Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
I’m finishing my sophomore year in high school. The year before I was in the fall musical and somehow managed to get a hold of a supporting role in the mainstage musical The Who’s Tommy. I played pre-pubescent boys in both of those shows. Because of some Tommy problems that I won’t detail here and because I was one of the two freshmen in the cast, I was left feeling confused, insecure, and unacquainted with my fellow actors.
This year, I wanted to start my theater career anew. I decided to enter a new realm of high school theater: Unhinged. Unhinged productions are entirely produced by students: the directing, acting, tech, costumes, you name it. I was in three out of the four Unhinged shows this year and the mainstage musical again. This was an experience entirely different from last year’s, and I am grateful to have been able to work with such wonderful people.
But now, the list you’ve all been waiting for.
10 things I learned From High School Theater that apply to all of life:
1. Don’t be intimidated by others. This is serious. It’s easy to feel intimidated by the “cool” upperclassmen who are so good you want to ask for an autograph (or at least a hug) at auditions. Many people are scared of approaching members of this theater group but do not be! Once I was in Unhinged shows acting alongside and being directed by these guys I quickly learned that they are some of the kindest, most approachable, funniest, and overall greatest people. If you shy away from these people, you’re missing out.
2. It’s not you, it’s the part. This is something that every actor – high school or otherwise — has to go through. Rejection. Being turned down for a part does not mean you’re a bad actor. You just don’t fit. DO NOT GIVE UP! Don’t do it.
3. Okay, it actually might be you. This does not mean what you think it does. Everyone has potential to be an excellent performer. This is about reputation. People will not cast you if you have a bad name. To prevent this, all you really have to do is be a decent person. Memorize lines on time, show up, don’t be rude to your directors. Common sense, really.
4. Theater secrets stay secret. Sorry, I can’t say more.
5. There is always room for improvement. Though it’s great to be confident, it’s important to remember that you can always improve on your skills. Someone who starts with no natural acting talent but works hard can do just as well, if not better, than a person who is plenty talented but doesn’t work at all.
6. Don’t look down on others. Everyone’s learning. Be nice.
7. Learn to work in chaos. It’s tech week and there’s only half of a set? Your scene partner hasn’t learned their lines? All part of high school theater. Get used to it.
8. Enjoy yourself. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to be perfect, but a production can’t be good if the people involved are not enjoying what they’re doing. Though it may be hard sometimes, have fun. You’re acting! That’s the best, right?
9. Don’t exclude others. Shows are only fun when all of the cast and crew get along. People can be ostracized enough by outsiders just for being in theater. Don’t let it happen in the cast as well.
10. Be yourself. As cheesy as it sounds, this is so true. If you’re not being yourself, it’s hard to stay relaxed and have a good time. Once you let your guard down and are able to be yourself in front of other people (see number one), high school theater can be one of the best communities to be a part of. It’s just so damn fun.
Thanks to everyone I worked with this year and a special shout out to my high school’s amazing casts and crews of Picasso at the Lapin Agile, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Nerd, and Thoroughly Modern Millie. I love you all.
Post by Natalie El-Hai. Natalie enjoys science and all things theater. She spends her free time reading and snuggling with her cats. She will be a sophomore at Southwest High School this fall.
Editor’s note: At Being Geek Chic, we believe being a geek and being a chic woman can be synonymous. When Gemma asked if she could provide her top tips for feeling like a fab geek, well, we had to oblige. Thanks, Gemma, for your excellent post!
Do you want to walk out the door every day feeling like you are going to solve problems, kick some ass and be generally awesome? In essence, do you want to feel like Captain Marvel on the train or Wonder Woman while waiting in the queue at Starbucks? Yeah, me too. And it’s not as hard as you may think.
The first key is to have a solid wardrobe together with a few really classic items that can be paired with all kinds of other pieces. Think stunning black dress, which makes you feel hot and powerful. Or super comfortable, but fashionable black boots which go with everything but make you feel like you could kick down the door. Key wardrobe items need to be versatile. Go for colours like black, white or a neutral like stone. Don’t be afraid to splurge for quality. It will make you feel great in the clothing AND they’ll last longer. Besides, if you’re smart and powerful, you should show it!
Now that the basics are resolved, you can start to have fun transforming yourself into an ass-kicking lady of power. A coat is definitely an essential wardrobe item if you live in England, like me. But be bolder. How about this cape from Superdry? Capes aren’t just iconic and emblematic of all the best good gals, they’re super practical. With a cape you can keep your core really warm but not get too hot as your arms aren’t restricted. (And you might need to punch someone, so you want that freedom of movement, right?) Bonus points for practicality, because a cape coat actually makes a great transitional coat from the winter through to the warmer end of spring.
