Divinity Rising: All Part of the Show -

…as we approach 2012 (OMG, EVERYONE, RUN, PANIC, Fire, RIOT in the STREETS)…we countdown to doomsday…but I mean tomorrow – just a mere 31 hours until we commence with the debut of Divinity Rose as a Doomsday Lover…it’s a sneak preview of a show still in development for tour.

Everyone has worked so hard on it, and we only had a month to put together this full length show – one month to put together the script, the act, the costumes, and the choreography..Prepare to be astounded <3

Check out the staff pick the Louisville Eccentric Observer gave us

We also got to do a fun spot on WFPK with Laura Shine. I had to rush straight from where I was doing costume to the radio station, and then to dress rehearsal, so it was tremendous walking down 4th st live! in the cold wearing an outfit that was barely there from the waist down….All the fellas said hello to me on the way, though. ha! Mike Nusser was wearing his fedora for the show with skulls across the front, so he looked like some kind of pimp. Al Holbrook and Mike got to each play a song on the air, and all I could do was think about how awesome it is to have such talent in this show.

(Speaking of the costume…I am so proud of myself! I do not sew, and I made it myself with the supervision of beautiful Miss Christiane Nicoulin! – Photo below)

This year is only a week old and already it has been fantastic and beautiful, stressful and terrifying, keeping me up nights with it’s desire to feed and grow. I think we’re going to get along rather well, and this year is going to grow up to change the world as we know it <3

I hope to see you at the show tomorrow! Tickets are $20 ..if you can’t make it, I hope to see you at our official cast party at Howl at the Moon! I have tickets for you to get in free, eat for free, and enjoy half price drinks

Also, I just found out that I will be on the radio show The state of Affairs on WFPL with author Karen Abbott to discuss her book “American Rose” and burlesque.

Amidst all this Doomsday Lover buzz, don’t forget to come enjoy magical nights of variety and recharge your batteries at Sub Rosa: The Gypsie Courtyard on Mondays at zazoos in St. Matthews of Louisville, Ky. We start between 7 and 8 pm and it’s all ages until 10 pm (tho rated pg -13 regularly).

Here’s the official information on Doomsday Lover

Buy tickets ahead of time at http://thealleytheater.org/site/?p=990

Even in the End Times, The show must go on!

…When a love affair leads to the end times, Divinity Rose as a Doomsday Lover….to seek out other magical people before leaving the dead behind to seek out more life.

This highly interactive and hilarious post-apocalyptic burlesque stars zombies, showgirls, a reporter and YOU.

Don’t miss the chance to see Divinity Rose and an all star cast of Louisville talents perform like you’ve never seen them before, including a zombie fashion show by Rachel French of Venomiss Designs.

(Darshwood the Conjuror, Jaime Duvall, Jorena Faulkner, Dennis Bell, Dusty June, Mike Nusser, Cyndi Snow, Katie Durham, Ed Black, Va Va Vixens, Cirque Airotic, and others fill out the cast and help keep the dead under control)

Rising starlet Divinity Rose has performed theater, comedy, spoken word, and song in over 15 cities nationally and is best known locally for hosting “Sub Rosa: The Gypsie Courtyard” in many different Louisville venues and “You Can’t Do That on Piano” at Howl at the Moon on Fourth Street Live!. Recently, she stole the hearts of hundreds of audience members as emcee of “Va Va Vintage,” a burlesque show she helped to write at Art Sanctuary and the Alley Theater, and in the show BlackJack that she co-produced with Cirque Airotic.

In March 2010, she released the first of her graphic novels—”Diaries of a Godling: The Promise”— which introduced a storyline that will continue to unfold on stage, page, and the Internet.

The next step in the journey (originally presented in the book) will be taken on Jan. 8, 2011 at Art Sanctuary and the Alley Theater with Divinity Rose as a “Doomsday Lover”— a highly interactive, hilarious, and sexy burlesque variety show/concert set in a post- apocalyptic world. For this show, she will be releasing new original songs with Ohio musician Al Holbrook.

Calling all the Magical People…Buy your tickets today! Don’t be left behind!

Come in costume as zombie or survivor night of show to receive $2 coupon to the bar.
Tables up front in the high action area may be purchased/reserved for up to four people for $100.
Ads may be purchased in program by contacting divinityrose@gmail.com (some levels of advertising include a reserved table).

