Saturday Night Live has been one of my favorite shows since the early '90s. I would stay up late when having sleepovers at my grandparents' house and sneak out to watch it. Mike Myers is my comedy idol...which explains a great deal about my sense of humor. The show has taken on so many different roles in my life. I now like to call it Sunday Morning Syndication because I usually can't stay up late enough to watch it or am out and, instead, snuggle up on a Sunday morning and catch it on Hulu.
When I told Joe (my other) about my secret desire to audition if I didn't make grad school and my regret of not spending more time studying comedy at NYU, he recommended I take a class at a comedy theater in Boston. After a little research, I found Improv Boston. Although I was tempted, I just didn't have the time.
Much to my good fortune, I'm required to take on a hobby for an intellectual development class I started at Tufts. It's called the metahobby project; I enjoy partaking in the hobby all while journaling and tracking my cognitive processes. After a little bit of pushing, I was allowed to conduct my metahobby at Improv Boston in their Sketch Comedy Writing class. I am so thrilled to begin this process and see if I can suck out any humor that wasn't wasted on sly AIM away messages in the early part of my college education.
Wish me luck!
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Costume Design
Rogers Project costumes REVEALED! (shock, awe)
I really loved designing and putting the costumes together for the two main characters. Unfortunately, my budget for costumes was very tight, and I didn't have the ability to sew or hire someone to bring my sketches to life. What resulted, however, I think is far better than my original idea.
Inspiration: It is no secret that my work at The New Victory Theater played a huge role in my creation of this work. It was at the New Vic where I first fell in love with circus arts and made friends with clowns. The characters are inspired by fictional acrobats that took center stage at our annual Family Benefit.
I knew I wanted my costumes to look similar. I also knew that I wanted to have a male and female in clothing that was generally gender ambiguous. Similarly to the original version of these characters, I thought about my characters (a male and female) wearing mustaches and creating comedy through the wearing of, switching of, falling off of these mustaches. I realized, however, that might take away from my original goal of physical movement. I needed to keep the story simple and create costumes that highlighted these movements.
Sketch: Once I confirmed my cast, I formally put my ideas on paper. Yes, that is crayon.
Styling: I realized that I couldn't just make this costume. I needed to style it. I needed to pull from stores and my own wardrobe to put it together. I immediately ran to Target to find the base. The women's fitness-wear section provided me with the shirt (which I then had tailored to the actor) and shorts.
I must have visited every athletic store in Northern New Jersey this summer. I could not find green sweatbands and knee-high socks. Even an online search was fruitless. Finally, it came to me! American Apparel! Who wears those things anymore, anyway? Hipsters! I found the socks and sweatbands there and discovered the amazing yellow suspenders while checking out. They provided me with the whimsy needed for a circus character.
Lastly came the shoes. I wanted to create a costume that was simple; something that a kid could put together from their clothes or borrowing parents' clothes. These simple pieces could transform the average kid viewer into the character with little trouble. I nearly fainted when I saw the new streamlined Converse sneakers with simple, flat bottoms. They remind me so much of the Cons they sell for youngsters.
I needed to make sure the costume worked. Also, it was too tempting not to try it on myself.
Fitting: Finally, I fitted my actors to make sure everything looked right. I am so pleased with the final result! (actor J'nelle Bobb-Semple)
So far, the most exciting moment of this process has been seeing my actors in costume in front of the set. It literally took my breath away for a moment. From a simple sketch came this character brought to life! I look forward to sharing more...
I really loved designing and putting the costumes together for the two main characters. Unfortunately, my budget for costumes was very tight, and I didn't have the ability to sew or hire someone to bring my sketches to life. What resulted, however, I think is far better than my original idea.
Inspiration: It is no secret that my work at The New Victory Theater played a huge role in my creation of this work. It was at the New Vic where I first fell in love with circus arts and made friends with clowns. The characters are inspired by fictional acrobats that took center stage at our annual Family Benefit.
I knew I wanted my costumes to look similar. I also knew that I wanted to have a male and female in clothing that was generally gender ambiguous. Similarly to the original version of these characters, I thought about my characters (a male and female) wearing mustaches and creating comedy through the wearing of, switching of, falling off of these mustaches. I realized, however, that might take away from my original goal of physical movement. I needed to keep the story simple and create costumes that highlighted these movements.
