Let The Sun Shine In
It is cold in my office today. After our final show yesterday afternoon I got out my clippers which I preset in the theater, and went to work. Huge fluffy beard all gone. Hair in need of a trim, all gone. It is a lovely clean feeling. The mustache is still present and thick, but not so bushy that it is a part of my meal. The bare head makes the office feel even cooler.
I'm going to work with Paula on my monologues tomorrow. Damn. I'd hoped for Wednesday or Thursday, but wedding planning and picking up her mom from the airport have priority. You see, I've one piece down cold, the other should be tonight, but I'd hoped to work more with physicality, analysis and such beforehand. Well, last minute beggars can't be choosy.
The last week of The Cherry Orchard was sublime. On Friday, two people missed the call for places after intermission. Or three, if you include the stage manager who missed one of the actor hangouts for the first time. (I'm so grateful none of the shows I've worked on as stage manager had more actors than dressing room and green room space could accommodate!) The top of the third act after intermission starts off pretty fun, and it was hysterical because of the improvising around the missing characters. It didn't affect my scene partner and myself directly, but we were certainly caught up in the event. I thought it injected extra life and energy which was amazing and carried through the rest of the weekend. My roommate Aaron taped that show for us, so it will be interesting taking a look. He didn't know anything was amiss while he was watching from the seats.
It's always a bittersweet time. The time commitment of the show is over, and extra time will be available again, though never as much as I claim. And of course, never again will you be in that show. By the time I had my head and face nearly shaved -- the clippers can only get so close -- the set was gone, with the last few items in differing stages of disassembly. I stayed and helped with some heavy items. Luckily there was no running needed.
I've helped strike sets as an actor before, and this time it was a little unpleasant when I looked at the whole stage. It was fine when I focused on the piece of wood or furniture at hand, but it was icky looking at the whole space. I suspect I'm more invested in the show than in the past, as a result of moving more of that training from the class to the stage. That is good, but it makes striking a little tougher when I'm in the cast. I've got lots more work to bring the training I received last year to the stage, and I expect it will last through and past ETI, when I'll get lots more things to work on.
They had some young volunteers helping, the teens taking a class and getting ready to put up their show I suspect. It was a blessing because I didn't want to stay any longer once I'd helped with the awkward heavy things. I went and met the rest of the folks that weren't otherwise occupied at Duke's chowder house.
Next time I'm crew or staff, I'll make an extra effort to spare the actors if strike is immediately after the final curtain call. Even with my small roles, there was lots of prep and a real sadness at bidding my characters adieu. I felt drained terribly yesterday, and it is a little hard to write about. This has been a surprise to me.
G'night my friends. My work at the day job is done, I've some homework to attempt before meeting up with Paula tomorrow, and I need sleep. Meeting up with Paula, one of my best friends in the world for monologue coaching scares me, even thinking about it. My emotions are all over the place right now, though somehow muted. Thank the stars for small favors.
I'm going to work with Paula on my monologues tomorrow. Damn. I'd hoped for Wednesday or Thursday, but wedding planning and picking up her mom from the airport have priority. You see, I've one piece down cold, the other should be tonight, but I'd hoped to work more with physicality, analysis and such beforehand. Well, last minute beggars can't be choosy.
The last week of The Cherry Orchard was sublime. On Friday, two people missed the call for places after intermission. Or three, if you include the stage manager who missed one of the actor hangouts for the first time. (I'm so grateful none of the shows I've worked on as stage manager had more actors than dressing room and green room space could accommodate!) The top of the third act after intermission starts off pretty fun, and it was hysterical because of the improvising around the missing characters. It didn't affect my scene partner and myself directly, but we were certainly caught up in the event. I thought it injected extra life and energy which was amazing and carried through the rest of the weekend. My roommate Aaron taped that show for us, so it will be interesting taking a look. He didn't know anything was amiss while he was watching from the seats.
It's always a bittersweet time. The time commitment of the show is over, and extra time will be available again, though never as much as I claim. And of course, never again will you be in that show. By the time I had my head and face nearly shaved -- the clippers can only get so close -- the set was gone, with the last few items in differing stages of disassembly. I stayed and helped with some heavy items. Luckily there was no running needed.
I've helped strike sets as an actor before, and this time it was a little unpleasant when I looked at the whole stage. It was fine when I focused on the piece of wood or furniture at hand, but it was icky looking at the whole space. I suspect I'm more invested in the show than in the past, as a result of moving more of that training from the class to the stage. That is good, but it makes striking a little tougher when I'm in the cast. I've got lots more work to bring the training I received last year to the stage, and I expect it will last through and past ETI, when I'll get lots more things to work on.
They had some young volunteers helping, the teens taking a class and getting ready to put up their show I suspect. It was a blessing because I didn't want to stay any longer once I'd helped with the awkward heavy things. I went and met the rest of the folks that weren't otherwise occupied at Duke's chowder house.
Next time I'm crew or staff, I'll make an extra effort to spare the actors if strike is immediately after the final curtain call. Even with my small roles, there was lots of prep and a real sadness at bidding my characters adieu. I felt drained terribly yesterday, and it is a little hard to write about. This has been a surprise to me.
G'night my friends. My work at the day job is done, I've some homework to attempt before meeting up with Paula tomorrow, and I need sleep. Meeting up with Paula, one of my best friends in the world for monologue coaching scares me, even thinking about it. My emotions are all over the place right now, though somehow muted. Thank the stars for small favors.
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