Life is a Cabaret

Look!  My Debut show was reviewed by Sandi Durell from Cabaret Scenes magazine - this is on their website:

http://www.cabaretscenes.org/cabaret_reviews/2009/sep09/gregson_jennifer_9-09.html

Thanks Ms. Durrell for a wonderful review!

More to come from me about how I thought my debut went - as I have one more show (This Sunday, September 20th at 6pm - Don’t Tell Mama — tell your friends! Have them read my review!)….but it’s been going very well and I’ve been having a total blast performing

It’s a week away people…..one week from today I will be at home getting ready for my big Cabaret Debut!

I’m excited and nervous all at the same time.  One minute I can’t wait for next week, and the next I’m trying to quiet the voices of negativity in my head (you know the ones, the ones that tell you you’re not quite ready, you’re not good enough, you should quit, etc. and so forth).   But I’m not listening to those voices, well, not much.   I’m trying to stay positive and realize that being nervous is normal.  This is my first show….on my own.  I’ve done workshop shows where I’ve sung between one and three songs, but never a whole show of just me and yes, that’s nerve-wracking.  It’s also so exciting I can’t stand it!

This week I’ve been spending time on my own going over my blocking, my patter, and my lyrics.  Tonight I’ll be looking over every single song in my show and asking myself the question Why?   Why am I singing this song?  What am I trying to say?  I’ve asked these questions before, but I will ask them again to solidify my motivations and my inner monologues for each song within the show, because that can change things.   A song can be about one thing on it’s own, but in the context of a story arc, it could be about something entirely different and I need to make sure I understand that for my own sanity.

This weekend I have my final rehearsals.  Sunday is a final music run-through with my wonderful musical director, Steven Ray Watkins.  Monday is a final (and full-dress) run-through with both Steven and my amazing director, Lennie Watts followed by an hour of cue-to-cue tech (which should be interesting and new).   Then I’ll have two days before the show.   Hopefully I can keep on with my positive thoughts and thinking….and not run away to Pennsylvania (where my parents live) — of course, if I did that, my Mother would just talk to me and make me realize how much I love this stuff and I would be back on the bus to NYC (probably with them as they are coming to all three shows — I love my parents!).

So….there you go….the show is a week away.   If you want details and dates, check out my homepage for all the details and a really great picture of my postcard (designed by Hector Coris - Thanks!) with a cute photo of ME on it!

Let me just say this:  Putting together a show is hard work.  It’s also exhilarating and a lot of fun.

So, a few weeks back I mentioned that my dear friend Dezur Kenna would be helping me with my postcards, well that was going very well until her computer died on her and she lost her only copy of the graphic design program that she needed to use.  :-(   So, she referred me to another cabaret performer and graphic designer - Hector Coris.  After a few dozen emails back and forth between the three of us, it was all set that Hector would be taking over and designing my cards.

Before Hector could start on anything, though, I needed to get approval from my director, Lennie, regarding name choice and some of the ideas that Dezur and I had come up with at our meeting.   Lennie enjoyed the name, but was not a fan of the concept we had chosen.   The name of my show is The Facts of Life and we had wanted to do a TV Guide theme, but Lennie was afraid that people would think the whole show was going to be about TV…and it’s not, so I nixed that idea and went to Hector to basically start over from scratch.

Well, I’m happy to report that after a few weeks of designing and back and forth between Lennie, Hector, and myself - I finally ordered my beautiful Show Postcards and will hopefully be mailing them next weekend.  I’m going to go buy postcard stamps tomorrow on my way home and have already printed off most of my mailing labels (I used the MAC list as well as a personal cabaret list -  I have a personal family and friends list started as well, but will be finishing that up after my mother-in-law and dear husband furnish me a few names/addresses).

Whew!  I have never had to name my own show before, design fliers, or come up with a marketing strategy.  The business side of this cabaret stuff is slightly overwhelming.   I think my administrative skill set does come in extremely handy - like I knew how to set up email blasts and mail merge labels from a huge excel file - all things that have shaved hours off of my set-up time so far.  The only thing left to figure out for me is:  Facebook.  I’ve never put something like this out there on Facebook before, but there’s always a first time, correct?  And I have many friends who have used Facebook to promote their shows so I can always ask if I get stuck.

