Externship, Week 2

      On Sunday, Broadway Training Center had their end of year recital. I helped them with their load in from our studio in Hastings-on-Hudson to the Irvington Town Hall Theatre. During the recital, I mostly observed, and performed in my Advanved Acting/Improv piece and my Modern Dance piece. After the recital was over, I helped them take their things out of the theatre (strike). Then I cried because it was the end of my last year as a student there as a “child”.  (They do offer adult classes and I plan to take them later.)
      On Monday, I did the first four levels of the conservation campaign in one of my favorite computer games, Zoo Tycoon. I unlocked the Red Panda and Ring-Tailed Lemurs! Then I got really bored and texted my friend , Clara, who is in 7^th grade at the middle school. We met in BTC and she is like my sister (we look like it could be true!). Sadly, she’s moving to Boston in the end of July. Durning and after that, I watched the series finale of House. It was good!
      On Tuesday, I woke up early, because I had a relief from my boredom. I took the 39 Bee-Line bus to Central Park Ave, and transferred on to the 20 witch runs up and down Central. I got off in Scarsdale and took a Beginner Ballet class. I enjoyed it a lot.
    On Wednesday, was going to go to the ballet class again, but I slept through my alarm. I emailed Bryan (the Emelin supervisor). Then I played another one of my favorite computer games, The Sims 3. I got bored quickly, and ate lunch with my mom who works from home. Then I got the email with this document and did the interview with Jason (BTC supervisor), and filled out the rest of this sheet.
    Thursday consisted of a whopping two ballet classes, one at 9:15a and another at 8:30p. Between those, I went to Petco and got a stupid goldfish and two hermit crabs.
    On Friday, I went to Panera with my social worker. When I came home, I discovered thatm Bryan from Emelin got back to me and so I have a schedule for the rest of the externship J
    On Saturday, my friend Clara came over and we swam in our pool and it was fun. Then three of my other friends came over and we made a scrapbook to send to Mr. Baird.
And that’s my second week. Oh so productive.      Jason comes off as a warm and friendly person. In his case, this is really who he is. I’d say that he is very successful because he changes the lives of his students, myself included. For example, from Feburary 2011 to Febuary 2012, as you may know, I had a very hard time controlling my depression and was in a psychiatric unit four times. During this time, he was always there for me. In August, he literally saved my life. Part of the reason I was able to get in in control in just one year was because he was around for me to talk to. He’s also really on top of what he does, because he has to be because he is always doing many projects at once. In September, for the past couple of years, he has not only directed our show, but the opening and closing ceremonies of the US Open (tennis, not golf) I know that Jason feels fulfilled with his work because like he says, he really does like working with the students. I’ve taken classes with him for the past 5 years and you can really see the enthusiasm in his eyes. He really does love what he does. It seems to me that he has a near perfect life.
     Bryan is a different story. He comes off as a bit scary because he is a large man and has a beard and a long pony tail, making him look rather unkempt. Inside, though, he’s very nice, but flaky, as we now know. I don’t think he’s fulfilled at Emelin because he’s done a lot of things at higher levels (see week 1’s log) and is underemployed. Perhaps because he is flaky.

