The world premiere of Crown of Shadows, brought to you by The Round House Theatre in Bethesda, is nothing more than a fan fiction of Homer's Odyssey. Clearly it was inspired by the emotionally cliched genre of Stephenie Meyer more than by ancient Greece. Perhaps Telemachus and Calliope (the muse of epic poetry) would have taken each other to Prom if they hadn't been stabbed to death in the final scene.
Oh gods how I thus beseech you! How did you allow this atrocity to happen on stage? Why?!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Intern Inflation
Describe your Internship Engagement:
5-15-12
Five new interns came in today and now there are more of us than necessary. The ratio of work available per intern capita has become inflated. I have practically nothing to do anymore. I'm not checking in with the PR department because their allotted intern arrived yesterday. It's at this point that I'm beginning to realize that in spite of what they told me during my phone interview, I haven't worked on a complete project from start to finish since I've started because I'm assigned things to do on a day-to-day basis. This was exciting at first because every day was a new surprise but now I've run out of surprises. The wheels are spinning but I'm not going anywhere.
I knew going in that as an intern I would be at the bottom of the food chain but I guess I was hoping to participate in Studio operations in a more meaningful way. As I've said before, I do think it's fantastic that The Studio Theatre encourages the entire staff to attend first rehearsals, see all of our productions, and take advantage of special comp ticket offers through the League of Washington Theatres to see shows elsewhere in the DC area. The benefit of working at the Studio is being a part of its larger network.
Last Tuesday I went to a seminar hosted by one of the professors here in the UCDC Center and I went into this thinking that there wouldn't be very much that would pertain to me. This professor invited UC alumni panelists to come and give us advice on maximizing the potential benefits of our time as interns. Many of them emphasized that their jobs and/or previous internships were tedious and menial but that there is something to be said about being in a professional environment and having face-time with people in the office. After being at the Studio for several weeks I'm beginning to feel that this describes my experience. I'll just have to find other ways of productively spending my time when I'm not working on an assignment.
5-15-12
Five new interns came in today and now there are more of us than necessary. The ratio of work available per intern capita has become inflated. I have practically nothing to do anymore. I'm not checking in with the PR department because their allotted intern arrived yesterday. It's at this point that I'm beginning to realize that in spite of what they told me during my phone interview, I haven't worked on a complete project from start to finish since I've started because I'm assigned things to do on a day-to-day basis. This was exciting at first because every day was a new surprise but now I've run out of surprises. The wheels are spinning but I'm not going anywhere.
I knew going in that as an intern I would be at the bottom of the food chain but I guess I was hoping to participate in Studio operations in a more meaningful way. As I've said before, I do think it's fantastic that The Studio Theatre encourages the entire staff to attend first rehearsals, see all of our productions, and take advantage of special comp ticket offers through the League of Washington Theatres to see shows elsewhere in the DC area. The benefit of working at the Studio is being a part of its larger network.
Last Tuesday I went to a seminar hosted by one of the professors here in the UCDC Center and I went into this thinking that there wouldn't be very much that would pertain to me. This professor invited UC alumni panelists to come and give us advice on maximizing the potential benefits of our time as interns. Many of them emphasized that their jobs and/or previous internships were tedious and menial but that there is something to be said about being in a professional environment and having face-time with people in the office. After being at the Studio for several weeks I'm beginning to feel that this describes my experience. I'll just have to find other ways of productively spending my time when I'm not working on an assignment.
The Music Man at Arena Stage
Arena Stage's production of The Music Man was exactly as I expected it to be: campy, corny, clean, and wholesome.
The end.
The end.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Commuting to Work Today
I ended up oversleeping a little and I didn't leave the UC Washington Center until 9:55. I called in ahead of time to let the receptionist know that I would be a couple minutes late and to pass the message along to my boss. I got in this morning at 10:02 and my supervisor showed up about 10 or 15 minutes later. I noticed that more people than usual were coming into the office late. Apparently 14th street was shut down and city officials were blocking it off completely, even from pedestrians. This is fairly problematic considering that the Studio Theatre is on 14th street just below the road blockage. I was relieved to know that no one noticed my two-minute tardiness. The increased traffic over the unannounced street closure created quite a bit of drama in the office. Why? ...
...because Obama felt like eating a sandwich.