So, you’re all wondering - when can we see the cards - right?   Well, I do have an electronic copy, but I’m waiting to unveil everything at the same time - so hopefully sometime next weekend.  Stay tuned!

Last Thursday was the first class of the next round of Vocal Technique classes with Patrick DeGennaro.   It’s another really good group of talented women, too.  I’m definitely looking forward to watching everyone advance and grow within the next few weeks.

The exciting thing about this round though is the performance at the end - each of us will get to do two songs for the public (or adoring fans, as I like to call them).   As soon as I find out dates, times, etc. I will let you know.

Here’s the thing…I have a new voice that’s trying to emerge and each week Patrick tells me I’m on the verge, just a page turn away from this glorious new sound.  That’s all well and good, but WHEN?  When am I going to turn that page?  When is this glorious new belt sound going to finally settle down and just BE instead of hovering in this spot just out of reach?  Yeah, I’m being impatient, like a small child, but I can see what the new voice is going to be and I just want it…NOW!   I’m working like crazy at home to help the process along, but I have a feeling it will take as long as it needs to take.   I mean, rehearsals at home are always good and keep me occupied, but I don’t think I can hurry along the process or “make” my new voice just happen.

Right now in class I’m working on too older songs that will be in my show (at least, as of right now they are on the song list for my show - things can and will most likely change in the following few weeks).  The issue is, I learned them and started working on them in my old voice and my new voice wants to take over, but it’s not quite sure yet exactly what it’s doing.  It’s fun, exciting, scary, and slightly dangerous. HA  Okay, not really dangerous, but it feels dangerous as I have no idea what’s going to come out of my mouth some Thursdays.    It’s definitely interesting.  I’ll keep you posted as to what happens next.

Now that I have dates for my show, my next question was:  What will I call it and how will I let all my fans (again, read family members and friends) know about it?   This led me to my friend Dezur Kenna, a talented singer, who just had her own show at Don’t Tell Mama.  I loved her postcard - it was quirky, whimsical, colorful, and really told the viewer of the card exactly what the show was about without saying much of anything.  Perfect!   So, I emailed her the day after her last show to ask her for some help, and she agreed.

We met this past Wednesday to start discussions about titles, themes, ideas for the postcard itself, and various other things regarding my show.   I had sent her a song list (which isn’t quite finished, as I think I have a few too many songs listed - not all of them will be making the final cut, I’m sure), a link to my website and blog, and some general ideas about theme.

We grabbed Starbucks and headed to a small park near my office where she showed me a few preliminary ideas and we started chatting about my songs, my TV theme song medley, and my ideas for titles.  There was one title that both of us really liked, but I haven’t yet discussed it with my director yet.  After Sunday’s rehearsal I will let you in on more of my secret plans (mwah-haha).    Anyways, the forerunner for a title led to a really great tag-line or theme which led us to a postcard design idea (actually two).  We were off and running!

We spent about an hour brainstorming, talking, and discussing everything from what I liked and didn’t like about other postcards (which I had been collecting over the past few days before the meeting), what I really wanted my card to say about me and my show, and my show in general.

Dezur is easy to talk to you and wonderful to work with.  I need to ask her if she has a website of her own, if so, I will link to it.  She’s also bringing her show back this fall, so I will let you guys know - it was really fantastic!   I feel so fortunate to have found such wonderful friends in the Cabaret Community; friends that are willing to share information, help out, and give advice.  It’s really something special.

So, where the heck have I been lately?  Well, when I’m not in classes I’m working my tail off on my show!!!

Yes, the elusive Cabaret Show is really happening people, and it’s coming up fast.  So, that has meant rehearsals, meetings, and home study on songs, patter, etc.

