Hello!
Sorry again for the big delays in posting to this blog.. its a lot harder to sit down and write than I thought it would be. Man... people with real jobs that sit behind desks must get bored quickly! I think Emily (the ASM for the show) put it best the other day when she asked if my life was just a big adventure. I would like to think so!
(Fast forward 2 days)
So I was originally writing this post on my laptop backstage during a break I have in the second act.. but right after I got that first paragraph out, we had to hold the show. The actress playing Wendy had collapsed substage and we started to rush around to get her to safety. Luckily, she was ok, but was taken away to just be 100% sure that nothing else was wrong. Since we lost our normal Wendy, we got to have her understudy swap places (Mind you, this is just after act two had started). After about a 20 minute hold to clear the previous Wendy from substage and get the new one up to speed, the understudy went on and rocked the show. That was her first performance as Wendy, onstage, with an audience. She went on to perform the saturday matinee, then the original Wendy came back for the evening performance. Such crazy things can happen!
This wasn't the only show hold we have had in the time that we have been here in the OC.. we had to hold a week and a half ago when one of the be traps (we use to send mermaids up through the floor or to receive John/Michael thru the beds when they get to Neverland) broke. Luckily this was right before the final couple of scenes and we were able to put a makeshift leg under the trap that held it open. Whether the actors actually believed us when we told them it was safe to walk on is another story.
There really isn't too much to write about the show now that it has opened.. no super long crazy days of load in (but I am getting really excited about load out - all the cabling on the ground is buried under mud right now). The biggest news to come out of the tent was the fact that it rained here (*@%* you mother nature) and kinda sorta flooded our backstage/substage areas (again... making that two times so far since we have been here). Other than that, things have been fairly normal. As I mentioned in previous posts, I ended up being the truss monkey here.. so as I am writing this posting, I am warily eyeing a harness to put on and go up to the cupola to replace some lamps. If it isn't too awkward, at some point I will try to get a picture of me in the harness... it is very.... 'enhancing'... yah.. thats it.
Last monday I got a chance to go up to Hollywood for the filming of Jimmy Kimmel Live, which was an awesome experience. I was backstage with the audio team the entire time, and got to meet the lighting heads/grips and see how a TV show worked (behind the scenes). I am going back up next monday (day after halloween) to do the same thing again, and to see Good Charlotte perform.
Lately I have been trying to get up and out of the house more often, but the weather has been holding me back. Today is the first day I swore at myself for not wearing sunglasses on the bike in to work in a couple weeks. Besides going to LA for the JKL show, I made it to Disneyland a couple weeks ago, and 'attempted' surfing with one of the pirates and tinkerbell. Many of my days have been spent wandering around downtown Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Long Beach, or the South Coast Plaza Mall (amazing!). Just two days ago I finally made it to the Irvine Spectrum Center.. which is a huge outdoor mall. For those of you from Seattle.. think Redmond Town Center, but waaaaay bigger and waaaaaay cooler. I mean, where else does a shopping mall have an ice skating rink and a ferris wheel? Maybe in Las Vegas... (which I hope to make a weekend trip to shortly).
I have sucessfully made a couple of friends here in Costa Mesa... it is difficult to do a lot of friending/dating since the hours I work are the ones that most normal people are not working. Plus, when you go on a date with someone and lead in with "Well, I am only here till Jan 2" things don't typically work out so well. Such is life. I did have an unexpected visitor from Seattle come by on his way back from Palm Springs which was definitely a highlight... hopefully we will be able to make it to the LA Auto Show together after Thanksgiving (which would be amazing). I had another, slightly expected, but none the less amazing, visit from one of my best friends, Jason. He was in town visiting some friends, and I was lucky enough to snag an hour for coffee (and a good picture to send to one of my other best friends, Adam). Unfortunately the visit was only for an hour, and I had to bow out of the trip we had planned to hawaii for next week due to logistics. Instead I am going to hopefully be making a trip up to Seattle sometime in December. No holding of breaths tho.. I may just do a weekend in Vegas! ;)
Alright, it is getting close to 10am. I should probably run to the bathroom and go wrestle with this harness. Some days I miss the ability to toss a ladder up, run to the top, and swap out a bulb. Oh well. :)
**Edit**
I didn't have time to read through for spelling, but I will try to do so later today!
