Aloha from Honolulu!

Arriving in Hawaii is a big deal. The energy of people excited for their vacations, newlyweds on their honeymoons, and the first timers, like me, who are ready to explore something new is overwhelming. 

I really can’t believe I’m here. There is a six hour time difference from Eastern Standard Time to Hawaii-Aleutian Time. But, there is too much work to be done before sleep can be had! So, of course, I found a Starbucks, where I’m currently updating this blog, and so I could get coffee!

I know there will be more to come!
Meghan

Expect the Unexpected

So, in the last 48 hours, I have left Florida, flown to New York City, seen some of my best friends, celebrated a friend’s birthday, and found out that I am moving to Hawaii for six months.

As unexpectedly as this adventure began, I found out today that I will be joining the cast that I was swinging as Production Cast Principal on the Pride of America.

Life in musical theatre really turns upside down when you least expect it.

So, tonight I am getting my life in New York together because I fly down to Florida to see my family for a few days before heading to Hawaii. Hawaii!

I already can’t wait to share all of my Hawaiian adventures!
Meghan

Surprises Around Every Corner part 2

While receiving that phone call was a fantastic feeling, realizing that I would be living in the same city as my best friend, Kathryn, was so exciting.

As soon as I accepted my contract, I began plotting with her fiance. Fiance! Did I mention she gets married to a wonderful guy in a few short months? (Amazing!)

For so long I didn’t tell anyone about my contract or where I was going so I could surprise Kathryn. It was such a hard secret to keep! I wasn’t even home for Christmas this year, so seeing her was top priority.

Yesterday was the day. Gabe, her fiance, got her up for a nice breakfast out, he pulled into my new subdivision to “turn around” and surprise! Best friends united at last!

After breakfast at First Watch (Floridian French Toast, what’s up?!), we decided to head to Busch Gardens in Tampa to see Gabe perform in his show, Soundsational! 

You know, there are many things about musical theatre that I have always loved, but today I love the surprise factor, never knowing where I’m going, but finding out I am exactly where I should be at the end of the day.

Surprises Around Every Corner part 1

It doesn’t matter how many times you get the call or the email, getting a job always feels like someone planned an extravagant surprise birthday party just for you.

Your phone is ringing, it’s a number you don’t recognize, do I pick up? Is it that weird product survey company again? I have to get on that updated do not call list!

Then you think, Oh My God, what if it’s Broadway? What if Broadway is calling? Not that I have auditioned for a Broadway show recently, or that this is a New York area code, but, what if?

Finally, and probably with a total of two seconds to voicemail, you clear your throat and answer, “Hello?”

Then, they offer you a job. They offer you a job and as they are giving you necessary details like pay and time, all you can think is, “I have to call my parents! I wonder if I know anyone else that got this offer? I have to text my best friend! How much time do I have to pack?”

You end the phone call, do all of the above, and get ready for the next big adventure.

Yes, I’m off again. I am headed to Florida to begin rehearsals as a swing for two Norwegian Cruise Line ships!

All of those 4am mornings paid off, what an amazing feeling.

Meghan

Best Friend Adventures

My best friend Kevin and I love to love this city. On any given weekend, you can find us grabbing coffee, shopping in bookstores, seeing a Broadway show, eating in diners, or walking through Central Park.

We both look up at this skyline and know we are home.

I think one of the greatest things about Manhattan is having Kevin around. We have been apart since graduation (he was on a cruise ship!) and we never really know when one of us will book another job and be off again. Here are some of our favorite adventures from this winter so far!

With Her Nose Stuck In A Book

Fun fact: I have always wanted to own a New York Public Library card. It is synonymous  with being a New York resident and provides hours of subway entertainment.

Today, I went out and got my NYPL card, Starbucks, and a stack of books to go with it! 

Some days, this city just treats you well.

Meghan

Bagels for Breakfast

So, let’s talk a little bit about being a Non-Equity member in Manhattan during audition season.

The absolute hardest part of your job is waking up. It’s the worst! You probably just crawled into bed at midnight (or later!) coming home from work, and here you are again. You alarm is going off and it is only 4am.

I’m not joking. My alarm goes off on audition days at 4am.

Now, you might say, this is the girl I hate. This girl is “that girl” that wakes up to go to an audition at 4am! To that I say, which came first? The chicken or the egg? Someone else is always there before me, so am I truly crazy? Yes, but that is not the point. I didn’t start the Non-Equity madness, so I can only say that I am doing what I can to do my job: audition.

If you haven’t ever done so, you should read Audition Update. It’s the great, albeit insane, account of what auditions are happening where, what time the list is up, how many are on the list, what they need, if the gig is good or not, and everything else you could want to know... Run completely by actors. 

So when my alarm goes off at 4am, I open my iPhone to Safari, check Audition Update, pull on sweatpants, put on a coat, and walk to the train. I wait for the train, get off in midtown, and sign my name on every “Unofficial List” for the auditions I want to attend that day. (An Unofficial List is a list started by actors who want to start an order earlier than the time the audition starts. Most casting directors and theaters will take this list, but they aren’t required to!)

After I sign my name, I hop back on the train to my apartment, sleep for a little longer, and get ready for my auditions. I walk my subway stop, get my conveniently placed Starbucks, and get back on the train headed to midtown.

Usually when you arrive at an audition during audition season, it’s a madhouse. People are warming up, both vocally and physically in the hall. Some are furiously trying to cut and staple headshots and resumes, while some are changing into their audition clothes. (Audition clothes: A brightly colored, probably blue, dress and nude heels of varying heights.)

My favorite part of auditioning is running into my friends that I haven’t seen in a while. So yes, I am “that girl” too. The one who runs and jumps on her gay best friend that she hasn’t seen in a year, or like, since last weekend.

This morning I had the pleasure of auditioning for the Beauty and the Beast National Tour. The tour is Non-Equity, so as long as you get up early enough, you are pretty much guaranteed to be seen. However, this is a popular audition to attend, so when 8am rolled around, there were over 500 girls signed up for this audition. Being the awesome Point Park University graduates that we are, my friends and and I signed up really early, so we were in the first twenty people to be seen.

We got ourselves lined up against the wall and found out we were only allotted 8 bars of music to sing. (In laymen’s terms, about a sentence.) In and out we went! It was fantastic and all five of us were done singing by 10:30am. We collectively decided that it was time to leave and reward ourselves... Bagels for breakfast! (But not before we snapped a picture.)

Left to Right: Audra, Myself, Arielle, Nicole, and Kevin, being Kevin.

What could have been an absolutely insane morning was calm and wonderful because of the people in this picture. I love having a group of friends who all have the same amount of passion, dedication, and work ethic, but are all different types. We can all be so supportive of each other at every audition, and it truly makes all the difference.