October | 2012 | You've Never Heard of Jen Tidwell

Hi, yall! I *do* exist!

Ok, so this is a quickly cobbled together post wherein I rattle off the stuff I’ve been up to recently.

As you know I am currently in rehearsals for PIPPIN (I’m not yelling at you, the title is literally all caps). Here is an image of one of the promotional postcards for the show wherein I look particularly badass with my juggling pins.

That’s right, ya’ll, I juggle things other than my schedule…

We open on Nov 29^th and run through Dec 8. Short run, but still very exciting.

TV things –I’m having to catch-up on shows a day or more after they originally air, so apologies for being behind on the latest and greatest…

Once Upon a Time is back for season 2 – so yay for that. I’m enjoying the nice twist they threw in to the end of the first ep of the season. I am seriously loving Ginnifer Goodwin’s take on “kick-ass Snow White” in this series – so much more believable and awesome than Kristen Stewart in that… thing… that was in theatres this past summer, amiright?

Yes. No.

The Walking Dead season 3 has been impressively good so far. They’ve really done an excellent job of upping the ante yet again. I am particularly impressed with Chandler Riggs, the young actor who plays Carl, as he portrays an increasingly hardened 12 year-old in the post-apocalyptic reality of the series. I am both sad for and a little frightened of the man Carl will ultimately become.

When I was a child I played as a child… But when there was a zombie apocalypse I became a sociopath.

Doctor Who Series 7 is already over and we have to wait for the Christmas ep for another new episode, which will launch us into Series 7.5 (those wacky Brits and their loopy schedules). Those of you folks who were/are both Whovians and Pondians(?) are likely just as sad as I was to see Amy and Rory go. This is not a spoiler because Steven Moffat (the writer/show-runner) of Doctor Who told us back in APRIL that they were coming to the end of their storyline and that it was not going to be the most happy of endings. However, for folks who haven’t seen it yet I won’t spoil it and say what happened… but I WILL say that I will never look at the Statue of Liberty the same way again… ever. {shudder}

Farewell Ponds!

Internet things that are like TV things – Felicia Day’s fantastic web series The Guild boasted it’s season 6 (wow!) premiere a couple of weeks ago. I was worried that the series might have jumped the shark with last season’s finale, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that show is still fresh and creative. This time around we get to see the characters move out of their allegorical (or sometimes literal) basements and into the “real world” often with hilarious and sometimes poignant results. They post new episodes every Tuesday, and you can find them on Felicia’s website Geek and Sundry, or by clicking HERE.

Cast of The Guild! Web Series’d!

Book things – I am going back and re-reading the entire Discworld series by English author Terry Pratchett. I had forgotten just how wonderfully irreverent these books are. If you’re unfamiliar with Discworld, but are a fan of things like Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, run – don’t walk – to the nearest bookstore or library and buy or check out this book series. The Discworld is a flat, circular, planetary disc that rests on the backs of four elephants who are standing on the shell of the Great A’Tuin – a giant space turtle. My most favorite book in the series is “Equal Rites” which centers around Eskarina “Esk” Smith a young girl destined (by mistake) to become a wizard. Only problem? Unlike the world of Harry Potter, girls can’t be wizards. Only boys can. Girls can be witches, of course, but never wizards. Strictly a boys club. Esk isn’t too keen on this and sets out to change the world so that she can become a wizard after all – hence the clever play on words in the title. Anyway, check’em out… I guarantee fun.

The Great A’Tuin… this turtle really moves

Well that about wraps it up for now, ya’ll. But I did still manage to get a new addition to the Testimonial Gallery!

Paul and Storm!!

Paul and Storm of Paul and Storm!!

Sorry I’ve been MIA for the past couple of weeks, ya’ll. The truth is that I have been both busy and lazy.

I decided that I’d had enough of NOT being on-stage. So, after a seven-year hiatus from treading the boards, I went to an audition. I fully expected to not be cast. I’m older and fatter than I was 7 years ago, as well as terribly out of practice. But I went, because I needed to get the tippy-toes wet again with the experience of the audition process.

Then something bizarre happened.

I got cast.

It took two rounds of callbacks, but still, I got cast. In my first show in seven years. After my first audition in even longer than that.

Whoa.

I need to be honest here and tell you that the two things that popped into my mind immediately after receiving the “we’d love to have you” phone call were the following: A) I must be better than I thought and B) Or maybe this is a low-quality company.

After two weeks of rehearsal I can happily report that this is definitely NOT a low-quality company. This is a very good company, with a very clear vision and an excellent team of creative professionals behind it all.

Woo!

This makes me doubly happy because if the company doesn’t suck, it must mean that I ALSO don’t suck.

Woo-hoo!

So I hope you’ll forgive me if my postings are a little sparse as I get re-used to the rehearsal routine again, which also includes figuring out and adjusting my writing schedule.

If you’re going to be in the Seattle area in late-November, early December, please come see me on-stage for the first time in seven years in the Quiet production of PIPPIN!