Category: Work

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Theatre Work

Take that, Iac

Yesterday was the final dress rehearsal for Aida at the SF Opera, and it was open to the public as well as to staff +1.  I took Molly as my +1.

It might be true that I’ve been listening to the cast recording of Disney’s Aida a lot.  So I’m kinda into all things Aida.  It’s like during Music Circus in 2003 when we were doing The Wizard of Oz, listening to the Wicked soundtrack during daywork, and I was reading Wicked.  Overload.

Opera is so fun, seriously.  I like reading the whole thing(supertitles), and I really like the parts where I get caught up watching and forget to read, but still follow along.  It’s just so big.

Because this was open to so many people, the house was just packed.  We were near the back of the orchestra off to the right side.  But there is another dress rehearsal (for Werther) this Saturday night that’s just open to staff, and I’m going to go check that out.  It’s another tragedy, I’m pretty sure Werther dies in the end.

There were times in Aida that I nearly risked getting my phone out and taking a picture, just out of excitement.  Since I managed to refrain, I had to draw some pictures of what I remember the show to look like.

I could only find watercolor paper, and crayons (actually I tried oil pastels first but it was a terrible disaster; and we have watercolor paint but no brushes).  So enjoy these three scenes from Aida (the opera, not Disney).

(That’s an elephant there, and Radames is riding it in.)

This morning I got Jared (New York roommate) to tell me the synopsis of the Disney Aida, including explaining the conceit of the show, with it beginning and ending in a modern-day museum.  This only makes me want to see it even more!

Here is an actual shot from their photo gallery…this is what I was going for.

(What? Did my pictures not look like this?)

Categories
Beauty Theatre Work

SF City Hall, and my face

Wish I could say I’ve been busy but really I’ve just been boring.  Next week should be more interesting though as I’m seeing a final dress rehearsal for Aida at the Opera, and then volunteering to help with their Opening Night gala…which is the Opening Night for the entire season, and takes place primarily in City Hall, and sounds AMAZING and I wish I had a ballgown and could attend. 

I was in City Hall today and fell in love with it.  If I was going to go the big-formal-wedding route (you know, in another dimension), I would want to do it here. 

 

 

Also, I just finished reading this book (Still Life With Husband by Lauren Fox) which stated that if you take a picture of yourself and digitally alter it to have two pictures: one of the right side of your face mirror-imaged and one of the left side, one will be subtly but significantly more attractive.  All I’ve got is a cameraphone and MS Paint, but you get the idea. 

LEFT SIDE
RIGHT SIDE

I realize it’s not a great picture under normal circumstances, and my haphazard cutting and pasting did not help things (tracheotomy scar?).  I do feel when I look in the mirror that sometimes the two halves of my face do not go together as well as I’d like, but after this little experiment I’d say I like my face with one right side and one left side.

Audience participation time!

Categories
Nonfiction Theatre Work

Sweet, free mandolin.

Tonight I broke out the mandolin (the musical kind) in the closet.

To make a long story short, I have this mandolin, which one of the musicians in Woody Guthrie loaned me, and when I tried to give it back to him closing night, he told me to go ahead and keep it, and keep practicing, and if he ever needed it back, well, he had my contact information and we’re both in the Bay Area.

I looked from him to the mandolin (in its Trader Joe’s bag, because he said he didn’t have a case for it) and back to him.  “How many mandolins do you own?”

“Oh, about eight or nine, I guess.”

“And is this your cheapie mandolin?”

“Well, you can tell how long it’s been since I’ve played it, by how out of tune it is,” he replied.  It was indeed out of tune.

At this time, I should admit in the interest of full disclosure that I had had a few or maybe several drinks, to celebrate closing night.  So while part of me kept saying, “Give him the mandolin, this is crazy,” the other part was like, “Sweet, free mandolin.”

So tonight, in admiring the craftsmanship of a friend’s mandolin (the kind you have in your kitchen and use to make crinkle-cut vegetables), I remembered my musical-type mandolin in the closet (still in its Trader Joe’s carrying bag).

We tuned it using a Droid tuner app, and then Dale attempted to play “Losing My Religion” (Drew’s request).  Allen Joe then played it like a guitar, quite successfully!  Here’s what I learned:

a) I forgot the chords I learned,
b) Maybe it’s my fate to listen to and admire the playing of stringed instruments, but not to play myself, and
c) I seriously miss that show and that crowd.  I kept wanting to announce, “I can restring and tune a guitar.”

Maybe this reaffirms the decision and phone call I made today – I’ll be back at Marin Theatre Company for at least 2 more months working on 9 Circles by Bill Cain.

