tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84311960927964432832024-03-05T22:41:38.781-06:00DivababbleLife upon the wicked stage ain't never what a girl supposesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.comBlogger271125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-17688371182578857732017-09-06T21:44:00.000-05:002017-09-06T21:44:50.212-05:00The Belonging You Seek Is AheadIn which our Diva plays a small part in the creation of something beautiful
One of the very coolest things to happen to me since I started cosplaying Rey was being asked by Lucas Durham to pose for the figure reference for what became this extraordinary painting.
I have one (well, one extra) 11 x 17 print to give away. Watch the video to learn how! The winner will be drawn and announced Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-53525064132849093122016-12-15T09:09:00.000-06:002016-12-15T09:13:34.580-06:00Wolfing out and Going RogueIn which our Diva is having a very eventful costuming week
For several years I've been saying I should join Costumers With a Cause, in which a number of my friends were already active, and this past spring I finally did. Pretty much as it says on the tin, it's a volunteer organization of costumers/cosplayers who come out to interact with kids at charity and community events. Whether I'm Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-48011875318397867372016-08-23T14:39:00.000-05:002016-08-23T14:39:47.165-05:00The Light at the End of the WorldIn which our Diva is officially an audiobook narrator
I am over the moon about being able to announce that my very first foray into audiobook narration, The Light at the End of the World by J.A. Cummings, is now available on audible.com.
I learned an enormous amount in this process, not least of which was that while I would love to narrate again, I think I'll leave the producing to the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-56955386035598541212016-01-28T08:46:00.000-06:002016-01-28T08:47:38.030-06:00Godspeed ChallengerIn which our Diva remembers
Thirty years ago today, about ten minutes into chemistry class, the phone rang.
Before that moment, I don't think any of us had really noticed that there was a phone in the science room. We all stared, bewildered, as our teacher walked over, picked it up, listened silently for a moment, and put it back down. Then, still without a word, he pulled out the TV cart Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-80777894593700022312015-10-20T14:50:00.000-05:002015-10-20T14:50:19.949-05:00To the Safe Zone!In which our Diva faces off against some gnarly zombies
It's time for Nightmare on Chicago Street again, and that means more webseries goodness from the fertile mind of Jeff Kelley! I had a great time working with Jeff, the ever-hilarious Jason Pawlowski, and some skeeeery zombies in this year's videos. Here's the first episode:
Be sure to subscribe to the NoCS YouTube channel&Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-53653948775256507242015-08-22T21:04:00.001-05:002015-08-23T10:32:29.256-05:00Welcome (back) to Fright NightIn which our Diva gets to revisit an old friend on the big screen
Thirty years ago this summer, I got my dad and then my friend Kathy to drive me to Aurora from the booming metropolis of Bennett, Colorado (population ~1800) for three separate viewings of a movie with the dubious title of Fright Night. Once I got my hot little hands on a VHS copy, I systematically wore it out over the next Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-65600466119035824862015-08-17T20:47:00.000-05:002015-08-17T20:47:02.310-05:00The accidental filmmakerIn which our Diva took a walk and made a thing
I love where I live. To wit, where I can, on a Friday morning whim, walk two blocks, shoot for about an hour with a consumer DSLR and zero crew, and by Saturday afternoon have made this:
Even before I went to VidCon, I've been pulled up short more and more often recently by the ever-expanding array of creative tools accessible to the Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-1946430902794329862015-03-20T12:54:00.000-05:002015-03-20T12:54:40.906-05:00Shakespeare Week!In which our Diva has a little classical fun
Shakespeare Week is a UK-based educational initiative (put together by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust), but enough of it happens online that it's pretty inevitable people would pick up on it overseas.
Like me.
To that end, in lieu of my usual trying-to-be-weekly vlog efforts, I've been posting a short "mono-vlogue" each day. You can check Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-52435631937008281032015-03-07T08:38:00.000-06:002015-03-07T08:38:01.270-06:00#DearMeIn which our Diva sends a message in an imaginary digital bottle to her teen self
Dear Me,
You are a Smart Kid, and a Pollyanna, and a nerd, and a skinny girl, and getting taller seemingly by the minute, and watching people flip out about this sex thing with no small degree of bafflement.
