Lessons I Learned From Helga

Day Two

When I first got the part of Helga Ten Dorp, as I tackled both the lines and the dialect, I also turned to a little research of the psychics who went before, from The Amazing Kreskin to none other than Sylvia Browne.  In addition, I set out on a discovery to develop my own spiritual skills and understandings through various spiritual books of different beliefs and practices.

First, I learned that psychics and the like are not necessarily demonic, as I had been taught to believe, and in fact, do believe in God and that their gifts come from the above aforementioned.  I also learned that even Sylvia Brown herself is not just out for money and fame, but has a real history with her psychic powers and a sense of contributing those for some good.  Although I did use a lot of my back story of Helga with the life of Ms. Browne using as a guide her balance of staying true to the authenticity of her gifts as sent from above and for the higher good as well as the old need to make a buck reality.

But ultimately, as I poured through these texts, learned to meditate, and learned new aspects of spiritual diversities, I discovered that spirituality happens along the way and is not merely just a mountain-top experience.  If one's eyes are open, and that of the spiritual eyes or even the third eye as some may call it, every little instance of one's day can reveal a fresh understanding of the great beyond, the mystery beyond our existence in this world.  As my boyfriend who newly acquired contacts jokingly referred to putting one in his third eye, I have found that is in a sense what we need to do daily, to keep ourselves alert to the messages from above that are always present.

From watching the TV show, Lost Girl, and realizing that at long last I have found my 'lost girl' to seeing that the notion of 'read & release' is truly an act of service (See: read a book and then pass it on) to the similarities of maintaining physical health to one's spiritual health, these and much more are those truths that continually reveal themselves to me daily, as I keep myself open to the world revealing itself before me.  With no need to push those views on others, but to trust in the Universe's path for all people and to boldly and brilliantly live my path for all to see.

Yes, its true then, spirituality happens along the way!

Deathtrap

Lessons I Learned From Helga

Day One

When I first took the role of Helga Ten Dorp in the play, Death Trap, I was more than a bit daunted.  It was to be my first comedic role, and as of yet, I have always had very serious dramatic parts.  Furthermore, was trained in college in dramatic pieces.  So, the thought of having to make something funny seemed a real challenge, at first.

However, what I learned is that acting, whatever the genre, stays true to the same basic concepts I was taught.  Still with comedy as in drama, there is the basic premise of 'being truthful in the imaginative circumstances' of the character's life, her basic needs and intentions, how she goes about obtaining those needs (ie what she is fighting for), as well as how she relates to others' around her in the story.  (See: substitutes.)

Furthermore, there is still the need, (at least for me, an actress who goes a little too method at times but not always) to meditate in preparation before entering the stage, visualizing the steps taken before entering the scene, also running through my head are the intentions I am seeking as I enter, as well as the relationships of the characters' I will face in conjunction with who they represent for me, Lia, in real life.

This may sound like a heck of a lot of work, but really its not...at least for me.  Just a means for me to quiet my mind before going on and dive into the depths of my creativity and that of the character.

All that to say, it's all there.  The same truths and steps that I take when taking on a dramatic character applies here to the comedic.  Once I've come to that place, the dialogue, actions, and reasons for it all fall into place naturally.

And, then there is that weird feeling of hearing the audience laugh when I am used to making them think deeply or even cry, at first, having an unnerving effect on my self esteem until I understood...They like me, they really really like me!

Heck, I guess I am naturally a funny person after all.

Deathtrap

Helga Predicts!

I am Helga Ten Dorp.  I am psychic.  And, this my story, of who I am & how I came to claim my powers of ESP.

I was raised in a small rural Holland town, the oldest of a family.  My father was the town dentist and in his spare time pursued his interests of science.  He outwardly professed that it was only science, logic, and reason that could explain the nature of the universe and down-played any form of spirituality.  My mother was a house-wife who had married young, at the tender age of 19.  Her mother, my grandmother, was psychic, and my mother fought to diminish and hide any part of that in her new life, even going so far as refusing to allow us to see her.  When she discovered, to her horror, that I had talent with "the sight", she punished me brutally any time I showed signs of it.  As a child, I didn't understand nor know what I was doing, I felt alone and misunderstood.  I finally started getting some answers and understanding of myself when my grandmother discovered that I had the "sight".  She started secretly helping me by explaining the true reason God had given me this gift, how to use it for the greatest good, and not ever for profit.

Due to my father's insistence, I enrolled in University and began studying psychology, but after only a few years of attending, I dropped out before graduating and married my first love after getting pregnant with my first daughter.  Unfortunately, my husband became weary of my powers which increased after the birth of our second child, a son, and of which I was no longer able to contain privately.

Alone now with two children, I had to find a way to make money and provide for my family.  So, I hung out a little sign and opened a little shop, doing what my grandmother strictly forbade me to do, to commercialize my gift as a product.  However through that business, I met my second husband who came to me to find out if his current wife was indeed being unfaithful to him.  She was, according to what I saw, and no, my feelings for him did not cloud my vision in anyway.  Honest!

After my ESP skills deepened with the birth of our daughter, my third child, my husband became more interested in my sight and encouraged me to branch out with my career.  He helped me get involved with the police force, where he worked as an officer, helping to solve crimes and murders.  As I gained more prestige, fame, and notoriety by working in this industry, he became increasingly jealous and eventually left me.

Alone again, I threw myself into my work in a very male-dominated environment.  I pulled all my femininity in and became more masculine in appearance, for work purposes only.  Five years into it, with much success, I meet my fourth husband, my truest love.  We marry, have a daughter, Emily, my favorite because I can see from early on that she has the sight, and I decide to move away from my career and settle down at last.

But, that is not to be so.  My darling husband, my truest love and soul-mate, dies in a car accident during a thunder and lightning storm, something I foresaw but hoped to prevent.

I close up my insides and fall into the workforce, losing sight of myself with the need to care for my four children, who have every advantage possible and who are encouraged freely to follow their dreams.

When my children finally come of age and move out, I look forward to retirement with hopes of finally giving up the rat race, returning to what the gift is truly for, the benefit of humankind.

But, then I find myself resting in a rural Connecticut city...

Come See What Happens Next!