Fond Memories.

Ever have that memory that never really goes away?
the kind of experience where you find a family that you love almost more than your own family? where you look at your life NOW compared to how it was THEN and think... "I'd do anything to go back and relive that month OVER AND OVER again..."?
i do.
Welcome to "The Wizard of Oz," presented by my local community theatre on October 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10th. This was my very first community theatre performance. being in this is probably... 4th on my list:

6.)Prarie Fire Theatre

5.)High School Theatre

4.)Community Theatre

3.)Le Hommideu (spelling sucks) Theatre

2.)Guthrie/Ordway/Orphieum type Theatre

1.)Broadway/Movies

so when i was cast as Miss Gultch/The Wicked Witch (yea, the green one :D), it was almost like a dream coming true!

now- i've had other dreams come true. for example:
being in carolers! for TWO YEARS which is HARD when you're a girl! note the picture on the right. NOTE: i'm the one in the teal in the front row

so that was definitely a dream come true. but this year was all about being in the AAAA. and as a LEAD. when i walked into that audition, i expected to be like, a munchkin or something because i'm 5'1" but instead, i found out that i was cast as THE WICKED WITCH of the freaking WEST. i screamed.

then, i learned all the fun things. blocking. worked on lines. more blocking. more working on lines. then the make up and costumes and props and sets (ha, styrofoam!) and then the whole show run throughs, all in preparation for the shows which i was beyond excited to be a part of.

when i look back on it, yes, the rehersals were fun. yes, the blocking was...well...blocking. but it wasnt until the costumes/makeup happened when everything started to become real fun.

my fondest memories take place in the makeup room during the fun times of before the run throughs/showtimes where everyone was in makeup chairs drinking gypsy tea to save our voices and using throat spray like it was candy. my fondest memories take place as my favorite make up people EVER coated me in green as my anxiety skyrocketed to whether i'd have enough time to get down to make my cue or not. more memories yet come from intermission where we crowded in the make up room for touch ups and swiped cookies not to mention oodles of crazy pictures like a few of these below:

these pictures represent just a FEW of the greatest memories i could ever have. i will ALWAYS look back at this show with some of the happiest memories of my life. times when after practice, we'd go to hunan and goof off like crazy idiots, me, dorothy and the tinman. times when we'd screw up the entire show on prank night by doing the whole first scene in gangsta lingo.

so...today...when i was flipping through the channels on television and ran across The Wizard of Oz, i couldn't help but feel my heart almost break. and so i decided to watch it, thinking i could handle it.

to my suprise, during "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," i burst into tears, crying some of the hardest i ever had. because when that song played, i remembered the last show. i remembered our dorothy's eyes watering as she sang it, and mine watering backstage as our tinman and lion and scarecrow prepared our crazy piece of crap wagon to bring onstage. i remember climbing onto my evil bike and blinking back tears realizing this was the last time any of this would be happeneing. that after this show, it was all over.

i realized... that anytime i hear this music, i'll think of our pit, of having OUR actor's voices talking over it. i'll never hear judy garland anymore...or any of the other actors.

i miss my family.

my oz family.

and i'd do anything to go back.

at least i can say i have some of the fondest memories i'll ever have.

and i'm glad i was once able to have a journey somewhere over the rainbow.