Montclair State University

The class of 2011 officially became alumni on Friday May 20th at around noon.

The past four years have gone so quickly. Being a Senior definitely had it's perks though. Montclair spreads out its ceremonies by giving each college (college of the arts, school of buisness, etc.) its own convocation. This is a nice opportunity to sit with your friends and they announce your name and honors and you get to walk on stage in front of your family. It is a really lovely chance for the much deserved individual recognition.

This ceremony was followed about a week later with the large University Commencement. I was honored with the chance to be Senior Speaker. After going through a slightly rigorous selection process and many rehearsals I finally got to address my class. The perspective of the ceremony from the stage was awesome. My speech is online HERE if you would like to watch it. I really couldn't imagine a better way to say thank you to everyone who has been there with me for the past for years. MSU really has prepared me for the world and now I get to go use what I've learned. This is the most exciting and frightening time. Congrats class of 2011! We did it!

Posted by Kodi at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In my sign language skills I mean. Last Thursday I attended an event at the Panera in West Orange which gave me a chance to mingle with Deaf people and Hearing students of sign. I got there and sat with some of my friends from class and a friend from home who is also a student of American Sign Language.

It was really intriguing to see the difference in my abilities to those who had just started taking sign. I am hardly saying I am in any way fluent or amazing, but I'm not to shabby. I had some what forgotten what it was like to be petrified to sign with a Deaf person and have to ask them repeat themselves again and again. In fact, I made sure I learned how to sign again before my first sign class ever was over. Improvement in an area like this is not something I can gauge with regularity because only a few of my friends know the language and only my one roommate is really fluent. It was awesome to know that I have improved and I really hope I can continue my sign education one day.

Posted by Kodi at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

And Mamie Hansberry shows up at your school. One of my fellow undergrad students is back at MSU to finish a degree she began 35 years ago. She spent those 35 years she wasn't in school being a professional actor. This also means she has friends in the industry she can call in.

So for a presentation my fellow student gave, she called in Mamie Hansberry, 1 of the men who wrote our theater history text book, Scott Richards and the Dean of the School of the Arts and invites us all to watch.
Little bit of back story: Mamie Hansberry is Lorraine Hansberry's older sister. Lorraine wrote the play "A Raisin in the Sun". Scott Richards' father was the first black director to work on a play on Broadway and directed the first production of the show.
They sat around for about an hour and discussed Raisin's impact on culture and theater. Ms. Hansberry shared stories of her sister and their life in Chicago (like the time Duke Ellington played at her high school graduation party).

It certainly blew every presentation I've ever given out of the water. When over achievers share their resources, everyone can benefit.

Posted by Kodi at 9:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The moment we have been working towards and talking about finally arrived and has already gone. Senior Showcase. This is a really great chance for us to not only get up in front of 30 Industry professionals, but we also take classes with Casting Directors from Theater, Television and Film. It was such an amazing learning experience and a lot of my classmates had some really positive feedback and will be meeting with agents later this week and early next week.

It is so very strange to have finally reached this point in my Senior year. When we got here Freshman year this all seemed so very far away. And now I sit here, nearing the end of my Senior year, and Freshman year doesn't seem that far away at all. I am convinced it was yesterday that I moved into Blanton Hall. In the past four years at MSU I've traveled the world, learned so much, fallen in and out of love, made valuable connections and friends that I will have forever. Now with showcase and the end of the year it is time for me to combined all of that and show the industry that I have what it takes. Time to start pounding the pavement as they say and start this career of mine.

Posted by Kodi at 1:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Weather wise anyway. I spent the last week in Ireland for my Spring Break. I had never really traveled before I went to MSU. Then my Freshman year they offered a trip to London and Junior year was a trip to Berlin. Because I traveled with MSU, I always have a chaperon of some kind. We travel with professors for those trips. This year my roommates and I decided to travel "like big girls" as we like to say. It was just us with a real skeleton of a plan. It was amazing.

