Monday Fun-Day!

Hello World!

Don't be miffed by the title of this post (and don't ask me what "miffed" means either) -- I am aware that today is not, in fact, Monday. It's Tuesday! But yesterday was Monday, and it marked the first of three consecutive Monday performances of a fun show I've been working on over the past few weeks called "RANT!" If you live in Los Angeles and want to come see me perform, here are the deets in the oh-so-effective bullet-point format:

• Who: The Theatricians (and me)

• What: RANT! A night of monologues and music

• Where: The Ruby Theatre at The Complex, 6476 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood CA

• When: 3 upcoming Mondays: March 19th (oops, you missed that one! It was yesterday!), March 26th, and April 2nd. Doors open at 7:30 pm; show begins at 8 pm

• Why: because you love me? Or tolerate me? Also, there will be beer and wine (on a school night!!), so that's an incentive, right? This show is short and sweet! None of this "come-see-me-in-a-four-hour-Chekhov-play-and-my-character-only-appears-in-the-final-act" business

• How: do you get tickets, you ask? Reserve online: http://www.theatricians.com/home.html -- tickets are $15 at the door, $10 if you reserve online and mention the discount code "Email. You can check out the Facebook event if you prefer that means of invitation:http://www.facebook.com/events/339408639429751/

Here is a picture for all you visual learners out there:

Last night's performance was a success, if I may say so myself! So if you're serious about coming (and if you're not, I won't take it personally), do yourself a favor and reserve a seat asap! This sh*t's gonna sell out!

I even performed with a lovely case of Pink Eye -- ohhh the beauty of live theatre! (note -- if you've ever wondered what it's like to be a leper, with people terrified of coming into contact with you, let me know and I'll give you a butterfly kiss! Seriously, if you're looking for an avenue to make people to stay away from you, Pink Eye is one of the most effective).

In other recent news, I just shot a commercial for Official.fm. I shan't disclose the details before it airs, but I'll be sure to post it when I can see it! You can also look for me on the walls of any Microsoft store (they have those now -- in LA we have one at the Century City Mall) as a result of my latest print job. It was my first role as the "young mom" (short hair = "edgy girl with dragon tattoo" or "young soccer mom" in the commercial world, most of the time). I'm posing with an adorable little baby.

Finally, if you're craving some musical theatre, check-a-me-out singin' one of my favorite show tunes:

Hope to see you one of these Mondays!

Gilli

Dear Feminists, Count Me In!

With all of the woman-bashing in the media lately, I've thought more about acting roles written for women my age. Now, I won't even begin to open the Rush Limbaugh can of worms here, because, well, if I exude more angry feelings on that topic, I think I will just burst. I'll let the more political bloggers handle that one. All I'm putting out there is that the Los Angeles acting scene is a particularly interesting sphere to navigate as a woman in her early twenties who is an "unknown." An "unknown" has less power than a "name" in stipulating what she will or will not do on screen (and offscreen, for that matter). It's essential to be mindful and careful in this territory, and to stick up for yourself.

More often than not, I see roles that casting websites have deemed appropriate for me to submit for who are described in less than flattering ways and asked to bare a lot of skin on camera.

Don't get me wrong -- I am no prude in the artistic sense. I've watched me some Bertolucci and I've seen me some artistic nudity that is beautiful, inspiring, and necessary to move a narrative along and succeeds in adding an atmospheric quality and edge that could not have been achieved otherwise. But when I read a breakdown for a character who dies in a degrading fashion in a no-budget indie horror flick, I am less than enthused. I wonder about the actresses who are compelled to submit for these kinds of roles. I am not judging -- I am more inquisitive about how actors can justify certain things and where they draw a line for themselves.

At the Oscars this year, I was inspired by the meaty roles there had been for women this year, both nominated and not -- from Meryl Streep's filterless performance in The Iron Lady, to the female ensemble of The Help, to the fearlessly funny comediennes of Bridesmaids. I must concede, however, that I still haven't watched Rooney Mara as the infamous Salander in Dragon Tattoo. I realize that the characters in the film are trying to annihilate a killer of women, but since watching Swedish version, I haven't felt the need to see more of what I know will be disturbing displays of violence. Plus, I know how it ends!

I guess I am a walking contradiction -- I am a summa cum laude/Phi Beta Kappa graduate of what I will argue is the best women's college in the country, whose seal is Athena, goddess of wisdom. There, I learned that women can be powerful, smart, strong, and still beautiful. But at the same time, I am an actress, and I understand that I may need to portray characters who aren't this self-assured and passionate about society's perception of women.

Several years ago, I worked on a music video for a popular band called All Time Low. The video now has nearly 29 million views. I play a character in it that is far from who I am and how I would normally see myself. However, being the oxymoron that I am, I find it empowering. I felt comfortable on set, had a good time, and felt confident and attractive. Would I do this job again if it were offered to me today? That is beside the point. Besides, it's 29 million views too late to even think about that now.

Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GcNiKCmWdYE&ob=av3e

Until next post,

G