Let's see on Wednesday I turned in my paper on the rainiest London day yet so that was good to get off my back. Now I've just got this exam coming up which basically I've just got to write the essay for once I actually see someone in my house who can give them to me (I had my friend Matt pick it up for me, my roommate did not offer it when I asked what they said about it and told her I needed to get the worksheet, sooo...whatevs and he is never home before I go to bed.) After I dropped off my paper I went to the Shaftesbury and picked up my blacks (clothes and shoes, I leave them in a locker in our dressing room) because I had not brought them with me the day before and Sarah said I should take them to Never Forget. Oh and then I had a spare few hours so I went to the National Portrait Gallery and National Gallery, which were a good way to spend a rainy day, but neither exhilarating nor my favorite museums yet. So I headed to Never Forget, got there a bit before 5, and met Oli at the stage door like Sarah had told me to ask for. He took me downstairs where they did a lighting check onstage and I saw the set which....really saw a budget cut to say the least. Don't get me wrong this show has real rain that parts as actors walk through it and closes behind them, and also spells the words "NEVER FORGET" quite clearly and that is fantastic! Plus there are giant flames of fire during one of the songs that you can feel the heat from the top balcony in the audience! So those were cool but let's just say when I told them I was a set designer they were quite sad for me to see the set. So after lighting check I hung out in their crew room for a bit before going with Mark, a guy who "comes with the building" as they say, which means he works for the building and runs whatever shows come in. Never Forget is kind of a mixture between Wedding Singer, Mamma Mia, and Jersey Boys, with a more boy band kind of outlook and a less theatre-going audience. The audience, very responsive and sometimes not sober, treats much of the show like a concert and sings along to the songs, all by the very popular British band, Take That. The souvenir booth sells, among other usual souvenirs, thongs and devil ears with the logo on it...and many Hen Parties (bachelorette parties) come through. Anyway I watched the show with Mark in the light booth on Wednesday night which was good fun and he was able to answer some questions of mine about different things as we went along and I stepped out into the audience to watch the rain and watch/feel the fire--flames about 7 feet tall! Also I noticed that the facilities at the Savoy are incredibly old and really really not great conditions. Tonight my allergies even started to feel it! First of all there is some problem that makes the entire basement smell like a sewer every day and just in general the building has obviously not ever been renovated in any way and there is a lot more dust and problems than at the Shaftesbury, which trust me has its share. But it was all right anyway and last night was good fun.
So then today I went to work at Hairspray for the matinee where I followed Sarah on stage left, since one of the deps was in doing Ros's plot on Stage Right since she was working at auditions for the upcoming cast change. So that was great and I really love it there still. It's really become kind of second nature to go there and i've basically treated it like a second home for the past two months or whatever. Although I will say, with all the stairs I've climbed-in the Shaftesbury every day and in London in general,- you would think it gets easier once your muscles are built up but that is a lie, it's still a rough climb even when I run it, and just when you think you've reached the end, you havent! :) So after working the show, I basically had to run to Never Forget since their preset was at 6 they told me to really try and get there by then. Well. Before I left Hesky told me that on Saturday I should take the day off (friday is dirty dancing) because they would be training eight (yes eight!!!) extra people on deck and that they would need the extra space on both sides of the stage. I was I admit a little bummed but I said okay and all that. Maybe I'll go to Bath or Stratford-upon-Avon I can't decide. Most all my friends here at Thoresby House will be in Paris or Amsterdam though so I may have to fly solo again, which is alright, although I'd rather be working. This also meant that Tinky, the DSM is going on holiday next week and that I would not see her again! So I went up to the box (she calls the show) and said a very fast goodbye and told her I would leave the stuff I wanted to give her for her when she returned. I then basically ran to the Savoy Theatre where Never Forget is and literally got there at exactly 6. Beautiful. I did their preset, kind of in a whirlwind from coming straight off working and resetting Hairspray (I did the stage right preset during the finale) and running there but it was good and fairly quick! I ran out to grab dinner at Pret and got this great thing called "No Bread" and it was just salad leaves, mozzarella cheese and tomatoes with some avacado and olives! so good! plus i got some strawberries and other berries and a banana bread little cake thing for dessert. A great dinner! Then I ran the show on stage management tonight and followed Jen, who knew Sarah (most everyone did since she worked at the Savoy) and who knew of Ros and everyone else! If nothing else, it made me realize just how small this business is. Some of them even knew enough to say "how's 'so and so' getting on? 'So and so' is quite a slacker! (which 'so and so' is)" proves there are no secrets either and reputations spread fast. Good reputations too, Jen even said what a good teacher Sarah is, and that she had taught Jen her plot, which I really agree on. Others knew Hesky, Tom, and other crew members at Hairspray! Anyway the plot was not as demanding as Hairspray by any means, but it was fun to follow along and help out for a night. Also met some great people, left them a thank you note and a PSU magnet for the dressing room refrigerator (the stage management dressing room, although even farther upstairs than the one at Shaftesbury if that's possible, is all new and airconditioned!!!!! So it's worth the trip!) and my little business cards that I made before I came over here. Overall quite a fun night. Not working Saturday really made leaving seem so much closer though! I can't even imagine leaving this place...I feel seriously like I'm moving away, which I never had to do as a kid, but I really know what it feels like now and it's awful! I was so distraught thinking about it on the tube on my way home that I bought a little ice cream on my walk home from the Old Street tube stop, and ice cream isn't something I really eat more than once every few weeks or so nowadays. So anyway that's about it...really gutted at the thought of leaving. But. no time to think on that now I have a week left to live it up in London and you bet I'm gonna!
Cheers m'dears,
Sam
