How to Succeed in Theater by Working Your Ass Off

I have a tendency to disappear whenever a show is near, and this week was no different. At first I wanted nothing to do with this years musical for various reasons, but after doing the middle school show I changed my mind. As of right now I'm focusing more on the tech side of the show rather than the directing and managing of the show. I'm going to be a design technology major in just 6 months, and there's a lot I want to learn before them.

Luckily I'm pretty close with Russ and during the Wiz he was showing me his designs for the set of the high school show and well theres an actual set. It's not common in our district to have actual sets. Most of our shows are fairly minimal due to budget reasons, so once I found out we would actually be building something I jumped on board. Anything to learn something new right? On saturday we started by building the basic framework of the set. This included a 6 foot platform, the framework for the cubicles and a bunch of tables. Now I don't have much experience with building. the last time I use a hammer was in 8th grade tech class so I was a bit nervous. But Russ started me off with easy jobs like measuring out pieces of wood to drilling pilot holes to using the circular saw to using a jig saw to cut out the portals. I thought I'd be terrible with power tools and end up chopping someones fingers off, but   I was actually pretty good at it. 

We got the majority of the building done in the first two days and then on third we started painting some basic parts of the set. On the forth day I spent almost my entire day in that auditorium. 2nd period I was painted the tables on top of the portals, 5th Russ and I painted the portals, during STAC we hung them and after school cast insisted on using the stage. So while waiting a few hours to get back to work I painted a wooden cart blue and made a stencil that says mailroom to spray onto it, and man making stencils is a pain in the ass. Once they finally left, we began to hang lights. I was in charge of running all of the wires up and across the walls which is tedious and honestly feels quite dangerous. I knew I wasn't going to fall or anything but I just generally don't like heights much. Russ also taught me about the different kind of lights and how to figure out which one is needed to light up certain parts of the stage. Then I had to untangle a shimmer curtain while Russ connected a pulley rig to the ceiling to hang the curtain. It took me almost an hour to untangle it  and another half hour to finish the rig, and by the time we were both done with our tasks we connected it and surprise! it looked terrible. We really tried to make it work, but it just wasn't meant to be. so instead we changed the design a little bit and now we're hanging the shimmer curtain directly off of the elevator and to get some use out of the rig we're hanging a sign off of it to add to the scene. sure it was disappointing, but it taught me how to deal with problems and not get too hung up on one part. At that point it was 8:30 PM and I was absolutely exhausted. I had been up since 6, worked all day and by then I was running on empty. So I sat down with Russ, decided on the rest of the colors, planned for the next day and departed the team at 9 o'clock. When I got home I instantly fell asleep and man I have never been so physically drained. I guess I'll have to get used to it though because this is what college is going to be like. And then guess what happend the next day? I had to get up and do it all again.
While all this work is tiring, I love doing it. I like building things and seeing projects come to life. I've heard countless times that this line of work is unrewarding and techies are under appreciated.  And while people always over look all the hard work the tech crew puts into a show and give all the credit to the actors, at the end of the day I know that I am a part of something. As much as we're overlooked, nothing feels better than seeing a show that you know the ins and outs of go up and look fantastic.

framework

current status

Biutiful

So about a week ago Luke told Matt, Megan John and I that we have to watch a Spanish movie named Biutiful but we HAD to watch it together. So today we all gathered at my house, got some pizza and put it on. And wow, calling that movie depressing is an understatement. It tears at you bit by bit just to eventually break you down entirely.
watching that with 4 of my best friends was definitely interesting because you can tell when it finally got to each one of us. what hit me the hardest wasn't as significant to matt or what made Megan cower was just another scene to John. This movie hits you deep down. It plays on your mind and emotions. There were many tragic things that happened in it, some things were extremely disturbing, but I find it interesting that what completely broke me was the scene in the bathroom where Uxbal tells his daughter of his condition. My father is someone who has always been very near and dear to me. I'm my dads favorite and he's mine, that's just an except fact in my house. I love him more than anyone else and I found myself imagining being in that position. My father is the type to keep things from me. He won't ever tell me when theres something wrong in order to protect me. I couldn't imagine finding out something like that. It would absolutely kill me. Something as simply as a father and daughter crying together in a bathroom hit me harder than a room full of dead men, women and children. The first thing I did when he came home tonight was give him a big hug and of course his response was "what do you want?"but I think I'll just let him question it.
I just don't even know what else to say about it. What do you even do after a movie like that? I rarely tear up during movies, but during Biutiful I was ready to bawl like a baby. With a story like that focusing on the technical aspects isn't even possible. The acting was phenomenal and I think was one of the main reasons it was so successful. To me that movie wasn't even about good filmmaking, it's about the emotional experience, so even trying to analyze its film techniques isn't something I'm ever going to be able to do. Biutiful is one of those movies everyone should see, but not until they're ready for it. I know if I were to see this even a year ago it wouldn't hit me as hard as it did today.