Firstly, rehearsals.  I have had a few with the boys, Lennie and Steve, to work on my TV Theme song medley (will have another medley rehearsal this weekend) and to talk about other issues with my show.  These are going really well and are alot of fun.  Steven and Lennie are a joy to work with - not only are they brilliant, but they are hilarious!

Meetings - I met with Sidney Meyer, the booking manager of Don’t Tell Mama to talk about my show, me, him, and Cabaret in NYC in general - it was a delightful and informative meeting and I came away knowing way more about cabaret and booking a room for a show than I did before (which, to my credit, was not much).    After our meeting I went back to the boys to discuss days they were free in September, looked at my calendar and my fan base (my family and friends!) and came away with three dates that worked perfectly.  Luckily, they also worked for Sidney and Don’t Tell Mama so I’m all set.   Are you ready?  Here are the dates for my Premiere Cabaret show - my debut as it were - September 10th at 7pm, September 13th and 20th at 6pm.      So exciting!!!

What’s next on my to-do list for the show?   Memorizing new songs, working on the medley, working on a few really new songs (things we just decided to add about two weeks ago), working on my marketing plan (in fact, I’m meeting with my friend and talented Cabaret performer, Dezur Kenna, this evening to go over postcard design), coming up with a title, writing patter, attending Summer in the City again (yeah!), and rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing.  Whew!   I’m tired after just writing that list!

So, I have two months to get this show up and running - way more than enough time, so says my crack team of experts, but I’m feeling a bit worried.  I know I’m in good hands though, so I’ll try to relax and go with the flow.  Most of all I’m going to have a great time with the process, learning all I can, and trusting that things will be amazing!

Hello!!!   I know, it’s been forever and a day, and I apologize for letting this blog slide for as long as I did.   Let’s recap what’s been going on with me as far as my two classes are concerned.

First - Lennie’s CabLab.  The last set of classes I was in with Lennie saw all of us students getting ready for solo shows of our own (in fact, two people have already had their shows go up — so exciting to see the process as both a performer and an observer - very interesting).   This class really helped me get some solid work done on song selection - as of right now I have 14 including my medley - and getting my butt moving on picking dates and talking with the booking manager of Don’t Tell Mama - which I did and have picked dates (more on that later), all I’m waiting for now is a contract to sign and I’m in business.   That set of classes is over and now I’m working with Lennie and Steven on my own to work on the aforementioned medley and other new songs that I’ve found since class.   I’m also started to work on my postcard design, picking a title, and all other marketing aspects.   A blog post all on it’s own about Marketing will be written in the next few weeks (promise!).

Next - Patrick’s Vocal Technique Class.  Ahhh….this has been an on-going class with few breaks for us.  The class has shifted people somewhat, but mostly it’s the same lovely ladies and I love it!  We all get along super well, seem to have similiar issues (which is fun and helpful watching others struggle and overcome the same things each week, we get to really help each other out and celebrate each other’s wins each Thursday night), and I just love going to class every week.   My voice has really grown - in fact, Patrick calls it my “new voice” - I’m really exploring a new belt voice actually which is exciting and scary all at the same time as each new song brings challenges to face while trying to find my way with this “new voice” — I’m having a wonderful time though as I feel more confident and secure each and every week with Patrick guiding me and supporting me.

So, that’s where I’ve been with classes.  In about three weeks I’ll be attending Summer in the City with Lennie and Lina for the fourth summer!!!  I’ve come a long way Baby and it’s just the beginning!

Stay tuned for Part 2 - My Show (where I’ll be writing about rehearsals and my medley, Don’t Tell Mama and the dates of my show, and Marketing!)

Well, I took a small hiatus from blogging about my Cabaret experience, because honestly I took a small hiatus from working on much.   After classes ended and we had our final performance, I just chilled with Family and my Husband.

After the small Holiday break, I did start looking for new music, looking at old music, and brainstorming some ideas for my Cabaret show because last week I started CabLab with Lennie Watts and Steven Ray Watkins.    This class is going to be geared toward each of us working on our own Cabaret shows.