The upcoming event will also feature an online contest. By joining the street team for Divinity Rose on ReverbNation.com, members will receive instructions on how to win $50, a T-shirt and a copy of her graphic novel.

“People can win by helping to collect magical people for the end times,” Divinity said. “We want no one left behind!”

To enter, please visit http://www.reverbnation.com/divinityrose and click “Street Team Missions” for more information.

This immersive and interactive show starts Jan. 8, 2011 at 8 pm at Art Sanctuary and the Alley Theater at “The Pointe”—located at 1205 E. Washington Street in Louisville. Tickets are $20; however, patrons who come in costume (as zombies, showgirls or survivors) will receive a $2 coupon to the bar. Front row VIP table s

eating can be reserved in advance for up to four people for $100. Tickets can be purchased in advance at http://www.art-sanctuary.com/.

Even in the end times, the show must go on!

Read about the experimental release of  Doomsday Lover in the Louisville Eccentric Observer

I have a lot of people say to me “You’re really living the life” or “You have it made” or “You receive more love in a week than most people do in a year”. I think the best gift I can give to those of you following me is vulnerability. I don’t want to be on a pedestal. I am surrounded by people when I am out and about..but then, I go home and live life like everyone does, and oftentimes I am not invited out or thought of because people assume I am surrounded by people or busy or have something going on. I have pain and disappointments and trials like anyone. It is my desire to keep going despite these things and the continued belief in myself and support from others that brings me the successes I do find. I would be nothing without you.

I know what it’s like to feel alone. I know that times like holidays can make you think of everyone going to see their family or the things that others have to give each other…..for some reason that often inspires us to look at our own lack or think of people we miss who are no longer around or we’ve decided to discontinue having in our lives for one reason or another. NO matter how grateful we try to be or think of those who have less, it can be hard to fight back emotions of sadness.

During the holidays, it can hit hard. It can hit so hard that it makes us forget the amazing things that we do have…it makes us blind to the fact that there are probably people looking at us, wishing they had what we have.

Humans are funny creatures. We look around at everyone else thinking they have it made, but there are others looking at us the same way.

Everyone has their ups, their gifts, their talents, and everyone has their pains, their disappointments, their demons.

Around the holidays, I find myself missing family members or people I’ve chosen to leave behind or people who’ve chosen to leave me behind. If I don’t catch myself, I’ll let my own thoughts torment me. I’ll find the judgments of those people continuing to affect how I feel about myself. I begin to believe that I am not useful to anyone. I begin to believe that I am alone. I begin to believe …lies.

If I take a moment to turn on some relaxing music and have a conversation with those thoughts swirling around and try to look at things from a higher place, I remember..I left those people behind for a reason – they couldn’t accept me…they were painful to me, they were toxic.I came to a moment where I realized those people would never be what I hoped they would. Others left me behind because they felt I was toxic or mostly I couldn’t be what they wanted me to be. Those ties were severed for a reason, and although painful, were for the best. I don’t have to go to a place for the holidays anymore where I feel insecure, feel judged, will be met with a sermon, or called stupid or embarrassing. I don’t have to go somewhere where I will feel as if I have to put on a mask and be a model american to earn love. The reasons others couldn’t accept me are endless, I’m bisexual, I wanted to be a performer/writer and hated a 9-5 job, I decided to homeschool my son because he was doing horribly in the public schools, I wanted to address emotional scars/pains from our past that terrified others too much to deal with, I made mistakes while I was young that they will never get over….And their disapprovals, rejections, etc continued to shape me into believing that’s who I was…it blinded me to the good that I have within me… What they didn’t know is that we become what we are filled with…

And while I find myself free from the pain of judgment, rejection, being a pain in someone else’s side – I still feel pain – I feel lonely, and will probably always grieve the loss of those relationships that I spent years hoping would one day be okay…but the only time they were okay were the holidays, and even then the toxicity bled through. What good is a relationship like that? My nature is to fix things – to try to create harmony, to try to keep the peace, apologize and forgive…but I came to a point where I couldn’t let others continue to emotionally hurt myself or son just so I could be loving to them or the “forgiving one”. I had to learn to love them from a distance so that I would not be subjecting myself or my son to that. …or subjecting them to the stress that is me for that matter.

