Life has it's ups and down and then there's theatre.
It seems to be weekly that I feel down about being in a holding pattern with my career, which has caused me to fill Mom and Dad's empty nest for almost six months now. There are times when I feel I need more space. I usually write about them here. I started to feel that way again this afternoon. Mom wasn't going to have dinner ready in time for me to enjoy it before meeting with the director/designer of the set that I am building. Wanting some time in a place I could call my own, I had dinner at Panera courtesy of a gift card I won as a door prize at the Warner's volunteer holiday party. They seemed to have changed their menu, but I still found something that I liked.
When I arrived at the Warner I learned that Les's class started earlier, and that we wouldn't be able to discuss the changes he had in mind until later. The TD who I was expecting to help me tonight did not show. Sometimes it is discouraging to not have consistent help, but I was ok with it tonight. It allowd me an opportunity to do my own thing without giving instructions to other people. I've enjoyed being at the Warner this week. I picked up some paid work there on Monday and again for tomorrow. Yay for jobs that are five minutes from home and start at 9:00 or 10:30 am! I also had the opportunity to learn to drive a forklift. I used it to move all of the flats that I built from the warehouse to the studio (black box) theatre. I thought I had a great place to turn around outside the warehouse tonight so that I didn't have to back into the driveway, but instead I got the forklift stuck in a snow bank. I managed to get it out after shoveling some snow from under the wheels and some back and forth motion. At the studio theatre I parked it next to a Land Rover. I bet the owner of that would have had a heart attack if they saw me coming. The design of the set is really cool, and will be more functional once I make some changes to improve sightlines from house left. The director mentioned that each patron will have a different view of the house and cast based on where they sit. I am excited to see it come together in the performance space piece by piece after building sections of flats and show deck in the warehouse 5 days a week for the past two weeks. I started to photograph my progress tonight, but I'm not sharing them until after opening.
I am mildly optimistic about a new job right now. I have applied for an architecture and an engineering job both of which were advertised. I met the principal of the architecture firm at an AIA Connecticut Design Committee meeting last week. He said to get in touch when I introduced myself and said I was unemployed. The engineering job has been advertised for a while now. That company has an offices in central Connecticut and in New Haven, both of which are more like the urban flavor I am used to. The architecture firm is further away. I also just saw an advertisement from another firm in New Haven that I am going to respond to. Meanwhile, I saw the owner of the local package store while Mom, Dad, and I were at a restaurant last Saturday. He said I could work at his store part time. I almost went over this afternoon to talk to him, but held off thinking that maybe something would come of these other jobs. I also want to look around and see if I can get more theatre work. Sometimes it can be frustrating working with people who think just about the artistry or put scenery together in a way that makes it difficult to disassemble when the time comes. However, I managed to get to a point yesterday where I could laugh about it. And in the later case, it is the reason I am going back tomorrow to finish what I started on Monday.
When I arrived at the Warner I learned that Les's class started earlier, and that we wouldn't be able to discuss the changes he had in mind until later. The TD who I was expecting to help me tonight did not show. Sometimes it is discouraging to not have consistent help, but I was ok with it tonight. It allowd me an opportunity to do my own thing without giving instructions to other people. I've enjoyed being at the Warner this week. I picked up some paid work there on Monday and again for tomorrow. Yay for jobs that are five minutes from home and start at 9:00 or 10:30 am! I also had the opportunity to learn to drive a forklift. I used it to move all of the flats that I built from the warehouse to the studio (black box) theatre. I thought I had a great place to turn around outside the warehouse tonight so that I didn't have to back into the driveway, but instead I got the forklift stuck in a snow bank. I managed to get it out after shoveling some snow from under the wheels and some back and forth motion. At the studio theatre I parked it next to a Land Rover. I bet the owner of that would have had a heart attack if they saw me coming. The design of the set is really cool, and will be more functional once I make some changes to improve sightlines from house left. The director mentioned that each patron will have a different view of the house and cast based on where they sit. I am excited to see it come together in the performance space piece by piece after building sections of flats and show deck in the warehouse 5 days a week for the past two weeks. I started to photograph my progress tonight, but I'm not sharing them until after opening.
I am mildly optimistic about a new job right now. I have applied for an architecture and an engineering job both of which were advertised. I met the principal of the architecture firm at an AIA Connecticut Design Committee meeting last week. He said to get in touch when I introduced myself and said I was unemployed. The engineering job has been advertised for a while now. That company has an offices in central Connecticut and in New Haven, both of which are more like the urban flavor I am used to. The architecture firm is further away. I also just saw an advertisement from another firm in New Haven that I am going to respond to. Meanwhile, I saw the owner of the local package store while Mom, Dad, and I were at a restaurant last Saturday. He said I could work at his store part time. I almost went over this afternoon to talk to him, but held off thinking that maybe something would come of these other jobs. I also want to look around and see if I can get more theatre work. Sometimes it can be frustrating working with people who think just about the artistry or put scenery together in a way that makes it difficult to disassemble when the time comes. However, I managed to get to a point yesterday where I could laugh about it. And in the later case, it is the reason I am going back tomorrow to finish what I started on Monday.