Bratty Teens, Meetings, and The Best Pub Name Ever

Another exciting day at BAC.  I spent the entire day working in the Council Chamber (a performance space the size of 1 and 1/2 Strothers, about half of which is taken up by seating that looks like bleachers, but is stationary).  The South Thames College group came in today, and I think I was reminded why I would never want to teach high schoolers (if teaching below the college level were to enter my horizons, of course).  It was total bedlam when they arrived, and the director had absolutely no control over them.  Technically speaking, we were fine.  I helped lug some equipment upstairs to that we could assemble booms and then worked as a gopher once we were set up for the most part...cutting gels, moving the lift during focus, working the lighting desk (light board) during focus, etc.  I definitely felt a sense of ownership when I saw everything set up, though, because the room had been completely empty when I arrived.  I also sat in on the plotting (programming) for the show (which opened tonight and which I did not attend), which really was a technical rehearsal from hell in terms of focus from the performers.  I left right around the time the dress rehearsal was set to begin.

As my end time drew near, I was finally able to talk with Luke, my supervisor (the production manager) about my work.  I voiced my concern about working primarily in the technical end of things, since production is really what I want to do...not that I detest mucking in with the techies, but I really don't want to leave without having experience in the Production/Administration end of things (add to that the fact that I hope people understand that I am more competent that I seem...I'm much better at finding someone to solve the technical problems than solving them myself).  Funnily enough, he offered some suggestions before I really voiced the concerns, saying that I will have a more regular schedule now that Burst is over and telling me that he wants me to start attending meetings with him.  I'm going to attend a meeting with him regarding the Young People's Theatre on Wednesday, and I will have my first rehearsal with YPT1 that night if all goes well.  :)  That group is made up of 12-14 year olds, and I've been told that the director is really awesome, so I'm really excited.  Also, they rehearse during the evening on Wednesdays, which will keep me out and about later and give me some free time earlier in the day (I'm a bit bummed out by the fact that all of the sights are closed when I leave work, meaning that I can't do much in the evenings...now I'll have Wednesday mornings at least!).  And, if all goes as planned, YPT will be my primary focus, and any additional hours that I have available during the week will go toward the technical work that I have been doing so far and being a "personal intern" for Luke.  I knew that things would be more fitting with my tastes after Burst ended, which is why I waited until this week to voice my concerns.  I'm glad that I was finally able to track Luke down (he's kind of John Sadler-esque in terms of disappearing), and we'll see how the rest of the week fares now.

One more thing, just as a fun capper to the day.  I had planned to eat a microwavable lasagna this evening for my boring dinner, but two of my friends came by to see if I wanted to join them instead.  We ended up walking quite a ways in search of an interesting place, when we found the mecca of inappropriately named pubs: The Famous Cock.  Yes, we had dinner there, and yes, it was delicious, and yes, we're going back sometime in the near future (I sense a photo opportunity!).  Where else but Merry Olde Englande could this not be considered incredibly inappropriate? :)