gypsygirl http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog Where I talk about knitting, audiobook recording and other stuff Wed, 11 Jun 2008 11:26:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Long live the Queen http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/06/09/long-live-the-queen/ http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/06/09/long-live-the-queen/#comments Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:02:54 +0000 admin http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/?p=96 Queen Victoria was a hit! I made a couple of alterations toward the funny side to the text Lise sent me and got lots of giggles. The worst was Tommy, who kept anticipating parts of the speech and would start laughing before the punch line. I watched the final performance in character and had an awful time trying to keep a straight face, especially when Regan looked straight at me and made a face at me.

I’m going to be co-directing this summer’s melodrama with MB. I hadn’t intended to direct it, because I knew MB wanted to try her hand at directing and thought the melodrama would be a good place to start (as it was for me, two years ago). But for some reason, the board decided they didn’t want a newbie directing by herself, and asked if I’d co-direct with her. As far as they know, I’m directing and she’s watching and learning. As far as we’re concerned, she’s directing and I’m offering moral support and suggestions.

When the new season was announced, I had wanted to direct the Hallowe’en show, Dial M for Murder, but I got sick and wasn’t able to get the proposal in on time. I learned today that a guy I know from a couple of shows this past season is going to be directing. He was kind of a pain in one of the shows, so I don’t think I’ll be auditioning as I’d originally intended. But that’s ok, because I also found out recently that The Cachinnator is going to be directing the Christmas show (A Christmas Carol), and I really enjoy working with him. If someone else had gotten DMfM, I might have ended up working on shows from June - December (not that I really expected to be cast in DMfM, because there’s only one female role).

I finally got around to working on my project for Jana’s baby (about time, since he was born over a month ago!). I had originally intended to make a little dress set out of one of the Baby Dale pattern books, because she’d been told she was having a girl. But then Elliott arrived, and I had to change plans. I decided to make a vest, and I wanted to try some fair isle, but I didn’t like the patterns I was finding, so I made one of my own. I’ve nearly finished it. I just have to do the ribbing on the armholes and neckband. I’ve posted a link to the pattern here: http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/toddlers-fair-isle-vest/

Toddler's Fair Isle Vest

]]> http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/06/09/long-live-the-queen/feed/ Trial by Jury http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/05/28/trial-by-jury/ http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/05/28/trial-by-jury/#comments Wed, 28 May 2008 14:51:37 +0000 admin http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/?p=95 Lise asked me, even though I wasn’t going to be in the play itself, if I’d like to introduce the play in the guise of Queen Victoria. She said she’d been going to have me do that originally too, so I said yes, because I only have to be at the last two rehearsals (that’s tonight and tomorrow), and I don’t have to be there for the whole thing. So, I spent this past weekend making myself a Queen Victoria costume. I used the blouse pattern I used for my Martha costume for Secret Garden, and the skirt pattern from my Ren Faire costume, only I left the front panel un-gathered. It was a good weekend for it, because JoAnn’s was having its Memorial Day sale, so I was able to get this fabulous black striped brocade quite inexpensively. I also got a bit of lace to put at the collar, and some pewter buttons that look great against the black fabric. I think maybe the sleeves should have been tighter than the pattern called for, but it looks pretty cool anyway. I’m going to put my hair in a low bun, parted in the centre… and I’ll rummage through the costume jewelry at the theatre for some medals and something that might do for a tiara.

]]> http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/05/28/trial-by-jury/feed/ Moving http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/05/15/moving/ http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/05/15/moving/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 01:01:56 +0000 admin http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/?p=94 I’ve finally found a place I like to move to. It’s a large house near where I used to go to church that’s going to be available for rent for the next five years (I figure by then, if my plan works, I’ll have finished paying off all my debts and will be able to seriously consider buying). It’s six bedrooms and at least four bathrooms (possibly five, but half of the second floor was off limits when I visited, so I didn’t get to see it); enclosed patio, fenced back yard, new appliances, pets allowed. I’ll be sharing with two people (though the main renter hasn’t found the third person yet), and my rent will actually be a little less than what I’m paying now. My area will be the third floor loft, which is one big open area, which I think is slightly larger than my current apartment. My other choice was half of the second floor (two bedrooms and one of the bathrooms), but the bathroom was maybe a metre wide and three metres long, and I much preferred the brand new bathroom in the loft, as well as the loft itself. We get to move in in August. I’m really excited!

