Leaving Prince George on a jet plane.

Last night we closed A Christmas Carol in Prince George, and the five of us who were heading back to Toronto woke up good and early to make the 7am flight. I had the good fortune of sitting in between Andy and Billy on the plane, and we chatted a bit about what we're going to be doing after this contract:

Moonkeh!

I found this video a couple months ago when I was searching for examples of Northern British accents. I watch it whenever I want to smile. Enjoy!

Mister PG and Me.

We're right smack dab in the middle of our run of A Christmas Carol in Prince George right now. We've been enjoying mostly sold-out houses and unseasonably warm weather. The theatre has posted a lovely slide show of photos from the show on YouTube:



Also, you may remember I showed you a picture of Mister PG a few posts back. Yesterday my friend Troy (a.k.a. Bob Cratchit) took me to see him in the flesh (well, the metal) and we had a little photo shoot.

I love my 19th century hairdo.

Tonight we will be doing our first preview of A Christmas Carol. After several dress rehearsals and tech runs I think we're all itching to have an audience. During final dress last night enough silly little things happened to make it feel like a final dress (getting my skirt caught under some furniture, being seen in the house lights while exiting after the Act I blackout etc.). Y'know, those little things you need to get out of your system before you open.

I'm really happy to be doing this show with so many talented performers. Our Scrooge is Billy Vickers, a 21(!) year Shaw Festival veteran. He's a joy to watch. And the cast as a whole is made up of very strong and seasoned actors.

And you know what I love? My 1850's hairdo. I've been putting my hair up in a high bun, with big fat sausage curls at the side of my face. At first I was sweeping my bangs to the side, but now I've started curling them. I look like a gigantic doll and I love it. I'm not gonna lie: I kind of wish this hairstyle was still "in".

The Story of Stuff.

I just got an iPod in June and already the headphones are broken. I like your products, Apple, but is this an example of planned obsolescence? The idea of replacing my 5-month old headphones with a new pair got me to thinking about all the wasting I'm doing: always forgetting to bring my reusable grocery bags when I go to the store, taking those uber-packaged frozen dinners to rehearsal because they're so convenient, buying things that I just don't need.

Okay, so it wasn't just the headphones. I also just watched The Story of Stuff which is a fantastic deconstruction of our society's production and consumption model. It is definitely worth a viewing.

As far as I'm concerned, sustainability is en vogue this year, and I'm going to stop treating it like that thing I'll get around to as soon as I have enough time. My goals for the coming year:

1. Try to use Freecycle whenever I need something or want to get rid of something.
2. Never buy another plastic water bottle.
3. Avoid buying items that come in heavy packaging.
4. Support green companies.
5. Remember those reusable grocery bags!

Toronto Star article about the "other" Marias.

Mornin', everyone! (Well, it's morning here in Prince George anyway). Today there's an article in the Toronto Star about the 8 Marias from HDYSAPLM who, well, aren't Maria. Want to hear what Allie, Tamara, Kyla, Katie, Donna, Jayme and Marisa have been up to? Oh, and me? Check it out here.

Yesterday it snowed...

which I suppose is alright because this is northern B.C. and it is November. I'm enjoying my daily walk to and from the theatre, sporting my big white muck lucks and black toque with the ear flaps. I'm going for the "puffy and warm" look while in Prince George. Every so often I'll get a sniff of the pulp and paper mill, but it's not so bad. It smells a little bit like home cooking at first and then you realize THAT'S NOT FOOD. So far I haven't ventured out into the town much because there's lots of work to be done, but when the show is up I'll go exploring. Everyone keeps talking about the Value Village. I don't know why. Is it a really good Value Village? I must find out.

YES THEY DID!

Thank you, America. You did it!

I can't quite see Russia from here.

Well, I have started rehearsals with Theatre North West in Prince George, B.C. Yesterday was our first day, after having flown in from Toronto on Saturday. Want to see the first picture that comes up when you image-search "Prince George, British Columbia" on google?

Amazing. It turns out that this is "Mr. P.G.", an anthropomorphic assortment of logs who greets newcomers to the city at the intersection of Highways 97 and 16. Thanks, Wikipedia! I haven't seen this guy in person yet, but I think I have to.

