Two interviews with Victoria Libertore were recently published online.

“I just had one of the most amazing spiritual experiences of my life… in a burlesque workshop.” [ more ]

– Ashley Harness, Velvetparkmedia.com

“ I am looking for the humanity in the character…for the woman underneath the legend…“ [ more ]

– Victoria Libertore, interviewed by the Community of Báthory Scholars & Enthusiasts, Infamouslady.com

Hi, Marya & Fernando and anyone else out there that is reading this blog.  Well, last night was the first round of “GIRL MEAT”.  I had a great time.  I think.  It’s so weird to be on stage as this character.  I love ‘playing’ with and off the audience and making people laugh.  The Countess doesn’t really care about any of those things.  So, I’m reconciling me doing that as the performer, but not compromising the character.  My main goal last night was just to remember all my lines!  Anything else was icing on the cake.  It’s interesting how about 50 percent of the people I talk to feel so strongly about me using modern-day colloquialisms.  They feel that it really detracts from the piece and takes the power away from what it could be.  Others really like it.  It is my style to have a certain kind of irreverence.  It is a gift I got from my beautiful and hilarious mother.  But, there is something tempting about not doing it and seeing what comes.  I could always try it in rehearsal for the April show.  Feels like such a BIG endeavor to write another half hour of material for then!!!  Hmm, almost tempted to blog through till the April show.  I don’t know. I don’t want to be a blog hog.  But, there is something strangely soothing about this blogging daily as I do the work.  Hmm.  Well, if I didn’t see you at the show last night, I hope to see you there Saturday!

I was so busy memorizing that I almost forgot to blog.  I now see why non actors are always so impressed with memorization.  It truly is hard.  What a lovely day of rehearsing and teching.  So nice to have this team of amazing people around me.  I was joking as The Countess today:  “Not only did I donate to the poor.  I brought some artists in Brooklyn together.”  Imagine that in a Hungarian accent.  The blocking played itself out today with some beautiful insights from Rosalie.  Emma did a wonderful job with the lighting.  Especially considering we are turning the space around.  Our versatile set piece is being worked into our production.  The costume arrived and I do feel like royalty.  And insane (in a good way).  Nice to also feel the support of our dramaturg, Jen-Scott Mobley, and her excitement around the script.  She gave me a lovely compliment that this script could be done by somebody else too.  Now, I retire to bed and have six hours of rehearsal tomorrow.  The last song basically needs choreography.  But, it is one of the first ideas that ever came to me when I started this piece.  So, I think it, too, will play itself out.  My jaw hurts from moving it in a different way than normal.  Three and a half pages memorized; three and a half to go.  My eyes are closing.  End scene.

Whoa.  What a difference a day makes.  Feeling E-X-C-I-T-E-D about Girl Meat again!  Jono brought in our magical set piece and Rosalie and I are so excited about the possibilities.  While I’m losing the liquid (blood) component for this showing, I’m excited about what we’re gaining in the different ways we can work with the piece.  It is really a work of art.  Tomorrow, I go for the final fittings for the costume.  Wild to collaborate and have it come together.  New level of trust for me, which so far is working out beautifully.  I am knocking wood (three times with my left hand from underneath – I learned that on a bus from a Cuban man years ago).  Emma Rivera, our TD, came in tonight and is very excited about the show.  Nothing feels better than having your tech person be engaged.  They’re probably the toughest crowd in show biz.  Other than the cancer-surviving lesbians I performed for three nights ago.  The accent is also feeling not so hard.  Rosalie, Jen-Scott and I figured out some of the sections we need to cut for this showing so that I don’t go over 30 minutes.  Now, at least, I know what part to memorize.  I’m really hoping I’m as good at memorizing as I always think I am.  This is when it counts.  Lock and load.  Four days till show time.

It’s funny.  The closer I get to the show, the less I have to say.  I’ve never felt this way before at this point in time of putting up a show.  There is so much still to be decided upon:  which part of the script to memorize, which dances we’re showing this round, being in the costume (it’s still being built), blocking, the set in the space to work with, the character still so in development.  It will TRULY be a work in progress, which brings up all kinds of terrifying possibilities.  How the hell does one really show a work in progress?  What if it’s the first time someone is seeing me perform and I’m in the middle of figuring it out on such a basic level?  Strangely, though, I don’t feel behind or like I don’t know what I’m doing.  I just feel that there is so much unknown.  The good news is that this basically gets to be my full-time job for the upcoming week.  Intuitive reading tomorrow and then five hours of rehearsal.  Now, a little SNL to just entertain me.

Being alone with me, myself and the script the last three weeks, I’ve felt absolutely brilliant!  Today, being with actual other people in the studio space, I realize how much work needs to be done by next Thursday.  Hi-ho, hi-ho, off to work we go . . .

I’m not so myopic that I don’t know what’s going on in Haiti.  It’s that strange thing about being a human in 2010.  We know people are going through horrible things right at this moment and we still have our lives to live.  Aside from prayer, money and maybe volunteering somehow, most of us still go about our days as expected.  It’s understood.  Yet, I feel terribly guilty doing so.  Who am I to keep preparing for my show as people’s lives are in shambles?  Of course, me not preparing for the show is not going to help anyone in Haiti.  I suppose the answer is that one does both.  Both send good thoughts, donate if one can, be kind in some way, and also keep living our lives.  When I was mugged or hit by the taxi or my mother died, the people in Haiti kept living their lives.  I don’t fault them for it.  But, I feel guilty having this fairly privileged artist life in Brooklyn.  Guilt.  It seems that the Countess had no guilt.  Of course, who really knows?

I performed tonight for the Lesbian Cancer Initiative.  Lesbian women who have survived cancer.  Tough crowd.  But, I don’t think I was totally present in the beginning of the evening.  By, the end though, I think we had won them over.  I said, “If I have to go one by one to get you in the palm of my hand, I’ll do it.”  I did my Liza Minnelli impression and my fellow performers were Heather Hammond, Jeep Ries, Carmelita Tropicana, Fetchin’ Gretchen and Robin Cloud.  Incredibly talented and funny group.  Now, I transcribe.  I should never transcribe after  a show.  It’s some weird sadomasochistic thing I do to myself.  But, it’s been so slow at work that I feel like I have to take it when I get it.  Though, that’s fear and lack talking.  Boy, I’m chatty.  I think it’s all that Liza archetypal energy!

Well, Liza and I and maybe even the Countess and all the other energies and archetypes roaming around my home send healing energy to the people of Haiti.  My show does talk quite a bit about the discrepancies of the poor and rich (it wasn’t until the wealthy girls were killed that the Countess got into any kind of trouble).  So, maybe in my own, tiny, little way, I’m doing something relevant.  Transcribing awaits.  Will it be murder, abduction or rape?  Maybe something light like a gadget invention.

Transcribing, rehearsing, costume fitting.  (Helped girlfriend pick out frames for her photography, met with friend who gave me another $20 towards the show, some spiritual well being work in between all that).  Edited the most recent draft way down.  Costume fabrics Jeff picked out look fabulous.  He is blending 1614 with 2010 in the same way I’m trying to do with the script.  Worked on the accent for two hours while editing the script.  So much so that when I left BAX, I said ‘sank you’ instead of thank you.  Business cards arrived for both my performance life and my spiritual life.  I haven’t had business cards since I was 11 performing magic around Ohio.  I’m back in business, ladies and gentleman.