A Christmas Carol

There are some very fun Video Links on the Theatre Calgary website that you should check out. Mainly the time lapse video of the set up of Christmas Carol. If you don't get a chance to get to Calgary to see the show it will give you an idea of the size of the show.

The show is huge. I know I have said it before. It is really causing me some back pain, and shin pain and forearm pain.

We painted the living room over the past few days. Behr Mother Nature Green. I will post photos once we are done. It is still a bit upside down. I wanted to paint so we could start decorating. You can't put up a Christmas tree in a room you want to paint before Christmas. So it is still being put together. Very soon.

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.

10 more shows

There are only ten more shows. This run has felt like it would never end, but there is only one more week after the two shows tomorrow. But two shows tomorrow...it just takes is out of a person.

Stef and I went power shopping on Thursday and Friday afternoon. We did most of our shopping on Thursday and finished on Friday. It feels very good to be done. And because we finished I was able to send almost everything home with Stef.

We have done some other Christmas-y activities. Cris and Jen, Logan and I went out to Zoo Lights at the Zoo on Monday. It was great fun. It was a little cool but there were huge bonfires spread out along the way. Very festive.

I hope that all of you are getting the opportunity to do some festive activites other than shopping.

New Carol Photos

Scrooge with Nephew Fred in Scrooge's Office
Scrooge with Mr. Shelley a Merchant on the streets of London
Scrooge and Marley in Scrooge's Bedroom
The Fezziwig Party (with Christmas Past on the very left)
The Cratchit Family in their home
Scrooge with Christmas Present
Scrooge and Cratchit Family (after Tiny Tim dies)
Scrooge with the Turkey Boy (when all is well again - and in colour)
Finale - when Scrooge shows up at his nephew's Party
The final moment with Scrooge, Boy Scrooge and Young Scrooge

Twas the nightmare before Christmas....

It may seem like a long time since I have posted, and that is because I have been stuck in my nightmare. Oh well. Things are going better. We opened! That is huge. That means they can't rehearse any more. Which is a huge factor in my mood.

We got an excellent review.

"A dazzling Christmas spectacle" was the headline of our review in the Calgary Herald. "

In the early stages of Scrooge's journey, the Ghost of Christmas past vows to
awaken Scrooge's humanity. The same might be said of A Christmas Carol's
effect on its audience."

or my favorite quote

"Kevin Rothery's Ghost of Christmas Present comes off like a Richard Simmons
who's gotten into the rum and egg nog, but it works."

But things are starting to become routine and that is a good thing in theatre. It is a short window in which we can relax into our jobs.

Ahhh...my Christmas Nightmare

Last Christmas I worked on A Christmas Carol with Theatre Calgary. I really enjoyed myself.

This year, is different. It is the same script, set, costumes. Of 17 actors 14 are the same, of 7 children 2 are the same, the crew is the same. One would think the experience would be somewhat the same. However, three vital positions have changed. That would be the director - the director was the assistant director last year and was meant to present the same show. It is a remount after all (that is recurring theme of this nightmare). The other roles are the stage manager and apprentice stage manager (I am the only returning member of the stage management team). The apprentice is great, we are having a good time together. The Stage Manager is making everything difficult and making everyone angry.

The lines have been drawn, the proscenium arch seems to be the dividing line. Director and Stage Manger vs. Everyone else. We moved to into the theatre on Thursday and I have never had a worse experience than I have had over the past 7 twelve hour days. This show is even worse than a show I did in University where I cried everyday. So far I have only cried twice out loud (and more times that I can count in my head).

But... the original director has returned to help "clean" before we saw an audience yesterday. He took the reigns without hesitation and "fixed" everything back to the way it was last year. Two weeks of wasted rehearsal, 5 twelve hour tech days worth nothing and finally a show I can be proud to be involved it.

Christmas Present: Look Scrooge (he points to the stage management booth), she sits there passing judgement on all of us thinking she knows everything - but she doesn't seem to know what she is doing.

Scrooge: (scowling) At least we know she won't be working here again.