We rehearse 2-10 here, and by the end of yesterday's rehearsal my body thought it was 2am because of the change of time zone, and moving the clocks back an hour. But other than getting a little sleepy, rehearsal went very well. Ted Price, the AD and director of A Christmas Carol, is very efficient in his directing. We've already blocked Act I, and I expect we'll have blocked Act II by the end of Tuesday's rehearsal. Oh, did I mention today is a day off? Total score.

Pugging to the camera.

Okay, I think I've changed my mind. Instead of rats I want to get a pug. Look at that face!

I have been hemming and hawing for years about getting a pet and I always end up deciding that I go away too much and I don't have a big enough place. But I am in Toronto way more often than not nowadays, and maybe my apartment would be the perfect size for a little lapdog? Also, my friend Shannon who lives down the hall said she'd be willing to help out.

If any of you have experience with pugs, I'd love to hear your thoughts (tips, suggestions, encouragement).

How To Act Good.

Today I had an audition for a Disney Cruise. It was much shorter and sweeter than my last cruise audition which was several years ago and included a really hard dance call (yikes!). I sang "Nobody Makes a Pass At Me" which has become one of my favourites because it's cute, funny, and fairly obscure. I was having trouble picking material for this audition because the requirements were so broad: "prepare one musical theatre song", but I always find it's best to default to comedy. Fingers crossed...

This Thursday I will be shooting an episode of "Urban Legends" for the A&E Biography channel. It's been a busy few months for commercials and t.v. gigs, for which I'm very grateful. This show will be the last thing I can shoot before flying to Prince George this Saturday to perform in A Christmas Carol with Theatre North West. Because I had to turn down a few theatre gigs due to HDYSAPLM I haven't had the pleasure of being in a musical since I did Emily with TIFT last year.

In other news, I'm hoping to crash the Mirvish Hallowe'en party this Thursday night, dressed in my very special Palinator costume. I'm trying to convince Mike to shave his beard into a goatee and be the Todd to my Sarah, but I don't think he digs the idea. It's almost like he doesn't want to spend the evening listening to me say inane things in an exaggerated Wasillan accent. Like, what is with that?

And finally, just for fun, here is a clip of Sir Ian McKellen on Extras, explaining the art of acting. Everyone needs to see this because of the brilliantnessitude of it.

Palinjutzi.

Scared yet? I am.

Who says Hallowe'en can't be fun?

Hallowe'en is traditionally such a chore. All that buying and eating of candy can be really stressful, so Nicole and I decided to make it fun this year by dressing up. It is a new idea that we invented.

Would you like to see the fruits of our labours?

The Sound of Marias Being Interviewed.

Gavin Crawford's hilarious "Mark Jackson" character from This Hour Has 22 Minutes was interviewing a few of us former Maria contestants on the red carpet at the Sound of Music gala last week. You can check out the clip here. 

Gavin was one of my favourite things about being on HDYSAPLM. He's very funny and talented and also a really nice guy.

I couldn't resist.

I wasn't going to post this, but I think it's funny. So. This is the commercial I did on an overnight shoot that I was talking about a few posts back. They took a lot of embarrassing footage but ended up being relatively kind to me in the final edit. Take a look:



Also, check out the other commercial they shot that night. I think this one's even funnier:

"Money Babies" by The Dears.

I was recently in the music video for "Money Babies" by The Dears, directed by the very talented Anton Josef. Hope you like it :)

VIDEO BLOG - Secrets from my past.

Okay, so I'm having trouble putting up my latest video blog on Blogspot, but for some reason I was able to add it to my Facebook fan page. You can click here to check it out. And feel free to become my fan while you're at it. You won't really get anything out of it, but it will make me feel popular and that's pretty important.

Also, my friend Nicole just posted this photo of me on Facebook. To show her that I'm soooo confident in myself and sooooooo don't even care, I'm posting it here as well. So there. I don't even care. Shut up. I was in grade 9, what do you want from me?

The hills are a spaceship!