I wish that I was joking. But they closed the entire street down and wouldn't let people cross on foot to the nearby Starbucks because Mr. President wanted to buy a sandwich. In his defense that particular sandwich shop is exquisite. They use very fancy ingredients and the food is deliciously expensive. I ate there for the first time last week.
http://www.taylorgourmet.com/
Check out what the Washington Post had to say about it:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/this-presidents-day-eat-like-the-obamas/2012/02/10/gIQAVJHCGR_gallery.html#photo=1
...because Obama felt like eating a sandwich.
I wish that I was joking. But they closed the entire street down and wouldn't let people cross on foot to the nearby Starbucks because Mr. President wanted to buy a sandwich. In his defense that particular sandwich shop is exquisite. They use very fancy ingredients and the food is deliciously expensive. I ate there for the first time last week.
http://www.taylorgourmet.com/
Check out what the Washington Post had to say about it:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/this-presidents-day-eat-like-the-obamas/2012/02/10/gIQAVJHCGR_gallery.html#photo=1
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Congresswomen Update
The most recent things happening with our little theatre project include finalizations of our original script, the installment of mirrors, and laying out vinyl dance floor for our brand new dance studio and rehearsal space. I am helping the costume designer compile a list of all the items we need to acquire. Our director wants us to get back to him by the end of the week with our research on free and/or cheap inventory that we can rent or borrow from local theaters, our internship sites, or elsewhere.
Our show opens in about a month so I'm glad we are moving into an actual casting and rehearsal phase. We only meet once a week though, and because our director never made a syllabus for the class I have to ask the actors if they feel like showing up to rehearsals outside of our assigned class time. I feel like this process lacks structure but I don't have the authority to put it into place. The professor/director has that authority but chooses not to assert it because he feels that parameters and limitations are restrictive to the creative process. I still don't know how much money we have to play with but he's asking me to create a budget anyways. I guess it comes down to differences in philosophy. I take more of an outside-in approach to art whereas he's more of an inside-out creator. He doesn't want any maximums, caps, or roofs and I get the impression that his least favorite word in the whole world is No.
Sometimes I feel like I am in the dark. I never really know what he wants me to do because he'll tell me that he wants everything from here to the moon and back again, and it's hard to keep the whole thing grounded. I imagine that I will get better at guessing what he wants in the next couple weeks. One of the other students, who has worked with him in the past, has suggested that I learn how to frame things to make it sound like my idea is better. Or better yet, learn how to lead him into thinking that my idea is actually his idea and that it's brilliant because he's the one that thought of it.
I have a lot of respect for my director and I know that he is a great artist but certain aspects of my work feel a little bit like babysitting. The comparison to a child is not meant to belittle him but rather to emphasize his unbridled optimism and enthusiasm for his life's work.
He's told me repeatedly that it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission and I'm still trying to decide if that works for me.
Our show opens in about a month so I'm glad we are moving into an actual casting and rehearsal phase. We only meet once a week though, and because our director never made a syllabus for the class I have to ask the actors if they feel like showing up to rehearsals outside of our assigned class time. I feel like this process lacks structure but I don't have the authority to put it into place. The professor/director has that authority but chooses not to assert it because he feels that parameters and limitations are restrictive to the creative process. I still don't know how much money we have to play with but he's asking me to create a budget anyways. I guess it comes down to differences in philosophy. I take more of an outside-in approach to art whereas he's more of an inside-out creator. He doesn't want any maximums, caps, or roofs and I get the impression that his least favorite word in the whole world is No.
Sometimes I feel like I am in the dark. I never really know what he wants me to do because he'll tell me that he wants everything from here to the moon and back again, and it's hard to keep the whole thing grounded. I imagine that I will get better at guessing what he wants in the next couple weeks. One of the other students, who has worked with him in the past, has suggested that I learn how to frame things to make it sound like my idea is better. Or better yet, learn how to lead him into thinking that my idea is actually his idea and that it's brilliant because he's the one that thought of it.
I have a lot of respect for my director and I know that he is a great artist but certain aspects of my work feel a little bit like babysitting. The comparison to a child is not meant to belittle him but rather to emphasize his unbridled optimism and enthusiasm for his life's work.
He's told me repeatedly that it's better to ask for forgiveness than permission and I'm still trying to decide if that works for me.