Externship, Week 1

Ok, so since I've really started my externship, there will be a series of four entries regarding the experience. They are answers to questions I had to answer for school.
     I chose The Emelin Theatre for several reasons. The first is that it was the only theatre I reached out to to contact me. After they interviewed me, it seemed like a good fit because I got along with the people there well, which can be hard for me. Thirdly, they are well funded, so they have a lot of the latest technical instruments available to the public. Another thing I like is that they are well known in the local theatre world. If you say “Emelin Theatre” to any real thespian over the age of 15 in the tri-state area, they will know what you are talking about.
     Because of my concern about getting enough hours at Emelin, I asked if Jason, the co-artistic director of Broadway Training Center (BTC), and my mentor figure, if I could count the hours I usually spend with them in preparation for their junior ensemble’s spring show an annual recital towards my externship. Working with BTC over the last five years has been a remarkable experience. Among other things, one thing that sets BTC apart from other groups like Play Group Theatre in White Plains and Irvington Town Hall Players is that BTC hires only working professionals in their field. This means that our instructors are people who have actually made something of themselves in the business. They say that those who cannot teach, but that is not true with us.
In both sites, I am working alongside industry professionals at an equal level.
      Emelin’s first impression was along the lines of “holy [cheese], this is epic.” I was thrilled that they have a lighting catwalk and really wanted to get up there. Interestingly enough, my first call was a lighting restore! Although I’m used to working with professionals because of BTC, it was taken to a new level of amazing when I found out that my supervisor, Bryan McPartlan, worked sound for the national tour of Cats and was a stagehand on a Canadian tour with Alice Cooper.
      I can’t really attest to my first impressions of BTC because my first impression was made six years ago, but I remember thinking that it was something I really wanted to be a part of.
     I don’t drive yet. Because Emelin is in Mamaroneck, I have to take the bus there. I’ve used the Bee-Line system before, so it isn’t the getting there, it’s the time that it takes to get there. The bus that comes in closest to my call time has been up to forty-five minutes before I was supposed to be there, and I was locked out of the building!
     I am also anticipating some degree of being overlooked because I’m not a real employee. I suppouse this comes with the territory, but I can’t help but think that if they asked me something that I would be able to do it, instead of watching them do it. I’m a hands on learner, and I do really want this to be a learning experience. I’m hoping that this will pass soon as they realize how capable I am.
      There really is no typical day at Emelin that I’ve observed yet, keeping in mind that I’ve only been there twice so far. One say was a lighting restore and they actually had me do things to help and the other day was a small children’s dance recital, at which I observed Bryan cueing the sound. We also spoke about illegal frequencies because the videographer had their microphones in that set of frequencies. It’s a whole interesting thing about the FCC owning airwaves that I won’t explain now because it’s a very long and somewhat confusing legality.
     The normal day at BTC involves running the show in its entirety or in bits and pieces and adding things like lights and sound effects and finessing set changes.
      Any job in theatre at the rehearsal level doesn’t have a typical day because if each day were trhe same, there’d be no progress.

Talkback with Cara Reichel and Peter Mills

BTC was the youngest age group to do Illyria. Our group was from about 8-14 years old. As a bonus of working with the show's creatior, Peter Mills and Cara Reichel, we were able to have a talkback with them after the Saturday show. 
They talked about adapting the show a bunch. I think their most sailient point was about the link to modern times. The adaptation was going on when 9/11 happened, and the play is about family, at its roots. When he "dies," Viola lives as her brother, Sebastian (in Shakespeare's original, she becomes Cesario). Being him "helps [her] think that in a way, [he's] still alive." Many people, as we know, lost loved ones in 9/11. At that time we, as a nation, were in mourning, as Viola is. Her living as her brother keeps him alive in her memory and aids in the healing. Olivia is also in mourning for her brother. Because they are nearly identical, in every respect, save one, confusion arises. Orsino thinks that he has fallen for a man (it's Viola as Sebastian) doesn't know what to say or do anymore. This is they type of confusion that appeared after 9/11 as well. I was 7 at the time and I know that I was very confused--of course, I was 7 and was confused by a lot of things. People asked why it had to happen. Ultimately, it was fate and although 9/11 is extremely tragical, has pushed the dominoes and undoubtedly made for some good things. In the play, for example, Olivia and Sebastian and Orsino and Viola marry--although Malvilio is rather ill-fated.
I got to ask them a question as well. I wanted to know what it was like to adapt it because it was the work of such a great writer. How it was to work under the pressure of living up to its original. They said that is was, of course, difficult because they had that pressure, but also the fact that Shakespeare did not write a musical helped them, too.

And Strech...Do You Feel the Tension?

Issues With Other Crew Members

I think we've all dealt with it...when you and a co-worker are running into issues. Now, the certain crew member I'm dealing with at the moment will be called Shirley, but that is surely not her name.
Now, I started working backstage in March 2009. Its kind of like sex-the first few times, you learn as you go. Very rarely is it that someone is good their first time. So you have to listen to people so you know how to do what they need. Shirley's first time was last November (2011), and she's still new to the whole thing. But I'd of thought she'd at least know the very basics...like that your phone needs to be off--not on vibrate, but off.  And that it is not my responsibility to know where she is supposed to put the set piece that she is in charge of. The spikes were there and everything. She should have know. Shirley's a bit agitated, too, at the fact that because I have the seniority and experience, get to be in charge of things like turning on the hazer or dropping the scrim when the time comes. I think it's the headset. I mean, the first time I did tech it was because I wanted to wear the headset (and fell in love with it). When I drop the scrim or turn on the hazer, I need to be on the headset.  

