School For Scandal

On Friday, Ventana and I went to see our third play at Theatricum. The play was called "School for Scandal" and although it wasn't a Shakespeare play, I was excited to see it. As you may know, Ventana and I perform as fairies in the professional Midsummer's Nights Dream. Whenever we're backstage I always see the costumes from School for Scandal, and they inspired me to see it.

The play is set in the 1777 and tells a story of life in those times. It is full of gossip, plots, scandal, and extravagant clothes. Overall, it was one of the best plays I've seen there. Although I didn't understand everything, it was funny and wonderful to watch. The

 costumes were great; colorful and huge. They all had big colored wigs which I loved to look at. The acting was also really good! My teacher Willow (left), who I've had since I was little, was absolutely amazing! She was so funny and cute and didn't feel like herself. Another great performance was given by Mark Lewis (left). He directed my play 

at school last year and I've known him some time before that. It was so much fun to see all my directors and teachers acting on stage. They are all so good!

Anyways, it was an extremely fun play to see! I loved it so much! If you're only going to see one play at Theatricum, I'd say this is the one to see (or Midsummer's Nights Dream, but they do it every summer, so no need to rush to see it). I had an extremely good time and I wouldn't mind seeing it again!

Pictures are thanks to Theatricum.com.

Gosford Park

Last night mom, Greg and I watched Gosford Park. I had been interested in seeing it because my friend Alison's grandfather, Robert Altman, was the director. I had also heard it was very good.
As a hunting party gathers at a country estate, no one is aware that by weekends end, someone will be murdered. But while the police question the guests, the all-seeing servants may already have the case solved.
It was a really good and interesting movie. The actors were great and I found it really neat that they improvised most of the film. There were so many well known actors, it was almost as though I was watching the Oscars. There were only one or two people that I didn't know. I was happy to see that Tom Hollander was in it. I have seen him in many things, and he always makes me laugh. I also thought that Maggie Smith was especially funny.
In all it was a great movie and well worth watching. I highly recommend it.

As You Like It

On Saturday, Ventana and I went to see another play at Theatricum. As You Like It has been one of my favorite Shakespeare plays for some time now. Ever since we did it a couple years ago, it has held a special place in my heart.

The play is the story of young Rosalind. When her father, the Duke, is banished by his brother, Rosalind finds comfort in her best friend, Celia. One day at a wrestling match, she meets one of the competitors, a young man named Orlando who she falls in love with. Before she may see him again, she is banished by her uncle. She dresses like a man and travels with Celia into the forest of Arden.

Ventana and I were ready to go, we had our water bottles, hats, cushions and money for the tickets. Her dad went to get the car keys when he realized that her mom took both sets of keys when she left that morning. Since V lives near Theatricum, we decided to ride bikes, but since our water bottles didn't have tops, we could hold them while riding. So, we had to walk. The show started in 20 minutes, which didn't leave us much time considering we still needed to buy tickets and get good seats. So off we went down the dusty road. Running as fast as we could go with pillows under arm, cap-less water bottles and flip flops. After running for about half a minute we began to walk, we were hot, our sides ached and I could feel blisters coming from the flip flops. It was one of the hardest things I've done all summer. By the time we got to Theatricum, we were sweaty, exhausted and ready to sit. We got good seats for coming at ten minutes before the show.

The play was good, but not amazing. First off, it wasn't set in Shakespearean times, which was a little odd to me. It was set in late 1800's, and it felt very southern. They also had a lot of songs, which I wasn't super happy with. Don't get me wrong, I like songs, it just felt like a little to much. I only have one other complaint and that was the actor who played "Phoebe". I didn't like her portrayal at all. She didn't deliver the lines right and she didn't have a good presence.

The leads were really, really good! It seems that every year there is a play that my teachers, Mike (left) and Willow (left), star in. Their characters always fall in love. Anyways, they were really good! Everything else was well done as well, costumes, other actors, etc.

