Hootananny Hostel, Hamlet, and Sunday at BAC

Since my days at Nido are over and the Hootananny Hostel does not have an internet cafe, my posts will now be slightly more retrospective...but I'll still try to keep them just as informative and fun as always. :)

I made my escape yesterday morning...I didn't think that I had acquired quite as much stuff as I had, so moving everything out was a challenge. Honestly, the only thing Nido really had going for it was the location, and I'm glad to be somewhere else that does not claim to be any better than it is. The trip on public transportation was interesting, to say the least. Imagine, if you will, a small American woman with a day bag slung over one shoulder, two grocery bags filled with household items clutched in one hand, and a rolling suitcase grasped in the other. Add a sweaty brow from the humidity outside and nearly teary eyes from when she inevitably took a wrong turn, and you have me yesterday around noon. I'm not sure whether my arms and shoulders ache from carrying all of my stuff or from sleeping in awkward positions. I will say, though, that once again I was able to depend upon the kindness of strangers...I found a pub in my wanderings, where they directed me to my hostel, gave me a glass of water, and made sure I had the pub's phone number before I left just in case I got lost again. (Later in the day, the memory of that moment actually moved me to tears. People can be much kinder than we give them credit for, especially when they can tell that you need help.) Finally, after one last bus ride (which, inevitably, left from the very place where I began), I made my way to the Hootananny Hostel, situated above a pub in Brixton. It is a pretty cool place, and after one night there, I suppose that I would recommend it. I am staying in a four person room (last night I was the only woman), which seemed like a better bet than a twelve person room. I slept decently last night...the guy on the bunk above me was snoring like a banshee, and there was noise from the pub when I was first falling asleep, but after the long day, I could probably have slept anywhere.

After I checked in at the hostel, I went to BAC for our YPT1 rehearsal. The kids were not as focused as last time, but it wasn't awful. We worked on some of the transitions between scenes and then attempted a stumble-through. We made it a little more than halfway through, but we should be fine for tech tomorrow. I'm actually back at BAC at the moment (yay for computer access) since I needed to do some prep for tomorrow, and Josh (our technician) is working on hanging all of the masking/fly stuff so that we can focus on lights tomorrow. The building is really quiet right now...I think that one group is rehearsing upstairs, but other than the duty manager, Josh is the only other person I've seen so far.

When YPT1 rehearsal ended last night, I scurried across town (relishing in my last day of my unlimited Tube pass) to Leicester Square to see "Hamlet" at Wyndham's Theatre. I loved it, and not just because of the star power. Jude Law was fantastic, pretty face aside. To be honest, I was surprised by his performance...there's always the possibility of casting just for the name, but he was very powerful and worked well with the ensemble as a whole. Penelope Wilton, as Gertrude, was wonderful...and she is a very sweet lady as well. I met her after the show as she was leaving, but she was willing to sign my program and seemed touched that I wished her well with the remainer of the run. Kevin McNally was Claudius, and for the first time, I did not feel as though that character was seething with guilt from the very beginning. Honestly, up until the confession scene, I would have assumed that the murderous plot was just the figment of Hamlet's imagination. I told Mr. McNally that after the show, and he said "I agree. He's a fine fellow until he confesses." So now I will never watch any of the Pirates of the Caribbean saga again without thinking of Shakespearian villains. The production as a whole intrigued me because Hamlet's descent into madness did not really have a clear breaking point...in fact, the opening sequence showed him alone on the stage with almost etherial lighting focused only on him and ghostly whispers as sound effects, almost alluding that he was either mad to begin with or that his father's ghost was only something he saw because he wanted to see it. (I have my theories about how I would approach this subject in general, but I won't bore you with them now.) It was an excellent production, especially considering that I had never seen "Hamlet" live before. (Nor have I seen quite that many screaming fans in a compact space either...Midwestern girl that I am, I did not shove my way to the front of the crowd to have my progam signed by Jude Law, but I did snap some photos of his lovely face before he disappeared inside again.) And apparently, Ken Branagh was there last night as well, although I did not see him...that may have sent me into Shakespearian overload. :)

One more fun thing: I met a Spaniard last night who spoke limited English, and I was able to use my minor again. According to this man, I speak Spanish very well (which makes me think that he was just surprised that I could speak it at all), but either way, it was nice to be able to make someone happy with my language skills. (We talked about how crazy Jude Law's fans were and how I was going to wait by the stage door after they left in case he came back...he didn't, but at least I tried.)

