Well, dear readers, show day is almost upon us. Yes, you heard it here, dear readers, show day is almost upon us. It’s been quite the ride and we’re all excited to do this tribute to the most wonderful, positive spirit, Richard Sherman. Most of it has been smooth, but sadly there are always a couple of folks who don’t play well with others and are all about themselves. That continued yesterday with a waste of two hours with me having to do what I like least – exert my authority, because as everyone was told in the last meeting we had, all decisions from here on in rest first with me and second with our stage manager – no exceptions. So, I awoke to the same nonsense with this same person e-mailing and going around us – the good news is this person was shut down immediately by the tech person at the theater who was at the meeting and who apparently understands English better. So he immediately added me to the e-mail string and I had to come on very strongly. And on and on this went – but the tech guy and I were having our own conversations about how to best give me what I need and still have the set-up work for everyone. I’d already given up five FEET the day before, which I should not have – it makes our dance number tight and I don’t want that. But yesterday morning we were in danger of losing more and I said rather vehemently, I will not lose one INCH of space and I want to hear nothing more about it. Of course we heard more about it but by then it was a done deal – we presented two options and asked that one be chosen. I said both the tech guy and I liked option two and were fine with it, and that’s indeed what was chosen and it may just get me back another foot, which would be helpful. But that wasn’t the end. Another e-mail was sent to the sound person without including me – once again I was added and this time I blatantly said after this volley of e-mails there were to be no more e-mails to the tech people, period. I said e-mails involving any aspect of this show would have to come to me, my stage manager, and our producer first. But, you know – does not play well with others. This person wasn’t even addressing me by the end of the volleys – fine by me. I do play well with others – but not if people are not playing well with me. As my stage manager wrote in an e-mail: You are the director – what else needs to be known? But our producer was so annoyed by all this that he sent his own e-mail to the people we deal with – they play well with others and they know what’s going on, very much so.
So, that was irritating. But then I buckled down, Winsocki and did the first half of the lighting/sound script. I then went and had a Cobb salad and a bagel for my meal o’ the day. I didn’t feel like going to the mail place so I just came home instead. I got a call from this company I ordered streamer sticks from telling me they’d shipped me the wrong item. Thank goodness they called – I hadn’t opened the package and wasn’t intending to until show day. They’d sent me some paper confetti in a big bag. They said they’d get the right thing in the mail and hopefully by the end of the day, but they said the latest I’d get it is Friday, so that’s fine. Saturday would be a problem, as I’m gone from nine to whenever.
Once back home, I completed the lighting/sound script, so that was the last of that kind of thing that I had to do, as I’d already done the announcer script. Then I began listening to all kinds of music, all instrumental today and tonight – some absolutely incredible, some middling, and some truly terrible, and some unlistenable due to inept mastering. That was basically my evening, with the exception of several telephonic conversations. And then suddenly it was time to write these here notes. How did that happen? I was good and did not eat anything else other than the teeny-tiny package of Skittles that came with the confetti. Happily, I didn’t eat the confetti.
Today is a heavy rehearsal day. I’m not sure I’ll have time to eat prior to them starting, as I’m sure there will be lots o’ stuff to do in the morning, so I won’t get to eat until a bit after five. Funnily we begin with one of the original Bette Midler Harlettes, Melissa Manchester, and we end with a replacement Harlette – Linda Hart. What are the odds? Prior to starting I will hopefully pick up packages. After rehearsal, I’ll go eat, then come home and relax until about nine-thirty, at which point I’ll mosey on over to a rehearsal studio to see our big act one finale dance number.
Tomorrow is more rehearsals, an equal amount to today’s but starting later and going to about six. I have to do absolutely nothing in the evening but relax because I have to be up by eight Saturday morning to get ready, then I’ll mosey on over to the Wallis around nine, just to be sure I’m not late in case there’s traffic, which, on Saturday morning would be very surprising. At ten our quintet runs all their numbers while I work with our lighting person on the “looks” for the show. I’m sure I’ll converse with our sound person as well. That lasts until twelve-thirty, then an hour later we begin our sound check and we must keep barreling forward or we’ll never get everyone out. The good news is that the first person actually has to be out in five minutes, so we’ll get her done quickly and hopefully get ahead of ourselves. But I’m leaving all that to the stage manager, who gets to be the bad cop if necessary. We also have a fifteen-minute cushion at six-thirty for anyone who’d like to go again. And then we do our show. I really have to lock down my opening remarks today, too. I think I’ll actually write them out and learn them – it won’t be more than a minute.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, do the morning stuff, hopefully pick up packages, rehearse, eat, relax, and then see a run of the act one finale. Today’s topic of discussion: When you went to school did you have to deal with people who were bullies? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy that I learned early on to play well with others save for those who do not play well with me.