MISSING

Has anyone seen my passport? It looks like this.

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1 day to go...

There's only 1 more day until the entire cast and crew of 12 Incompetent Men and Women board a plane to London, and the only thing that's on our minds right now is how incredibly excited we are! That and packing. I'm pretty sure packing is on a lot of our minds right now! More to come about our adventures at the airport...

And again, to reiterate, a huge thank you to all who came to see our last performances at PDS on Friday! It mean so much to us and it's always calming and helpful to have an audience test out our show before it goes international! Thank you, thank you.

LAST NORTH AMERICAN PERFORMANCE!!!!

Yesterday marked the last performance of the PDS version of 12 Incompetent Men (And Women)! in North America. While the entire performance was a simulation of our Scottish theater, it was very rewarding to show our friends and family what we're taking abroad.

I had fun watching Cast A perform. While I think both shows are funny, it's cool to see where the actors playing the same characters make some changes. For instance, Kalyn and Julia's Foreman characters are both equally hilarious, even though their reenactment scenes are very different! I found myself laughing my ass off during parts that while I'm on stage I don't find very funny. Perspective in this show is key.

I just realized that that was the last performance for many of the seniors on the PDS stage...sad for them. (?)

Feel free to come see me off at 12:00 on Monday at PDS, because my family doesn't care enough to do so. Not even the dogs. Maybe Gram will. Or the Altmeyers.

I'll post more at the Philly airport, perhaps. If not, then not again until Tuesday afternoon, EST.

Thanks to Grummy, Graddy, Callie, Sean, Mrs. Walker, the Duns and everyone else who came to see the shows. We'll miss your support in Edinburgh!

Last Day in Princeton

We heard the pre-show music and did our goofy dances backstage when all of a sudden we perked our ears up to the roar of people swarming into the theater. Our last performances in Princeton we had more than a full house, I only hope for the same in Scotland. I will miss the familiarity of kelsey's laughter and meeting my family and friends after the show, but I am eager to hear the reactions of our audience at Fringe. I am beyond excited at this point and I can't believe we have to wait two days to see everyones faces again, but on a different background, not the Princeton Day School stage but the stage of London and Scotland!

Last Rehearsals!!

We had our final rehearsal without and audience today! We got the chance to see Naiyah play Juror 3, and she somehow managed to learn the entire show in four days! It's good to know that every actor is covered should they need to miss a performance (well, except for Nick, so let's pray nothing happens to him). In fact, an actor had to leave the stage during rehearsal today due to illness; it just goes to shaw that anything can happen. As we draw closer to take off, everyone has been working harder than ever. The lines are all memorized so we've been able to get crazier and more shocking and really push the envelope ("paper holder thingy"). It's anyone's guess what is going to pop out of Juror 10's mouth and it's all the actors on stage can do to keep from bursting with laughter. It just goes to show how fun the play is that we are able to laugh at a show we've been working on for months and that every day something new happens. With 12 incompetent men and women on the stage, expect the unexpected.

Day 4

Lights. Costumes. Props. Everything was put together for final dress rehearsals today! We're on a very tight performance schedule in Scotland, so we turned our dress rehearsal into a mock Scotland show: Arrive, set up, perform, clean up, leave. Our cast and crew make a great team! Our show is looking really good so far, and we're getting ready for final performances at PDS tomorrow. Please come to see Cast A and Cast B at 1:00 pm and 2:30 pm! I think I speak for everyone involved when I say that this week has flown by!

**This picture was taken on Tuesday**

One Company

Today was the first time the entire company worked together before our trip across the pond. All of us actors walked into the theater at Princeton Day School and found a set stage ready for performing. The crew was well prepared and Captain Eric thoroughly explained the "load in" and "load out" procedure down to the science of sweeping the stage. It was exhilarating to really spend time with everyone together in one place."Techies" are a huge part of the production and I am glad we joined forces today, knowing that we will be one company from here on out.

Day Two Review

We are off on a solid start! The biggest glitch we had today was skipping over a few lines. Trust me it could have been worse. People could have died unnoticed in our fellow cast mate's pool yesterday because the pool was filled with so many splashing arms and legs, there could have been a real fire(there was a fire drill), when our director Stan left the room, we could have exploded into a wild zoo of anxious teenagers, but Connor was able to keep us all under control. All in all, we are gliding along gaining more and more energy each day.

Day 2/3!!

