My experience at the York Theatre!

Hi everyone!

Well I'm a little sick today which is no surprise after the mass amount of hours I've worked over the past 2 weeks.

I was at the theatre at least 12 hours a day because I was assisting both shows and I am not complaining at all. I met the coolest people in both casts and got to work with great people on the two separate stage management teams. I just did whatever they needed done from running errands, to making copies, to helping set up and clean up, to making props. And then this past weekend of performances I got to run the show as the ASM, who is the only crew person backstage during the show, AND I got to call the show another night. I was so excited and nervous at the same time. It was the first time I had called a show on the fly and I think I did a pretty good job!!

I have to say I felt like a part of their little York family pretty much instantly. I asked them all so many questions and loved hearing their stories about everything. I still feel like I have so much to learn but I know that I have some great people who can kind of guide me. All in all, this was definitely a great experience. I feel so lucky and I hope that I get to work with them all again in the future!!

So now this week I have to catch up with chores, grocery shopping, etc. And Lys and I are going to try and see some apartments this week!

I'm hoping this sore throat will go away so Lys an I can check out Cinci night down at Edward's in TriBeCa with Lois and Sarah! (York peeps who are both from Ohio as well) And Lys wants to go see a staged reading presented by one of our professor's theatre company.

So I'm outta here to get some rest and drink tea!

Peace out for now!!
Stefanie

Being a Working Actor

I have almost finished one week of grown up life and so far it has been amazing. I decided to jump right in and thus I have been pretty busy! The city itself has also been busy with visits from Obama, Justin Bieber, and Bruno Mars (Yes, Stef and I almost had a heart attack). New York is seriously the greatest.

I went to three auditions this week!! One was for Broadway, and two were for off Broadway. Basically in order to find them you join actor websites and go to whichever ones you can that have a role that "fit" your type. I read sides for one, and did a monologue for 2 other ones. You can sign up an hour before auditions start, but most people line up about an hour before that. Needless to say I've been getting up around 6:30am so I'm exhausted! I ran into a BADA friend at one audition and made a friend in line at the other which was awesome. I love that theatre is not about competition in NYC and everyone is kinda in the same boat helping each other out. For the first time I am proud to say I have my equity card because it gets me into auditions, other people thinks it's great, and we all just learn from each other!!

Other than auditions I visited the Wing, drama bookstore, and got to see Mikey from Miami, Liza from Springboard, and hang out at night with Stef this week! I had a lot of down time in the afternoons but it was filled with audition hunting, emailing, and real world job hunting!!!!

Yes, I have a real world job! I'm making money!! I work for a Temp Agency called Forest Solutions and literally I signed up Wednesday morning, and started work Thursday afternoon! Today I worked at a sample sale. I was on my feet all day, which is tiring as all get out and I was basically in charge of checking bags all day...sounds boring...and it kinda was, BUT everyone who was working for the temp agency ranges in ages from about 19-25 so I made all sorts of friends, which made it kind of fun!!!

However, I did learn something important today.....I have found the worst job in the world....Passing Out Flyers To New Yorkers! Yes folks, I had to do that today, and as much as I hate walking by the people who pass out flyers, believe me, as much as you don't want to take one, they don't want to have to give you one! People give you dirty looks, or avert their heads completely as if you'll disappear....HELLO! I'M A PERSON! The people who actually take them are like heaven...I had a few people even ask for one, which made me so happy. Honestly guys, just take one and throw it away or smile and say "no thanks" it feels a lot better. I know I am going to be treating street people differently! Somehow we managed to pass out all 500 flyers and meet some interesting characters (one guy tried to offer me a better job). I may or may not be working the sale the rest of the week, but we'll see!! Coming up I am working the US open! OH also, definitely saw Judith Light at the sale! I got her her bag, but I didn't say anything because it didn't register it was her until she had already left the counter! What a crazy small theatre world it is!  (I've seen a director and talent agent I met at Springboard on the subway!)

So so far I'm doing it! Working, auditioning, eating, shelter, and having fun :)

Short but sweet update!

Hi all!

First off, happy father's day to both my dad and Mr. Olson!!! We love you!!

So I have been SUPER busy this week but loving it! I've been working as the stage management production assistant (quite the title) at the York Theatre which is off-broadway. The York focuses on doing mostly new shows which I find really interesting! Anyways, the people are great! The directing production assistant and I have been going out with some of the staff after work which has been a blast.

The show I'm working on is actually two shows. The first part is a show that opened 30 years ago and the second is the sequel to that which is premiering here. What's even cooler is the original cast of the first show is now the original cast of the second show.

I really am having a good time! I'm just excited to be working in the theatre again in any regard. Also with all the errand running I've been learning the city really well.

On Wednesday I have my first meeting for FringeNYC for which I'm a venue production assistant. That doesn't start until the end of July though so I'll have a little down time.

Anyways, I'm going to go. Just thought I'd update you all on my rare amount of downtime.

