oh that adam levine

hi guys! 

so last week we saw the movie begin again. it was great. really great. the highlight being the beautiful music, just beautiful, "most of it" written by gregg alexander (whatever exactly that means haha). 

the theme song, "lost stars", is fantastic. (and it does not hurt that it's sung by adam levine... that falsetto…) it made me so sad that the movie came out months ago and i had never heard it. sometimes it gets me worked up how hard the music industry is fighting against giving people what they want. this is what we want.

anywhoo… the melody is gorgeous and will be in your head for days after hearing it once. and it inspired me to start a little archive of my favorite melodies. i made clips of my favorite melodies within songs and made a little list. i've only begun to scratch the surface, but i've had so much fun so far:) 

what are some melodies that really speak to you? trust me once you start thinking you'll get yourself in a tizzy trying to think of everything at once as they duel in your mind trying to vie for first place in your heart. just give in now and realize that 1) as you start this list there will be so many that you forget in the moment but later when you remember them they will forgive you:) 2) there is room in your heart for more than one favorite. 3) keep reminding yourself that there is plenty of time left to continue adding installments so it's best to cap it at something for the moment or you'll keep going forever hehe:) i capped it at 6… and then 10… and then 15. (i mean really, who was i kidding?) i tried to up it to 16 but i could not manage to pick just one passenger song. seriously every single melody is prettier than the next. and his voiccceeee… but like i said, i know i haven't even scratched the surface, i mean i haven't even really consulted my 'favorite songs list' yet, but there is no rush. soak up each perfect note<3

eventually i'll start a favorite lyrics list too. (i'm getting excited just thinking about it:D and yes, i also have a running 'favorite lyrics list' that will be consulted even though it's sadly neglected quite often:'()

so in no particular order, here are the first 15 of many many many beautiful melodies to come in my "archives"

the truth- kris allen chances are you haven't heard this… you mad now?

vanilla twilight- owl city couldn't decide if i should put the beginning or the end, both parts are magical… so i eenie meenied it

fix you- coldplay no brainer… although i should've put on the live version, i like it so much better

still young- neon trees ah love it

falling slowly- once should've put kris allen's version but still a perfect melody if there ever was one

glowing- the script soooooooo hard to pick one of theirs, they are incredible. incredible expect many more from them on here

this is our story- shrek loved it before we did it and then i got to sing it:) score

unwoken dream- justin nozuka can't find a peaceful, magical, mystical, perfect enough word for this. go listen to the whole song. right now. it will carry you to a whole other world, i promise

the kids- b.o.b. i just love this. i think it's a remake??? i'm just not feelin google right now… and i'm ok with that

why- secondhand serenade *sigh* how many times have i fallen asleep to this little treasure? the world may never know… or care

night changes- one direction shhhhh don't tell jewel:P seriously though this chorus is one of those ones that could play in my head nonstop forever and i'd be happy about it 

story- maroon 5 beautiful beautiful beautiful… no not your face, adam… ok you got me

how bout a dance- bonnie and clyde this can't be on without sining along. it's so wonderful…(for me, not the neighbors)

lighters- bruno mars no words necessary. if we have ever had a conversation i've probably mentioned this song. i would marry it.

lost stars- adam levine yes he's on here twice. and i put this whole thing just as a special treat:)

Just some thursday thoughts

    Hey all you people, how are you on this fine Thursday night? Well that good I'm glad to hear it. Today we had our meeting with the people who are going to donate our big top tent for Seussical. Its going to be the coolest thing ever to be able to put every audience member literally in the show. They will feel every bit in the show as we the actors are. The other thing that was so amazing about this meeting is that. There are still so many great people that are willing to donate to a good cause. Though more scarce then I would like to see but every light in the world gets rid of a little bit of dark. A lot of times we get stuck on just looking at everything that's wrong with one another. But we often forget to focus on the good that people do. And all that does is give us a lot of time to be mad at each other. When we should just learn from mistakes but never dwell on them.
      That reminds me I just started intermurales  for lacrosse. Even though I make a lot of mistakes every day he sticks with it and I get better and better every day. He is not looking for perfection but you know what  he is looking for. A perfect effort and as long as I give That to him he will never get too mad. So with this attitude we as a team grow every day and reach new height. So in closing remember a fire is started by a little spark so you be that spark and set the world ablaze. The more sparks the faster the fire grows and the warmer we all are.

SEUSS!!!