Categories
"Other people" Work

The Phantom of Data Entry

As I flip through the stacks of prospect cards that have been mailed back by people interested in more information about the SF Opera, I like to visualize each person from only the clues I have in front of me.  It’s limited, but I can put together a stereotype in my head, and then I can either welcome that person to the Opera, if it’s a new account, or I can chastise them for checking the box for “special introductory offers” when they have clearly been in the system since 1994.

Incidentally, let me say that I have some mad skills at this job.  I know, I know, it’s just data entry, but some people (I assume) would type in the name, and when nothing came up, would just enter a new account.  (I’m guessing that’s how some of the dozens of duplicates I’ve found this week came into being.)  But I have, like, this sixth sense about these things, and I have found lots of people hidden under alternate names (nicknames or in one case, a maiden name) or misspellings or a spouse’s name.

So far, the cards that have made me smile out loud:

-An older person’s handwriting and name (Georgena or Ingrid or Henrietta, something like that), and under “email address” she wrote “NONE – AGE 86.”
-A woman named Carolina North, which actually made me giggle as I typed it in last-name-first.
-Upwards of 5 distinct (elderly) people who check the boxes next to “free performances,” “family performances,” and “subscription” to indicate their interest in receiving materials, and then next to “LGBT” draw an arrow and a ?
-Conversely, I adore getting the cards from old men who want info on LGBT shows.  I love it even more when the second name on their account is another old man, and their address is and has always been in a nice part of San Francisco.
-A woman wrote in large print “The writing on this card is ILLEGIBLE” and then just wrote down her name, address, and phone number, paying no heed to the lines provided.  They were too illegible maybe?
-A woman had written “I was a subscriber for 40 years” in old-lady handwriting, but when I looked up her account, I saw that she was marked as deceased.   I think her husband was actually the one who had died because the account was under “Mrs John Halloway” and her card read “Mrs Virginia Halloway,” but it was all the same address and phone and everything.  I tried to contain myself and asked the girl who’s been training me what to do, and she told me that once someone’s been marked as “inactive” you can’t undo that, so I should just set her up a fresh account.  Then I noticed that Mrs Virginia Halloway’s email address was @live.com.  Beautiful.

I’m realizing a pattern, and it has to do with the age range and demographic of the average SF Opera patron.  To mix it up:

-The girl whose last name I absolutely could not read (Drayton? Drayter? Draglen? Oh well), so I glanced down for her email address to see if it could help me out.  It was much more legible, but unhelpful: puddin69@.

Who in this day and age doesn’t have an email address that is just their name at some reputable domain?  I’m also surprised when I see people still have an email address with msn, juno, netscape, even hotmail and sbcglobal.  But it’s the “lilbear1986” ones that makes me want to email them a gmail invite.

Okay, really quick, the sad ones:

-I noticed on one old man’s account that he’s been buying tickets since the late 80s, and he only buys 1 ticket for each performance.
-I’ve gotten at least 3 that are marked “Please remove this person from your mailing list – deceased.”
-Today I got one from a Mr-and-Mrs pair, and the only box checked was “Free performances” and underneath it they had written “We can’t afford to go – only on social security.”  Hopefully they can afford some regular theatre tickets, if they want to, because opera tickets are seriously ridiculously expensive.

And there’s just one more.  What I wanted, was to steal this card and scan it in so you could read it but I’m 95% sure that violates the confidentiality agreement I just signed, so you’ll have to bear with my paraphrasing.  (It’s real close though – I knew I’d want to remember this.)

There’s no information, just scrawling over the lines.  It reads:

“Are there so many homosexuals supporting you that you feel obliged to cater to them?  I previously canceled my subscription 2007 because of your favoritism.  There are no special nights for Chinese, Hispanics, monkeys, cab drivers, politicians, etc.”

I was desperate for an email address or something so I could a) learn more about this person and b) write them about their troubles, but no luck.  It’s probably better that way.

(PS. Names and identifying details have been changed.)

Categories
Beginnings Exercise Friends Work

Opera, free weights, and gyoza, oh my

Today was notable for a few reasons.  I’ll go chronologically.

First of all, I started my new temporary part-time data entry job at the SF Opera today.  So far, I love it.  I really like every single person I met today, and the environment seems friendly and comfortable.  I love the office (the admin offices I’m in are on Ivy Street, not in the Opera House) and it reminds me of New York lofty spaces, like the TACT (The Actors Company Theatre) office.  For that matter, I love the Opera House itself, and will try to go there as often as possible.  I like taking BART into San Francisco and walking a few blocks through the city.  Granted, the job is not particularly challenging, but I don’t mind data entry, and there’s enough information that it’s not just like typing and hitting return, typing and hitting return.  I like the Tessitura database system.  I am happy.  My new goal is to impress the pants off of them in the next 6 weeks and get a real full time job there.

