Day 53: Ketchum for the Day

As soon as I arrived this morning I continued my project to get through my new list and finishing addressing envelopes. I was not to be in the office long today, so I wanted to get as much done while I was there. Yesterday I did filming of Stages and had to film one more class today. I used the flip yesterday, but today I was going to be using the for real camera. It, however, was not at theatre, but it arrived right before I was to leave. Mr. John gave me a quick tutorial to make sure I knew how to use it, and I was off!

I arrived in plenty of time to set up shop and prepare to film. Unlike yesterday, when I arrived just before the class began, on a count of my wonderful navigating skills. Today's class was 2nd graders. I could tell they were a little nervous about the camera, but it didn't stop them from having fun! (rule #3 in Stages) Mr. Scott and Beth's class was able to get in one more exercise then Mr. R.L. and Mr. Andrew's class yesterday. I was able to get footage of the five object exercise too. The class was very creative with their use of the objects as different things. I again was able to get some good stuff today! After class I had a few errands to run before returning to teach with Mr. R.L. at 1:45.

I ran to Atkinson's to pick up a few appetizer items for our artist gathering at 5:30. I then returned to the school, very early I might add, and read in the parking lot until it was time for class. I still went in about 15 minutes early because the environment had to be reset. The class before ours was in the midst of scooter tag, so I had to wait to set up. Luckily the environment takes about two minutes to set, so I was in no hurry.  We had a class of 2nd graders today also. They were so great, and worked so well with each other! My favorite exercise today was group sculpture. Of all the classes I've taught they had the most unique sculptures, all of them using different levels, and poses. The little ones tend to get stuck in a straight line when doing group sculpture, but not this class. I was really impressed with them.

I returned to the office around three and began working on my envelopes again (not before checking in for my flight home TOMORROW though :)) So, once I was checked in I continued my addressing. I only took a break to help Ms. Denise get the snacks ready for the gathering. I managed to make it through the whole list just was the day was coming to a close.

At the gathering we discussed the company's strategic plan, the upcoming season, and how to gain more patrons for our theatre. It seemed to be a very successful meeting. Most of the artist that were invited have either been with the company for many years, or are new and now a part of the foolish union (which was also discussed) :) Tomorrow I head home for break so your daily dose of The Idaho Fool won't return until next Thursday. Over break I have some serious thinking to do. I have to decide my summer plans, which is going to be very difficult indeed with lots of fun and exciting things happening this summer. Until next week...

Day 52: Stages Filming and more Envelope Addressing

I wanted to try and get my Kenny Alhadeff paper started today, but there was much to be done in the office. I started it, but then decided I needed more information on Mr. Alhadeff himself not just all the information I have on the show. I shot him an email in hopes to get some more information. I then continued work on my Flex Pass project. Ms. Denise had printed different lists also and wanted me to compare her lists to the whole list I had to make sure no patron was left out! I first started by alphabetizing my already addressed envelopes. I figured I could go through them and compare the lists quicker this way. Alphabetizing over 200 envelopes took a little longer than expected and I was beginning to wonder if my efforts would be worth it in the end. I was grateful for a break from my Flex project to go do some filming of Stages before returning to finish.

I surprised Mr. R.L. and Mr. Andrew by showing up at their Stages class with a camera. I was trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. I didn't want me filming to intimidate the students and make them feel uncomfortable doing the exercises. It was a class of first graders, and the first day back from Spring Break, so needless to say they were a little wound up. The class went surprisingly well, all things considered. It was just a little harder to get them to calm down and focus between exercises while transitioning into another one. I was able to get some really great footage. The footage is going to be used for a Powerpoint presentation regarding the arts in the school systems. I will be in charge of getting certain aspects of the Powerpoint together. :)

When I returned to the office, Ms. Denise had a new list of patrons that needed envelopes addressed to them. This group as opposed to the other group had not purchased Flex Passes in the past, but had bought enough tickets with the theatre Flex Passes would probably be a good fit for them in the future. I first went through Ms. Denise's Flex Pass lists and compared them to my already addressed envelopes. Although my alphabetizing didn't prove especially helpful, at least all the names were fresh in my head so it helped me to go through those lists quickly. I then went through the new list and made sure there were no duplicates, and then began my addressing. 

By the time the end of the day rolled around, I was messing up envelopes left and right. (okay, that's an exaggeration, but still it was a sign it was time to call it a day!) More addressing to come and one more day in the office until break! Until tomorrow...

Day 51: Another Day in the Office & 5 Days until HOME!

I started Friday morning in storage. I was only there for a short time when Mr. John called and said there was a change of plans, and he wouldn't be able to make it into storage. I hadn't been there long and luckily hadn't pulled anything out yet, so as soon as I got the message I headed to the office.

When I arrived I had a to do list I had written waiting for me. First up, I again worked on logging the rest of the shows into Folio. I still had two left, not including special events in between main stage shows. I went through and logged the December and February shows. We also have an event coming up in May, Shanley Evening, an evening with John Patrick Shanley. I now have left to log out two special events, and then the season will be complete!

After I finished entering all the shows, Ms. Denise gave me another project to work on. For all the special events and shows for the season, I had to make a volunteer sheet for each. The sheet consisted of show name, dates, and the jobs of volunteers under each date. I then printed all sheets out and filed them in the volunteer binder sorted by date.

