Another Opening Weekend

This weekend marks our second of three opening weekends. I don't feel very creative. Here's some songs.

Philosophia

Two Points for Honesty

Fake Empire

Opening Weekend

We opened our first two shows this weekend, a farce and a romantic comedy. As we speak (or rather as I type) I'm sitting backstage during the official premier of our second show, not including a special, closed performance we did for a group this afternoon. So far (and I'll admit it's far too early to leap to conclusions about the season at large) we've had sizable but quiet audiences. Because I have small roles in these first two shows I've had a lot of down time at the theater. Fortunately Brownville is the used bookstore capital of Nemaha County, and I've managed to uncover a treasure trove of important plays at one book store in particular, 'The Antiquarium'. So far I've read Equus, Desire Under the Elms, and The Caucasian Chalk Circle. I started working on The Iceman Cometh but didn't get far. 250 pages! Pretty daunting. Still, it's nice to be able to relax with a light piece of drama after having rehearsed emotionally draining shows like Grand Prize and Home is Where Your Clothes Are for six days each. Tomorrow is a morning off so I'm gonna sleep until at least 10:30, which is an exciting prospect. I'm getting pretty worried; I don't know what I'm gonna do with all this work ethic once the school year starts again.

Song of the Hour: This Year

If My Life Was a Romance Novel:

Jeff emerged from the air-conditioned basement, squinting his eyes against the sun's harsh glare. Humidity struck him like an open hand and almost immediately glistening beads of sweat appeared on his arms and neck. Raising one hand in an attempt to ward off the golden miser's merciless assault, Jeff cursed under his breath. Could not the theatre's front porch could go another day without a coat of fresh paint? Would not the can of oil-based red enamel he firmly gripped keep another day in the cool, dark shop? A grim smile crept slowly across Jeff's face, splitting his typically stoic visage with an uncharacteristic show of emotion. Sure, the porch could wait. But could he? Upon first seeing the theatre's front porch Jeff had known he must paint it. He and the porch were tied together by the unwavering and irrevocable thread of fate. The hair on the back of his neck stood up every time he strode past it, and his heart skipped a beat every time he heard the familiar creak of its steps. Wiping the sweat from his brow and silently affirming his intentions, Jeff moved through the thick air towards the object of that intent. Three or four yards away from his ruby red mistress Jeff paused. He spoke aloud, his voice laden both with utmost respect and unmistakeable desire.

"You've waited long enough," he whispered, "and today will be the day we get you out of that old coat."

As he began his work the sun rose higher and higher in the blue sky above him. Jeff's shirt clung to him, his body drenched in sweat. The first task at hand was to gingerly remove the decaying layers of paint that gripped her sides. With the soft but firm hand of a master paint scraper, Jeff dived into the duty with ecstatic zeal. His fingers sought peeling enamel and found it with ease. Leaving only paint chips and cobwebs in his wake, Jeff disrobed the porch. Now it only remained to apply again the beauty and dignity that age had stripped away from her. Again and again his brush plunged and retreated, waxed and waned. Caught up in the delirious joy of the act Jeff lost himself, swept away in a flurry of wood and paint and tarp. With every stroke the porch beneath him found newfound life, newfound elegance. As he spread paint across its surface, delving into the deepest cracks and weariest knots, Jeff marveled at the object resting below him, the object that simultaneously served as his perch and his muse, his seat and his canvas.

As quickly as the task began it was finished. Pouring sweat and spattered with red paint Jeff dismounted. Was it already over? Must he return to the sterile cold of the theatre, separated from his beloved by unfeeling walls of stone and steel? Jeff, desperately panting for breath, was staggered by the prospect. Had he grown so close to the porch only to be untimely ripped away from it? Resigning himself to his fate, Jeff kneeled close to his mistress, whispering into a knot of wood that vaguely resembled an ear:

"I will return. Wait for me."

With these words Jeff strode swiftly away from the porch, daring not to look behind him. With every step he left a piece of his heart behind, a piece of his heart that would some day lead him back to the wooden lady that had shown him that neither age nor chipped paint can stand in the way of love.

Two Weeks

The food is surprisingly palatable. The weather is manageable. The work is endurable. The people are cool. I got a haircut. I got poison in my eye. I washed it out and it's fine. My ability to form compound sentences is intact.

Song of the Hour: Paradise

Seriously though,

We've begun rehearsal for our first show (Grand Prize). It's one of two shows directed by a company member, and the remaining three shows in the season are directed by the theater's creative director. It's a gratifying experience to be involved in a show that is almost entirely student produced; There's a very collaborative atmosphere that can't be achieved with a clear-cut authority figure playing puppeteer. Technical design and production is also in the hands of company members, including set construction, lighting design and costuming. The company's fourteen members are given various technical duties in addition to the roles they will perform and assigned to work in costuming, set construction or the prop shop. As the 'house manager' I belong to none of the groups listed above but rather have been placed on a strange sort of pedestal that instead of rising above the petty pace is buried under its weight. I do a lot of painting, weeding and general cleaning. I'm essentially responsible for the appearance of the theater everywhere EXCEPT for the stage. Although at first I was discouraged by the nature of the job my spirits have been steadily rising due largely to several factors. I've learned lots of very practical skills, theater related and otherwise. Despite tiny budgets, limited time and work-laden personnel I'm confident that we will be producing high quality shows. The set for Grand Prize is finished almost in its entirety after seven days and looks better than sets I've seen take six times as long to produce, a testament both to the skill of the construction crew and the extreme length of our work days, which start at 9:00 A.M and end at 11:30 P.M. Having been involved in rehearsals I can testify to the talent and work ethic of the other actors, all of whom have much to offer and will be (unbeknownst to them) teaching me as much or more than any cast I've worked with before. It's a great experience to be pursuing art surrounded by a bunch of people who are pursuing art surrounded by a building that has housed art for 44 years surrounded by... Nebraska. On a personal note I remain diligent in my pursuit of the ultimate farmer's tan. On a less personal note wasps are capable of reproducing at a disturbing rate and I'm only one man.

Song of the hour: Almost Crimes

Enthusiasm!

Brownville Village Theatre, 2 days without a-... shit. Brownville Village Theatre, 0 days without a cynical blog post.

P.S.

Tears of frustration don't deter wasps much either.