-
“What Does He Want of Me?”
Today’s #WeeklyWednesday is from a story I love… to me it symbolizes the conflict we all face between idealism and reality. The musical “Man of La Mancha” is based on the life of Miguel de Cervantes and his beloved novel Don Quixote. Aldonza sings “What Does He Want of Me” in response to “Don Quixote”’s way of viewing the world and treating her with dignity, respect, and honor – possibly the first time in her life someone has shown her such love. I think she sings it with a mixture of disbelief and hope that the world could be different from the way it seems to be. Thank you for…
-
Shakespeare: Queen Margaret
from Henry VI, Part III ~ Act 1, Scene 1 Today’s #WeeklyWednesday comes straight out of the #NYU Acting Lab! We’re working on Shakespeare this semester and I’m loving it! We’ve only coached these twice (and just performed them today), but I thought I’d show you my progress so far. I really love this monologue! From Henry VI, Part III, this is Queen Margaret’s first monologue (Act 1, Scene 1). It’s 1455, and England is in the bloodbath of the War of the Roses, with rival families vying for power (King Henry VI, House of Lancaster, versus Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York). Recovering from the loss of a battle, King…
You May Also Like
The Bear Who Couldn’t Bear to Bare His Soul
Dduje paravise
Julius Caesar excerpts!
-
Marie Forleo/Rick Hanson: How to Build Unshakeable Inner Strength Using Neuroscience
This video and research really resonated with me today, and I hope you also find it useful! I enjoy the content of many of Marie Forleo‘s videos – particularly her interviews. This one features Rick Hanson, a psychologist specializing in neuroplasticity and Senior Fellow of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. I first learned of the GGSC in 2015 and have benefitted greatly from their research and public content. In 2016, I took their (free!) Science of Happiness course and would highly recommend it, particularly if you’re interested in positive psychology and/or looking for ways to live a more fulfilled life.
-
“Stay With Me”
Today’s #WeeklyWednesday video comes from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s “Into the Woods,” and focuses on parental love. In the stories of most characters in this show, we see the complications of decisions, viewpoints, and our own familial histories. I believe the Witch deeply loves and wants the best for Rapunzel, and tries to protect her in a way the Witch’s own mother never did. I hope you enjoy my rendition of “Stay with Me”! I really enjoyed coaching this piece in my NYU Song Analysis class last semester and found insights into the character I had never before considered. Thank you very much for watching and supporting me –…
-
Let It Go ~ Yoga with Adriene
This practice was just what I needed today! I thought I’d share it in case it’s what you need, too 🙂 Yoga has become a vital part of my wellness routine over the last several years. During this time of life transitions, one of the challenges has been finding a new yoga home each time I’ve moved (6 major moves in just over 4 years) – a place where I love the people, classes – and also prices. I relocated to NYC for graduate school last August (2018) – and between time and financial constraints, I haven’t yet tried out studios here. Last semester, my yoga practice had dwindled to…
-
“The Merry Widow” and Women’s Roles
New York University, 2018. Musical Theatre History. “The arts are an even better barometer of what is happening in our world than the stock market or the debates in congress.” Hendrik Willem Van Loon, Dutch-American historian, journalist, and author. The arts have always reflected society – often depicting cultural values and norms, satirizing persistent problems, highlighting changes that are brewing, and pushing boundaries. The Merry Widow provides a revealing lens through which to examine established and changing gender roles and expectations in the West around the turn of the twentieth century. From Henri Meilhac’s 1861 comedy L’attaché d’ambassade, the team of Viktor Léon and Leo Stein (librettists) and Franz Lehár (composer)…
-
An Analysis of Language Ideologies in Disney’s “Moana”
University of California, Irvine, 2017. Linguistic Anthropology. [Assignment prompt: Analyze language ideologies in a popular animated film released after 1994 and intended primarily for children. Reference Rosina Lippi-Green’s article “Teaching children how to discriminate,” in English with an Accent, 79-103. London and New York: Routledge, 1997.] “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” Franklin Delano Roosevelt a Inspired by the remarkable voyaging heritage of early Polynesians and their mythology – particularly the shapeshifting, trickster demigod, Maui – Disney creatives, led by Ron Clements and John Musker, and a team of Pacific Island experts, worked for 5 years to craft Disney’s 2016 film Moana (Robinson 2016). Not only does Moana…
-
A Description and Analysis of the Crossover Classical Vocalist Speech Community
University of California, Irvine, 2017. Linguistic Anthropology. Gumperz. “eeeeEEE ooOOO! Whoop! Whoop! Bzzzzz... Zuh! roAR!” Newcomers are often surprised by the cacophony of vocalizations that greet them upon entering one of my community’s primary domains. While strolling through orderly rows of small, semi-soundproofed, glass-fronted enclosures, visitors may observe a single subject lying on the floor, flopped in half like a ragdoll, standing, arms raised in victory, or possibly manipulating the face: nose pinched, tongue sticking out, cheeks smushed… This description clearly orients us in the jungle of a musical community – specifically, a college practice room hall, filled with budding singers. This paper provides a basic description and analysis of…
-
Disney Cruise Line Videos
28 Jan (a year later) So much has happened since my last post! One of the biggest things is that I finished a wonderful contract on the Disney Dream, including 300 performances of our 3 main stage shows: Disney’s Believe, The Golden Mickeys, and Villains Tonight! It dawned on me that if you’re reading my blog (particularly for the Disney bits), you might like to see videos from some of our shows. I wish they were better quality, but I hope they at least give you a taste of the wonderful live Walt Disney Theatre productions on the ship. Here’s a playlist for you to enjoy! And a little clip of…
-
Ship life + Performing! Is this reality?
Monday, 27 February I’m typing from a breezy cafe in Nassau. It’s sunny and very hot outside, and two of my friends have joined me for some tea, a little chit chat… and much needed wifi 😉 I’ve been on the Disney Dream for a month and a half now and things are finally starting to feel normal! The cruise itself is such an incredible experience for the guests – there truly is something for everyone, and I’m surprised by how many adults come on a Disney cruise without children! My life here – though not all vacation – is certainly surreal – at times wonderful and at times crazy… …