Last night I attended the official opening of The Sound of Music and it was a fabulous show. Elicia sounded fantastic, and was a loveable and charming Maria. A couple reviewers have noted that this is the perfect show to see right now, when we're all so worried about the political and economic situation in our country. Somehow this musical set during the Anschluss provides some escapism. Of course, it's not the underlying WWII story that gets us; it's the music. And it's the fact that most of us grew up watching the movie every Christmas. Jian Ghomeshi likened it to, "hot chocolate in your favourite mug".

Oh, and the set piece that represents the "hills" that are "alive" is this huge, disc-shaped thing that floats around and tooootally looks like a spaceship. Awesome.

Could American politics be SEXIER?

On the news last night they were interviewing Canadian voters to see if they were going to tune in to the Canadian party leaders' debate tonight, or the American Vice-Presidential debate. Sadly, yet not surprisingly, many people chose the latter. But can you blame them? The Americans make everything so sexy and so sensational and, while we condemn them for doing so, we cannot look away. My intention is to watch the Canadian debate, but I'm going to be doing some serious channel flipping to check out the trainwreck...I mean Sarah Palin. Come on, it's going to be hilarious. And thank God. If it wasn't so funny, all we'd be thinking about is how tragic it is.

It is ordinary to be an artist, Stephen Harper.

In light of our Prime Minister's comments about rich artists attending galas and whining about their grants, I would like to share the following thoughts:

1) In my previous post I mentioned that I'll be going to the SOM gala. Just to be clear, I almost never go to galas, and this one I feel is well-deserved as I wasn't paid to be on the Maria show. Most artists do a lot for very little (and sometimes nothing at all). I may not enjoy that one free glass of cheap white wine, but by God I will drink it.

2) Who are these rich artists that Stephen Harper is talking about? I'm not one of them, nor are my hundreds of artistic friends.

3) The $45M that Harper is cutting from the arts budget isn't as scary to me as his comments that indicate he finds no value in the arts at all. What will this mean for the future of the arts in our country?

I've joined this group on Facebook. It is a fast-growing hub of "ordinary people" (some of them artists - imagine!) where you can find informative articles and letters to Stephen Harper, like this one written by Wajdi Mouawad, Artistic Director of the French Theatre at the NAC. Some people in the group argue for the economic value of the arts, which is likely the only way the Republicans...I mean the Conservatives... will understand their relevance.

A Fun Craft
Get out your $20 bills and highlight the Gabrielle Roy quote on the back that says, "How could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?"

The hills are almost alive.

The Sound of Music starts on October 3rd, though I'm pretty sure the first week or so is just preview performances. Check out the official site. I ran into Elicia a couple of weeks ago and she said things have been going very well at rehearsal. She's been run off her feet with long rehearsal days as well as a bunch of media commitments. Janna says the cast is awesome and it's gonna be a great show, so I'm thrilled to be going to the official opening night gala on October 15th. I'm gonna dress up all fancy-like and say things like, "darling, fetch me some more champagne, won't you?"

Here's a photo of Elicia in rehearsal with the Von Trapp kids. I love behind-the-scenes photos.

A little bit about Michael Moore and a little bit about me.

I just watched the new Michael Moore documentary called Slacker Uprising. It follows him in his quest in the months before the 2004 election to get University students off their butts and to the polling stations. He's releasing it now for free* in order to get Americans rallied for this November. Check it out here. My brief review: Really liked it, but could have done with less Roseanne Barr.

Tonight I'm shooting a commercial in the middle of the night (midnight till 3am) and in it I have to do something kind of embarrassing. More embarrassing than running in a bikini. But probably not as embarrassing as singing I'm Every Woman with no microphone on live national television. So. I'll let you know how it goes!

*I love that word, especially when it's followed by "food".

'ello, 'ow are oo?

I booked a couple of commercials that will shoot this week, and I have to do a British accent in one of them. I've been brushing up on it, which reminded me of that scene in Waiting for Guffman where Corky (Christopher Guest) is preparing for his My Fair Lady audition. Check it out here, and watch from 5:30 on.

I love that man. If you haven't seen Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind you are missing out on some brilliant comedic acting. A friend of mine gave me the trilogy for Christmas, and I think that goes down as my favourite present of all time, next to the nail files my mom puts in my stocking every year.

