Friday 3/7

Today Jenn and I left the hotel around 11:00a. First we walked by Bryant Park to on our way to Grand Central Station. I loved the ceiling with the constellations. It’s a beautiful building in general and it’s so big that even though there are so many people there, it doesn’t seem crowded. Thanks to Lucia’s directions, we found the whispering hall quite easily. It really works! So that was fun.

Afterwards, we met David for a sushi lunch. Jenn found a great place to eat called Monster Sushi. It was good because we’d been wanting sushi all week. After that, Jenn and I got on the subway to go to the Library of the Performing Arts at the Lincoln Center. I think I was more impressed than Jenn was. I love books and I just thought it was so cool to have a whole library for the performing arts. I found a book that would be perfect for my independent research project. I’m going to see if I can get a copy through inter-library loan so I can read it.

Then we got on the subway and headed downtown to meet up with Jess and Lucia. It was good to have the chance to talk to Jess. I’m so proud of her. After coffee, we went to see the theatre where Jess works. It was tiny, but actually really nice. I wish we had gotten the chance to see her show. It takes place entirely on the top of a roof and the set is very realistic.

At 5:30p we went to meet William Lang, the SM of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”. He’s been working on this show for nine years. The theatre has absolutely no wing space, which was kind of amazing. We also got a tour of the booth and backstage. The show has been running so long that most of the set has been replaced since opening and there are permanent spike marks.

For dinner, we met up with Lindsay to go to Ellen’s Stardust Diner, where the wait staff sings and dances. They were really good about getting us out in time for our curtain, which was nice. The staff is aspiring actors and they were constantly singing different show tunes for the diners. I had a wrap that had pieces of apple in it, which I’ve never seen before, but it was actually really good.

After that we hurried off to see “November” with Nathan Lane. This was a comedy that poked fun at both sides of politics. Afterwards, we waited outside in the cold and the rain for a chance to see Nathan Lane after the show. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t stop to sign autographs. He hurried by saying that he was in kind of a rush. So that was very cold and a little disappointing. Most of the other actors were nice to us, though.

Saturday 3/8

On Saturday, Jenn and I left around 11:00a again. This time our goal was to pick up a copy of the Theatrical Index and to visit the Hershey store. This morning it was raining so hard and it was very windy. Our pants got soaked. We went to the Drama Book Shop first and unfortunately they were sold out of the Theatrical Index. This is one of the few places you can get them and they sell out quickly at the beginning of the week. They did say we could call them to order a copy and have it mailed. So after that we stopped by the post office because I still wanted to mail some postcards. They were completely shut down, since it was Saturday. I thought the stamp machines might be open, but no. So then we went to check out the giant Hershey shop, appropriately called M&M World. We didn’t have much time to look around before our appointment, but did a quick run-through before our appointment.

At 12:30p, we went to meet Ira Mont, SM of “Young Frankenstein”. We talked with him in the house while the crew was doing their pre-show check. Ira Mont’s advice was to do it and pursue it and he believes that if you’re good at stage management, then you will have a career in this field. One thing that he said is that the stage manager’s primary function is to facilitate. I thought this was interesting because he was saying that you don’t really do anything directly as a stage manager, but everyone would be lost without you. It makes sense, but I never thought of it that way. We also got a backstage tour and now I really want to see “Young Frankenstein”. It just looks like so much fun. The Hilton Theatre has a huge wing space, which was packed and even so, they had set pieces stored in the air. The set pieces themselves were used for props storage and quick-change booths. There were lots of brains lying around. The show has several pyrotechnic effects. We got to see them create the lightning during the pre-show check. That actually scared me because of the noise.

At 2:00p, we went to see a matinee of “Sunday in the Park with George”. I really enjoyed the show and thought it was just beautiful. I loved the lead actress most of all. She was amazing. This show incorporated projections very well. I’d say they were expertly done. They were a part of the story telling and really enhanced the production. My favorite was the soldier projection.

Afterwards, Jenn and I went back to shop at the Hershey store and a Broadway store. We had dinner at the West Side Cottage II and then went to see “Paradise Park” at the Signature Theatre Company. This was a different kind of show. I didn’t understand it and so I just sat back and watched. My favorite part was the launching of the fruitcakes.

