This town is all about baseball. The Hall of Fame is here, Doubleday Field is here...it's a wonder that little Glimmerglass Opera even survives. But it persists, and the town supports it. This first photo is a picture of Main Street in Cooperstown, sporting a Glimmerglass Opera banner. It's amazing to me how the two exist so well side-by-side. With all of the baseball card shops and people wielding bats up and down the avenues of the town, I can still step into the library and get a rousing, "Opera Girl!" from the two little women behind the check-out counter. If I had my own transportation, I would be having a pleasant time.
That's me in my big ol' barn. It's actually a lovely home, though it gets hot in the steamy weather we've been having. This is especially true when it starts to rain in all directions and I have to close the windows, leaving my house to slowly turn into an unbearable sauna. It's actually cooled down quite a bit today, and I'm hoping the manageable weather lasts a bit longer. I hate those nights - reminiscent of my first years in Chicago - when I'm lying on top of my sheets, not a stitch on, hoping that I'll pass out so I don't have to deal with the sweat and oppressive air for any longer in the dark, silent night.
The theater doesn't take to the muggy weather either. The floors are cement and the condensation that appears on them in humid weather leaves streams of water rolling down towards the pit. My shoes don't have enough viable traction to deal effectively with the moist floors, and the seats in the house last night were slightly damp, rendering me a sweaty, damp mess by the time I went home. It's shades of Jacob's Pillow, except I'm not dancing here and so don't particularly want to be drenched in sweat.
Despite, the "Pirates of Penzance" is going to be quite a romp. The design team has effectively pulled out all the stops, and our singers are ready to jump in with both feet. Comedic discovery, when going well, is amazing and joyous in the studio. Nothing invites collective brainstorming like attempting to create a "cartoon" moment on stage. Realizing all of this on stage the past couple of days has been quite stressful. Comedy is not easy. It takes massive repetition and a complete understanding of the timing and placement of each gag. This show is also prop heavy and fly heavy and so it makes our tech rehearsals a bit tedious as we try to figure out each segment of each moment to make the full effect run smoothly and incite the laughter we've been enjoying with each other in the studio. When these moments finally all came together last night, it was wonderful to be in the house and hear the hoots from the rest of the cast and crew, and to see the glimmers of joy on the performers' faces as they realized what they'd done.
Someone mentioned yesterday that theater is like throwing a party - putting it together is terrible work, but once the party starts, it's great fun. We are all looking ahead to that.
In my other life, so far away, I am trying desperately to stay connected but I'm not sure how well it's working. I'm having a lot of trouble putting together rehearsals for these pieces I'm trying to do in August. I am, frankly, unsure if it can happen at this point. I'm trying to figure out how I want my wedding to go and hoping to do a show in November, and it all seems like so much when I spend thirteen hours a day on "Pirates." I must, at the very least, be ready to teach when I walk in the door. I'm going to be completely jet-lagged, so I must have a class ready that could nearly teach itself. Life never, never stops. Thank god, but holy crap!
I'm leaving you with one of my tech table photos. This one is during dinner break last night at Glimmerglass, as I sat at the table rewriting singer notes and downing Goldfish.
The set is barely visible save the ship dissapearing into the back flat, but believe me when I say that Monty Python would be very proud. If you want to see what it actually looks like . . . well . . . you'll just have to come to Cooperstown.
1 comment:
I was thrilled to see a new posting. It sounds like a lot of hard work and a lot of fun. I am impressed you are handling it so well!
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