Some people may misconstrue confidence with arrogance. There is a huge difference. When Coca-Cola airs a commercial and says our cola is better than the other brands it's not because they are arrogant it's because they are confident that once you buy their cola you will not want another cola for the rest of your life.
Well, in my business, it's not so different. I am a product. I don't care how you look at it but I have branded myself with the help of my career coach, Doug, and I am now on a quest to sell my product. ME!
So I have a branding statement that says who I am and what I can offer. And I know I can bring it. In recent phone call, Doug reminded me to ask myself three questions before I accept or deny a role:
- DOES IT PAY? (A very important question when you are running your own business)
- Am I dying to play this role?
- Will it help advance my career?
Look, it has taken me a long time to even be able to say I'm good. You should hire me. And, ok, maybe I don't say those exact words, but I've come pretty close.
"I have passion and guts, I want this and it shows!" - Scott Alan (I'm a Star)
I have been afraid to sing that song in my Spotlight Cabaret just because of the title. But the truth is in order to have a successful business you have to believe in your product (yourself) before you are going to convince an agent, director, choreographer, casting director to believe in you. Believing you are a star doesn't mean you are arrogant or conceited. It means you are confident in the talent you possess and that you value yourself. When you value yourself, others see the value in you.
Since I started running with the C25K program (WEEK THREE COMPLETE!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) I have had alot of time to think while I run. I think about how much I dislike my part-time job in the kitchen. I love the place and the people...I just don't love the job. Because I'm not doing what God placed me on this earth to do! I do it because right now I have to and because it's going to give me the freedom to do so much more with my acting career in the future. I think about how awesome it would be to be on Broadway. To join the greats that have graced the Great White Way. I think about how amazing it will be to star in a movie, a sitcom, a national commercial. Then I think...WHY AM I JUST THINKING THIS???? I SHOULD BE DOING DOING DOING!!!This next week is a dark week at the dinner theater before they open their next show. I'll be heading into NYC for a few auditions...get some of the rust off...and I'm making a point to set up appointments with other people in the business to stay connected while I am on this short break.
Running has afforded me alone time to get back on track in my life, my health, my relationship with my husband and with God, and it allows me a chance to be selfish. I'm a people pleaser. Anyone reading this that knows me knows this is true. I always want to make sure I have time for people and when I don't or I can't follow through on a promise, I beat myself up over it. I always want people to like me but in three short weeks of running and having these great conversations with myself I realize I don't even like myself 100%.
So, going forward, I hope everyone can understand that in order to achieve my goals and see my dreams become a reality, I have to make my acting career a priority. It may seem like I'm going to fall off the face of the earth but I have to do this. For me. I'm not going to make it on Broadway by working in the kitchen of a restaurant. I know many of my friends will understand that this is the career I have chosen and will also support and embrace the choices I make even if they are not necessarily the choices you would have chosen for yourself. Michael and I often talk about me having to get a full-time desk job again but then we both realize that I'm so close with all the progress I've made in two short years, that I need to keep going. I can't give up.
Like my new found love of running...I'm not giving it up. Why on God's great earth would he give me these talents and not have a purpose for them. In time I'll find out that purpose. Until then, I can only keep running and chasing after my dreams. See you all at the finish line.
Updates.....
- Had a blast in Lancaster, PA with Kelly, Amanda, and Kelly's cousin Christina. There were clowns. SCARY clowns. And they threw suds at me. Not cool!
- Completed Week 3 of the C25K program.
- Tried a new veggie: parsnip. Not a fan...yet.
- Started arranging my first medley for my one-woman show.
- I was contacted by a director to audition for an upcoming show ... A VERY GOOD THING
- The house is STILL CLEAN.
- Bronchitis is almost gone...shortest bout ever!
- Hit a snafoo with the website...working on getting that fixed so I can get it up and running. I'm learning all sorts of things about webpages. Grrrr
Quote of the week: "So often times it happens that we live our lives in chains
And we never even know we have the key." ~ The Eagles
Recipe of the week:
Meatless Shepherd's Pie with Horseradish-Cheddar Potatoes (Rachel Ray recipe)
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 4 medium-large starchy Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into thick slices
- Salt
- 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3-4 tablespoons chopped chives
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups super-sharp white Cheddar
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 6 medium portobello mushroom caps, wiped clean, gills scraped, and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
- 1 medium-large onion, chopped ( I use leeks)
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 small bundle Dinosaur, Tuscan or black kale, stemmed and thinly sliced
- A few grates nutmeg
- 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cups mushroom stock* or vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* available in soup aisle of the supermarket
Preparation
Pre-heat the broiler and put a rack in the middle of the oven. Arrange individual casseroles or a large casserole dish on a baking sheet and set near the stove.
