VDay Day 2 - Friday (The Rehearsals)

Friday, April 11, 2008

Categories: Diary • Actress • Vagina Monologues • Live and In Person

When I got off the plane last night, I was surprised at how hot and humid the air was, even at 10:00pm. After a short ride with my sweet driver named Kissy, I checked in to the gorgeous W Hotel, which is where all the participants are staying. Leslie Townsend and I were sharing a room, but she was out finishing up her dinner, so she met me in front of the hotel to give me company for my own meal.

This morning we got up early to prepare for our “just us” rehearsal with the stage manager and Arabelle. Downstairs, in the lobby as we waited for our car, we ran into Jane (Fonda), who was all hugs and sweetness. We met representatives such as women from Afghanistan, Columbia, Juarez Mexico and others. Then our car whisked us away to
The Superdome!

Our rehearsal went well, and the stage manager and Arabelle had lots
of good suggestions. We went over basics like where to enter the
stage, all the way up to the various emotional beats of our piece.

We took a break and met Shirley Knight on our way out. She was a sweetheart. During our break we met two lovely student volunteers from Pennsylvania, and we took a peek at the inside of the Dome, where we were confronted with a vast space filled with darkness and blue lighting. There were row after row of seats, waiting to be filled with our audience.

When we returned from the break, Rosario Dawson was in the room
waiting her turn and we finished up our rehearsal with her watching.  Nervous! But she’s as sweet as can be, and was very encouraging.

Once we’d finished rehearsal, it was still early in the day, so we met up with two of Leslie’s girlfriends and hit Bourbon Street. These
girls were WILD. One had on a purple wig, and she was letting the boys HAVE it. Men were on her like bees on honey, and she was NOT afriad to talk to them and say what she wanted. We met at a cafe, and before I knew it, I had eaten a bowl full of barbeque shrimp and slurped down a peach schnapps cocktail, and we were out the door. I picked up a Hurricane to sip as we walked (it’s so cool that you can drink on the streets in New Orleans) and we pushed our way through throngs of hot frat boys, street musicians and colorful characters as brass band jazz played everywhere. Soon my head was spinning from the sunshine and the alcohol, and by 4:00pm I was ready to go back to the hotel room with Leslie. The plan was to freshen up and then up get dinner, but I fell into a deep coma and did not wake up until 6:00am Saturday morning.

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