Student Blog: No Rest for the Drowsy

Last Saturday the curtain went up- or rather the cameras turned on- in the Buckner Theatre at Florida Southern College. The first weekend of The Drowsy Chaperone premiered with much success! After the last two weeks or so, I've felt a lot of exhaustion and stress, but most importantly, gratitude. I feel so fortunate to be among the few performing during this time. Though there is no audience, our technical designers and crew roar from the corners. Masks may make quick breaths much more difficult, but our control of breath support has improved quite drastically. We are lucky to still be practicing our craft.

I am, however, reminded of the whispers of rumors I heard about my major each late night when I finally get into bed. Something along the lines of, "that major doesn't even require hard work" once reached my ears and troubled me. I questioned whether it had some truth. Was my major really that much easier than the others at my school?

The official, painstakingly researched, undeniably true answer is no, and I am here to prove that by documenting what a whirlwind my past two weeks have been. I do recognize that this is probably not The Audience (i) need to preach to, but I determined it would be a humorous way to decompress. One of the hardest tasks of tech week is balancing academics, work, and stressful rehearsals, but I'd like to share the particular events that distinguished each day.

SUNDAY: Sunday was the first day of wet tech, with an actor call originally at 2pm. But with a beast of a show, dry tech: the day where the technicians check the lighting design, run cues, and lay down spikes, took longer than planned. So, actors arrived at 6pm and cue to cue began. In mics taped on and props in hand, we started from the top of the show and ran through with only a few times of holding! I can honestly say it was one of the smoother cue to cue runs I have participated in, but we were at the theatre until 11pm, which made for a late-night before a series of 6-10pm rehearsals.

MONDAY: Monday was a monumental day for me personally, because I finally found the mask. Locating a mask that didn't collapse on every inhalation, allowed me to successfully drop my jaw, and didn't let air rush up into my mic was an obstacle I never thought I would have to overcome. Nonetheless, after many experiments I found a mask that was comfortable and easy enough to work in; as much as it can be, at least. Running around the stage in ever changing costumes and needing to belt a C5 by the end is made much harder by a piece of double-sided cotton. Yet, by this run I finally made it.

TUESDAY: I honestly cannot remember much about Tuesday, but I know I did get soul fulfilling Krispy Kreme donuts. This was very necessary.

WEDNESDAY: My Wednesday morning started by heading to a nail salon to treat myself to some time-period nails. I used nail polish advertisements from the 20's and 30's to settle on my design and color, which turned out to be the classic half-moon. I brought in a screenshot of the advertisement and walked out with oval shaped, pink centered, white capped nails to complete my look. I can't explain the excitement I had seeing the line of my arms continuing down through the tip of my fingers. Wednesday was also the first night I tried my wig. The hair and makeup designers found a beautiful red bob for me, and its glamour was outstanding. I was quite impressed with how influential wearing the wig was for my performance. I felt connected to my character quite quickly, and throughout my whole being.

THURSDAY: I started Thursday with an 8am class that rolled right into a communications class, where I had to give a significant speech. Preparing for this presentation after rehearsals every night kept me up quite a bit, but it payed for success. At rehearsal, I enjoyed my stunning wig being complimented by my newly introduced, vibrant, green eyeshadow. I love the full wash of mint green across my lid! This was also the first night I had all my costumes prepared and ready to be worn. If you aren't familiar with the terribly ironic number, "Show Off", then you must know that my character, Janet Van De Graaff, simply cannot give up her career despite her claims, so she changes her clothes about six times in about eight minutes. Many of those costumes are quick changes making the number anxiety inducing, but by the end of this rehearsal, I finally felt very comfortable with all the transitions.

FRIDAY: The night before opening, Friday was filled with waves of tingling nerves. In my Ballet Technique class I had a combination project due where I had to create, scribe, and teach barre and center combinations to my peers. No surprise: this assignment also took its share of my sleep many nights. Though my class is filled with the sweetest women, stepping up front and teaching still brings some nerves. Completing the project was a rush of relief, and I was prepared to approach the last rehearsal with a sharp focus. Throughout the week we had been running test streams, but the energy of the eve of opening made the stream feel quite official. The show ran successfully, our professors spoke with praise before sending us home, and we left feeling ready for our opening night.

SATURDAY: Having a Saturday night performance did not mean the day started slowly. Many students, me included, used the time before the show to record auditions for the next show of the season, The Diviners. For the sake of having the most appropriate monologue, I selected a new piece to work on and refined it throughout the week. I'm sure you've guessed it- this project also made for late nights of working! Once that was recorded, I ran last minute errands and picked up some sheer hosiery for the evening. A note of advice: do not trust the "run resistant technology" branding, because they indeed tore as soon as I put them on that evening. I took my time to rest and prepare, arriving at the theatre to warm up and get dressed. At places, I felt the pang of nerves in my stomach, completed FSC's preshow tradition with my cast mates, and reminded myself of how fortunate we are to be performing. If I may, I think it was a spectacular opening night.

SUNDAY: Officially a week later from our first tech rehearsal, Sunday held our matinee. I did indeed rip my second pair of hose during this show, and I promise I am not that hard on my clothing! We had another wonderful performance, leaving the theatre ready for our well-deserved break. I am so impressed by the professionalism and integrity of my cast. It is truly a blessing to have made it to show week during this time, but it is exclusively because of the safety precautions upheld by my peers and professors.

MONDAY: Monday started cheerfully, as I was randomly selected for a COVID test, and happily received my negative slip. It was our first full night off in five weeks! There was an unbelievable mess to remedy in my dorm room, so I was grateful for the time available. It also gave me extra time to start studying for midterms. Though, the time was clipped short by the announcement of the callbacks list for The Diviners accompanied by a gracious gift: the sides! I ran to the café to print my sides and started spinning and scribing my text, and studying a Midwestern accent.

TUESDAY: Tuesday being the second night off, but the night of callbacks, meant it wasn't much of a free night. Don't be mistaken! I will never complain about being able to artistically explore a piece of theatre. My peers and I gathered outside the theatre to be brought in by different arrangements to read through our sides. I absolutely adore callbacks, because I love to see my peers stretch their abilities and take on new characters. The creative energy of a callback night is infectious.

It is entertaining to reflect on the madness of a tech week, and rewarding to be reminded of the success brought by hard work. I will never be able to articulate fully just how grateful I am to be able to keep studying and performing in productions right now. The Drowsy Chaperone has been just a beacon of joy in my life, and I'm sure that extends to my peers and even our audience members. Though streamed through a screen, there is something magical about seeing, or being in, live theatre. If you're in need of a theatre fix, want a tune to make you feel less blue, or want to see what product possibly came from the chaos you just read, stop by our theatre, virtually, of course, and enjoy the show.

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