DSC6280

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Jumping (back) in....

So...as I have been a rather infrequent, inconsistent blogger, and I intend to step it up a bit, allow me to introduce myself...

It's not everyone who will leave their driveway in Maine at 4:30 in the morning to drive 4.5hrs to Stamford, CT, take the train into NYC, go to a 5 minute audition, turn around and retrace your trip back to your driveway by 7:45pm. While managing childcare logistics, the arrival of the piano teacher, and suggestions on what to do for dinner along the way.

That's what I do...

I guess you could say it started a couple of years after we moved here. Our second child had entered the world, we had opened my husband's dental practice, and something for me was missing. I decided it was time to see if I still had some oomph with acting, as it had been since (gulp) high school.

I answered an ad in the local paper, looking for actors for a murder mystery dinner theatre. I called, and was told by a nice woman to come and read for the part available at her apartment in the next town. Now, the next town is not always known as the nicest, but hey...it's an adventure, right? I find myself driving through a fairly quiet residential neighborhood, down a steep hill into this rather secluded apartment complex. Did I mention it's dark out?

I buzz the apartment number she gave, and get let in to the building...knock on the door, and this older man answers and I swear he has one tooth (ok, maybe 3) left in his mouth! I didn't know if I should stay, run away, or give him a card for my husband's office!!!

Well, I stayed, read, and then was pretty much absorbed into the show on the spot. And now? That show is referred to "the show that shall not be named." It was...wow, just wow. Very few of the cast knew their lines, there was certainly more than one director, and it was to the point where the character who was killed off during the first act was on stage hiding behind the couch with a script to prompt those around him! Ugh.

There had to be better than this in Maine.

So, after a couple of more rough patches, Leslie got her groove back. Well, in acting anyway. The bug bit again...hard. It hasn't let go...more stage led to film (another story), and here I am today. I have a career coach, a talent manager...oh, and a husband, two kids and a cat. There were some chickens as well, but then we had a stalker fox who kept eating them and...oh, never mind.

There have also been acting classes, workshops, headshots, resumes, a website, facebook, twitter (still figuring that one out), etc etc etc...

I am hoping to get to this more often. I have to admit, I have some silly stories to share...

Just me, a full time mom making the transition to full time actor...want to join my journey?