Book

Hello everyone: It is here that I shall announce it officially.

I am writing a book! A memoir, to be precise.

Yes, I am going to compose a memoir of my travels on the yellow brick road. I don't have a working title for it yet, but I do have a general outline and very good idea of how I want the book to be. The title must be something snarky and comical, perhaps even a pun (the lowest of all types of humor) but, regardless, I am writing a memoir.

I figured if people buy boring autobiographies all the time (the most narcissistic type of book out there, gotta love 'em) then why shouldn't I write one? I know there's lots of books out there about the journies of working actors, including one by my professor's wife and another by a Producer's tour ensemble member... But anyway, there should be more. I've got two friends in my class who went on actual equity tours, Hair and In The Heights, and I'm thinking of letting them write passages too. Perhaps we can write a collaboration memoir. I'll propose the idea.

At any rate, yep, I'm writing a book.

Granted, I've started books before. There's one quasi-novel idea I've been flirting with for a few years-- a post apocalyptic world in which the female heroine travels to what is now "Old York" to live with her bohemian professor uncle, and they have to travel the world in search of the last remnants of nature and eventually find the "Orca Sanctuary", an underwater garden below the massive steampunk city in which a bunch of flying orca whales live who are actually reincarnated ancient philosophers. ...Yeah, you can see why I've only flirted with it.

A memoir is much easier. And who knows? Maybe trying to get this memoir published will pave the way for me to finish this Orca Sanctuary philosophers-reincarnated-as-orca-whales book. Or something.

Until then, I've got a lot of things I've been doing with my life. I'm trying to move into an apartment with my friend Lauren, so I've been alternately packing my things into boxes and looking up how to feng shui a place. It's gonna be good, y'all.

K

Oh, and

P.S. my hair is brown again. You're welcome, mom.

And thus it ends

Almost as quickly as it began, my friends, my leg of the Wizard of Oz tour comes to a close.

I have so much to write about the entire process. And believe me, it will come.

It began with the audition: just another playbill.com open non-equity call, which my boyfriend encouraged me to go to.

Then callbacks. I got bronchitis, and the boyfriend's mom made me some kind of magical Chinese crack tea which made me sing well.

Then the call that I never expected, which changed my life entirely.

Then waiting for the contract, which almost drove me nuts.

Then rehearsals, which were a challenge, mentally and physically, and an adventure all in themselves.

Then the leaving, which was sad and exciting all at once. Then the great process known as the tour.

I am so, so lucky to have known with all of you wonderful actors and become your friends. I am a better performer and person after this wonderful, insane, sometimes awful, sometimes hilarious, crazy time of my life. Thank you to all of you.

fin.

Swag!

Hello everyone! Today marks our final show in the United States. Tomorrow we head back over in to Canada to finish out this leg of the tour.

But more importantly, our swag orders came in!
I'm feeling a little under the weather, so I'm sitting in my hotel bed at 4 in the afternoon. But nonetheless, I'm wearing this sweet green track jacket everyone got with the WOZ logo.
KEEP ON FIGHTING
wooo

109 down, who knows how many to go

I'm back in the Northeast!

So it's cold again.

A week and a half left!

107 shows down, 10 to go

...I am not entirely sure if that number is perfectly accurate or not, but it seems to be correct from the chatter backstage, so I'll go with that!

Tonight's subject for blogging will be skyping with the boyfriend.

(He is absolutely the cutest.)

Our typical skype video chat conversation, which typically takes place around midnight, usually goes something like this:

Me: Hi baby!! What's up!
Winston: Rmph. Not much. Just eating some noodles.
Me: Oh that's cool! So today we had a show, but most of the day was free, so I slept until noon and then went to the gym for a whole hour! It was so nice!
Winston: *continues munching on noodle soup*
Me: And then we had bus call at five, and that was that time that I called you, but you said you were busy, so I said I'd call you at intermission, and then I went to do the show and it was totally a train wreck and nothing went right but whatever-- (*continues yammering about the day*) ...So, what did you do today?
Winston: Nothing.
Me: What? Really, nothing?
Winston: I had class and then I did homework in the library for nine hours.
Me: Oh. Jesus.
Winston: Yup.
Me: Oh yeah, you've been up since like six this morning, right? That's when you texted me! Wow. So, anyway, after that...
Winston: *begins nodding off at computer*
Me: WINSTON PAY ATTENTION TO ME
Winston: *starts awake* SORRY sorry I'm really tired.... *eyelids start to droop again*
Me: You really aren't a night owl, are you?
Winston: *zzzzzz*
Me: Dammit
Winston: *zzzzzzzzzzz*

On a luckier day when I'm able to catch him during daylight hours, we have intricate lengthy conversations about things like summer plans or Batman villains. Either way, even though he has a hard time matching up to my excellent sleep-avoiding skills, he's probably the cutest thing ever.

Also, here is a random photowhoring moment that has nothing to do with anything except the fact that I saw my bestest friend and love of my life KELLY WEAVER the other day on one of our two-show days in Florida, and not only did she pay to come see the show and then go out to Ihop with me afterwards, she also gave me back a sweater that I had been missing for more than two years. Turns out I left it in her car the last time I visited her, back when she was still working at Disney.I'm so vain, I bet I think this blog is about me.

And here are the badasses in action, at said pancake house:

As you can see, she has gone platinum sexy blonde and I've gone jet black. Barbie and vampire girl. ^_~

Not only that, she and her mom gave me a beautiful gift of a set of Japanese tea cups. How does she know I've been wanting fancy tea cups like that for EVER?? Because she is the greatest of great, that's what.

Love is all around me. <3

Over 100 shows later...

Hello all! I have officially sung "Over the Rainbow" more than two hundred times. This includes rehearsals, all performances, sound checks at every new venue, and publicity with news stations. We've performed the show more than a hundred times now, and as we start heading toward the finish line, I can't help but reflect on how quickly it's all passed.

It's been a crazy ride. And right now, as I sit in my hotel room in Roanoke, VA, with Glinda sleeping soundly on the other side of the room (as I should be too, but the internet is more fun) I'm thinking about all the things I've missed about real life. I miss my boyfriend, and my family, and being able to cook real food. I miss sitting on a couch and watching a movie. I miss using a library. I miss having a closet and not having to dig through a suitcase full of wrinkled clothes. I miss having a real life, and deciding where I want to go for myself every day.

But there are things about tour I'll miss too. Like not having to do my own sheets laundry, or having clean towels every day. And free breakfasts (sometimes) and those amazing, wonderful beds at Hiltons and Radissons. (Seriously, have you ever been to one? The beds are like clouds. But anyway)

I have to go to bed now, it's so late! Goodnight.

Sorry!

Good lord, you have no idea how busy I've been these past few weeks. I've been meaning to blog up a storm, but we've begun a horrible stretch of one-nighters and most of the time I don't even have phone service on the road.

We left San Diego... lovely, beautiful southern California... for Vegas, where we had a surprise golden day. I can't really do much in Vegas, which I've dubbed "Disneyland with hookers", but I went to Margaritaville, the mall at Caesar's Palace, and walked along the strip a bit.

Then we went some other places in the middle of the country and I typically don't even know where I am. In fact, I didn't even figure out where we were going all day today until I looked at my GPS just now after being in the hotel for half an hour. Dayton, Ohio.

Look for an upcoming blog about what may possibly be our jankiest show yet, yesterday: on a tiny stage with next to no backstage area, the poor folks of Muskegan, Michigan had to put up with one hell of a rocky show. It was really interesting.

Talk soon (I really promise),
-Kate