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September 29, 2004
My Left Feet
There's a very silly song that we all have to sing in Scapino. I'm not sure why I was so stunned tonight when I found out we'd all be dancing as well. Maybe it's because I'm absolutely terrified of dancing and I try to avoid situations where I will be asked to do so. I forsee use of the emergency cocktail in my handbag.
Posted by Kate at 11:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackSeptember 28, 2004
Day of Rest
We closed 'Whitehouse' on Sunday. I'm a little sad to see it go, but mostly I'm just reveling in the evenings off. Last night I actually went to the gym with Rob, and tonight we're going to trivia, which we haven't done in months and months. Tomorrow I have rehearsal, and then this weekend we're going to go up to Ashland.
The weather has cooled off (at least for the moment). As I write this, it's deliciously overcast. It makes me want to cook something or go clean up the garden. Instead, I am going to play The Sims 2. Go figure.
Posted by Kate at 11:48 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBackSeptember 23, 2004
Poltergeist
The ghost of Lucie Stern was apparently displeased with us on Wednesday night. In the first act, I called a light cue early and the lights came up on Karolyn placing a prop onstage. Then Ted's pen ran out of ink. And then the work lights suddenly came on. Tina had been leaning back in her chair and wasn't anywhere near the board. She and I looked at each other in horror and whispered frantically. It was like the screaming-in-the-car scene in Raising Arizona. We fixed it, but there was enough adrenaline in the booth to power a small city.
Last night was much more mundane. I guess the ghost had tired of annoying us.
That's all I have. I'm cranky.
Posted by Kate at 12:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackSeptember 19, 2004
Stage Rage
So the front row of seats at the Lucie Stern is pretty close to the stage, and even closer in this production since we've faced the front of the stage with really cool styrofoam rocks. Anyway, on Friday night there was this couple sitting dead center in the front row. Everyone else was sensibly seated at least a row behind them. Before the show started, I noticed that the man was resting his feet on the rocks. I rolled my eyes and went on with what I was doing. As the first act wore on, the man took his shoes off and moved his feet higher up on the rocks. Then his female friend did the same. At the end of the act, there is a scene where the two soldiers are lying down at center stage with their heads facing. They are about four inches from the edge of the stage. The asshole in the audience had his feet so high up they were nearly touching the stage.
At intermission, I ran down to retrieve something that had fallen off the stage, and the guy didn't even move when he saw me coming. I had to ask him to move his feet, and then I said "you know, it's very distracting to the actors to have feet in their faces." He didn't even really apologize.
Ooooh, I was so mad. This wasn't even a kid! This guy must have been 40 years old. Rrrrrr.
Posted by Kate at 12:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackSeptember 15, 2004
Seeing Red
Started rehearsals this week for Scapino. It's fun so far, but I feel a little out of my league. I had a hair appointment coming up, so I asked the director if she'd like me to go a different color. She suggested red, and after looking at photos, we came up with a medium strawberry red color. I went to the salon today WITH the pictures, and explained to my hairdresser what I wanted. I love him to death, but every time I get a drastically different color, it's always way, way darker than I want. He swears this one will fade. Anyway, this is what I ended up with.
That's me, surly in the car. I was extra surly because I'd also gone into Ann Taylor to try on The Dress, which, of course, didn't fit me. Then I went up to Neiman Marcus to try to buy some pants and was completely thwarted by my absolutely enormous ass. Why didn't anyone tell me it was so humungous? I wanted to shoot myself. Instead, I went downstairs and bought some makeup, which always fits.
Posted by Kate at 11:41 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBackSeptember 13, 2004
...Another Show
One week down, two to go. I'm really grooving on the concept of three five-performance weeks instead of five three-performance weekends. It's a drag not having much free time during the week, but it will clear up my weekends faster. Except that it won't - I start Scapino rehearsals today. Fortunately, I'm only in a few scenes, so I won't have to attend many of the blocking rehearsals. I'll actually have a Tuesday night off soon, which means I can go play poker! It's been so long I don't think I remember how to play anymore.
Now I'm slugging around, waiting for the plumber to call and for the maids to show up. My life is such a thrill-ride.
Posted by Kate at 11:41 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBackSeptember 12, 2004
Another Op'nin'...
It always seems magical to me how things somehow work themselves out by opening night. There were no explosions where there weren't supposed to be, and all the gunshots that should have been there were there. The show could get tighter, and it will, but overall it was pretty great. Now I'm going to sleep, perchance to dream not of the theatre.
