I'm Moving to China

I have been cast in Snow White and Aladdin for the Elephant Theatre Management Co. in Dongguan, China. I am terribly excited. I will be flying out July 7th and coming back home to NYC mid November. My last day at the restaurant is this Friday. I still have a lot to do before my trip. I have never even left the country before... so I'm kind of freaking out.

This is my first acting job since moving to New York so naturally I'm feeling quite happy! It has not been easy, in fact, I was reaching a point of serious questioning. I wasn't regretting the move, but I was having a lot of doubts in myself. Serving tables seemed to be taking over all of my time with the busy summer season, and I was exhausted. It is a romantic idea to move to New York and become a waitress while you're trying to "make it".  It is a romantic idea and a cliché for a reason, so many people do it. I will never forget my first day at the restaurant smiling and telling everyone I moved to New York to be an actress and most of them raised up their hands replying "me too", we're everywhere. Serving tables is the worst and the best job. You will make good money, you will be fed, you will learn patience, you'll learn how to multi task and juggle more than you ever thought, you will learn how to treat others with respect and dignity ... but you will also be talked down to, your feet will throb, your body will ache, the kitchen will swear and curse at you, sometimes you will cry in the dry storage closet while another server watches your section. With all the positive and negative parts to restaurant work (which I've only shared a few) the most memorable are the friendships I have made. Being in the weeds, we call it, you can make some of the most meaningful connections with the people you work with. I am incredibly grateful for my co-workers- they have become some of my dearest friends.  I have some pretty crazy stories about the restaurant world- I'm not even sure I'll ever have the guts to share here. I do not doubt popping in and out of restaurant work in the future... but for the time being I have a full time acting job and I'm excited to hang up my apron. 

A little more info on the project: I am working under an American director, along side 3 other American actors whom I will also be living with. I will be playing the Queen in Snow White and a company member in Aladdin. The shows are 65 minute musical versions geared for children learning English. Facebook, instagram, snapchat, google, etc. are all banned so I'm currently researching the best ways to handle that, especially with this blog. I will be communicating with family and friends through the app "We-Chat". We can message and FaceTime for free this way. Please feel free to reach out if you would like my Chinese address or have questions about the app and communicating. Also, if anyone has any experience with VPN's let me know!

Jake will be staying with me most likely in September or October for a few weeks. I, of course, want him to stay with me the entire run! I cannot even express how supportive he has been through all of this and my acting career in general. Jake is my biggest fan, and I feel crazy blessed that he's my partner.

Just to put any nervous minds to rest- this is all safe and sound. I am under contract with the Chinese government and my contract/arrangements have been reviewed and looked at- all is well! I've not been sure on how I wanted to share the good news so I thought... no better way then my blog :) 
For my past students reading... this is the project I was talking about- I didn't want to say it was happening until I was under contract. 

Jake is currently cooking dinner and I'm sipping on some rosé feeling quite grateful. Thank you, as always, for reading and supporting me. Please, don't stop dreaming and exploring- live your life to the fullest... and when in doubt just add in some musical theatre walks and bounces. (Inside joke with my SSPA crew). 

xx, is