Preparing for Prague

I'm heading to Europe soon -- Muenster, Hamburg, and Berlin, Germany; possibly Cannes, France; and then onto Prague, Czech Republic.

Muenster will be my home base for the summer -- from there, I plan on venturing out on as many adventures to meet women directors, screenwriters, and producers as feasibly possible. And stay tuned -- I'll most certainly be writing about them all in my Blog.

The first big adventure starts when my mentor and friend, Melissa Costello , a brilliant director who specializes in political campaign commercials.

Melissa and I will be making a pilgrimage to Hamburg to meet former Road Movies Development Director, Ute Schneider .

Ute Schneider and I go back to my internship at Wim Wender's Film Production Company in Berlin, nearly six years ago. She now heads her own company in Hamburg, Schneider & Groos, and I can't wait to see what she's up to.

And then it's on to Berlin -- ahhhhhh, Berlin -- the home of my inner, Bohemian heart, to meet old friends (I lived there for five years, from 1995 to 2000) at the English Theatre of Berlin and Deutsche Welle-tv and make new, specifically with the women of Women in Film & Television , Germany.

Finally, Melissa and I will part ways in Berlin and I'll be taking a jet-plane to the beautiful and mysterious city of Prague.

In Prague, I'll be working on a short film with Czech director, Lucie Groene, as Assistant Director of the English-speaking shoot, as well as taking-on a small, manageable part, as actress. It's been great communicating with Lucie, as I've been able to put my German-speaking-skills back into full action. Lucie feels more comfortable speaking German than English.

I couldn't ask for a more ideal gig -- working with a competent director in one of the most beautiful European cities and being assigned the responsibility of organizing around my own native language, while speaking another and learning a third (Czech) -- I've died and gone to heaven!

Wheewwwwww! That's a lot -- and I promise to keep you up-to-date on everything. For now, however, I better get packing!

The One That Got Away

I've been traveling a lot lately:

I made it to the Reel Women International Film Festival in Los Angeles in early March, where my film A FORK IN THE ROAD, was an official part of the student film program within the festival line-up. That was an amazing experience, meeting and networking with industry professionals committed to bring films made by or about women to the screen.

The L.A. trip was smack-dab-in-the-middle of several "mini" excursions to New York City to take part in the Advanced Scene Study Class at Stella Adler Studios with Stella Technique pro Patrick Quagliano. I recommend returning to a learning and growth environment for every actor, whether just beginning or advanced, as it allows you to push your inner envelope and get more out of your talents and skills with every new scene being studied.

And now, I find my self in Michigan, home of the Purple Rose Theatre -- Jeff Daniel's Equity theater located in the heart of Chelsea, lead by Artistic Director Guy Sanville, with aplomb.

I just auditioned for the "Rose's" 2008/2009 theatrical performance season and do hope to be recognized for callbacks. But I'm also energized by the opportunity to step on stage there, again, and show what I've learned in the last year.

Tomorrow, it's back to Schenectady, New York, home of Proctor's Theatre, where I will most likely check out the New Plays Festival.

That, my Dears, is the one that got a away.

I had auditioned for the New Plays Festival over two months ago and was called back to read for the part of Desdemona in General Desdemona. I received an email that I should be there by 6 p.m. only to get a call at 3:30 p.m. from the producers asking me why I was late. "I was not to go on until 6 p.m.," I panicked. "Don't worry," they said, "we'll wait for you."

And so, I rushed, no make-up on, frazzled, and panting heavily--I so wanted that role! Kevin McGuire, the Festival Director, was more than generous and did his best to calm me down. I auditioned and he praised my work.

But I certainly was not as calm, cool, and collected as I had been the first time around. And I left feeling a bit let down.

Alas, I did not get the role.

And though I can't help wondering what might have happened if the time from the producer on the email would have been correct (3:30 p.m. rather than 6 p.m.), in the end, all you can do is write it down in your journal as an experience and realize that the one that got away is the one that was not meant to be...

I'll keep on moving, keep on learning, keep on auditioning until I get the part that is right for me.