So as you have probably heard we are doing Seussical the Musical this coming April! I am so excited that we are finally producing this show. We fell in love with the music and the message from the first time we heard it. We have gotten the chance to be in this musical twice and both times were such a great experience we couldn't wait for the opportunity to produce it ourselves. The first time we were in Seussical was at Civic Theater in Allentown. Teara, Jewel, Jorne, and I were Whos and Taryn was the Sour Kangaroo. I loved being a Who. They are just such happy characters. Generally in Seussical all of the Whos wear almost all yellow which I think is cool, its fun to try and make things look different enough even though everyone is in the same color. For the production at Civic we actually went out and got our own costumes, I wore this cute yellow dress with a purple polka-dotted belt and a baseball cap, I thought is was pretty fun! Taryn's costume was interesting....haha. She had a blue baggy leopard print overalls with plaid ears and tail. It didn't yell kangaroo but I mean, its Dr. Seuss, it didn't need to:) The whole cast of that show was phenomenal, I was jealous of the audience haha!


The second production we were in was at Chansonette Theater in Easton. That was also wonderful to be a part of. Teara and I were Bird Girls, Jewel and Jorne were Wickershams, and Taryn was the Sour Kangaroo again! Being a Bird Girl was a lot of fun and very challenging. There are 3 Bird Girls, they are kind of like narrators and since the whole show is in song they sing alot...the whole time in 3 part harmony. Jewel and Jorne loved being Wickershams. They pretty much just got to fool around the whole time with some singing and dancing thrown in.

We have also seen the show a couple different places and each time I just wish I was on that stage!

Every production we have seen or been a part of was so different from each because there are no strict creative rules to follow for this type of show. Since it is a fantasy and it is Dr. Seuss you can have so much fun with the creative process. The only thing we have to make sure of is that we get the message across clearly and easily because that is the most important part of this show. "A persons a person no matter how small" is the message and the reoccurring theme of Seussical. It is so great because it encompasses all human life, in or out of the womb, from the moment of conception till God feels it's our time. It's a message that everyone needs to listen to, think about, and take to heart every day of our lives.


I am just so excited to do this show I hope you all join us!!!

SNOW DAY…. OR NOT??!! WHAT DID YOU DO TODAY??

So what did you do on your snow day??? I know many of you probably still had to go into work and such but for those of you that didn't and had a little time to catch up on extra work or take a little breather… what did you do? I wanna know! COMMENT BELOW!!! :D

Today I had a pretty relaxing day. Unfortunately, just like when I was younger, snow days don't really exist. Haha Since we were home schooled we always had to do school when it snowed and now that we have our own business the work never ends.. there is ALWAYS something that can be done. It may not always be what I planned on doing but I can always fill the space. I love and hate that about owning my own business! Haha I have a love/hate relationship with my job.. but I love that! Hahahaha

Last night we watched the movie "Begin Again." It was a really good movie! Adam Levine is a surprisingly good actor and of course I love Keira Knightly. The songs in the movie were beautiful. Keira Knightly isn't really much of a singer but it worked with the type of music. I recommend the movie to you all out there! WARNING: There is strong language. 

We are about to announce our upcoming theater courses! We can't wait to start them, they are going to be a blast! So keep up with our website… which just got a little facelift by the way… and follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Gilberts-Sing-for-America/108875865839714 and Twitter https://twitter.com/Singforamerica5 and Instagram (SingforAmerica) to get all the updates! :)

www.SingforAmerica.com

Happy Birthday Jenna!!!

Here's what I made for one of my best friends for her birthday! Enjoy!

The March For LIfe A Fight Against Death!

     As a lot of you already know yesterday was our one year bloggaversary and to tell you the truth I have not blogged 52 times since we started. I think I stopped in the twenties somewhere oooppppppss. But this year I am making a promise that I will write at least forty blogs in the year. I think that a pretty good jump from last year what do you think? So now on to my real topic for the day.                                                                            
Today is the 42nd anniversary of the March For Life in Washington D.C. On one hand it is fantastic that millions of people gather together in the bitter cold to stand up for those who don't have a voice of there own. But on the other hand I cant stand the fact the such an atrocious act such as abortion has first been legalized and then has lasted over forty years. You know if you were to take the number deaths from war and compare it to the number of deaths recorded by abortion these are the numbers you would get(obviously these numbers change daily but I'm close).                                                 
In our American wars we have lost around 4 million soldiers to death but from abortion we have lost                                                                                                                         
                           55,772,015                                   
This is an unbelievable number, I cant even fathom it. The worst part is that these babies don't have a chance. They cant say "let me live" or "this isn't right" or even "you are killing the innocent." They cant say a word and their lives are stripped from them in the blink of an eye.  Most people go to prison for killing someone but abortion is fine, you can kill a helpless infant all you want, how it that right? These babies breathe and think and there hearts are beating. So how is this not murder? I don't want to be remembered in history as the time when you could kill your child and many people saw it as acceptable. Is that the legacy that you want to leave? If you are not helping to stop the problem you are fueling the fire, now this doesn't mean you have to go to drastic measures and run around screaming at people about how wrong they are. All you need to do is in conversation stand up for your beliefs, don't be scared that your friends will think you're weird or write you off because if that should happen then they are not your real friend to start with. In all my years I haven't lost any friends over this issue and I have a feeling you wont either . But you can change a life, with just a word here and there you can change some ones whole outlook. Just talk With your friends because a lot of times all people need is a little reassurance. For with every word you can change a heart. If hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world can get together to meet and march for this cause then why cant we just in our normal lives speak up for what we believe? There is no excuse, nothing is holding you back except for yourself. We have already lost over 250 babies to abortion today alone. So lets stop this horrible act and be the voice. Pray for the people that cant do it alone. Start the snowball down the mountain and watch it role.










