Musicals, Mosquitos, and Merriment

Tomorrow marks the one week anniversary of my return to the city, and good grief it has been a jam packed week! I have successfully settled into my apartment, am starting to get the rhythm of my internship, and am enjoying city life immensely. I have a whole list of things to update, so I think this blog will be done categorically...

My apartment:
After a few days of renters and rentees moving in and out, things have settled into what seems to be the summer crew. One night this week, we piled eight people into the apartment- we had some family visitors, friends who needed a place to crash for a night, and two overlapping rent schedules. It was a little bit crazy, but definitely fun. My room is in the back corner of the apartment. It's about half the size of my college dorm room, but it's clean and organized (we'll see how long that lasts) and I have my own toilet and sink (which is GREAT in the mornings). Our living room overlooks Riverside Park, and it is GORGEOUS! My roommates are fantastic. They are all connected to Juilliard in some way - most are graduates - so there is an endless stream of beautiful music coming from behind the closed doors along the hallway. The neighborhood seems safe. It's an extremely diverse group of age ranges and ethnicities, which is really pretty neat.

The only major issue I've had with the apartment is the mosquito problem. Apparently in old buildings, mosquitos find standing water in drains and pipes and can multiply. Either that's our problem, or the holes in the screens are letting them in. Either way, it's not good. I woke up on Saturday morning and my eye was swollen shut because I had a bite on the side of my nose. I panicked a little bit, then decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. IKEA saves the day!! After a refreshing ride on the water taxi (including a view of the sun setting behind the Statue of Liberty) I found a delightful little mosquito net/ princess canopy that now hangs over my bed, keeping me safe from the monster mosquitos.

My Internship:
As many of you know, I'm working for the casting director Arnold Mungioli this summer. While I would love to name-drop and tell you all about the juicy drama of the theatrical world, I feel that it's my duty to keep a large majority of what I hear in the office to myself. I CAN tell you, however, that we're casting two shows this summer - a New York Musical Theatre Festival show, "Howe and Hummel", and Bill T. Jones' "Super Fly." A ridiculous amount of work happens before an audition is even posted, and I've already learned that I will never take that for granted again! I've learned so much already about the process and am just trying to absorb everything that I see and hear so I can implement that into my own auditions in the future. The other day, my boss handed me a brochure of a show he had recently cast, and on the back was a picture of Jenn Colella - an incredibly talented performer that I've had the pleasure of working with during the January intensives over the past three years. I told him I knew her and he asked if I would like to go see the show with him that evening!!!!! At the show "Closer than Ever" by Maltby and Shire, I was introduced to an assortment of writers, directors, actors, and other industry greats - including the fantastic Richard Maltby Jr and David Shire (Who also wrote "BABY," a musical I was in my junior year). Oh I almost died! It was incredible.

The internship isn't all rainbows and sunshine. Things get a little hectic and stressful in our business, and I've learned that quickly, but it is definitely exciting.

My Friends:
It was so wonderful to be able to just jump right back into life instead of having to get started on my own this time. I've had friends with me every step of the way since I moved back. Even the first night, Katherine and Cara came over to bring me pizza and help me unpack. I'm singing in the choir at Central Presbyterian again, and there are some new faces to add to the familiar ones from last summer. They are a vibrant and wonderful group of people, and I so look forward to hanging out with them all summer.

Saturday is the Mississippi Picnic, and the Tony Awards are Sunday, so I'm looking forward to a pretty epic weekend to top off the week.

Well, it's time for work, so I'll be back soon with more stories and whatnot.

Grace be with you,
Lindsey Shea