All Over The Place

I feel like I refer to myself as being all over the place far too often, but when it comes down to it I can't think of any other way to describe myself. I'm a busy person, I like being occupied. It's not a secret that I had a hard time getting through high school. I had troubled thoughts and a self esteem to match (Fall Out Boy anyone?) And when you're in that mindset, theres only two ways you can go. you could either sit around and be depressed or overbook yourself so you don't have a free moment to sit and think about how utterly depressed you are. Guess which one I chose? When it comes down to it, I am all over the place. running between rehearsals, work, school, doctors and a lackluster social life, I make it by in life. You don't get much breathing time, but it keeps things interesting.
So where have I been in the past few weeks?
my last post talks about editing movies. The painting workshop video was abandoned  the a capella barely made it by, the montage was as good as it was going to get, but the thing I am the most proud of is definitely the photography workshop. I threw that one together last minute just as something to take up time in stac live. It was edited the morning of and I didn't even see the finished copy. music and all, until it was shown to the school. It was funny up beat and just kind of pretty. Heres the finished copy:

Here's the montage if you're interested:

and I have to edit one last thing for Andrew so I don't have the a capella quite yet.

I've also been stage managing the middle school musical and it's definitely an interesting experience. I barely have to deal with the cast. It's kind of awesome.  A lot of the time, even with the High School shows I feel like the cast's babysitter, but theres so many parents helping out that I don't have to. In high School theres so much drama and politics involved in the productions that it sometimes takes away the enjoyment, but the middle schoolers are the exact opposite. The entire cast seems happy to be there. Even the ensemble members seem to be enjoying themselves, sometimes even more than the leads. Middle Schoolers have this certain charm to them, this twinkle in their eyes, a fascination with high schoolers and growing up. I find myself thinking back to when I was their age and how differently I viewed the world from now. I kind of miss it. I'm sure they would hate to hear me say this, but they're still kids. you lose that liveliness and outlook on life when you have to start taking yourself and your future seriously. The other day I had a 7th grader come up to me and tell me that she heard "Some 8th graders are... are smoking the Marijuana"It was so cute and innocent that I couldn't help but entertain her shock. I don't want to be the one to tell her that it's actually quite common. I'll let her keep that starry eyed innocence for a few more years.

Editing, editing, editing.

This midterm week was a much needed break from life. All three of my midterms/finals were on tuesday and wednesday, and I worked monday tuesday and saturday morning, leaving me Thursday, Friday, most of Saturday and Sunday to do whatever I want. Don't get me wrong, I like being busy but I needed a bit of time to do what I want. I haven't just been sitting around these past few days though, I've gotten quite a bit accomplished.
After my tests wednesday I relaxed with my friend and did some hair dying. I woke up early on thursday to try and get some editing for STAC live done, got fed up with my PC, took all my money out of my bank account and invested in a brand new Macbook. I wouldn't call it a spontaneous buy because I knew I was going to buy one before college, I just sped up the process a little bit. It's really pretty and I love it, but it doesn't quite feel like it's my laptop. I'm used to having pretty crappy things, heck up until a couple months ago all my electronics were living in 2007. I feel the need to justify to myself why I just spent over a thousand dollars on a computer, but hey I like to think that I deserve it. I spend all my time at work, and the little time that I do have off I'm doing things for other people or doing homework. I worked my ass off all throughout high school and even more so this year, and I got into the program of my dreams. I deserve something nice, right?
Well now onto the reason I got the macbook so early. For the past month or so I've been editing everything on my PC and it is not easy. It's extremely time consuming and I'm convinced that they made editing software on PC's so shit for a reason. WIthin the few days I've had this laptop I've gotten more done than in the past month. The acapella workshop video is done, painting is on it's way, but the montage still needs a lot of work.
 It's kind of hard to make a slideshow if there aren't many pictures. I've been stalking everybody's facebook's looking for pictures, texting everyone with a camera try just to get as many files as possible. originally this was just supposed to be the 3rd field trip but I have so many pictures from the two that I went on that I'm combining them all together. I'm trying to find as many pictures of everyone as possible so everyones in it, but not everyone takes pictures. I know a problem with last years slide show was that it was the same 5 or 6 kids over and over again, but there's nothing I can do if those are the only pictures we have. I know it's not fair, but it shouldn't be up to the few kids that take pictures to go out of their way and shoot those who don't. I have personally been trying to take as many pictures of everyone as I can, but there's only so much I can single handedly do. The majority of my pictures are Danielle, Sarah, Courtney, John and Megan just because those are the people I'm around on trips. Please guys take more pictures. you don't need a fancy DSLR, even your iPhone would work. Just keep this in mind next time.
With that said the Montage is still getting done, and if you do have pictures give them to me and I can fit them in.