11.10.10
I can't believe I am getting paid for this
Ahhh.. today is a day off. We have finally settled into our show schedule.. Two weeks ago we did our tech for the show and then last tuesday we opened for previews, with the press opening the following Sunday. This last week was just a normal show schedule (ish... minus the flooding and repairs). Today I am getting some laundry done and then hittin the road to Disneyland for the afternoon!
The last couple weeks have really been amazing to see the difference that this particular show is versus a normal road house tour. Now that everything has been built, the electrics are working and we are running the show, it will just be routine maintance from here on. Granted, that routine part may include dropping lights down from the Cupola to repair... it still is nothing compared to what load-in was.
I have finally settled in with befriending the cast.. (I think.. I know some of them read this, so we shall see what happens once I post) It has been totally awesome to do a show at night, then go back, drink a bottle of wine (shared amongst people...) and go hot tubbing. Best way to end a show ever! During the days I have been going around to different areas; Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Long Beach (see a theme here?). I am trying to learn to surf, but have only been out once to do so... and we can just leave it at that...
The show itself has been running well. We have only had one show stop (which was when a trap broke and we had to prop it shut for the last couple scenes). We did have a bit of a curve ball last week when (don't ask me why) it started to rain here in the OC. Apparently it does that here once and a while. The only problem with the rain is...well.. we built the tent on a big grassy field. An uneven one at that. So we walked in around noon for what was supposed to be a work call to fix some parts on the set, but turned into a mud bath as we pulled up substage decking to be able to pump out the water. Wet grass that has been heated up due to the projectors really is.. something.
This was just a quick update... letting you know I am still alive. I am off to finish laundry, then going to head to Disneyland for the rest of the day. Life out in the OC can be so rough.
The last couple weeks have really been amazing to see the difference that this particular show is versus a normal road house tour. Now that everything has been built, the electrics are working and we are running the show, it will just be routine maintance from here on. Granted, that routine part may include dropping lights down from the Cupola to repair... it still is nothing compared to what load-in was.
I have finally settled in with befriending the cast.. (I think.. I know some of them read this, so we shall see what happens once I post) It has been totally awesome to do a show at night, then go back, drink a bottle of wine (shared amongst people...) and go hot tubbing. Best way to end a show ever! During the days I have been going around to different areas; Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Long Beach (see a theme here?). I am trying to learn to surf, but have only been out once to do so... and we can just leave it at that...
The show itself has been running well. We have only had one show stop (which was when a trap broke and we had to prop it shut for the last couple scenes). We did have a bit of a curve ball last week when (don't ask me why) it started to rain here in the OC. Apparently it does that here once and a while. The only problem with the rain is...well.. we built the tent on a big grassy field. An uneven one at that. So we walked in around noon for what was supposed to be a work call to fix some parts on the set, but turned into a mud bath as we pulled up substage decking to be able to pump out the water. Wet grass that has been heated up due to the projectors really is.. something.
This was just a quick update... letting you know I am still alive. I am off to finish laundry, then going to head to Disneyland for the rest of the day. Life out in the OC can be so rough.
29.9.10
There is more to flying than just happy thoughts!
So last night was our first preview. Which means today it is currently 11:30am, and I have not left my bed. I confess, the first hour of my morning bedtime routine was taken up by watching Glee. Yes, I am that gay.
So anyway.. lets see.. last time I wrote I think we were just getting ready to tech the show. Normally I have a very love/hate relationship with technical rehearsals. Mainly because either A) the director changes their mind multiple times (usually after you finished writing a complicated cue which makes said cue redundant) or B) people do stupid things because they aren't thinking fast enough for something to happen. Luckily, this show has already been running for quite some time, and the entire cast knows what is coming up, so really it was just getting the deck crew into comfort with the show. Saturday and sunday were a blur of the show, and nothing too spectacular happened. Suffice it to say, the crew rocked the shit out of that show, and we made do with 2 days of technical rehearsals (to get the deck crew up to speed with the show) before we entered our first preview.