Posted by Kate at 12:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBackSeptember 11, 2004
Honey vs. Vinegar
So the previously mentioned "minor tech bugs" are being caused by our light board op, who is a really nice person, but is having a bit of trouble with the equipment. There's also a very large language barrier. Anyway, tonight during the first scene, not a single cue was played correctly. At one point, a single gunshot is supposed to be heard, which signals an actor to fall down. The gunshot didn't play. I didn't see what the actors did (apparently there was some brilliant improv) because I'd yanked off my headset and run to the sound side of the booth. My first instinct was to scream "push the fucking button," but suddenly I got this powerful feeling that it would be a very, very bad idea. Instead, I just said "take a deep breath. It's okay. Just get to the right track."
It was really weird. I didn't freak out and rip her head off. I wanted to, but I didn't. That's so unlike me.
Otherwise, the show was good. We had nearly a full house, and they seemed to like it. We'll see how the opening night crowd goes for it tomorrow. There's a debate going on whether 9/11 should be acknowledged during the curtain speech tomorrow (I guess it's today now). I'm on the "not" side. I think people will have enough reminders throughout the day.
Posted by Kate at 12:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBackSeptember 10, 2004
Jitters
I had a terrible dream last night. They made me call the show from the house and not the booth. I kept getting distracted by audience members who wanted to talk to me. Several cues were missed, and one of the actors yelled at me from onstage. To complicate things, there were several scenes I'd never seen before. I couldn't wake up fast enough.
In reality, I feel pretty good about the show. We have our first paying audience tonight. I think we're about ready. I am confident that the minor tech bugs will work themselves out. There's still one actor who hasn't quite mastered his lines. At this point, I feel like I've done everything I can do about it, and I just have to let it go. Last night when he jumped half a page, the other actors covered beautifully. I think it's all going to turn out fine. It always does.
Now I'm sitting here watching AMC. If Babe doesn't give Bianca her baby back soon, I'm going to get really annoyed. I should get off my ass and go to the gym, but I'm pretty sore from yoga yesterday.
Posted by Kate at 2:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackSeptember 8, 2004
Tropical Tropical Heat Wave
I'm really, really ready for it to be less hot now. We've been here in the Bay Area for five and a half years now, and I've actually become acclimatized to the weather. I've grown used to having sweater season be brief. I've come to consider 85 degrees as "nice weather". But I will never be at peace with enduring 100+ degree heat. It just makes my brain melt.
It also makes me cranky with the world in general, and especially with actors who are being difficult. As Stage Manager, I'm supposed to keep my cool, but when an actor tells me defiantly during notes that he's not going to say his lines correctly AND the AC is off in the theatre for some random reason, it's very, very hard not to whip out the starter pistol and fire blanks at his head.
Sweet, sweet Tanqueray. My ice-cold friend.
Posted by Kate at 12:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBackSeptember 5, 2004
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Okay, Tech Sunday wasn't that bad. It started out very, very rocky (rockily?) and I was worried that we might be there forever, but then suddenly the Tech gods smiled, the clouds parted and it went fairly smoothly. I didn't cry, I didn't kill anyone, and I didn't have to get into my handbag for my emergency cocktail. I think we have a show.
Oddly, we wound up not having a dry tech yesterday, so Rob and I went up to visit the parentals. We had a dandy ole time. We ate, drank, splashed around in the pool, played Pinochle, and tried to get the baby to say naughty things. He knows "beer" and "shit". What an advanced dude!
Posted by Kate at 10:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBackSeptember 1, 2004
Behold the Giant Slug
If I was a good person, I would get up off my ass and go to the gym. Instead, I'm playing Nethack. Yes, Nethack. I have regressed. It's like it's the early 90's. Of course, instead of playing Nethack at the Ack with a bunch of smelly nerds and drinking Coke, I'm sitting on my own nice clean house drinking really good local coffee with really good local half-and-half and eating an extremely good white nectarine (which is fabulous, but not as fabulous as the Frog Hollow peaches I had yesterday). But it's still Nethack, sucking away my brain.
We move from the rehearsal room into the theatre tonight. Last night before rehearsal I let myself into the theatre and got my first look at the set. I was struck dumb by the coolness of it all, and then realized we have an audience in 8 days. Rehearsal was good last night - there were enormous improvements.
I'm going to the gym, really I am. Gym good. Nethack bad.
Posted by Kate at 11:23 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack