So much in one day, I don't think i can breathe!

So on Saturday (28th August) I went to London with a friend, and to say we had an incredible day would not do it justice, in fact, it's taken me this long for events to actually sink in!! Yes I AM a pathetic little teenage fangirl!

Haha, so the whole purpose of the trip was to go and see Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act, but we found out the evening before that her mother was ill and she had to fly back to the USA, needless to say we were devestated, and had a very long rant about how if we were on the west end we wouldn't come off stage if out leg was dangling off, however aesthetically unpleasing that may be!) So we had to change our plans, and were very thankful that we had't booked the tickets, because, dispite the good reviews, Sister Act never appealed to me, and we were being extremely superficial and only seeing it for the star.


So in the end I said 'Why don't we go and see Oliver?' I had seen it previously, but saw Kerry's understudy!! :'( (sad times!) and my sister jumped at the chance, don't think sister Act was her thing either.

We had booked for the 8:06 train, (which would get us to London at 9:21) because we thought everyone would be going to see Sister Act, and we needed to get to tkts early to get a good seat, and it was a good thing we did, because I had only then realised it was a bank holiday!! We got really good seats considering though, 4 in the middle of the stalls! They bumped the price up £10 from what they usually charge for matinee's, but i suppose that's what you get for being a fool and going on a bank holiday!!

So it was now what, 10:15 pm, i had enitially planned to have my lesson with Julie at 11:30, but that wasn't convenient for her, so with all this time left to kill, we decided while my gran and little sis went to the Disney shop in covent Garden, we would pop into Pineapple Dance Studios and see Derek, our 'Half teacher, half somewhere in-between an aquaintence and a friend'. I so wish i would have slipped my tap shoes into my bag because he asked us to come and join in, the class was so good and they sounded amazing!! Ahh it's making me miss Dance far too much, 3 weeks is plenty of time to get out of shape!

Ahh, I think he was even more pleased to see us than we were him, such a brilliant teacher, and a lovely gent, he said 'we had made his day'! :)






After pottering around in Pineapple for a while we had an early lunch, and drifted over to Drury Lane so my friend could buy the brochure, then realised we had to go to the cashpoint as you can't pay by card, and by this time it was pushing 1:30 so we thought there was going to be no point going to the stage door as Kerry would already be there, so while she went to buy the brochure, i still walked up to the SD on the off chance she was running a bit late. I saw a few people waiting there, one of them had just had a picture with who would become our Dodger, when one person shouted 'Oh my god look!' so i stopped and spun round, and there was Kerry Ellis, who almost walked right into me!! Well i put my head down and she just walked past, and i waited in the small croud of people while she chatted away pleasantly and signed countless pieces of paper being placed in and out of her hand! It's almost like she was on autopilot, but charming none the less :) So i asked her to sign some paper, and she asked me my name and i explained it was for a friend who lived in Wales, and wanted to come and see her so badly, but it just wasn't going to be possible, so said an autograph would be the next best thing, she blessed my friend Charlotte and asked if i was watching the Matinee, i then said something totally stupid and i don't know how or why it came out of my mouth, it was 'Hopefully, i'll be stealing your parts one day, watch this space' though it was all said in good humour, i did feel like a bit of a spaz! But she found it amusing, well, she laughed!.......... Anyway, my embarrassment was soon overshadowed by that of my friend charging up to us full pelt, i turned to look, so she did too and just laughed to herself. She had a picture taken with us, signed Frances' program, oh and said my mini foldey pen was the coolest thing she had ever seen, it's nice to know Kerry has an inner geek! :-) So yes, she was such a lovely person, and really has a lot of time for her fans, which is always a good sign!


And here's the written proof, though i was so totally pale and nervous and shaking, and my chins! are awful, she manages to look like a goddess even with no makeup on, incredible!




Oliver:

WOW!! Oh my life it was fantastic, the best thing i have seen in a long time, and I still can not get over the complexity of the set, it is all so perfect, Fagins den, the bridge, and the fog and church almost always in the background looked so real, i think i stared at it for a bit too long!

The Oliver wasn't as promising as the lad i saw playing him before, but all the while still very good, and the Dodger was absoloutley brilliant, one hell of an actor already!


Russ Abbott's acting was superb, his comic timing was excellent, and his dialogue really is what gives the show a modern edge, well I think! His 'I Think I'd Better Think it Through Again' was hilarious, perfectly excecuted and, just brilliant!


Kerry, kerry, kerry, kerry, kerry, kerry...... well, she was just, WOW. Nancy doesn't come on until quite late in Act 1, I think they were just saving her to be honest, there was a loud 'whoop' as she walked on, and throughout the show, she was just captivating, and i know i'm bias, but afterwards my gran said the same thing! I'd always thought of Kerry as 'the voice' but her acting matches her vocal strength every step of the way, so much so, i had a little tear after 'As Long As He Needs Me reprise' and again when she dies!


So, the show was outstanding, i wish someone had been brave enough to start a standing ovation, I really think they deserved it! I did have a moment of shame though, as Nancy took her bow, my friend and i shouted 'We Love You Kerry' at the tops of our voices, she did look at us, wave and smile. I hope it wasn't too pathetic!! :/

Oh, well we will be back soon (hopefully)!

Next came my lesson with Julie, but that's a long story which I think, deserves it's own post!

Are you going to blog about your Julie Atherton lesson?

I did intend on doing so.... unfortunately time was not on my side, but i did have a lesson with her yesterday, which i am most definately going to blog about tomorrow! :)

Ask me anything

AWOL is not an appropriate word!

So HI!! Yes i am still alive.... and there is so much to tell! if i can remember that far back! :)

So i can pretty much sum up my Summer with a single statement; I was meant to go and collect my GCSE results on Tuesday, and while all the other anxious boys and girls were waiting for the school gates to open, I was laid in bed, dead to the world! yep - I slept through the whole thing, and only when someone text me to ask me what results i god did i even realise what day it was! Hopefully i shan't be this lazy next year!

Hmmm... all this absent time has lead me to forget what i last blogged about!............

I believe it to be auditions for a production of Hairspray! :)

Well, after an awful audition, i somehow managed to scrape a callback, which went absoloutly dreadfully! (and that would be putting it lightly!) Every auditionee sang either I can Hear The Bells or Good Morning Baltimore, they had all put together backing music and prepared a few movemens. Some of them were beter than others, the usual 'shining stars' of the group were fantastic as per............ and then it got to my turn!! I turned up to the callbacks totally unprepared, with no backing music, lyrics in hand, no attempt to cover up how 'out of my depth' i was! I reluctantly began my a capella version of You Can't Stop The Beat, crazy i know! So the first time i sang it i had to stop half way through because i couldn't breathe! And the second time i sang it through, with each verse, and each gasp of air, i felt my pitch going up an octive! It's so very cringeworthy just reliving the horrible experience!

So what with the pressure of the expectation to land the lead role and disappointment of performing terribly, it wasn't thebest of days!

When the cast list got posted, i had got the part of Louanne, one of Corny Collins' daners, and to be honest i think that my part was fairly cast, but the part of the lead role had gone to somebody who didn't even audition!! So i wasn't very impressed with how that had come about! There were a few nasty things said about her by some people in the drama 'circle', yes i suppose they had the right to feel angry for this surprise casting, but the feelings of bitterness and jealousy were well and truely exposed at some of the rumours that surfaced, i am slightly ashamed to say that i was involved with the people who were beind the majority of the 'bad blood' but, all now, i'm glad to say, is water under the bridge! Well with the cast anyway!

Shame the same can't be said for the directors of the production though. They decided that it was me that was the ringleader of all the 'torment' towards a certain cast member, and i had been acused of all sorts of un-truths! It was not a pleasant experience, and when 3 teachers cornering a single srudent and basically telling me 'im not as good as i htink i am' is incredibly hurtful, and as you can imaine, does wonders for my confidence! Soo, taking recent circumstances into consideration, i have seperated myself from the negative atmosphere that surrounded the production for me, and also I'm now opting to take a drama course at college, rather than doing my A levels at school, but god help the remaining year i have left with the drama department! (7 hours per week!)

To finish on a highhhh! I am going to see Sister Act on Saturday, Whoopi, in more ways than 1!! :)

How long have you wanted to do music theatre?

Forever and a day, that's not dramatic at all is it ha :)

Ask me anything

you chavvy chav! <3

You Cheap Tart!!! <3 :)

Ask me anything

♥

<3

Ask me anything

What's the Pineapple summer school like?

I was amazing! Slightly surreal lol, but so worth it! You do everything you could hope to do and more! they take you to see a West- End show (if you do the mucical theatre course) you do stage movement, projecting, and you put together a show at the end! it's brilliant :)

Ask me anything

... that laura is one of the most talented people i know so get your heads out of your own arses and stop being so pissy about someone elses opinion! :D thank you. and shut up. the end.

Amenshall <3

Ask me anything

laura fucking dickhead! ;D you know shit all about musical theatre ;D ruthie henshall fucking hates you! ;D just go and die! ;D woo! just for all you people down there with less than one brain cell, what i just said was totally trying to prove a point ...

Your honesty astounds me XD

Ask me anything

Why LAMDA out of all the straight acting schools, assuming you were planning on music theatre at GSA etc? :-)

I don't know really! ha! I just think it has really interesting and strong courses, and an aquaintence of mine went snd she really enjoyed it there XD

Ask me anything

What was the inspirational blog that inspired you to start your own?

Oh i have read quite a few brilliant Musical Theatre based blogs that i have read, all of which have been inspiring :D

Ask me anything

What summer schools do you do?

I have done amateur summer schools (Young Americans etc.) for a fair few years, but only last year started going to the 'real' (i put that in inverted comma's because i know it isn't the proper word to describe them, but it's the only one i could think of :P) last year, I went to Pineapple and Millar-Henshall (run by Ruthie Henshall) last year, and am diong Pineapple and Mountview this year :)

Ask me anything

How long have you wanted to do music theatre?

Emm.. i have had an interest in Musical theatre from a young age, but i think i only really decided it was definately the path i wanted to pursue after being in a production of FAME last year :D

Ask me anything

Having just come across your blog, you said about looking and seeing who would be great actor/actresses and those who just lacked self belief... Do you mean they won't make it cause they don't have self belief?

no, not at all, i meant that i could see the ones who would become great actors and actresses, and those who just lacked self belief (they have the potential to become great actors/actresses, but you could just see in them that they didn't believe that they had this potential). :)

Ask me anything

Pressure.... Pushing down on me!!

Oh where to start!! I have been soo busy and it seems that to fit everything in sleep is the thing that suffers! It has been revision revision revision today for the short course RE GCSE, i can't trust myself revising online as this, weheartit and facebook are much to big of a distraction, or i just need to get some self controll!!! :/

Hairspray callbacks are now on Monday too, i wish they would stop drawing it out, i'm beginning to get impatient! ;) It also means i shall have to sing a song from hairspray, and after listening to the Broadway Cast Recording, there aren't really that many stand out solo songs except for I Know Where I've Been, but that is a NO GO, somebody else's territory and i think she would wipe the floor with me anyway if i even tried to compete with her :D So..... it's looking like Good Morning Baltimore reprise atm!.

The lovely picture has kinda set the topic of music, so i am now going to moan about my singing teacher! She isn't terrible and i suppose she knows what she's talking about, she just wasn't the person i expected, no presence or warmth, i tried not to judge and seem like a snob but i had the lesson at her house, which was a little cramped and slightly resembled a cat sanctury! She did well, had lots of sheet music and quickly adapted the mezzo warm up stuff she had prepared into something more suitable. It's strange how you don't do something for almost a year, but as soon as you do it again everything comes back to you, the breathing was the worst!! Shocking breathing i think she said :P All in all, it wasn't a bad lesson, she just wasn't what i thought she would be. My Nanny thinks that i now have too higher stadards as my first singing teacher(s) were absoloutly incredible, it was a miracle i found them being 10 and browsing the internet for a singing teacher in the middle of Lincolnshire!! I found Michael Bracegirdle and emailed him, then i got my gran to phone him and we arranged a consultation meeting, i can still remember exactly how the day panned out. They told me a little bit about them and vice versa, then they asked me a few questions, and told me to sing. I sang Memories (perhaps not a wise choice for someone of 10, bu at the time i had no idea about how the acting of a song should come across) their reactions after i had sang was the biggest confidence boost i think i've ever had! They told me that Lise would be teaching me, and we never looked back from there. Over the past 4 years i was with them, i found out that she is Danish, but got a scholarship to Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and actually won the Schubert prize!! She also had a certain warmth and class about her that made me feel comfortable singing in front of her, i didn't care if it sounded shocking! They moved to London about this time last year and are now touring the UK in 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. I think that being taught by a performer showed me things that a teacher wouldn't pick up on, we worked on posture, how to communicate with your audience and all sorts of things, but now with a real teacher it's different. OKAY, RANT OVER THANK GOD!!!!