Which was last night! Yesterday ended up being quite a long day, with crew call at 8am, and I believe we ended up at the bar around 9pm. The preview went very well, as far as I could tell. The most enjoyable part of the entire show for me is when I am 'flying' John to Neverland (It really isn't that 'magical' ... its a little box with a joystick. HA Take that, Disney!) and the entire audience erupted in applause only a couple seconds into the flight. That was the highlight.
For this week, it is now a lighter work load... so I have to be in at 3:30 today to get the stage ready, then tomorrow (Barring any unforeseen things coming up tonight) will be another later call.. unfortunately, since I have been designated as the resident monkey, friday morning I will be going up to the high part of the tent around 8am to do some recircuiting work. That was partly my decision to stay out of the air towards the afternoon when it gets too hot. Plus I would then be able to lay in the sun for the afternoon and shower before preview :)
Speaking of the sun and afternoon, we actually had a day off! Surprising, I know. Monday was our day off this week, and I ended up spending it with some of the cast (who I am making a concerted effort to get to know.. I love them!) at the beach. We woke up and drove to some random part of Newport Beach. The temperature onsite reached 117 (I believe) but we were nice and relaxed out by the ocean. It was absolutely wonderful to run out into the water when you got too hot, not to mention watching all the little surfers...yummy.
After the beach, we went back to one of the apartment complexes that cast/crew are living in (we are a tad spread out) and we had a BBQ/pool party, which ended up with all of us drinking on the patio.
Now I am off to jump in the shower, swing by starbucks and head in to work. I have to say, I enjoy life in SoCal.
So anyway.. lets see.. last time I wrote I think we were just getting ready to tech the show. Normally I have a very love/hate relationship with technical rehearsals. Mainly because either A) the director changes their mind multiple times (usually after you finished writing a complicated cue which makes said cue redundant) or B) people do stupid things because they aren't thinking fast enough for something to happen. Luckily, this show has already been running for quite some time, and the entire cast knows what is coming up, so really it was just getting the deck crew into comfort with the show. Saturday and sunday were a blur of the show, and nothing too spectacular happened. Suffice it to say, the crew rocked the shit out of that show, and we made do with 2 days of technical rehearsals (to get the deck crew up to speed with the show) before we entered our first preview.
Which was last night! Yesterday ended up being quite a long day, with crew call at 8am, and I believe we ended up at the bar around 9pm. The preview went very well, as far as I could tell. The most enjoyable part of the entire show for me is when I am 'flying' John to Neverland (It really isn't that 'magical' ... its a little box with a joystick. HA Take that, Disney!) and the entire audience erupted in applause only a couple seconds into the flight. That was the highlight.
For this week, it is now a lighter work load... so I have to be in at 3:30 today to get the stage ready, then tomorrow (Barring any unforeseen things coming up tonight) will be another later call.. unfortunately, since I have been designated as the resident monkey, friday morning I will be going up to the high part of the tent around 8am to do some recircuiting work. That was partly my decision to stay out of the air towards the afternoon when it gets too hot. Plus I would then be able to lay in the sun for the afternoon and shower before preview :)
Speaking of the sun and afternoon, we actually had a day off! Surprising, I know. Monday was our day off this week, and I ended up spending it with some of the cast (who I am making a concerted effort to get to know.. I love them!) at the beach. We woke up and drove to some random part of Newport Beach. The temperature onsite reached 117 (I believe) but we were nice and relaxed out by the ocean. It was absolutely wonderful to run out into the water when you got too hot, not to mention watching all the little surfers...yummy.
After the beach, we went back to one of the apartment complexes that cast/crew are living in (we are a tad spread out) and we had a BBQ/pool party, which ended up with all of us drinking on the patio.
Now I am off to jump in the shower, swing by starbucks and head in to work. I have to say, I enjoy life in SoCal.
24.9.10
Days off are soo stressful...