Today I slept in (although, technically, I don't think that I got any more sleep than usual because I went to bed late and woke up so many times in the night), then showered and had breakfast at the hostel. I had planned to go straight into BAC, but as I was on the bus, I passed St. Mary's Church in Clapham and decided that I should just go ahead and go to Mass at noon (it was about 11:30 at this point). I'm really glad that I did now...it was the golden anniversary for one of their priests, and I really enjoyed his homily and his overall attitude...very kind and welcoming. Of course, this led to me crying a bit again on the bus when I considered all of the kindness I have been shown here. Cynical as I am, I'm finding so much human kindness here, and the thought of leaving this place that has become another home to me is very difficult to swallow. I still have several days, though, and a lot to do before I head up North, so I am going to try to focus on the present rather than my impending departure. :)

Random Sights, Waterstones, and Leicester Square

Today was my last Friday in London for a while...I know that I will be back at some point, but it will be really difficult to leave.  I'm not sad about leaving Nido, though...bring on the hostel!  :)  We had our final Professional Development Seminar, discussing Global Trends and Analysis.  The Cine Lumiere was incredibly warm, and the number of bodies crowding it did not help, so they shortened the session slightly to keep us from all becoming ill.  I wandered around a bit in the early afternoon, catching up on some things that I had planned to do eventually since this was one of my last chances.  I started by going to Westminster Cathedral to see the view from the tower...once again, I was struck with how close everything actually is.  Since I ride the Tube everywhere, the city seems huge, but from my view, it is all actually pretty compact.  And the view was stunning...not to mention the cool wind that can be felt from that height!  Today is the feast day of St. John Southworth, whose body is enshrined at Westminster Cathedral, so when I arrived, they were just finishing the midday Mass and his body was on display...definitely not an experience that I am used to!

Next, I went to the National Theatre to buy a copy of the script for "England People Very Nice."  I had planned to see it again with my mom this week, but it turns out that this is their dark week...bummer.  Ah well, now I have the script to relive the experience.  Since I was on the southbank, I wandered along to Borough Market for lunch...it's definitely an experience.  I passed on the ostrich and venison in favor of a boring chicken and veggie pasty (something that I still had not tried, despite being here for almost two months).  After my picnic came the highlight of my day: I went to Waterstones, snuggled up in an armchair, and read for two hours.  And it was wonderful.  :)

In the evening, I went to Leicester Square (always fun on a Friday night!) to see "A Guide to Sexual Misery" in the basement theatre.  It didn't really fulfill my expectations...either the reviewers all went on a really good night or they have a far different sense of humor from me.  (From what I had read, I expected to be rolling in the aisles...the only chuckles I had were from audience antics.)  However, when it ended, I was able to slip into the upstairs theatre (shhh!) to catch the end of Miss Polly Rae and her Hurly Burly Girlys (who, honestly, I should have just come to see rather than this show).  The part of the show that I saw was fantastic, as always, and it really made me wish that we had a similar venue at home.  (Anyone interested in opening a comedy/burlesque club with me?)

Painting and 24 Pesos

Based on EUSA's set dates for the program, my internship officially ended today.  Very sad.  Based on reality, however, I still have rehearsals on Saturday and Monday, as well as next week's performances before I really have to say goodbye.  It's a bit hard to swallow right now...I may have found another home in London and at BAC, so leaving will be much more difficult than I foresaw.  I have learned so much, though, and I am so glad to have had this experience and met all of the wonderful people that I encountered.

I started my day with YPT tasks: sent out my rehearsal report from last night, then went out to the courtyard to paint the canes for one of the sequences.  It was warm out, but the shade felt lovely.  The cafe staff was all in a rush because of an event in the Grand Hall.  I did not get all of the details, but it was some sort of government gig, and the Prime Minister was there (I, however, was hidden away).  Because of this, the building was much busier than usual, which was not aided by the heat.  After lunch, I did some random set-up for YPT2 (projector, screen, microphones, etc)...if they had not been moved to a room with blazing sunlight coming through the windows, it would have been much more pleasant (and easier for the projector to actually project!).  During set-up, though, I discovered a room of random furniture, some of which I hope to use during the YPT1 show next week...hopefully this will all work out as I foresee now.

