Still Number 12 on the Wait List....

A conversation the other evening with Magnolia while the techs focused the lights reminded me that I needed to see where we were at with my Fringe show so I sent off an email to the Fringe. I am still #12 on the Wait List, but I was told not to fret, that I should check back in April and that things were likely (but not guaranteed) to change with regards to my number. So, I am still waiting. That's alright. I have more than enough to keep me waiting until April. Perhaps I shall review the script. It has been a while since I tracked through it. I picked it up last weekend and got discouraged as it all sounded familiar (I did write it - it should be familiar), but maybe after this week and The Last Five Years is done, I can truly focus. Speaking of, the show is quite lovely. I may be bias in this assessment, but I don't think I am. I just want the heat on in the theatre so my actors don't get sick. It is a big sing for both of them (though Martin will say he has the harder stuff - ha!) as each has 1/2 of the 80 minute show to sing. The songs are challenging and push at both ends of their ranges and they are fabulous. This week will be a marathon for them.

Tech week/days... we open on Thursday...

Tonight we move into the space. We will use tonight to get our set established and see how some of our ideas for set will work in the space. I hope people realize what a luxury it is to work in Walterdale when you get the stage for weeks and sometimes over a month before the show opens. You can clearly see what doesn't work and try new things and have more than 3 days to figure it out when it doesn't work. We will be doing some painting of the cubes in the space because the cold has made it impossible to paint in unheated garages. A summer show is easier in that respect. I painted the chair in my kitchen last night and I am quite liking what it looks like. I might go get more gold enamel or else I will be frugal with it. I am without children until 3:20 today so I have a bit of time. I am foregoing the pedicure until another day. A nap might be more useful for this week and I am not the one who have to bare my toes in the show.

I whipped up some fliers to copy and take to my Drama class tomorrow. I hope some of them come and see it. I do not know if there are musical fans out there. The Third Space is also a challenge for non-drivers, but perhaps a few of the them could taxi-pool... I'm just saying...

I am relieved that I can move my right arm again. Today it feels like normal, but I still get a twinge here and there if I reach too quickly. At least I have the extension of the arm. I just can't move it as fast as I'd like to sometimes. It really through me for a loop this weekend Thursday was excruciating. I feel my 41 years in times like that, because I know that my age has a lot to do with the machine breaking down occasionally. In any case, I now have the drugs required and the rest needed to function again. Just in time...

A Good Day...

Today was the Friday of Teacher's Convention. It was so nice not to have to leave the house for anything. The boys are getting to the age that (for the most part) they can play well together and they also appreciate a day with no running around. I had a couple of big writing and reading tasks that I needed to do and the boys played and I got to work. I completed my Post-Workshop Draft of Zachary and the Storytelling Stones for my meeting on Tuesday and I also finally got around to the second Draft of Mr. Twiddles, the script I am providing dramaturgy for as part of the Play Readings portion of the Footlights Festival. I have felt bad about the second item because my life got crazy-busy with winning the workshop for Zachary so I lost the time I thought I would have over Reading Week to get things done. I had a lot of scripts to read and that had to happen, as did the workshop and whatever work I had for school and L5Y, so unfortunately I pushed Mr. Twiddles to the back burner. I didn't want to do a sloppy job of it and not give it the time it deserved. Today I focused and got the work done.

I also did laundry and managed to make my clothes minty fresh by leaving a full pack of gum in the back pocket of a pair of jeans. Duh!

p.s. Twas nice to wake up singing songs from L5Y. We had a good rehearsal last night. My actors are working so hard and they pick up notes so fast. I will soon become redundant and unnecessary (let's hope not).

Home for a rest...

This past week I started work on The Last Five Years. I am directing my good friends, Magnolia and El Muchacho (his new title) in this wonderful 2 person musical. I had my first rehearsal with Magnolia on Tuesday and we did a nice chronological track through the script. I love this part. I love the 'mining' and the talking and sorting out what the story is all about for this character. To do this show right, you have to know the separate journeys of the two characters. If you are playing one of them, you have to feel right, even when the character makes mistakes. I can imagine people leaving this show thinking 'she was right/he was wrong' or 'she was wrong/he was right'. I want people to leave thinking they were both right and both wrong. I want no villains and no heroes. I want real people. So, we have a good time walking through.

I was supposed to rehearse Thursday and found I couldn't. I was hit by something. I don't know if I caught whatever Oliver had on Tuesday, or if I just needed to stop for a moment. Because when I thought about it, I realized I had not stopped going, going, going since I can't remember. I thought it was just since before Black Hearts, but then I thought about it and realized I came right into that from the Walterdale Gala, and into that from the Fringe, and into the Fringe from the One Acts and Baby and before that Crimes... Maybe I just needed a few days off? I have to watch that in myself because if I don't watch it I will pile up everything, one thing on top of another. I worry that if I don't do this or don't do that I will miss the opportunity. I have to make myself happy with the bounty I have, because I am by no means sitting on my butt doing nothing.

Anyhow, by Sunday I felt better. I took it easy Thursday, Friday and Saturday and this made it nice to go into rehearsal on Sunday and get some work done. We roughed out 4 of the songs and did more mining and tracking and I feel real good about it. I can't wait to get both of my cast members together and in a month it should feel even more exciting.

The Next Few Months... The Last 5 years...

I spent a lot of time today working on The Last 5 Years (L5Y). We have set our fist production meeting for this Sunday afternoon. I will likely be a little brain fogged since I will have just come off the 24 Hour Playwriting Competition as part of 10 Days of Madness. I am hoping to actually sleep a bit during the competition so that I am not totally screwed up, and I know that I write fast when I have time and no children distracting me so I also hope to finish early so that I can go home and snooze a bit. In any case, due to the potential for brain-fog I want to have as much as possible on paper as I can. If I am unable to articulate what I need at the meeting, at least my pre-planning notes will speak for me. The big thing for me is scheduling. I need to know my road map. I spent today breaking down Units and then blocking out what I need to get done and estimating time. We are going in to rehearsal with two fairly well-prepared singers who pretty much know the show so that will hopefully save us some learning time. It would likely not be doable if they didn't already know the music.

New Project - Sky

I am off to my first rehearsal for Sky this afternoon. My friend AM is directing. I specifically asked for the non-speaking role because I didn't want the added weight of learning lots of lines. I am quite comfortable creating a character in silence. This should be enough of a challenge without over-taxing me in this busy month. I am also working on prepping for The Last Five Years which I am directing. That show goes up in March so I have stacked a few things on top of each other. I have my writing desk back after lending it to Walterdale for the last show, so I have re-organized it and have been using it. It is like my own little 'room of my own' for writing and working. I am currently seeking ideas for the 24 hour playwriting competition that is coming up next weekend. Any suggestions?

Funny?... On New Years Day my brother's mother-in-law made a comment to me along the lines of "You still doing that drama stuff? I guess you need something to keep you busy." The suggestion is that as a SAHM I sit and eat bon-bons all day and this is just some little thing I do to occupy my time. As if. So glad she is not my mother-in-law.