Since Edinburgh, I’ve been completely swallowed up by the musical extravaganza that is Honk!, the show that I’m assistant stage-managing. I’ve never helped with a musical before, and I have to say it’s been a pleasure to work with the other members of the Backstage Society as well as the amazingly talented cast. I know I use the word ‘amazing’ a lot to describe things, but these kids work so hard to make the show entertaining, and they definitely succeed. It’s been a TON of hard work (try 8-10 hour days in the Riley Smith Hall for a week and a half) but thankfully, a success. Here’s a picture of us techies during the intermission with a giant sofa that Sam the set construction guy built for the show, with oversized pieces of foam bread and cooking stuff. From left to right, that's Rachel, Hannah, myself and Crystal:
And me, striking a pose with the giant remote:
The characters in the show are all farmyard animals, so we made props many times their regular size. Can I just say: it’s incredibly difficult and messy and frustrating to cut foam. Thank heavens for Crystal and her artistic dedication, who helped us immensely with prop-making and then backstage during the run! We have one more show tonight and I'm hoping it goes well. Whatever the outcome, I know I'll be humming the songs for a least a couple months. I'm glad I enjoy the show as much as I do, as I'll have seen it 7 times!
At some point, while you’re painting a giant croissant yellow or worrying whether the spray-glued, prepackaged hay on the painted sofa cushion will stick, you just think to yourself: this is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever done. And then suddenly, you forget that and go back to gaffer-taping bulrushes to the stage wall. The surreality that is the theatre…
Because my life has consisted of nothing other than Honk! and going to class, there’s not much else to report…We leave in less than a week for Italy and then France, and then I’m flying home on the 17th! I absolutely cannot wait to travel for 10 solid days and then have the additional reward of coming home for Christmas :) and seeing everyone. The thought of that has sustained me through the essay period, the long hours at the Riley, and the cloudy weather we’ve had lately. But the sun is shining this morning after a huge storm last night, so I’m thinking it’s a sign of the fun, relaxing month ahead! During our travels, I’m hoping to do blog updates every couple days, but I don’t have my own laptop this time, so they may be short and picture-less. But I’ll try my best!
Nana and Papa, good luck moving into your new home on the 4th… I hope it goes smoothly! And Pete and Bryan-- good luck on your exams coming up!
Hope everyone else is doing well as we head into the official Christmas season; because as everyone knows, Christmas doesn’t really start until Dec. 1st, no matter what the stores say ;).
P.S. And just for kicks, here's a picture of Marcie and I on a recent night out at Fruity Disco, the most fun you can have with a roomful of hyper first-years and a playlist of 90's boybands!
Oh, and here's the link to my 3rd Gazette article. My next one won't be until January, but I hope you like this one!
Love you all!
