Got back from South Carolina on thursday at like 1 in the morning. Had a good time. I was happy to get home though. I had so much to catch up on. I talked to Ash on the phone for hours. It was great to finally have a good chat with her. Now that her show is over, she's free for the rest of the summer basically, so we can finally HANG OUT!! I am so tired of watching my sister have places to go with her friends. Now i finally have someone to go somewhere with.

I am feeling badly and I really dont know what to do. I think of Theatre and Broadway with an intense passion and it's my true love, but my family seems to think its like an unhealthy obsession or something. It's all i think about...mostly all i talk about, and the thing is that there is really no one around to talk about all of this stuff with. I think its okay to really love something, but when you are surrounded by people who just dont understand, it can be really hard.  My sister is so fed up with me because she doesnt care about all of the stuff I wanna talk about, my mom tries her best to be interested, but shes really not. My dad is the best at putting up with me, but he reallly doesnt care either. Thats really why i enjoyed camp so much. Everyone had the same interests as me, and they knew where I was coming from. I hate having all of this stuff inside of me, but not being able to express it. I dont want to feel guilty about what I truly love in life...I just dont know what to do...

Dina

I promised I would update about my visit with Ms. Lion (the producer of Hairspray). Anyway...i met her on Saturday in New York at this really cute cafe called Edgar's. I already knew what she looked like from pictures I saw of her online, but she looks a lot different in real life. Her hair is shorter and she wears glasses. Anyway...she sat down and we chatted about what I do as of now with acting, singing, and dancing. I told her about the musical theatre camp I am in and she thought that was good. I told her that I was really interested in anything in the Arts (teaching, directing, etc) but performing was what I really wanted to do. So she asked me..."are you good?" That was kind of an awkward question, and I said, Yes, I think I am good. I felt weird after that, but whatever, I had to answer. So then we started to talk about the kind of important things that you need to be a performer, or in the business at all. Those things were...

1- Discipline

2- Training

3- Passion

4- Tenacity

So then she told me all about Carly Jibson who was in Hairspray and just left about a month ago. (she played Tracy). She ended up hurting her vocal chords a few months ago because she wasnt disciplined. She said they used to find her out in a bar at 3 AM when she had 2 performances the next day. She gave me a lot of cool inside gossip about Hairspray for a while. That was educational.

Then...she notices the bracelt I am wearing. My heart sinks...I forgot to take it off! Its the wicked bracelet that says defy gravity, and she's the producer of Hairspray! AHH. She asked me how much i payed for it and I said 5 dollars. So she said, well the Hairspray one is much prettier and its the same price. I said I am sure it is, and I would love to have it. She was glad about that.

Then we talked about college. She is on the board at NYU, so she suggested her program for the summer there and the Tisch School for Performing Arts.

I asked her what other things I could do for the summer, and she said...well...the best thing would be to actually get involved with one of the shows I will be producing. And i was like WOW. She said she wasnt sure what would be in progress next summer, but she said she did know that this November, Decemberish she would be in production with the Wedding Singer which she is producing and bringing to Broadway as a Musical. She said if I wanted to I could take the train in everyday for a week or something and just watch the production and meet people and be a "fly on the wall." I was so excited! I would love to do that. So now I am really excited!

She was just a really nice woman, and she said I could call her anytime. She gave me her email address and her phone number so that I could keep in touch. YAY. It was a good day.

Bye!

Camp has been exhausting but really fun. I am so glad I am filling up my time doing something that I really love. It is so rewarding and exhilarating. One of the most amazing things about it as well is how much talent is in the room all of the time. From the directors to the actors, talent is EVERYWHERE!! Even the really little kids are GREAT!! Its amazing to hear some of the stuff that comes out of them. And....they are always very happy. Its so refreshing.

Anyway...to change the subject....

On Saturday at 11am I finally have a SET appointment with Margo Lion (the producer of Hairspray.) We are meeting at Edgar's Cafe in NYC and will discuss a lot of stuff, including COLLEGE! She happens to be on the board of trustees for NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, so she can explain the program etc. It should be a fun meeting. I am nervous, but very excited.

WISH ME LUCK!

I will write all about it once it's all over. hmmm

all for now

Dina

camp has been fun. Today was kinda blahhh. i felt really tired. i am just really really glad that tomorrow is friday and i will have a little bit of a break. as much as i love it (and i really do) it does get a bit tiring after a 7 hour day of work. i brought a video camera today and tried to get as much as i could of my music class etc. until i ran out of battery before i did my performance. (i sang Over The Moon from RENT).

anyway.... its gonna be a looonnng weekend! babysitting saturday, and then off to great grandma's house for a "fun-filled" day. hmm... i will make the best out of it.

Dina

I am home! Florida was really fun, but hurricane Dennis got in the way. We had to leave a day early and DRIVE 20 HOURS HOME! ahh hell!!! that is a freakishly long ride. But i didnt complain. I made the most of it.

Anyway, I just completed my first day of theatre camp yesterday! Because I was in Florida, I missed the first 4 days, so I was kinda scared to just show up and probably know nobody and be all alone cuz everybody else had 4 days to make friends, and I was at a disadvantage. Well, I get to the place, and who do i see but Katie (chung). I was so happy to see a familiar face (and she was happy too to see me. ) It was lucky I had her because all of the girls are like going into 6th, 7th, or 8th grade. Only one is going into 9th. They all go to the school in Warren, so we didnt know any of them. But they were all pretty happy and nice...just a little bit overwhelming to me. I am not used to this kind of crowd. But the day overall was fun, just a little bit long after a while. (its 9am-4pm) but were doing like all of my favorite songs! 

From Wicked:

One Short Day, What is this feeling?, and Defying Gravity

From Hairspray:

Mama I'm a Big Girl Now, You Can't Stop the Beat

From Aida:

A Step Too Far, My Strongest Suit

Cool, Huh?

So i am excited to have something to look forward to. It should be lots of fun once I get used to it. The first day is always the hardest, and I got through it just fine. Everyday after now is just gonna get a little bit easier!

Dina