Hello All!

I have had a crazy crazy fall – lots of theater excitement – and lots of day job work to make it all happen. NYC is expensive. Somedays it feels like it costs money just to breathe the air here.

In any case here's the latest:

I am playing Trinculo! Whoo-hoo! He has been a long long favorite character from The Tempest and now I am actually getting the chance to play him! I started rehearsals about a week ago. It will be an all-female production (hot….admit it) with Phare Play Productions in the West Village. We play Wedsnesdays thru Sundays 12/28 – 1/12. I will definitely send more info when we get closer. Please come if you are in the area! I would love to see you! I am so intimidated and stoked about this role. I am playing a clown!

(BTW – for all those Romeo and Juliet folk out there – Dianna Lora is in it as well! She is playing a butt-kicking sword-wielding Adrien. So fun!)

The thing that I think really helped me get the part of Trinculo was the really amazing clown workshop I took in October. When I trained at Shakespeare & Company many moons ago, my main instructor was Jane Nichols – a brilliant woman who spent years training and teaching clowns. I ran into her in September at a Linklater class and found out she was teaching a clown workshop. I LOVED IT. I was challenged as an actor in so many new ways – it was probably the most challenging experience since Shake & Co. Wow. In any case, I began to make life-shaking progress with my clown work. I hope I can continue with more classes soon (please, universe?).

Most of my fall was spent directing Much Ado About Nothing for Steven Dramatic Society at Stevens Institute for Technology in Hoboken, NJ. I had directed MAdo this summer for Orlando Shakes' teen acting program, but this production was so different! The students were all Engineers and Computer Science folk. Crazy! It was 2.5 months of rehearsals and meetings with just one week of performances. They were lovely – witty and fun and having a lot of fun! I had a blast and hope to go back for another season sometime, even though it required three hours on the PATH and subway everyday.

Besides the nice theater stuff, I have been working my ass off at my day jobs. I am teaching 5 days a week at afterschool programs at two public schools on the Upper West Side. I love 1st and 2nd graders. They are so fascinating! And I am still working weekends as a hostess at Rosa Mexicano near Lincoln Center. All in all – I haven't had a day off from all of my jobs since sometime in October. Which feels like a long time go. :)

I will be staying in NYC for Christmas. Tech week happens to fall on Christmas week (darn-it!), so I won't be going home to the South until sometime in February. Poop. But my dad is coming for a visit over New Year's to see the show and celebrate with me.
So that is the latest! I am sorry if I haven't been in touch. Between the three jobs and my hideous phone troubles, I feel a bit like I fell into a black hole. My phone broke (boo!) and I have lost a LOT of phone numbers. If in doubt, please forward yours on to me!

Here's hoping you are happy and having fun in your lives!

Wishing you all the best,

Sarah Belle