Preparation

I'm a huge procrastinator. I am 99% sure that I have adult ADD (for example, right now I'm gmail chatting with my girl, looking at her wedding website, and talking to my boyfriend while writing this blog, no lie). I'm always full of 50 thoughts and having 55 things to do at the same time. So...amidst my excited nervousness about starting school (and this new career change), I am a bit stressed at all of the things I need to do.
About a month ago the School Coordinator sent this email list of reading assignments! Reading assignments you say? Yes! I have approximately 12 books to read prior to the program(or by the first two weeks) and 3 monologues to be prepared to present. Dang, that's alot! I have read over half the books already (most of which are plays no more than 100 pgs).

On top of that, I need to audition, audition, audition for plays for next season. Most auditions for next season happen this month or next month (well, this month is kinda next month already) so I have about 4 auditions lined up.

AAAAAAAANND! This is my last week of work so I have lots of ppwk to do and cleanup stuff!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

But alas, this is all eustress (learned that from my girl's essay when she was in nursing school). Eustress is positive stress, because all of this work is for a positive outcome...so I embrace it.
As my momma would say " I wouldn't have it any other way:)

Taking the LEAP

So...

I have never been a big blogger but I often have lots of internal dialogue. I thought...what better way to express all of this thought than to write it down.

In less than two weeks my life will begin a major change. If you read my last blog, (if you can sift through all the bug metaphors) you know that I recently got accepted into the School at Steppenwolf...YAY! For the past few years I have been going back and forth in my mind to see whether I should fully pursue my acting career or to just keep it part time. When I began acting in the city of Chicago, I just started auditioning for shows and was "on a roll" as they say...but something happened towards the end of 2007 and most of 2008. I started a new job and acting took a back seat. When I wanted acting to come back to the forefront, I wasn't cast an anything. It sucked! I was all set to get into the School at Steppenwolf in 2008, but after enrolling in a monologue class and also having two personal coaching sessions with a nutcase of an acting coach (another story), I was devastatingly rejected. The end of 2008 brought major change, I began getting cast for shows back to back and I decided...hey, why don't I go ahead and apply for School at Steppenwolf one 'mo gin (once again for you non AAE speakers). I applied, gave everything I had in the audition, and got that acceptance letter on April 3rd...a day before my birthday!!! How exciting! With all the theatre work I've been doing this season and the School acceptance...I saw that God had lit up that pathway for me and pointed my compass a new direction. So I said...now is the time to walk down the path. Next year I will be working super part time and being a flexible frelance professional and artist. I cannot wait. I am full of nervous excitment as I have never taken a leap so "bold" in my life. But it makes so much sense that I am doing this life change each day I get closer to it. There is no better time than the present. Time to walk in my gifts.

R. Marie

Prologue

An informal bio...if you please:

Rhonda Marie Bynum was born in 1982 in Chicago
She was born at UIC Hospital but was raised "OVA EAST"
Since a young age, to a small group of family members, she was always quite entertaining
To everyone else, she was quite shy
Every now an then she had bursts of entertainment: Spanish Play in sixth grade, debate team in high school...
Then one day she decided to audition for the Spring Musical at Morgan Park High School: Dreamgirls
Telling no one she auditioned, she was cast, played the roll of Lorell, and that is when she discovered the BUG! Yes the acting BUG.
After graduating...she hid the bug in her pocket until mid college then had an ugly breakup...
Pulled that bug out of her pocket...started auditioning for college stuff
Even started a theatre company with her buddies...
Went to grad school to be a speech pathologist
Put the bug back in...
Had another ugly breakup (UGLY)
Took the bug back out and performed in plays in Chicago
The bug became her therapy
She craved the bug
She had to decide...be a speech pathologist...or succumb to the bug
Tried to do both for the longest
Then the bug began to take over her...
She got accepted to School at Steppenwolf: a 10 week intense, prestigious ACTOR BOOTCAMP
Then she became...THE BUG!
The STORY BEGINS...