I was the assistant director and stage manager (as well as set construction foreman and props master and set decorator, et al) for The Tale of the Allergist's Wife. The director was fun but crazy. I don't mean kookie, I mean bi-polar. Very interesting person, retired from medical practice due to mental illness. Apparently able to function on meds, but so hyperactive made me a little crazy. He's very open about it; in fact he lacks some social barriers so his behavior is almost too open. In the theatre, you meet all kinds of people and get very involved in their personalities. A very interesting experience.Decorating the set was fun. It was supposed to be an upscale New York condo, a "jewel box of an apartment". The colors were very Mediterranean, so I used some nice textural pieces. My dad, who helps with set construction a lot, made some floating shelves. I enjoy scouring the thrift stores and dollar stores, looking for pieces that can work together. I also made some lighting fixtures. I made a chandelier by taking two inexpensive thrift-store, shiny brass, 5 light fixtures and putting them together. Turned the lamp holders up, spray painted the whole thing with hammered pewter spray paint, strung some clear faceted beads, and added chandelier bulbs. I also used some lamp parts we had and some of the unused shades from the chandelier to make to over-the-bar pendants that turned out well -- made the set designer happy.
Furniture is always a challenge on a set, especially in a theatre like ours with a small stage. The director works at a local national-chain book store and they just happened to decide to throw out a blue leather couch and some blue and brown leather arm chairs while we were hunting for furniture. They were worn and had some tears, but the were workable on stage.
We didn't have any dining table chairs that were up to our standards and couldn't find any that would fit our frugal budget. I had some that were a good shape and size, so I made chair covers for them. I lucked onto some compatible upholstery-weight fabric for only $5 a yard and I had a lot of gold fringe that I had taken off of something in a previous show. I was very happy with the result. I can highly recommend chair covers if you need a change of look or want to spruce up some inexpensive chairs.Set decorating gives me a chance to use some of the tips I've seen on TV and to try things that might not work in my house. I get to see colors together without risking my own rooms (plus there are usually other cast members to help paint).
My dad says he might make some floating shelves for his house now that he's done these.Unfortunately, just before we opened the show, the allergy season came down on me like the proverbial ton of bricks. I got my "hacking-up-a-lung" cough, along with itchy eyes and stuffiness. I used some of the cough syrup the doctor had prescribed back in the winter when I had the same cough, but I decided the weird dreams weren't worth it. Although I have fairly mild hypertension, I'm sensitive to decongestants and such, and the ones that are safe for HBP aren't strong and have to be taken more frequently. After about 3 or 4 weeks, it suddenly turned into a sinus infection, so I finally went to the doctor for some antibiotic for that. Then, one day, the wind blew really hard all day. Apparently, whatever I was allergic to got blown out all at once because my symptoms just stopped. The people at work were relieved, since it sounds like I'm choking to death when I get a coughing fit.
April was complicated because during the second weekend of the show, the community chorus formerly known as The Musical Feast (now the Lewisville Civic Chorale) had our last concert of the season. I had planned on this and had scheduled a substitute stage manager.
My new grandson was scheduled to be delivered the following Friday, but decided to show up on Sunday, April 21! I missed the second concert performance, but they had enough tenors for this show. I was a little disappointed because I really enjoyed the music and the chance to get back to the tenor section (had to sing alto for a couple), but a new grandson takes precedence.
My new grandson is too sweet. He weighed 8 lbs 7 ozs and came with much less trouble than his brother. It's been three weeks now. I finally got to keep him for a few hours last Friday. He just looked at me, like he needed to remember me. He didn't cry or get upset. I think he's going to be laid back, like his dad.More has happened, but I wonder how blog-able it is. Do I need to record that my older grandson learned to catch a baseball? That he made three outs in row playing third base in a tball game?
That I got my puppy groomed for the first time and he looks so different now? That my weird "temporary" job has now passed 6 months and they terminated the controller that they had brought in, leaving me in a strange limbo position? That I'm determined to get my sewing room setup but between Rick's RA and my allergies, it's slow going?Regular life just flies by...
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