 

into the white… i mean uh… woods

Alrighty here we go:)… And just a precaution, please don't get frustrated if you have to go back and reread a run-on sentence three times… and don't be a grammar snob. In order to write this with the heart with which it was intended, I really had to write it as if I was speaking… from the heart. So uhhh #sorrynotsorry. C'mon you know I love you all but every once in a while I can't adapt to the world; every once in a while the world has to adapt to me. I hope that this doesn't discourage you from reading on and that we can still be friends. 

OK so a little while back now we saw Into the Woods. Overall I very much enjoyed it, I thought it was well done visually and conceptually, and coming from someone who has always strongly disliked Into the Woods I guess you could say I had gone in with many… uh… skepticisms. (a.k.a. part of me didn't want to waste ten dollars but most of me just couldn't wait to hate it even more hehehe. Oh don't act like you've never thought it.) Well boy was I pleasantly surprised. I think that's exactly why I really liked it though: it felt NOTHING like the stage show generally does. The look was rich and enticing and the sound was crisp and sweet and perfectly blended. That being said, I was highly disappointed in the casting, and not (as a whole) because of their talent or ability to play the roles. 

Close to that same time another movie found its way to theaters. It is a remake of an old favorite, this time with a twist. Have you guessed it by now? That's right. Annie. So when I saw the first preview last Fall I was highly disappointed even just for the sole fact of the immense synthesization. So OK, now we're faced with a situation: two movie musicals out at the same time. One of which being a "black" version of a "white" musical. And no, of course not a remake of a classic musical with a black child playing the lead because of her talent, but instead a whole new hip hop "black" version with a child picked for her notoriety for playing black child roles. (Not to say she wasn't good in the movie but really). And the other being not only a musical, but a very VERY fantasy musical, (in other words one that could have easily been cast all across the rainbow), that just so happens to be cast with about three to five colorful people... as extras... shown for like .3 seconds or so. Starting to see the small problem here? 

Now chances are neither of these films' executive producers, producers, casting directors, directors, assistant directors, etc. etc. were thinking along these lines at all. Maybe their focus on so many other aspects of their projects blinded them to the fact that hey umm one of you is basically telling people that "If anyone who's not white would like to play a typically white role the whole show needs to be "blackified" first sooo good luck," and the other is saying either "Yup you're 100% correct!" or "There just aren't any black or any other color actors talented enough or with enough star power or right enough for any of these parts." Not fantastic options if you ask me. Honestly I don't think it's on purpose, I really and truly don't, because if it had ever crossed their minds to cast Dule` Hill as the Baker no one would have opposed. No one. But that's just the problem. You have your few people who know EXACTLY what they're doing, and the rest are…ummm... well I was trying to be nice but I can't think of any good excuses, the rest are just stupid. And as a result America as a whole is inadvertently negatively pointing out all of our differences… and I think we all know when that mysteriously started 7 years ago. 

