So, I've bee inspired to take out a journal entry of mine that I wrote about Cecilia last year.
Sunday, 6 August 2006
"I thought I'd be a dancer. But I'm not that good at it. Truly one of the great things to happen to American theater is that I never danced on stage." ~Cecilia Fannon
I wish I had a picture of Cecilia to share. She is a playwright and from what I've heard and researched, a mighty damn good one! She is a small woman; small-boned. If you look at her, she seems very fragile and meek. What makes her a powerhouse, to me, is her quick mind and dry wit, her intelligence and humor. The woman just knows what she's talking about. I'm so intrigued by people's minds. I sometimes feel so inadequate because I feels sometimes my mind is not up to par or whatever. Okay, enough of that! On to Cecilia...I also love when she laughs because it's so contagious! When something absolutely kills her, she turns very red! Cecilia is another woman that I know that is soft-spoken with a great laugh. She prefers to devote her time listening to her students' work rather than following along with the script and being the narrator for the stage directions. She takes careful notes. She knows the questions to ask. At the reading, yesterday morning, she was wearing a soft yellow, cable-knit short-sleeve sweater with (I think) khaki pants. I don't remember the pants. I remember her blouse, though. Because it set off her light red/orange hair. I think the frames of her small glasses also had red in them.
At one point, during the reading, I looked over at her and thought, "I need to paint her something." I already know the colors I'm going to use.
I first met Cecilia earlier this year. I got a ring on my cell from some number I was not familiar with, at all. And it was her asking me if I was available and interested to read a play from a student of hers at SCR. HELLO! Of course! I was ecstatic! I had given her my headshot last year around March because she wanted any of Karen's students that were interested in participating in readings for her playwrighting classes. I never got a response back until that ring on my cell. She said that she was sorry that it took her a year to get back to me. I told her that it was better late than never! HELLO! Seriously. She wanted me to read for her Advanced Playwrighting class, a play by Michael Buss titled, THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF SANJAY GUPTA. I would be playing Sanjay's 17 year old daughter, Millie. A pretty girl. Ha! Cecilia also said that she really liked my headshot. Which totally took me by surprise. "I really do like your headshot. And I'm VERY picky about headshots. Yours is a good one." And that was that. That began my association with Cecilia.
The reading was pure joy. We all had so much fun up there with each other. Michael said that he wanted us to get up and move around and be free. We didn't have to stay in our seats. We took total advantage of that direction and we all flew!
I was also involved in another reading for her student, Scott Samson. I was a last minute replacement. Karen was in charge of finding a person to fill in that day since Cecilia was in NY at the time.
The play was titled, REALLY USEFUL PEOPLE. And I played about 5 characters in that piece; ranging from a Louisiana torch singer to Liz Taylor in, "Suddenly, Last Summer," from a black Starbucks employee to a newscaster. Seriously. It was great! Though, I got my script a few minutes before the reading and did not have time to go over it. I went into the bathroom with the script and started to thumb threw it. Karen had highlighted all the parts I was to play. So, I came upon a couple of sections that were italicized. Yeah. Yyyeah. I had to ... wait for it ... SING! Yes. I had to SANG!!! What?!!! I was crazy! Karen came in at that moment and I said to her, "Karen...I have to sing..."
"Yeah."
"Karen. You've never heard me sing."
"You'll be great."
And she rushed out of the bathroom! Mm. Mm. Mm. No, she didn't. Yes, she did. She SURE did. I mean, I had NO time to be nervous. Man! I had to sing, "Stormy Weather," and two other songs. One of the other songs went like this: "This will be/An everlasting love..." Makes me think of Natasha Richardson in THE PARENT TRAP because that song was part of their soundtrack. Anywho...I just went for it. On EVERYTHING. I had fun. I was free. It was great! Wonderful time!!!
After both readings, Cecilia had emailed me, thanking me for participating. Please. She doesn't have to thank me. I'm so grateful that she thinks of me every now and then and wants me to be involved. I want her to use me! She was sad that she wasn't able to be there for the second reading. But, I believe, she had a funeral to go to. She's a New Yorker. And she wrote to me, "No doubt you were wonderful..." I mean...stuff like that makes me feel good because it's from people that know my work first. She is someone that I do respect. I remember Karen coming up to me the last day of class, I believe, and told me that Cecilia asked her, "So, what's this Lovelle like?" And Karen told her that I was reliable and a good actress. "We need to get you out there. Let's get you started." I absolutely love that woman. She's really good for me that Karen Hensel.
Yesterday, I was involved in a reading of scenes for her students. All us actors, had to run by the time the last scene was read. I felt bad for jetting but I had to go. It was past 2 and we were supposed to be out at around 1 or so. So, obviously, it was "or so"!!! I didn't want to leave without saying, "Bye" and "Thank you," to Cecilia. So, I did. I gave her a hug we chatted and she walked me out. She mentioned my headshot again and said, "I love your headshot. I really do. There's such joy in it. And you look chubby." I laughed at that and she said, "And OBviously, you're NOT chubby!" She told me to keep her updated with what I'm doing. She said that she thinks I'm an eloquent actress. "You're wonderful at cold reading. You do such a good job. You really are good." Wow.
[Her] class is so full of talent. It's a bit overwhelming. They're all so fun and creative and intelligent folk. I love it. I love to surround myself with people that really care about the craft and always want to learn and are open to criticism and improvement. It's important for artists. Plus, I'm in my element. It makes all the difference.
There's this deep well to Cecilia. She's full of depth. I don't know. How can she not be? It's in her eyes. Makes me want to get to know her. Same thing with Karen.
I have to keep going. I can't stop. I have to keep faithing in myself.
I need an audition. LIFE IS A DREAM (this was the production I was involved with last summer not the South Coast Rep one) will be coming to a close and I'll be jobless, acting-wise.
Er...I'm jobless both ways!
http://www.citybeat.com/archives/1998/issue506/onstagearticle1.html
http://www.cincypost.com/living/1999/redcor011499.html
So...I just saw her a couple of hours ago at the play reading. For the first act she read the stage directions and the second act she played a character named, Mrs Morgan. She was Good. I was rolling on the floor! The play is titled NUDE AND SUNFLOWER by Reba Thomas. I played, Clara, a dancer. A dancer working in a cabaret who has a German accent and sings! *whew* It was loads of fun. I am still so in awe with Cecilia's students.
During our break, she came up to me and we started to talk about the Bowers Museum gig. I'm Very Excited! I swear, I'm totally enamored with her. Oh! She told me not to chop off my hair. I told her that I had wanted to get it cut like Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby. "No! Cut it after the show if you're gonna cut it." But, really, I can't cut it because of my new headshots. I don't wanna get new ones just because I hate my hair and wanna chop it all off! Ha! I told her that I was re-learning French and she went off with that one! She told me that she speaks Italian and that she got that Rosetta Stone program for French. She loves it. She made it sound like it was a program that hypnotizes you, puts you in a trance. And she said, "It's like they're brainwashing you! I love it." Then, with her eyes wide-open, "You begin to think in French! So, you don't really have to 'translate.' It's wonderful!" God! She's makes me smile.
You know...she reminds me of Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity.
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/news/homepage/article_1259298.php
(There are 2 photos of her in this article)