Freud would say that its...Headset Envy.

Meh.

Over and out.

DANGER DANGER!

DANGER DANGER!!!

All Those Over 5' Must Watch Out for Lights

(Yes, I am over 5'...5'5")

So, here is my discovery of the day (well,  yesterday, but that's not pertinent to this situation)
READY FOR IT? I don't think yous are. I'll give you some time








Okay?
Metal lights are hot.
Well, this might not seem like a revelation to some, myself included, but that is not pertinent to this situation.  HOWEVER, when one is carrying multiple, expensive and breakable, microphones, it's not on your mind.
Its on your forehead. At least my forehead.
And this is how I got this burn on my forehead.
Right there...don't you see it? (Oh, yeah, you can't see me...) Well, it is there. Above my right eyebrow. That shiny red thing that smells like burnt flesh. (Be GLAD you can't smell over the internet)
 

The Kids Are All Right

The key words in that are "all right." 

Not great, or even good. Not bad or extremely suckish either.

This is pretty much how our show is going. 

I really wish that we didn't have to stop every five or so minutes. Of course, there are exceptions for this. Like, thank god, the leads. I'm so glad that the kids playing Olivia, Viola, Sebastian, Orsino, Malvolio, Maria, Feste, and Toby are doing well. Not that everyone else sucks. I hold to it that they are doing all right. And I have to hand it to them that this is not an easy show considering that they are 4th-8th graders (Viola is in 9th). We've often been called "mini-professionals" (because of the average height of about 4'11" among the troupe) by new choreographers or pit members or other people we bring in (who are all working professionals). I know I shouldn't complain that much about them because I do know that they are doing their best (with one or two exceptions), but the chances that a 6th grader in the cast will just happen to find this blog with a crazy (at present) URL (I am going to change it), I think, are pretty slim (shady).  

But I wouldn't put it past them, so as a disclaimer...

I love you all so much, and you know that! You are my bestest friends ever! Sometimes, I just need to let it out...you guys let it out to me a lot and this isn't the kind of thing I can let out to you, so I send it here. I hope you don't hate me...

Any way, to all you non-BTCers out there, that is all...
Thanks for reading my rant.

A Girl Would Have Gotten That on Her First Try

ALRIGHT!

I must immediatly qualify this statement...

All I'm saying is that sometimes, it is nessicary to have a girl look at the problems of men.
In this instance, take the main events of today's 5h55m of the BTC portion of my internship.

So, we have a fleur-de-lis chair for Illyria that these two 8th grade boys are setting up. And it's a legit chair, complete with allen wrench *included*. Keep in mind that these two boys are very, very smart. They do know what they're doing. But, eventually, they run into a problem...
The cussion on the chair won't fit into the chair.
At first, I was very ammused at watching them try to solve this conundrum. For all you men out there, the answer is simply to turn the thing so the narrow end goes in first and rotate it until it is at the correct orentation Now, one boy gets called away to do something else and we're left with the wirey one. I walk over to him and say "Alex*, --put it in sideways first and then turn it."
Oh, Alex...

Aside from that, today wasn't that exciting. I assembled the sofa. Well, its more of a sofa for garden gnomes. Its soooo small! All I really had to do was attach the legs. Clean up from the chair and garden-gnome loveseat affair was...challenging

I really don't have any confidence in the shipping industry. I swear, it was three individual boxes broken down and constructed into one super-box (duh-dun-na-dun!) So, as one might imagine, there was enough tape to do something that takes a lot of tape. Yea, I've got swag. And moves like Jagger. The mo-oo-oo-oves like Jagger. AND THEN, there was the styrofoam. COULD THIS BE ANY WORSE FOR THE ENVIROMENT?...at least the reused the boxes to make more boxes, but I think the tape cancels that out. So, yeah, I broke down everything to either be recycled or thrown out and then it was time for the fun of sweeping up the little beads of styrofoam that broke off when I had to break them so they'd fit in the garbage bag.

Hmmm, I bleached my hair this morning.
I guess blondes really do do it better ;)

*Names have been changed to protect the identy of males