Here we go again…

It’s — you guessed it — tech week.

I’m not sure how I survived this weekend.  My schedule went something like this:

Friday night: rehearsal from 7:00-11:00.  Home around midnight (because it takes that long due to the bus schedule); chametz hunt, then, in theory, to bed, but in actuality I discovered a Cirque du Soleil marathon on Bravo and watched that until 2:00, just because I’m an idiot like that.

Saturday morning: wonderful breakfast of kosher for Passover cereal (feel my sarcasm?), then to rehearsal from 10:00-11:00.  No, not a one-hour rehearsal, a thirteen-hour rehearsal.  I did get a break from 4:00-6:00, which I spent rehearsing with Adam for evals and then eating a disgusting bowl of pesadic soup that my mother sent me.  It advertised itself as being a full meal, but when I actually checked the nutrition information, it was only 40 calories.  Fortunately, I also brought a lot of trail mix with me, and I basically lived off that this weekend.

Saturday night, post-rehearsal: Seder at Marathon!  I expected it to be awful.  After all, the Marathon boys may be Jewish, by and large, but they’re mostly secular, and what seder that starts at midnight and is held at a place known for its huge drinking parties is likely to be any good?  It was excellent.  Quite possibly the best seder I’ve ever been to.  Most of the people there actually weren’t Jewish, so we were brought back to the basics of what a seder is — a structured story-telling and teaching.  We were all learning from each other.  It was nontraditional but it was satisfactorily observant, as in, we fulfilled all the requirements.  I was rather tense about the whole business when I first got there.  Raffi and Jason F——–, the two guys leading the seder, actually said to me, “Stephanie, sit down, you’re making us nervous.”  But within a few minutes I’d settled into it and discovered that I was the most knowledgable one there, which meant I was on my own ground and very safe.  And I had a great time.  I went with Heather R—- and Neil, the AD for Freedom and her boyfriend (who also happens to be one of our leads), and I’d spent a little time with them earlier in the evening, and it was all thoroughly pleasant.  I like those two very much, and they seem to like me as well, which makes me happy.  Darcy, one of the most respected members of our department, actually told me a few days ago that having seen my work in this show, and my singing last year, and the play I wrote earlier this semester, that she thought I was going to be very important to the department…actually, she said that I will change the department.  What a wonderful thing to hear, and a wonderful person from whom to hear it.  Anyway, I was partying at the seder until 3:00 in the morning.  Also while there I got my first meal of the day, consisting of soup and brisket.

Sunday morning: back at the theatre at 10:30 for the next day of tech.  We did manage to get three freshmen to be our crew: Lisa, Chrissy, and Oliver.  That means that we don’t have to do pre- and post-show stuff.  But we still have to do all our own scene changes.  I’ve got blisters on my hands from it already.  And I’m covered in bruises, because I’m at war with our set.  I’m winning, but I’m taking a beating in the process, because it’s vicious.  It’s all corners and broken metal and levels and so forth, and we have to navigate it in the dark.  Ick.  It’s beautiful and it’s perfect for the show, but it’s wicked.  In both senses of the word, I guess.  Anyway, rehearsal went until 7:30, with a break from 2:00-4:00 during which time I ate matzah and called home.  After rehearsal, I went to our production of American Buffalo, which Danny ADed.  However, because I was so totally exhausted by that point, I couldn’t stay awake through Act I, and Act II was so confusing that my tired mind couldn’t get around it.  I was only able to pick up that it was very upsetting.  So I came out very, well, upset.  I got a ride up the hill from Jon L——, a friend from the show.  I think the highlight of the show last night was talking to Paul at intermission — I don’t often talk to Paul.  I didn’t talk to Robbie, because he and I are both too shy to manage that I guess.

I did talk to him today, but I’ll get to that later.

Sunday night: I got home at around 10:15, and I was in bed by 11:00.  By the time I got home last night I was on the edge of tears just because I was so tired.  It was a bloody long weekend.  But we got a lot of good work done and I’m feeling fairly confident about the show, so that’s very good.

Today, ballet was fun, but it almost always is.  I talked to Robbie briefly during our break…he and Paul and Erin and Amy were all talking, and I just went up and joined them, and asked Robbie how his weekend was and suddenly the two of us were just talking to each other, instead of to the whole group.  He said his weekend was tiring, and I thought, well yes, you had three shows, but don’t even talk to me about tiring weekends.  Anyway, I asked how his show was going, and he said it was going well, and I asked if he was coming to see our show on Tuesday — yes, as in tomorrow.  It’s the only day that the Kiss Me, Kate people can come.  No, we haven’t opened yet.  We’re not in previews yet.  It’s our first dress rehearsal.  In other words, we’ll be stumbling around in our costumes, dealing with the fact that it’ll be completely dark for the first time, stopping and starting, etc.  Anyway, I pointed all this out to him, and he said that he knew, he’d talked to Kathleen and he’d absolutely be there, with a “haha, you can’t stop me!” kind of tone.  And I thought, I’d never try to stop you…I’d be very disappointed if you didn’t come.  Letting you guys into this rehearsal was my request, and while I said it was for Aaron and Andrea and all my other friends in your show, really you’re the one I really want to be there.

This is my Syracuse debut and I don’t want anyone to miss it, tiny though my role is.  The show is going to be good.  The ending, in particular, is just fantastic.  I’m really excited.

I was talking to Chrissy outside rehearsal one night this weekend, I don’t remember when, the days are all sort of blended together…but anyway, we were sort of talking about Robbie and sort of talking about life in general.  I was saying that I have a hard time approaching him because, well, he’s Robbie R——- and everyone knows him and loves him, he has a huge amount of respect in the department so there’s a significant intimidation factor.  And she said, but you’re the same way.  Everyone knows you, everyone knows you, maybe he’s intimidated too.  It was amazing to hear her say that, especially knowing that she’s going to be the same way in not very long at all.  I really love that girl and I’m so glad we sorted things out.

I really should get to work…I don’t have time to sit around and write endless diary entries about very little.  Anyway, it might be a while before I can write again, bec

ause we’re in tech and I’m so crazy busy.  But things are going well, overall.  I’m exhausted, but things are going well.

–Stephanie