Sketch: Once I confirmed my cast, I formally put my ideas on paper. Yes, that is crayon.
Styling: I realized that I couldn't just make this costume. I needed to style it. I needed to pull from stores and my own wardrobe to put it together. I immediately ran to Target to find the base. The women's fitness-wear section provided me with the shirt (which I then had tailored to the actor) and shorts.
I must have visited every athletic store in Northern New Jersey this summer. I could not find green sweatbands and knee-high socks. Even an online search was fruitless. Finally, it came to me! American Apparel!
Lastly came the shoes. I wanted to create a costume that was simple; something that a kid could put together from their clothes or borrowing parents' clothes. These simple pieces could transform the average kid viewer into the character with little trouble. I nearly fainted when I saw the new streamlined Converse sneakers with simple, flat bottoms. They remind me so much of the Cons they sell for youngsters.
I needed to make sure the costume worked. Also, it was too tempting not to try it on myself.
Fitting: Finally, I fitted my actors to make sure everything looked right. I am so pleased with the final result! (actor J'nelle Bobb-Semple)
So far, the most exciting moment of this process has been seeing my actors in costume in front of the set. It literally took my breath away for a moment. From a simple sketch came this character brought to life! I look forward to sharing more...
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Mr. Potato Head Takes a Bath
While at Nickelodeon this summer, one of my favorite intern duties was bathing Mr. Potato Head. I felt so strongly about it that I actually wrote my final internship paper on that very topic. I've included, for your convenience, a page from my paper where I detail the process of bathing Mr. Potato Head. Enjoy!
You might be wondering why. I get it. It's strange. When out doing research on new episodes of Dora, we used Mr. Potato Heads as distracters (toys to distract the child from the show, which replicates a home environment). It was my job to clean these Mr. Potato Heads after we visited schools. It wasn't a challenging task at all. It was mostly weird and a little boring. I came to love it, though, because other people on the floor thought it was weird too! They would stop and ask me what I was doing. Through that, we began talking about children's television, television in general, their jobs, how they got there, my graduate work, and my goals. It was absolutely one of the best parts of my summer.
I write about Mr. Potato Head not only because he is near and dear to my heart now, but also because I want to remind the up and comers out there that sometimes you have to do boring, meaningless tasks. Greatness can come out of these tasks. When you prove that you can make a meaningless job important, people begin to take notice.
You might be wondering why. I get it. It's strange. When out doing research on new episodes of Dora, we used Mr. Potato Heads as distracters (toys to distract the child from the show, which replicates a home environment). It was my job to clean these Mr. Potato Heads after we visited schools. It wasn't a challenging task at all. It was mostly weird and a little boring. I came to love it, though, because other people on the floor thought it was weird too! They would stop and ask me what I was doing. Through that, we began talking about children's television, television in general, their jobs, how they got there, my graduate work, and my goals. It was absolutely one of the best parts of my summer. I write about Mr. Potato Head not only because he is near and dear to my heart now, but also because I want to remind the up and comers out there that sometimes you have to do boring, meaningless tasks. Greatness can come out of these tasks. When you prove that you can make a meaningless job important, people begin to take notice.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
From Story Time to Staff Meetings
I returned to my job as Graduate Teaching Assistant at a lab school of my department at Tufts. I really missed being a teacher this summer and all of my fantastic colleagues and students. These people know what they're doing! They've taught me that there's a reason for everything that happens at school and how important a school day is for a child, both socially/emotionally and intellectually. Essentially, schools are developed to socialize children for the world in which they live. Each country emphasizes specific parts of their curriculum, including rules and activities, to prepare children for the values and knowledge points that are needed in their society.
This year I will be moving from teaching kindergarten to preschool. I asked my head teacher if there was anything that I should be aware of during this transition. He emphasized how important the children's daily routine is. For some, this is the first time they are socializing with a large group of peers. Something as simple as story time could be a real challenge. I thought about that a bit. During story time, children listen to their teacher reading something he/she thinks is important or interesting to the group. Sometimes children may have questions about what is read or like to add something to what is being said. Often, teachers will debrief the story after it has been completed. The group discusses what they just learned. Does this remind you of anything? It strangely reminded me of a staff meeting.
What if children don't participate in story time with a large group of peers? Is this why some don't know how to conduct themselves in large-group meetings? Perhaps!
