Hi everyone,
I’ve been doing a lot of traveling in the past two months and have finally settled back in at home for a while. When I wasn’t spending all this time moving around from place to place, I started to re-assess my purpose and priorities in terms of my career, the arts. One of these priorities is to change my site in order to more properly represent myself as a person.
Since high school, I’ve always been told to present myself professionally; at auditions, when submitting, everything. I have always followed that rule, even with the creation of my professional website. However, I think it’s become a bit stagnant as I feel more like a mouthpiece and less like a person. I need to do more (or perhaps less), to allow myself to come through personally in this site. While I am the product I try to sell, I am first and foremost myself and I believe that has been lacking a bit in terms of this page as well as the news blog.
This can only serve to benefit me more, for all the successful artists and actors I admire are accessible to the extent that you know what kind of person they are, but professional in such a manner that they are able to generate and receive work. If I’m able to put more of my personality in my site online, it’ll give casting directors a better idea of me while at the same time being able to clarify for myself what kinds of projects I am drawn to, and which ones I am not.
For those of you who are keeping up, my thanks and appreciation to you as I wind through this journey. Not only of a site change, but the journey an artist takes through all changes.
-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: dance, Dance Place, Deviated Theatre, LORE, show, Theatre
The World premiere of Deviated Theatre’s second original work: “LORE: A Mystery Awaits” debuts this weekend at Dance Place in DC (about 2-3 blocks from the Brookland/CUA metro station).
Photography by Enoch Chan, 2009
Saturday, 4/25 @ 8pm For directions and parking, please visit: Tickets: $22/gen. admission – $17/students/k-12 teachers/seniors – $8/children (2-17 yrs.)
For tickets by phone call: 202-269-1600
Tickets will also be available at the door, but be forewarned, at our last debut at Dance Place, we sold out and had to turn people away– family members included!
-Vaness.
We’ll be holding another silent auction before each show and yes, there will be refreshments again.
Sunday, 4/26 @ 7pm
http://www.danceplace.org/content.aspx?ID=27
For tickets online go to http://www.danceplace.org/Performances.aspx?Sc=184
www.vanessastrickland.net
Filed under: Class, Event, TV/Video/Film, Theatre | Tags: American Dance Institute, Aspiro, children's theatre, Class, Dance Place, Deviated Theatre, Dody DiSanto, LORE, Ma Lien and the Magic Paintbrush, Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Neutral Mask, The Center for Movement Theatre, trailer
I’ll be performing in “Aspiro” with Deviated Theatre again this weekend, this time at the American Dance Institute in Rockville, MD (about 0.5 mile from the Twinbrook metro station).
We’ll be holding a silent auction that begins an hour before each show, containing fun things like gift cards to area restaurants, makeup consultations, travelling magicians, and even quirky artwork! Refreshments will also be available. Following the show, there will be a short preview dance from Deviated Theatre’s second original work, “LORE: A Mystery Awaits,” with which I am also involved, and is world-premiering in late April at Dance Place.
For those of you that missed it in January, it returns this weekend only and will then be touring out of the DC/MD/VA area until… who knows!
Saturday, 3/7:
Silent auction reception @ 7pm
“Aspiro” performance @ 8pm
“LORE” preview @ 10pm
Sunday, 3/8:
Silent auction reception @ 2pm
“Aspiro” performance @ 3pm
“LORE” preview @ 5pm
For directions and parking, please visit:
http://americandance.org/new/html/directions.htm
Tickets: $25/gen. admission – $15/students
For tickets by phone call: 301-984-3003
For tickets online go to:
http://americandance.org/new/html/onstage.htm
Tickets will also be available at the door on the day of the event.
Check out the YouTube trailer here:
In addition, the run of Ma Lien and the Magic Paintbrush continues Saturdays at 2pm at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre
in Frederick. This past weekend, Reiner Prochaska filmed the show and some extra footage and whipped up a nice little trailer! Watch it below:
Aside from performing, I am currently enrolled in Dody DiSanto’s Neutral Mask Comprehensive classes at The Center in Tenleytown.
I’m only on class #2, but I highly recommend it to any actor who wants to focus on communicating with and becoming more aware of with their bodies.
-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net
Filed under: Theatre | Tags: children's theatre, Fun Company, Ma Lien and the Magic Paintbrush, Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Theatre, trailer
Hey, it’s been a while! I’ve been busy rehearsing for my next few upcoming shows, here’s information on one of them:
The Maryland Ensemble Theatre’s Fun Company presents
MA LIEN AND THE MAGIC PAINTBRUSH
Saturdays only at 2pm from Feb 14th – April 4th
Please note there will be NO PERFORMANCE on March 21st!
“Paint from your heart…”
Ma Lien wants a paintbrush more than anything in the world. One night, a fairy appears and grants her wish. But Ma Lien’s paintbrush is magic- everything she paints becomes real!
