It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

Today is Saturday. Day Five of Eight rehearsals for Christmas Carol. Eight days. Then we move onto the stage for another Five days of tech rehearsals. Then there is an audience. Speedy!

One of the things about working in theatre is that it is all consuming. Rehearsals are from 10-6 Tuesday to Sunday. I start one hour prior to rehearsal starting and am supposed to stay only a half hour after - but that rarely happens, it is usually longer. And Monday is my only day off. Then we move onto the stage and work five days for 12 hours. I feel like I drop off the face of the earth for a couple of weeks. The nice thing about theatre is that it balances itself out in the end. After an all consuming rehearsal period we move into a show state. Eight shows a week, six days a week (just like the big boys on Broadway) That means that there are two days a week that we do two shows, so are at the theatre for 12 hours. But the other four days are just four hours. Still only one day off but I feel like I have time to do stuff. Especially around Christmas time.

It has been going well. This is a show remounted for the third year and many of the players are returning. The Apprentice Stage Manager and the Stage Manager (thank God) are new. Being the only SM returning puts a lot of pressure on me. But I like the responsibility. The biggest theatre in Calgary is counting on me and my memory of what has happened over the last two years (having been here for both years). I feel like I know that show like the back of my hand. I also feel like it shows.

Yesterday I was introducing myself to the new wardrobe master. I walked confidently into his office and extended my hand in greeting. He greeted me with "Oh, you're Stacey. You're the one that knows everything." "Yup, that's me." "So when I am freaking out I should come find you. My new best friend." The conversation went on with some questions that he had and without thinking too hard I had all the answers that no one else could confidently give him over the last two weeks. I felt like I was having an out of body experience as I watched myself have a professional conversation in the field that I have studied, I was doing so confidently and I was the one supplying the answers. If only the little apprentice that worked on this show three years ago could have imagined this. I really felt like a grown up.