In the end, it was a good play, and I do recommend it. It was not my favorite production this summer, but it was fun and it was nice to see my favorite play again.

Pictures are thanks to Theatricum.com.

Macbeth

For the past couple of weeks Ventana and I have looked forward to seeing some of the repertory plays at Theatricum. We wanted to see Macbeth, but decided to wait until our teacher Susan Angelo was going to perform the role of Lady Macbeth. We decided to go on Friday (the 15th). Everything was all planned out, I would go with the Ventana and her parents, we would have a "picnic" there and then see the show. That day at camp, Mallin asked if she could join us, and we said yes.
The show was very good. I did Macbeth when I was younger, so it was fun to see a professional version. It was really neat seeing it at night for it added to the play tremendously. The costumes were great as always. While doing the scenes and monologues class I spent a lot of time backstage in the house they use for the plays. During that time I looked a lot at the guys costumes (the girls costumes were upstairs where we weren't allowed). I found one that I liked the most. It is a long stripy, earthy colored shirt with big Shakespeare sleeves, and a vest on top. Once the play began, I realized that the costume belonged to one of my directors, Mike, who was in the show.
The acting in the play was very good! Susan (right) was great, she had a nice strong presence on stage which was perfect for the character. Mike (top left), who played Malcom, was also good. He always seems to play the rather innocent characters, which he is good at! Aaron (top middle), my other director, was also really good! He played Macduff. The only person who I didn't like very much was Macbeth. He just didn't play the part right. During the whole play I had to keep reminding myself that he was Macbeth. He played the part too weak, almost like a beggar, not like the strong and evil king that Macbeth should be.
In all it was a very good play, I recommend it!

Pictures are thanks to Theatricum.com.

Taming of the Shrew

Yesterday was our first performance of "Taming of the Shrew". I was really nervous because I play the flute on stage and I was afraid I was going to mess up, but it turned out far better than I could have imagined!

For the past couple weeks we have been working on the play. I could imagine putting on a play in such a short amount of time. A bunch of my friends from the other camp were in the play, and it was nice to get to act with them. There were also new people who were really nice as well.

I think it was one of the most fun plays I've ever done. Aaron, our director, let us have a lot of fun with it. We had an "orchestra" where we did a bunch of sounds through-out the play. Drums, tambourines, whistles, flutes, glasses, you name it. I also really enjoyed my part. It was a good size and I had a lot of fun scenes. I ran around a lot, and I got to act along side a good actress, and a really nice person. Sarah and I were in every scene together. It was really neat watching her, for she is really funny! I had a scene with Ventana, even though it was holding her down during a fight. We also got to do a little dance in the beginning of the show. I had a couple scenes with my friend Julia which I enjoyed a lot. In all, it was just a really great experience.

The performance went amazingly well. Everyone remembered their lines, and everyone's characters were defined and funny. Everyone who saw it seemed to like it! My flute solo, for our wedding scene, went better than ever. Of course there were a few mess ups in the show, but I don't think the audience noticed. I think everyone had a great time, and I'm looking forward to our next show on Saturday, the 23rd.

I miss everyone already and it has only been one day. I can't imagine saying goodbye to everyone after Saturday. I have made so many friends and I get along with everyone. I love you all so much!

More pictures are coming soon!

Scenes and Monologs

Yesterday we had our performance of the scenes and monologue high school group at Theatricum. Camp was really different than the previous years, and yet it was still really fun! I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did. It was a good mix of fun theater games, Shakespearean life and vocal warm ups.

I didn't know anything about the play "Twelfth Night" from which my monologue is from. I had heard that it was a fun play and I was excited to work on my monologue. We found out that we would be spilt into three groups for our monologues, each would be working with a different director. I would be working with Aaron, which I was reasonably happy about. I've had Aaron as a fencing teacher for many years now. He's one of the teachers that I've known the longest. We started out by reading our monologues on stag in front of everyone else in our group. I was un-happy that Ventana was not in my group, but I was also looking forward to getting to know new people. I began to read the monologue the way I thought I would be said, in a sort of comedic, storytelling way. Aaron stopped me and asked if I knew what the monologue was about. In the end, it turned out that it was in the opposite direction as how I had originally interpreted it.

