TUNNEL RAVE

While I certainly hope everyone had a splendid Easter Sunday, I'm absolutely positive that I don't envy anyone of theirs because mine consisted of rave-flying in a glow stick lit wind tunnel into the wee hours of the morning.  Also, I finally bested those damn transitions.  Suck it, transitions.  But I digress...

TOP OF THE TUNNEL

The other day we shut down the tunnel for about an hour while two of our guys went up do do maintenance on one of the five fans at the top.  I had mentioned that I was interested in going up to check out the top of the tunnel, so when they called down and asked for something to be brought up to them, I jumped at the chance.

JERRY SPRINGER: THE OPERA

A week and a half later and I'm back!  Dude, this past 10 days had been so full of activity, I don't even know where to start. That's a lie.  I'll start with the thing that's been 98% of that activity - Jerry Springer: The Opera for Balagan Theatre.  I've been Assistant Stage Managing this show for the past month or so and immediately after the 1st of the year (literally, the next day), we began our tech week.  The hours, the load of work that everyone involved has done, and the amount we've accomplished in such a short time has been absolutely insane.

FRIGHT NIGHT

(both versions of above photo © Helena Miscioscia)

 So this past Thursday was Halloween, and as I have mentioned, it was fairly low key because I essentially celebrated my Halloween in a big way quite early this year at the Globe's end of season party!

A LITTLE EXCITING, AND MORE THAN A LITTLE SAD

The sad news:  This was my last week at the Globe.  I'm officially done working there.  The end of season has arrived, and the past two days have been filled with Globe time, watching the closing performances of three shows, and the fourth and final one later this afternoon.  Friday was my last official day working, and while I still have some duties to carry out between shows, this weekend is mainly about enjoying the final bit of time there, watching a lot of great theatre, hanging out with work friends, and tonight, partying it up Fright Night style in the theatre with everyone else from the entire season.

GABRIEL

(All photos from the Shakespeare's Globe Facebook album)

Last night was Press Night for Gabriel at the Globe - the big night!  Gabriel has been the show that we've been working primarily on while I've been here, and the sheer size of the project and all that entails was the main reason I was invited to come intern.  But before that leads to some news I have, I just want to try to put into writing how incredibly proud I am of this production.

THE CHALLENGE THAT IS DRESSING FOR WORK AT MY JOB

I've always had this idea that having an office job means wearing beautiful pencil skirts and crisp blazers and all those sorts of pretty business clothes, and being able to wear heels as much as you'd like, because, hey, for the most part, you're sitting at a desk.  Well, the thing with my job is that part of it is an office job, and part of it is running around the Globe moving things and carrying instruments and running errands around London and basically being on my feet and breaking a sweat at some point almost every day.  So cute heels and pretty skirts are not practical.  My basic work uniform consists primarily of jeans, Converse, and a lightweight shirt that I won't overheat in or mind getting a bit sweaty.

Now, being me, I want to be able to dress up a bit now and then.  But I also want to stay cool, especially as over the past day or two, it's been bloody warm and muggy outside.  Keeping cool while staying work appropriate in the amount of skin I show, combined with being comfortable but still feeling nice in a good outfit... it's near impossible.  In fact, it might be impossible.  I challenge you to give me an outfit that fits within all these parameters, because I'm nearly out.  Also, I have a limited (-ish, I'm still a heavy packer) wardrobe with me over here.  And I'm poor, so there goes shopping (sad face).

Anyway, here is among the best I've been able to do.  And I brought a pair of flats in case the booties got to be impractical for the work this day.  And even though it's loose and a light material, I was still a bit warm in this top.  But I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to sacrifice something, and this was the lesser of the evils I suppose.

A TYPICAL DAY AT WORK

This is a post I meant to do on Saturday, but due to internet issues and general business, I haven't been able to upload it all until now.  But my friends and family have been asking about the job, so here you go Mom, Dad, and everyone else!  This documents my day last Friday, specifically, though really it's all so surreal and awesome that it may as well be every day, and every day since has proven this to be true.  (For example, today I passed by and spoke with Billy Boyd who played Pippin in Lord of the Rings and is currently at the Globe rehearsing for Macbeth, AND Joss Whedon was at work this morning being interviewed by the Globe about the new Much Ado film.  See what I mean?)

I wake up each day and walk to the East Putney tube stop, and hop onto the District line directly to Mansion House stop, just north of the Thames.

From there, I cross Southwark Bridge and it's down onto the bankside to walk to the Globe.  I cross past the front entrance and the riverside part of the theatre...

 ... to Stage Door, where I go in for work.  :)  It's so surreal to punch in the access code for the gate, walk into stage door, tap in with my pass, and head up to the theatre offices.  It's also insane how many times I'm going to be using the word "surreal" in this post, but there's no other way to put it, so bare with me as I repeatedly use it.

 During this first week I've mostly just gotten acquainted with all the different aspects of the job - gotten a tour, met everyone in the office (they're all so nice and incredibly fun), read through the union contracts for the people we hire so I can be familiar with them, read through the script of the new show, Gabriel, that will start rehearsal on Tuesday, downloaded the music for the show and burned CDs, done some photocopying, and learned how to make the tea in the office (maybe the most vital bit of information, that).  I also had a chance to pop down into the theatre to see The Tempest Thursday afternoon.  All I had to do was go downstairs into the courtyard, and walking into the yard of the theatre.  With my work ID on, I was just able to walk right in and watch the show.  It was weird and incredible and (here it is again) surreal.

Being American at work in England hasn't been too troublesome or made much difference except for little things.  Prime example of a nationality difference making a play at work:  I had made copies of a script for a show that is soon to begin work, and needed to hole punch them.  I looked high and low and asked a few coworkers where I might find a three hole punch, but to no avail.  A few hours later, towards the end of the day, I asked one more person, to which her response was "is that an American thing?".  I was a bit stymied, and explained what I needed, and she kindly informed me that in England they use a two hole punch and that there was one over there on the desk in the middle of the room, in front of me the whole time.  Nobody had known what I was talking about asking for three hole punches.  Sigh.

After work on Friday (the day I took all these pictures), we had a work party in the office with the cast of Henry VI: Parts 1&2 who are set to go on tour in two weeks.  There was beer, cider, Pimm's, and vast amounts of food in abundance, and it was really nice to sit back and chat with people.

 **Note: Almost every other day there has been a new assortment of goodies on the table in the office, even for no reason.  Monday was leftover bread and cheese and a new tray of chocolate biscuits, and today was scones with clotted cream and jam.  Point is, between this and the food I get at the house I'm staying at, I'll likely be obese by the end of the month, but rich as I won't have had to buy any food.

 Leaving work each day may be the most surreal part of the day, because I walk out to this view...

 I'll never get over walking out of work to see St. Paul's Cathedral directly across the river, and Shakespeare's Globe right next to me.

Here you can see our office from the bankside...

I know I just got here last week.  But, I don't want to leave... Ever.  Cheesy as it may sound, I don't think my heart could take it.  I'm in love with this place, and with my incredible job.  Literally awesome, head-over-heels in love.