2011, briefly.

2011: time seemed to pass by faster than usual.

but during this time, I did love, understand, and embrace-

being a senior. 

attending nyc and chicago’s Unifieds college auditions.

falling in love with the windy city.

going to grad bash.

playing the very old Rebecca Nurse in “The Crucible.” and having no breakfast.

taking Life 101 with Ms. Prieto.

receiving inspiration from the House Theater’s production of “The Sparrow.”

becoming a New World School of the Arts alumni.

receiving my acceptance letter from Southern Methodist University.

attending Southern Methodist University and majoring in Acting.

meeting SMU’s brilliant theater class of 2015.

living on my own, 1328 miles away from home.

truly understanding what homesick means.

still wearing my high school class ring.

late night runs to Jimmy Johns and 7-Eleven.

jamming out at the piano in the Peyton lounge.

attending my first football game.

movie nights.

eating at umph every day.

and complaining about the party music they play in the mornings.

hoping for snow.

having Thanksgiving at the Galloway’s.

playing hacky sack before and after work in the scene shop.

teching Othello.

teching Babela Rasa.

working with Donny Repscher in his directing scene.

and then convincing Katy Tye’s character to become a prostitute.

having rehearsal from 10-12 am.

never having to worry about math ever again.

listening to John Mayer’s “Stop This Train," crying my eyes out, and blaming Shauna Davis.

living lit ra lee 50 steps away from Meadows School of the Arts.

hugging my family.

coming home for winter break, and acting like an immature fool again with "the family."

turning 19 years old.

meeting new people.

seeing new sights.

and continuing to grow as a person and as an artist.

So, here’s to 2012; It’s gonna be one heck of a year.

“I’m not fascinated by people who smile all the time. What I find interesting is the way people look when they are lost in thought, when their face becomes angry or serious, when they bite their lip, the way they glance, the way they look down when they walk, when they are alone and smoking a cigarette, when they smirk, the way they half smile, the way they try and hold back tears, the way when their face says they want to say something but can’t, the way they look at someone they want or love… I love the way people look when they do these things. It’s… beautiful.” -Unknown


"Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it." - Charles Swindoll

That's what's up.

The Impossible List:

Life Goals

• Change 1 Person’s Life For The Better
• Win a Tony Award

Travel Goals

• Visit Every Continent
  • North America
  • South America
  • Europe
  • Asia
  • Australia
  • Antarctica
  • Africa
• Go Swimming in Every Ocean
  • Pacific
  • Atlantic
  • Indian
  • Arctic
  • Southern/Antarctic
• Travel For 1 Year Straight
• Become Fluent In 4 Languages
  • English
  • Spanish
  • Portuguese
  • French
  • Italian
  • Portuguese (from Portugal)
• Obtain dual citizenship with another country.
• Own a small flat in 2 different countries.
• Go backpacking.
• Go cross-country cycling.

Minimalism Goals

• Go without internet for a month 
• Go without a car for a month
• Own less than 300 things

Adrenaline Rushes

• Go Scubadiving
• Learn to Surf
• Go skydiving
• Do A Cross Country Road Trip

Random

• Be an Extra in a Movie 
• Finish the Harry Potter series

Events To Attend

• Fifa World Cup
• Olympics
• Carnival in Brazil
• New Years in Times Square
• Octoberfest in Germany

Professional Goals

• Get on a National Broadway Tour
• Open a Theater Company
• Eventually receive a Masters Degree
• Start a Theater Company in another country
• Put $100,000 in the bank
• Work successfully in the field I want to work in

Move Your Body

So, the song of the day is "Move Your Body" by Beyonce. It definitely depicts everyone's past weekend. Prom was Saturday night. And it was actually so nice! Our theme was "Across The Galaxy" a.k.a. Star Wars. It was everything I thought it would be. We did Prom Before Pictures at Milo's house. Prom was at the Alexander Hotel. High class. Prom after Party finished the night off with a bang. Perfection.

The Crucible opens Wednesday. Come see it; it's going to be fantastic, I think. Tickets are $12 general admission and $5 for students. Here's a link:
The Crucible tickets

3 weeks left of high school.
MY God.

Goodbye, Michael Scott.

Well, it's been fun. Thank you for making Dunder Mifflin what it was; an enjoyable workplace where all of your employees were safe to be themselves. Thank you for entertaining millions of people across the country. We will miss your humor. I have already put in my resignation at Dunder Mifflin, concluding my association with The Office. I refuse to work at a place where you won't be in charge, and replaced by one of America's biggest idiots, Will Ferrel. You really were the World's Best Boss. 

Wishing you all of the best,
Stephanie

THE SPARROW

This past Saturday, I watched The Sparrow at the Adrienne Arsht Center, and also attended their workshop beforehand. The Sparrow received 7 Jeff Awards in Chicago, including Outstanding New Work, Production, Director, Ensemble, Original Music, Projection Design and Choreography. The production originated at The House Theater in Chicago, and is now touring the country. It was honestly one of the best shows I've ever seen. Along with that, it was also one of the most inspirational shows I've ever seen. There were 5 Southern Methodist University alumni involved in the production. The director, writers, and 3 actors, all graduated from SMU in < 2007. To see alumni actually working and getting themselves out there was an eye opener for me; after so much deception for being involved in theater, and being told it's not a "career", it gave me hope that I can be successful at SMU. If you want it and work hard enough for it, you will be rewarded. Always.