This is it folks, I’m really doing this thing - I’m actually creating a theme for my show, starting to pick out and work on music, working with Lennie (my director) and Steven (my musical director), writing patter - the whole nine yards!  I’m so excited and nervous and scared and thrilled - it’s going to be a fun ride.

So, we’ve had two classes so far and we’re a small bunch, but so amazing - each of us is doing our own thing, but we’re all willing to encourage and help the others.    And watching others go through a smiliar process (although, everyone is different, and each show will be SOOOO different) helps me realize how normal the things I’m thinking about or worrying about actually is.

For me personally, right now, I’m just trying to concentrate on finding music that encompasses the “theme” that we’ve chosen — it’s not really a theme, in the sense that it’s about a certain time period or a certain composer, but we did choose a starting point using a song - Unwritten (sung by Natasha Beddingfield).    That’s our starting point.  Unwritten.   How I came to New York with a dream, a goal, and how different my life is today…some bad things have happened, some amazing things have happened, there were highs and lows and shifts and changes, but I’m not done yet - my life story is not finished yet and how exciting that can be.

Last night’s class I started working on some new songs that Lennie recommended and we discussed a few other songs that I was thinking about.   I worked on “Dogs in the Yard” from the movie Fame and “You Can Be a New Yorker, too” from the musical Mayor.   They are both great songs and this weekend I will be memorizing and rehearsing them.     The other songs that I”m thinking about are “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” by Elton John and “Dreams” from Fleetwood Mac.     I’ll also be thinking about patter, stories I want to tell, stories that I want to tell through song (stuff that I want to express, but maybe not explicitly talk about), and I want to think about a medley of some sort (although, right now, I’m leaning toward a fun medley of TV theme songs — I love theme songs, I wish I had a theme song some days). 

So, I’ll be back, talking about my music choices, where I find music (for example - I used pandora.com, typed in Unwritten and up popped Mandy Moore’s version of “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” which really caught my attention), what happens during class, and other things that pop up during the whole fun, crazy, process.

Here’s the 411 on the Shut Up and Sing Showcase that I will be performing in this weekend - come and enjoy, each of the seven performers will be singing two songs, one of which will be a Motown song with a twist!

The Motown Experience

Saturday, December 6th @ 2:00 PM

Metropolitan Room, 34 West 22nd Street

Reservations a Must!  Please call:  212-206-0440

$15 cover + 2 Drink Minimum

Director:  Lennie Watts, Musical Director:  Steven Ray Watkins

Okay, this post is not going to be about Cabaret or Music or one of my classes, but I wanted to write about it anyways.  I participated in NaNoWriMo this year - National Novel Writing Month.  NaNoWriMo is a writing challenge where you’re trying to write 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November.   And yesterday, I finished - with 50,342 words (which was 161 pages double-spaced).  I wanted to be done before Thanksgiving, and I accomplished that goal with a day to spare.

I never much thought of myself as a writer, even though I do write Morning Pages most days of the week (when I can get my butt out of bed and into gear), but this called to me for some odd reason, and I never found the writing to be a challenge or too difficult.  I loved almost every minute of it.   My story centered around a young girl who was in the hospital with cancer and her Mother starts telling her stories to cheer her up, take her mind off of things, and to engage her own imagination.    As I started to write I added characters like nurses and other children in the ward and they took on a life of their own.  It was so much fun for me to get out of my own head for while and into another world.   I swear, sometimes I thought the characters were talking to me and I was just typing - it was a wonderful feeling!  I’m glad I did NaNo and I hope to start working on editing my first novel and seeing what can become of it.

Again, this has nothing to do with music, but it does have something to do with Creativity and that’s what art is to me - singing, acting, drawing, and writing - it’s all a wonderful creative outlet for me and for my energies.  I need that, I need to be creative on a daily basis and I’m so thrilled to have found a new outlet.  Singing and Acting are great, but Writing is also pretty nifty and I hope I can continue to love it through the editing process.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!   Be safe everyone, and eat lots!