of Musicals.'

So that happened, and then the wooden 'cow' we have fell over as I pulled it off stage. The actress playing the baker's wife covered amazingly by grabbing it and screaming at the top of her lungs 'DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME YOU!'

Have I mentioned I love this cast?

I think that's about it-wait no, oh yeah, we cut out Cinderella's wedding scene and part of 'Ever After.' So I never go to fly the birds in, and that was the only cue I was on 100%.

It was the most wonderful disaster I have ever been a part of. I loved it, and I suppose I should get used to the music because I'll be doing about 20 runs of the show. I'm. So. Excited. [Not the sarcasm please]

For the next month, this will be my life, which I don't really mind because it gives me something to do with my life that collages will love. And I just love the feeling of working myself to the bones and getting nothing but satisfaction at the end of the day.

So that's the end of this entry.

I will master those mother f-king birds by the end of the month.

~Ashton