Sunday 3/9

Our last day in New York, I finished up packing in the morning. After checking our bags, my roommates and I waited in the lobby to go to lunch with the whole group. Fittingly, we ended the trip with New York style pizza, which was very tasty. Thank you, Gregg! After that, we went to get some ice cream, which satisfied my sweet tooth and made me very happy.

The final production we saw was “Is He Dead?” at the Lyceum Theatre. This was one of my favorite productions of the whole trip. It was very funny. We got to see the final show and I think some of the actors were letting it go and even laughing at themselves. It was just a lot of fun. I went to the stage door afterwards with a few people to get some autographs. All of the actors were so gracious and sad that the show was closing. Even Norbert Leo Butz, the cross-dressing lead, was nice to us. It was nice to see that. We also saw everybody moving their stuff out, which was sad. I think if we had had a little more time, we would have been able to get all of the cast’s signatures, but we had a bus to catch.

We met the bus with our luggage at 6:30p, but it turns out it wasn’t leaving until 8:00p and so that gave me some time to grab dinner. When we finally got on the bus and got going, we got a flat tire after about two hours. So then we spent almost two hours pulled over on the side of the road. We had to wait for the next bus in D.C. and then I passed out on the last part home. We didn’t make it back to school until 4:00am. I am just grateful that this happened on the way back and not the way there.

So now I am trying to recover from this very busy, but very good trip.

Wednesday was a long day also. We got back to the New York City Opera around 10:30a to meet with Tom Kelly. He was very knowledgeable. I’m starting to realize that a lot of the stage managers are telling us the same things. I’m also starting to realize that a lot of what they’re saying is what I already suspected, which makes me think I’m in a better place than I thought before. It’s a hard life… but people do it.

After talking to Tom, I ran to meet Layton. We tried to get tickets to “The Lion King” matinee, which is what we really wanted to see. However, they were too expensive and we ended up getting tickets at the TKS booth to see “Phantom of the Opera”. I wasn’t completely impressed, but I liked the show.

Straight after, I went to meet Jill Cordle, SM of “November”, with Jenn and Lucia. She was the first person I talked to who was extremely concise with her answers. Interestingly, she is married to another stage manager and has two young kids. When we asked her how that worked, she was very straightforward about it. She said it’s like any other job and you make it work. They have a babysitter and she sees the kids everyday in the morning, she’s just not there at night. She pointed out that she’s free during the day to do things like PTA. Jill also gave us a tour of the set and backstage.

That evening, we saw “August: Osage County”, which was a very entertaining new play.

Thursday was the first day that I had some time to go exploring by myself. I got lost, of course, but that’s the best way for me to figure things out. I went to try to find H&H bagels for lunch, but the address on Gregg’s wiki is wrong. Should I change that? It takes you to an H&H liquor store. Fortunately, there was a bagel shop across the street, so I ate there. After that, I went to explore Central Park, which is a lot bigger than I thought it was. My feet hurt after walking around so much. I went to see Strawberry Fields and the Bethesda Fountain. It was nice.

At 4:00pm, I took the bus downtown to meet Jenn and Lucia in order to see Alexander Libby, SM of “Is He Dead?”. This guy had the most interesting story of anyone I’ve talked with. He’s only 24 and he’s only worked on Broadway. He doesn’t even want to be a stage manager, he actually wants to produce. He got into the business by knocking on stage doors and talking to stage managers on his time off from school. Somebody ended up offering him a PA job and he took it from there.

Next, we met Roy Harris and Denise Yaney. These two have been in the business for a while and have worked together on and off for ten years. I really enjoyed talking with them. Denise actually made a copy of her pre-show checklist and run list for us to look at.

Finally, after grabbing some pizza, we made it to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre to see “South Pacific”. And now I will go to bed.

