The Final Countdown
Today's the day... the load-in for the final show begins. We've been pushing hard all week to overcome the fact that the current show is the second best selling show in the history of the theatre, and as such the producer decided to add a second performance today, which is going to subtract from the time that we have to put the last show into place. With five less hours to get it in, and a larger show than than we've done all summer it's going to be a challenge.
After this change over things really begin to collapse in on themselves around here. All of the resident company not cast in the new show, (which pretty much means everyone who is still in school and needs to get back) are off contract tonight at midnight, and most of them are leaving early in the morning. The tech staff contracts end Tuesday at midnight, and the majority of them are leaving on Wednesday afternoon. There will only be 4 tech staff members here after that to keep the next show in shape and running for its two week run.
I leave on Thursday, sometime in the mid afternoon probably. I had to wait until one of the remaining tech staff who had a car was available to take me into the city, so I'll get a day or two more of the country life before heading home.
The atmosphere here is incredibly summer camp-like and today has been dubbed "No Hugging, No Crying Sunday." The actors, who are generally younger and more prone to sentimental thinking are treating it like the last few days of high school, with promises of staying in touch, and "never forgetting." A few of them are moving to New York together, having bonded over the summer and deciding to become roommates in the city. The technicians of course have a much more jaded view. We all know that we'll see one another sooner or later, theatre is too small a world for us not to. Or alternatively we have written off the people that we never want to see again, and will be happy to be shed of them.
I won't try to sum up my experiences here yet, after all I have four more days of them to go, but I will say that it feels strange for it to be ending. Time moved so slowly the first month that I was here, but has flown by for the last. Hopefully this final change over will be part of the time that flies.
After this change over things really begin to collapse in on themselves around here. All of the resident company not cast in the new show, (which pretty much means everyone who is still in school and needs to get back) are off contract tonight at midnight, and most of them are leaving early in the morning. The tech staff contracts end Tuesday at midnight, and the majority of them are leaving on Wednesday afternoon. There will only be 4 tech staff members here after that to keep the next show in shape and running for its two week run.
I leave on Thursday, sometime in the mid afternoon probably. I had to wait until one of the remaining tech staff who had a car was available to take me into the city, so I'll get a day or two more of the country life before heading home.
The atmosphere here is incredibly summer camp-like and today has been dubbed "No Hugging, No Crying Sunday." The actors, who are generally younger and more prone to sentimental thinking are treating it like the last few days of high school, with promises of staying in touch, and "never forgetting." A few of them are moving to New York together, having bonded over the summer and deciding to become roommates in the city. The technicians of course have a much more jaded view. We all know that we'll see one another sooner or later, theatre is too small a world for us not to. Or alternatively we have written off the people that we never want to see again, and will be happy to be shed of them.
I won't try to sum up my experiences here yet, after all I have four more days of them to go, but I will say that it feels strange for it to be ending. Time moved so slowly the first month that I was here, but has flown by for the last. Hopefully this final change over will be part of the time that flies.
It has been absolutely fantastic for me to hear about the trials and tribulations of summer stock. I look forward to more subway sketching, too and would love to have one of the water colors from there if you'll part with it.
Now that I know your return plans, I will put a package in the mail for you.
If you really intend to get back to oil painting, I've got a heck of a project for you. I've hinted at it a couple of times. Interested?
All of the sketches and watercolors that I did while I was here are in a sketchbook, and therefore hard to extract as a single page. I have two days of downtime though between finishing the shows and actually leaving so maybe I can do one just for you before I leave.