One weekend down, one still to come! Admittedly, three days of shows in a row following a week of long rehearsals was challenging. By Sunday’s 4:20 showing, the cast was looking pretty rough. (The guy who plays Jack got hit in the eye with a garden hoe during the fight scene the night before; it was so swollen and discolored we had to cover it with an eye patch – needless to say, he was looking even rougher than the rest).
Reefer proved overwhelmingly popular. Thanks to word-of-mouth from the first full house, we played to a sold out audience Saturday night and another brimful one Sunday. Besides the one black eye, all three shows went off without too much in the way of hitches (although we’ve had more than a couple people bit it on the stairs coming off stage, just nothing visible to the crowd). Jesus finally got his flight on by Saturday night (although there were reports that if you sat in the front row your view of his descent was maybe a little TOO good). Myself, I forgot my mic once and really had to belt it for a scene, but that’s the worst (and by saying that I probably just insured some kind of onstage embarrassment during the last two shows…).
Now that months of rehearsal and performing are about to wrap, I’m already looking (out of necessity, mostly) toward the next big thing: namely, the move. But also, a minor detour we’ll be making in the midst of that move to be present at J’s little sister’s high school graduation.
In London.
I hadn’t expected to be able to join J on this little trip, due to cost and logistics (my current lack of passport? my lack of job? my dog??). But let’s just say the flight is no longer an issue, and now I just have to get that passport and find a babysitter or boarding kennel for the Gabe monster and off we’ll go. A little crazy to jump on a plane overseas in the middle of your out-of-state move? Perhaps. But when will I have the opportunity to visit a country I’ve been aching to see for years (ever since my sister and I hashed out a plan to study abroad and live in a little flat together that never came to fruition)? J’s parents live there, so we’ll have a place to stay, and his little sister knows the city back and forth. They’re all moving back to the States this summer, so it’s now or never.
It can be done. I intend to prove it.
But it will require more organization than I’ve possibly ever mustered in the past, some sacrifice (ok, a lot of sacrifice, but with a prize like that, giving up a few things will never have been easier) and the occasional glass of wine (Ahem… make that a PBR. We’re sacrificing, remember?).
The first steps? Drop some excess baggage (in the way of a futon, some clothing, CD’s and otherwise hock-able items) while creating some extra funds. Visit the post office to apply for my passport AND fill out change of address forms. Make dinner at home tonight, in what will be the first in a long series meals that will A) Spare the expense of dining out, and B) Possibly teach me how to cook something other than “Macaroni and Peas” or “Thai Stew Surprise” (my current, sad repertoire).
So we’re off and running… one adventure nipping on the heals of the last. But that’s life, and we run with it, and it’s that much better for it.
Because sometimes that’s all that’s left (and there’s nothing wrong with that; a fine stimulant it is!). So excited about opening night that the endless string of days filled with too much work and too little sleep (but just enough fun to make it all worthwhile) can’t even hold me down.
It is, in fact, difficult to sit still in my office chair (I’m squirming like a 5-year-old at the dinner table – OMG some day I’ll tell you J’s squirmy-little-kid story, too!) knowing the highjinks that are about to ensue this evening.
Going to go run for some Starbuck’s oatmeal (the ONLY thing I ever get from Starbuck’s, I swear) – whatever I’ve been eating before dress rehearsals, it hasn’t been meshing well with my nerves. Excited energy + pasta salad, Jeni’s ice cream, scrambled eggs and/or smoothie = stomach ache from hell. Then, it’s off to Axis for the big night.
I was watching some clips on YouTube of other schools or companies doing scenes from Reefer, and I gotta say… I knew we were on to something, but I didn’t realize just how above and beyond we’d taken this show until I saw what other people have done with it.
But enough about all that. If you’re reading this you’re going to be late to the show… what are you still DOING here??
(For those of you who aren’t from these parts, I forgive you for not attending, and will try to post a video clip or two in the next couple of weeks)
After last night’s final dress rehearsal, there’s no doubt in my mind that we’re going to knock it into the stands this weekend (and next, for that matter). The only linch pin left is Jesus – we’re still having complications with his entrance, and it’s questionable at this point whether we’re going to be able to pull the stunt off. And yet – no one’s giving up on it, so don’t be surprised when he comes flying in.
And while it felt heart-poundingly thrilling to hit that chilling final chord at the finale last night, the real high point of the evening was during the pre-run talk that our director, Michael, gave. Apparently, the Center Stage Players’ website had received an email that he wanted to share with us.
I don’t know about everyone else, but I was expecting some nice little “go get ‘em” note from someone who’d reviewed the show or a family member or something. What we got instead was this:
Dear CSP,
I’m Harry Murphy, one of the original cast of “Reefer Madness” out here in Los Angeles. Dan Studney forwarded us the promo video for your production,
and I’m writing to say it made me laugh until I hurt. A lot. Well done, and knock ‘em dead.