An audition that made me smile.

Yesterday I had one of those feel-good auditions for a theatre company that I really want to work for. Though I was only asked to prepare one song, they asked for two more and a monologue so they could truly get a sense of what I have to offer. The AD was friendly and engaged, the accompanist was great, and everyone in the room really seemed to care about creating a positive experience for me. It was the kind of audition that makes it all seem worthwhile: the temping, the acting classes, the expensive headshots, the instability, the self-doubt, the rejection and on and on.

I'm glad I can still feel that way, 7 years into this career. With age I've gained cynicism and maybe a touch of bitterness, but that 23 year old who was just giddy to land her first professional role in Lettice & Loveage with Theatre & Company (never mind that the pay was minimal, as was the stage time) is still in there somewhere and resurfaces when she books a commercial, lands a role in a play, or has a great audition. Amid my worries about money and all those things I "should" be doing "at my age", I'm happy to be where I am.

I have taken risks.
I have followed my dream.
And it has been really hard sometimes.

Sometimes I dream of getting a "real" job; of having a health plan; of paying into a pension. Sometimes I wonder what's wrong with me that I haven't "grown up" yet. Sometimes I worry I'm "using" too many "quotation marks" to "emphasize my point". Y'know?

But you know what makes me feel better? Everyone experiences self-doubt. Everyone. We trick ourselves into thinking that everyone else has things figured out, but nobody does.

I find myself wondering where I'd be if I'd chosen an alternate road for my career. Maybe I'd be a neurosurgeon? But I know someday I'd be operating on someone's brain and I'd think, "God, I wish I was doing non-union, summerstock theatre right now" and I'd get all distracted and the big machine in the corner would start making that sustained beeping sound that indicates that the patient is dying, and I would be all like "oh crap, where was I?" and that is why I feel I made the right career choice.

Nobody wants me to get rats.

The following is a list of responses I've received to my saying, "I might get rats":

1) What?!?

2) Okkaaaaaaaay...

3) Well, that will make you popular.

4) Why?

I think the problem here is that people are thinking I'm going to get this kind of rat:

...while I'm actually thinking more along the lines of this:

See? Totally different things. It just goes to show you that beauty is the most important thing in the world, next to popularity.

VIDEO BLOG - New Song.

I might get rats.

On a shoot yesterday I met Peter Church. 

Peter has rats in his house. On purpose. 

He brought them to the shoot because our scene was set in post-apocalyptic ruins (a.k.a. a scrapyard in Hamilton) and he thought his pets might add some colour.

We didn't end up using them, but they were so cute I don't think they looked the part anyway. I'm sure they're fine performers; they just weren't scary enough to play movie rats.

So Peter and I hung out all day, which meant I was also hanging out with his rats and they were making me go into this weird high-pitched, baby talk thing because of the cuteness overload. I'm not sure if this means I definitely should get rats, or definitely should not. Hmmm.

This morning I looked at the one area of my apartment that is free of clutter and thought, "I could put the cage there..."

Stay tuned.

A fun end-of-the-week treat (for me, not you).

Wheee! Nancy just called to say I booked a Leon's commercial. Let me tell you why commercials rock:

1) They give your parents visual proof that you are working.

2) You get to spend the day honing your craft.

3) You have your hair styled and makeup applied by a professional.

4) You get paid to make funny reactions to stuff.

Again, wheee!

Open Mics.

Sometimes I sing at open mic nights. They usually provide a safe, fun atmosphere in which to try out new material. They also encourage self-indulgence. If you ever want to hear a painfully long song that repeats the chorus, like, 40 times and doesn't really say anything new after the second verse, you should go to an open mic night. If you want to sing like you're alone in your apartment and no one is listening, perform at an open mic night. If you want to see a colourful mix of Tori Amos-esque chicks, 70-yr-old ex-hippies, random crazy people, and new musical theatre grads from Sheridan College, an open mic is the place to be.

They're fun. And painful. And beautiful. And long. But most of all, they're open.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like A Banner?