I want to highlight a storytelling program that I think is particularly fun and family-friendly. Barefoot Books, the Cambridge-based publisher, runs story hours throughout the week at their flagship store in Concord. I would volunteer to read there on Saturdays when they were based out of a Porter Square storefront. It was so fun for me, and I think the families felt like that had a special place to visit each Saturday morning. It also allowed children to socialize with others in the neighborhood. I urge you to check it out, take your kids, or volunteer!
P.S. This summer I learned how to clean a Mr. Potato Head. Step-by-step directions to follow!
This year I will be moving from teaching kindergarten to preschool. I asked my head teacher if there was anything that I should be aware of during this transition. He emphasized how important the children's daily routine is. For some, this is the first time they are socializing with a large group of peers. Something as simple as story time could be a real challenge. I thought about that a bit. During story time, children listen to their teacher reading something he/she thinks is important or interesting to the group. Sometimes children may have questions about what is read or like to add something to what is being said. Often, teachers will debrief the story after it has been completed. The group discusses what they just learned. Does this remind you of anything? It strangely reminded me of a staff meeting.
What if children don't participate in story time with a large group of peers? Is this why some don't know how to conduct themselves in large-group meetings? Perhaps!
I want to highlight a storytelling program that I think is particularly fun and family-friendly. Barefoot Books, the Cambridge-based publisher, runs story hours throughout the week at their flagship store in Concord. I would volunteer to read there on Saturdays when they were based out of a Porter Square storefront. It was so fun for me, and I think the families felt like that had a special place to visit each Saturday morning. It also allowed children to socialize with others in the neighborhood. I urge you to check it out, take your kids, or volunteer!
P.S. This summer I learned how to clean a Mr. Potato Head. Step-by-step directions to follow!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Summer Explorations
I just arrived back in Medford this afternoon after a surprisingly quick bus ride back. Record time, actually! This summer I had the pleasure of interning with the Dora the Explorer research and production teams at Nickelodeon in New York. Although I think I mentioned it at some point in the blog, I was hesitant to publicly post anything because of the non-disclosure agreements Viacom/MTV made me sign. These scared the hell out of me the first time I saw them, but I slowly learned that they're fairly standard. I would want to protect my productions, too!
Now that it's over, I can say I had a great time and learned a lot. I feel like I have really tangible skills to bring back to Tufts with me as I begin my thesis and develop my data collection instruments for the Rogers project. I met some really wonderful people who LOVE their jobs and prove it through their hard work each day.
I was welcomed and sent off with pictures of Dora and Boots. It's something so simple but made me feel really special and part of the team! Adios, Dora y mis amigos!
Now that it's over, I can say I had a great time and learned a lot. I feel like I have really tangible skills to bring back to Tufts with me as I begin my thesis and develop my data collection instruments for the Rogers project. I met some really wonderful people who LOVE their jobs and prove it through their hard work each day.
I was welcomed and sent off with pictures of Dora and Boots. It's something so simple but made me feel really special and part of the team! Adios, Dora y mis amigos!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Rehearsal
I have a big weekend ahead of me. Tomorrow I drive up to Boston with my director and cast to film the first episode of my Rogers project. Very fortunately, I have so many people who have been helping me along the way and contributing in various forms. I especially could not do this project with my mother, Arlene. Arlene has been my mom, personal assistant, therapist, and cheerleader as I transition from step to step throughout the creation process. Gracias, mama!
As a creative team, we are ready for this weekend! I met with my director (Blake McCarty) and cast (J'nelle Bobb-Semple and WT McRae) on Monday night to rehearse at 440 Studios. I had an unbelievable night! Blake was able to create a warm environment where J'nelle and WT felt comfortable enough to experiment and create. So many special, small moments happened within this very simple script. It was magical. I am grateful for their artistry and abilities.
Although it will be a while before I can post specific details about the program or pictures, I'm hoping to write a reflection piece about this weekend. I'm also looking forward to sharing my costume decisions: from sketches to camera-ready.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
BRILLIANT marketing
Cheers, Ralph Lauren, on your new shopable children's book! Check it out...
http://www.ralphlauren.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=4357818&camp=KidsStorybook_NYTimes
http://www.ralphlauren.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=4357818&camp=KidsStorybook_NYTimes
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