When I was a kid our generation was on such a good track to becoming a society of people who would truly see people for their content of character. I loved Wally from Leave it to Beaver and Romeo from The Romeo Show and Dylan and Cole Sprouse from Zack and Cody and Benny from The Sandlot and Jet Jackson from Jet Jackson and never once thought about their different colors... only about how gorgeous they all were... and believe me I haven't changed a bit;) but race has been shoved in our faces so much lately that it's become the only thing people see. Especially young people. And although it is true that our differences make us beautiful and wonderful and special, there is a time and a place to point them out and being as overall they are being pretty much everything BUT celebrated, that time and place is most certainly not here and now. I know people think making jokes about race is just light hearted, usually no one truly gets hurt by them, but we need to realize that every time someone reposts the "white girl winter starter kit" with yoga pants, Uggs,  a North Face, and a Starbucks, even though it is seemingly harmless and funny, we are simply dividing ourselves. Don't get me wrong if you hang out with my family and close friends you will quickly find out that race is the topic of many a joke, but like I said there is a time and a place, and that time and place is not on national television shows like Blackish where we are saying "This is how white upper middle class people live and act, not black people. Black people are supposed to live in the ghetto and speak Ebonics so obviously these people are not black but rather black-ish." I've never even seen this show but its actual content is of no consequence because by the commercials and even just by the title a clear message is being sent, and whether you are interested in seeing the show or not doesn't matter because you've already been affected, most likely subconsciously, by the advertisements you no doubt have seen. Or Fresh Off the Boat... no explanation necessary. Or even Dance Moms where Abby Lee continually gives any ethnic or animalistic- Yes I said animalistic- role to her only not white kid on the elite team. 

You may think I'm overreacting to all this but I've seen what it's doing first hand. You know you're moving backwards when you're in a room full of little girls currently in a very healthy an diverse environment and some of them actually say "I wish I was white," or they cry because their hair is not straight, possibly prompted by the ones with straight hair who say things like "Will your hair ever look normal?", or "Your hair is crazy", (and no I'm not exaggerating, this is all word for word). Even girls telling me on two different occasions that I should straighten my hair because it would look prettier than my curls, and I should not wear my hair in the temporary dreads I had in (which were awesome btw) because dreads are ugly. No one has ever said anything like that to me ESPECIALLY WHEN I WAS 6! The only comparable thing was when I was 12 a girl told me I had a big nose, and it did make me self conscious, but not for the reason you probably think. It made me self conscious because just the year before I had gotten ten stitches right down the middle of it and the scar was still fresh-ish so I was afraid I wasn't going to get cast anymore. The fact that I have a "black nose" or a "flat nose" never crossed my mind. I have a feeling that situation probably wouldn't be the same had I grown up like the kids today. These girls are between the ages of 4 and 10. They can't be blamed for this. What they see everywhere they turn, what is being force fed to them from every direction is to blame. 

And then to top of all off when anyone does get a chance to celebrate other colors they spit on it. I don't care what their ridiculous excuses are about political correctness, changing Tiger Lily's identity in Peter Pan Live from the Indian Chief's daughter to a nondescript "islander" is wrong. It is wrong and it is faaaarr more offensive than "using words that didn't really mean anything." Or in the new Pan movie, in which they cast a whiter than white looking actress to play Tiger Lily. Nothing wrong or offensive or politically incorrect there, right? But gee since we're all so open minded can someone please give me an example of the opposite? Anyone? Or in the new adaptation of Aladdin on Broadway where they completely strip the songs of any true essence of the culture. They couldn't even give it the bit of mystery and beauty that the movie cartoon gives us. Maybe I'm confused but I thought all of that was supposed to be amplified on stage... you know... being live and all. And to think, that pathetic display coming from our wonderful colorblind Great White Way… Is there such thing as too much irony? 

So what do you think, are all these little things still so harmless? 

Look here's the bottom line: This path we are on is dangerous and unhealthy and we ALL need to have a hand in turning it back around. We are beautiful. Every one of us is created in His image and we are beautiful. And we are human. WE ARE ALL HUMAN. That's what we should be pointing out. That's what we should be celebrating.

Have a colorful day:)

So today is the one year anniversary of our blog! It has been a great year to have a blog because we've been able to make a lot of announcements, talk about some things that are important to us, and also share some things that are just for fun!:)

We went skiing today for the first time this season. Skiing is always a good time but it was super cold out today and then it started snowing which is just adding insult to injury:/ The snow on the mountain was nice; it was icy in some spots but I don't really mind ice as long as there is not too much of it. One year we got our passes in January but didn't get to use them until March and it was really warm that year so we were skiing in like 60° weather, the snow was pretty crappy but I will take that over 15° any day haha!

We saw Selma the other day. I was a little skeptical about seeing it because I never know if those kinds of movies are going to be good or if they are going to have some kind of underlying hidden agenda that is going to be irritating me the whole time. But Selma was actually really good! The man that was cast as Martin Luther King Jr was incredible; there was even this one part toward the end where they played a recording of part of an actual MLK speech and then at some point switched to the actor speaking and I totally missed when the switch happened. He was so believable. 
There was one thing that I thought they missed the mark on though. There was some real footage in the movie of the march from Selma and the biggest difference between the real people and the movie was the overall showing of happiness. There was barely a smile in the movie whereas the people of the time we're just so happy about what they were doing and why and they believed in themselves and they knew that God was with them which helped lighten the load a bit. I think also because they had come so far already and so they had alot of hope in what was to come. Now I'm not saying that the movie lacked hope, just that there was a difference in the way it was portrayed.
 Overall it was really well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it but it really made me think of the times now and what is going on in the world today. We've come a loooong way since then but we still have a ways to go before people honestly and truly don't see color. 