Before diving into my script reading again, I ironed the Stages of Wonder shirts for next week. We have to look fresh and pressed when hanging out with the little ones :) Ironing didn't take long at all, and I was back in the office. I managed to finish another play before leaving for the day :) Twelve down and so many to go! I started my thirteenth play today. It is one of the ones part of the Humana Festival, still have many to get through in that book! I'll leave you all with an updated picture of storage, it's a work in in progress, but it's coming along :) Until tomorrow...

Day 50: 1 Rack Down 1 to Go

Back in storage, I began pulling racks out and out of the way to start on the coat rack in the back and the the second double men's rack. We started with the men's double rack. Mr. John again went through pulling items we did not need. This rack consisted of suiting, shirts, and sweats. By the time he was finished we had room for the items not yet on the rack yet, and some. Next we moved onto the men's pants. There are way too many pairs of pants. Yet, it was difficult choosing which ones to let go. As quick as Mr. John as pulling items I tried to equally as quickly fold and pack them.

Next up, the coats! The company has so many fabulous coats. It was even harder to pick ones to get rid of. Luckily with a little squeezing and shifting we were able to fit them all. We had gotten through the whole rack, and discovered there were still more on the rack outside. Like, I said, with some squeezing Mr. John was able to make it work. After two days in storage we have both men's racked cleaned and organized, one women's rack cleaned and organized and the coats! We have also be able to clear one full rack with all the items we have gotten rid of. The plan is to clear one more, and have one empty one to keep in storage to pull items for up coming shows. Mr. John left around 12:30 and I continued to bag. Once, I was all bagged and cleaned up, I headed to drop the bags at Barkin' Basement and then to the office!

I arrived to find my to do list ready and waiting for me. So glad I made that, or else I would've never remembered. I'm finding the importance of writing things down, as my work continues here. I began by doing some shredding, and then took care of the recycle. Two very quick and easy jobs. I then sat down and began logging the new season again. I have now managed to add two complete shows to the system!

Monologue work with Ms. Denise went fairly well. I went through the two monologues and we discussed how I did. I could tell I was not fully connected to the Shakespeare, and towards the end of my contemporary piece I got a little wonky. I could feel that I needed to be more in my body in the moment in each. We discussed the circumstances I had set up for the second monologue and decided it needed more urgency. Ms. Denise also gave me some tips on my transition from one monologue to the next. Before we meet again I'm going to play around with some transitions. We also decided my Shakespeare may not be the best for me, so Ms. Denise pulled another one for me to look at, along with  a few contemporary ones to choose from. I'm excited to start work on some new monologues, and find the right fit for Shakespeare, I know I struggle with that. When I return from break I'm also going to try and work with Beth (Jean, Dead Man's Cell Phone) on my voice work!

I started some more reading towards the end of the day. I am now on my twelth play. Right now I am reading Strike-Slip which was featured in the Humana Festival in 2007. I really like it so far. The cast is very racially mixed, and I like how the playwright plays into that. The characters are portrayed in such an interesting way. I will for sure be doing a lot of reading this weekend :) Until Tomorrow...

Day 49: Progress in Storage

Mr. John met me around 10 to begin a legit cleaning in storage. First on the list, men's shirts. Mr. John will be going through all the racks the next few days and pulling pieces we can give away. We were able to get rid of a good amount of shirts. After That was conquered we moved onto the ladies rack. The whole rack is now a lot lighter and organized by color. Sweaters and suits are on the top, shirts and blouses on the bottom. There is still much to do, but we were able to get a lot out the way. After Mr. John left I continued bagging the items to give away. Once I was finished I trashed the wire hangers, and loaded the bags into my car. I headed to Barkin' Basement to donate the clothes. They were pretty excited about the 6 bags I had I'm sure I'll be back again and again in the next couple weeks.

Once I arrived at the office, I began adding the shows for the new season to Folio. The process can be tedious and somewhat time consuming, but I actually enjoyed it. After all the times and dates were set up, I had to go into the seating chart and block of the seats that are not available or that are for box office use only. I was able to get the first show and it's 20 showings out of the way. Nothing too fun and exciting happened for the rest of the day. However, Ms. Denise asked me to research and find interviews with John Patrick Shanley. He will be visiting at the end of May, and we need to gather some really good questions to ask him.

I was enthralled. I could not stop watching is interviews. I hope he is as nice and charming as he seems :) I also did some research on the play Peter and the Star Catcher. It is not exactly a musical, but does have some musical numbers. I again could not stop watching the videos as I researched. It looks like a really fun and play, and would be awesome to put on. Just getting some insight possibly for upcoming seasons :) I didn't even realize when 5 o'clock rolled around, but the day was done and I was ready to head home. Until tomorrow...

Day 48: Second Day Storage

I began my day bright and early-ish. I was at storage a little before ten to get started. I had prepared yesterday, and brought with me the step stool, trash bags, and any remaining storage items with me. I first began by pulling out the three racks in the middle. I again, was there for a little over two hours, and felt like I did not accomplish much.

