The First Day (a day after)

I don't think I will ever outgrow the memory of first-day butterflies on the starting day of school. Though I'm done with formal education for the foreseeable future, I still get those first day flutters on every performing job I do. The good news is that that terrifying feeling never seems to linger more than a day. The bad news is that most of my film jobs are only one day. However yesterday, even in my old familiar environment of the stage, my case of the butterflies was especially violent.

I guess it all came to a head at once how terrifying it is to understudy a huge role in two different accents, under an actress I've never met, with a company I've never performed, and with a director I've never worked with, and I quickly realized what a delicate balance everything was hanging in. I guess in some ways the feelings of uncertainty are magnified knowing that, for good or ill, I will be spending most of the waking hours of the next 6 weeks with these people. And, in this instance, with the first-day butterflies apparently also came the loss of my ability to remember anyone's names, a condition which I still appear to be suffering from. With all its terrors, the first day, however, also holds its share of amusements. Like the "sizing up." The first day, all the peacocks' feathers are on display, with everyone's conversation lending to name dropping and the most impressive bits of resumes, intermingled with progressively obscure bits of musical theater frippery. After everyone has sufficiently proved their place in the cast of which they were already a part, grace allows for the budding of real conversation and relations. And as I mock, of course, I am a part of it. ;)

In all my terror, I was grinning from ear to ear the whole day. Loving it. It's so good to be back. Here's the beautiful 952-seat theater with lots of leg room and reeeeally bright lights.


I've been working on the set stuff all the live long day.


This is my first-day friend Erin who is also a first timer with the company, pointing to her black and white Ascot dress of the many (gorgeous!) costume designs.


This is my dress, lovingly coined by the costume ladies as the corkscrew dress. I was fitted for it yesterday--it is pretty stinkin' awesome. We did the read through today, and it's official. This show is going to rock!