HEY EVERYONE!!!
We finished the run through yesterday. I don't think I've laughed as hard as I did during this entire process than when Julia changed the Foreman's cockney accent to Italian. And her warm ups...Classic Julia!

I had a really great time at the Altmeyer's company pool party. It was actually really cool to see everyone outside of the theater together. The company wide playing of the Movie game was fun, though Marco Polo was a disappointment.

Because my parents don't love me enough to stay with me during this week, I attended the parent's meeting. WOW. Those were some great questions!!!!!! I think every single international cell phone option was covered. Do we ever need to call home? It's two weeks!! CUT THE CORD, parents!

Day 3:

We went to the theater for the first time (again), and were met with a set quite different than that in May. With a nice, stark set, it'll be MUCH easier to set up. HIGHLIGHTS! Nick (10) calling me (11) Ho Chi Minh, the cat hair flying everywhere, and gooble gobble.

Our dress rehearsal is tomorrow before we do it for our friends and family here (2:30 on Friday). SEE YOU THEN.

And We're Back!

It sure feels good to get back into the swing of things! This morning I woke up three hours before call time, leaving myself time to jog, shower, make breakfast and lunch, review my lines, and still get to rehearsal with thirty minutes to spare. However, in consistency with the rest of my life, things didn't really go as planned...My alarm clock went on strike, my script went MIA, my brother used all the hot water, and several trees of printer paper and a fresh script later, I just made it to rehearsal on time (a.k.a., inappropriately late). Fortunately, my cast mates seemed to be struggling less, and once we got back into the play, it was surprisingly easy to slip right back into character. It has been a month or two, but remember: when playing a volatile Russian, when in doubt, slam fist on table. In order to really dig deeper into my character, I have my copy of The Communist Manifesto on its way from Amazon (how's that for a conversation starter?) and I am taking up ballet and the volynk (a charming Russian bag-pipe). Considering how long it has been since many of us have given any thought to delivering lines or scraping up our costume pieces, the first rehearsal went extremely smoothly with limited casualties or maiming. The energy in the drama room was palpable and a show we've read through dozens of times is still cracking us up. We have one week until we take off and I couldn't be more excited!

Day 1 of Rehearsal

As Mikey and Peter have both mentioned, there was a good deal of stress leading up to the first day of rehearsal. Revisiting a show, and re-adjusting to an altered script can be daunting- especially with the awareness that you're going to perform for an international audience! Suddenly the hype and the pressure feels so much bigger. But I think that the cast has channeled any pressures into excitement, because the vibe at rehearsal today was lively and you could feel a sense of comfort seep back into the show and the actors.

For me, the best part of rehearsal was watching each actor- including myself- find a new joke or reaction in an old line. Everyone has something new to work with! I've been spending the past hour figuring out different accents to incorporate into my lines, and I can't wait to try some out tomorrow! Day 1 in re-vamping 12 Incompetent Men and Women!

Refreshing Rehearsal

After being off the set for over two months now, we all gathered in the drama room at school this morning for our last week of rehearsals before the big trip. The morning was full of hugs and excitement as we all greeted each other like it was the first time in years. My fear of jumping right back into things swiftly turned to pure joy as I felt the lines, plot, and characters jump out of the page. Whether it be from taking fifteen minutes on one line, perfecting a scottish accent, simply reading through the whole show, or changing a few lines to suit the more risqué crowd in Edinburgh, I felt that there was new and creative energy in the room that Stan had predicted correctly. Filled with laughter and tears (from laughing so hard), the first day back has been refreshing! I am excited for what is to come and I know am not alone.

First Day Back!!

Day 1 July 25th, 2011

Princeton USA

After two months off, I'm thrilled to be back working on 12 IM(&W)!! We had a great first rehearsal today back at PDS - everyone showed up on time for Cast B and was ready to work. We had a hilarious stumble through - creepy # 9 started to mimic his fellow jurors, and 3 and the Forman's 'skit' just got funnier. I was surprised by how much everyone remembered, and am happy that Stan's threats of less free time in London if we don't know our lines will not (?) be needed.

The picture is Cast B during the table read-through.

As for me, I'm really looking forward to London and Edinburgh. I'm excited for all the free time in London, and to get to know Edinburgh better.

I'll try to post pictures (and videos?!) throughout the trip, because I know they'll be more interesting than just my posts. And please comment on things you want to hear about or just responses!

More tomorrow...

P.S. Shout-out to my cousins, Annabel, Eliza, and Lillian, and to the Cobra Panthers!! And Happy 13th Birthday, Katherine!