It’s been a fast and furious process of getting a show up and then over.
There is a chart that I saw once about the steps of the creative process:
I’ve realized this week, that no matter how long the rehearsal process, we still go through all the stages. And yes, even as a stage manager, I feel it. Sometimes more than others. In a way, a pretty short rehearsal process, as I just went through, is perhaps even more exhausting than a longer one because these emotional stages are condensed; even as I found myself arriving in one stage, I was already moving into the next stage. So in a way having a short rehearsal process where we are working two sessions a day can be just as emotionally taxing as a longer rehearsal session with three sessions a day. The mental journey you take is still the same.
All in all, though, it’s been really great to get back. There have been so many moments when I stop and I just feel so comfortable and happy to be doing my job again. At the end of our final dress rehearsal, I was standing out onstage as Maestro gave his notes, and I gazed out into the house. Of course, in an outdoor space, gazing out into the house means (at that late hour) gazing out into the inky night sky and feeling the cool summer breeze. I was told we were lucky to be in the space on a mild summer nights. Some nights it gets upwards of 100 degrees!
A good friend of mine will every so often post as her Facebook status: “I get to go to rehearsal today!” And every day I’ve felt that. Maybe it’s because I’ve been away for a year+ , but I feel very lucky and excited to be able to be in rehearsal again.
Opera in COVID times is certainly interesting. We have a COVID Compliance coordinator in the room with us, advising us on whether or not what we are doing is within the guidelines we were given. I feel like we are being very conservative, but because of the aerosol nature of singing, I think being cautious is important. So the singers are asked to maintain 6′ of distance between each other when standing still, and 17″ when they are singing. As much as possible, props are not shared. If they are shared, or touched by multiple people – they get santized.
I try to be a pretty stoic stage manager. But at our first onstage rehearsal, as the singers came to stage, stepping out of the wings for the first time in over a year, their tears of joy left me a little verklempt. There were lights, there was an orchestra, there was rows and rows of seats stretching back back back. There was vast expanse of space to filled with music. There was the darkness of backstage and standing in the wings. There was a crew of familiar faces – such a welcome sight after over a year. There were dressing rooms (freshly renovated!), and the soft light of dressing room mirrors. And there was this easy going sense of gratitude that we got to be here again.
Other things that happened – I accidentally set off the fire alarm at work one day. It. was. mooooortifying. I was putting away some music stands and they fell off the rack, hitting the wall in just the right way so as to trigger the fire alarm. We had to clear the building and the fire department had to come to turn off the alarm. Luckily (?) we were on a rehearsal break, so we didn’t lose that much rehearsal time. But still. One of those “I can’t believe I did that” moments.
Life: We joined a pool this summer. The nine year old really wanted to join a swim team this year. I debated whether or not to join a private pool or just go to the County pools this summer. The County pools have more features and could potentially be less expensive, but they don’t all have a swim team and are a little farther away. Then I found out that one of the private pools in our area has a trial membership option, which seemed like a low stakes way to dip our foot in the world of swim team and pool membership. They also offered swim lessons, so I signed the four year old up for that as well. It’s a pretty modest pool, and shows its age a little bit, but I’m actually really excited to spend some lazy afternoons there.
I think we’ve reached the tail end of cicada season. It’s certainly been fascinating. The noise, the crunchy exoskeletons piling up, the swarms of bugs on trees, a trail up the treetop.
What We Ate – catching up version/ somewhat incomplete.
Saturday: Sausage and peppers on sub rolls
Sunday:
Monday: Memorial Day – so we went to a friend’s house and had bbq and lots of snacks. I made a pasta salad to bring.
Tuesday: Red curry rice noodles from Dinner Illustrated. Had some yellow squash to use up.
Wednesday: The Husband Cooked since it was my first day actually going into the office.
Thursday: White Bean and Fennel Stew from Milk Street Fast and Slow. Make ahead dinner to be ready for everyone when they got home from dance class.
Friday: pizza and I Spy. A cute family film about a CIA agent and the spunky kid he teams up with.
Saturday:
Sunday:
My first full week back at work was a lot of make ahead meals that I could throw together in the morning so that the family could have dinner waiting for them after swim practice:
Monday: Greek Pasta Salad – same recipe as Memorial Day.
Tuesday: Black bean tacos with mango salsa. Black Beans made in the Instant Pot from Milk Street Fast and Slow.
Wednesday: The Husband cooked. I think he made fish, but I didn’t make it home in time for dinner
Thursday: Mushroom Quiche. The Husband made a really tasty side salad. Like so tasty, I was eating the half dried out leftovers the next morning.
Friday: Pizza take out and Hoosiers.
Saturday: My father made beef noodle soup
Sunday:
Monday:
Tuesday: leftovers (for me). Husband and Kids – smoked salmon on bagels.
Wednesday: leftovers (for me). Made some Tzatziki, which the Husband served with Greek chicken and pita
Thursday: Pav Bhaji from Made in India. Also watermelon. I love watermelon season.
Friday: Leftovers (for me). Not sure what the rest of the family ate. Pizza and movie night postponed because of a swim team pep rally.