 

The second notable thing was that today was the last day on my one-week free pass at 24 Hour Fitness.  I celebrated with strength training, which the internet tells me burns more calories than cardio. 

When I went in last week to 24 Hour Fitness, the woman I talked to was very nice and encouraged me to take advantage of their membership offers, but understood when I said I wanted to wait a week.  She also revealed that if I have a friend or family member with a 24HF membership, I can piggy-back on their membership and get a discount.  So…I will be doing that.  (Thanks, Molly!)

I actually like the 24HF facility better than Bally.  There are more women working, which I appreciate, and everyone has been friendly when I show them my pass and then they leave me alone.  Oh!  And, each machine has a little box on it, and you plug your headphones into it and then you can change the station so you can listen to whatever’s on TV. Instead of just reading subtitles.  So the other day I watched this episode of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, slash, Real Housewives.  The questions were themed accordingly, and each contestant was a “housewife” and then had a Real Housewife as her partner.  No one won more than $10,000.

So I’m happy there and I am going to sign up for membership…but there was a crazy long line at the front desk today, I think there was some kind of mother-and-child Zumba class.

The third great thing about today: I think I can say with conviction that I have been fully accepted by Drew’s friends.  I was invited over solo tonight (Drew had to work) for a ceremonial watching-the-making-of and assisting-in-the-eating-of gyoza, accompanied by rice and (inexplicably) meatloaf.  Once everyone was gathered we all partook of the sacred Strawberry Shortcake, and there was much cheering.  I think I can say I have fully infiltrated now.

This was the second batch.
Categories
"Other people" Awesome Theatre Work

WGAS closing; end of contract

I want to talk about closing night while it’s still fresh in my mind – also, I’m putting off doing Shred.

We had two performances yesterday – the matinee a rehearsal for closing, is how I think of it.  My San Francisco friends L. and J. came to see it and they said they enjoyed it but that they had some problems with it, which I’m fine with.  As long as they clapped along with This Land Is Your Land (which they did).  In the matinee, a woman sat in the front row (which is in the stage lights for most of the show) and ate an entire meal: Tupperware, fork, she had at least 2 bananas, a couple beverages.  Pretty brassy.  At intermission the house staff told her to stop, but then right before we sent the actors out for Act 2, this crazy opens up her laptop.  Headset conversation went something like:

Syche [hiding how frantic I am]: “Um…um…Heath…do you see her…with the laptop?”
Heath: “Oh. Yup. Let’s see, what’s she doing.”
Syche: “The actors are going to freak out.”
Heath: “She’s shutting it down.”
[Minutes pass.]
Heath: “Windows takes a long time to shut down.”

Finally, Crazy closed her petite, pink, bedazzled laptop and seemed to behave for the rest of the show.

Also in the first act of the first show, we had a guitar problem, so I had to go out onstage in a blackout with a backup guitar and trade off with the actor, without him knowing this was coming.  This worried me because I know it’s really distracting to lose a prop with no idea what’s wrong, but he was fine with it and later said he could hear that the mic on the guitar wasn’t working.  Anyway, lots of excitement during the first show.

For the second show, the audience flipped their lids starting from the very top, applauding and cheering and going crazy, which is the perfect audience to go out on.  We had another mic problem at intermission but everything was fixed by the wizard sound designer who was also mixing, and I guess it was fine in the second act.  After the show, the actors came off in a huddled heaving mass and cried – not teared up, but cried.  I will never forget that.

We went out after and I’m VERY glad I went, and it was all around a good time.  So to Lisa, Megan, Sam, Berwick, Matt, Tony, Chuck, and Harry – I am really really glad I had the opportunity to work on this show.  I remember applying for this job last August, and looking at the shows I’d be working on, and not really having anything to say about a show called Woody Guthrie’s American Song.  But it’s really been much more than I could have imagined.  And to Doug, Ted, and Myles – thanks for letting me tag along.

But life goes on.  And today is Day 1 of unemployment and I am going to get stuff done and take names.  Then Drew and I are going to see Toy Story 3 and have dinner at Moss Beach Distillery, which I am very excited for.  They have a ghost who steals earrings, so I’m debating if I shouldn’t wear the nice ones.

Categories
Theatre Work

Woody Guthrie: My Latest Fling

Okay.  So the thing that has been consuming my life for the last few weeks is Woody Guthrie’s American Song, a musical that is mostly a revue of Woody Guthrie music (and I dare you to name 2 WG songs, not counting “This Land Is Your Land”).  The story is sort of about his life, and all the words in the show are taken from his writings, books, and journals.  The first act kind of wanders around the Dust Bowl in the 30s, showing scenes of life then, people are broke and barefoot but still have hope and pride.  Act 2 takes place in the 40s in New York City, where people have a little more money, and everyone has shoes (some people even have jewelry), and they are still hopeful.

