And...more about the show

Good cast; excellent musicians; nice (I think) set.

A lead that doesn't yet know his lines, though, and that may not be a good thing.

Usually I'm pretty good with lines, so I'm not concerned...but man this has been a struggle.

This cast is also building a very enjoyable cameraderie, which frankly is one of the nicest things (when it happens) about doing theatre.

So. We open a week from Friday -- and tonight, a reviewer is going to review us (knowing that they'll be viewing a rehearsal, but because of scheduling conflicts, that's all they had). Yeesh.....no pressure there -- being reviewed when we're still struggling to pull it all together.

Yeesh redux.

About the Show

I really shouldn't have taken on the responsibility of designing and building the set for "Man of La Mancha" -- but on the other hand, who else woulda?

Well, that's probably unfair. Someone woulda....but my ego says (and, I think, accurately) that it wouldn't have been.....as good. Man, that sounded pretty damn divaishly egotistical.....'s what I think, though.

That said, the set (except for the (tedious and intricate painting)) is done. It's a huge cave -- a dungeon, really -- and I made it out of paper mache. Many many many layers of paper mache. I wanted it to look like a cave carved out of bedrock.

It looks really great, but in retrospect, I would not have designed it this way. Way too labor-intensive; way too tedious. Probably not worth it -- one hopes the audience won't be overly focused on the set, anyway.....but it is nice, nonetheless.

I'll post pictures after it's painted.

Got 'em, and burned out

Well, the Boy Scout video stuff got to me before the weekend, and yes, I did do my duty and make the videos. Wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it still took me about 5 1/2 hours to do. Really, not how I wanted to spend my Sunday. But at least they're done, and they came out pretty great, actually.

On Monday, though, utter exhaustion finally overtook me, and I ended up calling in sick to work (and just sleeping all day). I had a major headache; I couldn't concentrate; and I just felt that I really ought to pamper my body a little bit -- especially since, with less than two weeks to go before the show opens, the ante gets upped now.

I'm still tired, but much less so than I was. The day off helped tremendously.

Now if I just knew my lines.....

Oh, and....

I've not exactly been Joe Dedicated Dieter lately, but I have managed to lose one more pound.

15 total, to date.

Not bad. If I lose 5 more, I'll be happy. The goal is 10 more, so things ain't bad at all on the gut-front.

And yet more....

I have to do (as usual) the videos for the Boy Scout Eagle Court of Honor, which will be held a week from Sunday. I told them that I needed the pictures and information long in advance this time, because of my rehearsal schedule. Each one of these videos takes me, typically, about 2.5 hours to do.

Well....

I haven't received a thing yet...which means that (assuming I receive everything before this weekend) I'll be spending the entire day on Sunday doing these -- which really isn't fair to me.

If I don't receive 'em, the videos aren't going to happen. It's as simple as that. I hate to screw the boys over, but in this real world, Sunday is it.

Maybe this makes me a bad person, but 's not much I can do about it.

Urgh

Well, good intentions and a nickel will buy you, well, nothin'.

That said, my good intentions to keep the blog timely are blowin' in the wind (and hey, that's a hell of a title for a song). Exhaustion and frustration and exhausted exhaustion have tolled up on me....I feel like I'm barely hanging on.

I rehearse every night for about 3 hours; I not only designed the set (which was the plan), but I'm the primary carpenter and painter and stuff-doer on it (which was decidedly not the plan). This, of course, in addition to the whole working-for-a-living gig. Any learning of lines, and vocal exercises, and other associated flotsam and jetsam required to actually perform this part have to happen outside of these responsibilities...which begs the question "When, exactly?"

I'm hangin' in there....but I'd be lyin' if I said happily so.

Still...it's going >really< well -- the whole cast is experienced and talented and they know their way around a stage, so rehearsing is a joy. Collaborating and finding our moments together is the greatest joy of theatre, and we're realizing that joy nightly. That's a good thing.

Whether my voice holds out remains to be seen, but I'm cautiously optimistic that I won't single-handedly ruin the show.

Why We Do It

I will say, though, that I am really enjoying this cast. Odd divas aside, this is a group of talents, who (mostly) put the show first, and who genuinely like and respect each other.

Which makes for enjoyable after-rehearsal beer.

Which makes for better chemisty; which makes for a better show.

Yes, I am a proponent of the "beer improves all things" school of philosophy.

Which reminds me: the diet is going pretty well. I've lost 14 pounds now (goal is around 20)...and last Saturday and this Monday, I had a couple of beer and a dozen wings. If this continues, I'm going to write the "Beer and Hot Wings Diet" book. The hot sauce is the key -- it speeds up your metabolism to burn off the unwanted calories, while pleasing your taste buds (thus incenting you to stay on the diet). Of course, it also burns a hole in your stomach lining, but I might not mention that in the book...

The sad thing is that if I actually did write the book, it would sell.

Eeesh

Too much to do; too much to do; too little time to breathe.

Rehearsals and set design/construction are sapping every last ounce of energy (and when you factor in this whole working-for-a-living thing, it's downright draining). Things are going well, though. My voice is (more or less) holding up through the long nights of rehearsal, so that's a relief. Still remains to be seen if my vocal quality will get better or worse as rehearsals drag on, but that's a worry for another day.

Tonight we start baseball practice (I'm a pitching coach), so I've bumped my work schedule up by an hour. Funny how huge that one single lost hour of sleep can loom.....