Ashlandia…

So here we are! Ashland, OR. After a wonderful 3 day drive/vacation, stopping in San Luis Obispo, Monterrey and San Francisco we pulled up to our little 2nd floor apartment in a little blue house. Every once is a while I realize, “Whoa..I am living in Oregon” Usually it’s while I am on a bike ride, or when we decide to drive around in the mountains, or when I am walking to work at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It’s now been 2 months that we have been adjusting to the small town life (We love it!) and I have been in rehearsals for one of the two shows I will be in: The Heart Of Robin Hood and this week I start rehearsals for the second show: The Tenth Muse. What’s charming to me, besides the wonderful family of the OSF company, is the flora and fauna of this region of the country. The spring rain, the blooming flowers, the trees and snow capped mountains are breathtaking. Not to mention the tons of birds that sing with out reserve all hours of the day, and my all time favorite, the neighborhood cats that come when you call them and give them selves up to random stranger belly rubbing. However, I would have to say the overall, best, can’t believe it, this is amazing, fact about this new home of ours is how much we DON’T have to drive!

As some of you may know I like to write in Three Sections for my posts: Body (Physical Self), Mind (Intellectual Self) & Soul (Sacred Self) & I will throw in some quotes at the beginning and questions at the end of each section to encourage personal reflection, conversation and musings… Thank you for Reading 🙂

BODY

“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the heck she is.”
― Ellen DeGeneres

Ashland Alley Art discovered on a walk while picking wild poppies…

I remember that what I enjoyed most about working in San Francisco was all the of walking I got to do, to and from rehearsal, around town and along the water. I am not a runner, my knees can’t take it, but I do like to walk. I find that my mind is able to take in all the senses as well as have time just to wander. I recently came upon a walking labyrinth adjacent to the Episcopal church in their Trinity Garden. I realized that there are two types of walking, one is to get to a certain destination and the other is to move in space and eventually arrive somewhere, but without an expectation of “getting somewhere.” I am able to walk every day here in Ashland, unless I take my bike, and every time I am able to notice details that I wouldn’t be able to see driving in a car. Sometimes Matt and I will walk around the surrounding blocks and just take in the different styles of houses and lawns, I always get caught up in the endless variety of plants and flowers. Along with walking I have been working with a personal trainer once a week. We are focusing on Cardio, upper arms, core and legs, so pretty much everything! I am feeling stronger which is so very necessary for my role in “The Heart of Robin Hood.” I play Fang the Wolf, among 5 other characters, and am using my body in a way that I normally don’t. Lot’s of twisting and squatting, hard on the knees and quads. The theatre we are working in is also very large and to get from one place to another requires a lot of ramps and stairs. The entire cast is going to be in incredible shape at the end of the season!

* Where is your favorite place to walk?

* Are there a lot of places to walk where you live?

* When was the last time you went on a walk for enjoyment?

MIND

“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”
― Groucho Marx

(From Google Images)

I am almost always in the middle of one book or another, many times I am in the midst of two. A very dear friend is my own personal library, she is an avid reader and anytime she lends me a book I love it! She recently lent me “Through A Glass Darkly” by Karleen Koen. I read it in one month, and it’s quite a large book. I loved the historical setting and enjoyed the authors way of getting into the hearts and minds of the many characters. Before I left LA to come to Ashland she lent me the sequel “Now Face to Face”. I have yet to finish it, I would say I am about two thirds to the end. I love it, but with my schedule I haven’t found as much time to read, usually it is just before bed. I am thinking of taking the book to the park today to get a good deal of reading done since I have picked up a new book! I recently finished “The Hummingbird’s Daughter” by Luis Alberto Urrea and found the sequel to this in the Ashland Book store. Like the other book I am reading, this sequel follows the main character in her journey to a new land. I have only read a few chapter’s of “Queen of America” , but I am already reminded of the journey I took with the first book. So here I am, dealing with two sequels that follow the main characters, both women, who started as young naive girls and are now on a journey through past pain, heartbreak and future adventure and I can’t wait to get back to them. At the same time I have been keeping up with my television shows. What I consider my romance novels, the easy to watch shows have all come to an end this season: Grey’s Antatomy, Scandal and Smash. A new find is the series Call The Midwife on Netflix, only the first season is available, click on the link to go to PBS for he second season. It’s a look into the East End of London in the 50’s and an order of Nuns and Nurses who served as the midwives to the women in that area and is narrated by Vanessa Redgrave. We have now joined the Game of Thrones frenzy and can’t wait to get to another episode!

* What book are you reading now?

* What television are you watching?

* Do you prefer reading or watching?

SOUL

“We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.”

― Dorothy Day, The Long Loneliness: The Autobiography of the Legendary Catholic Social Activist

OSF Company Photo 2012 Season

Here at OSF I have a built in community. As most theatre artists experience, there is a temporary family built for every show, and in this case it is extra special because of the length of time we have together. I already I have enjoyed Ladies Night at the Jackson Wellsprings soaking in the sulfur water, potlucks at 125 Wimer, darts at The Black Sheep, Salsa dancing at Tabu, and of course drinks at Martino’s. There is a wonderful diversity of the crowds I find myself in, not just in cultures and ethnicities, but in artistry; there are actors, designers, directors, teachers, and more that make up these wonderful gatherings. I find myself spending a lot of time with folks who are here because of the FAIR program at OSF. Tonight I get to see the work from the 4  F.A.I.R. Assistant Directors and Matt will be in one of the readings! The support that OSF gives to Theatre Artists is so impressive and I am happy to be surrounded by such committed and talented creators. What is also heartwarming is the chance to run into people when walking to and from rehearsal, or when I am just out and about I can almost always see someone I know and share a smile. We recently took the company photo for 2013 and I was amazed at the amount of people I don’t know. There are so many people keeping this ship afloat…

* When did you first become part of a community?

