Don't make me go...

It's finally time to go home- well, not so much finally but more unfortunately. We spent our last day around the grass market area, laid out in the sunshine on a hill with the castle as our backdrop, shopped about, and met the cast for a final picnic dinner and cupcakes at the gardens. We saw the polish production of the Scottish play at the international festival which was quite a vision- filled with pyrotechnics and extremities. Brian and I hit the town one last time and now were getting ready to board the bus :( this has been the best 2 weeks of my life and I am so blessed to have been introduced to this beautiful city!

closing time

Swift as the feet of pegasus it's time for us to close this show :( It has been such an incredible experience going out there every night in this beautiful city and telling our story- despite small houses, the feedback that we've gotten is that we have really touched people and as a theatre artist I can't ask for anything better than that. I can't believe we've already reached the end of our run- Hecuba will certainly be shedding a few extra tears tonight.

Yesterday after our classic "Sex and the City" breakfast at The Abbey, Sumiko and I split off and went to see "American Girlfriend"- a comedy act at The Hive. The woman was hysterical- and american- so what's not to love? We also stumbled upon the Museum of Childhood, where we got to see some super creepy old dolls, play a ten pence "Sweeney Todd" game, and I even got to teach her how to play snakes and ladders! The gift shop was a blast too- we were reminiscing about how fun Christmas/Birthdays were when you got toys instead of socks and underwear.

We all went out for desserts after the show- which were presentationally pretty awesome. We had a crazy Italian waiter whose humor didn't impress everyone, but it was nice to spend some time as a cast post-show. Rachel, Ross, Brian and I met up with our friends again and went out afterwards for another crazy Scottish night.

Today we all went to see "Austentatious"- an improve group that draws audience member's Jane Austen book title ideas out of a hat and then acts out the story. Today's selection was: Anal and Anal Retentive- which I'm sure you can imagine was a riot. We had a blast at the show, one of the funniest things I've seen at the fringe, and they were brilliant at improv (so much "yes, and..." to be had!)

I shopped around a bit on the Royal Mile since it was a glorious afternoon- and now it's off to get ready for our final performance!

Cheers!

the road less traveled (and the mountain to which it lead)

We did it! It was a long and at times tiring trek, but in just an hour's time we made it to the very top of Arthur's Seat. Alyssa chose a sensible dress and took many a dig, but there was not a complaint heard and we were so proud after all nearly dying on the way down. (who would have thought that the path would be so rocky and steep?! on a mountain?! unheard of.) But the view was incredible- you could see the entire city, and couldn't tell where the ocean met the sky.  It was a glorious day- the perfect morning for such an adventure- clear and breezy. I even convinced everyone to join me in a self-timer photo (just for you mom!)

We had a picnic lunch on our campus and heard some very mediocre ABBA karaoke going on nearby. We're going out again with our friends tonight, so most of us decided to take the day of and rest (and to give our poor legs a bit of a break!)

PS- less than 400 views until I hit my goal of 1,000 before I get home (thanks Robert ;) )

Cheers!

Shopping and Shakespeare

We deemed it a "shopping day" (as if that's any different than any other day that we've been here.) The girls and I managed to snag cute new dresses at a boutique nearby- then it was back to Primark, where we each got about 4 outfits for less than our first dress... oops. But alas, I have an adorable new back to school wardrobe straight from the streets of Edinburgh!

The show tonight, despite a smaller house (but still a house!!) went very well... the airplanes for the tattoo flew over the building at a perfect time, so we were able to pass off the terrifying sounds as cues.

Afterwards we went out to see "Sh*tfaced Shakespeare"- A Midsummer Night's Dream in which one of the cast members is selected at random to get well, sh*tfaced, which was an absolute riot! Helena was chosen and proved to be a hilarious drunk. It just about topped the lap dance Brian got last night at the burlesque show...

Tomorrow we take on Arthur's Seat- here's to another sunny day!

Cheers!

you never say good luck on opening night

WE OPENED THE SHOW YA'LL! and managed to get a pretty big house! (much bigger than the fringe average of 9, so we were very pleased.) Joe said from the minute I walked on stage to open the show he felt that it was there and that the audience was thoroughly engaged the whole time and we did wonderful work. I could not be more proud of my cast and all the hard work we've put into this project, and could not be more blessed to have my international debut in a place so incredible. After the show Joe bought us drinks at The Southern, where we had celebrated Brian's  birthday earlier. At last call a few of us were brave enough to go for the coffee-tequila shot, and with that extra boost we decided to stay out and enjoy the city a while longer. We found some guys on the street and asked for directions, but they instead became our new best friends and took us with them to this super hip cheap bar, where they bought ALL our drinks, and then took us out to The Hive- a very happening Scottish nightclub. We had a BLAST, we were so lucky to meet them and a good time was had by all. (maybe a little TOO much of a good time come this morning, but alas, when in Edinburgh...)