So, it leaves me here, in this space where I can trick myself into thinking I am alone…but I’m not. I think the temptation to be sad during the holidays is because our attention is so focused on this big hyped up moment…this big NOW that is supposed to be so spectacular. Some of us know that our big NOW won’t be so spectacular, and so emotions arise from the conflicting information around us….but if I take a moment to exist beyond the NOW and beyond what all the information around me right now is saying, I see a huge stretch of moments and so many of them are FULL…full of love, full of gifts, full of people who’ve touched me or whom I’ve touched, and so many of those gifts, those moments with others are far better than a clock wrapped up under a tree, or an awkward holiday party with people I don’t feel loved with…I see beyond this “Christmas” and realize that my life is full, my heart is full, and come to peace with the fact that I may always miss people I’ve left behind and wish that things were better between us….but that I am miles away from a life I used to live that had a lot of pain….I am moving more and more into a life full of love, more fully myself and who I truly am, surrounded by people I can count on that do not attack me out of their own fears of who I am…but I had to be the one to start that journey to find those people…and choose to let those beautiful people in.

I have found that turning on some beautiful music, lighting candles, and making a list of everything I do have is a great way to begin to feel better. Writing always makes me feel better. I start with the simple, like the pen I’m writing with, because I don’t know what I would do if I could not write. It is the only thing that keeps me even remotely sane. Before I write about what I’m grateful for, I write a letter unleashing all the ick…all the feelings that I feel that need to come out – they usually are not pretty, but if we don’t find a way to vent them, they will continue to stay inside and be a part of us. So, I write about what disappoints me, what hurts, why I’m angry, who I miss. Then, when I’m free from tears, I write about what I’m grateful for…It leaves me feeling much better.

I want you to know…I know how it feels to have pain, to miss people, to feel down on yourself…but I believe in you. I’ve come so far, and I know that you can, too, if you need to.

I usually have a party at my home for single people, or people who do not have a lot of family…It is important to reach out to the people you do care about, and I want to make sure that everyone has somewhere to go and be loved, but this year, I find that my home is an hour and a half away from everyone or further, and am spending the holiday at a friend’s house while she is away. This is the first year that Cody will be spending Christmas night with his dad. I will probably be headed up to spend Christmas night with one of my best friends, Larry, at his karaoke at Bearnos in the Highlands. If you find yourself wanting good company and some fun, please join us there.

If you’re too far away, accept my air hug. xoxo. Feel free to email me if you want someone to talk to. Divinityrose @ gmail.com

I was so touched this week to find that my youngest fan is not even three years old. I was shown a photo of a sharpie tattoo he got from his dad (tattoo artist) that is a rose with “Divinity” over top of it….He also sings my songs and intelligently asks “Is Divinity Rose NOT coming over?”

I was so amazed to make such an impression on a young boy who evidently loves “lady gaga, pink and Divinity Rose”….I was floored when his family told me that.

I’ll be honest. It scared me a little. The idea of someone liking me enough to have a tattoo saying so is a BIG deal….I’ve had someone tattoo my logo on their leg before, but to see someone as young as Abel look up to me that way…well…that is even more of a big deal …I want everyone to be their own hero and to show me what they’ve got…Show me their unique awesomeness…So, it’s weird to be in a place where others look at you like a hero or something special. I bet we are all a hero to someone…and don’t even know it.

Then, I look back at when I was a child…in foster homes, and how my stuffed animals lined my bed at night creating a protective wall around me and I imagined that one was Mr. T, another the guys from Mash, another was Optimus Prime, one was Snake Eyes from GI Joe, and so on…..When I was Abel’s age, I had an entire sticker book full of Michael Jackson stickers. Having those characters to believe in carried me through hard times, and even as adults, it helps to have someone to look up to and believe in…So, I guess it’s important to have heroes. I only hope that I can live up to the tremendous responsibility, young Abel ( and Sarah). Thank you for inspiring me to be better. I am truly honored.

Destined for greatness
From an early age
Your stories will be told
In life and on page.

Whenever you feel down
Or feel even a little afraid,
Remember you are Abel
And I believe in you.

You navigate this dream
deep within your heart.
You carry the same force
That’s created every part.

Whenever you feel down
Or feel even a little afraid,
Remember you are Abel
And I believe in you.

