casting call

Ask, and ye shall receive: I just got cast into all three Alameda Civic Light Opera summer musicals!

In July, I'll be playing one of Melvin P. Thorpe's evangelist singers, leading the fight to shut down the Chicken Ranch in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. For the month of August, I'll be gracing the stage as an ensemble member in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella. And come September, I'll be staring in my first feature, albeit tiny, role with ACLO as Hattie, Lilli Vanessi's wardrobe lady in Kiss Me, Kate.

Beginning May 21, I will effectively surrender my summer to the stage. Part of me wonders whether I'll miss my free time. But the other, larger, and more truthful part of me knows that there's no other way I would rather spend my summer evenings than in rehearsal and performing on stage. Granted, this means I cannot take an extended vacation this summer. The once-tentative family trip to Spain and Italy is now non-existent. Or rather, delayed until further notice. I haven't taken a real vacation since the holiday season of 2004, when my family and I first visited Europe with a trip to London and Paris. Since then, it's been short trips to Las Vegas and L.A. Nothing more. I worry that my mental health needs a break from reality. But considering how depressed I've felt during my time off from performing, I honestly believe this is the right thing to do for myself at the moment.

Given that fact, I apologize in advance to all my loved ones for dropping off the face of the earth for the next four months. However, the next two weeks are wide open, and I would love to get together for lunch, dinner, coffee, a movie, or a good conversation. You know how to reach me.

Ah, it's good to be back in action!