Put the potatoes and the parsnips in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, over high heat, then salt the water and cook until the potatoes and parsnips are tender, 15 minutes or so. Drain and return the potatoes and parsnips to the hot pot. Add the horseradish, milk, chives, salt and pepper, to taste, and mash to desired consistency. Stir in 1 cup of the cheese and the egg.
Meanwhile, heat a Dutch oven or large skillet over high heat with EVOO (4 turns of the pan). Add the mushrooms, and the rosemary leaves and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the carrot and onion and season liberally with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook for 5 minutes more, then stir in the garlic and the kale and season with nutmeg. Cook until the kale wilts, about 2 minutes. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and the stock and bring to a boil. In a small skillet, over low heat, melt the butter, whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then stir it into the sauce to thicken. Transfer the vegetable mixture to the individual dishes or large casserole. Top with the mashed potatoes, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and brown under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.
Video of the week: I really fell in love with this new video. With everything going on, the more we support it the more those who choose to be ignorant won't be able to ignore it. It sends a message not only for the Trevor Project but anyone who has ever felt like they're trapped in darkness with no hint of light. Believe me, there is light and it does get better.
Kirsten Rani Almeida received her B.A. in Theater and Speech from Wagner College. For twelve years, Kirsten doubled as a professional fundraiser for a large non-profit arts organization and an actor, director, choreographer, and playwright. She has performed in more than forty shows all over the U.S. She spent four months touring the country with the Omaha Theater Company's production of 'The Little Engine that Could' as the Red Dress Doll. She performed nearly 80 performances in 36 states. In New York City, Kirsten was part of the cast for the award-winning 'Skin Deep' by Mary Lynn Dobson (Fringe Festival winner 2009) which has won top honors from the 2010 Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival and originated the role of Lavender Blue in the eerily funny 'Professor Von Awesome's Traveling Caravan of Cautionary Warnings.' Kirsten appeared in the U.S. premiere of 'Scandalous! A new musical based on the life of D.H. Lawrence' in New Orleans and appeared at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in the World Premiere musical 'The Butterfly Project' which raised money for children's cancer research. Other credits include Children of Eden (Mama Noah), Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat(Narrator), Hello Dolly!(Minnie Fay), Beauty and the Beast(Silly Girl & Madame de la Grande Bouche), The Sound of Music(Mother Abbess), Annie(Star-to-Be), Oliver!(Widow Corney), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying(Rosemary), My Fair Lady(Featured Dancer), Promises, Promises!(Featured Dancer), Nunsense I & II(Sister Leo), Gypsy(Tessie Tura), Guys & Dolls(Featured Dancer), Back to the 80s(Debbie Cox), Seussical the Musical(Gertrude), Snoopy!(Sally Brown), Pippin(Featured dancer), Carousel, Godspell, Little Shop of Horrors(Chiffon), and many more.
In film/tv, Kirsten has appeared in the upcoming comedy 'Big Guns', 'Three Chris'', and filmed the independent short 'Westfield' with Clocktower Productions. She has also appeared in two episodes of 'The World's Most Astonishing News'.
She has also appeared as a guest artist with the Newark Boys Chorus and Triad Ensemble and the Spotlight Cabaret with Allentown Public Theater. She was a founding member of the Boonton Parks & Recreation Theatre Company for young performers where she not only directed and choreographed the shows for the company but also acted as lead fundraiser, costumer, lighting designer, marketing director as well as scenic and props designer. Kirsten also taught dance for the recreation department to children ages 7-12. Kirsten has also dabbled in play writing for children's theater. Her twisted version of "The Three Little Pigs" (a musical from the Big Bad Wolf's perspective) was produced at Playhouse 22 in East Brunswick, NJ.
Kirsten teaches drama classes at the Civic Theater in Allentown, PA to grades Pre-K through 4. Kirsten also offers an audition class to high school students which helps students audition confidently. Her effective teaching style is requested by groups in PA and NJ and NY.
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