I was extremely excited to work on my scene, not only because Ventana was in my group, but also because my director was Mike, who is probably my favorite director. He did our last two plays in the youth camp, which have both been great. We all read threw our scenes, then began to block them. It was harder than I expected. I didn't seem to have enough emotion. Besides, my partner was nowhere near the man of my dreams. It was challenging, to say the least. And then there was Mike, he was still my favorite, but he wasn't as cheerful and friendly as before. He was in a bad mood.

We continued to work on the scenes and monologues. The later was going very well, Aaron said I was doing great and I felt good about it. My scene was the opposite. My partner Max would spit when he talked and it often times landed on my face. He would get to close and I would have to step back, which didn't work when I was supposed to love him. Mike's bad mood continued, and over all, it wasn't quite going according to plan. Ventana was also having trouble with her scene. She didn't like her partner Brogan at all, and she had to get thrown to the ground, which she didn't enjoy.

As the weeks past, I made some great friends, old and new. I have known Corinne since we did "Shakespeare's Magic" six years ago, but this is the first year I became good friends with her. We get along really well. She's really nice and likes to talk, which is nice on those mornings when all you want to do is listen. Since she loves to bake she decided to bring different cookies everyday to camp. She brought tons of tasty treats like apple oatmeal cookies, or Russian tea cakes, or chocolate cookies cooked around a Hersey's kiss. They were all very very yummy. I can't wait to visit her bakery once she gets one!

Another friend I made was Julia. I first I thought Julia was one of the annoying girls who I never get along with, but I soon got to know her and found that I got along with her quite well. She is really sweet and has a gentle way about her. Although she is going into twelfth grade, she didn't feel any older. She was in my scene group and soon we became good friends. She to had a scene partner who she was not very happy about. I'm happy because Julia is in Taming of the Shrew with me, so I will see her again soon!

In the end, all is well that ends well.

We had a great performance. I did my scene better than ever and my monologue was very good! I had a ton of fun and I will miss everyone a lot!

Drawing of the Day: Aang

A couple years ago I heard about this TV show called "Avatar: the Last Airbender". I didn't know anything about it, and I forgot all about it until one night when I was at my Grandma Martha's house. I had just finished watching my favorite show "Bewitched" and I was flipping though the channels when I came across an animated series that looked interesting. I recognized the title "Avatar" and so I watched the episode, and liked it. I continued watching the show, I thought I was good, but not amazing. That changed when I saw the season finale. It was amazing, so unlike anything I had seen before. It inspired me and I realized what I great show it was. Ever since then I have been a big Avatar fan. I've eagerly awaited each new episode, counting down the days till it would air. Due to the writers strike last year, the third season was cut short. I didn't know when the rest of the episodes would air, I figured they would push it into next season.

The other day, I decided to look online and see if I could ind the information about the rest of the season. While looking around, I discovered that the episodes had already aired without my knowing. I went to iTunes and to my delight, saw six new episodes.

Sometime last year, I drew drawings of some of the characters from the show. The new episodes inspired me to get this drawings out and finish them. They turned out really really nice! I forgot how good the drawings were, and they look even better in color.

My first drawing was of the main character, Aang. The character has a tattoo of a blue arrow on his forehead which was fun to do because most of his clothes from this season have been muted browns and reds. The arrow added a really nice bit of color. Anyways, I think he turned out really good! I can't wait to see what the others will look like once they're done!

Wicked

Last night I went to see Wicked with my dad. Mary works as an usher, so when she told me she could get discount tickets, I couldn't resist. I was really looking forward to it. My came to, she sat in a different section from me and dad, but it was still very fun. I had been to a musical in a while, I think that last thing I saw was the Sound of Music at Mary's school. I like musicals but I like regular plays better. The Pantages Theatre is a spectacular place! The last time I was there was when I went to see the Lion King when I was little. 

