You May Not Take It With You

I’m in tech for the second show is summer.  West Side went very well, dispite a few curse like occurences.  But I was very proud of my work and the production as a whole.

Our current show is You Can’t Take It With You, and it opens tomorrow.  The set is half a box set with a giant arch and staircase upstage.  Its a neat idea, but there are some issues with the execution.  I had a hard time figuring out how to make the cyc look good behind the set, but I think I solved the issue with my last adjustment.

Other than that its typical week of summer stock, time to keep chugging along.

Still Kickin’

Long time no post, but thats a good thing.  I’ve been loading in West Side Story, which opens on Thursday.  The process has been very positive, with some of the same summer stock issues.  But we teched the first act yesterday, and I’m very happy with what I have so far, and I have big hopes for this production.

I also shot and designed the poster for “The Story” and here it is:

As for “Still Kickin’”, I’ve been doing the newest exercise craze, “Jimlates” (copyright me), every morning.  Its a combination of pilates and floor bar and I’m really glad I’m back to excersising every morning.

Preparations

Its time to start preparing for the big move back to the midwest and for the first couple shows of the summer.  I spent some time exploring the space and lighting positions earlier in the year, but I’ve begun to prepare my plot for the preseason show which opens in two weeks.  This puts me in an interesting position of using a plot I designed 9 months ago, with the design mentality I have developed in the past 9 months.  My standards for my own work have increased, so I hope I don’t let my self down on a children’s show that I have little time to mount.

I’ve also begun planning out my schedule of projects I hope to knock out before we hang the plot for West Side Story.  Some of them are for the bigger picture of the theatre and some are to open up new possiblities for designing lights in the space.  I’m also trying to work out what the Production Manager role will imply.  The summer will be hear very soon, and I plan on being ready to make it happen.

#88 & Summer Fun

So I admit that I left this one a little vague.  But regardless I donated a dollar to MS today at the grocery store and I say that qualifies as donating to a charity.  Hopefully this good deed leads to more in the future…

I’m getting more excited about my summer job.  For those of you who don’t know, I’m returning to Timber Lake Playhouse this summer as the Lighting Designer & Production Manager.  This is my 3rd summer at TLP, my second as a designer and I’m creating the PM position this summer.  In just over 2 months I’ll be spending 3 months in the woods designing 6 productions and overseeing the production staff.

A major part of my excitement is the people that are coming back and some new TLPers that I’m excited to work with again.  Summer stock can be a trying experience, but its the people you work with that make the experience worth the stress.