Nunsense was a huge success. We had a lot of hicoughs along the way. Our original Reverend Mother had to drop out because of health problems, and the new one, who came in about two weeks into full rehearsals (not counting the week and a half or so of music rehearsals at the beginning), had an awful time getting all her lines down. And by an awful time, I mean that she was still using cheat sheets during the week of dress rehearsals; and she used the cheat sheet for one particular scene throughout the run of the show (and at least some audience members noticed, because friends of some of the other cast members mentioned it). Still, even though we cringed at her performance throughout the run, the audiences seemed to love the show. We had lots of word-of-mouth sales.

Tommy and Lise (mostly Lise, I think) are directing a Gilbert and Sullivan one-act as the first of the summer fund raisers, and I’d originally agreed to be in the chorus in that. Rehearsals started one of the weeks between shows of Nunsense, and the show goes up at the end of this month, so I know I was nuts to agree, but I did anyway. But I dropped out on Monday because I’ve been getting sick on and off for the past month or so, and I think a lot of it is because I’ve been so tired all the time from Nunsense that my defenses are low. I’m kind of sad, because it would have been fun, but I must admit, it’s nice having my evenings free and being able to read for pleasure, and record for LV, and go to bed at 10 (instead of 11 or 12).

Work’s going to be quiet for the next week or so; interim started this week. No (well, very few) students around after graduation on Saturday.

The Civic’s having it’s first ever (in my tenure there) Volunteer Appreciation Banquet this Saturday. Appropriately, or perhaps ironically, they’re also having their annual “let’s clean out the shop” day that morning. Planning on going to both. I hope we get lots done, because it’s a mess back there.

]]> http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/05/15/moving/feed/ Habit humour http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/04/03/habit-humour/ http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/04/03/habit-humour/#comments Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:57:53 +0000 admin http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/04/03/habit-humour/ I spent some time last night playing with the veil and wimple from my costume, trying to get the “habit humour” scene down. I’m doing alright with Pocahontas, Heidi, Pippi and Attila, because, well, they’re simple, and even if they weren’t, the actress does these on the dvd. Katherine Hepburn is a problem, not because I don’t know what I’m doing, but because the veil’s too long, and the little tail that’s supposed to kind of stick up droops down to my chin. Easy to fix, fortunately; just a bit of cutting and hemming. My biggest problem is Princess Leia, because she doesn’t do that one on the dvd (she does Twisted Sister instead), and I have no idea how to get the coils to stay (or maybe I’m just supposed to hold them??). I also need to alter the wimple so that it doesn’t move around on my head, because that just ruins the picture. I’m thinking of replacing the strips of ribbon that tie at the back with elastic, but I have to make sure it’s ok with the director first.

I’ve kind of been going into LV withdrawal lately because I just haven’t had time to record. I can only manage a chapter or two a week right now. I did manage to finish The Elusive Pimpernel and Anne of Avonlea before the new show started. I’ve got two new projects going now, Angelina by Manuel Delgado (in Spanish) and Mr Hogarth’s Will by Catherine Helen Spence. I’d never heard of either of these before I came across them while browsing gutenberg, but the title’s sounded interesting. I was most interested in Angelina because it’s by a Mexican author.

]]> http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/04/03/habit-humour/feed/ My stomach is in knots http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/03/12/my-stomach-is-in-knots/ http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/03/12/my-stomach-is-in-knots/#comments Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:43:58 +0000 admin http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/03/12/my-stomach-is-in-knots/ We had auditions for Nunsense the past two nights. I tried out for the part of Robert Anne. I know I gave a good, solid audition on Monday, but there were a lot of really good, solid actresses there both nights, and honestly, I’m a bit worried. She said last night that if they were able to come to a decision last night, they would make casting calls today. Otherwise, they’d be having call backs tonight and making the casting calls tomorrow, so I may have to wait until tomorrow to hear. I’m not usually this nervous, but I really want this part.

EDIT: I got the part! If I weren’t at work, I’d be jumping up and down. :D

]]> http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/03/12/my-stomach-is-in-knots/feed/ Oh, the irony… http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/23/oh-the-irony/ http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/23/oh-the-irony/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2008 03:23:37 +0000 admin http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/23/oh-the-irony/ So, I ordered Unbreakable from Netflix, and when it came, the disc was broken. I had a giggle over the irony in that.