- all the best, Harry Murphy
If you’re not a hardcore fan of the musical and/or movie, you wouldn’t know the significance of this. But as most of us either were or have become seriously enamoured with Reefer Madness, we all knew that we’d just received an email from the original Lecturer, and the video had been forwarded to him by none other than the show’s composer (who also served as screenwriter, executive producer and composer for the movie version).
The cast was floored, and honored to be a blip on the radar of people for whom we hold high esteem. Think of it this way: Martin Scorsese calls to tell you he digs the remake of “Raging Bull” you filmed on your dad’s Super 8 camera and posted on YouTube.
With that little blessing, everyone mustered the energy to give Michael one hell of a final dress. Flying Jesus or no – we’re ready for the audience.
Bring it.
~a
Jesus in the rafters... Will he fly on opening night?
If you’ve got a Facebook account, scroll to the bottom of your Home page. You’ll see the word “English” in blue there. Click on it. Then select “English (Pirate)” from the menu. Watch the mayhem unfold… maybe go plunder some office supplies or something.
Sleep? We don't need no stinkin'... ok, yeah, actually we'd give our first born for a nap right now. (All photos by Sage Thompson)
You might think that as you run through several days of dress rehearsals, each would become shorter and shorter due to increased polished and removal of kinks.
Hahaha!
No.
Instead, I arrived home even later last night, and there was no extra half hour of sleep because I had to be in to work a little early. The good news? While we ran into some glitches with a few new elements we were working with, the run went phenomenally! All the costumes and props were finally in place, the band was present at last (that’s right – we only get two real run-throughs with our full accompaniment) and the energy that had been missing on previous nights was finally alive and kicking.
The Reefer Rock Band
Oh you think all this hotness just HAPPENS?? The Reefer dressing room.
This is not to say, of course, that everything went smoothly.
For one thing (the most major of things, you could say), it was the first night they were actually lowering Jesus down from the rafters and that caught more than a couple of snags. The device is a pulley system that attached to a harness under Jesus’ robes and to a set of weights that are just slightly heavier than him. There were some seriously terrifying moments the first time they lowered him – it’s a good 20-foot drop to the stage from the platform they start on. There were, however, a couple of successful runs, but in the end, it still needs some tweaking.
Jesus - Evan Hughes - falling for the first time...
Also, a tree almost fell on the two main character (they held it up through their entire song until somone was able to secure it again), there were several deafening feedback moments, and mic issues abounded.
Even angels have rough nights...
We’ve got one more night to smooth everything out, though, and if we continue to improve at the rate we have been, we’re going to knock ‘em dead.
Taylor and me, competing in a hot-off. And I think he's winning.
It’s 11am, I’m sucking down my third cup of coffee (which I am cutting back on… really, I am), my hair is still wet and I only managed minimal makeup this morning because I opted instead for an extra half hour of sleep, the balls and heals of my feet still ache, and BY GOD, I’m going to get out of this office in 5 hours, drive to the theater, get into hair, makeup and costume and just KILL our second dress rehearsal!!
That’s right, kids. It’s Tech Week on the set of Reefer Madness – 5 days when pets, boyfriends, exercise routines, dirty clothes and regular meals get largely neglected, and you spend 8 hours at work, 5 hours in the theater and sleep whenever you can. I got home last night from Axis a little after 11pm, scarfed some random stuff I found in the fridge and passed the eff out by midnight.
And why, you might ask, would anyone put themselves through this kind of schedule?
Well, because my castmates are an amazing group of teachers, professionals, music-lovers and students; because the show is a strange riot with a challenging and expansive score and witty libretto; because it’s cathartic as hell to put something like this together with a diverse group of your peers who are having as much fun as you are entertaining others.
Tonight we’ll be flying Jesus from the rafters to the stage for the first time (everyone keep your fingers crossed; I do NOT envy the actor we’re hooking up to cables and a harness in a theater where we’ve had every technical screw-up you can imagine so far). Tomorow – final dress.
In the meantime, check out the promotional video a couple of the actors whipped up when they were sick over the weekend (another wall we’ve been hitting as everyone pushes burnout). Myself, I’ve got cupcakes to pick up and deliver to J at work (someday, when he’s not so sensitive about it, I’ll relay his cupcake story, because it’s simultaneously heartbreaking and hysterical).
Because even during Tech Week you can’t neglect birthdays.