Wicked tells the story of the Wicked Witch from the Wizard of Oz. It shows the classic story in a totally new way. You love the characters that in the Wizard of Oz, you hated. The costumes were really amazing! That was the first thing I saw when the curtain came up. I was spellbound by them! As for the actors, everyone was good, but I thought Galinda/Glinda was especially funny.

Anyways, It was very good, and I enjoyed it. It was neat to see the how it fit into the Wizard of Oz story. It was seeing something I grew up loving in a new way. In all it was a very fun experience! For anyone who likes musicals you should go see it! It was different from the usual musical and the story one that is familiar and yet strange. 

I had a fun experience! Afterwards I began to wonder what musical I'd be doing in school next year.

300

Last night I saw 300 with mom and Greg. I had seen the trailer and I thought it looked really cool, so I was excited to see it. It was very good! I love Greek history so that was really neat to see one of the stories I had heard in fourth or fifth grade come to life. 300 is an adaptation of a graphic novel which is a retelling of the ancient battle of Thermopylae. This was an epic story of  300 Spartans who took on 10,000 or more of the best Persian troops, who came to claim the Greek land.

That day I had come up with a really great sword fight at camp with my friend Corrine, so it was also fun to see the fight scenes in the movie. The film was really well done. The acting, the color, and the direction was all great! The visual effects were remarkable as well. It was a bit gory, but I don't think the film would have worked as well if they had cut it out. In all, it was a very good film. I highly recommend it. It's epic, beautiful to watch and once it was done I want to work on my sword fight a little more.

A Day at the Huntington

A couple of days ago Mary, My and I went to the Huntington Gardens for the day. I had been looking forward to doing something like this for some time now, and I wasn't disappointed. Mary needed to visit the portrait gallery for school, so My and I tagged along. It was really neat to see all the amazing paintings. We all seemed to have a favorite painting that we each were drawn to. I especially liked the painting of the Duchess of Devonshire. We saw many lovely things in the museum, there was a sane glass window that was particularly neat.

We then walked over to the tea hous

e. They brought us fresh scones which were gone in all of three seconds. Then we moved on to the buffet. Mary and I went for the multiple tea sandwiches, spicy egg salad, carrot ginger, chicken walnut,

 and cucumber mint. They were all amazing. As we sat down at our table, our plates heaped with food, we noticed that My had

only deserts on her plate. We ate so much that I felt as though I was going to burst. Three types of salad, and tons of yummy

 deserts. Chocolate lemon or coffee cups, brownies, lemon

 squares, fruits and

strawberries coveredin thick sweet cream. Yummmmm.

After eating all that we could, we decided

 to walk the gardens. We laughed, talked and had a really amazing time! I can't wait to do it again!

Ribbons, Hats and Plaid Pants

Today my mom and I went to the Dealer Market Place in Van Nuys which was part of the annual Costume College. Mom had heard about it from a friend of hers so we decided to check it out and see what we found. The market was in one room and although it was rather small, they had a lot of great things. There was a booth with Jane Austen dresses, wonderful gold rush era clothes, hats of all shapes and sizes, and much more. There was a booth of really neat ribbons and trimming, one with neat antique jewelry pieces, another with buttons, and several booths with neat patterns. My favorite booth was one that had a clothing rack of neat vintage clothing from the 1920's on. I found this pair of really great plaid paints which I feel in love with. I tried them on and, they fit. It was an amazing find, and plus they were only eight dollars. I love them so much! My also went to the market and found some great things for herself. I had lots of fun and I would love to find more places that have such great things. The market is also open tomorrow (Sunday the 3rd, July). I recommend going if you're into vintage clothes and period costumes.

Here is the address:
The Dealers Market Place
The Airtell Hotel Plaza, Van Nuys
(It's right next to the Van Nuys Airport)