This afternoon (after getting about an hour and a half of sleep) to cure the hangover blues a few of us went to get a nice greasy breakfast at a local tavern, and then hit up the Baxter Theatre Centre's (South Africa) production of Mies Julie, which was some of the most brilliant acting I've seen (and some pretty graphic stagework.)

On to show number 2!

Cheers!

don't rain on my parade

So today turned out to be quite a yucky day in beautiful Edinburgh. cold, gray and rainy- it wasn't looking to be a promising hike up Calton Hill to do character/speech work with Joe. However we were troopers, went up to overlook the city (in what we could see of it that wasn't engulfed by the clouds) and it turned out to be a better circumstance to work in regardless. what better image of Hecuba's fallen Troy than to look over an entire city surrounded by cloudy fall and imagine that all it's beauty was demolished? It was quite erie (and yet still breathtaking) and provided me with some wonderful images to work off of. I'm feeling good about tomorrow's opening- I'm excited to get out there and show to the WORLD all the hard work that we've done. (and if not the world, then Alyssa's parents will do). But Calton Hill was amazing, even in the rain- I'd love to go back on a clearer day, but even in it's haze... it's unbelievable that in just a single flight of stairs you can get to the top of the world.

Later I met up with everyone at the National Museum of Scotland- which is not only free, but amazing! The structure was beautiful, long corridors and glass ceilings and pillars (Brian, Alyssa, and I even made it up to the rooftop terrace!) I can't say that I really got an educational experience... we were having too much fun in the interactive areas, dressing up in old time clothes, trying to lift ourselves in pulley chairs, and racing wind up dinosaurs in the gift shop.

Next we headed over to Princes Street again to take a look at the street fair going on- I managed to snag an EXCELLENT gift for "mum"- (who will have to wait in anticipation after reading this). We went to the store we love and discovered before, Primark, and we've already decided we're going to have to go back for round 3.

After searching for an affordable dinner, we finally found a little shack of a place where we got veggie burgers and "chips." It was good and cheap, and I'm sure we'll be returning there as well. (And we ran into our friend from the first night, Graham!- Edinburgh is getting smaller and smaller as the days go by).

We caught Dario on his last night in town and all went to see "Remy," a one woman show about the French Revolution. I didn't get the entirety of the story, but the actress was quite energetic and demonstrated very good use of sense memory. And we even caught sight of another rainbow!

Headed home early to have some down time before we trek up Arthur's Seat tomorrow to do a final line-through before opening!

Cheers!

survived tech, now onto the fringe!

Today marked the fastest tech rehearsal in the history of all theatre: The Trojan Women. With only 10-1 pm in the space, we added costumes, lights, props, and found that our very small dressing room has a farting door that is impossible to shut. Oh, and the one mirror in the room (more notably, a closet) is the size of a paperback novel and is technically on the "other side" reserved for the other casts. (mind you the "other side" is marked by a single clothing rack.) But we shall all cram in our own little corner and change into beautiful Trojans all for the love of theatre! Tech went well- we've got a show, ya'll!- and after only a page of notes we were out to explore. 

We found a small arts and crafts festival going on in the main square and I- SURPRISE!- proceeded to spend money on trinkets. Everyone split after lunch, I found myself in an underground stand-up comedy routine, where I was picked on as the "American Lady." (Tom Petty wrote a song about me 10 years ago, when I was just a girl.) I then found vegetarian bangers and mash (my new favorite meal- but then again, it is mostly comprised of mashed potatoes and bread, so there's really no surprise there) at a local pub for dinner. Later as I was walking around searching for a show to see- I bumped into Dario on the street and proceeded to grab a drink and see the Belt Up Theatre's production of "The Boy James" which was... interesting to say the least. The show started off with enchanting charm and immediately got the audience involved as we were asked to make a new best friend, play a round of wink murder, and all hold hands- but as the story line developed it really just turned out to be a play about "no." there was no "yes, and..." every idea or plot point was immediately shut down by a physical act of violence or curling away in fear/ withering in sadness. But it was quite a nice evening in good company regardless!

Since I didn't get the chance to post about the shows I saw yesterday, I figured I'd blurb them here:

 

We started with "Sex Ed: The Musical"- which I'm sure you can imagine was quite an experience (especially for Brian, who got to make his fringe debut a little early thanks to the magic of audience participation...) This British production was quite a riot, it even rained condoms! A good time (and quite a few good laughs) were had by all.

