Monday Strange

The theater is filthy. Stained carpets, candy wrappers on the floors, pieces of old sets strewn and piled willy-nilly behind the stage and behind the building, paint and other stuff crammed into corners and closets, old costumes from bygone productions still in the dressing room, and ants in the bathroom, perhaps due to the recent rains. The last production has not cleaned up after themselves and the set was not torn down. I had time to take all this in tonight, maybe because so many of my friends have promised to come to this powerful play I've been promoting, "Firstborn," and I am praying everything gets spiffed up by Friday, but don't have a clue whether or not that will happen. I know I'm not the hostess, but...Could we possibly call in a janitorial service and split the bill from the ticket sales?

Our set has not been built yet. Tandiwe says it will be, tomorrow. Tonight we worked among floating balloons and strange silver wall hangings (one got stuck in LaToya's teeth as she crossed the stage!) from a karaoke nightclub scene that has nothing to do with "Firstborn." This was unhelpful to us actors, who have worked so hard and been so patient, from one venue to the next, trying to keep it all together, learn our changes, and go with evolving blocking.

The point of tonight's rehearsal was supposed to be Wardrobe, so we actually rushed through our scenes, not for acting, not for timing, but for Wardrobe. My big surprise of the evening? My character, Sister Jackie, needs one or two more costume changes, and I'm supposed to rummage through my closets tonight and find some pretty skirts and matching tops. Done. Other actors had their wardrobe malfunctions tonight. But, things will work out, right?

When you open the door to exit the green room, someone may be running in at that very moment, zooming towards the dressing room for their next costume change. How will we avoid traffic jams and smash-ups? There was no stage manager tonight, but, Praise the Lord! I hope she will be there Wednesday through Sunday. I'll say a special prayer, Pastor, that no one gets hurt, that we can hear the play from the green room (couldn't hear a thing tonight from the green room!) so we can anticipate our cues without being underfoot backstage, that it all works out. Hallelujah!

All this, and I threw my lines, too. I forgive myself. Anyone in their right mind would be a bit shaky under the circumstances. Character Daja (LaToya) was lying on some table as hospital bed and people started giggling while I delivered my doctor monologue...The lesson of concentration shall be learned the hard way.

Since I am new at this, and that clean and organized theater in Danville was my last theatrical venue, I am feeling a bit disoriented and sad. Four nights before opening night for "The House of Blue Leaves" we were already settled into our set and costumes, the space was clean as a whistle, and the stage manager managed us, the set, the lines, cues, audio, and props. And, I used to complain about how anal she seemed about my nun's whistle being placed on the prop table at the end of every night's rehearsal! Our brave director Tiffany does not have any this luxury, alas, and I really feel for her. Life is not fair, Lordy!

Tonight she was off to KPFA for another round of radio interviews with some of the actors. Should be good for the spirit.

I'm off to bed. Early call in the AM for the day job on company merger week.