A Chorus Line!

Hello! Long time - no blog! I have really been lacking on the blogging lately and I apologize. But the good news is that I have been busy rehearsing a new show and teaching yoga! So a lot of my "blogging time" has been taken up with studying music, scripts, choreography, writing lesson plans and making up playlists! But in a few weeks things should slow down.. maybe... I am really excited to perform this show which is a little special to me and here is why...

Me and A Chorus Line: an Epic Journey... (to me anyways)

In the fall of 2006, the Theatre and Dance Department at Missouri State University was putting on a production of A Chorus Line. They held auditions at the end of the spring semester so they could start rehearsing the show right when school started back up in the fall. I was a freshman at the time of the auditions. And I was extremely nervous! I was a Dance Performance major and I thought: "Hey! This IS a dance show for dancers, so why not audition?" Plus I was in a little choir in middle school call Dee's Dreamers (we were terrible btw...) so I can sing on pitch...just not well. But I thought "What the hell? I will audition and see what happens." 

I was 1 of 2 dance majors that auditioned for this show. At the time, or at least what I was told, dance majors didn't audition for the musicals because: 

1. We can't sing...and talking? Forget about it! (which is actually a big theme in this musical....interesting...)
2. Dance majors had student choreography dance concerts to workshop and perform at the end of the semester, so they were a little busy.

But I have always loved to perform! When I was in elementary school, I used to write short sketches and plays. Then I would perform one woman shows for my parents. Sometimes, I would get the kids at my summer camp involved in my plays, and we would perform for the camp counselors and other kids. Not to mention all the choreography I would make up in my bedroom - mostly dance numbers to the Spice Girls, Britney Spears and Will Smith - and afterwards, I would teach the dances to my 4 year old sister and again, perform these routines for my parents. Oh God bless my parents and their patience! So you can say I had a "flare for the dramatics." (Direct quote from my Grandma).

But anyways, I was super scared to sing for my audition. At this university, the singing auditions were always before the dance auditions. I knew I would get cut right away. This theory has been confirmed from past experience. I was really bummed because I KNEW I could dance the heck out of this show and I didn't want to be cut before I could show the directors what I could do. When the auditions were finally announced, it was like an answer to my prayers! The dance call was first! 

Cue gospel choir

Okay! I got this! I was ready! And I nailed the dance audition! I danced my heart out! I kicked, twirled, shook my hips, popped my head, and left everything I had on the dance floor! I remember feeling super confident and in my element. It was so freeing and fantastic! I felt like Cassie in her "Music and the Mirror" dance solo! AND I got the callback! Which meant that now I had to sing...

I was shaking in my little dance shoes. Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! I remember sitting outside the little music room where the singing audition was taking place and listening to these singers go into the room and belt out these powerhouse songs. The other auditioners waiting in the hall with me were all laughing, talking, and vocally warming up by doing those siren exercises. You could definitely tell that this was THEIR element and I didn't stand a chance! At one point, this girl came down the hall. She was a senior who was graduating, and she went up to this guy about to audition and gave him warm apple juice to help warm up and lubricate his throat. "I have to take care of my babies!" she said. And I was thinking "Damn! I just drank water out of the water fountain like an idiot!" I didn't know that you had to drink a special concoction before you sang!

Actual photo of me from that day...

It was finally my turn to sing. When they called my name my throat immediately tightened. I had this thing for a few years where I would get so nervous before singing that my throat would get a lump in it. You know the painful lump you get right before you are about to cry, but you try really hard not to? Yeah that's the one. I gave the accompanist my music, which was "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid (my FAVORITE Disney Movie). The sad part was that I was so nervous that I did not sing well at all. My voice cracked and I sang way too fast. I think the accompanist even stopped playing for a second so she could catch up to me. I was hoping that this would be an easy song to sing because I knew it by heart and I usually ROCKED at this song while singing in my shower. But singing in front of an audience is a different story. I finally got through the longest 3 minutes of my life, and I knew that I did the best that I could and all I could do now was wait. 

I believe there was another round of callbacks after the singing, but I didn't get one. "Oh well, I guess that dream is over," I thought. They posted the cast list at 11pm the next night. My dance friend who auditioned with me (she unfortunately was cut after the dance call), urged me to go look at the cast list after our dance rehearsal let out. I knew I didn't get it, so I didn't know what the point was to walk all the way across campus just to see that my name was not on the list. Plus I was sleepy...it was 11pm people! Way past my bedtime. But we ended up going to check it out. I looked at the list, and there I was!! Ashley Ann Hendrix as Betty-the-dancer-who-gets-cut-after-the-opening-number! WHAT!!??!!! I was so excited! I made it in the cast and I couldn't wait to get started!

