Preparations & Promote U
"I wanna be a producer with a hit show on Broadway!" - Mel Brooks
Originally from May of 2019
Ultimately my decision to come to New York at this time of year could be attributed to the timing of the Promote U conference held by Davenport Theatrical, the same company who is responsible for creating the Producer's Perspective PRO. Even though being a member of this organization is expensive, it is what gave me hope and helped me get through a very difficult period of my life. At this point in time I must say that my dreams are not leading me in a traditional Broadway direction, however, I have no doubt that one day I will be working on a Broadway production in some capacity. The Promote U conference was designed for artistic individuals to improve their social media footprint, but in order to prepare for this massive event, I decided to get my hair done. Last summer when I was in New York I found myself meandering through Bryant Park when all of a sudden I was approached by a young man about the possibility of getting my hair done. I must say that I was excited to be offered a promotion to a fancy hair salon. I honestly don't know if these promotions are that good of a deal, however what they do guarantee is some instant flattery as well as the chance for one to put a down-payment on a fancy hair style.
Initially I thought that I would go all out and get a pixie cut, however, after some time fear set in and brought me back to my senses. I am definitely a low maintenance individual when it concerns my hair and the thought of spending extra time in the bathroom definitely deterred me from going hard core. In addition to not being one who was able to foresee high maintenance as a potential item being added to my beauty regimen, I honestly did not want to forgo the trouble and financial burden of taking new headshots.
Even though I thought now would be a great opportunity for a dramatic change, I ultimately decided that now was not the time to throw off my singlehood brand.
Ultimately I didn't have my hair stylist go too crazy. He simply gave me a few natural looking high lights and trimmed my hair off enough to be healthy again. I oftentimes joke that my parents' dog gets his hair cut more than I do, which is actually true! The last time that I got my hair cut and styled was during my Tokyo Trek (a year ago). I absolutely loved this experience, however the language barrier did definitely impact the final product. I became a brunette! Even though that is not what I had envisioned, but I did not fault my stylist. On account of our inability to speak the same language I just sort of ended up surrendering and told him that what he said sounded good. As a result I came out as a bobbed brunette! Oh well!
As soon as I found the salon I was able to deduce that it was a private room. My stylists name was Lesile. When he told me that he had been in the business for 35 years the little fan girl inside of me was awakened. I immediately asked him if he had styled the hair of any celebrities. He told me that indeed he had. Ivanka Trump, Olivia Newton-John, Ryan Phillipee, and Romée (Victoria Secret model).
I had a wonderful experience. He spent a lot of time giving me a variety of treatments for my dry, Alaskan hair. To put a final touch to my look he decided to curl my hair. I was absolutely amazed at how effortlessly he used a flatiron to create soft ringlets to my hair. When I exclaimed how good he was he simply chuckled and said, "Welcome to New York."
At the end of my appointment I didn't hang out in the city, instead I knew that I would have to go back to Connecticut and have dinner with my family. For this dinner we all met at Chilis. The highlight of this gathering was definitely the sharage of the lava cake.
At Chilis celebrating family and the successful obliteration of three lava cakes!
After Chilis, I decided to hunker down and really get some quality shut-eye because the next morning would really require me to get up extremely early and attend the "Promote U" conference.
I have learned the hard way that I am navigationally challenged, and if there is a way to mess up, this one will seek out the alternate route and Robert Frost it (the path less traveled)! Well I must say I did not disappoint, I did manage to take a wrong subway, but eventually I did end up getting back on the right track and once I got off the subway, Google assisted me in getting the rest of the way there.
I ended up being the second person there. Even according to New York standards, this was overly cautious, but it ended up being worth it. I ended up loving the conference. Do you know when people talk about conferences as a chance to be inspired? Well, this time feeling inspired would have been an understatement when explaining the emotional connection I felt to the subject matter presented by these speakers. Never have I been in an environment where people threw around theatrical references that I understood or felt challenged by them.
It definitely felt good to be back. Theatrical people are some of the most generous/giving, joyous, and non-judgmental folk around. I know I am on my way to becoming one, but until then I can't help but live vicariously through people like Kerry Butler, Seth Rudesky, Audra McDonald, Jeremy Jorden, Reeve Carney, and Laura Benanti.
Admiring the advertisement I had designed to promote myself.
