I don't know how I manage to stay as busy as I do even without theater. My post-show life has been crazy, and not just because I spend four days a week downtown at my internship. I only have 4-5 hours each weeknight that I'm comfortable spending with other people simply because I have to wake up early again the next day, and that makes it really hard to see people who may not be available until the time when I want to go to sleep.
I guess reflecting on my internship (now that I only have four weeks left), I've really learned a lot in terms of life adjustment. I can now get up and commute to a job each day, be productive at the office, and then have self-control when I get home. I know what a career in public health looks like, have a better feel for what area of public health I would like to pursue, and have a new appreciation for student life now that I've had a mock real-world break from it. My internship experience has really lived up to everything I wanted it to be.
I've had time with friends, casually helped a couple of tech weeks, spent social time down town, saw some theater, and my parents were just in town visiting. It's been really great to connect and re-connect with a lot of the friends I have been seeing, and spending time with awesome people makes me happy. The theater I've seen has been a production of Company, Flat Stanley, The Quare Fellow, and Julius Caesar. With the exception of the Shakespeare, I found the writing of the shows to be not quite my style, but the performances were fine. Caesar was awesome. My parents took me to see it at a professional theater, and it reminded me what kind of difference being out of school makes in the quality of a production.
I also had a field trip for my seminar last week to an after school program in an impoverished neighborhood of the city. It was a day that I was interacting with bright, cheerful, hilarious, smart kids who do not have the opportunities to lead a life like mine despite having the same inherent abilities. I appreciate my privileges so much more, and it's really affected me because I know that there's not much I can do for these kids other than be encouraging that day that I was with them. I am trying to collect some board games to send over to them because I was playing games with the kids, but none of them had all the pieces, and that seems like such a simple thing to make a difference in how they can play. These kids are also the exact demographic that my internship organization is trying to affect, so knowing a lot of the statistics and studies done on neighborhoods like that one made the experience all the more impactful. It's really easy to go along and just live my life, but it's important to recognize that I do have opportunities that others don't, and I want to face that and appreciate it. I really do.
I've just been busy, have lots of good things now and coming up, and really appreciate the people, places, and things that I have.
Today is awesome because I had brunch with my parents before they left to go home.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Midnight's Dream
I needed Midnight's Dream. Working on this show was an experience that left me inspired and enthusiastic about the work and the people every single day. It is not often that I am so in love with a process and product as I have been with this show. I've been on the team for this show since last May, so I found myself extremely invested in the production, more than any other show this year.
Overall, this was an amazing group of people to work with. Everybody was so on board with the vision of what this show needed to be and did their work so well that it all came together in the most wonderful way possible. Not only was the work good, but the people were great and so appreciative of each other and each other's contributions to the product as a whole. I loved watching the show every night. While something needed fixing (which I was there to do) in literally every show except closing, I got to live in the world with characters I love from one of my favorite plays of all time. I found myself having new relationships with the text and characters, but also forming a special rapport with the actors themselves. By Friday night, the actor who played Puck proclaimed me part of the cast, and being so included was one of the best things ever. There was no divide between cast a crew, and those are always the best productions to work on.
I needed this show to give me something to be inspired by. I needed to have a purpose outside of my internship when I got back to campus each day. I needed to feel needed and appreciated for the work that I do in theater, as desperate as that sounds, and I needed a story to be a part of.
When I dream, I insert myself into the stories I love. For instance, my last such dream involved me fighting vampires with Angel and Spike (of Joss Whedon's writing). This show let me be in the story however I wanted, and I loved that. I have never been allowed to live in the fairy world based on casting of previous Midsummer productions I'd done, so living there for this week was amazingly fulfilling. I have to mention here that the nine practically private performances of emotional breakdown that I got from the actor who played Puck were some of the best acting I have ever seen; I wish more people could have connected to that just to appreciate how amazing it was.
