On to the Next

I just finished my last day as Lighting Resident at the Long Wharf Theatre.  Its been quite a year, and I’m excited to take what I’ve learned and put it to use this summer.  This also means the next post I will be making will be from Timber Lake Playhouse.  Bring on the summer.

The last two nights I saw the final shows at Long Wharf and the Yale Rep.  Carousel was the Long Wharf show.  I had never seen the show, but I was very impressed with the modern take on a classic musical.  The cast and the design elements were all great, and it made me proud to have worked on the show.  The Yale Rep show was the world premiere of Boleros for the Disenchanted. This may have been the best show I’ve seen in New Haven this year.  The set was absolutely beautiful and had a few interesting surprises as the show went on.  The story followed a young couple in Puerto Rico in the 1950s to the US in the 1990s, and told a very touching story about love through generations.  I have been able to see a lot of theatre during my residency which was one of my goals this year.  August: Osage County and Spring Awakening were by far the best, but the range I’ve shows I’ve seen should really help my developement as a designer.

Making A Living

After several attempts we finally had the big “career in the theatre” seminar with our Production Manager today.  I have yet to decide if the whole discussion was helpful or just depressing.  I’ve been told many times from professors that its hard to make a living in the theatre, so that was old news.  However, the PM did put a personal spin on the discussion, touching on his own problems with relationships, money problems, and having to choose work over family.  I’m certainly in no hurry to start a family and I’ve learned to live on the little money I’m earning right now, so the big picture doesn’t seem very challenging so far.  But as I start to look for jobs, or begin grad school, I will keep today’s discussion in the back of my mind.

Tomorrow is the first day I will be on acceptance letter watch.  Its been over a month since my interview at Yale, and I havn’t put much thought into the the situation besides thinking about what I will do if I don’t get accepted.  Its really crazy to think that the next 3 years of my life come down to a letter that will come in the next few days.  I saw Oscar Wilde’s A Woman of No Importance at the Yale Rep last week.  The play was ok but I’ve come to expect a little more out of Yale productions.  The show was student designed and it showed.  The set was a green proscenium with gold trim and a match portal.  Each Act had its own plug for the portal and furniture, but the whole thing just didn’t work.  The set didn’t evoke high society and completely clashed with the furniture and gorgeous costumes.  The lighting design was solid but not spectacular.  I’ve worked with the LD a few times and he’s a nice guy, but I don’t think there was much for him to work with.  Once again, I’ve come to expect a little more from their productions.

Baseball is back.  The start of the season has always been exciting because it means my birthday is soon and summer is not long after.  I’m playing in a couple of fantasy leagues this season, including one with my co-workers at the theatre.  Hopefully I don’t completely neglect my teams and finish in last place again.  And best of luck to fellow St. Louisan Tyler Hansborough in the final four.

Phenomenon on Playbill.com

The show I’m designing in April is sneaking up, and I found out that our show got an update on Playbill.com yesterday.  I’ve been mentioned in a few local reviews over the past few years, but this is the first national theatre publication that I have been featured in.

Full Speed Ahead

Today we had a meet & greet for the Resident/Intern production at my theatre.  It was pretty exciting to get the playwright, actors, the residents and all the theatre staff together to discuss the production.  The show is called Phenomenon of Decline and it opens in about a month and half.

I will be designing the lights for the show, and I’m thrilled to be doing some design work after spending the last sixth months as a technician.  I have the director, scene designer and sound designer as roommates, and I’m sure that will amount to plenty of interesting stories that I will have to blog about.