Yep, it's show season! It's the typical bus scenario. I've had sod-all work for most of the year, and now that things are starting to get busy, EVERYONE wants me.
Don't get me wrong, it's a nice feeling to be wanted for a change, but do these things really have to happen all at the same time?
I'm performing in a play this week, my Halloween job starts next week, and I have two plays with my students packed in shortly after that. At this rate my next day off will be Christmas Day.
I enjoy all of my work, of course I do, I'm just quite terrible at time management! Of course, having to rely on other people to give me things that I need always delays me a little, but slowly things are falling into place, and I'm even managing to do little extra pieces. *Suddenly realises why I'm so behind*
My next show with my students is my wartime drama, 'Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye'. It's quite a simple concept for this show, it needs to be with 70 students spanning 4 classes involved, all at different times. What was I thinking? In my head it was much simpler than it has turned out to be, and my house is full of, well, stuff. The previously mentioned sandbags, a signpost, various army costumes, flags, bunting, furniture. My bedroom is literally a labyrinth to navigate.
A couple of weeks ago there were also 50 gas mask boxes lining the walls and floors. I found some online that were quite expensive, so naturally I thought I'd make my own. How hard could it be? I ordered some boxes, printed some labels, and sat down with several pots of glue, string, scissors and champagne. Which held the boxes together, honest! Once the boxes were constructed, with the help of my other half, we sat down to cut the labels for the sticking stage. I then had to leave the house to go to my choir rehearsal. I left the OH at home, said I'd be back soon, and that I would make dinner for him helping me. I hadn't specifically asked for help with the boxes, he just decided to help, which was lovely. I returned home from choir 90 minutes later to discover that he had attached almost all of the labels to the boxes in my absence. I could have cried. I'm just so used to having to do everything myself that I wasn't expecting it, and it took me completely by surprise. This feeling was swiftly replaced with guilt as he said he did it so that he could spend more time with me so that all of my time wasn't spent working. Ouch. Sorry.
(He's also banned me from making my last 12 sandbags so I'm not that sorry!)
Aside from all of the work on that show, I'm performing this week. I was approached about a script 15 months ago, and now it's finally happening! The play is called 'Hot Thoughts', and I play a counsellor who ends up with Hamlet in her counselling room. It's a brand new play, never before seen, so I'm feeling incredibly lucky that I've got the first go at it! What makes it more brilliant is that I'm performing alongside one of my best friends in it. I had recommended him to the writer early on, but for whatever reasons, it didn't happen, until recently when he auditioned and got the part.
It's been a bit of a varied journey to get it ready, but it is so much fun to perform, and it's an absolute joy to be doing it with someone special to me.
I know that it wouldn't be the same play without him in it. Because we know each other so well, it makes it so easy, I'm having the best time. Unfortunately we're only on for three nights of this initial run, but I really hope we get to do it more. It's a fantastic play and it deserves to be seen.
I may constantly be moaning at the moment, moaning that I can't walk across my floor for fear of treading on props, that I can't find the perfect dress for a role, that I'm constantly exhausted from flitting from one play to another and back again, sometimes many times during one day, but I love it.
I love working with my friends on projects, I love that I'm getting to write my own plays and watch them come to life thanks to my brilliant students, and I love that people still want to employ me! That's nice!
Thank you to everyone that has helped me in any way over the last few months. You know who you are and I appreciate every single thing.
Now to try and get rid of my pesky cough before opening night! Wish me luck...
Nxxx