Our director would always mention the ephemeral nature of time and a night in any given place with any set of people. The speed with which this week went by was so reflected in those words, and the connections we made as a team are very special. We shared the experience of making this show together, and that kind of bond is extremely unique. As I contemplated how sad I was that the whole thing was over, that I wouldn't be going to that theater to see those people to create this show ever again, it made me think of a John Green quotation: "it hurts because it mattered." Midnight's Dream mattered to me. It still does, and it will always be a beloved memory.
I'm going to break down the process day by day because each day had new awesomeness and weirdness.
Saturday: Party all night with the cast/team. I literally went to sleep at 5AM. It's such a joyful group to work with!! The party was a tad loud and overwhelming at times, but it's a group who really get along well, and they like playing games that require getting to know each other, so I learned a lot about this new group of friends.
Sunday: Sleep in, then find a text 45 minutes after it was sent to say we got into the space early. Luckily, nothing much had happened and it wasn't a big deal that I was late. I ran boom set-up with my co-ME and the sound assistant actually doing the heavy lifting. Then we (designer and co-ME and I) went over to pick up some of our rented lights from another theater on campus. I walked back to our space only to find out that they had waited for me in the truck. The ground was literally ice, but then as it rained and warmed as it got later, it turned into puddles and floating icebergs. While hanging lights, my co-ME left his wrench atop a ladder and it ended up falling on my face while I tried to move the ladder, so that kind of put a damper on things. It was actually more shocking than painful, and I have a minor scratch and no bruising. We got 18 lights hung by 8:30, and I headed home around 8:45 to watch an hour of Doctor Who. Then I went back for the prod meeting at 10 and stayed to help set (the designer is a good friend and dorm-mate) until 1:30. Then the set designer and I came home, drank sodas, gave each other massages, showered, and went to bed.
Monday: Woke up at 9, got to the space by 10, had a delay and got coffee, was in the space finishing hang, cable, and patch until 4:35. In the space, I plugged in my iPod to the sound system and literally listened to music and sang along while running cable along the floor and taping it down for the safety requirements. I was alone most of the time, which was a little unfortunate because it would have gone faster with another person or two, but it is very rare for me to have a big open space in which to sing along to nerdy music at the top of my voice. I also had complete control over how it was cabled and didn't have to move around other people and their stuff while doing my job. I had class from 5-8, then returned for the run of the show and stayed for some light focusing (gorgeous gobos and fun, super saturated colors!) and a massage circle followed by a prod meeting. The run was really fun. I mostly stood by the circular bar in our space and scenes happened all around me. It was cool to observe the actors and have some interaction with them. Went to bed later than I had originally planned, but it was worth it.
Tuesday: I was at work all day, but my mind was very much drifting back to campus and the theater. I wanted to know what was happening in the space and hear about the safety meeting, but I was downtown. I had a really good and productive work day with a fantastic team meeting at the end, but I was missing the show while I was there. I took the 5:05 bus home, grabbed my tech pants, bought food supplies from the c-store on the way to the theater, and got there by 6. We rigged the changing area out of black curtains, and did minor clean up before the run. The run was amazing. I followed characters in unconventional locations, and the show literally happened on my face. I took a selfie with Helena in the bathroom, was interrogated by Titania who thought I was Oberon's spy, got my face made up by Snug, and sat with Puck through a major mental breakdown. That experience was way better than following the plot and staying in the main areas of the space. Seeing the Puck breakdown gave me a place to be that was unique and special for this performance, and there was no place else I had any desire to be during that part of the show ever again. After the run, I helped with some painting, then we had a prod meeting and a board member gave me a wonderful massage. I told the director about my experience of the show, helped put support rope in the hammock we use for Titania's bower, and then went home. Again, I went to sleep later than I had wanted to.
This sleep thing is a pattern. I got in trouble over the weekend staying up til 4 on Friday, 5 on Saturday, 2:30 on Sunday, and then 1 or 2 the rest of the week. Bad sleep habits leading to bad coffee habits.