* What kind of artist are you?

* Have you ever moved to another city for work?

Mile-High, New Plays & Soul Sisters

* This was an unpublished draft from February 13th, 2013!

 I had the immense blessing of mixing business with pleasure this month when a theatre gig took me to Denver Colorado. I have a lot of family and friends there and was able to connect to them all, even if it was just for a moment. My best friend from High School took me out for Margaritas on my first night in Denver! One of my cousins came over to my hotel room with a bottle of bubbly and we sat on my bed and talked into the night, another cousin took me out for great New Mexican style food with her three little angels. My Tia took me to a great Italian restaurant that gave us an extra meal to take home. I spent Superbowl Sunday with more cousins, big and little, and my Tia and Tio, which was super great because it was one of my primo’s birthdays who I never get to see. My mom drove up and stayed with me and we of course found the best happy hour! Most of them were able to get to see the play reading! The schedule was grueling, but I was thankful for the short but sweet time I had catching up with those who are so dear to me…

BODY

Because of the high altitude, you get drunk really fast. So everyone’s drunk all the time. 
~Clea Duvall 

This past two weeks I had the pleasure of being a participant in the Denver Theatre Center’s New Play Summit Festival. I have tons of family in the mile high city as well as one of my dearest friends from High School, so I have been to Denver a lot and I grew up in New Mexico so I am not new to high altitudes. This time however I was affected with acute altitude sickness! Ugh! Luckily it wasn’t severe, but it was a very weird sensation. Many of us in the group that were from out of town felt really tired, short of breath, had headaches and couldn’t sleep at night. We were working long hours so of course we were tired, but there was this added layer of feeling really sluggish and for me a little dizzy. I did my best to drink plenty of water and rest during our 10 minute breaks. I did a little reading and learned that a great thing to do 5 days before traveling to a high altitude is to start taking Ginko Biloba. Another helpful cure/prevention is taking Advil/Ibuprofen for altitude sickness. I had such an amazing time at the Denver Theatre Center and am crossing my fingers that I will get to work there again & next time I will be prepared!

* Do you have any remedies for altitude sickness?

* What is the highest place you have been?

* Have you ever been to Denver?

MIND

“A play should give you something to think about. When I see a play and understand it the first time, then I know it can’t be much good.”
T. S. Eliot

The cast and crew of “Just Like Us” by Karen Zacarias

Being a part of the Denver Theatre Center’s New Play Summit Festival was like being at a weekend summer camp for theatre lovers! Sure we worked hard, but I think we played even harder! I was in awe of the facility, the rehearsal rooms, the stages, the staff and everyone involved. Listening to the playwrights share 2 minutes of their works in progress at The Playwright’s Slam felt like being able to get a glimpse into their minds where they hear so many voices… The final party on Saturday night was off the hook, playwrights, actors and everyone danced until 2 in the morning! It was such a room full of energy. One of the play readings really touched me and I hope to one day see a full production of it. The Vast In Between by Laura Eason was so simple and heartbreaking. The story of a woman in search of herself being pulled by forces outside of herself was so easy to get hooked into, but then didn’t leave you with a pretty package tied up with a bow, I walked out of there really wondering what happened next, and I loved it! Click HERE to watch a YouTube video about the play! The second piece that blew my mind was The Black Odyssey by Marcus Gardley, an adaptation of The Odyssey. I can’t even describe how amazing it was, the journey was so deep and I would need to see it again!  HERE is a video about this piece! Both pieces made me wonder about the human experience and the journey to find oneself. Click HERE to see a video about the play I was involved in “Just Like Us” by Karen Zacarias.

* What is the last play you saw?

* What types of plays do you like the most? (Comedy, Drama, Musicals, etc.)

* If you could write a play, what would it be about?

SOUL

Make new friends,
but keep the old.
One is silver,
the other is gold.

~ Scout Song

Hiking at Roxborough Park with Adriana, Ruth and Yunuen on a day off in Colorado.

I remember learning this song when I was a Brownie, I never made it to be a Girl Scout, but this part of the song always stuck with me. As a theatre artist I am constantly meeting new people and some become really good friends, even if it is just for the temporary time of the play we are working on, there are moments of true sharing, friendship, confiding and playing. Being in the cast of “Just Like Us” brought me together with an amazing group of artists from all over the country.  I especially enjoyed my time with the girls who, along with me, were the four main girls in the play. Yunuen Osegura Pardo, Ruth Livier and Adriana Gaviria were my Soul Sisters for the two weeks we spent in Denver for the Play Festival. On our Monday off we decided to go on an adventure! I borrowed my cousin’s car and we headed to Roxborough State Park. We had a picnic, saw a huge herd of deer, took tons of photos and just enjoyed each other’s company. From now on no matter where we are working, we can always reach out to each other and share a reminder of an inside joke, wish each other luck on a new project and just say hey. We will always have a connection from the time we spent in a room creating a new play, the time we spent eating and drinking at a new downtown Denver hotspot and the time we spent taking a moment to enjoy nature and the beauty that surrounds us!

* What adventures have you taken with “new” friends?

* When is the last time you went for a walk in nature?

* Who do you remember being your first friend?