I started with the men's button downs and pants rack. I went through both racks making sure there were no hangers with nothing on them floating. I then hung up all the clothes I left out and filed them accordingly (for now, anyways). Next I moved onto the ladies side. I organized one whole bottom rack by color. It was hard to get much done because I am not in charge of pulling items to get rid of. Mr. John will be coming in the next few days to pull items, that way I will have more room, and do some serious organizing :) My Nordstroms sales racks that were once the death of me are now actually helpful. It is like I am working with the ultimates sale racks. I'm gonna start organizing by color and hopefully move onto size, time and space permitting.

I got the call while in storage about the read through. I unfortunately did not get the part :( I of course was upset and had a moment in storage, but I am very grateful that they even were considering me. If I was meant to have the part I would. I had to keep telling myself that, as opposed to you suck at acting. But really I do not think it was a judgement of my talent at all. Mr. John said each read through was very different and the choice was not an easy one to make. He also said I did great, which made me feel loads better :)

I headed back to the office around 12:30. When I arrived there were  a couple checks to be logged, but not much else happening. I returned to my American Theatre magazine, and got a few more pages of reading out of the way. That 2 o'clock feeling was setting in so I ran and grabbed Ms. Denise and I some coffees for a little pick me up. I got the bowl of soul, which is 2 shots espresso, hot chocolate, and coffee! It went right to me head, for sure gives you a little buzz. After that I was ready to work on anything. I ended emailing Mr. R.L to see if he could set up a time to update the Folio system with the new seasons shows. He was available straight away, so he hopped over to the theatre for a quick tutorial.

At first he had to do some back tracking and re-thinking to get everything set up again. It's like riding a bike, it comes back to you. After he set up the new series, he set up the first event of the series. Mr. R.L did the first one, and then I did the second on my own to make sure I had it right. Over the next days or however long it will talk I'll be logging our main-stage shows into the system.

The five o'clock whistle blew and the day was done. I was the last to leave the theatre. I went out the back, and whenever I do that I always get caught on the stage. I took the time to practice my monologues. I have monologue work on Thursday so I figured I should get some practice in before then. I also did a few dance and musical routines, made up on the spot of course :) I took the time on the stage to do some thinking also. Not getting the part, not only is upsetting, but makes my decision for summer even harder to make. I think I need to spend some more stage thinking before I come to my final decision. Until Tomorrow...

Day 47: Envelope Stuffing, Read Through, and Reading

As soon as I got to the office I continued my Flex Pass project. I began with the letters I had printed already and started stuffing them into the labeled envelopes. Once that pile was finished I went through the remaining envelopes and personalized each letter and printed those off. And then, you guessed it, I stuffed those envelopes and added them to my pile. As you can see, many letters will be going out.

After my project was finished. I logged a few donations and began some research on Google non- profits for Ms. Denise. I had researched a little before on Google grants, and came to find out Google Grants was a product, as they call it, under Google Non-profits. I also researched YouTube not profit, which again is another product. If we apply under the Google Non-profits we'll be able to get the benefits of the products. Once My research was finished I sent out an email briefly explaining the program and what it offers. If need be I'll be presenting more information to Mr. John and Ms. Denise, and it may become a project of mine to keep up with :)

Two o'clock finally arrived and it was time for my read through. I was very excited they were even considering me for the show. We read through 3 scenes, one monologue, and two dialogue scenes. I felt like it went well, could've been better I'm sure, but still felt pretty good about it. Getting the part would really help me decide my summer, but whatever happens, I'll be wherever I'm supposed to be.

After my read through I decided to get some reading done. Ms. Denise and Mr. John have given me my first American Theatre magazine to read. My task is to read the entire magazine, cover to cover. I've gotten through 29 of the 80 pages, so I still have a way to go. The magazine has a lot of information. It was really fun and interesting to know what is going on around the country in Theatre. So far I've learned what productions different companies are putting on, what theatres are having to close theur doors, deaths in theatre, and so much more!  Until later...



Days 45 & 46: My first trip storage and Envelope Stuffing

Thursday, I finally made it to storage. Three trips back and forth before I actually got into storage, but I made it. The key I had made for the costume unit was not working, so I headed to Green's to see what could be done. They had to do some work on the key, and I headed back to storage in hopes it would work. Well, I got there and it still did not work. Back to the theatre, I grabbed the original key, and headed back to Green's to get a new copy made. And then it was again back to storage. This time I brought the original with me just in case. The new key unfortunately didn't work either! I'm no exactly sure what the issue is but like I said I brought the original just in case. 

I finally began my clean up in storage after talking about it forever. I first began with the left shelving unit, and the floating boxes and bushels. I started with the boxes and bushels. Whatever boxes and bushels that were floating I went through and filed everything accordingly. I hung up the costumes, I put shoes in the shoes bins, I filed ties, undies, and socks. I spent about two hours in storage, which is not a lot but I got a lot done, even though it may not look like I have yet. (pic seen is the before) The entire left shelf is now organized. Men's t-shirts, boxers, and socks, and women's under garments, tights and gloves. The whole shelf seems to flow now and has an order to it. This week I will begin going through the clothes, and possibly getting rid of some items. 