A woman from Temple Street Productions just called, asking if I would like to keep my "Maria" banner. This is the 8'x12' photo of me that hung in the CBC atrium while How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? was airing. Well, of course I want it. What a ridiculously awesome-slash- hilarious-slash-useless-slash-HUGE keepsake of my reality show days! But what to do with it?

I have considered several options, my favourite being that I use it as a bedspread. Who wouldn't want a gigantic version of their head as bed decor? I also pondered using it to make play clothes for my nieces and nephew, but I figured they'd just fight over who got to wear my face.

Perhaps I will sell it on E-Bay. What do you think of 40K as a starting price?

VIDEO BLOG - Fan Mail.

More like Avenue AWESOME!

Wow, I'm so glad I saw Avenue Q last night. If you haven't gone yet, get tickets now! It's playing at the Elgin until August 31st. Julian and I ran into friends of his who were able to get rush seats, so you could try doing it that way.

It's just great. It's so funny and so dirty and plays brilliantly to that Sesame Street-watching child we all once were. I feel moved to take a course in puppeteering. The way those actors made the puppets an extension of themselves was brilliant. We were sitting in the nosebleeds, yet every subtle moment was totally clear. Just wow.

As IF I'm going to see Avenue Q tonight!

I will FINALLY be seeing Avenue Q tonight. I remember the first time I heard the soundtrack, driving to see a show in Barrie with Michael Rubinoff. He said, "you will love this." He was sooo not wrong. My friend Jeff makes fun of me for being into the "Q" because it's "so four years ago" but I've never been one to be with the times.

If you don't know the show, click here to check out one of my favourite tunes. I also like "I Wish I Could Go Back To College" and "What Do You Do With a BA in English?"...oh, the truth hurts, but it's so darn hilarious.

Industrials and babies.

I had two auditions last week, and one of them was for a staff training video. I walked into Jigsaw, slated for the camera, said one line and they said, "thanks!". I think it took about 24 seconds in total. Turns out I booked it.

Industrials are those things I excitedly tell people I've booked, and then somehow feel I have to apologetically explain: "oh, it's nothing, it's not going to be on t.v. or anything." But really? Inside? I'm thrilled to be getting paid to act. And maybe I'm also a little bit thrilled about having my hair and makeup done for the shoot.

In much more exciting news, my friends Laura and Chris just gave birth to their second daughter, Emily this past Friday. I and my other friend Laura (I have several Lauras) took care of their almost-2 year old, Hannah over the weekend while they were at the hospital. Lots of love to the Farley-Ratcliffe family!

Allie + Kyla + Alison = a show at Free Times

I'm doing a show with Allie and Kyla on September 7th at Free Times Cafe (320 College, Toronto). You can see the Facebook event invitation here

We're all songwriters so we'll be playing a lot of our own songs.

With guitars.

And emotion.

Lots of emotion.

See you there!

The Thong of Tents.

The above phrase was coined by my friend Nicole, upon her seeing this photo:

This is the "2 person" tent I bought for my camping trip to Saltspring Island, British Columbia. That is where my boyfriend and I slept. For real. There was one night at Ruckle park where he decided to sleep outside under the tarp instead. That worked well until several unidentified rodents started thinking his head was a toy.

We went camping after attending a friend's wedding. My University roommate Jessie made me and our other roommates, Nicole and Jennifer, her bridesmaids (along with Jessie's sister Sally who was the maid of honour). The wedding took place at the Maritime Museum in Vancouver, on the famous RCMP St. Roch. What do you mean you don't know what that is? It was the first boat to cross the Northwest Passage from east to west. Or west to east. I can't remember which. Anyway, it's famous. Now you know.

Nicole, Jenn and I sang "Annie's Song" from the boat. Check it out:

After the wedding, we went to Eagle's Nest Retreat on Galiano Island. You have to go there. Seriously. Get a group of 10 people together and rent the whole cottage for a week. There are six bedrooms which are just kitsch enough to be charming, a big kitchen and living space complete with a piano and guitar, a baby deer who will entertain you outside the kitchen window as you play Cranium, and an outdoor hot tub which overlooks the ocean.

It was after our luxurious time at Eagle's Nest that Mike and I went camping for four days. We had a good time, in spite of our living conditions. We quite enjoyed the bags of food from MEC. These are horribly overpriced but tasty, and in most cases all you have to do is add boiling water directly into the bag.

