Summer in the Bay means one thing - teaching camp! I am fortunate to currently be doing two things that I completely love. Performing and teaching - the true marriage of the Teaching Artist. There has been a good bit of juggling and a bit of frustration, but I think I got my summertime groove.

I started rehearsals for The Real Thing three weeks ago and it has been equally challenging and exhilarating. It is lovely to revisit the world of the straight play. After I did Bathsheba Doran's Nest in the Spring of 2008, I jumped into the wild world of dance and musical theatre. Working with John Jasperse and Mindy Cooper got me in physical and vocal shape, but now have the chance to put my Stanislavsky training to work again and slip back into realism.

I have never done Stoppard and he is such a smart writer. Maybe a little too smart for his own good. There are no throw-away lines and he really makes the actors work. Perhaps its the 'British-isms' but there were a few exchanges that I didn't understand until yesterday. Thankfully we have a great director in Lisa Tromovich who gives us the space to truly explore. I play the role of Charlotte and she just kicks ass. Sassy and witty, she exudes passion. She's juicy, even though she appears in only 3 of the 12 scenes. It really makes me think about story we are telling and my role within. I'm not gonna lie, memorization has been a little tough, but once I finally unlocked Charlotte's journey and her message it made putting the pieces together rather easy. And as of today - really fun.

While my afternoons and weekends have been in Livermore, my mornings have been spent with the kids in Oakland at the first of Cal Shakes' 2-week camps. I have the luxury of teaching movement to each of the 5 groups. Ages 7 to 17. I am teaching largely the same curriculum of Laban and Boal to all and witness first hand what works and what doesn't for each age. I tend to move faster with the wee ones and push the older kids to more complexity. I enjoy teaching the older kids more, but there has been some lovely moments with the younger ones. I only have 3 sessions with the little ones and 4 with the older kids so I have to work fast. This would have been fairly simple, but some of the directors for the Shakespeare shows have requested dances or other specific movement as part of their 30 minute presentations. As if I needed more challenges.

Needless to say I am truly blessed - on the front lines as a teaching artist.