Written on 3/3

It has been difficult for me to keep up with my blogging. I am incredibly busy and, because of that, incredibly tired. On Sunday, Layton and I went to the American Folk Art Museum. That was very cool (and cheaper than the MoMa). There was a special exhibit on carousel horses and religious art with lions. It also featured some very intricate paper cuttings. The secular and religious pieces were connected because they were often crafted by the same artisans. I have three favorite pieces. First was a bunny carousel animal that I liked because I love bunnies! All of the carousel horses were very beautiful. My second favorite was actually a lion carved in the carousel horse style. I liked it because it was life-sized and surprisingly ferocious-looking. Finally, there was a baby blanket made out of condoms. I just thought it was really interesting – condoms and baby blankets don’t usually go together. (However, these condoms were sewn together and so they probably wouldn’t be effective birth control anyway.) I also liked how the artist actually created a quilt because the wrapped condoms count as three layers.

After that we visited Union Station. We got off to try to find lunch at the Trader Joe’s which we’d seen on the way to the matinee on Saturday. But apparently Trader Joe’s is very popular on a Sunday, so it was too busy for us. So instead we got back on the Subway and headed towards Christopher Street for a show at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. It was really nice to travel alone with Layton. I got to know her better and sometimes it’s nice not to be hindered by groups. Anyway, we ended up having lunch at a bread and pastry shop. Layton got a sandwich with salmon in it and I got one with Portobello mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, and bell peppers. It was really good. I thought it was a little pricy for lunch, but not too bad. After “Grace”, Jenn, Lucia, and I traveled to the Palace Theatre to meet our second contact, Seth Skylar-Heyn. He was also amazing to talk to. As with our first contact, we just hung out in the house and had a normal conversation. He was all about personal relationships and that being the most important thing. After speaking with him right up until just before the house opened, he gave us a tour backstage. Oh my goodness, it was so cool. I couldn’t believe I was standing onstage right where a broadway performance was about to take place. It was so cool to go downstairs and see the actors getting into their wigs and warming up and to see where all the technicians work. There were grooves all over that stage because of the moving scenery. Also, the set pieces were hanging in the wings because there wasn’t any other space for them. Legally Blonde was a fun show.

On Monday, my first task after breakfast was to help David transport the hats back to their home. I was sad to see them go. For some strange reason, I got a funny satisfaction out of “hat-sitting”. I liked having them around and being responsible for them. After dropping them off, the SM team (Lucia, Jenn, and I) made our way on the subway to our lunch meeting. We went to the Renaissance Diner and actually found the place with time to spare. We decided to wander the streets. At one point, we found ourselves right next to a full-on street fight. That was frightening, but we just got out of there fast. It was over as quickly as it started. These teenage girls just started slamming each other and then they quickly dispersed. Wow. Our lunch meeting was great. Terry Alexander had yet another perspective and it was really good to hear about his experiences. He was a little bit older and I think he had experience talking to students. He had the interesting path of studying business before becoming an actor and then switching to stage management. This gave him a unique advantage because he is able to relate to actors in a way that was very understanding.

After the meeting, we decided to go down to the Staten Island Ferry, which was a suggestion of Terry’s. I am so glad we did. The weather was so nice that day and it was my first time seeing the Statue of Liberty! We also explored Staten Island a little bit. We found a lovely memorial to September 11. I took a lot of pictures. It was really fun, I enjoyed it a lot and it was good to be in a small group again. After that, we met Steve to check out the Drama Book Shop. I have never seen so many plays in one place! It was very cool and I’m glad I went there too. I didn’t actually buy anything because I own too many books already that are waiting to be read. I have been lucky to pick up several cheap scripts at various sales. It was a neat shop. Finally, we went to see Patty LuPone in “Gypsy”. That was very cool. It was nice to have time during the day to actually do stuff without a matinee. I enjoyed myself a lot. I can actually see that I wouldn’t mind living here.

Written on 3/4

Today was a long day. First, we had a lunch meeting with Richard Costabile. He’s been in the business for a while and had a lot to talk about. After that, we ran to the New York City Opera in order to sit in on the only rehearsal for “Madamma Butterfly”. This was a great opportunity. I learned that since the show was in repertory and most of the crew and cast were already familiar with it, they were only having a single rehearsal. Jenn, Lucia, and I rotated out so that each of us could be on headset backstage for one of the acts. It was neat to hear how the stage manager called all the cues. I also learned that entrances are cued in opera. We met several people - Izzy is a kind of production manager, Cindy is an ASM, Caroline is the calling SM, and Tom Kelly is the PSM. I actually learned that Tom is the author of one of the books I have at home (”The Backstage Guide to Stage Management”)! After a little tour, we booked it for Brooklyn. We made it there in time for a quick dinner and then we headed over to the theater for “Macbeth”. We had seats way up in the balcony, but it was still good. This was an interesting take on a classic play. Finally, I went to see Natalie Joy Johnson sing at Therapy. I saw Jess there and it was so great to catch up with her. And now, I am finishing blogging before bed!