Wednesday was totally different. I had work, but during my lunch break I ended up running an errand to the grocery store to buy supplies for the bar. I really liked getting to walk around downtown even though I couldn't find an ingredient. It made me laugh to think of using my lunch time for student theater instead of eating the way I would on campus despite being miles away. It was the day to present my work to the steering committee of the program I work for, and that was a bit nerve wracking, ending with more questions than answers. That took most of the afternoon, so I finished up my work and took the bus home. We had two full runs of the show with audiences that night. I kind of floated around and found my niche as a combination audience member and team member. I definitely stayed with Puck at the end of both runs, but still found new things that happened during the show that I hadn't seen before. I had a lot of fun guiding friends to see different things happening and also to have Snug put makeup on them. It was that night that I decided it would be important to be at all of the performances. It was also "actors destroy everything" day, so I was frustrated with the things that kept breaking that should have been common sense not to damage, and I ended with a laundry list of things that needed to be done to actor-proof the space. I went to sleep a very happy tired, proud of the work we had done.
Thursday was opening!! During work, I had an injury prevention meeting that made me very self-conscious of the fact that I had a wrench fall on me just days earlier. It make me a bit paranoid about what could go wrong during the show, and I really wanted to do a safety sweep of the space before the audience came in. I also had a strategy meeting with my supervisor, so that was good. Before I went to the show, though, I had a dorm fireside with the VP of Student Affairs and her staff complete with the only full, hot meal I at this week. The fireside was okay, but I had to leave early to get ready for the show. I straightened my hair before the program started, but then I had to put on my extreme makeup and a cute outfit. I got there for my safety sweep and had a fantastic time with the group before, during, and after the show. When it was over, we all went to the late night grilled cheese place, and that hangout was more valuable to me than any sleep could be. I went to sleep at 3AM.
Friday was rough at work. I had a shorter day, but it felt quite long because of how tired I was. I was sending e-mails and filling in the contact database while listening to the music composed for our show. It's all dubstep, but I have grown to really love it due to its contextual significance. I picked up some supplies and lunch before heading back to campus, then rested for a little while as my laundry ran, had a visit with a friend, and then ate dinner and went to the show. I was hoping to get a nap in, but that didn't happen despite my exhaustion. We had two shows on Friday: an 8:00 and an 11:00. I stepped up my look on Friday because I could tell that I was not quite there with my Thursday outfit, and it was really fun to be dressing outside my normal style, using makeup more dramatic than I will ever have occasion for again, and then being complimented for it. I wasn't sure if it was working until I got the feedback, and it was a confidence booster. Anyway, I got there, and then went to get coffee with the director. He told me that I looked great but was acting tired, and his perceptiveness meant a lot to me because I was really tired and trying to stay hyped in the downtime before the excitement. The coffee helped a lot. The first show was a bit awkward because we had an audience who did not really get the show or enjoy it in the way the others did. The performances were great and the actors pushed through, but it would have been better if the people there had been either more accepting of the show or had left when they weren't enjoying it. I had to run home between shows, but then we had an awesome 11:00. There was some great play with the audience, and they loved it. Friday night, I left the space wishing I had someplace other than home to go because I was so happy from the show. I was entrusted with the key because the producer had an event with the theater board to get to, and so I was the last one out. I did a stupid amount of cleaning before actually going to sleep, but I wanted it all done before Saturday happened.
