Hey there folks! I'm so excited about the holidays this year. Last year, I was away performing (which don't get me wrong was AWESOME) but I wasn't home with my loved ones and couldn't travel to holiday parties and didn't decorate. Anyone who knows me knows I love putting up the trees (yes we have 2) and love filling the stockings and love baking (even though I'm a semi-homemade baker). So, I'm thrilled this year I'm home. I got to bake, decorate, party, shop, send out cards, and be with those I love. And from today til the end of 2011 I will continue to be inspired and give love back to those that mean so much to me.
I've mentioned many times that 2011 was a very trying year. As I reflect on the past year and try not to focus on the negative parts of the year, I can highlight that which is great. Out of twelve months, I worked as a professional actress 7 of those 12 months. In the months I was not under contract, I filmed 2 movies, sang in countless cabarets, and wrote and workshopped my first original children's musical (with the musical help of Greta Kleckner) and oh I started my own company. I was hugely inspired this year by those I love and those who love me.
On top of all the performing opportunities I've been fortunate enough to have I've also opened a private studio, taught a very successful professional theater workshop series, taught at Civic Theatre School and just learned I will be taking on yet another class with Civic Theatre School and I'm thrilled. I'm THE Cat in the Hat that tours the local school to teach reading literacy through drama AND my new business Star of the Day Event Productions acquired Lehigh Valley's premier Cabaret and Open Mic Piano bar.
So looking back on the year I think I had a good year. It's hard to forget the loss of my best friend or the loss of Mike's Dad, my dear friend's husband, or a friend's Mom. But going forward, instead of focusing on their losses I will focus on continuing to spread the love and goodness they spread while here on earth. It's all any of us can do.
COMING UP....
January 5th - TWISTED CABARET - Spotlight Cabaret, Allentown Brew Works 8pm $5
January 4th - March 2nd - Cat in the Hat School Tour. PRIVATE TOUR
February 2-4 - Hot n' Cole - Ridge Light Opera Company - Basking Ridge, NJ $25/$20
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "To be honest with you, I don't have the words to make you feel better, but I do have the arms to give you a hug, ears to listen to whatever you want to talk about, and I have a heart; a heart that's aching to see you smile again." ~unknown
VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Thanks to my bestie Mim Paquin Robinette for this. AWESOME!
RECIPE OF THE WEEK: Super easy cookies.
Ingredients:
Premade Pillsbury Choc Chip Cookies.
package Reese's PB Cups.
spray mini muffin pans with Pam. Place a cookie square in each mini muffin cup. Bake just under the recommended time. 12 minutes. Remove immediately and push PB cups in the center and let the cookies set. ENJOY!
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 is currently performing for the Pines Dinner Theatre 2011 season as Sister Hubert in 'Nunsense' and Mrs. C in 'Happy Days The Musical.' 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 just wrapped up filming on two short films: 'Stabilized' by Grete Miller, a B&W silent film where her solo performance received highest accolades during screenings from Shimon Dotan, award-winning filmmaker with 13 feature films to his credit; recipient of Jury Prize for Best World Documentary at Sundance (Hot House); Silver Bear at the Berlin FF (The Smile of the Lamb); Best Film at the Newport Beach Film Festival (You Can Thank Me Later); numerous Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Film and Best Director (Repeat Dive; The Smile of the Lamb); films presented on HBO, PBS, CBS, ARTE; has taught filmmaking at Tel Aviv U., Concordia U. in Montreal and is teaching political cinema at NYU and 'Threshold'. She appears in the upcoming comedy 'Big Guns' which has received numerous awards on the film festival circuit in 2011. She was also in 'Three Chris'' and the independent short 'Westfield' with Clocktower Productions. She has also appeared in two episodes of 'The World's Most Astonishing News'.
Kirsten has 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 grad
es Pre-K through 4. She also is the Program Coordinator/Facilitator for the "Reading with Cat in the Hat" literacy promotion program where she tours to at-risk communities and performs as the Cat in the Hat. 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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