Another quiet day. It’s a little frustrating to not be training more but I do know that I’ll eventually be in the show and have plenty of performances – after all, I will be doing 10 shows a week.
I arrive early (like 3:15ish) to practice the fan dance a bit. I have the throws down pretty well but I still want to work on the timing – when to change up the pace, etc. Still, much of it will likely need some adjusting once I do it in costume.
At 4, I have a massage and it is heavenly. My lower back had been bugging me a bit but not after 20 min of pure bliss. Easily one of the best perks of the job. Love it.
I have some time before the stretch class so I grab DVDs of two of the old shows with different nannies. Every single show is recorded. Coaches can use it as a training tool or artists can wtach to see how things plays out. I will likely watch my first shows in to try and improve as quickly as possible. It’s pretty neat.
I watch much of the show with Teuda in it. She was the original Nanny – 65+ and Brazilian. She’s also much bigger than Gail and myself. As the role got more physical, they cast younger and smaller people. The fun thing about watching the older show is to see what’s different. The big changes involve two acts that are no longer int he show. They’re both pretty cool. One involved pillars that acrobats jumped between. It was a chase scene with thte spearmen and the jester/imperial prince. (A scene that now happens on the passerelle). Apparently, it caused too many injuries. In fact, one of the artists who fought the hardest to keep the act broke his ankle on the last night it was in the show.
The other act was a graceful swinging vine performance in the Forest scene. Again, too many injuries. That was replaced by the arial duet which is really quite beautiful.
The Nanny didn’t originally have a fan dance or even a section in the opening scene (it was a juggling valet). On the other hand, the Refuge scene was longer. Teuda actually blew flame from the campfire. So cool but I like it better now.
The Stretch class was nice but the part that was the most fun was when Alexi had us pull him one by one across the floor using a rope. Grecia – a former strongman who now plays the Chief Archer – got into the game and easily hauled Alexi across the floor. And Alexi is not a weak guy. We were all laughing hysterically and it was a nice bonding moment.
I shadowed Gail again and we had pleasant chats between the scenes but the sameness of the task can be a little wearing. Ah well, patience.
Jeana is a classically trained actress who hails from Los Angeles where she lives with her husband (actor Scott Dawson) and two cats. She has appeared in countless theatre productions with many esteemed companies such as the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum and Grove Theatre Center. Jeana has also appeared on television in Saving Grace (opposite Holly Hunter), NBC's critically acclaimed Journeyman and the long running medical drama Strong Medicine. 