Lots of Jobbing!

Man, it seems like I say this every time I post.  I have been obscenely busy the last few weeks!  I told you about my new job with Fifth House Ensemble here in Chicago, well in addition to that, I got another new job as a barista, too!  (If you're in Chicago & want to know where so you can visit me, let me know & I'll share!)  And, of course, still running my last show at VG.  I thought I wouldn't be starting the barista training/job until after my show at VG closed (yesterday), but I was wrong.

So, for the last few weeks, I've been working 3 jobs.  But, now that the show is closed, I can focus on repping Fifth House on the interwebs (that's right, I run their blog, twitter, and facebook!) & making lots of coffee!  Check us out!

I did get to spend Memorial day laying in the sun, reading, and riding my bike out at Montrose Harbor!  Included pictures are from that gloriously relaxing day.

As far as crocheting goes, I'm working on cranking out Wedding Afghan #2!  This BFF's wedding I'm in isn't until August, BUT her shower is on 6/25, AND I was able to get off work so I can go.  So I'm trying to get it finished to give her at the shower.  We'll see how that goes.  It's hard to crochet an afghan when you don't have AC...

Reverb10 12/3

Reverb10 December 3 – Moment.

Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

(Author: Ali Edwards)

You know what...my moment was recently.  While working.  The thing is, though, that I love what I do.  I get a rush.  I feel alive.  

I recently stage managed a project for the Fifth House Ensemble here in Chicago.  In short, it was a fairy tale set to music (played by the extremely talented members of Fifth House) with actors telling the story using movement only.  The 10 musicians are unbelievably talented, the director was someone who I love and have worked with twice before, and the actors were so friendly, open, and wonderful.

The stage for one of our performances. 

I felt the most alive during our first run through with the musicians and actors together.  We rehearsed in a warehouse, studio space.  The light was relatively dim, and everyone looked silhouetted from the light coming from the huge windows.  The space was either really cold or quite warm.  There were green plants hanging from the rafters.  The space smelled faintly of coffee and donuts, and once we started, music just filled the room.  

As a stage manager, it's my job to facilitate the bringing together of many talented people, and this was truly a goosebump and awe inspiring experience. 

The Weaver's Tales

So Tuesday and Wednesday nights were the performances of The Weaver's Tales produced by Fifth-House Ensemble, a chamber orchestra here in Chicago.  I had an absolute blast working on this project, even though I did it for free, and if schedule and income work out, I'd love to work on parts 2 & 3 in the spring.

Tuesday's show was in Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center.  Holy Cow is it gorgeous there.  Preston Bradley houses the world's largest Tiffany dome.  And there's tons of quotes from authors and what not all around.  (CCC used to be the original Chicago Public Library.)  I didn't get any pictures that day because it was a little crazy, and I was running around like a decapitated chicken.  But Wednesday's performance was at a space in Rogers Park called Mayne Stage.  It was the coolest venue, and it would be an amazing place to see a cabaret or burlesque show.  For reals.

The technical element at CCC was funny.  I ran the lights by twisting two knobs back and forth.  And one of the knobs had broken off, so I was twisting a tiny little post.  But the technical stuff at Mayne Stage was pretty cool.  Although I had to run the lights via a very strange type of light board called a Smart Fade.  That part kind of sucked....I was moving lots of sliders (simultaneously!) instead of pressing a GO button.  And I had people to help run sound AND projections.  For the small amount of tech time we had to practice and work through that stuff, it went pretty well!  I have to get over my perfectionism in regards to small, harmless mistakes.  Anyways, here are pictures Mayne Stage.  

This is What I've Been Up to the Last Few Days...

ribbon and medallion (made from ribbon-y stuff) to hold together a fancy diploma that the Scarecrow receives for his brain

dressing the Scarecrow's stand (referred to by some as "the crucifix")

close up of my Scarecrow handiwork

Emerald City sunglasses.

a sign i saw while driving between the theatre and their warehouse...i should hope they do..

i had to leave so early every morning, and had such late nights, that i bought a box of cheerios to eat in the car to keep me awake.  i might have spilled them.  and dropped them all over...