-Stefanie

Real World NYC

Well, Springboard is over. Another amazing week of crazy famous guest artists, workshops, and shows! I got to work with Kathleen Marshall, Peter Frances James, Marc Kudisch and saw an understudy rehearsal of Phantom of the Opera (AND they let us go onstage and sing and warm up with them!) Looks like if I die tomorrow I can say I sang on a Broadway stage!! This week I saw War Horse, Anything Goes, and Sister Act! Springboardnyc is truly a wonderful program and if anyone has plans to move to NYC to be an actor you absolutely should do it once you graduate. I can't wait to put into action what I've learned and start to enjoy the auditioning process and the actor lifestyle.

So today was my first day of "real life". It consisted of lots of organizing--finding auditions and head shot places, emailing NYC people, putting a calender together, surfing craigslist, signing up for a temp agency, and running errands! I'm going to start auditioning this week and hopefully meet up with some possible employers for "real world" jobs. Stef and I are currently on the apartment hunt and have found one we love right in the middle of Manhattan, but we are still trying to work out the logistics, so we'll see.

Stef has been super busy all week working at the York Theatre (yet she still found time to help me prepare for my audition. She's the greatest!) Her play goes up tomorrow so she has been there till super late at night preparing, but she is really enjoying herself and the people she is working with. Can't wait to see the show!

Tips on if you are moving to NYC: You need lots of fans and/or a window air conditioner. Also, don't bother buying a comforter for your bed in the summer months.

Off to learn some new monologues! It's an actors life for me!

Springboard and the Tonys!

Let me sum up living in NYC for you: The best decision of my life. I am doing this wonderful program called Springboard, which is even greater than I could have imagined. I saw 5 shows this week (Catch Me if You Can, House of Blue Leaves, The Normal Heart, MotherF****r With the Hat, and Sleep No More) AND went to The Tony dress rehearsal! Let's just say, I'm loving my life. But probably because the actual job hunt hasn't started yet.

I could go on forever about how amazing Springboard is, but instead I'll just give a brief overview. Every day I get to work with famous actors, directors, agents, managers, casting directors, and producers. To name a few of the actors you might know: Judith Light, Joshua Henry, Edie Falco, Bobby Cannovale, and Richard Topol. But everyone I have been meeting has given wonderful advice and I've been able to work on my monologues, a mock dance call, and even singing. The people in the program are incredible and wonderfully talented, and I've enjoyed hanging out with them. This program has taught me more about the business and being a working actor than most of my theatre training and college experience (not to say that Miami wasn't the best college experience ever because it was and I wouldn't change it for a second...it fully prepared me as an actor and a theatre person. Springboard just teaches you how to work in the business, which may be something you can't really get until you are in the city or a super hardcore BFA program). So yeah, that's my quick plug! If you want more details, contact me, but basically I just fall in love with theatre all over again every day!

All the plays I've seen have been pretty great. The best thing about it is most of them are plays! Plays are making a comeback on Broadway, people! :D Because most of you have heard of the other plays I want to quickly comment on Sleep No More. It's a 3 hour play that takes place in a 5 story hotel basically you can go into any room on any floor touch anything and chase/follow any actor you want to. It's pretty much impossible to see everything that is going on, but it is just the most fabulous piece of interactive theatre. Best audience experience of my life for sure!

Other good things is Stef has been meeting all my friends and they love her SM qualities and her personality which has been great! She cooked me dinner tonight and we watched the Tonys with Gabe. I think these are the best Tony's I've seen in awhile even though I knew pretty much all the jokes from the rehearsal! That experience was also one of a kind! We got to see the part of the show that goes on during commercial breaks and a majority of the presenters were there.

Okay well I could ramble forever about all of the specific happenings but basically the apartment is great, springboard is fabulous, Stef and I are living it up, and I am absolutely loving my life in NYC. Preparing for my last week of Springboard! Oh, also Stef started her job at the York today and super loves it so far, so we are both really happy :D

COME VISIT US!

First week in NYC reflection...

Hi everyone!
It's Stefanie! I thought I'd fill you all in on my first week... :)

Well first off saying goodbye to my aunt, uncle, and cousins was really hard... It was one of the first times in the past 3 weeks it hit me that the next chapter of my life was beginning. So my uncle drove me into the city and the ride from Jersey was slow but exciting. I sat silent pretty much the whole time just soaking it all in and honestly if I had started talking I would have cried again. I was on my way to living in the capital of the world! It's a very overwhelming feeling and it still hasn't completely hit me. Ok so I got moved in just fine and settled in and everything. Lys told you all we had dinner and we got to see each other's places which was awesome. (I'm jealous of Lys's double bed while I only have a twin... haha)

Monday was pretty chill for me. I focused on running errands. I went to the grocery store that's a bit closer to Lys but only a short subway ride from me called "Trade Fair" which was just like a Trader Joe's. A lot of ethnic food and everything was reasonably priced. I know a lot of people say, "Oh everything in New York is soo expensive!!" but they are lying. I probably spent $40 on groceries and I got all my starting essentials. Juice, eggs, bread, pita bread, condiments, cereal, milk, cold cuts, cheese, coffee, sweetener etc. And then I went to a produce stand and bought a bunch of veggies (cucumbers, tomatos, etc) for $3 total! So it all depends on where you live I'm pretty sure... but here in Astoria it's just about the same as Ohio...