…and so this post will be short. It is our second night in New York. We have already seen three different theatre productions. It is my first time being in this big, new city, so I am still just taking it all in. I had fun today exploring and orienting myself with the subway system. Jenn, Lucia, and I also met our first contact, which was very exciting! We talked with Stephanie Gatton, who is stage managing “Deathbed” off broadway. I was struck by how Stephanie seemed so much like us. I know that I should write more, but sleep is more important now.

This is copied from my journal about my senior project, which is to stage manage “She Stoops to Conquer”. I thought it was applicable and you all might be interested in reading it.

Ah! Sorry for not blogging. It’s been two weeks. A lot has been happening. I’m proud to say that the show is really starting to take shape. So it has been a productive couple of weeks. I’d like to say that I feel very comfortable with this process. I was reading a post in Lucia’s blog (link), that made me think about how I feel. She writes that she used to feel like she was “flying by the seat of [her] pants”. I wouldn’t describe my experience as so extreme, but I definitely used to feel like I was always just one step behind or at least like I didn’t know what was coming next. It bothered me a little bit because I knew deep down that it shouldn’t be that way. These days though, I feel very comfortable and on top of things. It shows how much I’ve learned. In fact, I was actually embarrassed recently when showing my prompt book from “Dancing at Lughnasa” to my manager at work. I’ve learned so much in the past couple of months that this does not accurately represent what I now know (though he reassured me that it was still good). And I continue to improve every day. Like Lucia said, the SM roundtable has been the main cause of that and I am thankful for it. *I realize that some of my comfort comes from the familiarity of being a part of this department for four years, but I think it’s also true that my skills have improved.*

But back to “She Stoops to Conquer”… On the stage management side, our system has been working really well so far (Mel does props, Deniz does Costumes, I work on the run list). It’s nice to be able to depend on the ASMs and they are doing a good job. We are quickly getting to know how each other works. By the way, I am so glad I am starting the run list now. It’s often been something I want later in the process when I have very little time to make one.

Things are moving along on the design side, as well. We had a very “productive” production meeting last week. There was finally lots to talk about. When I went on stage last night after rehearsal to put away the SM kit and I was very excited to see the flats for our set covering the stage. I knew that they were being built, but it was still exciting to just see them. I didn’t expect it, since “Far Away” had just closed earlier that day. I know that the costume shop is working hard also; we have been scheduling corset fittings with the actors.

In the rehearsal room, the cast and Helen seem to be having a lot of fun and that makes it fun for me. The play is a comedy and they are constantly making each other laugh. I know that there will be more pressure after spring break when lines are due and techs are that much closer, but at this point, it seems like we’re in good shape. I am very impressed with the progress that’s been made and I can take some satisfaction in knowing that I helped that along. We blocked the play in four days and have spent just two days working scenes. Other than that it’s been character work and table work. Tonight we had the a greater majority of the company in the room than ever before, which was exciting.

Oh, it’s also been decided that stage management will be responsible for choreographing the scene changes. Even though that might be a whole other headache, I’m looking forward to it. It’s partly nostalgia because I started my school theatre career doing scene changes and I think it’s fitting to end it that way. It’s just one more thing to do.

