Pursuit of Happiness - Blog 9 - by Katie McFadzen (Annie)

Oh, the pressure! To blog or not to blog...I'm the only one in the cast who hasn't yet so here I go...be clever...quick...say something smart, interesting and funny...uh...drawing a blank...and...I've... got...nothing. Except a whole lot of ellipses. I can say I'm thoroughly enjoying this experience. It's thrilling to finally work with Ron May and fabulous to get to work with April again after so many years. A talented team, indeed. As an actor who often works with the same group of actors over and over (an amazing group of actors, I might add), it's good to get out of my comfort zone and work in the rehearsal hall with new-to-me actors. Observation is the best way for an actor to learn and I'm learning things every day. It's been fun to watch Kyle, who often plays the hottie hunk type, dive head first into his awkward and socially inept character. The process of watching Joe dig deep and find his inner sleaze has been truly valuable. In addition to being a very funny, kind, and supportive performer, Gene has proven to be a master of "propography" (the ability to navigate the movement of many props while still speaking) and the "frosted mini-beat" (just taking a tiny little moment for a look or a breath before moving on to the next idea). I can't imagine Lindsay was ever the rebellious teen she has turned into in this show...she reminds me a bit of myself at that age. I can still hear my dad saying "you have a rotten disposition, Kathrine." I'm better now. My favorite thing, I think, is Richard Dresser's ability to put words together. Things like "existential paralysis" and "soul-crushingly dull" come to mind. Wanna hear more cool word pairings? Come to the show! And bring your friends! The only reason you're reading this is because you already support Actors Theatre or you're in the cast (or because my mom sent you the link). So turn some other people on to this great company...if you tell two people then they'll tell two people and so on and so on...(remember that commercial, crap, just dated myself).

Love, Katie