Adapted by Gene’ Fouche’
Directed by Allison Lepelletier
Featuring Ryan Brown, Karli Cole, Ashley Hall, Michelle Simms, and Vanessa Strickland
Price: $13.50
Ticket prices include a $1.50 handling fee
Order online at:
http://www.marylandensemble.org/malien_tix
Please do not submit online orders less than 2 hours before the performance you plan to attend
OR call the box office at:
301-694-4744
Box Office Hours:
Tuesday-Thursday 10-3
Friday 11-3
Saturday 1-3
Box office reopens one hour before performance time.
All performances take place at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre, 31 W. Patrick Street, Frederick, MD
Parking can be found at the S. Court Street garage, less than a block from the theatre.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.marylandensemble.org
-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net
Filed under: Event, Theatre | Tags: Baltimore CityPaper, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, dance, Deviated Theatre, review, show, Theatre, University of Maryland, Washington Post
“Aspiro” by Deviated Theatre
at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center in the Dance Theatre University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742
Friday, January 23rd @ 8:00pm
Saturday, January 24th @ 8:00pm
Sunday, January 25th @ 7:00pm
(runs for one weekend only!)
Runtime: 1 hr. 45 min. with a 15 min. intermission
“A quick look around the rehearsal room and it’s clear that Deviated Theatre is not your typical troupe: One performer rolls away a unicycle while a couple of actors munch on carrots, an aerialist unrigs her crimson silks from the ceiling grid and a stagehand gathers assorted costumes and a basket brimming with maybe a hundred party masks.”
– Lisa Traiger, The Washington Post, 7/2008
“The opus was inspired by a 1998 painting by [Enoch] Chan of the Three Mythological Fates who spin, weave and cut the lifelines of human souls. Their sinewy bodies were reproduced on hand-painted unitards, and the painting’s panels of red became red aerial fabric onstage. An enormous warping wheel through which dancers and actors enter aids the Fates in measuring each lifeline. Other characters of the underworld are imaginary: a girl with a white umbrella, a haggish keeper of the masks, and two hobo-like grim reapers. A flavor of circus and sideshow washes over the many souls of the underworld who hobble around with the burden of their histories and await reincarnation.”
– Kimmie Dobbs and Enoch Chan, “Aspiro” press release, 11/2008
“Aspiro consists of two acts and 15 scenes of modern dance and minor acrobatics set to a twisted story line reminiscent of Edward Gorey’s children’s books… What was most inspiring about this spot-on performance was not only the level of professionalism but also the sense of purpose in each dancer and in the show as a whole.”
– Ruth Reader, Baltimore City Paper, 10/2008
Please note that buying tickets in advance is strongly recommended.
Tickets:
$35 for adults
$30 for students/seniors/groups
(a group = 10 or more people)
You can purchase tickets here:
http://claricesmithcenter.umd.edu/2009/c/performances/performance?rowid=8461
Or call the box office at the CSPAC:
301-405-ARTS (2767)
For directions to the Clarice Smith Center, please visit:
http://claricesmithcenter.umd.edu/2009/c/about/directions
For production photos and further information, please visit:
http://www.deviatedtheatre.org
-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net
Filed under: Theatre | Tags: American Dance Institute, dance, Deviated Theatre, donation, fundraising
Photography by Enoch Chan, 2008
Previously, I mentioned an internet fundraising campaign for Deviated Theatre. Well now I can regale you with the specific details.
Here is the low-down:
– The product is Magazine subscriptions/renewals sponsored by Reader’s Digest
– Over 650 different popular magazine titles, available at up to 85% off newsstand prices
– 40% of sales go right to Deviated Theatre
– A good idea for those of you who have yet to get someone a gift for the holidays! But worry not, the fundraiser won’t disappear after the new year, so you can still make purchases past Dec. 31st, 2008
– For further questions or if you would rather donate to Deviated Theatre directly, check out Deviated’s “support” page or contact choreographer Kimmie Dobbs at kimmie[@]deviatedart[dot]com.
If you own or are a part of a company or business that may be interested in purchasing a program ad for our January or March shows or donating an item toward our silent auction at American Dance Institute in March, please download the appropriate paperwork below:
Paperwork and ad image due to Kimmie Dobbs by Jan. 10th, 2009 (for Jan. ad), Feb. 22nd, 2009 (for March ad)
Paperwork and auction item(s) due to Vanessa Strickland by Feb. 22nd, 2009
After you have filled these out please snail-mail or e-mail them to Kimmie Dobbs and CC me as well (strickland[dot]vanessa[@]gmail[dot]com). Address information is indicated on the forms.
Please indicate in your mail that you found out about donating through me.
Thanks everyone, and have an awesome holiday!
-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net
Filed under: Theatre | Tags: American Dance Institute, Aspiro, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, Dance Place, Deviated Theatre, fundraising, LORE, Ma Lien and the Magic Paintbrush, Maryland Ensemble Theatre, Maryland Shakespeare Festival, Shakespeare Alive!, teaching, tour, University of Maryland
The first six months of 2009 are all lined up for me and I’m happy to say that my hard work is really paying off!