Ahhh.... I am basking in the euphoric glow of knowing I am about to enter tech.. (please note the sarcasm dripping off that last statement). We finally got the stage done! It took about a week and a half (the first 2 days were just hanging lights and prep work). It took quite a bit of crew (shout out to the Local IATSE crew for their help!) and a lot of helping hands, but we have finally arrived. Tomorrow morning I get flown up top to the tent to troubleshoot a few lights, then we have actors onstage at noon! (lets be honest here, they are actors, that really means sometime after 1pm. So that is what I have to look forward to.
Now, looking back on the last week... lets see what I did... let me count the bruises! After we finished unloading all the trucks, it was about a 4 day process to actually assemble the stage. It is this massive steel/ply structure complete with automation, traps, projectors, stairs, and about a million places that you can slam your head into. I have the bumps to prove that last one. While getting the stage into the tent (I would normally say getting it set in the theatre, but lets be real, I am placing deck pieces on a grass field) it was always interesting to watch group think try to get awkward bits in place (precision placement mind you...except when we drilled new holes) whilst hoisting 75-350 kg above head. After a couple days of that, we were finally ready to focus on lighting! *little happy dance*
/*little happy dance*
So, normally while I run a focus, or am working on a plot, I have a fairly good understanding of what focus will entail. Typically, I am a fast guy when it comes to running my focus, or commanding (sorry, being a team leader) a crew. This was a whole different beast. For starters.. the first 'grid' was the high truss section of the tent. This is the highest part we hung a light on/around/in. To get to 90% of the lights in this section, one had to climb a rope ladder to the aerial platform (who's actual height is up for debate, depending on who you ask on the production team, how many beers he/she has had, and how feisty he/she is feeling). From the aerial platform, you secure yourself to the cupola truss (lower...where 65% of our lights are hung) then monkey up the sections of bracing that are holding up the high truss (think a ladder that got drunk, its rungs don't quite line up and it is kind of shifting to one side). From the top of that, you lean out to reach and focus a light. Very easy work. (not) But tons of fun (yes). The best part was watching our sweat drip down and onto the stage. Did you know that a tent lined with black fabric gets REALLY HOT? ya, I do now. At least I don't have to start up Jenny Craig again. From there, we then went around the lower truss (a little easier to do, kind of like herding a group of old cats is easier that herding kittens) and knocked those out. All told, to focus the stage oriented lights took about 6.5 hours with two people in the air and two people on the ground. My favorite moments usually involved me hanging about halfway out of the truss with my legs wrapped around some inner support, trying to get the barrel of a S4 19* to properly adjust.
From the truss parts, we went on to focus all of the lights around the tent. AKA - the side tent (makes sense eh?). Now, apparently you cannot hang a hot light right next to a delicate tent covering (someone said bad things happen) so the LD decided to hang lights on specially fabricated 'goal posts' *insert gay/sports joke here* pointed straight up, into mirrors, that then direct the light onstage. What an amazing concept! In practice, it is amazingly... interesting... to get those lights to focus. Just when the mirror is right, you notice the beam is off the mirror, so you move the light, then the mirror isn't in focus. Much less entertaining than watching a dog chase it's own tail, but a similar practice. Of course, once all the lights were focused, we started troubleshooting the scrollers on each light, and in getting all of them working, successfully knocked about 50% of the units out of focus. Team Peter FTW!
The last things I was working on during wednesday/thursday were troubleshooting the movers (moving/intelligent lights) on the cupola (bad lamps, broken motors, wasn't eating it's veggies, that sort of thing). It is here, that I would like to note, as cool and versitle as the VL1000 is.. they were not designed with 'ease of use' in mind. For example, to change a lamp, on the Source4 Ellipsoidal/Mac 700, and some other big names, they use thumb screws that reach a limit, then allow the back of the light to come off (so you don't lose nuts and washers...). The VL1000? Not so much. 3 little tiny thumb screws, each holding in a washer. Totally awesome when you drop one off the top deck of the stage and it falls in the brown grass. Did I mention the nut was smaller than a penny and a similar brassy color? Rock on VARILITE.
That brings us up to thursday night, which was the night we (as in the amazingly fabulous tech crew) got to meet some of the cast. They pretty much rock. I found the one gay guy in the cast that showed up at the bar, and well, we then proceeded to find the one gay bar in Costa Mesa. I know, I am amazing, you can thank me later.
