Billy Densmore, a Reflection, Class of ’89

Hello!

It’s been a very long time since I’ve written in my blog. I have decided that writing each month with nothing to say wasn’t satisfactory for me. When I did have something to say, it was really a personal reflection that may or may not have anything to do with the entertainment industry.

So, I have taken to write less and less. However, I want to take time to remember an important person that many people in my class at Northside School of the Arts have mentioned lately in the news, for instance, Erika Girardi aka Erika Jayne from the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and RuPaul which are both graduates of Northside High School.

My story comes into view in the summer of 1988 when my parents and I were on vacation in Atlanta. My parents are from Newnan and Franklin, GA and we would come every summer on vacation. This summer, my dad was retiring from the military as Command Sergeant Major (CSM) with the 4×4 field artillery with 27 years of experience, and he was moving back home to Georgia from Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.

I loved to audition and was taking voice lessons from Mrs. Doris Lambert from Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma and piano from Yuki Walker from my hometown. I had an interest in drama and was in Bye Bye Birdie as Rosie in the 8th grade at Tomlinson Jr. High School. I had brought my 24 Italian Arias with me on vacation.

My dad was on the phone and mentioned to me that I needed to leave now for an audition at Northside School of the Arts.  My dad, CSM (Ret) Artie C. Geter, had talked to his friend, Judge Clarence Thomas, and he said that I should audition for that school.  Dad called the school and they were leaving for Europe that very day and I needed to get there now before they left for Europe to audition since we were leaving back to Oklahoma and wouldn’t get back in time to audition for enrollment.

We left in a hurry and I decided to sing two songs: “Alma del Core” by Antonio Caldara. I don’t remember the other song.  I auditioned before Mr. Densmore and all the kids that were leaving for Europe in the chorus room that day.  I got some hand claps from the kids and left.  Later, I found out that I had gotten into the school.

This was the best thing that my dad had done for me.  Later, I asked him why did he decide to retire before my senior year in high school since I was with my friends from kindergarten to junior year. I wanted my dad to apologize, but he refused. My dad refused to apologize for anything and said that this was the best thing that he could have done for me, and he was right.

I look back at this with acquaintances and friends from this school and hear about the great things we are still doing years later: Travis Payne, choreographer for Michael and Janet Jackson before MJ’s passing; Erika Girardi aka Erika Jayne who at 35 created her alter ego that would contribute to nine #1 hit singles and a stint on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and Elaine Hendrix, actress in television and films including many wonderful professionals across the world.

I heart my friends back in Oklahoma including Will Shields, retired Guard for the Kansas City Chiefs who invited me to his induction into the Football Hall of Fame, and James Trapp (my high school crush) who earned the Super Bowl ring from the Baltimore Ravens in 2000 and won a gold medal in the Olympics in 1993 for the 200 meter dash in 20.60 seconds including many friends from my hometown.

I had the best of both worlds: football players in choir in Oklahoma (Will Shields) and a great pre professional artistic experience at a high achieving performance arts school.

The last time that I saw Mr. Densmore was at my ten year class reunion in 1999 (yes, we partied to the song by Prince, RIP, especially me).

However, Mr. Densmore would say that he was going to die. Mr. Densmore contracted the HIV virus that causes AIDS. The ten year class reunion would be the last time that I would see him.

I did see Erika Girardi in a commercial flight from NYC with her mom and son who was about ten to twelve years old at the time with my parents returning to Georgia in 2005. I had graduated from NYU and we mentioned about life goals then. She was thinking about going back to school or doing something more with her life (of course, it wouldn’t be school but a music career); I would see Travis Payne at the 10 and 20 year class reunion and in the DVD of This Is It tour video before Michael Jackson died, RIP; I saw Elaine Hendrix in a play in 2010 while I was visiting and auditioning in voice overs, going to the VOICE convention in Beverly Hills and auditioning for film auditions at the time.