I am not explaining it very well, maybe, but that’s because I haven’t figured out how to put into words this musical that – at every single performance so far, and that is 5 previews and 8 performances total – receives a standing ovation every single night.  And these are old people, people who (we joke) knew Woody Guthrie personally, people who did have friends on the Good Reuben James (show reference!).  They haul themselves and each other to their feet in order to clap arrhythmically because they are just so, so happy and so, so hopeful.  I thought it would be cheesy and silly, but it’s actually pretty inspiring every time I see it.  And they sing along!  My God, it’s just wonderful.

And who would have expected that this would be the show that a) has me working the hardest out of the 3 shows I’ve done at Marin, or b) we could really use another crew person backstage?  There are numerous set changes, and while the actors do a lot of the work, I spend quite a bit of time onstage looking rather out of place and trying not to make eye contact with anyone in the audience.  But I’m just grateful they didn’t want to costume me.  When I’m not onstage, I am most likely moving around quickly backstage, unless it’s the second act in which case I have a half hour break that I usually spend doing a crossword puzzle.  Sometimes a Cryptogram.

Overall, this show is pretty fun (more fun than I think I had expected) and it just extended another week, so it’ll be running through June 27th.  Maybe July 2nd, if it gets extended another week, although that seems ambitious.  For now though, it’s Monday, so I’m going to stop thinking about it and think instead about my new Jen Lancaster book and catching up on all the episodes of Glee that I’ve missed.

Categories
Awesome Being a girl Theatre Work

Equivocation, Installment 1

In college and in New York City, the theatre stereotype was always easy, right?  Most male actors were gay.  Sure there were the straight ones, but if you found youself guessing, you would err on the side of gay.  Of course there are always exceptions to the rule (one of them is the nicest exception I’ve ever found) but I don’t think too many people would argue with me here.**

**Actually suddenly all I can remember are the straight guys in the Davis theatre department.  But I know there were un-straight ones too.

In rehearsals for Equivocation, I’m finding myself faced with 5 male actors, and I’m having to drastically and somewhat ashamedly reassess.  In the first 3 days being in the room with the actors, I have learned that 3 of them have children, 2 of those 3 are married, and 1 of them just recently had his heart broken by a long-term girlfriend (aww…).  That leaves 1 actor who I still don’t know about (not that I have to know) and I’m too ashamed to hazard a guess here.

Besides, I’ve discovered the new actor stereotype: the green domestic who’s a healthy and conscious eater.

Of the 5 men, 3 of them have arrived at rehearsal with loaves of wheat bread, jars of peanut butter and preserves (not jelly, what are we, 5 years old?), mayonnaise and mustard and fixins.  Bunches of bananas and individual serving cups of fruit cocktail.  On even the shortest 10 minute break they race to the kitchen to make open-face sandwiches and mugs of tea.  The men gather in the concessions area and share peanut buttery knives and talk about Tupperware carousels and diaper genies.  Composting methods and child discipline.  Today I heard them discussing high fructose corn syrup and one was literally (but I think unconsciously) quoting the commercial: “It’s natural, made from corn, has the same properties as sugar and is fine in moderation.”  Earlier this morning they were bragging about how little garbage they produce: one said his household puts out one bag of trash per week, and the rest of their waste is recycled or composted.  Another admitted his household put out a couple bags per week, but “we have two kids.”

And then there’s me.  For lunch I had half a store-bought mac and cheese, a Yoplait, and a Coke Zero Vanilla.  And a Kit Kat.  I use lots of paper towels – washing my hands, cleaning, making paper cranes.  We probably take out a bag of trash every other day and while we do recycle, we do not (currently) compost.  Sometimes I leave the water running while I brush my teeth.  I don’t carpool.  (How far should this list of faults go here?)  I drink too much Diet Coke and not nearly enough water.  I leave my phone charger always plugged in.  My car might be due an oil change.  When I said I had a Kit Kat for lunch, it might have been 2 Kit Kats.  But they were small.

Coming up soon: A list of Good Things I Do.

I guess my point is that I think it’s kind of endearing – these men coming in carrying grocery sacks and telling stories about their 4-year-olds.  I’m going to hold on to this as long as I can because I think as we get closer to opening, they might get less endearing.  For now though I’ll eavesdrop on their stories and share their strawberries when they offer them to me, and I will never, ever, talk business to them while they’re on a break.

The Equivocation set going up