Rehearsal Nights

Hey guys!
My thoughts on Mom's post- I think one of the best things we can do is actually post on this stinking blog. I'm so. bad. at remembering it.... SO, I thought I'd tell you about my night.



Specifically, I'll tell you about a love story since we're close to Valentine's day.

Mimi lives next door to a group of artsy guys in the crappiest, coldest part of the city. She comes in one day hoping someone can light her candle since it's getting dark and she doesn't have anything. She accidently drops her room key when she meets this handsome, kind, writer named Rodolfo who happens to live right next door to her. He tries to help her. (He's cold too, since he and his roommates just burned the manuscript for his drama to stay warm.)

They realize they're perfect for each other and fall in love. They do fun things like go to town, buy bonnets, sneak out of restaurants after eating so they don't starve on Christmas Eve (they had to pay rent) and help Rodolfo's friend Marcello with his crazy love for the town star, Musetta.

But Mimi gets sick and he becomes a jerkface to hide the fear that he's going to lose her. They reconcile and tell each other how much they love each other as their friends run to sell things for medicine, but Mimi dies before then. And it's devastating. 

That's the condensed version of La Boheme. And Puccini writes some of the most passionate music in the history of the world. I was sitting in rehearsal today with lines of people doing tech notes, chorus members dispersed around the room, and I was horribly sick trying not to cough more horribly than Mimi, sitting on the dirty floor watching these two actors sing about the pain and joy that come with love for each other in various states of rehearsal costume and I was still tearing up. The gut instincts of both hurt and love and excitement and loss that come with this opera are why it's one of the most loved operas ever. It's so beautiful. I get to sit on that dirty floor and see them rehearse this. I have singers coming to my school who would later perform in rehearsal giving me advice about my career and what they've done. And I get to work with a creative genius of a stage director who has given me quite a bit of individual direction. And I'm getting paid a little to do it.

I've had a little bit of a pity party week being sick, tired, and tired of not knowing all the things I feel like I should know at my age. Not knowing what your actually doing with your life will do that... But that one moment (in Act 3 where Mimi realizes that Rodolfo is terrified) that Puccini gave me tonight was the reminder of why I'm trying to pursue one of the hardest careers in the world. To explore, express, and share the human condition is a worthy lifetime goal I think. Opera sunk in its hooks and the more I do, the more I want it. It's about love. And dang it, I love it.

We move into the theater for rehearsal on Sunday!!! YAY!!! I'll post a picture of it maybe. The Tennessee theater is BEAUTIFUL.