what is a "guildo"?

You've heard me talk about the Guild, in one post or another on here. Those of you who are just stumbling across my blog may wonder, "What the hell is the Guild?" Well, simply put, it is the theatre group at Bishop DuBourg highschool that puts on 3 productions a year. (And a "Guildo" is one who is, or ever was, a part of the Guild.) And now, that encompasses the Guild Summer Alumni Theatre Group, of which I am a part. But more than that...

It is years of memories--both happy and sad--onstage, backstage, behind the scenes, or starring. Friends are made and bonds are formed with people who really know, understand, and appreciate the word "Guildo" and all that it encompasses...

It is a tie that can never be broken, no matter where you go or what you do in life. You will always remember your days there, and should you visit again, a flood of memories will hit you like a brick wall as soon as you set foot in the old theatre...

It is goosebumps and chills when you experience your first standing ovation. That is a reaction that will stick with you through any other ovation you experience, whether it be on the receiving or giving end...

It is love, sadness, joy, blood, sweat, tears, anxiety, and any other feeling one can think of. Standing on that stage, you're a whole world away from reality, and every range of emotion flows through you like nothing else...

It is the smell of old paint, musty costumes, and sawdust. Flats propped against the walls bear scribblings of Guildos who have left their mark, and the ghost light burns in waiting for the next production...

It is secrets, inside jokes, and swapped stories. Seems like whatever is said within those four walls gets trapped and stays within those four walls...

It is dreams, motivation, support, and encouragement. If you've got the drive and the dedication, you're made to be a star in your own right. You are surrounded by support and encouragement; just when you thought you've given all you had to give, you reach down deep and find there's more--"keep going", "you can do it", "give it more", "BUST YOUR BUNS".

It is the spirits of all Guildos who have come and gone, every person who has ever walked across that stage or been in the light booth. Every single person is made to feel important and really needed.

All in all, when it comes down to it, the Guild is a FAMILY. And I am proud to say I am a Guildo. I am part of the Guild family, and I couldn't be happier.

Bust your buns in "42nd Street", everyone. Here's to a great show.

surprise!

Friday (June 17) was my 24th birthday; all week long, Dustin had been pushing and pushing me to decide which restaurant I wanted to go to for dinner. When he first suggested taking me to dinner for my birthday, I asked if we were going to hang out with everybody that night also. He shocked me by saying, "No, let's just have a date--me and you. Then Saturday night, we'll celebrate your birthday with your friends." Of course I was ecstatic--no offense to my friends!

So all week long I'm telling everyone (ok, kinda bragging, in a way) that Dustin's taking me on a date for my birthday, just me and him, blah blah blah. I dressed cute--thinking we were going on a date--then told him I wanted to go to my parents' house after dinner so I could see them on my birthday. He kept trying to get me to change my skirt--"in case we go to like Hot Shots or something after dinner"--since it was a little on the short side, but I never even caught on.

We got to Friday's and as we're walking up toward the restaurant, I'm looking around and just chatting away. That's when I looked up at the restaurant and noticed a familiar person standing outside. "There's Krack!" I said, wondering why he came all the way to South County from Breese to eat dinner. Then, "There's Cliff...and Carly...and Becker...what did you do?!" "Surprise. Happy Birthday." Dustin and Carly had orchestrated--all week long--to throw me a surprise party for my birthday. They got about 15 people up there at the restaurant to surprise me. I've never had a surprise party in my life!

Dustin, you told me last week you were going to make sure I had the best birthday ever, right? Well, mission accomplished, hon. Love you. :)
(Thanks to all his little "minions", too! ;)

The house that....."Papa George" built?

Within the next four years, the place formerly known as "The House that Ruth Built" will become "The House that...Papa George Built?". In a report from the Associated Press, the Yankees will hold a press conference today to announce detailed plans for their new $800 million ballpark. There is an agreement between the Yankees and New York City's government that the ball club will pay for the stadium on its own--they better start practicing "Thank you, Papa George" now...

The current Yankee Stadium, which is the third oldest ballpark in use (behind only Boston's Fenway Park-1912- and Chicago's Wrigley Field-1914), opened in 1923 with a home run shot from Babe Ruth (hence the name "The House that Ruth Built") and was heavily renovated in 1974 / 1975. The original stadium will remain intact; however (and this is from hearsay), it will be used only as a museum. No games will be played there.

"I think it will be sad,'' Yankees manager Joe Torre said Tuesday. "They'll have limos and vans to take the old ghosts over to the new stadium.'' The new ballpark will be built adjacent (to the north) of the current Yankee Stadium, and is tentatively expected to open for the 2009 season. It will have a capacity of 50,800 seats--which is 6,000 fewer than the current stadium--but could be expanded to 54,000. The new stadium will also strongly resemble the current in many details; for instance the playing field dimensions will be exactly identical.

The Yankees have won an unprecedented, record 26 World Series titles. Why would you want to mess with that by moving them into a completely new building? "The House that Ruth built" is so rich in history and memories--not to mention superstition--that it seems a shame to quit playing there. (This is ringing bells for me here in St. Louis, with the impending destruction of THE Busch Stadium.) I just wonder if the team / management will keep the name of Yankee Stadium for a ballpark that just isn't THE Yankee Stadium? (Kinda like the new "Busch" Stadium...)