Ruh Roh...I've Been Missing...

Whoa I'm behind.  I missed TWO days of posting.  In my defense, I've been up at 6:00am every day to drive 30 miles north to Lincolnshire to work at the Marriott Theatre helping them tech "The Wizard of Oz".  (a 1 hour kids' show version!)  And then I've left the Marriott to head straight to my shows the last two nights and not gotten home until after 11:00pm, and in order to get enough sleep to make it through the next day, I've basically come home and crashed into bed.  So, needless to say, this is my fourth day of this insanity, and I' exhausted.  So far, I'm pretty sure I have nothing to do tomorrow until 6:30pm when I head to my first rehearsal for "It's a Wonderful Life: Live at the Biograph!"

I WILL have 30 posts for the month of November, however.  I've got a lot to post about, so making up 2 posts shouldn't be a problem:  TWO finished objects (crochet!), my show that performed Tuesday & Wednesday, and great pictures from the venue where my show was Wednesday night!

Thirsty Thursday

Oh Boy am I tired.  I got up at 7:45 this morning to get dressed and meet my mom downtown.  She took a bus trip up with her bank for the day -- Hooray for Bank Holidays!  We did all sorts of awesome things, which include, but are not limited to, buying expensive makeup at Neiman Marcus and going to Vogue Fabrics in Evanston. 

After I put Momma safely back on the bus at Water Tower, I headed down to the Loop-ish area to wait for Mikey.  We met Wych and had a drink at Elephant & Castle (cannot wait to go back with the family for dinner!) and then headed to see a staged reading that Mikey did the lighting design for.  No Big Deal, but the show was on the stage of the Pritzker Pavillion at Millennium Park.  There's a big glass door at the edge of the stage that they closed, and the audience sat facing that.  So basically the backdrop was Millennium Park & the Skyline.  Awesome.  I mean, check this shit out. 

Back to the Thirst Thursday part.  Mikey and I had the BEST drinks EVER.  She had a Blueberry Collins (basically gin & blueberries), and I had a Caramel Apple Sour.  OOOOOOOOOH geeeez.  It was delicious.  However, drinking out of a martini glass makes me nervous. 

Also, the new to me digital camera I inherited from Daddy Deeter takes GREAT shots at night!  Yay for free, good quality point and shoot camera!!!

The Girl...

This summer, I devoured The Millennium Trilogy.  That is, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "The Girl who Played with Fire," and "The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest."  Holy Cow they were amazing.  All three of them.  And one of my favorite things in life is adaptations...any type.  Books into movies, movies into plays, books into musicals into movies into plays into books again.  Even if they're terrible, I want to see/read/watch all iterations ("Time Traveler's Wife," for example.  One of my top 5 fave books, was dying to see the movie, loved the movie, but it was a terrible adaptation.  Still love both.)

So the original (meaning Swedish) movie of book #1 was on Instant Netflix this summer, and I made old roommate Claire watch it with me.  It was FABULOUS.  One of the best adaptations of a book into a movie.  I was dying all summer to see the original of book #2, but I didn't get around to it.  It became available on Instant Netflix last week, and I've been watching it (in pieces because of various things going on around the apartment), and it is not even close to being as good as the first.  I'm a little disappointed.  I'll let you know what I think when I finally finish it.  And regardless, I'll be seeing original movie #3.  In all honesty, I'll see American movies 1-3 also. 


In other news, the show I'm currently working on is going to be featured on the WGN Midday News tomorrow!  Baller!  I'm not  needed or called for the filming, but I'm invited.  I'm DEFINITELY going, because how cool will it be to see how news and stuff is filmed!

Right now the Colts are playing the Eagles on CBS.  I got home in time to see the second half.  But because my brain is so thoroughly theatre-ized, when I texted my dad to say I was able to watch the second half, I almost said "I got home at intermission and will get to watch act 2!"  Oops!