We are working so hard on this! It's only one shot...and it's a development festival, the majority of the work being presented is readings, and no critics or anything will come. But we are all working our butts off for this. I guess because we're being presented as kind of 'foster children' of a CanStage program, we're the young guns and we want to make the most amazing impression because it seems like a real real shot to do something cool. It is a cool opportunity. Plus, it's fun to work hard, right?.....Right?
Also exhausting. But good, but good.
It has been humbling that other people are working so hard on this. I'm shocked and really touched that people can care so much about something that doesn't come from them, or doesn't put them in the spotlight. Obviously it's a team effort, and I feel the creation has been very collaborative, but it was my idea, and the writing was mine, and I'm the only one onstage. Three other people are giving a lot to help this come to fruition. I'm impressed (and relieved) that they feel invested and that it's their project too, because it is....it's become a whole different thing because they are involved. Maybe I am just selfish, or maybe I haven't been lucky enough to see this kind of generosity. I'm very lucky in this one. Wow.
We've had lots of meetings and rehearsals, a photo shoot, a tech master working at home, emails going back and forth, and today we had a goddamn FILM SHOOT!
Like, this production is out of control!
It makes me worried that maybe I'm getting soft, that I'm used to doing shows where I just show up and act ('act'?). This is one of those scenes where we do everything....I'm carrying costumes around, rehearsing at coffee shops....I love it.
We shot here at the lovely Sunnyside bathing pavilion. When I am an insane 1950s debutante aging with no grace, and preserving everything exactly as it was from the day my third husband left me, I'm going to do it all there.
I plan to wear a lot of nylons on top of bathing suits, and to talk a lot about gentleman callers.
While it looks kind of like a weird asylum or a place where we should do Greek theatre, it was pretty great and we did a really amazing, but pretty easy shoot. I'M SO EXCITED FOR IT!
Our tech is done by Kyle. He's a genius. He's doing all of these projections, and photos, and all this stuff for this show.
I'm like a dopey girl who dreams of meeting someone, and has dreams about meeting a dream man, but in reality there is no one there for her. Sad. It's a silent movie style though. Which I love because NO LINES TO LEARN. And melodramatic acting. My specialty.
Julia as notetaker extraordinaire. Also grip and lighting goddess and general good person to have around.
And Eric did a million production jobs and then played a janitor.
Like, this is an amazing thing about theatre, how we all work together like this. It just makes me melt. It takes so much. This is a one woman show, and there's four of us working like crazy. For nothing. For each other.
Except for me. I, of course, just took pictures of myself all day long.
What else is new?
I love me some big hats!
ReplyDeleteI sympathize - I'm in the Playoffs after your great show and I'm shaking in my booties as I still have to finalize my script even!!
break legs and hearts!