I spent this past weekend in Cleveland visiting some of J’s good friends. One of these is a borderline Scrooge-y saver and another announced that she’d just (after three years) paid off the remaining balance on her credit card. Between the two, I suddenly felt painfully financially irresponsible (I am, but suddeny it stung more), and somehow, by the time we were making a rainy drive home, I had put my foot down. I would cut out needless spending! I would create a budget! I would stick to it! I would consolidate and pay off my $5,000 of credit card debt!!
But first – I would buy Jeni’s black current yogurt!
As you can see, this may be a long road to recovery. But I have taken one big step this morning, which involved opening an account on Mint.com. Mint is a money management site that securely links to your bank accounts and tracks your spending, allows you to set budgets, assists with credit consolidation and generally simplifies the task of controlling your finances.
For example, apparently I spent $85 at coffee shops last month.
I’m not stupid; I always knew the lattes added up. But to see them as a big green chunk on a pie chart (a chunk bigger than my Restaurant spending) was eye opening to say the least. Apparently The Adventurista is also a bit of a Caffeinista.
And a Fashionista… and Jenis’s Spledid Ice Creamista.
But I’m starting to get an inkling that what would make me the happiest (elated and euphoric beyond belief, really) will not be found on a rack (second-hand or otherwise), on a plate, in a glass or an ice ream cone. Being completely free of debt and living within my means doesn’t have to mean living a boring, colorless, uneventful life. I can DO this. Yes, the office coffee tastes like someone ran the water through used grounds and the little cups of faux cream don’t improve upon this any. And yes I like dining out and shopping and taking road trips.
But I also love hiking (free), bike rides (free), taking Gabe to the dog park (free), cookouts with friends (cheap – especially when everyone brings something), cooking (ok – this I’m getting better at, so I should say I like learning how to cook, and that is less expensive than hitting up a restaurant)… The point is, there are a lot of activites that cost little or no money that can replace my pricier habits. The warmer weather (and moving to a location where the climate is generally more condusive to outdoor activites) can only help.
Today I embark on the journey that will lead me out of financial slavery. Mark the date, because I’ll update monthly on how things are going (with maybe some mini-posts on any triumphs or setbacks along the way), and one year from now, I plan to be knocking on the door of solvency. My car payments end next May, and I hope to have my credit card debt caught up and destroyed by then as well.
Lofty? Yes. Life-altering? Oh yes. I don’t plan on being the same kind of person a year from now – this type of change requires you to completely alter your frame of mind. You won’t see me donning red robes, shaving my head, and shirking all my worldly possessions (yet). But I will start to look at the material a little differently. I want to spend more of my resources doing versus having.
So – wish me luck, and if you have any advice, I’m all ears. I’m not the first person to come to this revelation and make a concerted effort to turn things around, and I won’t be the last. I’ll need all the help I can get, and hopefully will help others to make the jump as well.
… nor, apparently, was Reefer Madness. With only two weeks of rehearsals left, we staged our first complete run-through last night. Fortunately, aside from a dance flub that caused one cast member to fall off a riser and land flat on her face (and believe me, no one’s face – or any other body part – should touch the floor of Axis Nightclub), it ran relatively smoothly. We were, however, down one lead character (which created some of the evening highlights – see below…) and still using the soundtrack recording vs. live instrumentation. And we have yet to see the set.
These next two weeks are going to determine what kind of show this will be. (My bet’s on bold, hysterical and wildly entertaining, but perhaps it’s possible I’m biased).
A sneak peek at rehearsals:
Salsa is hard... and even harder when your partner is a foot taller than you (I'm wearing heals in this pic). Here' yours truly attempting to look like she knows what she'd doing.
So, yes, the first act includes a simulated orgy. This pictures hardly does the dance justice. I'm simultaneously relieved to not have to be in it, and insanely jealous that I don't get to be in it. (Front and center: the aforementioned black riser of doom)
Choreographer Cody as naughty Mary. (I debated between this shot, and the one where he's spanking Taylor... but this is a family show I run here, kids
Director Michael as Mary (we all felt a little wrong for laughing through Mary's death scene, but come on...)
And lastly, the cast's Aries get their birthday serenade ("One of these things is not like the others....")
If you’ve read the last post, you’ve probably caught that I’m about to chuck my salaried (granted a meager one), full-time job in order to attempt to make a life as a beach bum in Wilmington. Not that the whole goal is to laze around Wrightsville all day and be tan and worthless… but is it too much to ask to want to take up residence somewhere warm, quaint and close to the ocean without having to sell my soul to afford that lifestyle?
I’m already hearing that jobs, which are scarce anywhere these days, are practically nonexistent in Wilmington, and for all intents and purposes I should be terrified to be job-searching in this economy. But this is the girl who, since graduating high school, has held enough jobs to collect an impressive collection of hairnets and nametags.