All in all, a great trip to B.C.

Janna is cast as the alternate Maria!

This just in: Janna Polzin, my friend and runner-up Maria, has been cast as the alternate Maria in the Sound of Music. She will do Saturday matinees and Wednesday evenings. Good on Mirvish for letting Janna and Elicia share the role. I think this has made a lot of people very happy.

This afternoon I did a commercial audition for a phone company. I won't say which one and you'll understand why in a moment. The casting house was brand new, so their phones were just being set up, coincidentally by the same company for which they were casting the commercial. As soon as the phone company dude left, the casting guy went off on a tirade:

" Company X is so bad! It took them eight weeks to get these landlines set up. And their public relations is appalling! I can't believe how bad their service is!"

It was just kind of funny. Not in a "ha ha" way but in an ironic kind of way. Like rain on your wedding day.

The Maria Smackdown.

For anyone who missed it, here is the final group number from our last Maria show on July 28th. It was created by our choreographer David Connolly as well as Joe Bostic, our guest fight choreographer.

I had never been thrown into a piano head-first before. So. It's good to have a new skill.

Elicia McTrapp

Congratulations, Elicia! I look forward to seeing you on stage as Maria this fall.

Ooh, Monday night was dramatic. Simon wasn't there again. It turns out he was arrested on assault charges on Sunday, which makes me sad. I would really liked to have said goodbye to him because his presence was one of the most positive parts of my Maria experience.

In other dramatic news, there were many disappointed Janna fans in the audience and at home our final night. I have to say, though, if you're going to have to give up the role to someone, Elicia's your girl. She is genuine, selfless and a fabulous performer, so I'm sure Janna and the rest of the Marias are very happy for her. Yes, it was a competition, and all 9 of us runner-ups wanted to make it farther than we did...but I think for the most part we handled ourselves with grace, and were respectful of our fellow competitors.

I'm happy to have enjoyed one final appearance on Maria, but I'm really ready now to move on. The show has been the main thing on my mind for the last 6 months, and I need it to be over so I can prove to myself and others that I actually am able to have discussions that don't revolve around dirndls and goatherds and strudel and such.

I'll be in the audience tonight.

I'll be at the studio tonight, cheering on the final three Marias: Janna, Elicia and Jayme. Rumour has it they'll be singing some Andrew Lloyd Webber songs. Glad to hear it, as I much prefer when they incorporate musical theatre numbers into this musical theatre competition. 

So. I have 15 pages of notes that I plan to morph into a one-woman show about my experience. I write comedic songs and I'm thinking of incorporating several tunes into the piece. It remains to be seen, though, exactly what shape the show will take. Perhaps interpretive dance? Wait. No. That's a horrible idea. Must keep brainstorming...

It's been fun being back at the CBC with the girls*. Rehearsal has been replete with microphone jokes, which I love. We all have that thing that people will remember about us. I'm Mic-less Maria. Not the nickname I was expecting, but I suppose it could have been worse. It can always be worse.

*Mom, I promise one day I will see the error of my ways, and start using the word "women".

Demo

I just finished recording a musical theatre demo and will likely be posting the songs from that on my site soon. My good friends Mark Selby and Noel Webb helped me greatly with this recording, Mark on the keys and Noel doing sound engineering. I am so thankful to have such helpful and talented friends. Thanks guys!

Oh, and while I'm thanking people I can't forget the incredible Mike Reid, my boyfriend and webmaster. Did you ever see my free bravehost site? That thing was appalling. This one is so much slicker.  

Tomorrow I'm going in with the other 9 Marias to rehearse for the final show this Monday. I'm not sure what we'll be doing, but I heard a rumour that it will involve fight choreography. I'm no stage combat pro, but I  have some great suggestions. I want to do lots of hair pulls and aikido rolls, hopefully down the balcony. Maybe we could do a neck crack in there (you know, where you use an empty water bottle to make the sound?).

But I'm just talking.

I really ought to be in bed, as I'm being picked up quite early tomorrow morning. I'm doing a cleanse and somehow it's making me very wired, when what I really want to do is just sleep so I don't notice the hunger. To my health!

