Category: Blogpost

I had a light load on Monday night (the 12th) for rehearsal, so in the afternoon myself and a few castmates went to the Steam Whistle Brewery for a tour and some beer! This relatively young pilsner-brewing company set up “shop” in an old historical train station depot, where engines were brought in for cleaning and maintenance. Three previously fired employees of a corporate takeover endeavor had a few beers over a campfire and decided to start their own brewing company. They started calling it “Three Fired Guys Brewery,” but later reflected upon the need for local Torontor-ian workers toContinue readingLast weeks – Do Not Eat Whilst Hungry!

With my husband safe in New York again and the sugar taste of candycorn brushed off my teeth, I was again alone to continue rehearsals with Disney and spend more time enjoying Toronto. We did a few runs of “Villains Tonight” and went on to “Disney Dreams,” a lovely (and most popular amongst audiences) pastiche-style musical featuring vignettes of a number of Disney movies. I can’t give away too much of it, but in one sequence I play a Mom catching her young child reading under the covers late at night. Instantly, I was reminded of myself as a youngContinue readingDreams With My Mother, ROM, and Joy from America

It has been quite a week – lots of joys, a lot of work, and a lot of heartbreak. My husband came to visit from New York, which was a great joy! During the days, I was heavily ensconced in rehearsals for “Villains Tonight,” which is probably my favorite of all the shows since it’s a huge number of Disney villains rolled into one…and I get to be the one with two arms and six legs. I can’t wait to play with that costume when I get on the ship. We did a few runs of “Villains” yesterday for theContinue readingA Week of Visits and Villanous Behavior

A month ago, I had boarded a plane to Toronto and arrived to find my new, albeit temporary, home for the next two months. My own apartment with a washer/dryer and dishwasher, a balcony overlooking the Toronto streets, and housekeeping service every Monday. Wow! Thus began my life as a Disney Cruise Line Mainstage employee. Over the last month, we’ve been rehearsing for many of the shows to be performed on the Disney cruise ship The Magic. On the ship, we will have Mainstage performers, Character performers, swings, and I will be the cast’s “Vocal Captain.” Our cast is theContinue readingA Month with Disney

WAR HORSE at the Vivian Beaumont Theater While I have been extricating myself from New York life in preparations for my Disney cruise job, I had a bucket list of restaurants to eat at, places to visit, and shows to see. This week I was able to finally see the Broadway show “War Horse” before I left and before it closed in January – I saw Wednesday’s performance (September 12th) at 8pm. I’ve since learned that it’s playing in Toronto, where I’ll be heading, and I will do my best to see the Canadian cast while I’m there – it’sContinue readingWar Horse and We Made This Movie – believe in storytelling magic

To anyone in the theater, music, or movie businesses, the passing of Marvin Hamlisch was an earthquake that caused everyone who knows his name to pause in shock. A winner of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony, Golden Globe, and Pulitzer awards, Marvin was a gentle giant of composition. It was because of all this that I was humbly thrilled to have been invited by musical director and conductor of Essential Voices USA, Judith Clurman, to sing at his memorial this past Tuesday morning. It was a star-studded event that proved to be less about the people in the temple, but moreContinue readingKiss the Man Goodbye: Marvin Hamlisch and his Memorial

I’m a lucky girl this week! Photo by Hat Head Studios August 11, 2012 “Actors Equity Association (AEA) member Sierra Rein, of New York City, is one of the five lucky winners of a week of free car rental with Union Plus. She was randomly selected from more than 12,600 participants in the Union Plus Car Rental contest. Sierra says that she already has a few trips in mind to use her prize. “We may take an Anniversary drive outside of the city and get away from it all for a day. I’m also in a vocal group, Marquee Five,Continue reading“AEA NYC Member Sierra Rein wins a week of free car rental with Union Plus” on ActorsEquity.org!

“It’s Down to Seven! MetroStar Competition Gets Hot!” by Danielle Miceli. Read the full article here. A nice, if short, reveal of what I sang and how I did. Bottom line: I got into the Top Seven, that’s how I did! All photos in the article (except the one of Stacie Perlman) are by Adam Jason Photography.

WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! Full, 100% disclosure here: I looooooooooove “Into the Woods,” as written by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. The first act is perfect, a show unto itself, and the second act is dark, real, full of heart and better than most full musicals out there. I performed the role of the Witch at UCLA, have seen the Bernadette Peters version via VHS countless times, and saw the Vanessa Williams version when it came around to Los Angeles many years ago. I know it by heart. Pete, my husband, actually loves the second act more than theContinue readingReview – “Into the Woods” at the Delacourt Theater, Shakespeare in the Park

Pinch me! After Round 2 in the Top 10 (I sang “Lazy Afternoon/Lazy” from The Golden Apple/Irving Berlin and “The Joint is Really Jumpin’ in Carnegie Hall” from Thousands Cheer, with Bill Zeffiro at the piano), I have been chosen to be in the Top Seven in the 2012 MetroStar Talent Challenge. The next evening, which will also include audience participatory votes, will be August 13th at 7pm. The full list of singers (in alphabetical order) is: Altovise, Elisabeth Cernadas, Lianne Marie Dobbs, Tommy Dose, Eva Kantor, Sierra Rein and Billie Roe. Our challenge is to bring in a three-songContinue readingI’m in the Top Seven of the MetroStar Talent Challenge