Next up was "Facehunters" where East London hipsters meet the story of Dorian Gray. Going into this I had no idea what Dorian Gray was, so the surprise bizarro ending caught me off gaurd, and not in a good way. However, the ensemble was great, and they seemed to really enjoy themselves. The music was a bit catchy as well, and the concept was cool- the intrusive rock opera, in your face, british glam was something new and exciting at times. The mic feedback... not so glam, or exciting.

A few of us stuck around later that evening and managed to snag free tickets to "Who's Your Daddy?" a one man show which starred writer/director Johnny O'Callaghan and it was BRILLIANT. A heartwarming tale that made us laugh and cry... A single gay Irish man goes to Africa on a suicide mission, but winds up finding a little boy that changes his life. The storytelling was magnificent and I enjoyed every moment. His perspective work was great, and it was so nice to hear him share this story so close to his heart. A MUST SEE if you are somehow reading this in Edinburgh. 

Well, that's all I've got for now- Cheers!

The frenzy begins

Well in a matter of just a 24 hour period Edinburgh is starting to get packed... (must be opening weekend?) street performers and flyer hander outers are everywhere! After rehearsal I took some time to myself to wander about- went down Victoria street, right underneath our venue, and found this incredible gallery with trinkets by local artists and I'm obsessed. Imagine the urban outfitters apartment section but 100 times cooler, European, and artisan crafted. Needless to say I spent a lot of money and I'm sure I'll be back to spend more... To compromise I got a cheap-o dinner but was still enjoyable! I met up with the group to go on a ghost tour in the city's underground vaults... Definitely creepy, and I even got photo evidence of paranormal activity, or so the guide agreed and claimed it was an orb- decide for yourself. (maybe it was just margaret checking in on me) after the tour I was the lone ranger to go out and begin my fringe frenzy- I stumbled upon a girl handing out free tickets to "Kiss Me and You Will See How Important I Am"- a new Irish physical theatre piece. It was interesting, all about young adults and their issues. It was neat to go see something though and I'm looking forward to seeing much much more!!

Quite a busy day outside the USA

After our brief rehearsal in the morning, a group of us headed up to Edinburgh Castle, and found ourselves smack dab in the middle of the most beautiful landscape. Looking out from the castles walls we could see the entirety of the city- and then some! The ocean, the mountains, the buildings- as we were reminded this morning by Joe- " we are doing something we love somewhere that's absolutely breathtaking." and that's the only way to describe it- breath taking. After touring the castle we went down to Princes street and found the gardens, which were again, breathtaking. The girls challenged ourselves to a roll down the hill, which after my collision with a tree, I instantly regretted. There were far too many shops to choose from, and we fell in love with a European forever 21 style store that we decided we better just make a day of some other time. We found a hotel with a great deal on dinner- and my toffee apple crisp with custard was one of the greatest things I've ever smelled, let alone taste. (though I did cash in for some Cadbury later) to kill time we checked out tron- a bar/club within an old church, and got to watch a bit of the Olympics. Then we went to ted's scrubs band show to support fellow SU Drama alumns, and met Graham, our new friend and fringe expert. After the show we got to meet and talk to the guys, and hopefully they'll be able to catch one of our dress rehearsals! Rachel and I dared to take a rickshaw ride home to help out a Scot trying to make money for his trip to America in a few weeks- and after a day of walking our feet were happy with the decision!

It's beginning to look a lot like Scotland...

The views are stunning. Every direction you turn it's just one gorgeous building after the next. I felt like Belle today looking out the window of our rehearsal space with the castle and cobblestone outside. After rehearsal we, as promised, hit up the elephant room with our new friend Emily, where we got to draw elephants that were hung on the wall, feel that much closer to JK Rowling, and sip on some hot chocolate with baileys ;) then we went on a free walking tour with our crazy guide Justin, who showed us the funny secrets of Scotland- such as the peeing horse statue (made of copper- so the rain wore a hole in the soldiers copper head, the statue filled up with water, and the only way they could keep it from falling over due to its weight was to cut a hole in the horses junk to let the water out). We even got to spit on the heart of midlothian for good luck! Thankfully the rain held off until the night time (which made for a freezing walk home) but I'm now back in my room warm and cozy ready to get some sleep before a 7 am wake up call!

