An acting teacher of mine used to warn his students of the dangers of repeating a role you've already performed; you think you know what to do, that the work's already been done but really, you have to try that much harder to breathe new life into the character. Now, I haven't ever been Margot Wendice--but I have been the Backstage Blogger! I had so much fun writing the blog for last season's production of The Foreigner that when the show ended and I landed back in New York, I even started a blog of my own. As I reprise my role of Backstage Blogger, I'll have to try not to do just what I did the last time around--and make my teacher (and you) proud. . .

I've always liked mysteries, thrillers, suspense. My mom is an avid murder mystery novel reader and thriller film watcher. All of my birthdays up until I was sixteen were mystery themed--with Edward Gorey style invites, and elaborate plots involving my friends constructed by my well-read mother; my mom and I, when bored out of our minds while visiting my Grandmother in St. Petersburg, FL, would frequent the numerous mystery dinner theatres the area offers. I used to force my little cousins to watch horror flicks with me while we were on vacation on Long Island--forever damaging my nine year old cousin's sleep by showing her The Shining; and just a few months before I found out I'd be joining this cast, I started to read what is widely believed to be the first detective novel, The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I was even on an episode of the late television series Unsolved Mysteries as a child actor. So I am thrilled (pun intended) to be working on Dial M--and at Halloween to boot. Now, of course, Dial M isn't really a mystery--the audience knows whodunnit--but it certainly is a thriller.

Leaving Brooklyn in my very full car

On Monday, I packed up my car, gave my cats a pet good-bye, and headed toward Lancaster. Some of the cast boarded a train, others drove, and we all landed in the same place by nightfall. After unpacking the car, a drive to Stauffer's offered me a taste of nostalgia for my previous Fulton experience; but on the drive back, as I got to know my cast-mate Jamie Jackson, I started to ease into my new journey. Jamie, who plays Captain Lesgate, and I make for an odd pair off-stage, as our on-stage relationship is, shall we say, slightly acrimonious. . . We discovered that for the past several years, we've been living only a few blocks away from each other--first in the East Village and now in Brooklyn. We were both at Brooklyn's famous Atlantic Antic street fair on Saturday and both sat on the vintage buses the Transit Museum had brought out for display. We wonder how many times we've walked down the same streets, sat in the same subway car, strolled in the same neighborhood park.

The cast sees the theatre for the first time

Our first day of work started off on Tuesday with meeting the entire staff of the theatre. I've missed my Fulton friends and it was so nice to see their faces again. It made my first day of rehearsal a lot less nerve-wracking than my first time around when I didn't know a soul. Our director, Bill Roudebush, talked to us about some of his stylistic concepts for the production: cinematic influences, and nods to the classic film that is based upon our play. And then we got down to work and the read-through of the play, which is always such a neat and fleeting moment, when you get your first peek at what lies in store for the weeks ahead.

We introduce ourselves to the amazing board

As is the custom here at the Fulton Theatre, our first evening as a cast was spent at a gathering for theatre staff and board, this time at the beautiful home of one of our board members, Ellen Groff. I am still impressed by how important this theatre is to its community and how lovely it is to find people who actively want to celebrate it on a monthly basis with each incoming cast. I am so happy to be back here, and am looking forward to sharing Dial M's doings, on and off stage. This blog around, I would really love to hear from you readers out there and look forward to posting your thoughts and answering your questions here on the blog. Talk to me!

Weekly Blog Feature: Dialing Through Time

"Alexander Graham Bell's notebook entry of 10 March 1876 describes his successful experiment with the telephone. Speaking through the instrument to his assistant, Thomas A. Watson, in the next room, Bell utters these famous first words, "Mr. Watson - come here - I want to see you."