Beautiful Santa Barbara!

This past Saturday, Luke and I took a day trip to Santa Barbara!

We went down to see our good friend Val's masters thesis project, a play she wrote called Piezoelectric Love: the (Half) Life of Marie Curie.  The show, as described in Val's own words: "Science. Clowns. Live music. Sex. Beckett-esque dreamscapes. Masks. Glow in the dark paint. Squeaky bicycles. Everything you could ever want in a show."  Loved the whole thing, especially Val's beautiful, poetic telling of a love story between Marie and her husband, Pierre.

Luke and I also spent time in the downtown, on State Street.  I took lots of pictures inside The Paper Source, which was a gorgeous paper and card store, right up my alley.  Can you tell I am a little obsessed?

We also stopped in at my favorite store, Sur la Table.  Luke bought me this hat, which I love:

I also purchased a great cotton Indian tapestry, which I'm going to make into a duvet cover.  I won't show a picture of it yet, because I want it to be a surprise.  But I will say that it has camels and elephants on it. That's right, camels and elephants.

We also ate at a great Creole-ish restaurant/grill called The Palace.  

Highlight of the meal was bread pudding souffle with a whiskey cream sauce.  So. Freaking. Good.  They also had live music outside for our (rather long) wait out front.  The band was called the Stiff Pickle.  Love it.

And let's not forget this AWESOME mural painted on the wall inside:

And lastly, this pic of Luke and I...

Such a wonderful time; good food, friends, weather, and a lovely town.  It was great to get out of town for a bit!

Workin' at the Theatre

I got a  new workstation at the theatre!

Well, I switched desks with my coworker, Jessi.  I love it because it's right by the window, so there's lots of light and air.

I've done the best I can to make it homey, inviting, and like a theatre office.  I think it's turned out very "me." I've angled my computer at the 90 degree angle of my desk in an effort to give my arms proper support while I work, and so that I don't have to directly face the wall.

Love my plants:

My collection of posters from shows I've done (I almost have a grid!):

My bulletin board with drawings that I've done, as well as some of my favorite cards:

And my collection of depression-era national parks postcards (I've been to 16 out of 24 of these parks; thanks mom and dad!):

And (in case I didn't have enough already) some more color...

Anyway, I'm very happy with my new space; it makes me glad to come to work!

Talkin' (literally) 'Bout My Generation

Those of you who know me know that I do theatre.

Me, Red, and Marcus.  Photo by Wade Tillotson.

Those of you who know me well know that I just closed a show, My Generation.

Suzy and the mourners.  Photo by Wade Tillotson.

I was lucky enough to be a part of this original musical formed around the music of the '60s.

Reasons why this show was a blast:

1.  The people.  The cast and crew were made up entirely of awesome people.  Fun people, smart people, dedicated people, talented people, funny people.

The cast of My Generation.  Photo by Kevin Harris.

2.  I got to perform with my brother (who, incidentally is fun, smart, dedicated, talented, and funny).  It is one thing to spend time with one's sibling, but to share the stage and work closely on an art form that we're both passionate about is very special.

My brother, Marcus.  He's super talented.  Photo by Wade Tillotson

3. The music.  Simply put: it's good stuff.  I got to sing "It Ain't Me, Babe," "Feelin' Good," "Respect," and the show also included songs by Simon and Garfunkel, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, David Bowie, Janis Joplin, Elvis, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, Louis Armstrong...

Me about to sing "Respect."  How fierce are my backup girls?  Photo by Wade Tillotson.

4.  The band.  It's not that often that I get to sing with a live band, and it is so fun.

5.  My character.  While not the strongest show I've ever worked on, script-wise and story-wise, I really enjoyed digging into a character with such an arc.  Amy begins as a pregnant 20-something rushed into a marriage and ends as an independent, confident reporter for Rolling Stone.

Giving Travis a well-deserved slap in the face. Photo by Josh Cohen.

6.  The production team.  The whole team was great, and it was a particular pleasure working with the director on this show.  Not only is he all the qualities I listed above, but he really knows what he's doing. He knows what he wants to see happen onstage and knows how to communicate that to the actors.  It's as simple as that, and it makes all the difference.

Bob, Suzy, Marcus, Red, and Me.  Being silly.  Photo by Wade Tillotson.

Now that the show is closed and I've had time to reflect, part of me misses it and my theatre peeps and the other part is so relieved to have my life back.  But that's how the theatre world goes: it's cyclical.  There will be a next show.

The cast performing "Sound of Silence."  Photo by Wade Tillotson.

In the meantime, I'm going to clean my house, cook more, sleep more, work more, play more, and catch up on some reading.  And paint Luke's house.