All it takes is a little belief
In a hero or maybe two
But remember always, dear one
My biggest hero is you.

Whenever you feel down
Or feel even a little afraid,
Remember you are Abel
And I believe in you.

Hello all my beautiful inklings, magical people and godlings! Just when I thought I wouldn’t have a big show until January, I was asked to co-produce and perform in a show on December 11 at the Rudyard Kipling in Louisville, Kentucky.

Prepare your minds! On that fateful night, Cirque Airotic aerial burlesque troop and I bring you BLACKJACK!

I’ll be dealing up 21 delicious acts that make everyone a winner including singers, dancers, comedy, magic and more Can you beat the dealer at her own game?

Tickets are only $12. That’s a lot of entertainment for less than $20! The imagery on this one is going to be beautiful, and two of the aerialists will dangle amongst the audience!

Va Va Vintage is finally done.The after party was the most fun I’ve had at karaoke in years. It was pretty much entire bar sing along night. Thirty of us sang Bad Romance, Love Shack, Bohemian Rhapsody…all the sappy party songs..but it was a whole bar of friends and strangers at one with each other. It was one of those rare moments of bliss, where everything else disappears. It makes me a little sad as I hear Boyz II Men singing “hard to say good bye” in my head. It was an awesome cast and show. That’s one of the signs I was slated for show business, though. When I was a child, my favorite thing was going to summer camp and being family with everyone for a couple weeks and then moving on. I made some amazing friendships through the production, and deepened some old ones. I also had to answer a bazillion times that Mike Nusser is not my husband, even though we dance together very well.

Speaking of Mike Nusser. He’s one of my favorite beloveds and we often sing together at my weekly variety show Sub Rosa: The Gypsie Courtyard. We decided to release a recording of us singing his song Suicide last Monday with Larry Doyle on harmonica. I was sick, and the recording is live, so it’s a little rough….but that’s real, and sometimes that’s the best part of Sub Rosa: how raw it is. There’s even a fun little bit of banter at the beginning of it. I think Mike was a little jealous that I was in deep conversation with national poet and beloved Truth B. Told, who was also there and I have video to prove it.

The Free track from Nusser and I is available to listen to at my Reverb Nation page. It is free to download and take a piece of Sub Rosa with you if you are a member of my email newsletter! (If you’re receiving this in your email from ReverbNation) If you aren’t, don’t worry. You can go to my page and sign up or you can go to www.divinityrose.com and sign up! (If you’re receiving this email from ReverbNation, there should be a link at the bottom of this email to download it!)

And don’t forget, I have a contest going right now where you can win $50, one of my new T-shirts and a copy of Diaries of a Godling: The Promise (my graphic novel). All you have to do is help me gather magical people for the end times! We want no one left behind!! You can join my street team at my ReverbNation and click on the mission on the right hand side of the page for instructions on how to use the widgets to gather people and be tracked for the prizes.

January 8, 2011, Divinity Rose as a Doomsday Lover. Even in the end times, the show must go on! This hilarious and sexy burlesque is set in post apocalyptic times and stars zombies, showgirls, a reporter and YOU! It is highly interactive and you want to get your tickets before they sell out! You can buy a ticket or you can buy a whole table so you and your survival crew can sit right up front amidst the action. It also features entertainment from some of Louisville’s favorite performers such as Jaime Duvall, Mike Nusser, Jorena Faulkner, Cyndi Snow, and a zombie fashion show by Rachel French of Venomiss designs. Tickets can be bought ahead of time at http://www.art-sanctuary.com

So much news! I know! I am on a busy journey, and I am so grateful that each of you are on the rise with me!! The path our hearts lead us on send us ever upward, closer and closer to the bright star that guides us! Hearing from you keeps me alive and going even when the times get tough! Write to me and let me know how your dreams are progressing!

Love, Light and Blessings to send you through your dreams!

xoxoxo
Love,
Divinity Rose

Gary Quick reviews Vintage

Vixens give electrifying performance and Divinity Rose proves you don’t have to be a size zero to be sexy – Louisville.com article

I would love to start this newsleter with “As Va Va Vintage winds down,the deubt of my original show Doomsday Lover gears up”, but Va Va Vintage is not winding  down yet!

Here is a video teaser of Va Va Vintage – Last chance to see it is this weekend!Reserve your tickets online ahead of time so you don’t miss it when it sells out (last Saturday’s show had a line at the door for over an hour! – arrive before 7!)