Business Model and Mission at the Studio
Describe your Internship Engagement:
(4.23.12)
About two weeks ago my program coordinator back in Irvine flew out to Washington, DC in order to attend administrative meetings and talk about the future of the program. She had arranged with me beforehand to come and visit my internship site and talk to my supervisor, Sarah, about my role within daily Studio Theatre operations. The main reason for her visit was to see how I was doing and get a feel for how likely or unlikely it would be for future UC students to get their internship at the Studio. Since the arts program is such a young addition to the coursework and opportunities available through UCDC the administrators are making every effort possible to make connections with theaters, museums, and other art venues for future UC arts students. So far I've been very happy to hear so much talk and effort from the Higher Ups about the arts program and developing these connections.
It turns out that Sharon was planning on bringing a couple other program coordinators from California with her. There were four of us all together and when we arrived the Director of Administration, Sarah, took us through the building and gave them the same general orientation that I got over a month ago.This ended up being really cool because I got to re-experience some of the awe I felt when I first started. The tour is a chance for Sarah to brag about how nifty the Studio is and highlight its key successes in terms of the Studio mission statement.
The part I find most interesting about the Studio mission statement is the claim that "No theatre of comparable budget size operates such exclusively intimate spaces." So far I find that to be pretty true. Their largest theatre only seats about 200 people. The fact that a key component of their mission is apparent in the design and function of the Studio Theatre building itself seems significant. From the three shows I've seen I can easily say that the work they produce embodies a sense of intimacy in their choice of plays, their excellent theatrical craft, and in the environment they create. It makes me feel like the answer to my professor's question "Is the agency for which you intern actually doing what it claims to be doing?" is "Yes, absolutely."
Sarah's tour also reminded me of another interesting aspect of The Studio Theatre; everything is all under one roof. They own the entire 4 story building and remodeled it about 10 years ago to fit the needs of a growing theatre company. This means that they aren't spending money to rent space off-site. They also own small apartments to house the year-long apprentices and visiting guest artists. The decision to buy and own instead of renting is a great move for a long-term plan. When it comes to business and money I've been impressed so far. Most of The Studio's revenue comes from annual subscriptions purchased by loyal patrons and other single ticket orders. Before coming here I thought that this was completely unheard of. I mean who buys theatre tickets anymore? I thought that theatres had to rely on large donations and grant funding in order to exist. The fact that the Studio is able to donate their tickets to other organizations says a lot.
In the end I was very satisfied with how this visit concluded with my coordinators and I'm eager to continue sharing the value of what I do with them and the administrators here in DC. I'm hoping to get our final production of The Congresswomen project filmed so that everyone can see it and pass it along to perspective students. I also anticipate that my final paper will be published somewhere on the UCDC website like last year's group. that will result from the Arts Core Class discussions and the journaling collected through this blog.
(4.23.12)
About two weeks ago my program coordinator back in Irvine flew out to Washington, DC in order to attend administrative meetings and talk about the future of the program. She had arranged with me beforehand to come and visit my internship site and talk to my supervisor, Sarah, about my role within daily Studio Theatre operations. The main reason for her visit was to see how I was doing and get a feel for how likely or unlikely it would be for future UC students to get their internship at the Studio. Since the arts program is such a young addition to the coursework and opportunities available through UCDC the administrators are making every effort possible to make connections with theaters, museums, and other art venues for future UC arts students. So far I've been very happy to hear so much talk and effort from the Higher Ups about the arts program and developing these connections.
It turns out that Sharon was planning on bringing a couple other program coordinators from California with her. There were four of us all together and when we arrived the Director of Administration, Sarah, took us through the building and gave them the same general orientation that I got over a month ago.This ended up being really cool because I got to re-experience some of the awe I felt when I first started. The tour is a chance for Sarah to brag about how nifty the Studio is and highlight its key successes in terms of the Studio mission statement.
The part I find most interesting about the Studio mission statement is the claim that "No theatre of comparable budget size operates such exclusively intimate spaces." So far I find that to be pretty true. Their largest theatre only seats about 200 people. The fact that a key component of their mission is apparent in the design and function of the Studio Theatre building itself seems significant. From the three shows I've seen I can easily say that the work they produce embodies a sense of intimacy in their choice of plays, their excellent theatrical craft, and in the environment they create. It makes me feel like the answer to my professor's question "Is the agency for which you intern actually doing what it claims to be doing?" is "Yes, absolutely."
