Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival ... a BFD

I didn't realize this until yesterday, but apparently, this "Winter Festival" that Dani had to be back at school 2 weeks early for is a Big Friggin' Deal!

I googled it this morning. The Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival takes place in 8 regions around our great country during January and February. Dani's school, Indiana University of Pennsylvania was chosen for one of the regions. The point of the festival is to share ideas, hold seminars and workshops for schools to improve their theater programs. They also showcase performances from regional colleges. In October, Dani was in a production of a student written play called The Embalmer. This one act play was chosen to be performed along with plays from other colleges in the Mid-Atlantic region.  

Her play will only have one performance, on Friday, January 15.  I'd love to be in the audience to see this play again.  I'd also like to be there to hear what people think about it, since I've seen it before and know what to expect.  It's very well-written and  directed.  And it's very disturbing!  When we saw it, back in October, it was one of four plays being performed each night.  The Embalmer was the last one, and it was definitely the one everyone was talking about as they left the theater!  

So, if you think of it on Friday, send good vibes to Indiana, PA and wish Dani and her cast mates good luck!

Break a leg, Bratface!!!

Brag Time!

Boy, am I chatty tonight! But I had to share! My daughter, Gina works for a radio station in Wilmington, DE (well 2 actually, 1 AM and 1 FM station). She writes, produces and often does the voiceovers for local commercials that run on those 2 stations. She also recently got her own radio show! It's a 30 minute interview show that runs at 6:30AM on the FM station and 7 PM on the AM station on Sundays. She records them during the week. I listen to them on the computer via the archives on their website. Today she told me she'll be interviewing Thomas Kinkade (the American artist. http://www.thomaskinkade.com) tomorrow for the Sunday show!!! How cool is that! Apparently he's doing a show in Wilmington and donating the proceeds to charity. She's gotten to meet some cool famous people through her job and she handles it much better than I ever did! LOL

Road Trip.. with a teenager.. a GIRL teenager!

After work on Wednesday, my nearly 18 year old daughter, Dani and I will be heading to western PA. Last summer, Dani and her Dad did the trip to check out colleges. She's been accepted at the 2 universities she applied to. This trip is for her to audition for their Theatre Programs. She wants to major in Musical Theatre. This kid doesn't seem nervous at all! She's very different from her older sister who also majored in theatre. I knew everything that Gina needed and/or wanted for her auditions. I knew the songs, I knew the monologues, I knew what dance clothes she needed to bring. Gina's theatre teacher at the high school wrote letters of recommendation, helped her choose the perfect monologue that would showcase her talents, gave her lots of input about the colleges she was choosing and things of that nature.

Dani, on the other hand, is VERY independent! Her theatre teacher (the same teacher Gina had) didn't even know she had applied to colleges, never mind had gotten accepted to them! Dani never asked her advice, never asked for letters of recommendation, nada!

So, on Wednesday, we leave for Altoona, PA because the closest Marriott Hotel to Indiana, PA is in Altoona. Dani had a 9 am appointment in Indiana University of PA for her audition, and the hotel is an hour and a half away (hey it's free! the ex is giving me Marriott Reward Points!). These auditions usually take several hours because she needs to sing, dance and act, along with lots of other seniors hoping to go to this school. Actually, IUP is Dani's second choice of schools.

When the auditions are all finished, we leave IUP and head west again for Pittsburgh, PA because Point Park University is in Pittsburgh. Dani's audition at PPU isn't until Saturday, so we have Friday free to explore the city. This is Dani's first choice of schools. I'm not sure of the time for the PPU auditions but I'm guessing 9 am. At least we'll be near the school this time and won't have to get up at 6 am to get on the road! Once auditions are done, we have to head straight back to the Philly area where we live, a fun-filled 6 hour drive! I just hope we don't hit any snow! I HATE driving in snow!

On Sunday afternoon, Dani is going off on a religious retreat called Kairos. Of all 3 of my kids, I think she needs this the most. After an intense 4 days they come home, full of love and God, but in time, it does wear off and the old teen emerges again. I was trying to find some clear info about it because I'm not good at explaining it. My daughter, Gina (My Inner Monoblog) might chime in here since she went to Kairos when she was a senior and it made a big impact on her life. I know it was started by Jesuit priests.

So, in the long run, I'll have TWO Drama Queens with degrees to prove it! Well, they are both very talented young women, if I do say so myself!

UPDATE: My good friend, Kathy recorded 2 songs for Dani to use in her auditions this weekend. And she was kind enough to lend Dani her cassette recorded so she can practice... all the friggin' way to Pittsburgh! So I get to hear Shy from Once Upon A Mattress and Someone Else's Story from Chess. My car has one of those regular outlets, so Dani can sing these 2 songs over and over and over so she has them down pat by the time we reach Indiana, PA and Pittsburgh, PA. I'm SURE I can find a way to repay Kathy for her generosity!