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Jun. 29th, 2004 06:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aleathielConsidering term finished and I'm now home I should be around a lot more than I am. After all, this is techincally my holiday.
However, my old drama teacher called to ask if I could help with the school play as I was always heavily involved with it when I was at school and the teacher is a friend of mine.
Beware, words of a rant-ish nature below the cut
To be fair to the cast, they've been fantastic (for once), but everything else?
It's a big production with a cast of 60 or 70. When I say "school play" that's a bit unfair. It is a school play, but it's in a professional theatre and is open to the public. It's always fantastic. There's a hell of a lot of talent and these huge sets and big dance numbers and so on. Oh, this year it's Bugsy Malone.
To start the drama teacher called my mother to ask if I'd come back and do the props because the teacher who usually does them has broken her leg. No problem: I've been second in command of props since I was about 15. I can do it on my own.
Then the guy who does the set - who retired last year - was reluctant to come back and do it, especially since we have to do the show a week earlier than usual because of booking the theatre and that means the halls are still set up for the exams and we had nowhere to build set. Anyway, he agreed to come in and do some, but I had to do the rest. And it's just not as spectacular as usual.
So that was Friday and Monday taken up. And Sunday I spent all day at rehersals with the cast compiling a list of what was needed and gathering props.
I spent today in the theatre doing a technical run through and discovered that not only is the guy who usually does the set not going to be there, neither are either of his helpers. So that's three men short. I asked the male staff if any would come help - I have bookcases to get on and off stage and so on. None will (because the football is on, I suspect).
And my 'usual' crew of stage hands all left as I did last year. So instead of three teachers and six experienced stage hands, I have me and five kids who've never done it before. Two of whom tell me, half way through rehersal today, that they can only do Weds and Thurs nights. The show runs until Friday.
I've coerced two lovely boys from the cast to be my stage hands on Friday after their respective death scenes, so that's that sorted. But I'm stressed and exhausted. It just feels like I can't rely on anyone to do anything.
That said, I love the show and I'll do anything I can to help our drama teacher because she's completely wonderful and she's the one who's being let down really.
However, my old drama teacher called to ask if I could help with the school play as I was always heavily involved with it when I was at school and the teacher is a friend of mine.
Beware, words of a rant-ish nature below the cut
To be fair to the cast, they've been fantastic (for once), but everything else?
It's a big production with a cast of 60 or 70. When I say "school play" that's a bit unfair. It is a school play, but it's in a professional theatre and is open to the public. It's always fantastic. There's a hell of a lot of talent and these huge sets and big dance numbers and so on. Oh, this year it's Bugsy Malone.
To start the drama teacher called my mother to ask if I'd come back and do the props because the teacher who usually does them has broken her leg. No problem: I've been second in command of props since I was about 15. I can do it on my own.
Then the guy who does the set - who retired last year - was reluctant to come back and do it, especially since we have to do the show a week earlier than usual because of booking the theatre and that means the halls are still set up for the exams and we had nowhere to build set. Anyway, he agreed to come in and do some, but I had to do the rest. And it's just not as spectacular as usual.
So that was Friday and Monday taken up. And Sunday I spent all day at rehersals with the cast compiling a list of what was needed and gathering props.
I spent today in the theatre doing a technical run through and discovered that not only is the guy who usually does the set not going to be there, neither are either of his helpers. So that's three men short. I asked the male staff if any would come help - I have bookcases to get on and off stage and so on. None will (because the football is on, I suspect).
And my 'usual' crew of stage hands all left as I did last year. So instead of three teachers and six experienced stage hands, I have me and five kids who've never done it before. Two of whom tell me, half way through rehersal today, that they can only do Weds and Thurs nights. The show runs until Friday.
I've coerced two lovely boys from the cast to be my stage hands on Friday after their respective death scenes, so that's that sorted. But I'm stressed and exhausted. It just feels like I can't rely on anyone to do anything.
That said, I love the show and I'll do anything I can to help our drama teacher because she's completely wonderful and she's the one who's being let down really.