Rehearsal

After checking out the sweet continental breakfast at the dorm- which even had vegetarian sausage (and if anyone from camp is reading this, they tasted kind of like egg rolls), it was off to rehearsal we went! We stumbled upon the elephant room, where JK Rowling wrote Harry potter (conveniently on his birthday) so naturally we plan on grabbing some Harry potter birthday coffee on our way home. Rehearsal so far is going great- we changed the entire show, but for the better, and everyone is working very hard! Our theatre is very small, hopefully it will be easier to fill- we've already started passing out flyers to waiters!

birthdays, burgers, beers, and rainbows...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRIAN! 

on our walk over to dinner we were lucky enough to spot a rainbow over Arthur's Seat, which was hard to capture on film, but was quite a magnificent sight! 

we checked out Southern for dinner- I had a delicious mushroom/eggplant veggie burger, we all tried our first Scottish beer (some "organic blonde," which was really quite tasty) and even went in for the "kitchen sink" dessert, which was compiled of each dessert off the menu. 

it was a lovely first evening in Edinburgh- but now it's off to bed to beat the jet lag!

ain't lost- just wandering

as i write this post the Scottish army is marching past my bedroom window playing the drums... just to set the mood.

so today we had one simple task: find fringe venue 40, the quaker meeting house, where we will be rehearsing/performing. this simple task turned into hours upon hours of walking and as the title of this post suggests, not getting lost- but instead just wandering... (and getting lost, but who's counting?)

we stumbled upon the cutest little cafe- metropole- where we grabbed a bite to eat (and hot pink tea in my case) and i am officially suffering my first crush (not  gonna lie, these accents make me swoon in a second.)

we found our way to the royal mile- filled with shops and stands and AWESOME architecture, and we even found the fringe information stand and watched previews of other shows outside. the trek to our actual venue was a bit confusing (mimicked by the confusing weather... it literally pours down rain for 2 minutes, and then will be sunny and beautiful the next 5, rinse and repeat.) but we found it finally, and saw our spot in their own venue guide for the fringe. on the way back home we stopped at a bunch of little vintage thrift stores, and i'm sure we will be making our way back there very soon- the deals are just too good to pass up!

looking forward to starting rehearsals tomorrow (granted we can get back to our space) and getting down to work!

oh, and PS- laptop is up and running, for those who were concerned (aka, me)

We are here, we are here, we are here!

Well, after hours of flying we have finally touched down in Edinburgh and arrived at Pollock Hall, where I have moved into my lovely single room! The campus here at the University is stunning- and I have an awesome view of Arthur's Seat, a giant hill, from my bedroom window. The shower proved to be today's biggest challenge so far- it seemed I could only get high powered cold water, or a leaky faucet of hot water. Also, my laptop won't start up and so I'm a bit worried about that (thank goodness for smartphones or this blog would be donezo) but alas I am here in (sunny- momentarily) Scotland! They weren't kidding about bi-polar weather, we arrived to a nice breezy partly sunny airport, lugged our bags to our room in rain, and now it's hot and sunny again! Hoping it stays nice like this for the rest of the day, we're going to explore a bit and find a good restaurant near by for Brian's birthday dinner! It's refreshing to beat the Maryland heat for a bit... And note to mom- I successfully rolled my two giant bags while carrying a super heavy backpack with no complaints ;)

Til next time!

The waiting, the waiting, the waiting!

The gangs all here at Newark (well, most of the gang) waiting to board the plane to Edinburgh! I enjoyed my last somewhat healthy meal (I found out recently that Scotland has the worst national diet of all the UK) of an airport panini and banana, here's to hoping for somewhat decent plane food (too much to ask?) we've all been hanging out in the terminal, downloading apps for international communication (smartphone followers get viber or what'sapp and text me!) and reveling in anxiety for this trip- WE CAN NOT WAIT! The next time I post I'll be in Edinburgh! see you on the other side ;)

Program!

OUR LISTING IN THE FESTIVAL PROGRAM

when the page opens, click to zoom :)

less than 12 hours til the voyage begins- offically packed... hoping nothing is forgotten! (and that my overly-stuffed suitcase makes the weight limit)

Posters and promos

OUR SHOW!!! -link to our page on the fringe site!!

check out our hot poster (slightly misleading for a play all about death and despair?) but still- pretty sexy if i do say so myself.

prepped and prepared?

well, the time is almost upon us. spent the last semester rehearsing each Monday. spent the summer making sure i knew all my lines (well, and okay, traveling to China and- coincidentally- assistant directing Mulan Jr. at summer camp for kids.) spent hours upon hours trying to figure out what in the heck i need to pack/get ready (though let it be known i leave in less than 48 hours and have yet to pack a single sock.) and soon i will spend 4 hours driving to Newark where I will then spend 6 hours flying to Edinburgh, Scotland to perform in the Edinburgh Fringe Fest! I CAN'T WAIT!

i decided to start this blog to document my trip, and to share my adventures with the millions of people checking in on me via the interwebs. (hi mom). i took a journal with me to China and found that it really helped to capture the things that we did while we were over there in a simple way that i can always look back and reflect on. as i advanced in my "worldly travels" this summer, i figured why not advance to a new way of saving those memories to cherish!

now perhaps i should get to packing...