*(all information obtained from ESPN, MSNBC, and the Associated Press)

match-up

Yankees vs. Cardinals tomorrow night, June 10, at Busch. Game time 7:10 p.m.
Who has tickets? We do! Ok, so I'm just a little bit excited...
Go Yankees / Cardinals!
I don't really care who wins, I just can't WAIT to see this match-up!!!


*by the way, Cards won 8-1. :) *

taps taps taps and more taps

Rehearsal last night seemed to go very well; it seems like the Audition #--the big tap # in the very beginning of the show--is really starting to come together. (Thanks to my wonderful "teachers & helpers": Susan, Mindy, Ann, Ellen, Denise, Mary, Kim, and just about anyone else who helps me with triple time steps and 'falling off the log'!)
Am finding that I kinda dig tap dancing--it's not the easiest thing in the world for ME personally to pick up (for some reason my mind doesn't want to move at the same speed as my feet and vice versa), but it is fun. Like I said, it is hard (at least for me), but it's a super good work-out, too! If I were to judge by how nasty and disgusting I feel after doing the Audition # about 4 times in a row, it's DEFINITELY a hell of a work-out!
Gotta say that taps are the coolest sounds, too, when everyone's in time with everyone else. There's a couple parts in the number where the choreographer does a step and then we all follow along; there are also a couple parts where the choreographer does a step, line 1 follows suit, then line 2, then line 3 so we're all in time. Too cool. Just wish I could sit back and watch the number one of these nights instead of actually dancing in it!

Lines are starting to get there, too, for the leads. Most people are still going out of the book, but we haven't really been on stage all that much for rehearsals. I think--at this point--it's more of a comfort thing. (And there are those who really don't know their lines, but that's besides the point.)

Costumes aren't too easy to find--but I'm usually pretty off with stuff like that, anyway. The period is 1930's and I haven't a CLUE what the "fashions" of the 1930's were, so I did some research online today. I at least have a better idea of what I need to look for, so I may be hitting Goodwill tonight and sometime this weekend to see what I can scrounge up. A trip to Vintage Haberdashery may be in order as well...

Tonys

Congrats to Norbert Leo Butz, a "boy from south St. Louis, Missouri!" and graduate of Bishop DuBourg highschool, who won the Tony award for best leading actor in a musical (for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels)! This is even more impressive, considering he was up against such greats as Hank Azaria, Tim Curry, and John Lithgow.

Although I didn't (and don't) know Norbert personally, I went to highschool with his nephews, Adam & Kevin (Adam was in my class); plus, Norb was a Guild kid...hey, so am I! The orchestra cut off his speech--which I really wish they wouldn't have done!--but in the beginning he quipped, "Who would have thought that a boy from south St. Louis, Missouri would be standing up here..." That was the coolest thing ever. I'm incredibly proud and thrilled, as I'm sure are his parents, wife, brothers, daughters, friends, the Leibrechts, etc...

Congrats again, Norb!

learning...

"42nd Street" is definitely going to be a learning experience for me. That's not to say that every show I've done hasn't been a learning experience; they all have been, in one way or another. But this one is slightly different...

I've been dancing in community theatre shows since October of 2000, when I did "Brigadoon"; I've also done shows in which I'm in nearly every dance--some of them pretty tough for me...a gal who hasn't had a formal dance lesson in probably about 15 years or more. So "I'm-not-a-dancer-but-I-play-one-on-stage-Stacey" doing a super quick, tough (in my opinion, anyway) tap dance number? Well, that's where the learning experience comes in to play. I've been told that I'm a good dancer, and to an extent, I think I'm decent at it. But I never realized or fathomed how difficult tap dancing would be for me. And I have no idea why. But for some reason, my feet just seem to get tangled up bc they go whichever way they want and do whatever they want to do, while my mind is powerless to stop them. I get so terribly frustrated with myself, and I'm so hard on myself; it's ridiculous. My three favorite phrases while I'm dancing are usually: "Piss!", "Sh*t!", and the ever-popular "F*ck!" So if that explains anything, you can probably imagine--at least a little bit--what a difficult time I'm having. Hopefully, though, with LOTS of PRACTICE, I'll be able to pick it up...or at least be able to fake it really well...

Anyways. Rehearsal last night was alright, but kinda long and grueling. Dancers met up there 1/2 hour early, at 6:30 p.m., to go over the aforementioned tap dance and two other dances. Then the entire cast blocked the remainder of Act I--which is incredibly long--and the entirety of Act II.

Celebratory libations were once again provided after rehearsal--for the second time this year already; thank you, Charlie & Bob--along with pizza...delivered right to the parking lot of DuBourg where we were standing around drinking. (Thank you, Adrienne and Teri.) A friend and I were remarking that we really need to stop drinking...but don't see it happening anytime soon. Knowing how I felt Wednesday when I got up for work (after doing shots the night before) and this morning when I got up for work (after downing Bud Lights, Budweiser, and Miller Lights wayyy too quickly), it SHOULD make it a bit easier to slow up...But again, I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Am getting a bit more excited about the show, though, so that makes me happy. Not as excited as I could be, but I think once I know the dances and they're stored in my memory, I'll be able to relax a bit more and not stress over it so much. Then I can really kick back and 110% enjoy everything!