I now teach as a choral director and music educator at the DeKalb Elementary School of the Arts.  The DeKalb School of the Arts and DESA will merge together as one school, P-12 as a performance magnet school in about five to seven years.

Mr. Billy Densmore, RIP, would be proud of his high achieving students. We remember and pay our tributes to him. I hope that he’s looking at us fondly. Mr. Densmore definitely had an influence on our lives. We contribute much of our training and success as a reflection today because of him.

Kim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ENT Visit

Good morning,

I had an ENT visit yesterday that I can share with you.

The ENT (ears, nose, and throat) is also called an Otorhinolaryngologist.

I wanted to check my vocal folds (term also used is vocal cords) to see if there was anything that I should be concerned about. I had overused my voice on a particular day and since I’m in a choral group, teach choir to young singers, speak as a voice-over talent, act, and sing at times, it was time for a check-up.

The specialist was great. I highly recommend Buckhead ENT in Atlanta, GA.

If you’ve never been to an ENT, I procedure is not painful. However, it is uncomfortable.

Spray goes into your nostril on both sides. A tube with a light at the end is inserted into one nostril down to your vocal folds.

I was asked to hum, sing a high sound, ascend and descend vocally so that full coverage could be viewed.

I had gone to the PCP earlier due to my throat issue and discovered that I had acid reflux. The ENT did see redness due to the acid reflux. However, my vocal folds were fine, yay!

There are many issues that can occur as a vocalist, speaker, and teacher. I encourage people to take care of your voice with simple things.

1. Drink plenty of water, lukewarm is best. I urge people to drink water when they first wake up in the morning.
2. Space your speech and rest your voice throughout certain times of the day. Sometimes, it’s best to remain quiet. A person doesn’t have to comment all the time. Silent times should be necessary for teachers, singers, choir directors, voice-over talents, professors (whoever uses their voice consistently for communication).
3. Get plenty of rest, six to eight hours per day.
4. Get your exercise.
5. Eat healthy foods and cook more at home.

These are very simple ideas; however, they work.

For the website of Buckhead ENT; see below:

http://buckheadent.com/

 

 

Update on VO, Acting, Music Career(s)

Good Sunday Afternoon!

It’s been an interesting long hot summer with the 2016 election. Hopefully, it will be over soon whether we like the result or not. Please vote!

My posts are updates as a talent.

1. voiceover work – I have submitted for narration work to companies that specialize in eLearning and business narrations. I submitted today for upcoming projects. It’s always good to keep marketing yourself regardless or how much or little work you are completing at the moment.
2. film work – I visited my agent’s new office space yesterday. Kathleen hired a new office manager named Linda, and I hope to book another project soon. My current project on my social media page is called Memoirs of a Godfather, a web series. It was super fun and I play Fran in Goodbyes. Hope to have the project recur soon. It’s on vimeo at the website: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/memoirsofagodfather
3. music work – I auditioned and became a member of the DeKalb Choral Guild. Our first rehearsal is Monday. I’m glad to sing with the group and they perform interesting choral works. It’s not the typical choral works that I’ve seen in the past. I hope to have a deep fulfilling choral experience with this group for many years. I enjoy singing in the choir. I’m also a choral director as well at a performing arts school. I will enjoy singing under a great group of choral singers.

That’s the completion of my status at this time. A film project is complete and I hope to finally complete my audiobook project in September 2016. I will write an update on that project next.

Enjoy your life. You only live once.

Kim

 

 

 

Reflections on Bullying Short Film

In the Fall 2013, I directed a student film with middle school students. We finally finished post production of it and I wanted to share it. Since it’s middle school students, the names have been abbreviated. We may send it to student festivals to check out the responses. Thanks for the support for my drama students.

