Staged Reading at NYU!

Last week was incredibly busy! On Friday I played a the supporting role of Haruka in Miyoko Conley's play "Seiza no ai" (Constellation of Love) directed by Leah Hamos at NYU's Gallatin School. The rehearsal process was fast and a lot of fun beginning just the week before. It was great to be working on a project with such a willing and open group of people looking to collaborate. The piece was about a manga artist's depiction of a romance within the Takarazuka Theater in Japan (where women play all of the roles) that paralleled a romance in her own life. The play involved many different "worlds" so to speak and the world my character inhabited was only shown in memory and art. I especially enjoyed learning some Japanese for the show, including a popular children's song which I've sung over the phone many times to my parents. It was such an exciting process and the first reading I had the opportunity to collaborate on.

In other news - yes, I did see "Inception." I LOVED it. Although I did have a strange experience with it. I was sitting next to my boyfriend Robert Levin (check out his review on Rotten Tomatoes) and when the lights came up at the end of the film I turned to him and was about to say, "That was amazing," when he interrupted, "Wow, what a let down," or something to that effect. It's just so funny how sometimes I'll be watching a movie, completely immersed in it either in pure joy, thinking to myself, "This is the reason I want to be in movies. This is why I do what I do," and then the person next to me will be feeling a completely different reaction. I guess that's why I love the art that is film, the fact that viewing a human experience on film can provoke such intense debates and conversations among viewers following the film. After the screening I walked about 15 blocks with my BF and we argued and argued about what the film meant, why I liked it, why he disliked it and what exactly was going on. It was one of the best film conversations I've had in a while honestly.

Summer in the City!

Last night I saw Shakespeare in the Park's "Merchant of Venice" with my roommate Keira. I can't believe how lucky we got in getting the tickets. Keira did the online queue and she got them - there was no waking up at 4 AM to sit on a blanket in Central Park and make friends with other weary-eyed Shakespeare/Al Pacino fans. In 2006 I bribed some people on line with a breakfast the following morning if they let me join them at around 7 AM the next day. That was for Meryl Streep.

Ah Meryl...

Well, last night it was Al Pacino's moment to shine. What was most impressive to me was not Mr. Pacino's work, I was expecting the best from him, yet the other actors were completely at the same level as he and some even stole scenes. It was unbelievable. There's something about outdoor theater that makes it so much more "real." I escape into the world even more because the characters don't enter and exit behind a curtain, it appears as if they literally do leave, wandering off into the woods somewhere as the sun sets and the bugs flutter in front of the subtle lighting. At one point a huge white bird flew in the background and drew my attention away for a moment. The whole evening was perfect.

My favorite part was immediately after Pacino's Shylock was baptized. He left the pool sopping wet, dejected, humiliated and exited the stage, his back to me, into such an intense light that his shadow reached grew across the length of the stage, pouring over the edge. It was an inspiring evening and gave me a much needed boost of motivation. I've seen so many great actors on stage: Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Patrick Stewart, Kevin Kline, Christopher Walken. City living can be extremely difficult, especially for a girl who grew up fond of quiet nights with crickets and fireflies, but being in the middle of Central Park, watching one of the best actors of all time perform a work by arguably the greatest playwright of all time made every loud honking horn and hot sleepless night in my teensy tiny East Village apartment completely worthwhile.

Happy 4th everyone!

Happy 4th of July everyone (well, belated 4th). I hope you all had a great holiday eating hot dogs, burgers, grilling and watching some fireworks explode! I had a great day with my family in Connecticut eating (veggie) burgers and celebrating my dad's 86th birthday! The past few weeks have been so busy - I've auditioned for many commercials including for Garnier, a computer commercial, a trailer for a book, and more! I've just started going out for commercials, so hopefully I'll land one soon. I've been in the same casting offices a few times at this point and the faces are starting to look familiar :)

This coming Saturday I'm excited for an audition class with the casting director Mark Bennett who cast "The Hurt Locker" and is currently wrapping casting on Kathryn Bigelow's HBO series "The Miraculous Year," which I'm very excited to see. I can't wait to work with him, especially because he is based out of L.A. and will be the first L.A. casting director I work with. He's great at what he does and I feel like I should already be warming up for his class.

I'll let you all know how it goes! Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend and yay U.S.A.!