Tonight was the last cultural excursion for EUSA (I skipped the farewell banquet last night in favor of rehearsal), so I opted to go to the Scoop again for a concert.  The opening act was Tom Hickox (of whose name I took note because, drawn as I am to cute piano playing men, he seemed like someone on whom I might have a crush by the end of his set).  I enjoyed his style, shallowness aside...his voice definitely grew on me (somewhat Steve Rothkopf-esque in the sense that you can tell that behind the attempt at pop music there lies classical training), and I forgave him some of the cheesier lyrics.  :)  The main act was a quartet called 24 Pesos, and they were awesome.  They varied between soulful blues and upbeat swing, and I loved it.  It was the type of music that is made to be danced to, although the pace of the dancing might vary.  Plus, the band was obviously having a really fun time, which made them even more enjoyable to watch.  My one complaint (as always) was the audience...if I had young children, I don't think that I would let them run around a concrete amphitheater crowded with strangers.  And if I had friends with me, I would not talk through every single song, particularly those of the opening act (it can't be easy to attempt a soulful ballad with a keyboard with screaming children running in front of you).  That's just one person's opinion, though...and a quiet, seated person at that!

YPT Day

YPT day, so I was in for my adjusted schedule.  I still left Nido relatively early (slept about an hour and a half more than usual, but wanted to get out because my roommate was still around...apparently, her boss said that she is not needed for this last week, so I will probably not get any of my much-needed "Corrina alone time" for a while...).  My first task was picking up glow paint from Flint's Hire and Supply, which is near Elephant and Castle.  It was obnoxiously hot when I walked to and fro from the bus stop, but I thoroughly enjoy theatrical supply shops, so the trip was worth it.  I'll start painting tomorrow...

When I arrived at work, I did some YPT prep (still hunting for some random prop items), then killed my time before YPT by doing some cable labeling (now we're adding BAC labels to some of them to prevent accidental thievery...).  Sam arrived a little after 4:00, and we had a brief production meeting to discuss next week's schedule and the remaining to-do list with Josh.  I should have a relatively eventful day tomorrow as I prepare.  We have one last casual rehearsal on Saturday afternoon (which means that Saturday will be a crazy day in terms of running around for me), then get-in on Monday morning, tech on Monday night, final dress on Tuesday afternoon, and opening on Tuesday night.  I'm excited...it's going to be a pretty tech-heavy show, especially for YPT standards.  We may have some flying as well, so I will potentially be backstage rather than up in the booth (I have found that most ops are self-sufficient here, so Josh will probably just handle all of the lights and sound and I will keep backstage sorted).  Rehearsal tonight went surprisingly well...I'll admit, one or two of the kids could use a good smack now and then, but the focus tonight was so much better than usual.  The kids blamed the heat...Sam suggested that we bring in heaters next rehearsal.  :)

Flyer, Monkey's Fist, and Pint Discussions

Work today was...interesting...to say the least.  Surprisingly uneventful, but interesting none the less (we bring the fun wherever we go!).  The morning was pretty quiet, although there were several groups in today.  The group in the General Office reported power issues backstage, so Greg and I went back there to take the lighting unit apart and check the wiring (which was all fine).  He thought that we had tripped a circuit somewhere else in the system, but the only way to check was through the Intake Room, which is down in the Crypt and requires a key...so we took a short break while Front of House was scouring the building trying to find the key, and when we returned backstage to check things out again, we discovered that it was just a double-switch issue: two switches control the same lighting system, and they can cancel each other out if they are not put in the right combination.  Easy fix.  :)  I also spent part of the morning transferring the photos from our adventure yesterday onto the computer, which Ed later used to produce a wonderful little flyer with instructions for taping down, removing, and coiling cable correctly.  (Hopefully, the video will be online at some point...it was taken with a different camera than mine, so I'm not really in control of that...)

The afternoon was just an assortment of random activities...Ed made the flyer and we took down some stuff from the Grand Hall after the Tea Dance was finished.  The mirror ball was especially fun to take down, because it involved a climb up to the roof.  The view is pretty amazing from up there, but the attic was ridiculously hot.  We also spent a good chunk of time trying to figure out how to tie a monkey's fist knot...I know how, and I've done it successfully in Stagecraft, but the rope I had was really crappy and I wasn't able to do it.  When Ed, Greg, and I were all simultaneously attempting it with an online guide and different pieces of rope, someone compared us to the monkeys with typewriters who after an infinite amount of time are supposed to create the works of Shakespeare.  :)

At the end of the day, we all had a pint out in the courtyard, which was lovely and shady after the hot day.  (The walk to the cafe for lunch was not very pleasant in this heat, and it's only a block away!)  I may have come closer to discovering why I enjoy my coworkers so much: subjects such as quantum physics and perception rates for humans versus pigeons were just some of the fun subjects that we discussed over our drinks...find me a crew in the US that is that nerdy and wonderful, and I will be a happy stage manager.  :)