St. Patty's was amazing. The countryside is amazing. The theater we saw was wonderful. We went on tours, walked around. I now know where Bono and Daniel Day Lewis live. I tried all sorts of new foods and met a lot of really sweet people. Most of Ireland look like

Of course there were castles and older buildings but there is so much open space. The country was really beautiful. Johnny Cash was not lying when he wrote "40 shades of Green". Hope you all had lovely spring breaks or will be having them soon.

Posted by Kodi at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Also known as my time in the dustbowl. We finally made it to opening night after 7 weeks of rehearsals. The show went really well and I am looking forward to continuing our run through this weekend. Now, I'm not sure how familiar you are with the history of the dustbowl in the 1930's but it was very dirty. Thus my stage make up looks like:

Luckily I don't have to spend the entire show looking all gross and downtrodden. I do get to clean up for the square dance number.

The Kasser theater itself is so lovely. Spending time in the dressing rooms is a pleasure. WE have fancy tables, wireless and even a kitchen in the green room. This is definitely the way to go out with a bang on my college career here. Break legs to the cast and crew for the rest of our run. I know we are going to knock this out of the park.

Posted by Kodi at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Have you ever googled yourself? It can certainly yield interesting results. The above picture was taken at the Summer Institute for Theater Teachers held here at MSU. I participate as an actress so that the teachers would have a cast to work with on developing their skills in Shakespeare.

I was working on a project in the office this week and the focus was the dangers of social media. Clearly Facebook, Twitter and even Tumblr are sites that people in college dedicate time to. They are great ways to connect and keep in touch with old friends. They can also cause problems with future employers. I've found a good rule is never post anything you wouldn't want your parents to see.

Posted by Kodi at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This semester is going so quickly, much faster than I would like it to. This past weekend we had a Grapes of Wrath style feast at my friend, Lena's, apartment. Lena is playing “Ma Joad”. Lena really loves her character and her cast. I am very thankful for this.

We were lucky enough to be cooked for by Lena and her mother Stephanie. They made pulled pork, roast pork, potatoes, corn bread, apple butter with apricots, biscuits and gravy, brownies and ice cream. It was so good. I have had leftovers for lunch for the past 2 days. Thank you Lena so much for inviting the cast over. We even got roses “of Sharon” because Lena likes her details. Thank you!! It was such a wonderful bonding moment and it really helped me handle the madness of grapes of wrath.

Posted by Kodi at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We started rehearsal for our v-day production of the vagina monologues last week. I couldn’t stay very long because I had grapes of wrath rehearsal at the same time.

I am so excited for this. I very nearly started crying just while listening to all of the strong, beautiful women I’m working with introduce themselves. Something magical happens in the v-day rehearsal space. We all come alive and become the powerful women that we are all capable of being. Working on this show changes lives.

The best part is seeing how this show and community support has grown over the past three years. This is the first year we have professors involved. It is wonderful. Having college age women read monologues about being an older woman did make a point, but it suddenly holds a certain weight when a woman of the correct age reads the piece.

I am warning you now, the show is on March 23rd at 8pm in Memorial Auditorium at Montclair State University. This year we are spotlighting on creating safe communities for women and girls in Haiti as well as supporting a organization that helps abused children. Help us on our cause. Support us. Come out and be a part of something wonderful.

Posted by Kodi at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Behaving as a professional would behave is usually the goal for the college actor. This can be a challenge. When 20 or so 20 somethings are corralled in a room together for 6 hours it can take all you have to remain professional.

What I really dig about this program is that even when we think we can handle no more, we continue to get work done. Last night was a very long rehearsal for all of us. Some of had even been in a different rehearsal before and were even more tired. Tonight we get to do it all over again.

This weekend is going to be a good one, I hope. It may be hard to top Superbowl weekend, but I think this weekend has a shot. I am going to see some theater with friends, getting to see my Dad for his birthday and of course work and rehearsal. Ah, the life of an actress. Exciting, right?

Posted by Kodi at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)