Here is a great review by Sarah Hinds on Louisville.com

and

Here is the write – up  on the front page of the features section in the Courier Journal

ZOMBIES AND SHOWGIRLS

And I can’t make all of you wait until Va Va Valentine for a group climax! It’s the best part of any story!

What better time than the new year to celebrate life, death and rebirth! I will be leading a life revolution in a post apocalyptic world on January 8th in the debut of my sexy and hilarious show “Doomsday Lover” featuring some of Louisville’s favorite female vocalists, zombies,  a zombie fashion show, the Vixens and original music by myself, Jaime Duvall, Al Holbrook, Mike Nusser.  With much of the burlesque tongue in cheek humor, audience interaction,  and beautiful ladies,  you’ll fall in love with being a part of this show. . If you’re living in a world where you feel surrounded by zombies, how can you be the best lover possible and rise above it all to the world of the living?

In this current crumbling world, this play is delivered right on time!

You don’t want to miss this show. Coming in costume (zombies, survivors, showgirls) is encouraged and will get you $2 off the ticket price of $20.

And if you can’t wait until January 8, come see me and the Vixens on December 8 at Howl at the Moon for “You can’t do that on Piano” Winter Wonderland and Rummage sale. Bring NICE items you don’t want or use anymore  to put on the “Free store” table on the patio so some “free” Christmas shoppin’ can occur.

And if you can’t wait that long, then come  hang out with me on Mondays for Sub Rosa the Gypsie Courtyard It’s the wildest variety show in town and I’ve been hosting it for about two and a half years now. Different performances every week, comraderie, and lots of Love to go ’round in a smaller and more intimate setting.

As we enter a time of Thanksgiving, I have to take a moment to say just how grateful I am for each of you and the love, respect and support you offer. Following one’s heart and dreams and the voice of Divinity Rising within is not easy, but I still feel eternally blessed every time I hear from one of you. I only hope that I can encourage and motivate each of you and inspire you in your dreams as much as you do in mine. Thank you. May each of you find something in your lives to revel in gratitude over this week. If you find it hard, remember, the world pours back upon you ten times what you give. So my focus this week is thinking about giving and gratitude <3

Dream well, dream deep and may all paths lead you back to the heart….

Love, Light and Blessings to send you through your dreams.

Your Doomsday Lover,

Divinity Rose

xooxoxo

Opening night of Va Va Vintage  was a full house, and we couldn’t have asked for a better opening night audience!!

Check out some of these great photos by Gary Quick: Click Here

Also, check out the review and short interview  with me in the Louisville Eccentric Observer by clicking here!

Come out and celebrate with us tonight at Howl at the Moon with our big party and see if you can beat me in the Turkey Bowling Tournament! Click Here for details… Tell them I left your tickets at the door for you!

There are also shows the following two Friday and Saturdays. Don’t miss it! Get your tickets ahead of time, they are close to selling out!

With just a few days until the opening of Va Va Vintage, I came down with a nasty respiratory infection. I am so grateful to everyone who shared all the home remedies, tips and tricks and health advice.

One of the most interesting was to put vapor rub on your feet and cover it with socks.  It turns out that our feet are the most porous parts of our body. Another friend said that if you rub garlic on your feet, you will taste garlic by morning. I will definitely be spraying disinfectant in my shoes from now on. Just think of all the nastiness our bodies absorb through our feet!

Thinking about that made me think about how our consciousness/souls are always recording. I think our minds are actually the most porous part of our boies. Our senses are constantly recording and everything we take in from the stimuli around us become a part of what we are. That means we have to be careful about what we surround ourselves with! Are we in a toxic or healing environment?

I have to say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the environment while preparing for the VA VA Vixens show. The entire cast is so wonderful, and living in the country has really been great for me in downtime.

I am excited about the opening of VA VA Vintage on Saturday! I am so in love with my “Jessica Rabbitesque” dress!  We did the tech rehearsal and run-through last night and it was awesome! Some of the acts are so amazing! I’m so honored to be a part of it all. I can’t wait for you to all see it. I hope you get your tickets before they sell out…

Pick up a copy of the Courier Journal tomorrow, and the spread in the LEO.

Opening night is Saturday! Don’t miss it!