Day 67 Monday - Load into Amarillo, TX
Today was one of those days that just would not end. These days seem to always come after a night on the sleeper bus. I think it's because you don't get to have your usual "go back to the hotel and relax" fix that you need at the end of a run and load out. Sunday night after load out I got into my comfy clothes, got ready for bed, then walked my frumpy-ness across the load out and onto the sleeper bus. The bus is filled with yummy non-diet/non-vegan food that is waiting with open arms to hug you and comfort you while you wonder why you live such a crazy life. The buses on this tour are always really nice but for girls it's a different experience entirely than it is for the boys...mainly for the fact that you are not allowed to use toilet paper on most buses. On the upside though our tech guys are really good about cleaning up after themselves in the kitchen and not leaving trash around the place so it's great to share space with respective peeps.
The sleeping area is always an adventure...you have twelve bunks very close together with people that snore, grunt, moan, listen to music, and watch DVDs as well as (god-willing) a driver who will stay off the drunk bumps and you try and get as much sleep as possible before arriving at the theatre the next morning for load-in or if you're lucky at the hotel at 3am. I have found that if you can get to sleep before the bus starts moving you have a better chance of staying asleep. Also...a great suggestion (thank you Catherine) is to put in some ear plugs!
Halfway through the night the bunks got very warm and I wanted to take off my sweatshirt, but being raised by a Dad, who is a firefighter and on a rescue team, I had always been taught about being prepared for emergencies...so I left it on. Our overnight bus trip was happening at the same time as it was snowing so in my worst case scenario mind I thought that if our bus was so hit ice and slide off the road and I was knocked unconscience it would be best for me to be in a sweatshirt and not die of hypothermia. I know...I'm a little nuts.
We arrived at the theatre later than expected so the advance crew got up and started the load in, while the rest of us tried to get another half hour of sleep. Catherine and I waited nearly an hour for a cab to get us to the hotel (which was less than 3 miles away) so we could grab a shower before coming back in instead of trying to shower at the venue....never an extremely fun event. We got back to the hotel for an hour before heading back in. The shuttle from the hotel had a driver named Carlos who everyone in the van seemed to know besides us. We found out that Carlos likes Diet Rootbeer, tenderloins, and has a broken nose...so there's nothing wrong with his lung like he had originally thought...uh, good?!?
The venue has a long driveway covered in snowy mud, rock salt, and small lakes at the bottom of it. As we come into the venue there is a distinct smell of camel shit which was just cleaned up after the circus that was playing in the arena the previous night. THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY LONG DAY........ Our load in goes pretty smoothly, the smell of camel feces is lifting and the office is getting warmer by the minute...things are looking up!
We get away for a quick dinner at The Olive Garden after driving in circles for a minute or two trying to catch up with our blue dot on the iPhone. Sound check goes well...we have our singers back in the show! Troupe checks, half hour, 15 minutes, 5 minutes, beginners please, lame house speech, lights up.
Another show down and back to the hotel to crawl into bed and hopefully not wake for many, many hours.
Day 68 Tuesday - Stage Managing
I woke up this morning feeling groggy and wanting to sleep another 8 hours...but my body is ready to get on with the day. FINE. Start the coffee maker.
I am reading "The Backstage Guide To Stage Management" and really enjoying it. Thomas A. Kelly totally had be grinning from ear to ear as he ended his introduction to the book while he described what his experience as a SM has been. I think it's very true for most of us in this field...it's a job you can love and hate at the same time. It's one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life, it has caused me much happiness and much heartache, but there's nothing in the world like it that comes close. He talks about what a great escape it is because you don't have time to think about what might be going wrong in your life while trying to call a show or help a performer stay off book for a rehearsal. There are times when I want to pull my hair out, but there are more times when I sit back and am in complete awe of the beauty of theatre.
I love my job. It really is my dream job...camel shit and all.
Love and peace,
Kim
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