I haven't updated this in so long so I apologize to the mass numbers of you (i.e. the 4 of you who read this) that have been wondering what I'm doing with my life. No I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, at least not literally. Socially, just a little.
It's July 17. My shows are coming to a close in a week, summer closing in a little over a month, and all I can think at this precise moment is how I got this lucky. Why I was blessed early in life with amazing family, wonderful friends, and a die hard passion for something I will never know. But this summer is pretty telling of that.
Camp:
Camp comes to a close next Saturday. I spent the first two weeks getting a feel for the show, getting to know the campers, and spending some great time with two of my closest friends, Kristen and Fiona. I began teaching on July 4 and let's just say I have a new found respect for teachers. Although I had an idea of what to expect, teaching has been a whole new experience for me. First off, I am the youngest teacher by at least 5 years. Most teachers are at least 30 if not older. That in itself is a challenge as it is an adjustment for those who were used to me being a counselor and now have to adjust to seeing me in a different role. I have four wonderful girls in my class (I began with 2, so this is a step up) with more energy than I know what to do with and virtually no theatre experience. We spent two and a half weeks learning about backstage theatre and what it is comprised of. They watched DVDs of past camp shows where I asked them to point of specific technical elements they noticed as well as DVDs of previous SMC Dance Company shows where I asked them to describe what they saw in the lighting. About a week into the class I took them to the recital hall on campus. The recital hall is smaller than our performing arts center but had a light board and some instruments hung which made the perfect light laboratory for the girls. Once the girls discovered the freedom they had with the light board and what options were available to them, they had a real interest in it. I had them each create a design of their choice and then write out a description. We took a picture of each design and they will be on display in the performing arts center on closing day. We are now in tech week which is a very unique process this year since the show isn't even complete yet. But the girls were great on Friday. I'd taken them to rehearsals during class a few times so they already had a sense of what their responsibilities were. I'm really pleased with the progress they've made and I hope they are enjoying themselves. Nearly all of them wanted to be a spotlight operator so I literally had to hold "auditions" but in the end, they're all exactly where they should be during the show. As challenging as it is (keeping 4 12-year-old girls on task is a a nearly impossible feat at times), it's been a very rewarding process. One student in particular seems to really understand and enjoy technical theatre. She reminds me a bit of myself and I hope she continues with it. It's a special gift to really appreciate the art of technical theatre and I hope she realizes that.
Once Upon a Mattress:
My show closes next Sunday and although I am sad to be leaving people, it has been such a good experience for me. I already knew this director from last year's production of Rent and I really enjoy his style and attitude concerning all aspects of theatre. My stage manager was new to me but she and I had an instant connection and it's been a great experience working with her. This show wasn't without its challenges though. We had a total of three rehearsals locations due to renovations being done to our home theatre and working in a new performance space to many kept us on our toes. We used a taped out set for the entire rehearsal process as we weren't in our real location until two days before tech. We had hardly any props or real furniture until the week before tech. And as we are trying to get our show up on its feet, the company itself was moving out of their home of 30 years and into storage and portable classrooms to make room for renovations. Through all of the challenges however, we managed to bond as a company. At our final rehearsal on the Morgan Stock Stage before renovations began, the entire company stood together in a circle and remembered how many years of history existed on that stage. It was a precious for many as they had performed a significant number of times in that theatre as children, as teenagers, and as adults. We then moved to a rehearsal location in our temporary shop in Sand City. We had an area dedicated to the "stage" while the rest of the warehouse was full of lumber, power tools, and many old set pieces transported there for storage. It wasn't ideal but it worked for us until we were finally able to use the Forest Theatre. We began battling the elements as soon as we arrived and had to cut our first rehearsal short due to VERY heavy fog (welcome to Carmel...) and canceled a tech rehearsal due to rain but the cast moved seamlessly from the taped-out set to the very real one on which they were now expected to perform. Now we have completed 3 weekends of show full of laughter, funny mishaps, and plenty of backstage bonding.
