New Smyrna Beach

I ended up with a surprise day off on Friday (I missed the memo that we weren't working on July 5th!) and felt very strongly that Jason and I should take the day and go up to Jacksonville. He had been wanting to look at some dive gear up there, and we thought we would stop somewhere on the Coast for dinner before heading home to Orlando.

Jason decided that he would love to take me to New Smyrna Beach for seafood, where he'd spent so much time as a kid. As we drove along the coast on our way to dinner, Jason was sharing stories with me - from his youth through his college days - of what had happened here or there...

As we passed a certain beach house - Jason says, "Hey, the garage is open. I wonder if Chad is here this weekend?"

Chad is Jason's best friend from college and was the best man in our wedding. He and Jason have had a lot of fun (and trouble) together over the years, and Chad famously broke his collarbone on Jason's Bachelor trip, then spent a few days on our couch, vicodined up with his arm in a sling, snuggling with Indy. You see, Chad is a walking party - always up for a good time. And we haven't seen him since our wedding day - almost three years!

So back to the story. Jason texts Chad and Chad calls him right back. He's in New Smyrna Beach! So we invite him to join us for dinner. Dinner turns to sunset drinks on the patio at his parents beach house which turns to meeting friends of his at a restaurant, and then dancing at a bar with a live band and finally us staying the night at the beach house with nothing but the clothes on our backs. In the morning we bought cheap bathing suits (Jason's has a dragon and roses on it - see the photo below) and we spent the day in the ocean and their infinity pool - enjoying the sun and the company.

It was awesome! We had so much fun, and returned home Saturday night sunburned and wearing our dirty clothes from the day before.

I'm really trying to seize the moment and every opportunity that presents itself - this was the perfect opportunity to do so! I haven't had this much surprise fun since I got stranded at the airport in Salt Lake City and found myself sledding down ski slopes (which I will not name here) in the middle of the night.

Thanks, Chad, for hosting us so unexpectedly! It was GREAT to see you!

Happy 4th!

Just a short and sweet blog post to say I hope you have a happy, safe and - wait for it - legendary 4th of July!

My husband, Jason, has committed to a photo a day on Instagram (@jasonspeerphoto) and he has so inspired me, that I'm stewing on a blog commitment of my own. More on that to come.

Anyhow, thank you for continuing to check in on this little blog of mine, and happy Independence Day!

How to Succeed...!

A few weeks ago, I had the honor and privilege of dancing and singing with a superbly talented cast of performers in the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra's production of How to Succeed...

Of course, the star of the show was the Orchestra itself - rarely do you have an opportunity these days to perform with an Orchestra that full - every part in the original score was filled (exceedingly rare in this day and age, even on Broadway), and then some. We had EXTRA instrumental parts. Just listening to them tune brought tears to my eyes every day.

If you have ever been a performer, you know that there are certain productions and casts that glimmer in your memories. I can think of them right now - The Sound of Music at El Camino, Crazy for You at the Norris, Sunday in the Park with George at Heritage Rep, Hello Dolly! at Sierra Rep, Nunsense at Torrance Theatre Company, and now this one. They glimmer for special reasons - the cast, the experience, the production team, the orchestra.

This one was special for all those reasons.

Such a privilege!

Another Commercial, Another Day!

Had a blast the last few days shooting a commercial for a garden product. So fun! I worked with a great team, and met a new actor friend, Lisa! I also have an awesome bad actor story to share with you soon, but that deserves it's own post. It's a good one - promise!

Here are a few photos from the shoot!

Dance Boot Camp

So - in a few days I start rehearsals as a lead dancer in HOW TO SUCCEED... with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra.  I'm super excited to work with such a talented cast, and an Orchestra that will be out of this world.  These days, you rarely get to work with a FULL Orchestra - one where ALL of the parts from the original score are filled with professional, working musicians.  And the score for HOW TO SUCCEED is so fantastic - I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

But here's the problem - I'm 30 now.  And I am in damn good shape for 30 - I've been working really hard at it for months.  I teach dance, but to preschoolers and elementary aged kids.  I'm not consistently working on my technique, so while I have the mental background and the understanding of technique, I am not 23 anymore, when I could dance anything.  My joints feel 30 - I can't turn more than a double on the left and a triple on the right, my leaps are not nearly as high...  I've often wished that I could take what I know about dance now and my 16 year old body, and put them together - I'd be unstoppable (okay I can feel you rolling your eyes... let's just go with that, okay?)

In preparation for the three weeks of challenging rehearsals I'm about to begin, I've added a dance bootcamp section to my daily workouts.  I time my gym time so that there is an exercise room open and available, take my dance shoes, and go for it.  It's been really fun, actually, and things are coming back quickly considering I'm 30.  I don't usually feel my age, I keep thinking that I'm still 25, but my joints are most definitely older.  It's okay... I'll get there.

And you know what?  It's going to be a blast.

Filming extravaganza!

I have been shooting projects like a madwoman for the last few weeks. A comedy short for StandAlone Pictures, finishing shooting on The Bailey Case: Sanctum, a photo shoot for a company in Tampa and new head shots with Jason! Busy! Here are some photos from the extravaganza!

Acting Class Exercises for Kids - Part 3: Interview!

Here's another exercise that I have always loved to use with all ages in my acting class. It's a great way to start exploring character development, and how to build a fully fleshed out character. Enjoy!

"Interview"-
To work on developing characters, I like to have beginning actors play someone they know. Their best friend, sibling, mom, dad, grandma... just someone they know well. I have them leave the room and enter as the character. They sit in a chair on stage and I interview them - ask them their name, age, what they like to do, how they feel about other family members, favorite colors, pets.... any question that comes into my head once I get them rolling. I don't like to use the same questions for every kid because I want them to think on their toes. They have to stay in character the whole time, even as they exit the room. Great exercise, and again, something great to use when when they are young and still learning to read. Once they have completed this exercise you can use it again down the road when they are working on scenework: only this time they don't know the character personally and really have to think about their answers!