I attended the workshop beforehand. Around 50 people attended, ages 17 through 80-something. There was a plethora of performers, as well as playwrights, directors, producers, even nurses. We learned what The House Theater was all about. They are a collaborative group, working within their own ensemble members, only hiring people who they would want to work with and let them be a part of "the circle." Carolyn Defrin, who plays the lead character of Emily Book, led us through the workshop. She founded The House Theater, along with other cast members. I had a chance to work closely with the SMU alumni, along with other people who attended the workshop, and I understood what the House Theater meant when they talked about the ensemble working as a collaborative, not as individuals.


Their form of storytelling was presented through movement pieces, visuals, video footage, magic, singing, and dance (It was not a musical. I promise.) All in all, it was an incredible production, and I'm so glad to have spent my Saturday with this incredible cast. The experience was unlike any other I've had, and almost a revelation in myself. 


They close this weekend, so you can still catch it. Student Rush is $25. Here's a link:

The Sparrow Miami

Universal Truths

I stumbled upon this on StumbleUpon, and found it hilarious.

Universal truths:

1) Triangular sandwiches taste better than square ones.
2) At the end of every party there is always a girl crying.
3) One of the most awkward things that can happen in a pub is when your pint-to-toilet cycle gets synchronised with a complete stranger.
4) You've never quite sure whether it's ok to eat green crisps.
5) Everyone who grew up in the 80's has entered the digits 55378008 into a calculator.
6) Reading when you're drunk is horrible.
7) Sharpening a pencil with a knife makes you feel really manly.
8) You're never quite sure whether it's against the law or not to have a fire in your back garden.
10) Nobody ever dares make cup-a-soup in a bowl.
11) You never know where to look when eating a banana.
12) Its impossible to describe the smell of a wet cat.
13) Prodding a fire with a stick makes you feel manly.
14) Rummaging in an overgrown garden will always turn up a bouncy ball.
15) You always feel a bit scared when stroking horses.
16) Everyone always remembers the day a dog ran into your school.
17) The most embarrassing thing you can do as schoolchild is to call your teacher mum or dad.
18) The smaller the monkey the more it looks like it would kill you at the
first given opportunity.
19) Some days you see lots of people on crutches.
20) Every bloke has at some stage while taking a pee flushed half way through and then raced against the flush.
21) Old women with mobile phones look wrong!
22) Its impossible to look cool whilst picking up a Frisbee.
23) Driving through a tunnel makes you feel excited.
24) You never ever run out of salt.
25) Old ladies can eat more than you think.
26) You can't respect a man who carries a dog.
27) There's no panic like the panic you momentarily feel when you've got your hand or head stuck in something.
28) No one knows the origins of their metal coat hangers.
29) Despite constant warning, you have never met anybody who has had their arm broken by a swan.
30) The most painful household incident is wearing socks and stepping on an upturned plug.
31) People who don't drive slam car doors too hard
32) You've turned into your dad the day you put aside a thin piece of wood
specifically to stir paint with.
33) Everyone had an uncle who tried to steal their nose.
34) Bricks are horrible to carry.
35) In every plate of chips there is a bad chip.

College.

So, I'm attending Southern Methodist University next year.
That's right.
And I'm ecstatic.

And holy crap.
It's coming up so soon.
I'm graduating in less than two months.

It's been good.
It's been real good.

ZOO DAY

Photos by: Stephanie Machado

Stumble Upon discovery

i find this cool:

http://www.nileguide.com/blog/2010/10/23/8-tragic-ghost-towns-of-the-20th-century/

What's been up, what's been down

Holy crap. Just finished Dexter Season 4. And it was by far the best Season Finale yet.

The Oscars are tonight: I'm pretty pumped for that.

My One Person Show is finished. Just need to get it up on my feet.

I just had auditions for "The Crucible" at New World. Hoping to get in.

Psychology class and Life 101 has revealed many things that have been going on within me that I had no idea of.

I recently watched The Godfather and Goodfellas. And they have for sure made my top ten list of favorite films.

This past year I've been trying to catch up with Films. And as an actor, I've been learning so much from watching films like Taxi Driver or Goodfellas. I've learned that the small things make up a character's personality. For example, a twitch or a certain smirk. And if I apply this small thing, little by little I will morph into the character I wish to portray. This may make no sense to you. Haha

I haven't been taking too many pictures on a day to day basis. I've been busy. Mostly with One Person Show, Auditions (which have been going great, by the way), and schoolwork. The one thing I don't like about auditions is the wait afterwards. I wish they'd just tell us sooner if we got in or not.

So, about 3 months of school left..which is a very scary thought.

I'll try to keep this up.