American Night is officially halfway through previews! Our first run through was the night before our first preview after teching it for six days. When you cram six days worth of work into an hour and 45 minute show, suddenly everything seems very quick and crazy! But after the initial shock we fell into a pretty regular routine. I'm really enjoying getting to know people outside of my department (yay friends) as well as observing the SMs. It's important for me to observe other people's styles and see how they work in comparison to my own practices. Constantly trying to improve myself and I have some great examples backstage right now.
I'd say everything is going great here still. My only cause for anxiety is the fact that I'm still getting to know how everything operates. At St. Mary's, I was the only stage manager (for the most part). Everything was in one building including everyone I needed to talk to on a daily bassi and items I needed to complete tasks. If I needed something, like a table, or if I needed to get work done, like making copies, everything was just there for me. Of course it wasn't very much and we often did with very little but we made it work. At YSD, I'm still learning how people obtain what they need for rehearsals and performances and how much they have access to. I've completely admired how the props are stored and preserved between shows--in labeled storage bins, larger props covered with drop clothes, everything with a place. Multiple prop tables where you need them. It's fantastic for someone like me who loves everything to be neat and organized. But I never even thought to ask for anything more than what I was provided at SMC (basically..two prop tables and storage bins once I asked for them. And still not everything fit). Even the fact that everything is labeled or color coded backstage to make things easier reminds me how much time, effort, and resources are put into making everything run as seamlessly as possible. I love that. Issues are going to arise no matter what but at least you can try to prevent them as much as possible.
Classes are challenging but good. I enjoy that every other week I have two fewer classes so this week feels luxurious to me. I have a lot more work to do in comparison to last week though. Stage combat is definitely fun and we will even learn how to fly later in the semester! Who knew that one day I could actually get a close to being tinkerbell as I wanted? My instructor also said that if we are interested we could take the opportunity to shadow the stage manager for the revival of Annie on Broadway--and as soon as he said, my heart soared. I have a deep love for the show, Annie. It was the first musical that captured my heart and continues to be one of my very favorites. It was the first show I stage managed. And it never fails to make me smile. In addition to this, the stage manager has been the stage manager since the beginning I believe. I own a documentary made by a woman who was in one of the Broadway casts of Annie that interviews many of the "orphans" and people associated with the show to discuss what kind of experience it was to do a show like that. A few of the interviews were with the stage manager who is still the stage manager for the show. If I find a way to get to NY and shadow him for a bit, it would be an absolute dream come true.
Who knew that the little 8 year old who begged for the Annie movie would turn into the person I am today? Honestly I'm still in awe of how my life has turned out. Until last year, I never thought I would ever have the opportunity to even apply to an Ivy league school. I was purely average growing up. I had many interests but I never excelled at any of them. I discovered my love and talent for theater when I was 14 but when you work behind the scenes, people still have no idea who you are. I went through high school completely devoted to my art form but never garnering any attention for it. While my classmates would win awards and get recognized at assembly, I quietly did my job and loved every second of it. I didn't care all that much that people didn't know where my talents lay. Then I started college and a whole new world opened up. I found out just what my job meant and fell deeply in love with my new definition of stage management. And for the first time in my life, I had both the grades and the talent to push me to the next level. Before I knew it I wasn't even hesitating to apply to some of the top schools in the country because I knew I had a competitive GPA and skill. By some miracle I was accepted to Cal Arts, Columbia University, and Yale. Clearly I chose Yale and I'm never looking back.
It was worth the wait. All those years of watching my classmates shine and wondering when it would be my turn to show the world what I could do finally paid off. I'm in a school with some of the best artists in the country who have connections to virtually every other artist in the world. I am one of twelve incredible stage managers who make it their duty to keep all of these productions running smoothly and I'm proud to call myself a member. It's a really wonderful feeling knowing that I'm right where I belong.
Everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you just need to be patient for the reason to come along.
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