Back at the office I was able to catch up with Ms. Denise and hear all about her trip. I even met her daughter Russel who is visiting. I then continued my Folio patron list. It is officially complete! Folio is all cleaned up and ready to roll! Next up I was to print a report of our Flex Pass buyers to send a letter out about our new season. A Flex Pass offers tickets for a lower price for our patrons, and gives you the option to use them all at once or throughout the season.  I also printed some reports for Mr. John for his and Ms. Denise's meeting regarding the upcoming year. I finally got a peek at the new season! Very excited! Of course no one can know until Fool's Day! :)

Friday started off very early. I had to be at Stages in Bellevue at 8:30. The school was having an assembly so our first class got started a little late. We were able to get through a very fast sound and movement lightening round, paired sculpture, and group sculpture. The two classes we taught had an odd number so I was able to sculpt with them. I had a lot of fun doing so, we sculpted our dream jobs. The second class went very quickly and we were able to do more than one group sculpture. Unfortunately our third class got cancelled. I was really looking forward to this class because I taught them earlier in the week. However, they had to work on something for their music class. Mr. Andrew, Mr. Craig and I then loaded up the environment into my car to take back to the theatre. 

Once I arrived, I got back to my Flex Pass list. I was in charge of finishing addressing envelopes that I had begun Thursday. After they were all addressed I began printing copies of a letter Ms. Denise wanted sent out to all the patrons. By the end of the day I had gotten through over half of the envelopes and had them all stuffed. I still have some to finish tomorrow. When each is stuffed with a letter, it will then get a flyer about the new season to be sent out. Tomorrow I have a read through for an upcoming play. I hope it goes well. I really like the play. Until tomorrow...

Day 44: 2 Weeks until HOME! (I can't say it enough)

As you can tell the title of today's blog posting has absolutely nothing to do with my day. Besides the fact that it is a true statement, I just wanted to make it know, and express my excitement. Ten weeks as a Fool and I'm ready for "spring" break and to be with my family. I am however, upset that I will be missing Fool's Day! The Company of Fools has proudly claimed April 1st as their own and will announce the 16th season on this day. Ms. Denise and Mr. John have been very good with keeping the season on the hush hush, although I have a few insights :) If I am here in the summer, which I would love to be (hint, hint :)) I hope I can get as much out of another show and the start of a new season as I did Dead Man's Cell Phone. I also think it will be cool now that I have "closed" as season, if you will, to open one! Only time will tell, whatever happens I'm very excited for the Company regardless and have gained so much thus far, and I know they will have spectacular season!

I digress, back to the day. I arrived at the office around 10, but was only there for a short time. I had Stages at 11:25 so I was there until at little after 11. I had some Folio editing to do this morning, and read some emails. Nothing major, all in a days work, and then I was off to stages. Today I taught with Mr. Scott for the first time. We had a fifth grade class first. Some of them having had stages for the past few years at least, were a little over it, but once we got started and jumped into the games they seemed more willing to have fun and play. After our first class we had a short break.

I took the time on my break to make a post office run. I had forgotten the disks Mr. John wanted sent out so I first headed back to the office. Once those were picked up I was back on the road, but not for long. Halfway to the post office, I realized I forgot money to but an envelope and send the disks! (fail) So after a quick turn around I was back at the Liberty. I snagged the cash and headed to the post office, for real this time. Once at the post office I picked up the mail and sent the disks out! I then returned to Woodside elementary to eat my lunch and then go back in for Stages round 2.

Our second class was a little rambunctious. It took a little time to get through the directions and explain the rules and exercises. I will so one thing, those second graders had a lot of energy! They were so cute, whenever we mentioned something they would go off "oh, my friend has that" "my aunt's having a baby" "can you guess my name?" so funny. We managed to get through everything and we all had a great time! I teach again on Friday, this time with Mr. andrew again. Ms. Denise was my original partner but she is just getting back from her trip, so they did some switching. On friday we have two fourth grades classes and one fifth grade class, all on their second day. I have only taught day two once, so I'm going to  have to read up on the literature and refresh myself how the day is supposed to do. The fifth grade class we had today I will see again on Friday, which I'm very excited about :D

Back at the office not much was going on. I had a few phone calls come in, which of course, were then transferred to Mr. John. I made the call to follow-up with Ms. Annie again about storage, but the phone did not have much action otherwise. I was able to get through another play, however. It's called Commencement and it's by Clay McLeod Chapman. It was commissioned by Company of Fools in 2009. It is  a short play, one female actor, playing three roles. I really liked it, it was sad though, but really cool how all the characters stories came together. Before heading out for the day I ran to Green's to get some keys copied. I'm acquiring quite the collection :) My life in storage begins tomorrow, no ifs ands or buts about it! Until tomorrow..

Day 43: A Little Spring Cleaning

I began the day by first checking in with Mr. John. With not much to do around the office, and Mr. John having a cleaning day in his office I decided to do some cleaning in the office downstairs as well. I began with the recycle, it's wild how fast that piles up. I separated the pile into the three groups and headed to the dumpsters and bins. That was a quick an easy job, now onto the office.

This job was also relatively easy. I just did a little straightening so it's a little nicer when Ms. Denise returns. She even gets a welcome back present :) It looks pretty much the same as when she left, but everything is just a little neater and things that were out are now tucked away. I also made a trip to the post office and entered some checks in to the system before heading to Stages.

