A little over a year ago, I created this blog as a way to publicize some of the inner-workings of my acting brain. A little snippet for those who know me to see into my thoughts and how I understand acting. My little drawings, my general references, my thoughts on characters and techniques and shows. And then I went nowhere with it. I got overwhelmed by the day to day of life and stopped writing. Well I'm back. And to kick off a year off (hopefully) promoting and documenting myself more often, here is a reflection post on everything I did in 2024.
'How best to do this?' is the question I keep running up against. Everything feels so tangled together, one job led to another job and another, that it's hard to remember which threads lead to what when. However, I will attempt to do this chronologically for all our sakes.
January:
This month marks the start of my final year of college. I remember being both so excited to get out into the real world and also so terrified that I wouldn't be ready. To combat this I threw myself at every audition possible in the spare time I had between my two jobs and classes. This meant improv, on-book shakespeare, and murder mysteries. Two of these were fruitful. January marked the start of my time working with Dinner Detective and Boozy Bard (seen online as Shakespeare Raw).
This was also the month that my long awaited interview with Active Culture, a show on Riverwest Radio aired. I had been invited to record way back in September of 23. In the shuffle of the new year, preparing for a new show, and the general anxiety of posting, I let it slip to the side. If you wanted to know what 2023 Cat thought of Shakespeare, maybe give it a listen. It's linked right here.
February:
This was the most nerve-wracking month of the year for me. Audition season had officially begun; it was back to back weeks of work for me. Diversity Generals had been very good to me, and I was going back for my second ever time. I prepped my monologues and songs, went, and heard back from someone! And of course it was the theatre I had dreamed of working with since I learned of them: Kohl's Wild Theatre with the Milwaukee County Zoo. I had time to prep for the call back, so that went on the back burner for a little bit.
Meanwhile, I was still in the swing of the 3 shows I had in the works at UWM. Being my last semester, I was doing as much as I could before it was time to go. This month was rehearsals for Pipeline, rehearsals for the Short Play Festival (more info found here), and the 3 week process of auditioning, rehearsing, and performing Miscast 2024. I was officially lead directing on my own, while training two wonderful performers to take over from me when I graduated as I had from the founder. The event went swimmingly, and I couldn't have been prouder of my cast or crew for all the work they put in.
March:
This was the month of my first performances with Boozy Bard and Dinner Detective! I was suddenly getting paid for my work and enjoying finding the fun within a script with my castmates. It, however, was also time to buckle down on my school work and rehearsals. Which meant much more serious work done analyzing Shakespeare for classes and taking on the emotional weight of a play like Pipeline. Included is a snippet of my diary entry thinking about Laurie and how to handle her:
I also begin to take workshops for stage combat outside of school at this time. I decide it's something I have to add to my life's path.
April:
1 month away from graduation and I am feeling it by this point. This month had some of the highest ups for me; I felt I could tackle the real theatre world. In April, I performed in my final show at UWM, Pipeline. It felt like the culmination of something big. Laurie as a character taught me how to step into the world and take up space in a way I never had before. She allowed me to process feelings I didn't know I could. And I supported my cast in telling a story everyone needed to hear about a topic people don't want to examine.
Two weeks later, I see my short play Star Stories performed onstage. This is the first time I have ever seen my work performed. And its wonderful. There's cracks to be filled in and things to work on for sure. The actual process behind the scenes is messy. But the work the actors and director brought to the stage was perfect.
In April, I continue performing for Boozy Bard. I start making friends I want to perform with every time. We all take pictures and laugh about the silly things that happen backstage.
May:
This is graduation month. I perform my final projects with my co-hort at school. I have my final meeting with my professors. I say goodbye, but not forever. I go out into the real world. I have mutliple jobs and while I'm physically not doing well, I am surviving. As an actor. In the world. In this time, I audition for Quasimondo Physical Theatre Co.'s Red, White, and Coup. I am cast to begin the process the next month. I have a gig first month out of school.
May is when I start auditioning for voice over work. We had done a unit of voice acting in you guessed it, voice class. I found that I liked it, and with my skills learned from volunteering to read audiobooks I started to build a reel. Over the summer, I land multiple different roles. All are unpaid but I'm just happy to get cast.
June:
The summer. The time when everything starts to get messy. In this time, I begin the process of moving out of the dorms for the first time, I record multiple voiceover roles, and I start the prep for Red, White, and Coup. I've done a devised show before, but never like this. I become an expert at imitating senators and news personalities, and try rapping plots to overthrow the government.
This is also when I'm asked to come back as a puppeteer for the Summerfest Parade. I'm on Dragon Tail every day I can be there. I see old friends and meet new people and learn I'm actually pretty good at getting people where we need to be in one piece. It's fun!