What’s the one thing all “Super” Women have in common? I would argue, they embody a bit of sexiness. They aren’t afraid of the power and loveliness of their body. A little black dress is a perennial favourite item for many women for this very reason. It’s important to have fun with it and add tough items to give it that extra punch, so to speak. Metal accessories will definitely do the trick.
Comfort is also key. No one can be truly awesome when they’re uncomfortable. If you’re going to bound between buildings (meaning… run from meeting to meeting in a busy metropolitan) then maybe a cardigan would be useful for your lifestyle. The best material to go for is a light cashmere, but if you can’t afford cashmere, cotton will do. When you’re on top of the world like a real kick ass lady, then splurge and get yourself the good stuff.
Most importantly, own your attitude. If you are a strong person, you should speak with strength. If you’re a smart person, don’t be afraid to show it. And if you’re witty, go ahead, crack those jokes! If you’re all three, well, let’s make a comic book about you!
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Post by Gemma Collier is a mum of one and lover of all things vintage. She works part-time as a personal shopper, but when she’s not working she loves writing, playing dress-up with her little girl and curling up with a good book.
Editor’s note: At Being Geek Chic, we believe being a geek and being a chic woman can be synonymous. When Gemma asked if she could provide her top tips for feeling like a fab geek, well, we had to oblige. Thanks, Gemma, for your excellent guest post!
Low self-esteem is something which can affect all of us at some point in our lives. Everyone has ‘bad days’ where we don’t quite feel our best, especially if you find your nerd status causes people to treat you differently. But it’s not always a love of Harry Potter that causes the problem. (Actually, that’s never the problem…)
Sometimes the issue is more deep-rooted and can have an impact on our career and relationships. However, there are lots of things you can do to boost your confidence and achieve all the things you want to in life. (While still being a nerd, of course!)
There are no quick-fix solutions and the process can be a long one, but here’s my nerd-friendly guide to feeling fabulous:
1. Surround yourself with other nerds who make you feel happy.
Making sure you spend time with people who appreciate you and make you feel good about yourself can be an important part of our feeling of self-worth. There’s no point hanging out with someone who puts you down or makes you feel insecure about yourself. Sometimes all it takes is a friend to tell you how great you are looking to give you confidence boost throughout the day. (Especially if that friend says things like: You’re as smart as Hermione and as beautiful as Arwen.)
If you’re feeling down, try visualising yourself through the eyes of a loved one and pick up all the good points they see in you.
2. Make some “me” time to enjoy the things you love.
Yeah, sometimes grown up life sucks. Work and family responsibilities can make it difficult to make time for yourself. However, little things like taking yourself on a shopping trip for some new geeky tees or getting a tough new haircut can really improve your confidence levels. Try hitting the gym for a boost of endorphins. It’s science! And those happy chemicals will make you feel better about yourself.
3. Don’t spend time on the dark side. Or, just eliminate negativity.
Sometimes negativity can come from other people (those people suck), but more often than not, we imprint negativity on ourselves. Try to adopt a mantra of positivity (like your own personal patronus), which you can take with you through your day. This may be difficult at first but there are lots of self-help guides online about improving confidence which are available to make this easier. A happy Weasley approach to life is likely to bring you more success and happiness than one which is filled with negativity.
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Guest post by Gemma Collier is a mum of one and lover of all things vintage. She works part-time as a personal shopper, but when she’s not working she loves writing, playing dress-up with her little girl and curling up with a good book. She also loves to play games on bgo.com
Editor’s Note: My real life friend and internet sister in nerdery and I both took a trip to London in 2013. How delightful! We are swapping tips today on how to get the most out of your next trip to England.
As you all know {and hopefully you enjoyed reading over on The Nerdy Girlie} I just returned home from Christmas in the UK. I had such an amazing time and learned so much about international travel on this trip, that I thought I would share some of my NOOB tips with you!
DO write down EVERYTHING you want to see and do and then rank them in order of importance. Once you start booking day trips and tours, time for the little things begins to run out.
DO purchase as many of your tours, train and Tube {Oyster Card} tickets as soon as you book your trip. Tours and trains sell out so it is good to plan ahead for these things BEFORE you arrive at your destination. I booked my Stonehenge trip with London Attractions Tickets and all worked out great.
DO map out as much of your day as possible. I was able to purchase an international data plan for my iPhone so I had a bit of internet time I could use. But having a game plan ahead of time made things go a lot smoother. Before leaving on your trip download MapsWithMe. This FREE app lets you use a map of the city you are traveling offline. It was a life saver for us!