Next on the agenda Stages Of Wonder. Mr. Andrew and I had three classes today, one third grade class and two first grade classes. The first class was great! Everyone participated and had a great time. I love when we do group sculpture at the end. It's really cool to see what the come up with and how the class's sculpture looks in the end. The second glass was a little antsy, not surprising, but it took a little more time to get them to settle and focus. They managed to get it together and have fun :) The third class went really well also. The students were so funny, and so fun to play with. I think they really enjoyed the exercises. I still wish we had more time with them, but we of course will see them all next year. Later this week I have day to with the 4th or 5th graders. I haven't taught a second day class, so I'm eager to see how it goes. The other 2nd days have been going really well and I can't wait to see what the students come up with when giving the chance to sculpt each other.

Once I returned, Mr. John had prepared a little project for me. He had briefed me on it before I left for stages so I was ready to dive in when I returned. Ms. Kris had been working on Thank You notes for all our patrons who came to Casino Royale. She unfortunately has been sick and hasn't been in the past two days, feel better Ms. Kris! My job was to continue her works and get them ready to be sent out in the mail. I had to stuff and seal the envelopes and write thank you on the outside. After that was finished a stamped or really slid them through the meter machine and dropped them at the post office. I also sent out some DVDs for Mr. John including a copy of Dead Man's Cell Phone for our fabulous Dwight, Duke Lafoon, enjoy!

After my PO run I headed back to the office, I was manning the phones. I actually was getting some reading done at the same time. I am now halfway through my 10th play! Tomorrow is stages and some office work, my project in storage has to begin on Thursday. Until tomorrow...

Day 42: Case of the Mondays

This morning began entirely too early for me! I had a very restless night and was not looking forward to being up at 7:30 AM, and when it did arrive I was not a happy camper. I had to be at the theatre by 8:15 to meet Mr. R.L. to head to Stages of Wonder at Woodside Elementary this morning. I was not in the best of moods either, and the early morning call was not helping. We arrived at the school at about 8:40 for our 8:50 class. I was doing my best to perk myself up and get it together to teach. Once the students came in I was in better spirits and a little more ready to work.

Our first class was fourth grade. We began as always with the introductions and the rules. The 4th and 5th graders get two class periods with us, so we will be seeing them later this week as well. We then went through the magic hat exercise. I feel like the students always like that one, it's really good warm-up before diving into the other exercises. First Mr. R.L. had the hat, then to me, and then Walter Albert  (credit to the the 5th grade of Woodside and Mr. R.L. :)), which became the magic hats name by the end of the day went back in the box.

Next up sound and movement. We were able to go around twice with all the classes. One normal paced round, and then one super fast lightening round! Being timed, of course, we tried to get through the lightening round as quick as possible! After our first set of fourth graders we had another set, and then fifth graders to end the day. We had a small break between the second and last class, and I chose to get some reading done.

I finished The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds yesterday and began Three Tall Women today. Being slightly familiar with Edward Albee form studying The Zoo Story freshman year I was excited to read this play. So far I really like it. The three women A, B, and C are so witty and it's interesting to see their relationships unfold. They are all of different ages, and their interaction is very comical thus far. I feel like I will be finished this one sooner rather than later :)

After classes I returned to the office and to my patron list! I managed to get through all of what was left! I still have some pages that Ms. Denise had set aside, but as of right now the list is finished! (YES!) Between working on the list, I took to the stage to practice my monologues. Again, I had the Liberty to myself, and of course ended the monologue work with a few musical numbers to warm myself up. Once Mr. John had returned from lunch we recorded the monologues to send to school. He said it went really well. I was so happy with the comments he gave, he said he saw range and arch, and he got to see different sides of me in the monologues. Exactly what I was going for! When Ms. Denise returns I'm anxious to get her input on them as well. I'm sure as a new pair of eyes she will have something to offer to improve on as well :)

Tomorrow and or sometime this week, I will make my way to storage. I have stages the next two days and then again on Friday. Ms. Annie will be working with me in storage and she is going to be able to work on Friday. I'm thinking I should get a jump on it and head over there on Thursday when I don't have stages if not before. (procrastination at its best) I really need to work on that. I need to get in serious clean mode ASAP. As my family will tell you though, as I did when I was little "I wasn't born to clean, I was born to have fun!" Welcome to the real world, you got to do what you got to do! Besides, I'll be able to jam to my iPod while I work so it really will not be that bad.

I have Stages again tomorrow afternoon, and maybe some time in storage. Hopefully I'll be feeling ambitious tomorrow morning or afternoon. Until tomorrow...

Day 41: I Feel Papercuts are in My Future

Saying Thursday at the office was a slow day would be an understatement. I began the day by opening leftover Casino invitations and removing the return envelopes we can use again. I'm surprised I did not acquire more damage to my hands than I did. Needless to say, my pointer finger was a little raw by the time I was finished. It was just Ms. Kris and I in the office and when she left for a meeting I was in charge of manning the phones.

I sat in the office until she returned reading my current play. Two hours later I was almost finished the play, no one had called, and Ms. Kris had returned. I then moved down to the dressing rooms to finish my cleaning and make sure everything was set for upcoming rentals. 

