Assorted Tasks and "Aunt Dan and Lemon" (With A Sentimental Surprise!)

Today was both busy and low-key at work, depending on the moment.  I'm starting to think that Production Stage Management might be on my horizons...especially if I were lucky enough to find another venue similar to BAC that I loved just as much.  We had another college group start working (somehow, I never actually learned which school it was), and although they had a fairly tech-heavy show to load in, they also had a really competent crew at work.  Several of them also seemed genuinely kind, and were incredibly appreciative of Ed's and my help...always nice to be around a professionally-behaving group that is considerate!  :)  I spent the first few hours at work helping them out and getting the space in order.  They are in the Rec Room, which is about 3/4 Strother size (I love how all of my room descriptions are measured in "Strothers"), so there was just enough room for our small group to work efficiently...they also had a full day devoted to set-up, so it won't be quite as chaotic as our last group was, with load-in, tech, and performances all in one day.  I also realized that I am actually gaining some upper body strength, because Ed and I had to carry five scissor-platforms downstairs to heavy storage.  I don't want to know how much they actually weigh, but let it suffice to say that on my first day of work, I could barely move two platforms from storage down the hall to the Grand Hall.  (Not that the five platforms were easy to move, but we worked out a pretty good system and I did not feel as though my arms would fall off this time...)  At noon, I had a meeting with Luke to discuss YPT and my prop/scenery hunt.  The meeting ended with me emailing the director a list of questions about her desired effects (which, in turn, led to me emailing some of my lovely techie friends at home about a piece of scenery that makes me nervous...).  I'm going to start prop hunting (in a "purchasing" sense) soon.  After lunch (during which I ordered my sandwich with tomato, pronounced "to-mah-to"...yeah, someone's blending in...I wasn't even thinking about it either; the word just kind-of came out that way and I sort-of had a double-take at myself...), we went back up to the Rec Room (where most of the lights and scenery were set up without problems) and solved a minor conflict involving painting the doors to the room (there are four total, one in each corner, and two needed touching up with paint while one, painted bright red, just needed to be painted over completely).  Eventually, I was sent to the paint shop (about fifteen minutes walking) to get more supplies, and everyone was happy.  :)  When I left, some of the technical staff were starting to work on building a shelving unit in the lumber storage area to hold long planks of wood (funnily enough, the storage is called the "chair store" although there were only a small stack of chairs down there, which we promptly moved to begin construction).

I would have stayed and helped with construction (since I actually know how to use some of that equipment!), but I had to dash back to Nido and drop off my bag and eat, because I had tickets to "Aunt Dan and Lemon" at the Royal Court Theatre.  It is part of the "Shawn Season"...as in Wallace Shawn, who I have heard described (to my agreement) as "the US's most profound and most overlooked playwright."  I'm holding my breath waiting for someone to say "Inconceivable!"  (Yes, he's that guy...)  The show was wonderful, and I really enjoyed myself.  I felt so comfortable, almost as though I was just listening to him telling me his story (even through the perspective of the protagonist, a woman), which I attribute to a combination of the simple, homey scenery (set originally in her flat, switching to various locales as seen with the table, chair, bed, rug, etc) and the simple language that still managed to convey a powerful message.  The scenes shifted seamlessly, and it was almost startling to watch the furniture serve it's multiple purposes for various locations (Lemon's childhood bed, for example, changed into Aunt Dan's deathbed and the bed on which Aunt Dan's friend has a brief seduction prior to murder).  I felt moved, and as I was watching actors onstage, I was glad that the program was also a copy of the text so that I could read some of the passages again.  The message turned surprisingly political toward the end, which I knew was a feature of Shawn's work, but did not really foresee throughout the production as a whole.  The most profound piece of the message, which really stuck with me throughout the production, is the idea that our lives are not made up of the things "I did" or "I saw" or "I said."  Life is really made up of the other people who influenced us, who taught us, and who made us into what we came to be.  That poignant thought, which is so simple but so true, really made me think of the people waiting for me at home.  I am so happy here in London, by myself for the most part, worrying only about the day at hand (although, controlling as I am, I try to plan out all of my time and often change my mind at the last minute).  But more than that, I am so touched that you, my readers, take the time to read up about my day.  Maybe that is why, although I am alone, I haven't really felt lonely while I have been here.  I have the city, and I have all of you thinking of me, and I am truly grateful for that, so thank you, and I send my love from here to wherever you are as you read this.  :)