Thursday, October 21

All My Sons!

Guess what I've been doing?!


Not Sleeping!!



Yaaaaaaaay Theater!


I have four pieces of really cool news.


1) I've discovered that I really, really like tuna salad sandwiches. With lettuce. I saw a girlfriend of mine eating one a week or two ago and it looked so delicious, even though for my entire life I just knew I hated tuna fish. I had to try one.


So I did. And I loved it. And today I felt the need to check online to see if I'm at risk of mercury poisoning because I eat it for every meal. It's totally a random little slice of my life, but I really want you all to know how Stamper, our cafeteria, has totally changed my life.


Also this is what we had for dessert today:



Caramel Apple Milktinis. We call them milktinis because they're like milkshakes, but way fancier.


Cause look: they're in fancy cups!


The amount of delicious in those things is incomprehensible. Inexplicable. In-my-tummy-able.


Ohhh Stamper. I love thee so.



2) I went online the other day to apply to be an ordained priest (just cause I can), and I ended up signing up to be a soldier's pen pal instead. I'm totally excited! I don't have any family or friends that are overseas right now (although one of my good friends is going soon) and I'm nervous and excited to see what kinds of conversations arise. I got my soldier's info today- his name is Todd. It might be totally fun, it might be really sad and scary. Either way it's something new. Wish me luck.


3) I somehow acquired the role of assistant stage manager for the Warehouse Theater's production of Collected Stories! I admit I'm a bit intimidated, even though I know the job isn't the most difficult one in the world. I've just never done it before, but I've always wanted to. These days I've been asking myself a lot of questions about what I want to do, and where in the theater world I think I belong. It's so surprising that I find myself gravitating to the technical side of things, the building, directing, arranging side, when I've always thought I was just an actress. I'm interested to see where this experience leads me!


4) And four! Tomorrow (Friday) is opening night for All My Sons and it's gonna be GREEEAAAAATTTT!!!!!


I'm saying that from a technical view, anyway. I've helped build the set, and though I've heard from more than five sources that the show itself is top notch, I can personally vouch that it's gonna look awesome.


Wanna little sneak peak? I snuck my camera in to shop today just for you guys!




This, for those of you who are unfortunate not to know her, is the lovely and talented Heather Hillhouse, the technical director here at Stephens. I'm currently trying to convince her to fill out the proper paperwork to become a Captain of a ship, so when I get married she can perform the ceremony, and then she can drive us away into the Caribbean on her gigantic wooden, piratical boat.




And with that lovely image I leave you.


Au Revoir, my loves. Au Revoir!


love, rudi

Sunday, October 17

Fall Break

I'm so ashamed to never have enough photos for you all! My camera is such a breakable thing that I'm always nervous it's going to fall crashing to the ground, so I hardly ever take it with me on adventures.


This is something I'm going to seriously begin improving on, because for one, fall is gorgeous, and two, I've been so artistically stumped these days that I need to start taking photos again, not just to document what's going on for the blog, but for me.


But let me switch gears and clue you all in on what's been going on this past week. So much seems to have happened! I might just list everything off, and you can elaborate on the details in your head. Use your imagination!


On Monday we had Open Mic night, which I completely love attending. There's a lot of singing and guitars, but the usual jive was mixed up a bit by a really great rap song about cannibalism, and also a particularly blush worthy storytelling session by my pals Olivia and Kathleen.





Also last week was mid terms, and somehow I managed, despite having a huge list of stuff to do glaring at me for two weeks straight, getting everything done with relatively low stress- and also somehow getting them done well. I think I might be a miracle worker.


I spent Thursday night watching as my friend Alex create a dance to this song. It was breathtaking, I can't even tell you. I really wish I could have seen it performed at Citizen Jane.


And then he taught me a dance to this song, and I was literally breathless. Ohhh Asthma is so much fun!



This weekend has been particularly painful. Despite it being fall break, I spent most of Friday in the shop working on the set for All My Sons (which you ALL need to go see when it opens this week!) and then Saturday we had auditions for Meet me in St. Louis! It was obnoxiously hard for me to capture the dance- especially since I've never danced before. I guess that's why I'm not here for musicial theater! Needless to say I didn't get a callback, so I was free today (Sunday) to lazily clean my room, listen to Pandora for six hours straight, and put this huge post online!



Which, totally thanks for reading this whole thing. It really was particularly gigantic.


Have a beautiful week.


love, rudi

Tuesday, October 12

This is a short little post,


because I only want to share a little snippet of my life with you all.


Right now, at 8:30 in the morning, I'm leisurely typing away at my clean little laptop, putting some last minute touches on an essay, sitting in the window of a warm little coffee shop. My hair looks good today, my clothes are fitting right, and I smile as I realize that I am not about to be late for something, the last little drops of my splendidly perfect vanilla latte drain into my mouth.


This is what I wanted college to be like. And here I am!



love, rudi

Sunday, October 10

I miss home a little bit today.


You know why?


Because of this little guy.



Oh what I wouldn't give to cuddle a kitty.



I'm finding out that college life is kind of like reality TV. When things are good, life is gorgeous and the world is full of endless happiness, and when things are bad, all I want to do is frown and sleep. I know this is probably making me come across as completely crazy, but I'm trying to figure out the cause of this phenomenon. It's really gross, how unstable I seem these days, like an event has to make me happy, and that my mood during the day can be completely switched over one or two things.