I still had left to put away the jewelry and make up form DMCP. Everything is filed away in the backstage closet. There are little drawer units set up and everything is labeled. Watches go in watches, necklaces in necklaces, earrings in earrings, and you get the point. After finishing up I headed back to the office. Ms. Kris was getting ready to leave, and since there was not much action I was going to leave shortly after. Not before doing a little playing first :)

I shadily took advantage of having the Liberty to myself and took to the stage. I went through my monologues a few times. I acted like I was the star of The Little Mermaid, Wizard of Oz, and Wicked on Boradway all in one hour. I make a great Ariel by the way :) I was really loving my time to myself in the theatre, I secretly wish it would happen more often. After my show stopping performances I headed home for the day. Next week is back to Stages and begins my project in storage. hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend, until Monday...

Day 40: Casino & Dead Man Clean Up and a Trip to Storage

As soon as I arrived I went straight to work! First starting in the lobby. There was some items from Casino that needed to be sorted through and put away in the closet. I began pulling items out of boxes that needed to be separated and finding other boxes to store them in. We now have casino boxes on the casino shelf :) all labeled and ready for next year, or whenever we may need to pull anything. Other lobby cleaning activities included, sorting snacks, putting the wine away, and pulling left over invitations to go through today.

Next up, the dressing rooms. I first went through all the clothing items, making sure they were buttoned and zipped, and the nothing was left in the pockets. I did find a few floating cell phones that need to go to the advocates, that got left behind. I organized all the shoes and clothes and prepared them for the trip to storage. My car has halfway in storage mode, I still had some bins, bushels, and costumes from my first dressing room clean out that hadn't made their way over to storage yet. I thought my trip to storage was going to be easy breezy and go fairly quickly. However, that was not the case. What felt like a million trips up and down the dressing rooms stairs later the car was all loaded; the props, shoes, and costumes were ready to go!

I arrived at storage and grabbed a flat bed to start unloading on. Luckily this only took three trips. The filing of everything took a little longer though. Next week begins me organizing project in storage so I didn't stress too much. I was more trying to fit items, than organize at that moment. I did try and put things where they appear to go though. After two large trips, I thought I ha finished and was locking up. Little did I know, when I returned to my car I realized I'd forgotten the umbrellas. To avoid another trip to storage in the very near future I ran them up, unlocked the props unit, and tucked them away.

Back at the office, I was working on my monologue scenarios. I had been brainstorming all night and day about the circumstances that would be best for the monologues, and finally was able to come up with good ones that I thought would connect me more to the pieces. Very silly scenarios, but they work. I went through the pieces about 4 or 5 times with Mr. John. We worked on slating the pieces before and after, and were preparing for recording them next week to send to school! Ahh! I'm still nervous and it's not even an in person audition!

I have all weekend to work more on the pieces. I have a feeling the Merriwether building and I are going to be good friends this weekend. More later...

Day 39: The Return of the Patron List

I once again returned to my list to continue editing patrons and cleaning up Folio. Not before a few and final event checks and charges were taken care of first though. I really do not have much to report about the day. I spent the majority of it working on the list. I got through about 10 more pages and have six left! Other duties of the day included, batching out, printing reports, and checking emails. Nothing too exciting, just a usual day in the office.

At about 4:30 Mr. John and I dove into some more monologue work. We read through and discussed my contemporary piece first, before going back to Shakespeare. I need to work on the specifics surrounding my monologues. for example: why am I saying what I'm saying? Who am I talking to? Where am I? What has just happened leading up to this point? What time of day is it? Am I alone? etc. It is very important to think about and pick these specifics when doing a monologue. Once I had some specifics for my contemporary piece I felt much more connected to it and was better able to deliver the monologue. On to Shakespeare, in my first delivery I went from greatness with the first pice to suck town! Fail! After setting the scene and scenario for the monologue it was coming along much better! Still needs work though. For the rest of the evening I have to continue to pick specifics and become more grounded and connected to the monologues.

 I feel like I'm getting a lot out of the one on one sessions with Mr. John. Tomorrow is a cleaning and more monologue work day. Very excited for the monologue work, not so excited for the cleaning. But, oh well, you got to do what you got to do. The life of an intern, until tomorrow...

Day 38: "taming my wild heart to thy loving hand"

Yesterday was surprisingly a busy day, and it went by very fast! The day began with a breakdown by Mr. John, of what needed to be accomplished today. First on the list. the stage! Now that the show has ended, we are in the process of striking the entire set and props. My job, back to where I began, was of course the props. I started with the large props that were spread across the stage. Even though this set was minimal there were several large pieces of furniture for the different scenes. For now, all the pieces are being relocated to the sides of the stage instead of on it to be out of the way. I began by pulling the cafe chairs and tables, and dining rooms chairs. I then pulled the bar, the bar stools. and started on the stationary store. The stationary store was a bit more difficult. I first had to pull the boxes that covered the piece to make the look like boxes off. They were held together with gaffing tape and package tape! This took a little longer than expected. I managed to get all the cardboard off and found a set of pliers to pull a few remaining staples out. Now that the furniture had been set aside it was on the the prop shelf.

