YPT and Stockholm

Odd schedule today...I will never understand why I feel so exhausted by Wednesday night even though I get to sleep longer that morning. I went in to BAC at about 12:30 (I seem to arrive earlier and earlier on Wednesdays, just because there really isn't anywhere that I would rather be) and started by doing some research online regarding our set pieces for YPT1. You can only look at so many oversized (but not quite oversized enough) digital clocks before you're desperate for another task. I did a few minor fetching/inventory related tasks (compelling stuff, I know), and during the process discovered that the Council Chamber is a pretty terrifying place when the lights are all out and you can't locate the switch. (Almost as creepy as the room full of puppets that Greg and I stumbled upon yesterday...)

YPT itself went really well. The kids were at their usual level of rascally-ness (I'm sure that term will catch on eventually), but we made some really solid progress with a new movement piece. Sam and I had some more chats about the show's needs, and she's looking into the location of the set pieces for the hourglass effect from the last time it was done (and the digital clock will probably be a projection...yay!). The only thing that has really annoyed me about the kids is that they will not just shut their mouths and listen to Sam...she'll start to explain the activity, and then they'll shout out guesses of how they think it will work, then ask the same questions twelve times because they don't listen to each other, either. However, the sessions are relatively short (2 hours), and they sometimes manage to pleasantly surprise me with their work once they actually start listening.

After YPT, I opted to stick around and see the show that we set up yesterday. The group (as I finally found out) was from St. Mary's University, and the show was "Stockholm" by Bryony Lavery. Actually, I decided that I should see the show only after I found out who the playwright was: I am familiar with "Frozen" (and by that I mean "I have seen a handfull of monologues and scenes performed to death at Cathedral from 'Frozen'"), so I wanted to see what Lavery's other works were like. I really enjoyed the show, and I felt as though the Rec Room was a pretty perfect venue. The show is gripping to the point that you feel like a voyeur, and the seating was set up in the round with gaps for various set pieces to fit. In that way, you as the audience feel as though you are part of their house, but you still feel uncomfortable because the only people who should witness a relationship falling apart like this are the couple in the relationship. There was no fourth wall, not even during the dialogue between the two actors, adding to the discomfort that I relished in as I watched...not only should I not be seeing this, but they know that I know that I should not be seeing this. (That's the whole point, though...and I sat in the front row while most other people squeezed into the safety of the second row...sort of my challenge for the actors to "bring on the discomfort!") It's the kind of show that you cannot effectively perform on a proscenium stage, and that is the type of work in which I prefer to be involved. Add to that the fact that the actors were incredibly well-trained, which was a breath of fresh air after the last student show I endured. I did not feel as though I was watching students, apart from the relatively young age of the performers. I'm certainly glad that I stayed for this tonight, and I'm a bit sad that I will not be able to work with some of these artists again. The design/production team were all lovely people, and I think that their kind and gracious attitudes may have also contributed to my enjoyment of this production. I'm definitely guilty of letting personal opinions of artists impair my ability to appreciate their work...I'm not proud of that, but it's the truth. If you're rude to me when I help you load in your equipment, I will not consider your design remotely beautiful...but this group was lovely all around.