I got up at 10:30AM on Saturday (8 hours of sleep!!!!!!), got ready for the show, and got there by noon to unlock the building. Getting ready was strange because I was styling myself for a nighttime club look in the middle of the day. It was a bit odd, but appropriate for the show, and a lot of fun. How often will I ever get to wear sparkly black eye shadow, right? And the director complimented my contouring of eye makeup, and having that compliment from a person who knows what he's talking about meant a lot to me and made me very happy. Once I handed off the key, I went to get food, and then returned for pre-show and matinee. The matinee audience was small but great, and it was followed by a conversation with the sexual health and assault peer educators to discuss issues raised by the show (Does Demetrius actually ever love Helena? What about bystanders? How does power come into play? etc.). We did have a bit of a meltdown with the lights because the midi sync disconnected during the run, but we got it back up and running, and the rest went smoothly. I was totally standing on a table doing electrics work while the play was happening, no big deal. I took a break to go home for dinner after the talk back, and then returned for the last two performances. We had great audiences and great acting, but the ever-present nagging of the ephemeral nature of this experience. After a fantastic run, we immediately started striking (at night, boo) and then headed to the party, which was a bit loud and overwhelming, but my comfort with the people had grown over the week, so it was less intimidating to my introverted side. I was super sore though, and I ended up having to sit with my legs stretched out in the middle of a circle for a game I was not playing and it was awkward but nothing else worked to make the pain stop. I got to sleep at 5AM full of feelings about this show ending.
Sunday strike went very smoothly, actually. I got there on time at 10AM and finished getting the lighting stuff down and put away (cable, moving lights, transporting things to their rightful places). Waking up was very difficult; I was so confused when my alarm went off. Even though the work got done relatively efficiently, I was in the strangest mood. I was downright crazy. I literally gave myself the following pep talk while staring at the last two cables that needed coiling: "two more! indomitable spirit! I am a black belt! I can do this!" Which really has nothing to do with anything, but hey, the work got done. We went until 1:45 with solid work happening, then had a half hour lunch break while paint was retrieved to finish the floor. After painting the floor, we returned the final things to the student center, which included me signing the key back in. I had no idea that I was one of the four people authorized to sign the key in and out, and it's actually a big deal to be on that list. I have never been on that list before. Our producer came with me and took a picture of me signing in the key for the first time. It was kind of awesome. Then we headed back to grab our stuff and say good bye for real and forever to the show we had.
And here I mention that I had a klutzy, stupid injury or near-injury every day. First the wrench, then the usual scraped up hands, and nearly falling off things a few times. At strike, I walked into a boom and got a nice bruise on my leg. I like to think that I absorb the potential for others to have serious injuries, but mostly stuff just keeps happening, and I'm tough enough to take it even if I complain about it for a while. These stupid things are more funny than emotionally scarring for me or even physically painful, but it ends up being a sarcastic story after the fact.
I have to give a special mention to our producer. He worked so hard to make this show a success, and also to make being part of it an unforgettable experience. Through months of hard work, weeks of concrete preparation, and a full week of dubious choices that prioritized the show, he really made a wonderful thing come together. I am so proud of my friend for what he accomplished and so happy to have been able to contribute to this creation. His enthusiasm, perceptiveness, understanding, hard-working attitude, and love for the show and the team really showed throughout the entire process, from May until now, and I have to thank him for all of it.
I mentioned our director a few times above, but he was also integral to creating such a collaborative piece of art. His vision guided the designers very clearly, he did not make crazy demands at inconvenient times, and his positive, humorous attitude kept us uplifted through the sleepless nights and tired days. I appreciate him so much.
I could keep gushing about all of my feelings that came up during this process, but mostly I'm sad to see it go, physically sore from the work, and so so in love with what we created. As ephemeral as it was, it did exist, I was part of it, and I will always be happy I was. "It hurts because it mattered." Indeed.
Today is awesome because I spent it with the wonderful Midnight's Dream people.
Overall, this was an amazing group of people to work with. Everybody was so on board with the vision of what this show needed to be and did their work so well that it all came together in the most wonderful way possible. Not only was the work good, but the people were great and so appreciative of each other and each other's contributions to the product as a whole. I loved watching the show every night. While something needed fixing (which I was there to do) in literally every show except closing, I got to live in the world with characters I love from one of my favorite plays of all time. I found myself having new relationships with the text and characters, but also forming a special rapport with the actors themselves. By Friday night, the actor who played Puck proclaimed me part of the cast, and being so included was one of the best things ever. There was no divide between cast a crew, and those are always the best productions to work on.