I figured I should write since I haven’t blogged in a while. Like everyone else in this class, I am really excited about our trip coming up. A few weeks ago I was worried about not having enough time to plan, but I am not anymore. We are heading to New York soon, though not too soon. I trust Gregg and I always knew it would work out, but now things seem very realistic. I am very excited about the contacts we have made and are continuing to make. Getting in touch with professional stage managers is something I probably wouldn’t have done on my own. I am surprised at how willing they have been to meet with us and I am thankful for the context of this class. It gives us a more legitimate reason to contact these people. I am also very grateful to have Lucia and Jenn to work with. I have a lot of respect for them both and I think we are working well together. It makes sense for us to come together because our questions are so similar, but still it’s nice to be able to pool resources and also just to have a friendly classmate to go to interviews with. After reading Lindsay’s post about finding one of her contacts in her scene painting textbook, I went back and looked in my stage management textbook. I was thrilled to find that Roy Harris is, in fact, quoted in my textbook. The funny thing is, I had just e-mailed him a couple of hours earlier to confirm our appointment. He is the production stage manager of “The Homecoming” at the Cort Theatre. According to the textbook, he has also been the PSM/SM of “twelve Broadway shows”, including “fifteen productions directed by Tony Award-winning director Dan Sullivan”. Now I just have to keep my wits about me so that I can make the most of these interviews and also experience the city. I am hoping to learn a lot and have fun at the same time. It should be a great trip!

So I made my first contact in New York and I am so excited! I did not think it would be that easy. Lucia and Jenn, I forwarded you the message.

Sometimes my father provokes me. The last time I was home, he started talking about how all actors are stupid. He went on to say that they aren’t even creative because they just speak words that somebody else wrote and do whatever the director tells them to. Well, I did get angry and I told him that he did not know what he was talking about. I said that some actors are stupid, but they’re usually not very good actors. The sad thing is, I think that he actually believes those other things. Anyway, when I read this quote from an article in the New York Times (link), I was reminded of our argument. Even though my father will probably never read this, I wanted to post it here. Ernest Hemingway is a name my father would respect or at least have heard of, unlike that of almost any other playwright besides Shakespeare. This is what Ernest Hemingway wrote in a letter “describing what it was like to work on a play for a change”:

“The making part of a play comes after the writing of it. Other people do all the great detail that you just indicate when you write. Right now I have been working steadily for a year and a month on a novel. In that no one can help you. But in a play the credit for all the really hard work goes to those who stage, direct, and act in it. I had all the fun. They had all the work. Well, that is a nice kind of an exchange for once.”

Not that I think that playwrights don’t work hard, but this shows how Hemingway respects the work of others in the process. My favorite qoute from the article was this: “…a lot of the play is about the little community that the residents of the hotel create for themselves under bombardment. The one thing people don’t do in such circumstances, Hemingway later wrote, is rape each other.” To put it in context, Hemingway let someone rewrite his play and that person added a rape scene. Something about the quote resonates with me. I think it’s because of the articles we’ve been reading about Iraqis who live in warzone conditions. I am reminded of the article about the Iraqi theatre artists who still came together to put on shows, despite many dangers. I also like how Hemingway was writing from his own life experiences and so when he says people just wouldn’t do that, he should know. It seems to me that people always tend to bond with a group that looks out for each other in hard times. And also I just wonder what I would do if I was stuck in a hotel under bombardment. Hemingway, a writer, wrote a play.

Anyway, to be fair to my father, I do know what he was getting at. He thinks I’m too smart to work in the theatre. Every parent wants the best for their children and he thinks I’m lowering myself. In my defense, he knows very little about the theatre and what he knows he does not like, so I do not think he’s in a position to pass judgement, even if he is my father. If he’s basing what he thinks on stereotypes and that’s all he knows, then I should take that with a grain of salt. From what I can tell, we actually have a lot in common. My father works as a project manager for the Aerospace Corporation. I really don’t know what he does because the work is often secret, but I guess that he manages projects. I assume that he does a lot of the same stuff I do; stage management in my mind could translate to project management. The details are very different, but the principles could easily be very similar. Would I be better suited to do something else? I don’t know. It’s definitely possible. I just know that I love doing this and want to try it. The way I see it, it all depends on what kind of life you want to have.

Part of what I love about theatre is that you can see the progress happening right before your eyes. I can see the show being created, whether in rehearsal with the actors or when I stop by any of the shops. It’s not like other jobs I’ve had where you basically do the same thing every day. Perhaps this will change when I get to the professional theatre and spend more time in performance than rehearsal. But I’ve never been one of those people who gets bored seeing the performance for the hundredth time. I can recite or at least paraphrase the entire show, while inserting light and sound cues in my head and I still enjoy watching the show. Of course, it’s my job to pay attention, but I always wondered why I didn’t get a little bit bored. I actually get annoyed when there’s a really complicated set of cues I have to call that distracts me from the rest of the performance at the moment. I feel like I’m missing part of the show. It’s true, I do occasionally get bored, but it’s not nearly as often as I imagined I would.