Where I'm at

So I know its been awhile since I've blogged and a lots changed in that time. I got into the design technology program at Purchase which I'm still in shock over. I don't think I've ever wanted something more than to get into that conservatory, and now that I have I don't quite know what to do with myself. Since 9th grade we've alway had one common goal in mind and that was to get into college, and for the first time in years all I have to do is wait.
I wouldn't say I'm wasting time, but im certainly finding ways to pass it. I've started reading again which is something I haven't done in a while. I'm currently reading the Umbrella Academy by Gerard Way and next on my list is a Clockwork Orange. I've also been watching a lot more films and television shows. Sarah and I like to have these things called Cillian fests where we get together and watch as many movies with Cillian Murphy in them as possible. Also Megan and I are planning weekly trips to the movies (last night's movie was the Hobbit). I also try and go to concerts as often as possible, but that can get expensive and The Bakery doesn't pay me that well.
As for what I've been creating in this past month has mostly been expressive stress relieving pieces. As I've gotten more and more into theater and film drawing and painting has become much more of a hobby rather than my life. I still enjoy it a lot but it's more for fun than anything else.
Lately where my obsession lies is with photography or anything that involves my camera. I've bought a 50mm lens and a bunch of new accessories both of which I'm absolutely in love with. All I ever want to do is film or shoot pictures and STAC live gives me the perfect opportunity to do both of those.
Tomorrows day two of the accapella workshop and while I'm not technically in it, being there is a ton of fun. Too bad I can't sing right?

I've been all over the place lately and it's not hard to tell. Every moment of every day is scheduled, and there isn't nearly enough time for me to do everything I want to do. I have more of a drive to do something artistic 24/7 now than ever before. And it's not even just drawing anymore. I have so many books I want to read, so many projects in mind, so many shows I want to see, and this surprising urge to get out of my comfort zone and do some acting.
I don't know where this all came from, but I think its the sudden realization that I might not have this opportunity ever again. If I do end up getting into theater design, I'm going to spend the rest of my life working behind the scenes and I'm going to regret not pushing myself to act more, write, or even direct. College isn't as wonderful as STAC, I'm not going to have as many opportunities to explore the different disciplines once I'm out of here. While I do want to get more experience in design this year, I also want to take some last minute chances to do something new.
One thing I really want to do is get more comfortable with reading scripts. I'm not very used to the formatting and just generally want to learn more about shows. So for now I'm going to put aside my pile of books and replace it with a pile of plays.
Another adventure that I'm working on with Matt Megan and John is something we like to call Channel Surfing. and if you want to here more about it go here: http://channelsurfingscript.blogspot.com/?view=classic
This should be an interesting year.

College Planning

Oh gosh, I don't even know where to start. I have so much to do and not nearly enough time. If you ask anyone in my family they'd describe me as the energizer bunny, I'm constantly going. I wake up at 6, do some leftover homework, get ready for school, leave the house by 6:50, go to school, get out, go straight to work or rehearsals, come home, eat for sometimes this first time that day, and do homework for the rest of the night till I drop. I'm certainly overwhelmed, but I'm making it work. I don't know why, but ti took me until my senior year to finally get the motivation to do all my work for classes. I think it's mainly because I'm taking classes I want to for the first time. AP Psych, Mythology and Economics are my only 'real' classes this year which is a relief, but they both give a lot of out of school work. And after I'm done with all that, my free time goes to looking for colleges with theater design programs and their requirements for admission.

My top choices (in order) so far are Purchase, Binghamton, Fredonia, New Paltz (they'd be higher up if they had specifically a theater design major) and as a backup Columbia College Chicago. There are other schools in New York with the major I'm looking for, but they are way out of my price range. My parents want me close to home, so Purchase is honestly perfect for me. I don't have a problem with getting in academically, but when it comes to the theater arts conservatory it's going to be a struggle. So I just need to have a solid portfolio and be as charming as possible in my interview. 

My resume isn't looking too bad though! Here's what I've got so far:

Painted/designed some sets at the JCC for Annie (2011) and Sound of Music (2012)

Internship at PATV for Spring/Summer of 2011

Stage crew for Metamorphoses (2011) and Fiddler on the Roof (2012)

Stage Manager for Our Town (2012)

TV Studio Club Treasurer (2010-2011) Vice President (2011-2012) President (2012-2013)

Stage crew for Captain Canada (2012)

I'm certainly very nervous for the months to come, but I'm facing them head on.

ON A COMPLETELY SEPARATE NOTE:
I've been DYING to paint lately. I still have that huge canvas that I painted black and haven't done anything else with yet (I have an idea though). I'm thinking of trying to finish what I'm currently working on in Ganes' class quick just to get it over with and move onto a painting I want to do.