"Because it is DELIGHTFUL!"
We're opening the first show of the season tonight--"Sherlock Holmes: The Final Adventure." It's not a great script, but the preview audiences seem to like it a lot, so I think it'll be a successful run. But this week has been a killer. First of all, tech weekend was slower than a dead turtle. In Saturday's 10-hour rehearsal, we did not finish Act I. In Sunday's 10-hour rehearsal, we finished Act I, but because of that, we were not able to finish Act II. Normally, on the following Tuesday after our Monday off, we'd have an additional 8 hours of rehearsal to finish teching, run it through, and go back and touch things we needed to touch again. Hell, on a normal show, we wouldn't even need to do that, because normally we can tech the show in its entirety by dinner break on Sunday, so when we come back from dinner, we can do a run-through and see what needs to be done on Tuesday.
But I work for IRT, and the people who do the scheduling are idiots. Or assholes. Or both. Because this year, every single preview week has an extra preview--on Tuesday night. Which means we have a public performance. Which means we lose 3 hours of rehearsal, which doesn't sound like much, but believe me--it is.
So this is how my week has been--slow tech Saturday. Slow tech Sunday. Finish tech Tuesday, do a hurried run through, and have no time for touchups before going in front of an audience. The train-wreck potential was off the charts, my friends. It is only owing to the dedication and professionalism of the crew that we were able to pull this shit off. The preview went as smoothly as could be expected, but this whole week has been a sort of clusterfuck of prioritizing and rushing. My poor lighting designer really got shafted--she never had the opportunity to sit and play and experiment. She said last night that she felt as if the show she ended up with was basically the first skeleton of a design she put onstage. It looks great anyway, because she's a fantastic designer, but still.
Anyway. Whatever. The show's fine. Good, even. And some of the effects are amazing (I'm especially fond of the transitions in and out of Gasworks and the waterfall at the end--but you need to come see the show if you want to know what the hell I'm talking about). It's opening tonight and I'm gonna get all gussied up and have a ball. :-)
But I work for IRT, and the people who do the scheduling are idiots. Or assholes. Or both. Because this year, every single preview week has an extra preview--on Tuesday night. Which means we have a public performance. Which means we lose 3 hours of rehearsal, which doesn't sound like much, but believe me--it is.
So this is how my week has been--slow tech Saturday. Slow tech Sunday. Finish tech Tuesday, do a hurried run through, and have no time for touchups before going in front of an audience. The train-wreck potential was off the charts, my friends. It is only owing to the dedication and professionalism of the crew that we were able to pull this shit off. The preview went as smoothly as could be expected, but this whole week has been a sort of clusterfuck of prioritizing and rushing. My poor lighting designer really got shafted--she never had the opportunity to sit and play and experiment. She said last night that she felt as if the show she ended up with was basically the first skeleton of a design she put onstage. It looks great anyway, because she's a fantastic designer, but still.
Anyway. Whatever. The show's fine. Good, even. And some of the effects are amazing (I'm especially fond of the transitions in and out of Gasworks and the waterfall at the end--but you need to come see the show if you want to know what the hell I'm talking about). It's opening tonight and I'm gonna get all gussied up and have a ball. :-)