I needed this show to give me something to be inspired by. I needed to have a purpose outside of my internship when I got back to campus each day. I needed to feel needed and appreciated for the work that I do in theater, as desperate as that sounds, and I needed a story to be a part of.
When I dream, I insert myself into the stories I love. For instance, my last such dream involved me fighting vampires with Angel and Spike (of Joss Whedon's writing). This show let me be in the story however I wanted, and I loved that. I have never been allowed to live in the fairy world based on casting of previous Midsummer productions I'd done, so living there for this week was amazingly fulfilling. I have to mention here that the nine practically private performances of emotional breakdown that I got from the actor who played Puck were some of the best acting I have ever seen; I wish more people could have connected to that just to appreciate how amazing it was.
Our director would always mention the ephemeral nature of time and a night in any given place with any set of people. The speed with which this week went by was so reflected in those words, and the connections we made as a team are very special. We shared the experience of making this show together, and that kind of bond is extremely unique. As I contemplated how sad I was that the whole thing was over, that I wouldn't be going to that theater to see those people to create this show ever again, it made me think of a John Green quotation: "it hurts because it mattered." Midnight's Dream mattered to me. It still does, and it will always be a beloved memory.
I'm going to break down the process day by day because each day had new awesomeness and weirdness.
Saturday: Party all night with the cast/team. I literally went to sleep at 5AM. It's such a joyful group to work with!! The party was a tad loud and overwhelming at times, but it's a group who really get along well, and they like playing games that require getting to know each other, so I learned a lot about this new group of friends.
Sunday: Sleep in, then find a text 45 minutes after it was sent to say we got into the space early. Luckily, nothing much had happened and it wasn't a big deal that I was late. I ran boom set-up with my co-ME and the sound assistant actually doing the heavy lifting. Then we (designer and co-ME and I) went over to pick up some of our rented lights from another theater on campus. I walked back to our space only to find out that they had waited for me in the truck. The ground was literally ice, but then as it rained and warmed as it got later, it turned into puddles and floating icebergs. While hanging lights, my co-ME left his wrench atop a ladder and it ended up falling on my face while I tried to move the ladder, so that kind of put a damper on things. It was actually more shocking than painful, and I have a minor scratch and no bruising. We got 18 lights hung by 8:30, and I headed home around 8:45 to watch an hour of Doctor Who. Then I went back for the prod meeting at 10 and stayed to help set (the designer is a good friend and dorm-mate) until 1:30. Then the set designer and I came home, drank sodas, gave each other massages, showered, and went to bed.
Monday: Woke up at 9, got to the space by 10, had a delay and got coffee, was in the space finishing hang, cable, and patch until 4:35. In the space, I plugged in my iPod to the sound system and literally listened to music and sang along while running cable along the floor and taping it down for the safety requirements. I was alone most of the time, which was a little unfortunate because it would have gone faster with another person or two, but it is very rare for me to have a big open space in which to sing along to nerdy music at the top of my voice. I also had complete control over how it was cabled and didn't have to move around other people and their stuff while doing my job. I had class from 5-8, then returned for the run of the show and stayed for some light focusing (gorgeous gobos and fun, super saturated colors!) and a massage circle followed by a prod meeting. The run was really fun. I mostly stood by the circular bar in our space and scenes happened all around me. It was cool to observe the actors and have some interaction with them. Went to bed later than I had originally planned, but it was worth it.
Tuesday: I was at work all day, but my mind was very much drifting back to campus and the theater. I wanted to know what was happening in the space and hear about the safety meeting, but I was downtown. I had a really good and productive work day with a fantastic team meeting at the end, but I was missing the show while I was there. I took the 5:05 bus home, grabbed my tech pants, bought food supplies from the c-store on the way to the theater, and got there by 6. We rigged the changing area out of black curtains, and did minor clean up before the run. The run was amazing. I followed characters in unconventional locations, and the show literally happened on my face. I took a selfie with Helena in the bathroom, was interrogated by Titania who thought I was Oberon's spy, got my face made up by Snug, and sat with Puck through a major mental breakdown. That experience was way better than following the plot and staying in the main areas of the space. Seeing the Puck breakdown gave me a place to be that was unique and special for this performance, and there was no place else I had any desire to be during that part of the show ever again. After the run, I helped with some painting, then we had a prod meeting and a board member gave me a wonderful massage. I told the director about my experience of the show, helped put support rope in the hammock we use for Titania's bower, and then went home. Again, I went to sleep later than I had wanted to.