Sarah's tour also reminded me of another interesting aspect of The Studio Theatre; everything is all under one roof. They own the entire 4 story building and remodeled it about 10 years ago to fit the needs of a growing theatre company. This means that they aren't spending money to rent space off-site. They also own small apartments to house the year-long apprentices and visiting guest artists. The decision to buy and own instead of renting is a great move for a long-term plan. When it comes to business and money I've been impressed so far. Most of The Studio's revenue comes from annual subscriptions purchased by loyal patrons and other single ticket orders. Before coming here I thought that this was completely unheard of. I mean who buys theatre tickets anymore? I thought that theatres had to rely on large donations and grant funding in order to exist. The fact that the Studio is able to donate their tickets to other organizations says a lot.
In the end I was very satisfied with how this visit concluded with my coordinators and I'm eager to continue sharing the value of what I do with them and the administrators here in DC. I'm hoping to get our final production of The Congresswomen project filmed so that everyone can see it and pass it along to perspective students. I also anticipate that my final paper will be published somewhere on the UCDC website like last year's group. that will result from the Arts Core Class discussions and the journaling collected through this blog.
Interviewing SCR pt. 3
I got the internship!
More details to come later when I receive my contracts in the mail.
More details to come later when I receive my contracts in the mail.
Typing up Call-Back Sides
Describe your internship engagement:
(5/3/12)
I spent most of the day typing up
sides. We are holding call-backs for an upcoming show and the Casting Coordinator needed me to create a word document that
she can send over to the director for approval. The director
specified which scenes she wanted read and the casting coordinator
told me to type them all up. These are the sides. They are lines from
the script and the entire scene being played is cut down to about a
minute or two of performance time. At the call-backs the actors will
read from these sides that I typed up for various parts so that the
director can determine how people look and feel as different
characters. After that the parts will be cast and the show will move
into rehearsal mode.
Technically
I know how to touch type, so I didn't think the task of typing the
sides into Word would take that long, but it did. I wanted to make
sure that all of the lines were typed accurately, exactly as they
appear in the script. It's one of those jobs that would be incredibly
fast and easy if I had access to a computer with Adobe Acrobat (the full program and not just the reader) or
some other program that does OCR (optical character recognition). But
once again I encounter the problem of not having full access to
everything in the office and having to track down the IT guy to
temporarily fix this situation. Then once I do find him he has to sit
down and make this one-time-exception so I can do the job that was
assigned to me. I figured by the time I found him, and had all the
script pages scanned and turned into recognizable text, I would run
into printer issues again. So I did this job the long way instead because it would take just as long and ended up being easier. I couldn't
save the side documents on the drive that the Casting Coordinator
wanted me to because I can't access it. The IT guy told me that he
can't let me into the Production Drive on the server because it's a security issue.
My Legacy at Studio
Describe
your internship engagement:
(5/2/12)
This
afternoon I made more contact sheets for the PR department. Usually
on Wednesdays all of the interns are there so it's hard to keep us
all busy. Somehow I managed. I think this is because I was willing to
do really tedious work, just for the sake of staying busy. My biggest
project was cleaning off the work table in the PR section of the
office. It was piled pretty high with programs from previous
performances, newspapers, promotion and marketing materials, food,
photos, and other miscellaneous items that had collected. It took me
about an hour or so but I got the table completely cleared. In the
process of doing so, I had to make sure that all of the departments
that needed copies had enough programs before I dumped them in
recycling. This gave me a chance to walk around and talk to people
which is nice. Interaction is fun. So at this point my lasting legacy
in the PR department is a clean work space. I think the fridge in the
break room is coming up pretty soon too.
My other
super exciting job was taking out the mail. Doing errands isn't so
bad because I get to leave the office and go for a short walk.
IT Issues
Describe your internship engagement:
(5/1/12)
I didn't do anything too exciting. Recently I've been helping out in PR a lot even though technically I'm an administrative intern. I feel alright with this. Granted, I didn't expect to do PR work when I first applied but I find the opportunity to explore another department beneficial. My expectation with this internship was to gain new knowledge and observe the inner workings of a successful mid-size professional theatre company. I suppose I can do that from any department. Their year-long apprentice recently left so PR is under-staffed.