This is for you.
Love,
Val
In celebration of International Women's Day, take part in YouTube’s globalAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-49250022991699001072015-02-24T13:26:00.002-06:002015-02-24T22:56:37.029-06:00Remember the ladiesIn which our Diva impersonates the Founding Mother of smarts and sass
A couple weeks ago, a friend alerted me to Drunk History's "Stumble Into History" contest, which called for videos of fans posing as historical figures to react to their portrayal on the show. It sounded like fun (and getting flown out to warm, sunny LA to do a walk-on in Season 3 sounds particularly good right about now!), Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-16148477677221357522015-02-21T08:53:00.000-06:002015-02-21T08:56:40.510-06:00MY autograph? Um, okay...In which our Diva commits vlog with tremendous ambivalence and curiosity
I am, as you may have noticed, not even a little bit famous. Despite this fact, from time to time, I receive an email or letter asking for an autographed photo. Typically they mention a relatively recent credit from my IMDb page, tell me a little about themselves, and are generally polite and respectful.
The one currentlyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-70205137014312056772015-02-11T18:33:00.000-06:002015-02-11T18:33:08.187-06:00Grieve not with thy bitter tearsIn which our Diva commemorates a famous death
On this day in 1862, Elizabeth Eleanor Siddal died of a laudanum overdose. The inquest ruled it accidental; some who knew her claimed to know for a fact that she had taken her own life. We will never be able to confirm with absolute certainty what was in her mind that night.
We do have her poems, many of which dwell on death and loss, a tendency inAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-82758409007078556622015-01-21T17:35:00.000-06:002015-01-21T17:35:48.086-06:00Ophelia is everywhereIn which our Diva ponders how the girl nobody at court considered until it was too late came to be considered a great many things
Long, long ago, when woolly mammoths roamed roamed the wilds of the information superhighway between the glittering GeoCities and the gates of AOhelL (which one reached by means of shiny wheels that appeared by the dozens in one's physical mailbox), yours truly Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-83389199832004182722015-01-09T14:50:00.000-06:002015-01-11T08:42:11.929-06:00Unvarnished vlog: Why Lizzie?In which our Diva gets some use out of that phone tripod she got for Christmas
I've been bitten by the vlogging bug. (Well, technically I can call myself an early adopter -- all of these predate my even hearing the term "vlog" -- but it's way easier now.)
For those of you who prefer the written word, don't worry -- I still plan to do proper blog posts too! But thoughts come out differently in Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-40738544510975812222014-12-26T16:27:00.002-06:002014-12-26T16:27:52.742-06:00Unvarnished sneak peekIn which our Diva sends season's greetings from Lizzie Siddal in Nice, 1855
The first staged reading of Unvarnished has come and gone, followed immediately by a lower back strain that limited my time in front of the computer, and immediately after that by, y'know, Christmas.
The turnout was small but enthusiastic, I learned that it's still too long and I must kill more darlings (Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-70735662416542791072014-11-27T12:16:00.000-06:002014-11-27T12:18:45.111-06:00Something in the water in GenevaIn which our Diva gives thanks that her Frankenstein castmates made everything such fun backstage
Frankenstein Official Quote List
GreenMan Theatre, Fall 2014
You can be in various stages of beverage... ness.
Let's have you pout again. That was good.
You're just kind of frantic piano-ing, so you don't notice him right away.
