Tuesday, November 30, 2010

I Must Be Out Of My Mind

Back in September, just before SHR:L opened, the building manager and I exchanged words.  I then had a little hissy fit and swore I'd never work in the Barn as long as that person was in charge.  Well, RLT's group managed to talk me into sticking with the final show I'd committed to, on the condition that said manager stayed out of my path.  This has worked, tho it's only been two days...

Anyway, A few weeks ago the group finds themselves short a Stage Manager.  Well, heck... It's a small space.  There can't be that much.  I can call cues.  I just need some help getting things organized so it'll run smoothly.  The group's SM Extraordinaire, DP (heh, sounds kinky...) who is unavailable to commit to the run, is available to help get me organized.  God bless America - I may be able to pull this off.  DP, you are my savior! 

Oh, and there is a spot in the script where we need an off-stage, female voice.  Well, I'm sitting right next to the microphone.  I make the phone ring.  I've already executed the light cue.  Okay, I can read the lines.  WTF do you mean I have to have a NE/Maine accent?  What does that sound like?  It's really easy for me to pick up a southern twang, or a Wisconsin tone, but Maine?  I'll have to work on that.  There is a character in the show that has the accent the whole time - I sound nothing like him.  8-/

So I'm stage managing, designing and running lights, and providing the off-stage voice.  I hadn't read the whole script until last week (something not entirely unusual), however my light cues and lines are set and fine.  What do you mean we don't have a script with sound cues?  Nowhere?  We just have the recordings, but we have no idea where in the script the cues are supposed to come?  So last night we're going basically from cue to cue, and marking where the sound cues come along.  I think we've really got the timing down.  The levels sounded pretty good.  Now we just have to pull it all together.

Did I mention that when I did the light cues, I didn't have a set?  Well, that made things interesting.  I have a porch light - it's hung in the hallway instead of over the porch.  Eh... I can move the instrument.  The heart attack special is on the wrong side of the stage.  D'oh!  I have a painted drop depicting the view out the window that has no light on it at all.  The ghost lights are too bright, as are the warmers.  The washes look fantastic, and the colors are perfect.  Yeah, they're the same colors I used for SHR:L.  Thank you to the designers who were between my shows for not touching anything.  :-)

Let's not forget, that between September and now, not only did my gall bladder self-destruct, but I took a job that's not so local.  My evening commute went from 30 mins to a minimum of 90 mins.  And that's on a good day....

Friday, November 12, 2010

We Have A Marine!

Ginormous congratulations go out to my step-son Mr.Blondie Jr. #3 for graduating from USMC boot camp!

(My scanner is crap. )

Mr. Blondie did an awesome slide show from our trip to his graduation.  Go here.

Missing In Action? I think so...

Hmmm... Last time I checked in was August.  A ton has happened since then and I've not gotten around to blogging about the stuff I'd care to share with the rest of the world.  I am going to make the effort to get better about that.  I hear you dancing in the streets now...  LOL!  I'll try to post things chronologically too, since that's just the way I roll...  Smooches!