My New York Debut

Well, it probably sounds more spectacular than it was, but you gotta start somewhere. Yesterday all day, GK kept saying "Tonight is your New York Debut. Aren't you excited?" I was feeling excited, but also a little nervous. I felt pretty solid about my part, but not totally sure how the thing would pull together or how an audience would like it. It is Greek drama after all.

The production is Oedipus at Colonus which is the play that comes between the tragedy of Oedipus the King (where he kills his dad, marries his mom and guages his eyes out) and the tragedy of Antigone (where his daughter Antigone meets an equally dismal end). We're doing a new translation that has never been staged before.

When I first got cast in November, I was a little disappointed. The Artistic Director of the company had said that I was being highly considered for the roles of Antigone and Ismene (Oeddie's daughters). But when he extended the role, I was cast in the chorus. I was a little bumbed but thought, "Oh well, you gotta start somewhere right?"

The chorus, it turns out, consists of me and two other women. At the first read through of the play we read all the lines marked "chorus" in unison, but as we delved into the rehearsal process, we scored them so that some we divided between us and some we said together. On top of our language, being three beings moving together, most of our movement is choreographed quite specifically. It's really cool. After a short time of rehearsing (we only practiced for a month), I quickly decided that I had exactly the part I would want.

GK came and saw the show last night, and although I'll let him tell his full opinion, he told me that he really enjoyed it. And though some might accuse him of having a slight bias, he said he liked the chorus parts best too.

Tonight is our second performance, and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed. The guy who plays Theseus showed up sick to rehearsal earlier this week and I've been throwing up with a headache and a fever all day. Not cool. Oh well, the show must go on!