I hope you all had a great day... Until next time, bye:)

Frustration

    

This blog is the pure frustration of having a plan and not being able to carry it out......-_-. I'm not talking about a large failure of life but the more menial objectives that ruin our day when ineffectively accomplished. The smh moments that have the capability of impacting our life as they pile up if we let them.
     I had a plan for this blog for a few weeks. Today I performed for my FYS (freshman year seminar) "Finding Your Muse". We were to prepare a 4 minute piece, I did, with a twist. I picked 3 performances that shaped me as an entertainer put their highlights into a medley and boom. "Viva La Vida" on cello, 'Falcon In The Dive' from the "Scarlet Pimpernel", and 'Slide Some Oil' from "The Wiz". It went only ok but boy was it a blast. I wanted to upload the video but technology is hating me so that's not happening today.
      I got pretty mad after an hour of trying and then that opening paragraph just came to me and I was like "cheer up stupid , think about what is upsetting you and what others are are going through." Then I forced a smile and so far......it is working. my mood is back and now Jorne and I are gonna watch some DBZ and SLEEP.

Working With Family!

      As many of you out there know, we have some new and exciting things up ahead for this next year. We are so excited about the things we've accomplished thus far but are even more excited about the things we have yet to achieve. Today I want to talk a little bit about what it's like to work with your family. Many will tell you that it can't be done, that you should avoid going into business with your significant other or family member or close friend. I am here to tell you that it can for sure be done successfully and we are living proof! There are pros and cons to any business relationship but I want to share how we make it work and why I would say that I absolutely love working with my family and couldn't imagine my life any other way.
      Every family is different. Every family dynamic is different. Every family has different challenges they face with each other everyday and we are no exception. I would say that our family definitely has a unique dynamic that is often entertaining or fascinating to onlookers and people we work with. Sometimes when we are working and other people are around we'll find them just observing us and how we interact with each other as opposed to being engaged in what is going on. We often get questions like… "Do you guys really get along as well as you look like you do?" or "Do you guys always agree on everything?" This are pretty easy questions to answer….

      First of all, we do get along really well! If you don't know us, we grew up together and were all home schooled with our mom as our teacher. We spend ALOT of time together, as much now as we did then! My mom always laughs at us because she says when we are all sitting around chatting it's like we haven't seen each other in 5 years. That is truly how much we enjoy each other's company. I won't say that we don't argue because that would be a lie, but we really do get along. Most of our arguments don't last long and none of us are grudge holders. It takes a lot more energy to be mad at someone then not to be so for us it's just easier to yell, get it off our chest and move on. It's crazy to think that we never fight because that is inevitable.. it's how you handle things after the argument that makes the difference between people who can and can't be successful business partners.
     
That is just the tip of the iceberg on this topic so tune in next week for the next chapter :)

-Taryn

Legacy-2015

             

Sing For America Productions will hit 2015 like a rhino and I urge you to too! We had set the stage in 2014, our year of foundation, now it is time to reach SFAP's 100% operation goals. Let me lay these out.
 
     1. The most aggressive choice of the company's young existence, TO PERFROM A FULL SEASON OF FOUR MUSICALS THIS YEAR! I can announce the next three:
                                                                                                Seussical April 16-19
                                                                                                Hairspray July 9 -19
                                                                                                The Addams Family October 30-Nov.1
   

      2. To offer three separate classes for our students to choose from:
                                                       Auditioning with The It Factor (serious performers)
                                                       Double-slap Reinventing Ourselves Each Performance           (actors serious or beginner, fun oriented still extremely beneficial for advanced levels)
                                                       Intro for The Young Performer(4-9 yrs old)

     
      3. Expand The SFAP base of exposure into more communities and groups with a complete finished brand to present. From our website, to mission statement, to design of promotional materials the audience will KNOW who we are.

      4. ONE BIG BIG BIG goal that I can't wait to announce once solidified. THIS....this can            completey change theatre in the Lehigh Valley and beyond. Hopefully I can share within the month.
  
      5. To record Our original Musical THE END!
     
      6. Perform 85 concerts this year with 5 new show sets/ acts composed of much original music, arrangements, and entertainment in ways you AIN'T NEVER seen before.
   

