I've had the blogger's reverse dilemma these last few days: too much to talk about. Unfortunately for me, most of my discussion topics revolve around the federal election. I do have some opinions about this, obviously, but I thought I'd hold off on that, so as to spare you the indignity of being forced to read yet another page political commentary.
...so soon after the last one, that is. Don't worry about me being silent; like I said, I have opinions.
Anyway, we figure out how to unlock the door to the theatre, and I like this place as soon as I walk in the door. Why? Because the overhead lights are industrial-strength fluorescent, which means that they take a good while to bring the room to full luminescence. In the meantime, in a room so dim that you can barely make out details in the artificial starlight, and in a room so empty that you don't have to worry about it.
That in itself is nice, but more than that, it reminded me of Phys Ed back in high school, as the gymnasium would slowly light up. I always savoured that moment at the start of class... it spoke to me of being behind the scenes, of seeing things that the audience wasn't meant to see. It was a look at how things were put together.
It was also another few minutes in which the gym teacher wouldn't make us run laps, but the charm of "the setup phase" has stuck with me ever since. Being in a mall when the stores open, or arranging chairs before a big party, or even helping friends move -- for me, it's all about being part of the process, and I love being there for that. And maybe that's the selfish side of it: By being involved at the start, I get to claim that I have an influence at the end.
Regardless, it seemed to be a very auspicious start to my theatre career, to be reminded of how wonderful it is to witness the beginning of something grand. And I'm pretty sure I'll have an influence on things, as well -- the director has already cracked down on the rumours that Hawaiian shirts will be part of the wardrobe.
Well, maybe next year, we can do "The Tempest" with a Luau theme.
1 comment:
"And maybe that's the selfish side of it: By being involved at the start, I get to claim that I have an influence at the end."
I think that's true for most people when they embark on a project. But I've usually seen this go badly as people tend to think they are entitled to the control or influence of the project.
I suppose that's why there is one director and many actors? One chief, many braves? etc etc
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