I was doing my artist reasearch for my art courswork and came across this guy, Banksy. He is an incredible artist who grafiti's all over the streets of London. I acually feel quite ashamed that i hadn't come across his genious before, and if you have time, Google him deffo!!

T'as been a bit of a strange day, but nothing a good ole' dance couldn't sort out, i had Disco and Street tonight, i haven't danced properly for a while but really went for it & 'Got My Groove On' as Rachel my dance teacher said haha :) and after disco especially i was in physical pain afterwards, like if you have the nasty P.E. teacher and they make you run double for cutting a corner of laughing or breathing/blinking when you weren't supposed to :/ and you get to the end and want to puke!

I'm not normally a Streety person (more modern Jazz or disco diva) but it was really good tonight we learnt the Thriller dance and were being dragged across the floor and all sorts XD

(I don't think you'd catch them bustin' a move to Hip-Hop :D)

Oh and i thought I'd share my song of the day, it's absoloutly gorgeous and i think i may steal Idina Menzel's voicebox and replace it with my own.... though i would then regret it as i wouldn't cope without her music!!!! Well this is I Stand - Idina Menzel

That is all for tonight, i need my beauty sleep.....Seriously!!

I feel busy, oh so busy............. I feel busy, and dizzy and TIRED

Well.... what a past few days!!!

On thursday i had my hairspray auditions (which started at 3:30) we expected there to be about 30 people as per usual, but come quarter to 4, there was about double that turn up! As i wathed the younger children perform it was obvious to see which of these could grow up to become really really great actors and actresses, and those who just lacked self belief. It was pushing when i got to audition, i sang an acapella version of all tha jazz, oh and it went terribly! I started out singing it in a higher key than it should have been sang, and all the way through the first voice i was trying to act it out, but i was thinking, just stop and ask to re do it, you'll struggle at the top notes, but then i thought, well that would be unprofessional, so i battled on! When id diid come to the 'no I'm no-ones wife, but oh I love my life' i sounded like a strangled cat! and thats putting it lightly!

Anyway, it wasn't all negative, the ordeal of that made me think, right, I'm not losing my voice, i need to find another singing teacher and NOW (my previous teacher Lise Christensen had moved to London as her career was now about to take off, she had been my teacher for 4 years, and we really got on, so it was a hard goodbye) I had emailed around but they all seemed mediocre in comparison to Lise, so i left it, and 6 months passed by!! but i came across a woman named Elaine Bishop from a friend of mine, emailed her, and withing an hour we had a phone call and booked a consultation for saturday (today, eeek) at 3.

I came into school the next day with a grin like a cheshire cat, and went to see my music teacher at break so that she could help me with what i was going to sing for my consultation, and (already!) the callbacks were on her door, i had a callback for Tracy and my mood became even happier. I told her why i needed to go through the song, and she said 'About time you got a new teacher, you can really tell that you're not having regular lessons anymore!' i then explained my frustration at my higher notes sounding awful and screechy! (Being able to belt at a high register in my chest voice had always been my best attribute, especially when it came to notes where others had to switch to their head voice) She told me that it wasn't that i couldn't reach the notes, and that i sould be able to sing them without flinching, but it was my breath controll that had suffered and it was losing the 'purity in my sound'. She was right, i was breahing like a dancer again!

After a hectic enough day, i then had to go for a loooooong shift (I'm a waitress). It was the oddest shift i think i've ever seen, there was a table refusing to pay for their food, and a nearby table shouting at them saying they were 'crazy' and the food was devine, another table of americans who were, ermmm a little bit worse for wear to put it nicely, and rather enjoyed slapping my behind a good few times, and then a couple who wanted me to sit with them all night who said they would sponser me through drama school if i gt in, and gave me a £10 tip straight in my pocket as well as another 10 to go in the tip pot! Ahh i think i got more in tips last night than i did wages!

Well that was my rather long (didn't realise it was this long :/) weekend so far Xxx

Well..Today has been a productive day....Not!!