Tuesday was an exploration day. I walked to Astoria Park and sat out in the sun for a bit to get some color back... but then I was sweating bullets so I just sat in the shade and read my book. Then I meandered about Astoria and picked up a package for Lys and while walking back this littler girl almost followed me the entire way home until I stared her down to indicate that it probably was not the best idea for her to follow me. So once I got home I sat and cooled off for the rest of the afternoon and met up with a friend later that night for a drink at the Bohemian Beer Garden! The place seemed really cool and I'm excited to take Lys is check it out further!

Wednesday was my first day with my lovely mother! I met her at Penn Station and we came back to Astoria to show her my place and she got to see a little bit of the neighborhood, but we were in a bit of a rush to get back to get tickets for War Horse which was the show we definitely wanted to see in her time here. So yeah we waited in the cancellation line and after an hour or so (and some scam attempts to others in front of us) we got our tickets which were great seats!!! This was by far the best piece of theatre I've seen in a long time. We were literally sobbing at the end... it was so powerful. After the matinee we grabbed a bite to eat near Columbus Square and then I took her back to Penn to go back to my aunt and uncles in Jersey. Then Lys and I went to our first NYC party which was in the Upper East Side in this absolutely beautiful building in an extremely trendy apartment and we got to go up to the roof (which was just as fabulous as the building... I mean there were lounge chairs, a grill, astroturf!) So yeah it was a blast and Lys and I both had another overwhelming realization looking out from the roof and knowing we lived here! :)

Ok so then today I slept in and met my mom at Penn again for another day on the town... where it was 100 degrees I might add. We went to Eataly first which was over on 23rd and 5th I think... It was SOO cute. It was like this little Italian market but there were 5 different restaurants inside of it, some cafe style, some typical restaurant style... very neat. After that we walked to Union Square to meet up with a friend from church who works at the Trader Joe's down there so we sat in there and talked to him for awhile. After that and with the walking in the heat, we decided it was time for some ice cream! And what better place than Serendipity!! So we subwayed it up there and split a delicious "Can't Say No" sunday! (peanut butter pie with graham cracker crust, vanilla ice cream, bananas, hot fudge, topped with whipped cream and a cherry!... of course we couldn't say no to any of that!!) After indulging in that heaven, we walked down 5th ave to Times Square to try and score Book of Mormon lottery tickets... but once we got there, they told us the show was at 7 and the lottery had already happened. So we settled for Bengal Tiger in the Baghdad Zoo with Robin Williams. After we grabbed the tickets we chilled in Times Square and right before the storm hit we ran inside to TGIFridays which was the closest dinner location and met Lys for a quick bite on her dinner break. Then she was off to see Motherf**kers With the Hat and we were off to our show... While it wasn't as amazing as War Horse, it was still very powerful. Lys warned us and told us it was a dark comedy but maaannn... you were laughing and then you realized you were laughing at stuff that was extremely inappropriate! And Robin Williams was really great. It was interesting to see him in this dark setting and he pulled it off very well. After the show I took my mom back to Penn and we said our goodbyes which were even harder than our initial goodbyes from Ohio... and here I am back home trying to keep cool!

Tomorrow I'm just gonna get myself ready for work which starts this weekend hopefully! I'm soo ready to get into the grind of things!

Well this post was sufficiently long... haha! oops! I'm sure you'll be hearing from Lys soon because she's had an even more exciting week!!! :)

Peace out for now!
Stefanie

First day as residents of NYC!

It’s Lys! I’m finally back in the US of A and ready to update you on NYC life!

I flew from Greece straight to JFK and ultimately to my new apartment. I’m also subletting in Astoria just blocks away from Stef. I have 2 guy roommates who are actors too, and we have 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, kitchen, basement, and backyard! It’s a lot bigger than I was expecting, which is great!

My first night I spent in the basement on the couch since my subletter was still here, but tonight I will get to experience my room. I also went into the city for a bit last night to eat dinner and figure out the subway (which is super easy). It took me all of 20 minutes to unpack/ move in today because I literally am living out of one suitcase!

I LOVE Astoria. It reminds me of Chicago and there are all sorts of people here. It feels very safe with the school and hospital right around the corner. And ironically, it is very Greek with Greek food everywhere and cafes called “Acropolis, Athena, Athens etc”.  One of the main streets is just one street away from me, so I have access to everything I need.

Today I dropped my laundry off at the mat (which is literally right around the corner and they do everything for you for just a few dollars more) Being that time is of the essence; I just left it for them to do and it was ready a few hours later (folded and everything)! I also went grocery shopping and realized my hands were not big enough to cart everything I needed back home, so I went out again tonight for lean cuisines, diet dr. peppers, and snack foods! The joys of being a New Yorker J

Stef also moved in today! I can’t tell you how happy I was to see her and how adorable her apartment is! We went to dinner and sykped some people from home (trying to convince them to come visit us!).

And so today, we officially become post grads living the dream! And tomorrow, I start SpringboardNYC!