As I previously posted, my next show is “Aspiro” with Deviated Theatre. We have been rehearsing for the past month and I also accepted an offer from them for their brand-new original show in April: “LORE,” which is playing at Dance Place in DC. Working in shows without dialogue have pushed me to be more specific not only in my character body, but with the actions I take as the character. I’m also working at keeping the physicality of my character in each show dissimilar, so I’m not playing the same character.
Rehearsals for Ma Lien and the Magic Paintbrush with Maryland Ensemble Theatre is fast approaching. We don’t begin until January, but I have been anticipating this show since I was cast back in September. I just heard from the director today and am eager about getting started.
My most recent casting has been for the Maryland Shakespeare Festival’s “Shakespeare Alive!” tour. The cast gets to tour middle schools in Maryland, performing a short “Best Of” Shakespeare presentation to get the kids interested, followed up by workshops dealing with Shakespearian monologues and scenework. I begin in February and wrap in June.
So visually:
Jan 12 – Ma Lien at MET begins rehearsals
Jan 23 – Aspiro runs for a weekend at Clarice Smith
Feb – Shakespeare Alive! begins rehearsals and training
Feb 14 – Ma Lien opens at MET in Frederick
March – Shakespeare Alive! begins touring
March 7 – Aspiro runs for a weekend at American Dance Institute
April 4 - Ma Lien closes at MET in Frederick
April 25 – LORE runs for a weekend at Dance Place
June 2 – Shakespeare Alive! tour wraps up
…Frankly, I’ll probably reward myself in the summer by taking a week’s vacation out of town, as I’ll be just too busy to skip town until then!
Also, Deviated Theatre has created a new way to fundraise via the internet. I’ll post more information about that on here once I set up the system for myself.
-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net
Filed under: TV/Video/Film, Website | Tags: Adventist Review, Brillhart Media, film, Red One HD, video, viral
The viral video I did with Brillhart Media for the Adventist Review has gone live! Click the photo below to check out the video on my brand-spanking new videos page.
The Brillhart site has a beautiful, hi-def version of the video. It was filmed with a Red One HD Camera, so the quality is really great.
Enjoy!
-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net
Filed under: Makeup, Theatre | Tags: American Dance Institute, Aspiro, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, dance, Deviated Theatre, Enoch Chan, Halloween, heart, Roger Riggle Makeup LLC, Theatre, University of Maryland
Greetings, all!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween and productive election day. During Halloween day I spent some time doing some makeup work for Roger Riggle of Roger Riggle Makeup, LLC. When I got home, however, I dove headfirst into my makeup for the night. I spent the week prior working on my costume: “Viscera Lace” (as seen below):
My initial idea was to create a full-head mask to conceal all of my facial features, my ears, and hair, just like with the Silent Hill nurse I did last year. Time constraints, experimentation and overall ease-of-application caused me to resort to constructing hair pieces and painting my face instead. Perhaps another time you’ll see me with a latex heart for a head. 
You expect to see this original idea in my concept drawings that are in the makeup section of the site.
Photo by Enoch Chan, 2008
I was recently cast in Deviated Theatre’s production of “Aspiro,” which is going up at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at University of Maryland, College Park in January, and then at the American Dance Institute in Rockville in March. I was fortunate enough to catch the show when it premiered at Dance Place in DC back in July and was blown away. I feel lucky to be joining such a great ensemble of dancers, some of which are old friends of mine from college. I’ll be sure to give more information closer to opening, but whatever you do, you do not want to miss this show. It is a truly beautiful original creation by an up-and-coming, edgy professional company.
-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net
Filed under: Makeup, TV/Video/Film | Tags: 1st Stage Spring Hill, Adam Kaufman, Bay Theatre Company, film, Halloween, International Spy Museum, Lauren Ambrose, Makeup, Operation Undercover: Secrets of Disguise, Paramount, play, Roger Riggle Makeup LLC, The Suicide, True West, TV movie
Last Tuesday (which is quickly becoming my main filming day, interestingly enough), I did some background work for the upcoming Hallmark TV-movie “Unorthodox,” starring Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) and Adam Kaufman (Without a Trace). I met a lot of new people as well as came across familiar faces in the DC/Baltimore area. At one point in filming, a family sneaked a photo of one of their relatives standing near me. Apparently they thought I was the lead as I was in the middle of the train station right in the path of the camera. Boy, are they going to be disappointed!
Thankfully, I managed to take some time to catch two plays last week: Bay Theatre Company’s “True West” and 1st Stage Spring Hill’s “The Suicide.” Both were definitely “worth their salt,” in their own ways. Two bordering-on-absurd shows from two different time periods, originating in two different parts of the world. I haven’t been able to catch many plays recently, so seeing two in a week was a real treat.
Tomorrow I’ll be doing some makeup work downtown at the International Spy Museum for the annual Operation Undercover: Secrets of Disguise kids event. This will be my third year helping out at this event and it’s always great fun to see what the kids come up with as their disguises.
All I have to figure out now is what I’m going to be for Halloween!
-Vaness.
www.vanessastrickland.net