    These are the over-reaching objectives which are defined in a clear concise way, along with our plan of action to achieve each mission. I am overwhelmingly excited to bite into this year as I pray you are. Between college, Football, and SFA I must stay focused, but that is true for all of us.
      "If you had one shot one opportunity to achieve all you ever wanted would you go for it" This is YOUR shot, YOUR opportunity......GO GET IT.
    
      

3 Tips To A Great Audition!

      Well, the beginning of our first show of our first first season is almost upon us. Although there is a lot of preliminary business that happens that no one on the outside gets to see, I still consider the beginning of every show to be the first day of auditions. As most of you know we are doing Seussical the Musical this April 16th - 19th. I am SUPER EXCITED!!!! This is one of my favorite shows and I just can't wait to put our version of it on stage! In this blog post I wanted to give you a little advice if you plan on auditioning for Seussical. This is also for those out there who may be auditioning for anything in the future or thinking about auditioning for anything whether it be a commercial, movie, musical, play, voiceover, doing an interview, etc. Here are a few tips you should always remember:

1. ENTER THE ROOM WITH CONFIDENCE (Even if you are extremely nervous)

The best way to exude confidence even if you don't have it naturally is to stand up straight, shoulders back and keep your chin up looking the director or interviewer straight in the eye. Once you enter the room you should immediately greet the person or persons in the room and shake their hand(s) introducing yourself. As someone who had been in the director's seat I always appreciate when the auditionee commands the room, so to speak.

2. BE PREPARED

It is very important to have everything you need for your audition or interview ready before you go. For some auditions you may need to prepare a monologue, have a headshot and resume, bring your own sheet music, prepare a song and a dance, etc. When you show up to an audition unprepared it shows the director that you didn't care enough to prepare a proper audition so you may not take a role seriously. A director not only takes into consideration talent but also if they feel the person will be easy to work with and follow direction.

3.  DRESS TO IMPRESS

First impressions are everything and when thinking about what you should wear to an interview or audition always take into consideration that you want to make a positive impact on the auditioned or interviewer. The idea is to look "put together." You want your clothes to match, you want to look like you put thought into your outfit. Even if you must be prepared to dance, you don't want to show up in stretchy pants a baggy t-shirt. You wouldn't think that clothes would make such a difference but they really do. Often times the way you present yourself can be the reason you did or didn't get the role or the job.


So those are just a few tips. There are many more tips I could give about auditions but let's take it a few steps at a time. Think about these things and remember them for your next audition or interview! It will make a difference, I promise!

Until next week..
Taryn

what did i even write??

It feels like we just spoke...

And yet time tells a different story. Sooo here we are on the second frozen Friday of 2015, and I hope your year is going even better than you had planned! 

Last week I had a blog topic all planned out and then I got a little too tired to write it so here goes...

JK I'm not going to write about that. Not because I don't want to, believe me I do... which is exactly why I can't do it right now. It is an important topic and once again I let the time slip away from me and now I simply don't have the gusto left in me. But on the bright side it was time pretty well spent catching some inspiration. With this full season of shows coming up I just can't stop the creativity beat, so naturally I've navigated here to blogger after about twelve other tabs I had up filled with costume ideas, beading tutorials, cool old movie scenes, pinterest, etc. all in the ever growing effort to wow our audiences again and again with our costuming ideas. 

I'm grateful for this time now, because when we get down to the nitty gritty there isn't a spare moment to spend "catching inspiration." Because of this little bit of extra time, earlier tonight we were able to go to this prayer meeting thing we had never been to before, and along with the inspiration;p, caught some Spirit, caught some friendships, caught some love, and caught some smiles. And now I'm catching some butterflies and a tear as I listen to The Wanted...*sigh* they'll come back together someday, I know they will. Oh and in case you were wondering, yes, my 2013 calendar is still hanging on my wall on April or October, both gorgeous pictures of Nathan. Anyway where were we? Oh yes, so if we don't devote the time now, even though it sometimes feels like we're wasting time, we'll be left forced to live by the light of a sad flashlight because it's too late to go looking for the moon now, and the map to get out of the tunnel was never finished being created. So don't be afraid to get lost in your computer screen once in a while, that way you'll be able to make your way to the moon.

night:) 

Teara

P.S. I owe you that blog next week...

P.P.S. I apologize if none of that made any sense. You see last night Taryn and I were up into all hours of the night altering a dress for a friend so I'm just really tired.