However, I've been told by several people that this is pretty normal, especially when beginning college, and that it sort of happens for no reason. It makes pretty good sense- because no matter how mature you are in high school, things are bound to get a little weird when you have to adjust to not living at home anymore. It's even crazier when everyone's going through their own versions of re-adjustment. I think everyone's praying for equilibrium these days.


In better news, I fixed my flat tire, and discovered a really good coffeehouse that happens to also serve Greek food. Those happen to be two of my favorite things.



Talk at ya'll later,


love, rudi



Wednesday, October 6

Sometimes the days go by so slow, but this week has zipped by in a timely and very pleasurable manner- I'm so ready for the weekend to be here again! But more than the weekend, I'm craving a nap.


Ohhhh buddy, am I so craving a nap.


But let me tell you about my way fun Monday! (I know, it's strange but those two words 'fun' and 'Monday can coexist!)


Unfortunately I don't have any photos, but I went to a Trampled by Turtles concert Monday night and had the time of my life! It's been a long, long time since I've heard bluegrass music so well played, and I'm not even sure if I've ever seen or heard such an amazing fiddle player. Even if you're not into bluegrass music (which is way different from country, by the way) it's impossible to deny that these guys have mad skills. I danced my feet to death, and I spent the entire two hours smiling ear to ear.


Isn't middle-of-the-week fun often so much more satisfying than weekend fun?


Yes, it totally is, which is why you should go see Five Women Wearing the Same Dress at the Warehouse Theater this week- it's really funny!


Or go this weekend, either way. I was just trying to make a smooth transition.


And speaking of theater!


(another good if not forced transition, no?)


Look at what I did to myself during shop yesterday.



Sanding is oh-so-much fun. I was completely covered with dust from sanding some columns. At least everyone else got to laugh. I just contracted a bad case of white lung.


But despite making a huge mess out of myself, I love shop so much. The set we're making for All My Sons should turn out pretty awesome, and I had a really great time tonight laughing and joking around with everyone. We had night shop, so we were working until ten or so, but the never ending rounds of giggles made staying up late and working hard completely worth it.


And did I mention shop is a really great workout? I think I might actually acquire that famous 'bikini body' I keep hearing about by the time spring rolls around.


That's assuming, of course, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners aren't as delicious as they usually are. We'll talk about that later...



love, rudi



Sunday, October 3


Barbecue! Pork Sandwiches! Hot Sauce! Jamaican music! Mandolins and Guitars! Cute boys in cute sweaters!


I was super impressed with my experience at the Roots 'N Blues festival this weekend, and all I did was get a pulled pork sandwich and walk around for an hour or so.


I chose to be sold a delicious sandwich from Lonnie's Ribs.



And as you can see, it was delicious.



Plus it was a gorgeous day!! Cold enough for a scarf, warm enough for shorts and tights.


Ahh Autumn!



And a big thanks to my friend Mariah. She took a million great photos of me and I only got one of her.


And just to chime in a little 'deep' content, I've noticed something surprising about myself. Back at home in Kentucky, I often felt completely alienated and different from everyone around me. I knew that I simply didn't belong in that particular culture with the particular people there.


But now that I'm away from the South I find myself identifying with it more- I get excited when I hear bluegrass music and sometimes my southern accent peeks through in conversation (my friends tell me it's "enduring"). It's interesting to discover all these little things about myself- it happens more and more every day.


And last night we struck the set (for you non-theater people that means tearing everything apart really fast) and it was exhilarating. Can I just reiterate how much I love doing technical theater so far? I'll probably have a whole other post about that later.


But Roots 'N Blues was yesterday! And the Warehouse Theater picnic/field day was today! So let's talk about that!



I would probably say the coolest part (despite the hotdogs and hamburgers and frisbee and laying in the sun and having super-fun-hangout-times-with-Stephens-girls) about it was the Giant Ultimate Hopscotch Obstacle Course we made. Here's the spinny star:



Followed by a hula hoop island, in turn followed by a rescue airplane that requires you to tap dance...



which is in turn followed by a LAVA LAKE and a battle with a dragon (it was Trogdor, for those of you in the know)



and my friend Allison Frisch brought her baby Taffy. Isn't this a great little family photo?




It was so much fun! And also, it was really great that I somehow found time to do all my homework, take a mini-nap, play look-at-the-internet AND do two loads of laundry.


Well...almost all my homework. Have a good week, guys- I gotta go finish a little something that may or may not be due tomorrow...



love, rudi

Friday, October 1

Sketchy business show!

Hey everyone!


So something exciting happened on Wednesday night at 11 PM to midnight in the Arena classroom...


do you know what it was?



Sketchy Business is what!


We'd been preparing the show all month (it was youtube themed) and we were very pleased with the way things turned out.


I have a few photos thanks to a friend in the audience, and while they may not be the most flattering for all (sorry guys!) you can definitely tell that it was a funny show.



This skit was a spin off of chris crocker's video




And remember when Christian Bale went haywire?




And this skit was just funny- a mimed music video to Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream".



But of course all that really matters is the audience's giggles- and luckily we were able to extract plenty of those.


And The Lovely Lady Lynch came to our show!




I had a great night doing sketchy- and for any of you who are considering being a part of it this month, come to our meeting in the Arena classroom Monday night at 11 PM.



I'm off to stagecraft to build a footstool!!



love, rudi