Final Count Down

I move to Richmond this coming Friday -- August 14th!

Where did the summer go?!

Show Me Yours

Love you arts job? It doesn't mean you shouldn't be properly paid

Poltergeist 3-D

I had a marvelous day today!

For the most part I've been waking up each day since graduation dreading the inevitable boredom that will soon descend upon me. I've alternated between binge watching Netflix and packing up my room (which we are paying the movers to do anyway so I'm not sure why I bother)

Today, however, I made plans with my best friend, Matt! We decided to go get lunch and see a movie as a sort of last play-date before I move away.

Matt is now also a WAC Drama alum, and he's feeling the boredom as much as I am.

Check in for more on Matt next week for Man Crush Monday. 

We ate a nice long lunch at Jarrettsville Creamery before catching the 2:50PM showing of Poltergeist in 3-D.

Nothing like watching a horror movie before you move. Most horror plots call for a happy American family moving into a creaky old house. Mayhem promptly follows. Poltergeist was no exception. Can't wait to move now! Apparently the new house is haunted, too haha. One of Mom's new parishiners took great delight in sharing that little nugget of info while we were there on Saturday taking measurements. According to her there have been several reports of the pervading scent of coffee with *gasp* no source. There have been worse hauntings, I think haha, I wonder what our spook will make of the Keurig... I'll keep y'all posted.


Anyway... Poltergeist. Don't see it. It wasn't scary. It wasn't even the fun kind of bad. (I get a huge kick out of laughably bad horror/thriller films.) The re-vamped take on the Speilberg classic was unnecessary, added nothing to the story, and cheapened the actual horror components expertly presented in the original to that of an uninspired videogame. Sam Rockwell was great, but overall this movie simply did not need to be re-made. Oh well. No regrets. Still an amazing day :)

Banking

dun dun dun...

Today, I received my new hire packet for my job! We are getting offish up in here!

As I started to go through the bunches of legal documents I found myself asking more questions than I was answering. Of course I knew my surname, birthdate and SSN, but I started to struggle when it came to bank info.

Basically, my current bank has maybe 1 and a half branches and even fewer ATMs in Richmond. I don't want to pay a $3.00+ non-mybankATM fee every time I make a withdrawal so I'm searching for a new bank.

Here is a summary of my comparative research:
Welcome to $$$ Bank, where we charge you $100.00 to open your checking account and continue to charge you every month. *We will waive this monthly fee if you a. have a way more in your account than you will ever be paid b. make regular deposits valued at more than the monthly fee and more than you can expect to be paid c. buy all of our products and services

Layman's terms: 
Basically, I could ask you to watch my purse  that has$50 in it while I run to the ladies room, but I'd have to pay you $60* up front and pay you $1 for every minute I'm gone.

*Amount may vary depending on the designer of the purse. 

Thanks. I think I'll just take my purse with me to the bathroom. So why don't we all just keep our money under our mattress?

 HONESTLY...A lot about banking does not make sense to me. Everything from why we call automated teller machines ATM machines to how the heck an account can accrue negative interest. Money in general intimidates me. Institutionalized maintanence of money moreso. Anyone else remember that scene towards the end of Mary Poppins?

The stuff of nightmares...

The Disney-induced emotional scarring is probably why banking and financing are all very complicated to me. I do not claim to be anything close to an expert. If it were up to me I'd be out feeding the birds, flying kites, and dancing with animated penguins. I like to think I'm fairly smart about spending, but I've been sucker-punched by many a BOGO sale in my day. So new-born financial-guru adulting Rachel did some research today.

Researching something you know nothing about can be daunting. One of the first steps is simply acquainting yourself with the language of the industry. I turned to the almighty Google and asked (actual quote of my search) "How to pick the right bank"

Top Three Helpful Links:

1. How to Choose the Right Bank For You - ABC NEWS
2. 10 Things to Consider When Choosing a Bank - HOW STUFF WORKS
3. How to Pick the Best Bank - FORBES

One of the unanimous tips put forth by each of these sources called for some evaluation of your personal banking needs. What do YOU need from your bank.

My initial answer to thank question was "UGH I JUST NEED SOME PLACE TO PUT MY MUHNAY!" A few hours ago I had next to no idea about what types of services I could demand from my bank search. 

It's kind of like starting a college search. You can't articulate that you want a small liberal arts school, in a rural area, with substance free housing options, a pre-nursing program, one large dining hall versus several smaller ones, and a welcoming Greek community until you've visited a college or two to know that those are things that are offered (or not offered).

Luckily I have the banking equivalent of a college I have visited - my current bank. I asked myself, "Rachel what do you like about your current bank?" which gave me a starting point for criteria I could demand from competing banks.

The biggest breakthrough in my banking search came from a few links suggested in the Forbes article (#3 above). findabetterbank.com is actually a pretty darn nifty tool. Basically you type in your zip code, refine your search, select a few preferences, and then the website filters and compares banks. It provides really in depth summaries of plans offered by tons of different banks, lists the number of branches and ATMs in your specified radius, and links you right to the banks' websites. You can search this tool as many times as you want. Don't stress if you don't feel like you know how to answer the questions. I refined my search by eliminating bank names I simply didn't recognise and then selected preferences arbitrarily. My first search gave me a starting point for some very (very) basic criteria. 