The prop shelf is basically where my internship began, so I find it funny I have now come full circle. I even had to do some more dumpster diving for boxes again to house the props. I cleared the dining room and small cafe table of the dinnerware that had been tacky glued on, and placed them all in a separate box. I put dinnerware in one box, and miscellaneous and random items in another. I'm shadily trying to keep the kidney lamp I made. I mean, do you really think they'll need a kidney lamp again? :)

After prop moving and packing it was back in the office for a quick lunch. I also grabbed a peppermint hot cocoa on my break too, along with throwing out some recycle. Before I grabbed my afternoon pick me up, Mr. John explained to me what needed to done as far as logging of monies went from Casino. Once I returned I was ready to tackle the binder of patrons. I managed to make it through the entire binder, and there was a lot to log, so it was pretty impressive. It did take some time, but I got though it all! I had to log peoples charges of the night. For example someone would've been charged for and or donated 2 decks of cards, $120 toward wish list donation, and then $100 donation for raise the paddle. Everything had to be labeled and rung up correctly, and that's why it took time to log all the transactions. So far our numbers are looking really good, and we are very excited about the amount we are up to! I don't have any final numbers, but like I mentioned it was our best event to date!

Next on the list, monologue work. The day was coming to an end so instead of getting the monologue right on it's feet the first day, we decided to do a few read throughs and talk about it. I was so glad we did this first. My Shakespeare memorization is never 100% so I needed some more time with the words. I really get a lot out of the discussion with Mr. John. My tasks for the evening: memorize! translate, break monologue down into beats, make choices, and decide my path. As you can see from my notes, I was able to get most of that accomplished. I now have the monologue memorized as well! We are going to get the monologue up and going today, and I'm very excited for this work! I'll let you know how its goes. Until tonight...

Day 37: Funny Money and Fake Phone Calls

Friday started off relatively slow. Not too much to be done around the office, and everything was being taken care of as far as casino set up went. It was actually a quiet day, which was unexpected with casino just a day away. The past week has been ticket sales and raffle ticket sales throughout the day, and yet it was almost 12 and no action yet.

The rest of the day went on just about the same. There were calls for tickets for the last showing of Dead Man's Cell Phone throughout the later parts of the day though. I was able to finish and start another one of my plays! Rabbit hole was such a quick read, and now on to The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds. Heard this one was great also, hopefully I'll have more time with my plays once the show is over.

One of my jobs of the day was also to continue stuffing envelopes with funny money. We still needed 50 more envelopes, so I headed to Jane's to snag some. Of course being the awful decision maker I am I could not decide on envelopes. Luckily Ms. Kris, had to stop in Jane's too, and she helped me decide! Back at the theatre I began counting out funny money and putting stickers on the envelopes. I still had 20 envelopes to stuff and no more funny money left. Luckily, Mr. John had printed more and all I had to do was cut and finishing stuffing. I had 128 envelopes total stuffed and sticker-ed when I was finished :)

The end of the day was drawing near, and we got a call from Plum TV. They needed someone walk through the snow and make a fake phone call. I was voted as the one to go. JP picked me up and I got my serious snow boots (aka Dad's snow boots) from my car, and we headed to the nearby park. All I had to do was walk through the snow with "my" dog, stop, take a call from my mom, and continue walking. Even though I will not be heard in the video, I had to act like I was having a conversation. Mom, I told you, it was so cold about 5 times. I think it went well, and they said they will send us the finished product so I can see it. (another job I can add to the resume :))

Seven o'clock finally arrived, and I was back at the theatre washing out last nights drinks and preparing new ones for the nights performance for the last time. In case I haven't mentioned one of my jobs was to prepare the "alcoholic" drinks for the bar scene and final scene of the play. Each night I would wash the glasses and mix water and juice for the cosmos and water and diet soda for the bourbon. The show was our best ever, and the audience was too. It was a fantastic end to a fantastic run. It went by so fast, and I'm sad it's over :(. It was such a great experience to be part of this show. Awesome cast, awesome directing, awesome crew, and an all around awesome time. (obviously you can use awesome too much, but totally necessary) On to more new and different adventures as the intern though :)

And on to Saturday, Casino Royale!!!! Main job of the evening, coach check extraordinaire! I spent most of the night in the closet checking coats. Dawson greeted and I hung and filed coats. I spent the first hour and a half of the evening doing this and Dawson left a little more than half way through that to sell raffle tickets. By then most of the crowd had arrived, so I was just dealing with a few fashionably late patrons. The night was a huge success. We were able to make our goal, and a lot more. It was a our biggest and best Casino to date. I link it with my presence ;) I was so glad to be a part of it, and see how passionate the people of the Valley are about theatre. I was so moved and impressed with the amount of people who came and showed their support. So many people opened their hearts (and their wallets) to the cause.  It was such a great feeling to be a part of the night, and see how much of an impact the Company and theatre has in the Valley. I'm so honored and privileged to be a part of it all. Thank you to everyone for making the night such a success, and for making my first event with the company one to remember! Until tomorrow...

Day 36: Stages and Showtime

I started my day exceptionally early today! I had to be at Hailey Elementary at 8:50 for the first Stages class at 9:05. Ms. Denise and I had a full morning, three classes with an hour break. The First class we taught was on their second day, so I was a little less familiar with the exercises. It seemed to go smoothly though. The kids were so creative, using the objects in the 5 object exercise in really unique ways. I had trouble myself coming up with ways to use the objects the second time around so I was really impressed with what they came up with! One more class and then we had break. The second class was much bigger so we split them up for some of the exercises. All the kids seemed to be having fun and enjoying playing.

