welp

When I direct a show I'm typically directing two casts, with 40-60 kids in each. Each has their own tech week and performance weekend. My oh my, the second week is hard.

Last week was tech for the "Bravo" cast. It was the BEST.TECH.WEEK.EVER. The cast was organized and on the ball. They were creative and kind. It was a breath of fresh air. This week was just bound for doom. No matter how last night went, it was going to feel like a sham-wow in comparison to Sunday's lovely, polished, funny show. And it certainly was a sham-wow. It took an hour and a half to run 20 minutes of the show. Lines were foreign. It was as if the entire thing was brand new to the leads. The ensemble was pretty ok, but there's only one group number in the portion we were running.

The redemption of all this came moments after the final student left. Talking with dear friends who happen to be the Music Director and Stage Manager, I ended up on the floor laughing over the ridiculousness of the rehearsal [deep breath]. We laugh and remind ourselves it always feels like this. We say "see you tomorrow," and know that ultimately this is work, not the end of the world. 

I'm so thankful to have learned a few things over the past 3.5 years in this job. It always comes together. The kids are more important than the show. If you don't give them a snack and bathroom break, one of them will pee on the stage. Important things to learn my friends, important things.