To be honest, it was bad from the very start, i woke up at about 7 by my sister getting ready for school, and thought, 'okay, i'm awake now i'll get up' and that failed! i seemed blink and time has moved on to 11:30! So i rolled out of bed and wandered round an empty house for 10 minutes or so, searching for something to do. I thought i'd so some homework/revision as i've not done any since we broke up 2 weeks ago tomorrow!! eek, but i have had too long a break and my brain has turned to mush in that time :/ mehhh. I had a bowl of Crunchy nut cornflakes :D then watched eastenders, or hollyoaks, or something crappy like that (can't actually remember what it was)and ended up turning it off after 5 minutes. I then spent another 10 minutes (ish) wandering blankly looking for something to tell me what to do. I ended up getting the out a photo album of a musical i was in at Primary School :- A Christmas Carol, but with a 'humerous' twist, i played Miss. Penny Pincher the 'evil' headmistress, and can see that i was even a drama queen back then. The next 3 hours were spent engrossed in iTunes, transferring Sondheim's 'Merrily We Roll Along' album from the computer to the laptop, and playing it about 6 times. I then had a lovely text reminding me that our School's production of Hairspray's auditions were tomorrow!! I seriously thought they were next thursday, so now i am in between deciding on wheter to sing Moon River, Children Will Listen or Don't Cry For Me Argentina, i think I'm gonna do Argentina, and now have Dame Henshall's version (From The Ruthie Henshall Album) on repeat, trying to re-learn it for tomorrow!! And i have Disco at 6 and Street at 7 tonight, so will i do it? Hopefully, but with the Sacrafice of Waterloo Road!
Ahhhh just God bless Chloe who told me!! She is ggoing to be amazing tomorrow singing 'Tell Me On a Sunday' and make me feel crap and jealous! Shall let you know how it goes!! Xx



Oh and i almost forgot (though i don't know how) I have emailed Julie Atherton regarding singing lessons, i knew it would be a long shot and didn't expect anything back, but she emailed me about an hour ago saying she had some free dates in the next couple of weeks and to pick a date. I emailed her back embarrassing myself saying how excited i was and could i possibly have Sat 26th June. She hasn't replied yet, but i can't wait!! It's quie a hefty price at £50 per Hour, but for Julie Atherton i would happily pay that, it's going to meant that i have been taught by 2 of my idols!! Oh life is good! XD x

My first post!!!

So it's the end of half term and i have been ill for the last couple of days while everyone else has been back at school, and i read this really inspiring blog last night (well very early this morning) and decided make one of my own.
A bit about myself!
1. I am 15 years old, but find myself wishing my life away, which i know is something i will regret in the future, but for now i cannot wait to grow up!
2. I have a burning passion for everything Musical Theatre, I don't just love and adore it, i eat, sleep, breathe, think and feel it! everything about me can be described in the content of a musical, naive, fast paced, enfuriating, good yet villainous, tragic, complex,joyous, exciting,apprehensive.... oh the list could go on. Sometimes i get myself so worked up about what my future may hold if I keep putting the wor in, but i get equally as distressed with the fear that all my dreams could come crashing down, but that's a risk i am willing to take.
3. I am my own worst critic! I have a feeling of inferiority with everything i do, like everyone is judging me, and I'm always letting them down, or not living up to their expectations.
4. (with the exception of musical theatre) I have the world's shortest attention span!
5. My friends are AMAZING
6. Ruthie Henshall is GOD, and Rachel tucker, Julie Atherton, Lea Salonga, Idena Menzel and Julien Ovenden are her angels, and between them i think thejunky have performed in every worthwile msical ever!
7. I eat wayyy to much junk!
8. I love to dance, have been doing so for the past 7 years, and gradually I am developing my skills in the hope that one day i will have reached the standard that is required of a musical theatre actress!
9. Modern Jazz and Ballroom are my favourite genres of dance
10. I live in the middle of nowhere with my younger sister, gran and uncle
11. I like to wear lot's of different perfumes
12. I work as a waitress in a local pub
13. I LOVE ART!
14. My drama teacher is an incredible person, and how she never became a star will always amaze me
15. I do not wear green clothes
16. I have set myself he task of learning to walk in heels over the summer
17. I have also set myself the task of going on a diet & sticking to it!!!
18. People who say musical theatre performers are not 'real' actors are obviosly talking a load of crap and don't realise that they don't have voice editing like these so called 'talented singers' and have to sing live 8 times a week and have to be good!
19. I don't like to wear shoes
20. Red lipstick and false eyelashes are the two things every girl should own.
21. I go to many theatre summer schools every year during the break and love it
22. The most memorable of these schools was when i went to Millar Henshall Theatre Arts, summer 09' and got the chance of a lifetime to train with my idol, Rutie Henshall, i don't think i breathed throughout the whole week!

Well i think that will do for now, until i figure out how to use tis website properly. Laura Xxx