This weekend at the Flynnspace, the Vermont Stage Company closes Shirley Valentine, a one-woman show written by Willy Russell. My adviser John Devlin designed scenery and another mentor, Jeff Salzberg, designed lights, so myself and my St. Mike's tech buddies were all called for the load-in and strike. It's incredible how true the saying "it's all about who you know" is...networking is the most important way to get jobs in this business. I really enjoy working with this local company and making the friends and contacts I have with them as well!
Check out what Jeff has to say about designing for VSC here.
St. Mike's is currently on spring break, a respite I took full advantage of by taking some time off of school beforehand and going to Florida with my parents. We are lucky enough to have relatives who live and rent in the South, so it was a nice visit to quiet Port St. Joe, with sandy white beaches and long bike rides.
On the drive home, we stopped in Staunton VA, the home of the American Shakespeare Center. Their touring company visits St. Mike's every fall, and since seeing A Midsummer Night's Dream last fall, I've thought about going to see the Blackfriars Playhouse in Virginia, home of ASC and reproduction of the original Shakespearean theaters. I was able to tour the theater, which was nice-- the inside is smaller than I expected, but all Virginia oak, making a beautiful house. The technical elements of all the performances the ASC produces are minimal because they do their best to keep with the practices of Shakespeare's day. I also saw some friends from the touring company, visiting home base between locations. It was a great day!
 |
| Photo by Lauren D. Rogers |
Yesterday was a big day for me as well. I worked at the Flynn on the electrics crew for the national tour South Pacific all day and got a show call in wardrobe, which is a big deal for a beginning in the union like me. All day we loaded in equipment and scenery-- the Flynn is a small roadhouse in comparison with many across the country, so this crew couldn't use all of their equipment and scenery they would normally. The show was sold out. I was a dresser for the 3 kids in the show, which was fun because I got to meet them and their families, and they were very on top of their costumes and entrances (so a wardrobe rookie like me didn't have to worry!). After the show, we loaded everything back out into the big trucks. The power went out in Burlington for a little while during load-out, but there is no lit space like a space full of theater technicians with their flashlights. We ended at 2am. South Pacific moved on to Maine today, where they'll be for a few days. It is such a great experience to work on these calls, and I love meeting the tour people and getting to know the local crew.
In other news, St. Mike's is preparing for some plays in April, including the mainstage Appetite that I am designing lights for and 2 senior showcase plays. Seating for Appetite will be onstage, which means limited numbers. If you are interested in attending, please email appetitesmc@gmail.com to reserve seats, including the number of seats and the date. Performances are 4/11-4/14 and 4/18-4/21 at the McCarthy Arts Center.
No comments:
Post a Comment