She's a great governess. She's the best. And you really Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-77622191698912075322014-10-29T22:02:00.000-05:002014-10-29T22:02:48.779-05:00The spark of lifeIn which our Diva plays dramaturg as Victor plays God
Just got home from an encore screening of the National Theatre's amazing Frankenstein, which I was lucky enough to see on my UK trip in 2011. Still one of the most satisfying experiences I've ever had in the audience of any theatre, and it was lovely to revisit that experience as well as see it in new ways courtesy of the expert filming.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-31704546532104745162014-09-24T21:09:00.002-05:002014-09-25T09:25:05.924-05:00Mermaid-like awhile they bore her upIn which our Diva's much-delayed dream project draws ever closer to reality
It's been over a month since I scrawled the words "END OF PLAY" in a spiral notebook, and just over a week since I typed the same ones into Celtx. Over a decade since the idea first hatched in my little brain, Unvarnished: A Portrait of Elizabeth Siddal is finally becoming an actual coming-to-a-stage-near-you solo Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-50380085511888992772014-08-22T15:41:00.000-05:002014-08-23T06:46:22.825-05:00Ice Bucket ChallengeIn which our Diva chills out in support of combating ALS and related diseases
Over five years ago (I got it wrong when I said four in the video), Spinal Muscular Atrophy took my brilliant, wacky, wonderful friend Abby away from us at the age of 33. With that in mind, I'm making "Ice Bucket" donations to both the ALSA and MDA.
The closing line of my blog post linked above was inspired by Abby'sAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-75730970575248530602014-08-17T13:04:00.000-05:002014-08-17T13:04:34.702-05:00Houston, we have a draft!In which our Diva reaches a noteworthy milestone
There's still a whole lot of work ahead of me before Unvarnished comes to a stage near you, but I cannot begin to tell you how sweet it was to scrawl these words this morning:
Meanwhile, another intrepid theatrical look into Lizzie's life is about to debut in New York. Be sure to check out Shakespeare's Sister Company and their imminent Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-87903500684528813262014-05-14T20:33:00.002-05:002014-05-15T09:40:50.214-05:00The quality of mercyIn which our Diva has been doing some listening and pondering
Being acquainted with a number of industry people on the other side of "The Pond," as well as a fan of various British TV fare, I've had quite a few conversations in the last few years that touch on the differences in acting education and career shapes between the US and UK. The broadest is that over here, we're much more likely to beAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-60002581405476318502014-05-02T20:24:00.000-05:002014-05-02T20:24:21.154-05:00How far would you go to find your soul?In which our Diva will be heard but not seen, and is totally okay with that
Exciting news today! Voice of the Vespers, the independent sci-fi feature for which I did the opening narration and some other voice acting, will premiere in just four weeks' time!
I think I've posted the trailer before, but it's super shiny and I'm bursting with pride for writer/director Matthew Van Howe and the wholeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-19502325006502836632014-03-26T22:35:00.000-05:002014-03-26T22:49:38.121-05:00And all that we can be, not what we areIn which our Diva assembles another inspiration playlist
If you've been around me or my blog long enough, you know I usually put together a playlist for my theatre or film projects, of music that, for whatever reason, strikes the right emotional resonances for my character's journey. With The Laramie Project's ensemble nature -- eight actors playing 60+ people -- I had to approach things a Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-34122581164425041222014-03-19T10:52:00.000-05:002014-03-26T22:35:28.009-05:00The lights of LaramieIn which our Diva returns to GreenMan Theatre in rather a change of pace
This is probably the latest I've ever blogged about an upcoming show, but that's partly because we have a bit of a compressed rehearsal process before our April 4 opening..
With a play like The Laramie Project, that's a lot of emotion packed into about six weeks.
In the fall of 1998, when Matthew Shepard's Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431196092796443283.post-29271111707023918332014-02-07T22:19:00.000-06:002014-02-07T22:39:13.672-06:00Nesting instinctIn which our Diva has been putting her winter restlessness to work
As you may have noticed, or at least heard (and heard, and heard, and heard -- the meteorologist on the local news sounds very tired of having to say this stuff!) it's been an awful lot of cold and snowy lately. Now, yours truly -- despite being made entirely of northern European barbarian DNA and having moved to Chicagoland on Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12521352135257689565noreply@blogger.com2