Opening Night! The Festival is Here!

So.. we have officially opened both shows (Antony & Cleopatra and As You Like It) of this season's Houston Shakespeare Festival and I couldn't be more thrilled. The festival is held at the Miller Outdoor Theater in Hermann Park outdoors, in the heat, of a Texas summer! Luckily, as the sun settles, the heat index does as well... AND the actors can benefit from air conditioning when they are not on the proscenium portion of the stage. Attendees who choose to sit in seats under the metal canopy and not on the lawn also benefit from a bit of AC breeze and fans spinning form up above.

During the dinner break on opening night, I walked around the park filled with families, couples, and workout enthusiasts. After an hour of profuse sweating, the universe told me to calm my behind down with all that movement, so I sat on the lawn for a good hour as audience members began to congregate. It was so exciting to have a little secret, that I, sitting on the lawn, was actually going to be on stage in an hour. I like to do this when I'm in shows because it grounds me. That, and jammin' to Jay-Z, Macklemore, or B.O.B. What can I say, this girl likes her bass.

This, however, was not the best part of opening night. After I got myself decked out in Egyptian gold (because Cleo's girls always look good), forced the dressing room to have a dance party with me (why would I not.. Antony & Cleopatra starts at a party!), creating a whole-bunch of unnecessary sweat (what was I thinking), and running to the stage when I got the call for places (I was last... #diva), the curtain went up. Never in my life have I seen that many people looking at me! I'm supposed to be frozen and I nearly broke. To remedy the situation, instead of having my eyes cast forth across the horizon, I had to drop my focus to my breasts... because they are no longer shocking to me.

And off we went. I'm truly grateful. At the moment, I get to act for a living, I have some great friends and loved ones, a roof over my head, food in my belly, and spend a significant part of my day outdoors and. As I walked around before call time, I became somewhat overwhelmed by it all and I'm not ashamed to admit it -- tears fell from my eyes for a few minutes. Gravity. (lol)

What can I say... I'm lucky.

(Also... my mother wants to enlarge this photograph, frame it, and put it in our family home. Cleavage and all. Ha)

"Thank You 10" - Conversations Between Acting

I'm some ways, the early days of rehearsal can feel like the first day of school. There's lots of anxiety yet excitement, nervousness and confidence, self-doubt a midst intense hope. But it's more than just school and I am approaching each new experience as more than just a student.

One of the aspects I've enjoyed the most about my experience with Houston Shakespeare Festival is the talking-to and getting-to-know my fellow artists better. The conversations in of themselves teach me so much about the different paths people take in this field. I've been able to eek out life advice AND steal some really great acting techniques from so many of the more established actors in the casts.

One of the most eye-opening realizations I've had is learning that many of the actors are (a lot) older than they play, and a lot older than I thought they were. I'm glad I can end that misguided perception. Given that truth, and the truth that black don't crack, I think I'm good for at least another 20-30 years.

Another unique thing about these casts... a lot of them are married. Speaking as someone who one day hopes to start a family, this was rather reassuring. You CAN be a performer and have a happy married life. What's particularly unique about this season is the number of couples there are in the overall artistic team! The guy who plays Antony is married to the director (Leah Gardiner) of Antony & Cleopatra, and Cleopatra is married to Octavius. Aggripa is married to the stage manager of Antony & Cleopatra. Pompey is getting married to someone who used to be in connected to the festival. Enobarbus is married to someone who used to be connected to the show...

and you wouldn't know it because, as a friend in the cast put it, "no one changes their frickin' name anymore!"

Anyway. It's been fun yet hard. I'm much more confident with Phebe of "As You Like it" than Charmian of "Antony & Cleopatra", but that's probably because I've spent more time in/with her  I'm enjoying it all around. I'm looking forward to creating and finding more and more dimensions to both roles. And...how awesome is it that I get paid to do this?! I truly am blessed from above! -Nickclette Izuegbu

I'm Acting... in the Houston Shakespeare Festival

So...this past Tuesday I began working, as an actor, in the Houston Shakespeare Festival. I was a perfect mix of excitement and nerves. I've had forays into the professional acting world, but it's my first gig post graduate school school. I was really looking forward to being in the rehearsal room again. It's been awhile, and if you know anything about actors, they thrive in rehearsal... they do not enjoy when they don't have a chance to perform.

Boy is it fun. Although I'm continually working on my writing and producing skills, I am an actor. Being in the room is great. I love that I get to meet so many new talented artists. They make so many strong, wonderful choices. I am constantly observing, listening, and writing down notes...you know to steal for later. HA! I love that I can contribute as well, and so far... I'm on par! I'm looking forward to digging deeper! Thus far, we've only worked on 'As You Like It.' The director, Marc Masterson, who's great to work with (and who also looks a like he could be related to Alan Thicke... it's a compliment), has chosen to set it in New Orleans and the swamp surrounding it. I play Phoebe. a shepherdess. So... ya' girl Nickclette gets to try her hand at that dialect! The role is fun and challenging, so much so that I find myself sweating, a lot. And, given that we are doing this show outdoors, in the heat, in Houston TEXAS, I don't think I'm gonna do much in the way of makeup. 

We've already begun staging it and it's only day three. We haven't gotten to 'Antony & Cleopatra' yet, directed by Leah Gardiner, but I'm excited (and nervous) to begin. We have about three weeks of rehearsal for both shows before tech. It'll be the shortest rehearsal period I've ever had.

In the words of contemporary poet Waka Flaka Flame... "Oh let's do it! Yup!"