Little Secrets

It has been far too long since my last post (25 days if you're counting along), I'll admit. So to play a quick game of catch-up, here's what I've been up to...in pictures!

My work at Northlight has certainly kept me on my toes. When I'm not doing busy office tasks, I get to sneak out and explore some of what actually goes on throughout the day on our stage! Here's a shot from a post-show discussion of The Whipping Man, the 3rd production we recently ended this season. Pretty cool set, huh? The play takes place in the aftermath of the Civil War when Jewish, Confederate soldier Caleb DeLeon, injured and dying, makes his way back home only to find it half-destroyed from the war. Two of his family's slaves (now free men) Simon and John, have been hiding out in the home for some time, and tend to poor Caleb. The Jewish faith between the slave/ master relationship is brilliantly executed on stage; the show itself has been one of the most successful shows Northlight has ever produced. 

About 3 weeks ago, the Goodman Theater hosted a networking event for any and all Chicago theatre interns who were interested in talking with theatre professionals in their field about their work in the city, how their jobs came to be, words of wisdom, etc. I am beyond grateful that my supervisor told me about this opportunity because not only do I now have a better sense of direction with what I want to do with my career, but the concept of devoting a night just to sit around and talk with these experienced people is a rarity. 

When we Chicago Semester students aren't crunching in 32 hours of internship work a week, my friends and I like to explore Chicago on the weekends and see what it has to offer. Meet Brandi and Kate, two very good friends of mine who are students at Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Both girls sweet and funny with winning personalities and a super cute fashion sense to boot. We take way too many frozen yogurt trips. It might be our one and only fault in the friendship, but when the store is literally 200 ft. from your building, I mean, c'mon.

In my Urban Development and Planning class, we take field trips every other week to explore the architecture and sights that have shaped what Chicago is today. Here's a shot of my class visiting the Hull House at UIC's campus. 

The only downfall to this class is the style in which it's taught- the lights off and a powerpoint slideshow that lasts about an hour. Not ideal for a sleepy Gina. 

For my Grandpa Ciametti's 90th birthday, the family threw him a huge party to honor his longevity. I enjoyed being introduced to distant relatives and close friends of my grandpa whom I had never met; thank God for name tags. Here's a photo I Instagrammed (shocker, I know) of some of the delicious grub we ate as well as the center pieces comprised of scanned photos resembling my grandfather's time as a Chicago cop, WWII vet, and boy scout leader. 

Here's a shot of the birthday boy and his kids! 
(from left to right)
Dan, Mary, Agnes, and Vince. 

Now that I'm paying closer attention to detail, can I please draw your attention to my Grandpa's shoes? 

What a stud. 










I spent my Friday night celebrating the return of the weekend with one of my good friends, Anna Gesch, along with Icona Pop, Matt&Kim, and Passion Pit. The UIC Pavilion was packed with fans anxiously awaiting the indie trifecta of performances. Never in my life had I ever heard so much synthesizer at one time and now I must now invest in a synthesizer. It's a done deal. Starting off the show, Icona Pop's hit single "I Love It" really helped build up the hype for Matt&Kim's set which was equally if not more entertaining. Kim's spastic and hard-hitting drumming and Matt's vocals made for a high-energy show and even gave some crowd members the chance to hold Kim upright as she walked on top of them for a portion of the show. I would expect nothing less from such an unpredictable duo. Jealousy to those who actually experienced the spontaneity. 
As Passion Pit took the stage soon after, the place really began to fill up. Their set was well-put together and Michael Angelakos...this guy, can hit some ridiculously high falsetto notes. And looks super good in a suit coat and skinny tie. 
And now, the montage of photos. My really cool 3GS from 2009 has the world's worst camera, so marvel at the lights and stage and maybe if you're lucky, discover the silhouettes of the bands. 

Icona Pop!

Kim has a knack from climbing on her set. #Idol

Kim crowd-walking

Passion Pit!

Might be my favorite photo from the night.

There's plenty more I could've said or shown through pictures, but alas, my time is up. I won't be as behind with my blogging the next time around, I promise. 
I've been very faithful to my goal this semester of "seeing one concert a month" so if you have any great suggestions of who I should see, send them my way! Help me with March and add to the list:

Ellie Goulding, Passion Pit/Matt&Kim/IconaPop, _________________.