The will to do it

Hey all you people, I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years holidays but now its back to business. My day today will consist of a whole bunch of company related tasks. Which to some would be a drag, but not to this guy. I have a goal and anything I need to do to reach that goal is fun, because I know that every hour I work I get a few steps closer to the final prize. So today I will be doing things like designing our classes for the upcoming season, set designs for our spring show ect. Today we also have a concert performance which is always the icing on the cake of my day. You know a lot of times its not easy to just keep pushing through, to never stop, to have a want for something that you almost cant have. Then you stop and think and realize its these moments that make you strong that give you the iron will to win the day. Its one thing just to be given greatness but its a whole different story when you earn greatness. Personally I never want it to be given to me I want to earn it because when I get it the feelings I will have will send me into a tizzy of joy. Knowing that all I did ,all the time I put in was worth it, hard work is worth the prize in the end. Some say when you have big dreams your living in a fantasy, I say no matter how big your dream if you want it bad enough you will get it. I truly believe that anything you dream of you can make a reality. Well that's all for swag bag Thursday because my fingers are getting to numb to type in this minus 4 temperature. Dream Big, Stay Warm and Never Quit.

Sweet Dreams

            Raphael says goodnight:)          

Wait, It's Not 2014?

 2014 is History! Hard to believe but it's gone. Last year was filled with so many new people, places, and objectives it's almost tough to take it all in and  know where to begin the new year. I'de like to take the time to look back over what made 2014 special for me in Sing For America.
 
January: Babes in Toyland had just ended and we started to see the big picture for SFAP. The friendships made in that show were strong, most of the cast was keeping in touch and seeing each other regularly. That made the show so special. We planned multiple reunions.
    Our very first workshop was going underway and the group was learning and growing a lot. We were also learning what techniques were going to work for us and which ones weren't.

February: It was time to think about the Summer show, we had decided on Tarzan and I was so excited. At this time Jorne and I were getting into the more intense Scarlet Pimpernel rehearsals. Boy, I wrote a book on this blog about that experience! We were skiing and scheming as we had decided to write and original musical ,  which turned into 'The End'.

March: Scarlet Pimpernel came and went and it really had a lasting effect on my life and the course of SFA. through it we gained the Adebayo family as members of the SFAP family. I remember after the cast party driving to Desales for Mass and as always on college campuses the info was wrong(Irrelevant, just felt like adding it). As soon as pimpernel ended focus shifted squarely on the class, Tarzan , and College applications ahhhhh.


April: Easter and the time leading up to it, Lent, are a key part of our year. A time of devotion and cleansing, refocusing on the most important part of our lives. This was the last month before Tarzan rehearsals started and also the first time we watched the show as we drove all the way out to Wyalusing High School to see it. Promoting Auditions was an important part of the month along with planning and brainstorming. The venue search was turning lemons but we remained positive.

May: Auditions!!!! I remember walking out of the room yelling "This is going to be the funnest show EVER". We had an all-star cast and I couldn't wait to employ all of the new ideas we had for rehearsals.
Lax got really serious and left an indelible mark on me which will affect the rest of my life. We made it to the League championship game and the District. We lost both but it was incredible to have just picked up a lax stick and be playing at that level and being counted on. Jorne and I shared the game ball for the game we beat our rivals in, that got us in the championship which we blew a 6-1 lead and had our last chance taken away by a technicality. It meant so much to me to be on that team and where the E for Easton as my father did before me. It softened the blow of never getting to where that P  ( Pius the 10 Royals-football) again, if only a little.
The cast was fresh and worked hard for bootcamp, the energy was spot on we were so excited. My first show as director was shaping up to be a thrill.

June: We were stuck using Northeast Middle School for our venue but it was a beautiful brand new auditorium. Along with this we finalized other parts of the tech and it was time to advertise. We were pushing the 48 person cast to talk the show up and sell tickets to people who may not normally come. I was wearing the director/set builder/marketer/producer/PR/actor hat. It's a nice hat.
     The cast started to lose some gusto. I searched for a solution to fire them up again. We went to the drive -in and other fun things though the cast was really bonded.

July: Tarzan, I learned more than I could of imagined, was let down by many people and impressed by more.
Vacation in Georgia was sweet, a time to recharge but I immediately looked for ways to advance the company. We talked business often on the trip. We loved it though

August: It turned out the best option for me was to suspend enrollment until spring for football. This redefined this time to be focused on growing SFA. We planned our next class, 17 people signed up. We had high hopes billing this class as personal training working on improving the overall performer.
     Time to plan for the Christmas show.

September: My first fall without school. I started working out at Corexcell,and set goals for football after talking to the head coach, Coach Donelly.
The class was going well, we were pushing them and getting a feel for their limits.

October: The show was decided! A Little Princess, we thought it would be easy but it turned out to be a HUGE undertaking, rivaling the difficulty of a Summer show. Auditions took place and we got a very talented Sara along with all the other little girls. Such a strong group of talented people. 
     The show was to be performed at Scottish Rite Cathedral, a true theatre. The administration was the most initially positive response we have had for leasing. This was an energizing beginning.