Me warming up before the show...and striking a pose...

Over the summer break the choreographer learned the show's original choreography from Mitzi Hamilton. Mitzi is the lady whose real-life story is Val's character in the play. Val is the character that sings about getting plastic surgery on her chest and buttocks. But Mitzi made it very clear that she only had plastic surgery on her boobs, not her butt. So just make note of that because she is very proud of her natural butt!

Mitzi Hamilton - Real butt, Enhanced boobs

The choreographer asked me and one other girl to be dance captains for the show. So even though I was only on stage for the opening number, I was still at every rehearsal, learning choreography and teaching it to the actors during breaks or outside of rehearsal. And I loved it! The nights were long but I knew this show inside and out! I also really liked being able to help the other actors and help polish the show.

The Chorus Line rejects.
While the cast was getting ready for the show, we made our own signature "Line" poses.
Our poses have way more pizzazz!

Now during this time, one of my classes during the fall semester was Theatre 151 which was an Intro to Theatre Tech class. One of the credits for this class was a lab credit and we were required to work backstage for one of the department's shows. For example, running sound, lights, checking out costumes, etc. In the lecture part of this class, there was this guy, Geo Jones, who was an Acting major and he was super hot and funny! But way too popular and cool for a nerd like me. We would say "hello" to each other, but there wasn't a whole lot of interaction between us. When we started dress rehearsals for A Chorus Line, I found out that Geo was working in the costume shop for his lab credit. We started to hang out during dress rehearsals and performances.

Each night, I would perform the opening number (and I gave extra oomph because Geo was watching from the wings), and after I got "cut" Geo and I would hang out backstage. We would flirt, joke around, laugh, take a break whenever I would have to sing off-stage during the chorus parts, and then we would pick up where we left off. It was a flirty "showmance" and it was fun. But that was all it was...or so I thought...

After the show closed, I didn't expect to really hang out with Geo anymore. I thought we had a lot of fun flirting but I really didn't think that he would be interested in me because again, he was way too popular and cool to want to date me. He had a lot of friends and went to parties. I did not. I had friends, but not a huge group that I regularly hung out with. I also did not go to parties, because Hello! I had school and homework! I was a nerd, remember? But one day after our Theatre 151 class, we walked together to the campus shuttle bus in the freezing rain, and he asked me out! I seriously almost turned him down because I just didn't think I was cool enough. (I guess you could say that I had some confidence issues back then... I am much better now!)  But something told me to say yes, so I did. I mean there was no reason not to! I don't know why I was so hesitant. He was a nice guy, he made me laugh, and he was hot! So what is stopping me from seeing where this date goes? God! Live a little Ashley!

This pic was taken from a photo booth at a movie theater.
One of our first dates!

So we went out and I liked him a lot!! We really clicked. We had the same sense of humor, the same values, and the same people annoyed us...you know, all the important things that fuels every relationship! It was just great and we were great together! 2 years later he asked me to marry him and 1.5 years after that we got married! And now 11 years later, I am doing A Chorus Line again only this time I finally made it on the line as Judy Turner and Geo, my husband, gets to watch me from the audience rather than from the wings!

A couple things have changed since then, other than my last name :) I no longer think my husband is too cool for me. We are equally cool and yet at the same time, nerdy people. In fact, we are pretty much all-around bad-asses! Geo has boosted my confidence with acting and singing and encouraged me to take voice lessons to learn how to use and support my voice. Those lessons helped a lot! I still get very nervous when singing at auditions, but I no longer get the lump in my throat or want to die anymore! So big improvement there! But a few things are still the same: we still have the same sense of humor, the same values, and the same people still annoy us! Ahhhh True Love!!

The many faces of Judy Turner
A Chorus Line 2017
Photo Credit: Rob Mintzes

And next Friday, on March 24th, 2017, we open A Chorus Line at The Rockaway Theatre Company! I am ecstatic and I can't wait! Judy Turner is such a fun and quirky role! There are so many similarities between me and Judy. It has been such a blast to explore and play with this character. It is so neat to look back and see how far I have come. I did not realize that this show was such an important piece of my life until now. A Chorus Line made me want to explore acting and singing even further and it sparked a "showmance" between me and Geo that turned into a true romance. And I am extremely grateful for everything!!

Mr. & Mrs. Jones 2010