Grand Hall and Cable Video

Work today was relatively quiet again, but I still had an absolute blast.  Most of my day was spent in the Grand Hall prepping for a Tea Dance that is taking place there tomorrow.  It was pretty basic stuff...just rearranging some of the lighting and clearing the space (fortunately, Front of House took care of all of the tables and chairs that needed to be struck and reset...with my whole lower half still aching from Dover, that was not a job that I wanted to do!).  Most of my work involved moving ladders, cutting gels, and manning the lighting desk.  I also did some general work for YPT, since tech is a week from today...I'll have to do some paint shopping later this week.  Fun times.  The really exciting part of the day was actually toward the end (I stayed around until about 8:00 because of this): Ed and Rob were making a video on proper cabling procedures, so I was their camera-person and did voice overs at the beginning (with a cameo at the end).  It was pretty hilarious, and, to be honest, I'm amazed that none of us cracked up on camera.  After a lengthy process of rehearsing, taking process photos, and taping the three-part sequence, we went back to the greenroom for the premier...which would have been much more exciting had we been able to figure out how to hook the camera up to the TV.  (But hey, I can't really complain: I spent several extra hours with the most lovely people I have met since I arrived here, and I had an after-work round with them.  Although cider on an empty stomach may not have been the best idea, and I sense that I will be in bed early tonight...)  Main note from today: I love my coworkers.  And I find it remarkably unfair that I finally feel as though I belong and will potentially never see some of them again after this next week ends.  They are kind, warm, intelligent, hard-working people, and they truly embody the spirit of theatre that I love....and I am grateful to them for welcoming me so willingly into their group.

Petticoat Lane, Waterstones Hunt, and a Quiet Evening

Today was pretty relaxed at times...although I spent more time walking than I would have liked.  I decided to do some shopping since this was potentially my last Sunday in the city (or, at least,  my last Sunday living at King's Cross), so I headed to Petticoat Lane first.  My prize item was a pair of boots (£5) which will be stealthily tucked away until autumn...despite the chaos of the market scene and the rude people at times, I really like the atmosphere there: people arguing over prices, trying on clothing articles over whatever they were already wearing, music playing loudly (needless to say, there were several Michael Jackson tributes).  The guy who sold me the boots actually asked me about Gary, Indiana when I told him where I was from...I think he was expecting a charming small town, and he seemed pretty disappointed by my description.  (He did tell me that I was a very nice girl and wished me well with school, and another vendor said "Such a beautiful smile" as I was walking through...so I suppose that the trip to the market satisfied both the urge to shop and the urge to have complements thrown at me.)  :)

After I had scoured the rows of stalls, I had planned to spend the afternoon at Waterstones.  Unfortunately, as I left Nido in the morning, I realized that I forgot to double-check which stop I needed to go to in order to visit the bookstore, and it seemed silly to go back upstairs just to check that.  I asked someone in Information at one of the tube stations, and she gave me information that I think was correct (sending me to Tottenham Court Road), but it was a different location from the central one, and thus, I could not find it from memory.  I also went to Euston in search of the branch there, but I was unsuccessful again.  By this point, I was running out of time (they close at 6:00 on Sundays) and my feet and legs were killing me.  The hill-climbing yesterday definitely took its toll, and wandering the city in search of the bookstore just made me feel exhausted, which was ironic since I just wanted to curl up with a book and a cup of tea.  I passed several branches of WH Smith and a Borders, but I just wanted the Waterstones atmosphere!  Eventually, I gave up my search and returned to Nido, did a google search to find out where I should have gone, and checked Mass times at St. Aloysius.  That part of the evening actually worked out pretty perfectly: I took a short nap (after which my legs and hips were stiffer than a Brit's upper lip) and set out an hour before Mass, both to compensate for my potentially slow walking and to stop at the WH Smith at King's Cross/St Pancras to pick up a new book (I figured that I could just make tea back at Nido and have a makeshift version of my previously planned afternoon).  They had the next book in the Tudor Series (my name is Corrina and I am a Philippa Gregory addict), so I bought it (as well as groceries from the Marks and Spencer next door), then headed to Mass.  During the evening at Nido, I did laundry, had dinner and read...this is really thrilling, I know, and I hope that you will still read tomorrow after my relatively quiet post today.  :)  I did have one moment of excitement, though: I went to the cafe to read and drink my tea while my laundry was in the dryer (which did not break this time!), and I spent part of the time watching a group of guys watching whatever game was on at the time.  I was sitting around the corner, so I could see all of their reactions, but not the game itself: the perfect view, in my opinion.  Every now and then, I would just hear a synchronized gasp of horror and know that something exciting was happening...it almost reminded me of high school football games and my (still, to this day) ignorance of the rules of the game, but still enjoying the excitement of the game itself.  :)