November: Turned 20! It's Crunch time! The class was coming to a close and although they had a hard time during the 12 weeks they really improved drastically!
   The rehearsals were a new experience since most of the cast was under 4 ft. They were......fun. The little girls were having a great time. Each show is a new game and what is fun is figuring out how to beat it!
    Set design was hard to visualize but I had a big idea.
 
December: A Little Princess was fantastic. The move-in was great. Our lighting designer was awesome, a 77 year old named Ed. We learned soooooo much. Hanging a false proscenium, building interior design, etc., so many new experiences.

   The negative was a low turnout for our best Christmas show yet. After so much advertising we found out after talking to enough people that our crowd and the public was uncomfortable with Allentown's distance AND the area it is in has a bad rap. It was sad because everything else was such a wild success, back to the drawing-board.
    Christmas and New Years were a wonderful time. Looking back at the year it is always quite nostalgic at this time. This was a powerful year and set us up to become a force in 2015!



The 2015 preview I coming next week!

TAKE THIS SURVEY!!!! EXCITING THINGS COMING!!!!

Visit:

Www.SingforAmerica.Com

Email responses to:

SFAProductions@SingForAmerica.Com

new years resolutions... yes or no?

So... let's just pretend I never even left;)






Tonight, in light of this wonderful new year, I want to bring up something some people love to discuss and make, and others hate to even hear the word when they accidentally think it inside their own heads: resolutions. Now I've never been one to make a New Year's resolution, (save for the annual "I WILL do a back handspring with no fear" one... which I WILL do this year for sure), but I have a little proposal for you. The idea of a new resolution for a new year and a new you is not a bad one altogether, but it does have its quirks. You see from where I'm standing a year is a loooonnnggggg time. In other words a whole year to reach a goal makes for a whole lot of time to think about said goal, which could lead to much wasted time, very much procrastination, over excessive worrying once time starts running out, mild anxiety attacks once you realize you cannot get that time back, disgust for those who look happy cuz you bet they reached their NYR goals and that's why they're happy, disgust in yourself for allowing yourself to be angry with others' success, anger when you wake up somewhere around November and grasp the fact that you let everything else slip because of this one stupid goal that's not even all that important anyway and that you haven't even been working all that hard to meet, and ultimately disappointment when the next year rolls around and you feel so terrible about yourself you decide not to make a resolution at all ever again and become one of those bitter angry nay-saying party poopers who no one really wants around but is always around anyway. I guess deep down it's always the fear of failing that stops us from trying in the first place. The problem is that much closer to the surface are many many many excuses which are our own defense mechanisms to block us from knowing ourselves. But the danger in never learning is so much greater.









So here's my proposal: this year let's make our yearly resolution to make a daily resolution. And let's make that daily resolution to be a better human being than we were yesterday. It sounds simple and hippie, fru fru, mumbo jumbo, whatever adjective you want to fill in there is fine with me, but think about it. Here in the year 2015 it is harder than ever to be a human being. Between the technology and desensitization we are slowly but surely becoming more like animals, or better yet robots. It's an exciting year for SFA for so many reasons that I cannot wait to share with all of you as the days and months go by. And I'm sure all of you have thrilling new adventures on the horizon as well. We will grow and learn and teach and prosper and stumble and fight and smile and yell and with this amount of determination there's no doubt we will come out as more successful people, but if we can't look at our reflection and truly believe that we came out as better people, than what was the point of it all?


So every morning of 2015 I will look this bright beautiful year in the face and resolve...


To always look at the glass half full... not most of the time, always
To prioritize
To never let the ideas of political correctness corrupt my mind and heart
To learn something new
To be a better friend
To be more reliable
To love more, harder, better
To not place so much importance on materials, looks, social status, superficiality, etc.
To try to make new friends every single day
To not take anything anyone has to say for granted
To see past what is "right" to what matters
To not let the mention of Taylor Swift ruin my afternoon
To give less credence to social media
To not let anyone determine what I do or do not think
To not gossip
To refuse to become desensitized in every sense: happiness, sadness, fear, lust, anger, etc.
To appreciate everything... everything
To not let anyone control my emotions
To put my phone down... (if I ever find it)
To be more understanding
To blog every Friday
To never let society define my standards
To get more instagram followers... Jk, not really
To not worry
To make more time for people
To not let the world get me down
To give more freely
To sing more
To laugh so much more
To live out loud


Make your own list if you'd like, I know I'll be adding to mine every day, but I think all around this is a pretty decent start. So everyone...


HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


It's gonna be a great one.