From Stage to Screen.

All I want to do is act, sing and dance preferably in front of an audience and ideally for a living.

For 30 years. From 1990, when I earned my first stipend for acting, to 2020, when I wrote a show about Catherine Hayes, the Swan of Erin, I was able to work in the field I loved, on stage.

The stage is a magical place where lights, costumes, makeup, and most of all, the words of the playwright can transform you into whoever you want to be. Hero or villain, rich or poor, beautiful or horrible, It's all possible on stage.

The stage gives us enough space between the actor and the audience to create illusion.

When I was a senior in high school, I got to play Grandma in Edward Albee’s, American dream. I was only 18, but by changing the way I dressed, the way I moved, and by adding a few lines to my face with makeup, I was able to play 80.

On the other hand, I don't consider myself to be a particularly beautiful girl, but with makeup and confidence and costumes, I've played many roles like Shelby in Steel Magnolias, and Madge in Picnic, that specifically call for the character to be beautiful.

Remember that commercial?

“I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV?”

Well, I like to say,

“I’m not a beauty, but I can play one on stage.”

(I'm not a brunette.)

But here we are in the age of COVID-19.

The theaters are closed and I can't even sing in church, which for years offered me a place to share my voice with people who cared enough to listen.

I’ve spent almost six months now sitting back and feeling sorry for myself. That is long enough.

It's time to do the one thing I must do in order to practice what I love for an audience.

I must get over my fears of how I look and sound on camera.

I must go from stage to screen.

For the next 30 days, I am doing a video a day on the topic of making this shift. If you find that your work or something you love to do requires you to get in front of a camera, whether it's for YouTube, Zoom, or even Tic Tok, I hope that you can learn the skills and find the confidence you need to make this shift.

As always,

Dare to Shine.

Catherine
https://youtu.be/u5r7qN3apBU

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Dare To Shine Master Classes and Showcase

Actors, Singers, and Dancers, join Van and Catherine Gordon plus special guests for a free performance master class. Bring your recorded accompaniment, prepared monologues, or dances. Or, do a cold reading from one of our selections. Dare To Shine is our chance to try new material, get helpful feedback, and simply have fun doing what we love: Performing! Master classes will be held Thursday June 29th at 7PM and Saturday, June 30th at 7PM at the MyAct Theatre: 14372 Cuesta Court Sonora, CA (The main cross street is Tuolumne Road.) Then on Saturday July 1st at 7PM, and Sunday July 2nd at 2PM, we will present our work to the public. Donations will be accepted at the door. For more information e-mail: catherine@sugarfreedom.com And don't forget to subscribe by entering your e-mail in the box in the right sidebar. We Dare You To Shine!

How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall?

I few months ago, I was invited to sing at Carnegie Hall with the alumni of the Saint Mary's College Women's choir. We'll be singing in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Saint Mary's in Notre Dame, Indiana. The concert will be on Saint Patrick's Day, and I can't wait to sing with the Saint Mary's women again. When I was in the choir we sang traditional, classical, and modern compositions. I have sent my check to cover the cost of the sheet music, and it will be here soon. In the meantime, I am practicing singing nearly every day. One of the best parts of taking on this new challenge is that it has given me the confidence to host a recital next month. The dates and times for the recital are Saturday, September 22nd. at 7PM, and Sunday, September 23rd. at 2PM. The recital takes place at Sol-Y-Breath at 14709 Mono Way in Sonora, CA in the Sear's center. I will be using recorded accompaniment, and the performance will be free

Dare To Shine Information for performers and audience

I was so happy to meet with MyAct board member Jeff Gill today to walk through the theatre, and test the sound system. The acoustics in the Webster Theatre are very nice, and it was pretty easy for this old fashioned musical theatre singer to fill the space. That being said, there are three microphones wired and ready for sound. I simply connected my iPod to the sound board and voila, my music was ready to play through the main system. What a relief that it is simple enough for me to run. I don't have to though because Colin will be running sound for us. All I need from the participants is the Mp3 with your backing tracks, or we can play from your iPhone, iPod, smart phone, or any device with a connector. Musicians are also welcome if you want to bring your instrument. Ideally, we'd like all of the participants to attend both master class sessions: Thursday June 29th at 7PM, and Friday June 30th at 7PM, and at both showcases Saturday July 1st. at 7PM and Sunday Ju

Dare To Shine

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