This sleep thing is a pattern. I got in trouble over the weekend staying up til 4 on Friday, 5 on Saturday, 2:30 on Sunday, and then 1 or 2 the rest of the week. Bad sleep habits leading to bad coffee habits.
Wednesday was totally different. I had work, but during my lunch break I ended up running an errand to the grocery store to buy supplies for the bar. I really liked getting to walk around downtown even though I couldn't find an ingredient. It made me laugh to think of using my lunch time for student theater instead of eating the way I would on campus despite being miles away. It was the day to present my work to the steering committee of the program I work for, and that was a bit nerve wracking, ending with more questions than answers. That took most of the afternoon, so I finished up my work and took the bus home. We had two full runs of the show with audiences that night. I kind of floated around and found my niche as a combination audience member and team member. I definitely stayed with Puck at the end of both runs, but still found new things that happened during the show that I hadn't seen before. I had a lot of fun guiding friends to see different things happening and also to have Snug put makeup on them. It was that night that I decided it would be important to be at all of the performances. It was also "actors destroy everything" day, so I was frustrated with the things that kept breaking that should have been common sense not to damage, and I ended with a laundry list of things that needed to be done to actor-proof the space. I went to sleep a very happy tired, proud of the work we had done.
Thursday was opening!! During work, I had an injury prevention meeting that made me very self-conscious of the fact that I had a wrench fall on me just days earlier. It make me a bit paranoid about what could go wrong during the show, and I really wanted to do a safety sweep of the space before the audience came in. I also had a strategy meeting with my supervisor, so that was good. Before I went to the show, though, I had a dorm fireside with the VP of Student Affairs and her staff complete with the only full, hot meal I at this week. The fireside was okay, but I had to leave early to get ready for the show. I straightened my hair before the program started, but then I had to put on my extreme makeup and a cute outfit. I got there for my safety sweep and had a fantastic time with the group before, during, and after the show. When it was over, we all went to the late night grilled cheese place, and that hangout was more valuable to me than any sleep could be. I went to sleep at 3AM.
Friday was rough at work. I had a shorter day, but it felt quite long because of how tired I was. I was sending e-mails and filling in the contact database while listening to the music composed for our show. It's all dubstep, but I have grown to really love it due to its contextual significance. I picked up some supplies and lunch before heading back to campus, then rested for a little while as my laundry ran, had a visit with a friend, and then ate dinner and went to the show. I was hoping to get a nap in, but that didn't happen despite my exhaustion. We had two shows on Friday: an 8:00 and an 11:00. I stepped up my look on Friday because I could tell that I was not quite there with my Thursday outfit, and it was really fun to be dressing outside my normal style, using makeup more dramatic than I will ever have occasion for again, and then being complimented for it. I wasn't sure if it was working until I got the feedback, and it was a confidence booster. Anyway, I got there, and then went to get coffee with the director. He told me that I looked great but was acting tired, and his perceptiveness meant a lot to me because I was really tired and trying to stay hyped in the downtime before the excitement. The coffee helped a lot. The first show was a bit awkward because we had an audience who did not really get the show or enjoy it in the way the others did. The performances were great and the actors pushed through, but it would have been better if the people there had been either more accepting of the show or had left when they weren't enjoying it. I had to run home between shows, but then we had an awesome 11:00. There was some great play with the audience, and they loved it. Friday night, I left the space wishing I had someplace other than home to go because I was so happy from the show. I was entrusted with the key because the producer had an event with the theater board to get to, and so I was the last one out. I did a stupid amount of cleaning before actually going to sleep, but I wanted it all done before Saturday happened.