DO take the Heathrow Express train into Paddington Station from the airport. It is a fifteen minute ride and costs around 20 pounds. A cab from the airport to near the same place cost the four of us 80 pounds plus tip. Quicker and cheaper.
DO plan on seeing at least one small town outside of the city. This was my favorite part of our trip and it gives you a bigger picture of what the UK is all about. Use the National Rail’s website to purchase your trips online before you leave.
DO check with debit and credit card company’s to see if you will have a fee for using your card overseas. And DON’T take out too much cash. Almost all places take credit and it will be easier to re-coupe your losses if cash is not involved.
DO, if your trip is longer than a day or two, get an Oyster card for the Tube. Add as much or as little money as you need. Re-load at your own discretion and then keep for future trips!
DO walk as much as possible. While in London or any of the towns you visit, there is so much to see! While riding the Tube is quicker, you miss seeing a lot of the little things. For our trip I planned on seeing as much as possible in a particular area and then taking the Tube to a further destination and repeating.
DO tip your cabbie and waitress. Though they do not rely on tips as much as Americans, the going rate for a tip in the UK is 10%.
Fandom MUST SEES in the UK:
Harry Potter
*Kings Cross Station
*Millennium Bridge
*Christ Church, Oxford
*Warner Brother’s Studio Tour
Sherlock
*221B Baker Street and Sherlock Museum
*Speedy’s Cafe/221B of the show
*St. Bart’s Hospital
Check out the Sherlockolgy website for ALL of the filming locations for BBC’s Sherlock
Doctor Who
The Doctor Who Experience, Cardiff
Tower of London
The Who Shop
The Globe Theater
Head over to my blog The Nerdy Girlie to see what your very own Being Geek Chic creator Liz, says about her time in London, complete with her favorite tips and tricks!
Fall is my favorite time of year. The colors, the chill in the air, pumpkin spiced beverages, Oktoberfest beers, and that wholly American pastime: football.
Now, you may be saying “wha?! Mollie likes football?” No, actually I don’t. But, for me, football season brings something glorious; 4 solid hours of uninterrupted TV binging each week while my fiancee is blissfully occupied. That’s why I’m so glad to be a Whovian. The beauty of Doctor Who is that by the time you’ve traveled to Tranzalore with Clara you’ve practically forgotten what it was like to be chased by mannequins with Rose (or go back to the Stone Age with Susan). There are all sorts of things you can miss on your 1st, 2nd and even 3rd viewing - here are just a few reasons to re-watch this fall while we wait for the 50th Anniversary.
The Doctor is Chaos on Wheels…
Scratch that…3 wheels and a block. I mean…he stole Queen Elizabeth’s V Card!
Pre-Martha Martha shows up in “Doomsday,” the Doctor held the kite that Benjamin Franklin used to discover electricity, he got his brown jacket from Janis Joplin, and he’s on a bowling team with Virginia Woolfe. And (my favorite)…
At the end of the “The Shakespeare Code,” Queen Elizabeth vehemently chases the Doctor down the street but we don’t find out why until “The End of Time.” After the Doctor confesses that he had been married to Good Queen Bess, he says “Let me tell you, her nickname is no longer… *hem*cough*.” You don’t have to read too deeply between the lines to figure out he’s referring to “The Virgin Queen” – and that she ain’t one no more.
The Show is Wicked Smart…
Having a main character who regenerates and not having to worry about the continuity of events is genius in terms of having a show with staying power. In a world of shows that don’t even pretend to be anything but mind numbing or that constantly insult our intelligence, Doctor Who’s quick and witty dialogue is refreshing. But not only is the Doctor smart in the “go off on a tangent using only technical jargon” sort of way; it’s smart in an enlightening sort of way.
“The good things don’t always soften the bad, but vice-versa, the bad things don’t necessarily spoil the good things and make them unimportant.” - The Eleventh Doctor, Vincent and the Doctor
It Gives you the Warm Fuzzies…
Whether you’re having a stellar day or a shitty day, it’s never a bad thing have some of the Doctor’s undying faith in the goodness of the human race rub off on you.
“Go forward in all of your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine.” - The First Doctor, The Dalek Invasion of Earth
Miss Mollie Estelle is a smart cookie and you really don’t want to take her on when it comes to crossword puzzles. She is addicted to thinking, reading, fashion, friends, nail polish and french fries. She puts pens in her boots and, in search of the world, carries a big purse. She has been a devoted reader of BGC since its birth, and is constantly working at Being Geek Chic. You can follow her on Twitter: @mollieestelle
