Finding a Rhythm
As performers we talk a lot about rhythm. The most obvious way is through music. In our Sight Singing class we've been practicing tapping out note values to pick up on a rhythm as it's notated on a music staff. Rhythm can also mean the flow of a scene or when a story ties together seamlessly.
But for us as students, the past two weeks have been a time of testing out the new rhythm of, not our performances, but our schedules. As we finally settle into the flow of this whole Conservatory thing, we've been feeling out the timings of our classes, shows, breaks, as well as things like grocery store runs or tidying our apartments.
I'm not gonna lie. These last couple of weeks have been a bit overwhelming. The show opened, we had a few of days of rest, and then our real schedule took off. In a way it felt like going from a relatively comfortable jog to an all out sprint. Our alarms go off, we get dressed, pack lunch, and are out the door headed for the theater. From there we go straight into classes until it's time for cast meeting, then two shows, and sometimes an evening class. Head home, try to make a few preparations for the next day, lights out, sleep, and then get up and repeat. Somewhere in there we try to fit in homework assignments, learning new swing roles, and maybe a nap if we can find a quiet corner.
But just like learning a new song, we're beginning to pick up on the patterns. I know that all throughout the year there will be moments of feeling helter-skelter and crazy, but it won't always be that way. I'm already feeling more settled into my rhythm, and I think over the next week or two I'll grow much more comfortable.
An obviously important part of that rhythm is the continuation of the show run. It's going really well so far! For us newbies, it took a bit to figure out how much time we needed to get ready for a performance. All my experience thus far has been in community theater, so I've been used to being called in two hours prior to curtain. But here, we aren't called until one hour before, and the first half hour of that is taken up by cast meeting.
When I learned we would only have half an hour to get ready I was caught a bit off guard. But now I see that it's more than enough time. I've found I can go from street clothes to full makeup, costume, wig, and get all my presets done in less than 20 minutes. And compared to everyone else, I'm one of the slow ones!
I always enjoy cast meeting at the top of every show day. I love how relaxed and informal it is. There's no question about the professionalism here at Sight & Sound and the meeting is always well-organized. But everyone just spreads out to find a spot on the floor or grab chairs to sit along the wall.
It's a time when everyone from the cast and stage management meets together in the CMR to touch base. We hear announcements about anything happening in the company and also notes from stage management about anything that might need to be changed or cleaned up in our performances.
We always end cast meeting with some warm-ups. It's important to not go out on stage cold, in your voice or your body. So we do a few vocal warm-ups, followed by some stretches and sit-ups. I've found that it helps so much to have that required warm-up time. If I was doing it myself, it would be easy to get caught up in the before-show rush and suddenly find I forgot to sing my solfeggio. I really appreciate Nathan Cooney and Jenny Wilcox, who lead us in those warm-ups each day.
Oh! Something else that's really important about cast meeting is the cover sheet. It's posted on screens in the CMR, and stage left and right dressing rooms. The cover sheets are absolutely vital to the success of our long show run. They tell us who is going to play the primary roles each day and what effect that has on the rest of the cast. If someone is out, there's always a huge trickle down. You may remember that I wrote in my last post about our swing roles? This is where those come in.
Ah yes, the cover sheet. With out it, we should be hopelessly lost and confused. We pay homage to it, and also to Jasmine and Lydia, our two stage managers who put it together. That's an incredible logistical responsibility to have every day!
My rhythm was really thrown off this week in the best possible way. MY FAMILY CAME TO VISIT ME! Oh, how I've missed them! I was just about smothered in hugs when they arrived and I didn't mind in the slightest. They watched the show on Saturday evening. It was great to hear their thoughts about it and how they were touched by the message. It was also so much fun to tell them all my crazy stories about things that have happened over the weeks that I've been here.
My mom and dad came, along with four of my younger siblings: Blake, Addison, Ella and Ivey. My mom's parent's, Meme and Grandpa, were able to come too! They rented a small house and I stayed with them over the weekend. We didn't do too much, which I greatly appreciated after my busy week. Basically we just hung out at the house, played games, watched movies and cooked meals. It couldn't have been more wonderful.
One thing we did was a full backstage tour of the theater. I was able to show them around just about everywhere. This building is impressive, but when you're here every day it becomes routine. As my family oohed and ahhed, I appreciated the reminder of what an incredible opportunity I have here. But the best part was simply being able to share this part of my life with some of the people I love most.
The downside of the visit was that I had to say another goodbye. It wasn't quite as bad as the last time, but there weren't any dry eyes as I drove away. Still, I was so refreshed by their time here and I'm hoping they'll be able to come back, maybe over the summer.
So now it's back to business! Classes, cover sheets, homework, swing roles...I think that very soon I'll settle fully into the rhythm. Because I want to soak in every moment of this experience.