Reflections on Bullying

 

Reflection Day

I’ve said this to a fellow actor: It’s tough to do three performance jobs simultaneously. I’ve asked Jesus for forgiveness in this. The amount of work is extraordinary. However, I’m thankful for these jobs and have to practice daily to stay sharp on the battlefield. I also appreciate knowing that I have limits so that I can have a life. Much love to people who I learn from constantly to help keep my skill sets sharpened. #SAG–AFTRA #VO/SINGING COACHES/VO2013ATL #ACDA-NAfME #LittleKidsRock

Thankful that God allows me to do this work and it constantly gives me energy and excites me. Hope others feel the same. The bottom line is that I just had to learn this stuff. Nothing would stop me from learning this information. Really don’t need anymore skill sets except living with a mate. lol Have a blessed day.

Kim

 

 

Debt Freedom & Broke, the play

Right now, I’m taking a class in becoming debt free. I’m actually enjoying it, although, I find it mind-boggling. There are a lot of things that we can do or work on that I’ve not considered. The program uses Dave Ramsey as a textbook, using Christian principles and scripture.

There are things that I can do now: let go of cable or get basic cable since I work so much, I don’t have time for TV anyway. Sell some furnishings. Get basic services for phone use, etc.

My mind has accepted this new reality. I don’t need a lot of stuff. lol. I grew up in the 80s. That decade was my teen years. Also, Starbucks has GOT to go! Brewing at home is better. A five dollar daily coffee fix is high-class robbery.

Is anyone permanently working on getting out of debt? Send me your comments.

BTW, the play, BROKE by Janece Shaffer, is an awesome play about the economy. It’s a new play at the Alliance Theatre from September 23 – October 23, 2011. Kudos to the actors: Tess Malis Kincaid, James M. Leaming, Elisabeth Omilami (owner of the non-profit, Hosea Feed the Hungry and Homeless), and Galen Crawley for a job well done. Every person should see this play. Everyone. I mean it. Go see it or read the play.

Kim

 

Essential Theatre Festival 2011

A Thousand Circlets by Theroun Patterson: A Review

Watching the world première of A Thousand Circlets by Theroun D’Arcy Patterson, Winner of the Essential Theatre playwriting Award, was an enjoyable experience. The new play by Mr. Patterson who was in the audience (every performance night) is a five person play about a dysfunctional family, regret, Alzheimer’s disease, and a family architectural company.

The play involves an African-American family and the father patriarch played by Tony Vaughn, who has Alzheimer’s; however, his wife, played by Yvonne Singh, won’t accept it. The three adult children, played by Tony Goolsby, a business person who works in the family business, and his sister played by Precious Bright, were always close although they have a love-hate friendship among them. The step-brother, Olubajo Sonubi, is an architect but lives with the fact that his design caused someone’s death when the building collapsed.

The step siblings have a sexual relationship that is later discovered by Caleb (Goolsby). As a matter of fact, Caleb is having marital problems with his wife whom the audience never meets. Eventually, love between the Patriarch, Earl Leighton, (played by Vaughn), and wife Liz Kensey Leighton, (played by Singh) prevails. Getting there is half the fun.

The play for me was extremely strong in Act I and weaker in Act II. The script echoes a television script due to the fact that a technical dilemma in Act II when step siblings Rebecca and Grey fight over their love for each other and the love of the family business. They are forced to face each other for a good 15 minutes of dialogue while the audience watches their profiles. The director, Betty Hart, can’t do anything about this. It’s stronger if they just talk to each other but weaker for the audience since the audience are forced to look at 15 minute profiles. It’s intense and the audience wants to see their eyes but can’t. This is when a POV from a camera shot would work beautifully here but it’s theatre, no such luck.

The flashback in Act I works beautifully and is scripted well with a nice transition afterwards with Earl responding to his wife in the present as if he was still in 2001 in New York City. It’s 2011 and his Alzheimer’s is severe to the point that he can’t function at work anymore, to the dismay of his cussing every minute son, Caleb.