I went from my criteria being:

• SUMPLAYCE 2 POOT MAH MUHNAY

To banks with:

• several branches and ATMs in my area
• several branches nationwide (I'll most likely move again next year and I won't want to change banks again. I'm coming to terms with the nomadic lifestyle of an artist. Something to consider!
• online banking options
• banking apps for my phone
• a low opening deposit amount
• a low monthly maintenance fee
• several reasonable options for waiving maintenance fees

Many of you probably knew your preferences already and many more of you probably don't need to change your bank any time soon, but these were my break-through discoveries today. I hope even some of this helped you. 

At the very least, spend some time clicking around your bank's website. It's tedious boring information, but simply reading it may help you get more out of your bank. Does your bank have an app?

In sum, find what works for you!

Any questions? Ask below!

Any tips? Post below!

Thank you for reading Strange Stage Blahg! There is no reading fee :)

Theatre is where the Heart is

From the Guardian today:

Home is where the heart is: why theatres must be more welcoming

I LOVE this model for theaters. Let's foster creativity AND community. 

Write Write Write!

My personal journal preference - basic composition books.
I like the more professional feel of the composition book.
Find what works for you. Turn it into a scrapbook! 

As I have said, this past semester I created an Independent Study: Professional Theatre Preparation.

Basically I created a class as a safe arena in which to ask all my questions about the professional world of theatre - everything from what to wear to an audition to how does one join the union. It also helped me to create, schedule, pursue, and reflect on goals relating to entering professional theatre. As part of the class, I set out to attend a few auditions and work on a repertoire of monologues.

The professor who was helping me with this independent study suggested I keep an audition journal to track my thoughts pre- and post- audition. AND IT CHANGED MY LIFE #casual. I have a running diary that documents my growth from my first professional audition ever all the way to present day and it's seriously the best. The journaling I did actually served as a founding inspiration for this blahg.

Seriously. Write everything down. Give yourself that outlet. Writing helps to validate and reinforce your thoughts. Morever, emptying your thoughts on to a page helps you to address them and leave them behind while you are auditioning. By all means revisit your thoughts afterwards (one of the perks of writing it down) but first capture them on paper so they won't swirl around your head.

Already in a production? Keep writing! Journal about rehearsals. Each day can be different. Were you in your head? Did you acheive what you meant to in that scene? Why? Why not? Take your pulse each day and write it down. Plus you end up with an amazing souvenir at the end of the show.

Writing is a healthy way to check-in with yourself. Knowing yourself, what you need, what you like, how you work, your weaknesses, strengths, past experiences etc. are all necessary when trying to put yourself on stage/into a character. Everything comes back to YOU - the actor. Get to know yourself.


Write write write!

And keep reading, of course!

Read Read Read THESE:

Remember that time I told you to Read Read Read?

Here's an amazing listed of Top 10 Blogs Actors Should Know:

1. www.broadwaystars.com

If you live in New York, or you're simply interested in the Broadway scene, this is your blog. You can scan the headlines (and a single descriptive sentence) über-fast to discover all manner of breaking theater news and reviews. If brevity is truly the soul of wit, it's witty as hell.

2. 50in50.wordpress.com

Actor Brent Rose took a break from auditioning to accept a full-time job, but he didn't want to take a break from acting. So he created a video blog to keep up his acting chops and came up with a novel idea: 50 unique characters in 50 weeks. While not every video is a gem, there's no question the guy can act, and he's created a great showcase for himself.

3. www.the1secondfilm.com/blogs

Nirvan (yes, that's his full name), director of "The 1 Second Film," offers cool insight into the work of an indie film and video director by detailing his artistic process, making this blog both inspirational and fascinating as a production journal.

4. backstage.com/unscripted

Back Stage offers several useful blogs, such as Unscripted—musings from actors about their acting lives that will give you plenty to identify with. I also like Blog Stage's "buzz on the biz," at www.backstage.com/blogstage.

5. www.riskybusinessblog.com

The Hollywood Reporter offers three excellent blogs that are up-to-date, well-reported, and a welcome alternative to the awful snarkiness of other Hollywood blogs. Between the three, you'll be well-versed on whatever's happening in Tinseltown. The others are at www.thrfeed.com and www.thresq.com.

6. www.dailyactor.com

Created by an L.A.-based performer, this blog is intended to help actors promote and market themselves, though it's often more advice-oriented than anything else, with worthwhile tips coming from well-known actors via quotes and video clips.

7. danielhg.blogspot.com

Here's an actor you've probably never heard of who lives in London and writes about his auditions, acting, and politics. It's candid writing that keeps me coming back again and again no matter what he's talking about.

8. www.donedealpro.com

If you're an actor who's also interested in the craft of screenwriting, or you just long to know what scripts are making the leap from page to screen, this is a fantastic insider's site, even for the $23.95 yearly membership fee. Though it's more interactive than bloggish, there's a great Q&A section called Hollywooped (www
.donedealpro.com/members/hollywhooped.aspx)—which you can access for free without being a member—offering some of the best script advice I've seen anywhere.

9. www.clydefitchreport.com

This blog, named for turn-of-the-century playwright Clyde Fitch, the Neil Simon of his day, is a cleverly penned melding of New York and national theater news and interviews, trends in arts funding and advocacy, politics, and New York arts community gossip. Newsy and fun, it's run by Back Stage theater critic Leonard Jacobs.

10. cliffosmond.blogspot.com

This seasoned actor and teacher offers his insights in a beautifully articled blog with useful acting tips.

READ THEM!