July:
I shoot my first two short films! The first is a film written by my friend in a 100 Hour Film Festival. We shoot in 3-4 days and I have a blast even if the quality could be better. You can find that film here:
The second is a short film called One Tenth. I play a supportive best friend and shoot for a day. It's my first time filming and I finally understand the difference between stage and film acting. I get to keep my costume shirt which is my favorite shirt to wear to first rehearsals from now on.
In the meantime, I have gone from an actor playing 4 roles in Red, White, and Coup to an actor playing 8 roles, stage managing, designing the makeup, and being our designated artist for the orange man himself. In my time at UWM, I took a makeup class. It comes in handy working on this show. We perform this show for three weeks during the RNC. I'm a little afraid, but the people who come see it are involved. And then I get violently ill for a month. (It turns out never stopping has consquences.)
In this time, my RWC castmates reach out to their friend who is beginning the process of rehearsing a puppet show. I do an interview with Cabaret Milwaukee and sign onto Frisch, Frei, Stark, Treu. I have also done my callback for Kohl's Wild. A week after I sign onto FFST, I sign on with The Silly Scary Stories Club.
Now is when the threads start to cross.
August:
Many of my voiceover projects begin to see the light. I forget to post all of them. Please allow a bit of a brag now that I have the energy to talk about them.
Tales from the Janitor Michigan was recorded back in May. It comes out around this time. I am playing a crazy girlfriend who kills their boyfriend with poison popcorn. It's a fun recording session. You can find that episode here:
Acid Trap Episode 1 comes out. I'm playing the leader of a group that wants to put acid tablets into computers. It's another really fun recording session. I should be on for the whole series. You can find that episode here:
Professionally, things have started picking up with Dinner Detective and Boozy Bard again. I'm performing regulary. And I have a job interview with Skylight Music Theatre to maybe be promoted to Lead House Manager. It feels surreal to be 22 and doing this much. I start to doubt if I actually deserve it at this point.
September:
Rehearsals begin for FFST and TSSSC. I go to rehearsal in the morning, practice my lines on the bus, and go to rehearsal at night. I get the job as lead house manager and dive in. It's a scary time to balance 3 major schedules but I do it.
It feels like a dream come true to be working with Kohl's Wild so quickly after graduation. I get to flex my acting muscles while doing theatre that matters, which is why I do theatre.
On the other side, FFST is getting intense. I go from playing 4 roles to playing 4 different roles, social media managing, sound designing, and becoming the ASM. I learn that where I see a need, I don't always have to fill in. Sometimes I can watch and let others help.
October:
I'm starting to find my footing in my role at Skylight. I'm planning new things and getting them done to better the theatre. It feels like I matter.
In the performing world, both shows open. FFST goes better than I expect, and people really like the history. I have been working with puppets for 2 months straight at this point and cannot wait to rest my arms. But I learn a lot about keeping them alive, directing my focus, and acting with them. More threads cross. I talk about FFST at Boozy Bard and get asked to join Angry Young Men in Full Frontal Puppets for their Decemeber shows. Of course I say yes!
TSSSC is going well. The kids like the show, I'm having fun, and I'm doing professional theatre for the first time. I start little in-jokes with my castmates and decorate the van with recycled spike tape. It's a good time all around.
I perform my last Shakespeare show of the year with Boozy Bard this month. It's Macbeth, my favorite show. I draw Lady Macbeth and decide I'm going to play her straight. I scream backstage so loud the audience jumps in horror. It's a role I've always wanted to play done well. I fall back in love with Shakespeare all over again.
November:
The tour is going strong, Skylight is well, and my side gigs are still fun. I start co-hosting at Dinner Detective to great success. It's like being half stage manager, half actor. I find that's something I'm good at.
Rehearsals start for the puppet show. I go from having 1 role to 5? 6? I have only just now sensed a pattern in what I will take on for a project. I've never puppeteered smaller puppets like this, but I'm learning as I go and making headway.
December:
I close out the tour of TSSSC, but I'm not sad. I and all but 1 of my castmates are coming back for the spring tour of Welcome to the Zoo! We make bird feeders on the cast party day and I have to draw the Vietnam War Memorial in pictionary. My performance SM actually gets it right somehow!
On the other side of things, I perform in my first two shows with the puppet crew! Krampusnacht goes off wonderfully, Re-Gift goes even better, and I'm asked to stay with the group!
Looking back on all of this, I feel like I've accomplished way more than I thought I had. I learned much more about myself than I thought I would. And I made so many friends and connections that have brought new experiences and opportunities my way! It's been messy and overwhelming at times; I wouldn't change it for the world. So if you've ever gone to my social media to see what was up with me and had no clue, here's a somewhat brief breakdown of what I've done last year.
This year, I want to take it slower. I'm trying to have only 1 major production at once, while having the fun side gigs remain fun side projects. I won't take on as much if I don't have to, but I won't say no to the opportunities coming my way. All this to say, it's gonna be another busy year where I try to prioritize my happiness and health as a peformer.
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