This blog has become more personal that I ever thought it would, but I guess, like Hemingway, I must write what I know.

One of the things we were discussing last class was the effect the Internet and other technology is having on our culture. I have an interesting relationship with technology. I like it- when it works. I have many problems with technology. I think part of this is because I just don’t enjoy sitting in front of a computer. I know, that’s great for a stage manager, right? Well, here’s the thing, I don’t like to be dependent on technology. I don’t trust it. For instance, earlier I was writing a post on here and lost most of it when the Internet cut out. I was so frustrated. There was no way to get it back and I just had to try to remember what I wrote. I thought, “well if I’d written this in a real journal, I wouldn’t have this problem, would I?” I’m sure this has probably happened to all of you; these things happen. Right now, I am writing this post in word so that it doesn’t happen again. There’s a reason why even before David handed me a flash drive to backup my stage management files, I’d already been doing it on my own. I know friends whose worlds fall apart when their computers crash. That’s not me; I have hard copies or backups of everything I care about. Perhaps if I took more time to get better acquainted with technology, I might be able to handle it better. For example the problems I am having with my digital story. If I had known better, maybe I wouldn’t have created it in PowerPoint. The funny thing is, I’m not at all technically disabled. I taught myself how to use computers when I was little and I know a fair amount about programming. I use technology when I need it, but I’m apprehensive about fully immersing myself in it.
I’ve always been a little slow to catch on with technology. A lot of this comes from my mother. We did not even get cell phones until after my first year of college. My mom’s purse would ring four or five times at first before someone would have to remind her that it was her own phone making that noise. But she’s figured it out now and she functions without knowing anything about how to use the Internet. So that’s probably where I get it and I couldn’t mention all the countless times I’ve been out of the loop because of it. Like the time my friend texted me “ic” and I said,“’ick!’ Why would he say ‘ick’?” I don’t like texting people. I find it so tedious. I always wish people would just call me. I was surprised to find out a few months ago that I use up the most minutes on my families shared phone plan. This surprised me because I have two sisters in highschool and I’m quieter than both of them. I was sure they spent more time talking on the phone than me. But my mom explained that my sisters used text messages or IMs to keep in touch with their friends instead. In contrast, I don’t think I’ve ever IMed anybody in this class. I used to use it to keep in touch with friends who were far away, but that’s really it.
I understand some of the advantages of technology. Email can be really convenient. I realize that the Internet contains vast stores of information and that’s good. The downside is that the vast amount of information can be incredibly distracting. I’ve more than once found myself spending four hours or more surfing the Internet. Afterwards, I think how I could have better spent my time walking outside or having conversations with friends. Also, it scares me how much you can find out about a person by trolling the Internet.
How do I think it’s affecting our lives? Certainly, people are more connected through technology. How are we all finding our contacts for this class? But I do think it’s up to the individual person to make those connections meaningful. You can choose to or not. I don’t know what else to say that we haven’t talked about. I guess this post is just to share my personal feelings about technology. I’m fearful of it taking over our lives and people placing too much importance on it. I think we should use it as a tool and not build our lives around it, but that could just be coming from my fear of the unknown.
I’d like to add a little story. I used to have ten different old-fashioned pen pals. That number is now down to one who regularly corresponds with me. Everyone says email is quicker and cheaper. The one person I still write to is a friend of mine from high school who now lives in Texas. We both agree that handwritten letters are so much more personal than online communication. I actually had the chance to meet up with him last June. It was the first time we’d seen each other in four years, but we still got along as if no time had passed. He told me that I was the only person from high school that he still felt so comfortable with. Even though he communicated with other old friends online, he felt like letter-writing maintained our relationship better. I’m sure others have similar stories of keeping in touch with the Internet, but for us plain old snail mail worked. I should mention that my friend studies history and in a lot of ways is stuck in the past, so that might have something to do with it.