I am now selling my CD's online!

A lot of people have asked me about buying my CD online, and now it's possible. Just go to my website and click "Buy Now" to have my CD sent to your door for $10. I find that they sell really well at gigs, but not everyone is able to make it out to those because I usually only perform in Toronto. I'm very excited about this new feature on my website! 

I went to the Maria taping last night where, sadly, Marisa was voted off. She seems to be taking it well though. Today we're having a barbecue for all 10 of us plus Gavin, and we are so stoked! I can't wait to hang out with all the girls (sorry, is that derogatory?). This experience has been so monumental for all of us, and I can't wait to chat with everyone else and find out how their personal experience has been. 

Janna, Elicia and Jayme are the only Marias left in the competition. Next Sunday one of them will be sent home, and then on Monday the winner will be announced. How exciting! All ten of us will be on the final show (Monday, July 28th at 8pm EST) and I'm sure that will feel bittersweet for most of us. I'm disappointed by how things ended for me, but enough time has passed that I think I will mostly just be excited to perform again...and wear my dirndl! I hope we get to keep them when the show wraps.

Kyla and Katie.

Last night Tamara was saved after a three-person sing-off, while Kyla and Katie were sent home. It's sad to see them go, as much as I joke about wanting more people in my special little "club" of former Marias. 

I wish Canada had had a chance to hear Kyla's beautiful, clear soprano voice. She has had a lot of classical training, and I think if she'd been given a chance to show that off the judges wouldn't have pegged her as a belter or an alto, which I think they have. I hope great things will come out of this experience for her, because she deserves to be working. Always.

A couple days ago I told Katie that I never could have done this show at her age. She's 19, and has already gained a lot of notoriety through "Maria". She has a killer voice. I remember standing next to her in Maria School when we were working on some group harmonies. She was always perfectly in tune and sounded flawless. I can't wait to follow her career.

As for me, I have just accepted a contract with Theatre North West in Prince George, BC. I also have a few other auditions on the horizon, so please keep your fingers crossed for me. 

Oh, the drama!

I went to see the live taping of Maria last night. Finally, the girls are performing musical theatre numbers, and it was definitely the best show yet. I hope they won't go back to pop songs next week, but I think it's inevitable.

The gossip of the evening was that Elaine criticized Donna for having a diva-like attitude during rehearsals. I have worked with divas. I do not count Donna among them. The comment by Elaine was coupled with a carefully edited segment that made Donna look mean, when she was just being frank. After showing a few of the Marias commenting on how it was hard to lose people every week, they had Donna saying she knew that when people left, it only meant she was closer to winning. 

This is called honesty. 

I'll be at the taping again tonight, and I will no doubt be squirming in my seat. Having been on stage and in the audience, I have to say that the latter is more difficult. Two girls will be going home tonight, so it's sure to be a dramatic show. Here's hoping Canada did some smart voting last night!

Allie?

Yikes, I can't believe Allie was voted off last night. What a bummer. Simon was clearly troubled by having to pick between Jayme and Allie, which I can understand. That's a toughie. I was shocked they were in the bottom two. Here's hoping Canada picks a great Maria in the end.

And scene.

Okay, I think I'm over it. I'm not in the show anymore, it's over, life moves on, que sera sera, c'est la vie and what have you.

So, what's next for me? Probably a one-woman show. I'm also excited to get out there and start gigging again, and would love to get cast in a show somewhere. I had to turn down a few summer contracts because of Maria, but the experience I had was well worth it. For the first time ever I will be spending the summer in Toronto instead of doing summerstock theatre out of town. I hear the summer smog is lovely, and can't wait to experience it firsthand.

Would you like to hear the "exit interview" I did on EZ Rock the morning after I left the show? Click here.

So Long, Farewell!

Well, that was short-lived. I guess I should change the name of my blog?

For anyone who didn't catch the show on Monday, Marisa and I were the ones who received the least amount of votes on Sunday night so we had to do a sing-off. After singing "Take That Look Off Your Face" Simon decided to eliminate me. 