While sitting in their section I taught myself how to make photo contact sheets using the files off of our production stills CD for The Bachelorette and The Big Meal. My task of creating these pdf files compiling all the pictures was easy but printing them out was difficult. Since I'm a lowly intern my computer login has very restricted access to the servers and printers around the office. Oftentimes I can't do the jobs assigned to me without tracking down the IT guy because I don't have permission to access information or use the fancy printers. The IT guy likes to hide away from his desk, so finding him is rather troublesome. I've mentioned to him several times that the full-time staff expects me to have the same level of access they do and that this impacts my efficiency because the fact of the matter is that I do not.
Other than working around the printer issues I didn't do much else. It was pretty slow. I always bring my laptop to work so that I can do homework or side projects in my down time. I figure sitting in the copy room on my laptop is great way of screaming "I'm not busy right now! Give me a job to do!" and more often than not someone assigns me a new task. If that doesn't work I start going around the office asking people if there is anything I can do for them.
Friday, May 4, 2012
So Much To Blog About and So Little Time
Too many things:
1) I went to see a production this evening called Crown of Shadows: The Wake of Odysseus at the Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD. It was rather lame despite the epic sounding title.
2) I got the internship at South Coast Repertory! I have a job lined up! Now I just have to figure out what I'm doing this summer...
3) A certain someone just came back from Japan so I'm happy that he's back in California again where it's so much easier to determine the time difference.
4) Thursday night I saw The Big Meal at The Studio Theatre and it was amazing. It brought me to tears.
5) The Congresswomen which I am stage managing is coming along slowly. I'm running into interesting challenges and I got to work with plexiglass, plywood, and contact cement earlier today. Safety goggles, respirator face masks, and the whole nine yards. We made the whole 3rd floor smell like paint fumes. The people in their offices must have loved us.
6) Later today (May 5th) I'm seeing a production called Hamlecchino at Gallaudet University. It's being produced by a company which specializes in physical theatre and commedia dell'arte. An afternoon of drama, italian, and ASL? I think so.
7) I'm doing the networking thing. I had coffee with an alumni from Berkeley last week and we're talking about meeting up again for a Happy Hour social with some friends who work at The Kennedy Center.
8) I'm seeing The Taming of the Shrew on Sunday. One of my professors is in it.
Did I mention that every show I go to is free? I'd elaborate on how awesome this is in more detail except that it's 3am and I've got stuff planned for tomorrow. Today.
Oh yeah and I'm also graduating. It's going to be a huge deal and I'm trying to help plan a celebratory party for the occasion. While doing the school thing and make an itinerary for when my mother flies over to visit DC later in June.
1) I went to see a production this evening called Crown of Shadows: The Wake of Odysseus at the Round House Theatre in Bethesda, MD. It was rather lame despite the epic sounding title.
2) I got the internship at South Coast Repertory! I have a job lined up! Now I just have to figure out what I'm doing this summer...
3) A certain someone just came back from Japan so I'm happy that he's back in California again where it's so much easier to determine the time difference.
4) Thursday night I saw The Big Meal at The Studio Theatre and it was amazing. It brought me to tears.
5) The Congresswomen which I am stage managing is coming along slowly. I'm running into interesting challenges and I got to work with plexiglass, plywood, and contact cement earlier today. Safety goggles, respirator face masks, and the whole nine yards. We made the whole 3rd floor smell like paint fumes. The people in their offices must have loved us.
6) Later today (May 5th) I'm seeing a production called Hamlecchino at Gallaudet University. It's being produced by a company which specializes in physical theatre and commedia dell'arte. An afternoon of drama, italian, and ASL? I think so.
7) I'm doing the networking thing. I had coffee with an alumni from Berkeley last week and we're talking about meeting up again for a Happy Hour social with some friends who work at The Kennedy Center.
8) I'm seeing The Taming of the Shrew on Sunday. One of my professors is in it.
Did I mention that every show I go to is free? I'd elaborate on how awesome this is in more detail except that it's 3am and I've got stuff planned for tomorrow. Today.
Oh yeah and I'm also graduating. It's going to be a huge deal and I'm trying to help plan a celebratory party for the occasion. While doing the school thing and make an itinerary for when my mother flies over to visit DC later in June.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)