Well....
A LOT has happened since I last wrote to you all. So, let's play catch up shall
we?
(Note: There is some overlap from previous posts. I apologize.)
After my
first quarter at UCI, I went on to serve as Assistant Stage Manager for The Merchant of Venice for the inaugural
production in The New Swan Theater (not to be confused with the production I
stage managed this summer. I'll get to that part later). The New Swan (or the
Swan for short) was built and assembled on the stage of The Claire Trevor
Theatre where we premiered the theatre, performed a short one week run, and
gained support for the upcoming summer festival. At the end of our very
successful run, the Swan was disassembled and put into storage. "Pause
there Morocco..."
What's
The New Swan you ask? Let me explain. It's a fairly small theatre entirely designed
and built by UCI faculty, staff, and students. The house holds approximately
125 people and wraps around the circular stage in two levels, almost like
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The
stage flooring lays down in square panels and locks together. Then the tiring
house (a.k.a. balcony area) and audience modules are erected around the staged
and snapped together in fifteen 1-ton pieces to create a complete theatre. The New Swan Theater design was inspired by an Elizabethan theater called The
Swan (which in essence was a smaller version of The Globe). The drama
department built our version of theater in hopes of creating a unique, intimate
playing space for a summer Shakespeare festival that would become an annual
tradition.... "But more of that here after."
At the
same time that I was serving as ASM on the first Merchant of Venice production, I was serving as Stage Manager for
a non-drama production on campus. It sounds impossible, I know, but the
directors "hired" me with the knowledge that I could only organize
and communicate via internet and short coffee meetings until Merchant closed. In early February, I
finally joined the directors and cast of Galileo
in America in the new XMPL Theater on campus (basically a new black box
space). Joining the cast over halfway through the rehearsal process and then
having to play catch up while aiding the directors scramble to put all the
pieces of the puzzle together, was certainly a challenge. The play itself was highly artistic, written by the Associate Dean of Studio Art, using
Brecht-inspired script formation, live camera feeds, newly composed music, and
a multitude of projection slides and video clips. I have never called such a
cue-heavy show in all my life (which was actually pretty exciting). The production ran for
two weekends in late February/ early March and closed with what the directors felt was a
successful run. For me, this production was a true test of my stage management
skills/ knowledge, of my career choice in stage management, and of me as an
individual. Let's just say that this experience was an unforgettable one.
Thankfully
after Galileo closed, I turned 21 and
Spring Break was just around the corner!!! Man was I tired. Winter Quarter had
consisted of about 20 units plus two shows. So a trip to Vegas was EXACTLY what
the doctor ordered. My totally awesome, wickedly cool, super stellar cousins
took me and my bestie, to Vegas for 4 days and 3 nights of vacation
bliss. And since what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (unless it's posted on
Facebook)... "that's all I have to say about that."
[Brief intermission... If you need a reading break, do it
now.]
Okay so
now we've finally made it to Spring Quarter. As if I had not learned my lesson
from the quarter before, I piled my work load on again!! (I bet you are all so
surprised... not.) Anywho, I was blessed with the opportunity of taking the
Graduate Stage Management class for the quarter, which was not only
pretty interesting and educational, but also super fun. Beyond that I took my usual load of
dram major requirements (boring) and signed on as Assistant Stage Manager for The Lost Estate, a devised theater piece
(devised, meaning we make it up as we go) that was adapted and directed by a faculty member. The
director's style is to tell the story mainly through movement. It was extremely
interesting watching the actors and director create scenes, such as exploring
through a dark forest, solely through their bodies. This, however, also posed a
large challenge. I quickly became responsible for taking detailed blocking
notes on where each cast member moved and when. As the play was highly visual,
all of the stage management team had to be vigilant in snapping photos, videos,
and closely watching entrances and exits to be sure there were no
inconsistencies. As this production was unsupported for costumes, stage
management also faced the challenge of trying to organize period-esque costumes
that could still move for a medium sized cast on no budget. Though challenging,
this was actually kind of fun! Our production ran for one weekend in mid-May
with numerous sold out houses.
Immediately
after The Lost Estate closed, I
jumped into acting as 2nd ASM for Dames
at Sea onstage the Claire Trevor Theater. As the production was fairly tech
heavy, the stage manager could use all the support she could get. When she asked
for my help, I couldn't say no. Awesomely fun story short, I worked the fly
rail and flew back drops and set dressing in and out (mega work out in case you
were wondering). Because I joined this production so late in the game, I had
far less responsibility than other stage management team members. It was a nice
change in pace. I showed up, did the manual labor, supported the SM and then
went home to sleep like a baby. Once we hit performance, I was graced with a
visit from my grandpa and fairy godmother from Whidbey Island. I was fortunate
enough to spend a few days with them in San Diego and then one day here in
Irvine, which concluded with them seeing the show. Their visit (like my Vegas
trip) was exactly what the doctor ordered. God, I miss you guys!
Meanwhile,
during the quarter I was offered to serve as Stage Manager for The New Swan
Summer Shakespeare Festival's remounting of The
Merchant of Venice, which I over ecstatically accepted. I was also offered
Stage Manager of next Fall Quarter's main stage production of Orlando (as adapted by Sarah Ruhl),
which I also accepted. Then to end my favorite quarter on an even higher note,
I was awarded a scholarship for my achievements in academics and the arts. Then about a week later I was awarded Honors in Stage Management. A moment to
brag: A booyah booyah (pause for applause).
[Another
brief intermission.... Seventh inning stretch if you will... 3 paragraphs
more.]
So now
we've hit summer. I applied for and accepted a second job (or I guess
technically third job if you count stage managing in the Swan). Now I have a
solid day job working as a Teacher's Aide at the Infant Toddler Center here on
campus. It's a pretty awesome job. So for the month of June I split my time
working between ITC and Bath and Body Works (yes, I still work there). When the
first week of July hit, The New Swan Summer Shakespeare Festival extravaganza
began.
The
festival had two productions, The
Merchant of Venice and The Comedy of
Errors, as well as offering Academy and Apprenticeship programs for high-school-aged students. After a full month of both of the productions rehearsing
in studios while the New Swan was being moved and assembled outdoors in Gateway Commons, we were ready to
tech and move forward. Both shows enjoyed 6 completely sold out performances (each) throughout the month of August. To say the festival was a tremendous success would be an understatement. Audiences simply ate it up! After the final show closed, congratulations ensued. Three days later... The New Swan had been disassembled and returned to storage. The other day I walked to the site where we erected the theater... it's so odd for it to be gone. It felt like all evidence of my summer had been completely wiped clean.
Nevertheless! The memories made and experiences gained will never be forgotten. Despite this being the absolute busiest summer of my life, it has also been one of the best.
Now I'm two weeks from starting my SENIOR YEAR in college (ohmigod!). I plan to enroll in only 2-3 classes in order to maximize my work hours and still give time to focus on Stage Management.
Next stop... ORLANDO! (The play, not the place. Though the place would be fun too.)
Gotta love pre-production work.
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