It's too bad I wasn't given a second chance to prove myself to the public after the microphone issue, but I have no control over the situation. I would have liked to have shown the country that I really do have what it takes to play that role. 

Onwards and upwards...

Tap tap...is this thing on?

So.

If you saw the show tonight you'll know that my head mic was not feeding to the viewers at home. The studio audience heard me, and I heard myself fine...so when I felt someone handing me a microphone in the middle of the number I was quite surprised. I'm hoping that the viewers will take this into account, and give me points for handling the situation professionally. The sound guy feels awful, but what can you do? These things happen.

Because I was handed a mic during my performance, the home audience heard the second half of my song. I felt quite disappointed about it, but hopefully I'll be there next week and, if I am, I know the sound people will probably check my feed dozens of times, just to be sure it's working.

So there you have it. Drama. What would a reality show be without it?

Tonight is the night!

Tonight we'll be doing our first live Maria show! Please tune in to CBC at 8pm. And don't forget to vote! You can see my last post for voting instructions.

I am excited, nervous, anxious, thrilled and lots of other things right now. Most of all, I feel lucky to be here.

HOW TO VOTE!

Hello everyone. Sunday fast approaches and I want to make sure you all know how to vote for me. Here are the details:

HOW TO VOTE FOR ALISON

The voting lines are open from 7pm to 3am every Sunday night.

From landlines and pay phones: call 1.866.610.3566 

Texting: Text "Alison" to 777 111 (make sure you spell my name right because there is another girl in the competition with a similar name)

Internet: vote online at cbc.ca/maria

Please note that for some reason you can't call in your votes from mobile phones, only landlines and pay phones, so only text from mobiles. 

For more information, please visit this link to the Maria voting info page.

Thank you so much for your support! I can't do this without you!

Rehearsing for our first live show.

This week we're rehearsing for our first live show, airing this Sunday at 8pm EST on CBC. 

It has been an intense week. The song I had initially been given was replaced with another, so I've been spending the last couple of days getting used to the new song. Today we have some time off, so I intend to take my voice and choreography notes and really get them in my body. I want to feel like I own the song before I step on the stage this Sunday.

Yesterday we attended the "Meet the Marias" event in the CBC Atrium and we had an incredible turnout. It's heartwarming to see how excited everyone is about the show. They have put up huge banners of our faces in the atrium, and posters outside the Royal Alex. 

People keep asking me why there wasn't more footage of me in the first two episodes, but if you want to see more of my clips from Maria School you can check out the widget on www.cbc.ca/maria and click on my face, and then my video bio. Also, don't forget to check out my site: www.alisonjutzi.com.

Top 10!!!!!

Finally I can tell you all that I made it to the top 10! If you watched the show tonight, you'll know that my jaw dropped to the ground when Andrew Lloyd Webber gave me the good news. I'm somewhat over the shock, as we came back from London two months ago, but this whole experience still feels quite surreal. 

The other 9 girls and I have moved into a gorgeous mansion in Toronto, and are in intense rehearsals for our first live show. We are growing closer to one another by the day, and can't quite imagine what it will be like when the eliminations begin. Whether I'm leaving or not, it will be difficult. 

I am lots of things right now. Nervous. Excited. Terrified. Overjoyed. 

I want to soak up every moment and enjoy it the best I can. I know this is a unique experience that I am very fortunate to share with 9 other very talented girls.

Please tune in every Sunday and Monday night for the next six weeks and don't forget to vote!

www.alisonjutzi.com

I keep seeing ads for "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" on CBC and I'm getting really excited to see the first show, airing this Sunday. I have just launched my website, www.alisonjutzi.com and I will be posting news and information about the show on there, as well as other things that I've got going on.

Wish me luck!

"How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" airs June 15th at 8pm on CBC!

Hello everyone! My name is Alison Jutzi and I am an actor and singer in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Recently I was lucky enough to take part in the new CBC reality show, How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?, which is going to start airing on Sunday, June 15th. Please tune in to see how far I got in the competition! I am nervous and excited to see the footage, but more than anything I am very happy for the experience I had at "Maria School". If you want to see the photo and video gallery from Maria School, or find out more information about the show, you can go to www.cbc.ca/maria.