6 months and a day later



This weekend I will finish the run of my first Equity show (as an actress- I've been backstage on these things). It feels great. I will definitely miss the green room, the dressing room antics between the two amazing black equity actresses in the show and myself. Even though I have been paid for performances before, this is the first time it feels like being a real professional. Today, I mailed my application for an acting fellowship at one of the most prestigious theatres in the world. (I won't tell you which one just in case it is an embarrassing mess) On Monday, I will begin a new show, and for the for first time, I have gone from one show to the next twice in a row without a break. As I was writing the previous sentence, I got a call from another Equity theatre I had called to set up an audition. I will teach a puppetry workshop in July, and likely begin coaching the Columbia Ravens again in the fall. I think I am going to sig up for another Shakespeare Theatre course this summer. Over the month of June alone, I will do at least 6 auditions, for almost 100 companies(two are cattle calls) and a graduate program. Yes, a graduate program! I am finally back on that wavelength. In about ten days I will be visiting Arizona State University's MFA program, showing a few monologues while I am there, getting a tour and maybe seeing a show. Why ASU you ask? Well that's probably one of the biggest surprises yet.

My mother's company is closing down at the end of month as the business owner decides to pursue a new career- one of the problems in working for a small business owner. My mother is looking for a new job, and bam, she gets recruited by a wonderful company who loves her and clearly wants her and is expected to make an offer sometime soon--- in Arizona! Yipes. I am visiting with my mother for a few days as she does her final interview, real estate consultation, and some mo stuff. We will be staying at a resort (Hello!) right near her potentially new office. Do we really want to move to AZ? The answer is probably hell no. Will we? Quite possibly. It definitely won't be fun packing up all our goodies. My shoes and my mother's elephant collection alone will be a task all in itself. All this is happening as I get more responsibility at work and on the bar staff. However, D&B is opening a new store in Tempe in September, which may be a perfect fit and easy transfer.

The point of all this is, most recently I have realized that I was in a major slump, like a serious year-long hangover from partying from the ages 21-22! Before the last two shows, before I began taking classes again, I really hadn't done a damn thing for my career. I am thankful for so many things that helped this transition: finding Aaron, taking a class last September instead of getting a DVD camcorder for my birthday, doing the community theatre Midsummer out of a cafeteria, making new friends and sorting through old ones, etc. Today, as I walked to the mailbox to mail my application, I thought, "Damn. I am really on the grind." Thank the lord! I am ready to get my lazy butt back in gear (and in shape) and move on! Whether it be in AZ, or here in MD/DC, or NYC or Chicago (all of which still might happen this year), I realize that nothing will happen if I continue to sit still. You all better hold me to this! I would have made all this a New Year's Resolution but I was still hung-over from my 23rd birthday.

This reminds me of a conversation I had with my friend the other day when we were drunk ( I know I know this already sounds bad... ), and he told me that he was where he exactly was supposed to be, career wise, and that he was supposed to be serving others. I adamantly screamed (drunkenly), "No! What about you! When are you gonna serve yourself!" Ok, now maybe my friend was right, it's not my career after all, but I think why little drunken Erica was taking so much issue with this is because I knew that's exactly what I had been doing. Telling myself I was happy doing what I was doing now--because if I couldn't do what I *really* wanted to do, this was the best thing I could. But then I realized, I could do what I really wanted to do, so why the hell am I working at the bar all this time!?

Anyway, these are my midyear resolutions, six months and a day late. And I promise to fulfill them for at least half a year. Or at least half-assed for a whole year.