I got up at 10:30AM on Saturday (8 hours of sleep!!!!!!), got ready for the show, and got there by noon to unlock the building. Getting ready was strange because I was styling myself for a nighttime club look in the middle of the day. It was a bit odd, but appropriate for the show, and a lot of fun. How often will I ever get to wear sparkly black eye shadow, right? And the director complimented my contouring of eye makeup, and having that compliment from a person who knows what he's talking about meant a lot to me and made me very happy. Once I handed off the key, I went to get food, and then returned for pre-show and matinee. The matinee audience was small but great, and it was followed by a conversation with the sexual health and assault peer educators to discuss issues raised by the show (Does Demetrius actually ever love Helena? What about bystanders? How does power come into play? etc.). We did have a bit of a meltdown with the lights because the midi sync disconnected during the run, but we got it back up and running, and the rest went smoothly. I was totally standing on a table doing electrics work while the play was happening, no big deal. I took a break to go home for dinner after the talk back, and then returned for the last two performances. We had great audiences and great acting, but the ever-present nagging of the ephemeral nature of this experience. After a fantastic run, we immediately started striking (at night, boo) and then headed to the party, which was a bit loud and overwhelming, but my comfort with the people had grown over the week, so it was less intimidating to my introverted side. I was super sore though, and I ended up having to sit with my legs stretched out in the middle of a circle for a game I was not playing and it was awkward but nothing else worked to make the pain stop. I got to sleep at 5AM full of feelings about this show ending.
Sunday strike went very smoothly, actually. I got there on time at 10AM and finished getting the lighting stuff down and put away (cable, moving lights, transporting things to their rightful places). Waking up was very difficult; I was so confused when my alarm went off. Even though the work got done relatively efficiently, I was in the strangest mood. I was downright crazy. I literally gave myself the following pep talk while staring at the last two cables that needed coiling: "two more! indomitable spirit! I am a black belt! I can do this!" Which really has nothing to do with anything, but hey, the work got done. We went until 1:45 with solid work happening, then had a half hour lunch break while paint was retrieved to finish the floor. After painting the floor, we returned the final things to the student center, which included me signing the key back in. I had no idea that I was one of the four people authorized to sign the key in and out, and it's actually a big deal to be on that list. I have never been on that list before. Our producer came with me and took a picture of me signing in the key for the first time. It was kind of awesome. Then we headed back to grab our stuff and say good bye for real and forever to the show we had.
And here I mention that I had a klutzy, stupid injury or near-injury every day. First the wrench, then the usual scraped up hands, and nearly falling off things a few times. At strike, I walked into a boom and got a nice bruise on my leg. I like to think that I absorb the potential for others to have serious injuries, but mostly stuff just keeps happening, and I'm tough enough to take it even if I complain about it for a while. These stupid things are more funny than emotionally scarring for me or even physically painful, but it ends up being a sarcastic story after the fact.
I have to give a special mention to our producer. He worked so hard to make this show a success, and also to make being part of it an unforgettable experience. Through months of hard work, weeks of concrete preparation, and a full week of dubious choices that prioritized the show, he really made a wonderful thing come together. I am so proud of my friend for what he accomplished and so happy to have been able to contribute to this creation. His enthusiasm, perceptiveness, understanding, hard-working attitude, and love for the show and the team really showed throughout the entire process, from May until now, and I have to thank him for all of it.
I mentioned our director a few times above, but he was also integral to creating such a collaborative piece of art. His vision guided the designers very clearly, he did not make crazy demands at inconvenient times, and his positive, humorous attitude kept us uplifted through the sleepless nights and tired days. I appreciate him so much.
I could keep gushing about all of my feelings that came up during this process, but mostly I'm sad to see it go, physically sore from the work, and so so in love with what we created. As ephemeral as it was, it did exist, I was part of it, and I will always be happy I was. "It hurts because it mattered." Indeed.
Today is awesome because I spent it with the wonderful Midnight's Dream people.
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