]]> http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/23/oh-the-irony/feed/ A surfeit of culture… http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/21/a-surfeit-of-culture/ http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/21/a-surfeit-of-culture/#comments Thu, 21 Feb 2008 16:16:45 +0000 admin http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/21/a-surfeit-of-culture/ Tomorrow’s Evita at the Hippodrome, part of the season ticket package MB and I bought. I hope it’s a good production. Evita was my favourite musical growing up, I think, because it was the first professional production I saw (the second was Fiddler on the Roof, and I fell asleep during it. Don’t judge me! It was the tail end of a long day of school field trips and I was tired!). Next weekend BU and MCC both have productions going up, Bye Bye Birdie and Anything Goes respectively. We already have tickets to Bye Bye Birdie, and she also wants to go to Anything Goes. I don’t really know much about either of those two shows (although I’m familiar with some of the songs), but I think it’ll be fun. The weekend after that is the Producers, also part of the season ticket package at the Hippodrome. And then the following week are auditions for Nunsense at the WCT. Phew!

]]> http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/21/a-surfeit-of-culture/feed/ Wow… http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/18/wow/ http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/18/wow/#comments Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:47:23 +0000 admin http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/18/wow/ A UNICEF anti-war commercial done by the Belgian branch of the organization:

Is it wrong that part of me thinks this is funny?

]]> http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/18/wow/feed/ Acronym fun http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/04/acronym-fun/ http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/04/acronym-fun/#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:28:23 +0000 admin http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/04/acronym-fun/ So we were in a meeting of the Library Website committee, and as we were getting near the end of the allotted time, we were starting to get a little silly. Someone asked a perfectly legitimate question about whether the people who keep the web pages up to date have a title, and someone else tried to come up with the most convoluted title for “I update the web pages”. I can’t remember what it was, exactly, but then my officemate, who’s also on this committee, tried to see if he could come up with an acronym for the title. He came up with Electronic Data Input Technician Of Record, or EDITOR. Someone else quickly came up with Acronymical Master & Electronic Savant, for his surname, Ames.

One of the other girls on the committee was trying to get one for her first name and came up with E-Learning Librarian (which is her job title) and then needed help on the last two letters - Ames came up with Extra Nice (so, Ellen). I started working on my surname and got as far as Super Awesome before the meeting was dismissed. When I mentioned this to my officemate, he very quickly came up with Super Awesome, Very Acerbic Girl Extraordinaire. Now he’s supposed to be working on one for our friend across the hall, but she doesn’t know yet because she’s not on that committee.

]]> http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/02/04/acronym-fun/feed/ Much of a sameness… http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/01/30/much-of-a-sameness/ http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/01/30/much-of-a-sameness/#comments Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:06:22 +0000 admin http://www.karenrsavage.com/blog/2008/01/30/much-of-a-sameness/ So, not much new going on. I had fun at that workshop in Austin. Our meeting room was a computer lab, so there was plenty of hands-on time. We were at UT, and the Bullock Texas State History Museum was right across the street, so I went there one night. Other than that, I didn’t get out much. I asked Darryl when I got back what we actually use XSLT for here, and he could only think of one example off the top of his head, and that project’s done (though it may need tweaking at some point). So, though I was glad to learn the stuff, I don’t know when I’ll get to use it.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is just over a week away from opening (a week from tomorrow’s our preview performance) and it’s coming along nicely. Yesterday was the first night the actors weren’t allowed to call for lines (except for Big Mama, who only started about a week ago, due to an injury to the original Big Mama) and they did pretty well… except they were concentrating so hard on lines that they tended to lose energy. Tennessee Williams is a depressing enough playwright when the energy is up, so last night’s run-through just dragged in places.

I got a bunch of recording done this weekend. I had the time on Sunday, and I was in the right mood, so I just went for it. I got all my collaborative chapters done (a couple of the Arabian Nights [in French] and a few chapters from Kilmeny of the Orchard [which the BC asked me if I'd be willing to do]), and a monologue for the latest Shakespeare Collection, plus several chapters from my solos. I may get some more done tomorrow morning. I’m taking half a day off from work to get new tires for my car, so I may have some time before they open to get some chapters done. That’s one thing about doing shows, my evenings are pretty much gone. I have time between work and rehearsal to get a bite to eat or take a little nap (not both), but that’s about it. So I usually only get to record on the weekends.

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