Name : Kyle
Music : "I Wasn't Prepared for You" - Eisley (Room Noises)
Mood :

0_o

This seems as good a place as any to start.

Last summer, (yes it has been that long since I updated this journal), I found myself in a rather unique photographic opportunity. My family went on a two week roadtrip through the north and mid west. I saw such sights as Carlsbad Caverns, Arches National Park, Yellowstone, The Grand Canyon, Tucson (which is really quite an interesting city) and many others which are far too numerous to count. We drove around (later joined by my mother’s cousin’s family) with our tent trailer which was not at all spacious, but still bearable. Needless to say, as we were basically exploring the dust basin, everything was rather bland in color. This led to an obsession with every small hidden bit of life found within the recessed rocks. I also have a strange compulsion regarding the photography of famous objects, meaning I don’t do it. I have a major difficulty using memory space on something that has already been shot thousands of times on that very day. It was a very interesting experience artistically, and a number of sketches were generated during the course of it.

Right now, I seem to be slowly crawling out of the dredges of the swamped life that is one’s Senior Year in high school. All colleges have been applied to. All letters of recommendation have been sent. All transcripts have been sent (I think). All that is left really is the waiting game (which I am quite good at as it requires a great deal of apathy, a trait which I have in abundance). Despite my lethargic nature however, I seemed to find it necessary to fill my time with other atrocities and soul-stealing ventures, the first of which was the Musical.

“Thoroughly Modern Millie”
It was a wonderful script, I love the concept and the time period, and <insert=“HUBRIS”> I feel we pulled it off rather well. The leads were all great. To begin with there were some vocal range problems but these were smoothed over to a degree as we proceeded. The background acting was all very good, almost capturing as animated as it had to be for the 1920’s. The chorus was a little weak though (we had to use background singers). The leading vocals however, were amazing. Our Muzzy (a fictional successful jazz performer from the time) had the most rich and beautiful voice. Trevor Graden too was wonderful, he was hysterical beyond belief in his “I’m Falling in Love”. Mrs. Mears was perfect, her vivacious performance provided the perfect comic relief (accompanied by the two Asian minions). She was performed by ~heartofmybottom . Our romantic leads did very well, Millie had an excellent look for the part and sang it very well, and the only thing holding back Jimmy was that he was horrifically sick the second weekend we performed. Dorothy has an amazing voice, very creepily amazing. Ms. Flannery, or rather “Peg” did wonderfully, elbows and all. The choreography for the whole thing was beautiful, complex, and executed wonderfully.</insert>

Technically it was also quite stunning. The costume designs were beautiful, the lighting was superb, the sound was well done, and the set was Hell. That’s a lie, it was hell garbed in black with a hint of blue lighting. I say this because I was a grip. I say this also because of the lobby scene and the fact that we used swinging panels that wreaked havoc upon each other. Allow me to describe this lobby scene:

• A group of girls run onstage through the quickly closing blues (around all the already moving set pieces, mind you.


• An elevator, measuring roughly 5’ * 5’ and at least 8’ tall is wheeled in off stage left, and its panels (5’) are flipped out.


• Two lobby door pieces are moved on (about 6’ long) (also off stage left) lifted by techies around the bricks (which are three panels, that don’t like to compress well, being pulled back into the space that the elevator hopefully just evacuated) and the second black curtain and onto the spike tape. These are then hastily fastened together as the panel of one is swung out to meet the panel of the elevator. On this panel is a sign which is supposed to conceal a large knife switch but never seems to stay closed. Hanging from the other panel is a vacancy sign which has to be plugged in at the right time during the scene.


• A podium, ledger, and pen are carried on from stage right.


• Doors swing on stage from both sides, the stage left doors are hidden behind the elevator and lobby pieces, but the stage right doors have hanging beads that have to be attached to one of the open doors (beads that like to tangle).


• A techie is running around on stage fixing the inside of the elevator and the sign.


• Lights come up and blues, that’s the percinium curtain, open.


• During the course of the scene, the vacancy sign is turned on (assuming the chord wasn’t wrenched out of the wall during the scene change) and mechanisms (that like to stick) are put into motion making the fabric on the panels on either side of the elevator rotate creating the illusion of going up floors.


• Blackout.


• As this scene change happens with the open curtain, as soon as the lights turn out things start to go into motion. The elevator is whisked backwards as actors rush out of it from either side. The two stage left lobby pieces are separated and held to be parallel to the stage and on either side of the bricks as two actors and a laundry cart try frantically to get between them. All panels on all pieces are closed as soon as the chance arises. The bricks are jerked onstage and swing haphazardly into each other before they can be caught. The smaller stage left lobby piece is pulled rapidly of stage and impossibly balanced on the power chords that now litter the floor of the location in which it is supposed to reside, meanwhile the larger piece is pulled in upstage of the second curtain and shoved around a folded jail, trying to maneuver so as not to tear the curtains from the rod and not to tear itself on the jail. The elevator is being rolled back to where it was, resulting in the need to push the doors into the techies holding the other lobby pieces. Sometime during all of this, the podium is removed from stage right and a clothesline is strung up between the bricks.


• Lights up.

Keep in mind that both scene changes need to be completed in about 30 seconds, and that there is quite literally no backstage. Even with these descriptions it is quite impossible to understand unless you were running around in black desperately wondering why in hell there has to be a lobby in a hotel.

Other than that tech was great, apparently despite the stress it looked visually stunning. Our stage manager was ~justanotherblue and I hear she has been the only stage manager in a long time that the entire cast and crew haven’t wanted to strangle with the removed blade-chain of a newly sharpened chainsaw.

As this is now three pages I feel it best to leave what else I have wanted to talk upon be (never mind the fact that this upheaval of memory has left me quite bewildered as to what I actually wanted to say).

[ Note ] : I did take some backstage photographs one dress rehearsal that I hope to use in the production of translucent bookmarks, but that is a secret.

(To be updated and edited at a later date.)

... which is apparently now. I am currently spending the weekend in Whitefish, Montana skiing on Big Mountain. Didn't bring a camera. Yup, regretting that one. Anyways, artistic productivity is up, as is the need for drugs of the headache-go-away-before-I-use-this-three-pronged-fork-to-locat-the-part-or-my-head-in-which-you-reside. Going on, it's quite nice and I feel terrible for completely dooming ... ~gyrePublications . More soon.

~ziinyu
~ziekdog42

Coming Soon :
1. Witch of Life
2. Rose +Detective+
3. Lily & Katherine
4. Kontien !!!! XD (and evil stuffed bunny of DOOM !!!)
5. Teh See-Through Stairs
6. Kaori (semi-realism)
7. The eeeeeevil witch lady with awsomely complex clothes !
8. Pirate (Anotha one ^_-)
9. +Magick+ controls the chosen one.
10. The _ I S L A N D
11. He who +Reaps+ the Grim
12. Tear away from your coffin my dear . . .
13. It wasn't music that killed the cat.
14. Twist to the [RAVE]
15. Mah Pirate ship
16. Maria, the FRENCH (animation)
17. Drown me slowly (realism)
18. Letting her go (realism)
19. The Wiz.
20. Fedora, my fedora (photography)
21. Snowboard Designs + Charas
22. Halloween meets the ...(mixed-media)
23. Sketches 'n Stuff
24. More photo ? (surrealism)

Requests and Commissions : (accepting)
= Has been put off !

Quote :
"I never could stand rogue fruit" (in regards to an apple) - Kaylie

Kiriban :
3,631 = ... ?