I spent a week there one day.

Pardon me, gentle readers, if I don't get up. My ass has been royally kicked. Today was a particularly long day, since we worked through both Necklace AND Frog--the two stories which have the most detailed bits and blocking. It's a good thing that I like cottage cheese, because by the time we left, that's what my mind had turned into. I really felt sorry for the new people especially Ted and Alice, she they play the Frog and Matilda in Necklace, respectively, and really, those two roles are the ones which are the hardest on the actors playing them due to the physical stresses and requirements. It's especially hilarious when you get through the incredibly slow work-thru of Frog, thinking there's no way you're going to be able to get through a story with that much energy and physicality at the end of the show until you do the run and remember the whole thing runs about 9 minutes. But we have worked through every single story now, so we're ready to start putting the whole thing together, thank god. We're going to end up doing private performances in schools for the entire month of February, which means we won't have a crew to help us with scene changes until march, so we're also going to start putting all the scene changes together as well. That'll save us some time in tech, which is nice since we only have three days of tech, one of which Ted won't be at until almost the end of the day. THAT won't be a long day, not at all.

I have to say, I'm enjoying this rehearsal process way more than the last one. Of course, a great deal of that comes from the fact that I knew what i was getting myself into this time, so all the horror and shock at how Chamber runs their business has no place with me now. And even though it is causing a little more tension and worry, I like the fact the rehearsal process is shorter this time. Maybe it's because I've done the show already, but I'm looking forward to getting this show on the road (literally) and getting back into the routine of the tour. (Even though that routine will require us to load in and out of tiny little school spaces for a whole month. Maybe I need to rethink this whole working for a touring theatre more than once thing....) I do hope I make myself be more productive on this tour than I was on the last one. I have a bunch of projects I want to work on, and I hope I am a little more strict with myself and actually work on them instead of zoning out watching hour upon hour of House. Or maybe I need to just give up now and sidestep the whole guilt issue. Both sides make compelling arguments. Stay tuned--we'll break into regular programming as developments warrant.

So not much else to talk about. The brand spanking new van they let me take home to park I now no longer have, since someone decided to send out a van without full insurance coverage. I'm not sure how it is a company takes delivery of a van that isn't insured correctly. Of course, I also don't know how the van company actually DELIVERS a van without correct insurance coverage. But I've been told that it'll all be worked out tomorrow, so I will once again be wheeled. Oh yeah...a man and his van....how '70's... I've also discovered that we have another smoker in the company--Schneider (which was the name of the building's handyman on One Day at a Time--hence using it as the alias for the electrician--) also partakes in the demon tobacco. I just hope that doesn't undermine Alice's attempts to quit. Although the last few days she's been smoking on breaks a LOT. I can't blame her. Having all this stuff thrown at one can really flip you out, especially when you're being moved in distances of half-inches for some of these poses. But everyone's getting along really well, even with all the stress, and everyone seems to have similar senses of humor, although Ted does have a tendency to freak Carol out with some of what he says. Which really annoys me, because when you get right down to it, I'M the one who's supposed to cross other peoples lines! Hellooooooo! I do believe that was in my contract. Someone get my agent on the phone...oh wait....never mind.

So now Spring may be coming to see our very FIRST run-thru on Saturday instead of waiting until Monday morning. I believe she has some grand high muckety-muck New York business to take care of on Monday and that may keep her from being able to make it in the morning, and since we have to go to the wig and makeup guy Monday afternoon (New Ichabod noses! Huzzah!) she can't come later on Monday. Who knows? Oh, and for anyone who hasn't read any of the follow-up comments, Harvey Kneeslapper was a Muppet who appeared on Sesame Street and was prone to pulling practical jokes and uttering REALLY bad puns. And we're talking old school Sesame Street. Not only pre-Elmo (or as I like to call it, the GOOD years) but also pre-Mr. Hooper's death. (Harvey Kneeslapper auditioning to be one of Robin Hood's Merry Men--with Ernie as Robin Hood--is a fond and lovely childhood memory. And incidentally, one of the few--and maybe only--scenes where Ernie is the straight man.) So there you have it. I will endeavor to be more creative with my pop culture references, so as not to bore too may people with obvious ones. It's the curse of the genius, gentle readers. Once you demonstrate brilliance, no-one is willing to accept just plain old excellence.....but fear not, I shall soldier on. For me, it's really all about my public....