Spring is in the Air

The weather is finally beginning to stick around the double digits and our last week of rain has done a number on the piles of snow that remain. Mountains of grimy ice and snow still dot parking lots and street corners, but they too are shrinking day by day.

With the warmth and sun light looms the thoughts of fresh produce. CSA boxes and farmers markets. And many many new opportunities to experiment for Carpe Cibus.

Up in Flames

A note to directors...

That little moment onstage you want with one little live flame...that tiny lit candle...

It's probably more expensive than you think.

Any time an open flame crosses the stage, no matter how tiny that flame may be, any props scenery and costumes that MAY (not will, but MAY) come in contact with the flame must be treated with flame retardant.

So what does that mean?

Well, for props and scenery you're looking at a several gallons of retardant at roughly $55 a gallon. Now you need the man power to douse all curtains, bedding, scenery, props, etc that may come in contact with the flame. Lets say that's one person for just a day. But wait...it's a union shop. So the pay is over $15 an hour...closer to $25 for many of the staff...so your looking at about $120-$200 in labor. Oh, but what if it's a particularly large show...or the props and scenery need a little more finesse than just a quick dip in the flame retardant? Well now you're looking to double that labor cost...if not triple.

And we haven't even gotten to costumes...and all the human safety issues this little candle can complicate.

First the burn tests of the fabrics (keep in mind...all the costumes at this point have been built. In a theater of this scale we're looking at a dress in $1,000+ price range when all materials and labor is figured in...there's not really any going back if things don't work...)

Samples of all of the fabrics for two costumes in questions went up in a flame of glory. And fast. One bubbled into a dripping, scalding mass in the bottom of the dye room sink before I could turn the tap on. And all of the silks caught quicker than a scout's fire starter and flared until only ash remained. No actor should be asked to go onstage in such a fire hazard in the presence of a flame...no matter how tiny that flame may be.

Now, the tricky thing with such deilcate fabrics...the slightest coating drastically changes the hand. So what may start out as a fluid, floaty nightgown can quickly turn into cardboard. Three hours of swatching and burn tests later, guess what...the fabric is stiff and only slightly less likely to ignite or smolder a mere inch from a lighter's flame.

So half a day's pay and a sample box full of flame retardant later, we still don't have a reasonable solution to allow for the safety of the actors as well as the integrity of the costume.

And this is before any actual applications to the two costumes in question...that in and of itself is another day long project (hey...it's a tea gown with a watteau back...and miles of flounces and trim...that's a lot of surface area to treat)

Is one flame, one candle, worth three or more employees day's wages, the actors' safety, and the negative impact on the look of the costumes?

Well perhaps.

I certainly don't see it....

Good Friends, Amazing Husband

The work week drags on. Right about this time every show, I start to get incredibly ansty and stressed out. It is Friday, thank God. But dress rehearsals for the next show loom. Several notes remain to be completed, despite the amazing amount of help I have had.

But it is Friday.

So Ross and I splurged on an amazing sushi dinner with two other friends. And then hit up one of the downtown bars just a short walk from our apartment.

The drinks and dancing were just what we needed to unwind and start off our weekend.

Tomorrow, aside from my belly dancing class, we have absolutely no plans. That in and of itself is sheer bliss.

On the Bright side

I was bummed about the news of not being able to work in Spring Green this summer. But in light of the happenings in Wisconsin's capital this evening, perhaps it is for the best. Now I needn't fret over how any Wisconsin state tax withholding may be used. But really, I'm trying not to dwell upon it...well either bit of news, really...

So here are some hats I've been fussing over for Arms and the Man.

And on a lighter note, stage management had to call my boss this afternoon. Apparently my loud riveting was disrupting the rehearsal below me. Who would have thought a ball-peen hammer on a tiny anvil could reverberate through concrete so...
so...
well...
disruptively....

Nostalgia

Ross and I took a whirlwind trip to Stevens Point last night. We had talked about seeing this show months earlier, but time passed, schedules changed and we were left with only enough time to drive out, eat at a favorite restaurant of my college days, see the show produced by a very talented crop of student, catch some sleep and drive back in the morning.

No exploring of Clark and Main Street. No Sunday morning drinks with old faculty and staff. No random cruising on a Sunday afternoon to take in how much has change, and how much is still the same.

But despite our short time, Ross and I truly enjoyed the trip. Hilltop Pub is still as it has been. Crowded on a Saturday night but with a quick turn around. Bloody marys are still spicy and served with a chaser of beer in the adorable 2 oz steins we Pointers use to pilfer. The tenderloin and shrimp still comes with three enormous and delicately breaded shrimp. The salads are still ice berg lettuce. The servers still a fresh batch of college students...

And ghosts haunt every corner. Well, in our case I suppose their were fewer ghosts and more flesh and blood friends. Half way into our salads I swore I spotted a familiar parental face walk in to door. And behind the him was Andrew. Of all the faces and all the years to past...both of us attending the same restaurant and the same show with our respective spouse/significant other. Even with years, miles and multiple and diverse experiences separating us, we gravitate to the same places.

The show was good. Full of the inexperience and naive freshness of students pouring their heart and soul into the group effort with still developing the skills to truly polish the end result. I've been spoiled with the finesse, polish and professionalism of working at a world class theatre. And the flaws, inconsistencies and novice choices shown through. But I was there a mere seven years ago. They can only grow. Sitting in that space, removed by years...it was humbling.

All the experiences, frustrations and joys we faced as students working on these shows that seemed insurmountable when first plopped in front of us. Coaxed, coerced, praised and sometimes scrutinized by faculty and staff to get that extra bit of effort to come out. I certainly have no desire to relive though years, but oh how fondly I look back upon them...

The new FAC is beautiful. The students are truly blessed to be able to work in much more update shops and labs. And some much more space...all under the same roof instead of spread over the entire campus.

I would have loved to spend a little more time...talked to a few more familiar faces. But it was no homecoming. The university and the program continues to move on and grow without us. We were just a brief four year speck in her progress. But we were a part of that progress nonetheless...

And that is such a good feeling...

A Rock and a Hard Place

Well, that's a sudden change of plans for the summer.

Initially this current season's letter of agreement had me in a lay-off for six weeks this summer. The date was likely to change. And at the time I was lead to believe that change would be a week...two weeks tops.

So with that six week gap in mind I plowed forward with plans at another theater. Many people were happy at the thought of me returning.

Now it appears, that return won't happen anymore, despite the contract that had been signed, sealed and delivered.

Though the new season has yet to be announced, my boss has enough information about the first shows to start specualtions on the build. Turns out the shop will need to be back in full swing a full THREE WEEKS earlier than we were orginally contracted. I can't scoff at the extra work. But what is frustrating is the amount of communication I had with my boss prior to signing an agreement with the other theater. And the sudden change in what we had initially discussed as my earliest return date. I never would have ventured to look for summer employment had I known I'd only be looking for three weeks.

In the end it boils down to where my priorities lie...with the theater that is my bread and butter...or the six week gig that fills the gap. There was very little room for negotiation. And while I doubt I've truly burned a bridge with the summer theater, I feel as though I betrayed them. I feel very strongly that they are an extension of family. The manager there gets it...he knows the job I have trumps any short term offer I could get. But he too has to look out for the best interest of his theater. And I am no longer in their best interest.

It broke my heart.

The thing that really kills me is that one of my co-workers from the summer theater is currently overhire under me in here. He was privy to the news of the schedule change shortly after I received it. You would have thought I killed his puppy for the look he gave me.

I hate being stuck like a pebble between a rock and boulder.