Amanda’s job history key words: Panera Bread, fastfood, UC Library, Gameworks Veejay, coverband singer, barrista, Bed Bath & Beyond, chicken wings, bartender, hotel sportsbar, barrista (again), Austin Music Magazine, fine dining (times two), arts and entertainment writer, photography studio manager, outdoor market worker, interactive agency office manager. Just to give you an idea. (For some reason I feel I should have ended this paragraph by exploding into the chrous of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire”…)
So I have experience in a few areas (understatement of the year), and I’m obviously not beneath much of anything. Maybe this creates a false sense of security, but there has to be some kind of work for me in Wilmington. (Check back in two months, and you may find me in tears, regretting the day I made this statement).
I’m kicking myself to the unemployment curb, and I am not scared.
Having had a military upbringing, I was no stranger to relocating. In fact, the pack-up-and-start-anew became something not to loathe and dread, but to look forward to with an excited anticipation to rival Christmas morning. It became a way to bid a fond farewell to the problems I was experiencing in one locale and say hello to a chance to do it bigger and better in the next town or neighborhood.
So it shouldn’t have surprised me that years later, when the necessary moving about of college concluded on graduation day, I became restless quickly, and despite the fact that no outside force was requiring it, I decided to move again. I was off to wild and weird Austin, Texas. Why Austin? Hmmm. Because someone told me it was a cool town that liked music, I think. I’d never visited and didn’t know anyone there, but it was exotic and unknown, and I desired both.
Two years later, antsy again, and having created a nice, new boatload of problems in the south, I wiped the slate clean again and moved back to Ohio. Is this a horrible way to try to improve one’s life? Yes. Its this enabling myself to ignore problems instead of facing and solving them. Hell yes. Am I about to do it again? You bet I am.
J was accepted to grad school in Wilmington, North Carolina, a coastal town that’s bumping in the summers and sleepy in the off-season. Neither of us can stand the frigid, five-month winters of the Midwest and we both long for a change, and this seems to be an appropriately timed answer.
The difference this time around? If I come back from North Carolina (in two years or otherwise), I’ll be damned if it’s because I have made mistakes I don’t want to face and am using the U-Haul as getaway car one again. I’ve picked up the bad habit of keeping my situation forever temporary, and I carry that around like a security blanket. My goal now? To make my next move purposeful, meaningful, positive. Or even (let’s get a little crazy here) nonexistent? I mean, a girl starts to feel like she’s effing Scott Bakula, always hoping the next leap will be the leap home.
But I also have an undying case of wanderlust which has become the enabler/drinking buddy of my cut&run behavior. So if I must keep globetrotting, from now on, may it be for reasons of the former and not the latter.
In the meantime, though, I’ve got a move to plan. After many a discussion, I think we’ll be using J’s family home near Charlotte as a stepping stone, staying there for a month while we figure out jobs and a living situation in Wilmington. But I’ve put my notice in at work (did I mention I’m quitting a full-time salaried job with benefits in this economy with no replacement in site? More on that later…), and the move-out date from my current house is May 31st.
One weekend down, one still to come! Admittedly, three days of shows in a row following a week of long rehearsals was challenging. By Sunday’s 4:20 showing, the cast was looking pretty rough. (The guy who plays Jack got hit in the eye with a garden hoe during the fight scene the night before; it was so swollen and discolored we had to cover it with an eye patch – needless to say, he was looking even rougher than the rest).
Because sometimes that’s all that’s left (and there’s nothing wrong with that; a fine stimulant it is!). So excited about opening night that the endless string of days filled with too much work and too little sleep (but just enough fun to make it all worthwhile) can’t even hold me down.
My coworker just shared this gem with me…
I spent this past weekend in Cleveland visiting some of J’s good friends. One of these is a borderline Scrooge-y saver and another announced that she’d just (after three years) paid off the remaining balance on her credit card. Between the two, I suddenly felt painfully financially irresponsible (I am, but suddeny it stung more), and somehow, by the time we were making a rainy drive home, I had put my foot down. I would cut out needless spending! I would create a budget! I would stick to it! I would consolidate and pay off my $5,000 of credit card debt!!
If you’ve read the last post, you’ve probably caught that I’m about to chuck my salaried (granted a meager one), full-time job in order to attempt to make a life as a beach bum in Wilmington. Not that the whole goal is to laze around Wrightsville all day and be tan and worthless… but is it too much to ask to want to take up residence somewhere warm, quaint and close to the ocean without having to sell my soul to afford that lifestyle?
Having had a military upbringing, I was no stranger to relocating. In fact, the pack-up-and-start-anew became something not to loathe and dread, but to look forward to with an excited anticipation to rival Christmas morning. It became a way to bid a fond farewell to the problems I was experiencing in one locale and say hello to a chance to do it bigger and better in the next town or neighborhood.