It’s good theatre. For me, it resembles a television script on stage. It’s still strong theatre with excellent volatile performances by the women, who keep you guessing what they will do next. The writing is eloquent, elevated language with the Act I over an hour and Act II also over an hour with a 10-15 minute intermission.

It’s a strong, very enjoyable, and ambitious first play written by Mr. Patterson. It’s an excellent career taking off into high gear that hopefully will continue at a steady pace for a long career ahead of him.

Kim

 

Essential Theatre Play Festival 2011

A Sleeping Country by Melanie Marnich and Great Falls by Lee Blessing: A Review

I decided to purchase the Flex Pass for all three shows. A Thousand Circlets, I will see later in the month. Overall, it was nice to hear about two married playwrights that were chosen by Essential Theatre to première its Southern regional première at Actors Express Theatre.

A Sleeping Country directed by Peter Hardy was a comical view on a disturbing sleeping disorder that has Julia, played by Kelly Criss, up 24/7. She goes to her good friend, Midge, a psychologist, played by Megan Hayes, for help. Greg, Julia’s fiancée, played by Matthew Myers, becomes exasperated when he discovers that Midge has given her drugs to commit suicide if she needs them. Midge also researches her illness on the internet and shares that the origin of her disorder is located in Italy. Isabella, an Italian whose family has the illness, played by Holly Stevenson, meets Julia for the first time in Italy and decides to help her discover if she has the malady.

Enjoyable, with great comic effect, everyone has great moments in the play. The true tragedian is Julia who never finds the true cause of her illness but still keeps the affection of her fiancée in the end. I like Marnich’s twist of the main character going to Italy to make discoveries of her own. The witticisms of Isabella were hilarious and having the butler, son of Isabella, including Greg played by the same character had great comic moments as well. Precise and distinctive, I enjoyed each character/personality presented. It would have been nice to find more comic moments for Julia since she played the role seriously straight throughout. As a matter of fact, I’m not able to recall a comic moment with Julia. The other characters create the comic relief needed for this play, especially Isabella.

Great Falls directed by Ellen McQueen was a completely opposite play, which I appreciated. I’m enjoying the diversity of all plays selected for the Festival. It was spot on with its interpretation of the script by the actors Emmett Furrow as Monkeyman and Ashleigh Hoppe as Bitch. Tragedy for me makes me contemplate the issues long after the play was over. This was no different. It’s less complicated in plot but more intense in story. A step-father and his step-daughter take a trip. Actually, Bitch was abducted into a cross-country visit to the midwest for family time. Both are writers and that’s their common bond. However, Bitch hates her step-father until he reveals why he left her mother. I was struck by the great moments in this play with the dad explaining to his step-daughter how a man feels about his sexual relationship with his former wife and why he had to cheat. Meanwhile, Bitch’s relationship with men including her mental psychotic state has devastating effects to her life. There is a long history of sexual abuse within the family that Monkeyman, tries to reconcile with his former wife but he leaves her anyway. I, as an audience member, wants to sympathize with the wife, but I end up sympathizing with the husband, especially when he shares his point of view. Discovering that he was a coward for not helping his wife, that becomes minor when he discovers that Bitch is pregnant by either three men who raped her. Bitch reconciles with her step-dad when he helps her get an abortion.

I’m struck on how this father-daughter relationship is about sex, marriage, date-rape, a road-trip, all into one. It wasn’t a pleasant experience to sit through. The yelling of Bitch actually got on my nerves for a while but both actors play their roles with honest abandon. It also ends with the two never to see each other again. In the end, you don’t blame the dad. He did his best. He was honest with his former wife and step-daughter and didn’t mistreat them, although he gets most of the blame for ending the marriage. He has to leave – no hugs are given – appropriate, and they part without further remorse.

Out of this husband and wife team, Great Falls, gave me more points on how “one man” thinks about marriage, sex, and committment. Strong monologues for men and early 20s women are here. The residue of this play gave me a stronger imprint on my mind.

The review of A Thousand Circlets will come later.

Kim