We headed back to the theatre for a hot minute to check in before our next class. I dropped off the gift certificate to Ms. Kris completing our dine around the valley book, and attempted to get some blogging out of the way (that did not work out). Back at the school, we were waiting for our last class to arrive. We ended having more time with them, which was really nice. We were able to do 3 group sculptures at the end, they are so cool so see and watch what the students come up. We did under the sea, and we also did explorers in the Amazon building a treehouse for shelter as the night was falling. I love seeing the finished product. I had one last class with Mr. Andrew, and then I was back at the theatre. The last class was really good, and I'm more impressed the more students we work with. It's such a delight and joy to work with them.

Back at the office, more ticket sales and raffle tickets to log. I returned to the never ending lists once more. We were able to narrow down more of our mismatches, and have almost everything matched. We will go over them again once more, and hopefully get everything fixed! I also got some reading out of the way at the show. I started a new play called Rabbit Hole (most recently seen on the big screen with Nicole Kidman)  It is such a god play! I could not stop reading it! I got more than halfway through, and can't wait to finish! The last show is tonight, and it's bittersweet. I cannot wait to see what the night brings! Until tomorrow... or possibly tonight! :)

Day 35: In, out, and all around town (and the Liberty)

I arrived this morning to find an extensive lists of things to do today. First up, phone calls for ticket sales and corrections. Both lines were busy so I moved on to another item on the list. To the closet once again. This time I was pulling posters for Casino. We want to put up posters of our past shows in the room. We have so many posters rolled up I knew I was in for a treat. I loved seeing all the different posters. Each with a different picture and title saying something about the play. Some even had tag lines. It wasgreat to see how they all compare and are used to advertise the plays. I laid each poster flat, and then piled some boxes on top to prepare them for wall hanging on Saturday. They are actually still being "pressed" at this moment.

Back in the lobby it was a disaster area, due to my closet cleaning project. It was another to do on my list so I began, but going through the boxes and breaking them down to be recycled. I then moved items that we are keeping back into the closet in a designated spot. I have cleared enough shelves, to have a strictly casino shelf, a random shelf, a cleaning shelf, and then the two shelves I still need to go through. All in all the closet is pretty organized right now though. There is room to walk and still space available if for other items if needed.

I taught my first stages of wonder class today. It was very short, but very fun. Mr. Andrew led, and I chimed with rules, and explained one of the exercises. The kids were great, and seemed to really enjoy themselves. I'm ready to jump into more classes. After class it was back to the theatre to finish my list.

I continued down my list. I called the patrons and fixed the ticket sale. I cleaned concessions and the box of ledge. The lobby had no signs of the closet and I was able to focus on some folio fixing and "relax" for a little before the show. Also before the show I had to run to one last restaurant to pick up the last certificate for the dine around the valley book. It of course was snowing again, but luckily this trip was not far at all. I returned to the theatre just before the show and was able to grab some dinner.

The show went well (as always :)). There was a "popcorn" spill during the dining room to stationary store transition. I guess the spinning of the table had to have mishap at some point. One of the mugs also fell and broke, of course we have extra though. Only two more shows until close :( I have no idea what I am going to do with my life! I'm sad and happy at the same time, but excited to start some new projects.

I should be up bright and early to post my Thursday happenings. Enjoy your Friday and until tomorrow...

Day 34: BIG time Birthday!

For those of you who don't already know, I got to sign Bruce Willis' birthday card today. Yes, THE Bruce Willis. I was star struck just holding the envelope with his name on it!!! I will die if I ever I meet someone famous, I mean really, an envelope! I have got to get it together, I mean obviously those people will eventually be my coworkers and close friends :) Don't worry, I won't forget all you little people along the way though.

As for today, it was mostly spent in the closet. I, however, did make a trip to Hailey Elementary to drop off stickers and ended up getting to watch and participate in one of the classes. Tomorrow I'll be teaching so it was a good prep! The classes were so good, and such a delight to work with. I cannot wait until tomorrow. I'm going to try and sit in on one more class though, I think it will really help me to be prepared.

I managed to get a lot more accomplished today in my closet project. There is a lot of recycle to be thrown out tomorrow though. As of right now the lobby is piled with broken down boxes and papers that need to be recycled. Tomorrow is my final day on the project I have to be finished by days end!

I took an extended break today. I went to see Jordan's band performance at her school. It went really well and both classes did a great job! It made me miss my middle school program days :( I headed back to the office to get some work done, and then journey to Bellevue.  I logged some raffle ticket sales, and even took some more ticket sales for Casino and DMCP (Dead Man's Cell Phone) as I had been doing throughout the day.

My trip to Bellevue was a little more extended than I had planned. I was suppose to make to quick stops, but two things got in my way. 1. I have no idea where anything is 2. I was on the phone and couldn't use my GPS for part of the trip. I wound up traveling a god ten minutes (at least) outside of Bellevue after my first stop. Turns out the two restaurants are really not that far from each other at all. I had to pick up gift certificates for one of our Casino raffles. By the time I got back to Hailey it was past five so I headed home for the night! Until tomorrow blog followers...