I am going to wrap up this post. I am sure I will think of some creative thing to cap off last week with, but in all honesty, spending my day off at the beach was very tiring. I have to get ready for tech tomorrow (including spending the 8am-11am stretch in my personal sauna...aka the cupola). I have some other fun stories (getting flown to the aerial platform, playing swinging bags with sandbacks and the flight tracks, and how I get to play in a bathtub with boys) that will have to wait until tomorrow. Or something. I doubt I will update again until my next day off.. so hang tight, I promise it will be within the next month. Hopefully. :)
In case any of this post may give the idea that I am not happy here, I need to clarify, I am having the time of my life. I love the people I work with, I love the cast, and honestly, I started theatre work so I could be underworked and overpaid.
WTF. I meant underpaid and overworked. But hot damn, I love my job.
PS - If you haven't seen it already, and are still in the Seattle area, go check out Cider House Rule, Pt 2 (and if you missed pt 1, it starts up again next week!) at Book-it Rep! They have been kicking ass and taking names (but not last names, that is just rude).
Till next time.. have a good night ya'll.
Now, looking back on the last week... lets see what I did... let me count the bruises! After we finished unloading all the trucks, it was about a 4 day process to actually assemble the stage. It is this massive steel/ply structure complete with automation, traps, projectors, stairs, and about a million places that you can slam your head into. I have the bumps to prove that last one. While getting the stage into the tent (I would normally say getting it set in the theatre, but lets be real, I am placing deck pieces on a grass field) it was always interesting to watch group think try to get awkward bits in place (precision placement mind you...except when we drilled new holes) whilst hoisting 75-350 kg above head. After a couple days of that, we were finally ready to focus on lighting! *little happy dance*
/*little happy dance*
So, normally while I run a focus, or am working on a plot, I have a fairly good understanding of what focus will entail. Typically, I am a fast guy when it comes to running my focus, or commanding (sorry, being a team leader) a crew. This was a whole different beast. For starters.. the first 'grid' was the high truss section of the tent. This is the highest part we hung a light on/around/in. To get to 90% of the lights in this section, one had to climb a rope ladder to the aerial platform (who's actual height is up for debate, depending on who you ask on the production team, how many beers he/she has had, and how feisty he/she is feeling). From the aerial platform, you secure yourself to the cupola truss (lower...where 65% of our lights are hung) then monkey up the sections of bracing that are holding up the high truss (think a ladder that got drunk, its rungs don't quite line up and it is kind of shifting to one side). From the top of that, you lean out to reach and focus a light. Very easy work. (not) But tons of fun (yes). The best part was watching our sweat drip down and onto the stage. Did you know that a tent lined with black fabric gets REALLY HOT? ya, I do now. At least I don't have to start up Jenny Craig again. From there, we then went around the lower truss (a little easier to do, kind of like herding a group of old cats is easier that herding kittens) and knocked those out. All told, to focus the stage oriented lights took about 6.5 hours with two people in the air and two people on the ground. My favorite moments usually involved me hanging about halfway out of the truss with my legs wrapped around some inner support, trying to get the barrel of a S4 19* to properly adjust.
From the truss parts, we went on to focus all of the lights around the tent. AKA - the side tent (makes sense eh?). Now, apparently you cannot hang a hot light right next to a delicate tent covering (someone said bad things happen) so the LD decided to hang lights on specially fabricated 'goal posts' *insert gay/sports joke here* pointed straight up, into mirrors, that then direct the light onstage. What an amazing concept! In practice, it is amazingly... interesting... to get those lights to focus. Just when the mirror is right, you notice the beam is off the mirror, so you move the light, then the mirror isn't in focus. Much less entertaining than watching a dog chase it's own tail, but a similar practice. Of course, once all the lights were focused, we started troubleshooting the scrollers on each light, and in getting all of them working, successfully knocked about 50% of the units out of focus. Team Peter FTW!
The last things I was working on during wednesday/thursday were troubleshooting the movers (moving/intelligent lights) on the cupola (bad lamps, broken motors, wasn't eating it's veggies, that sort of thing). It is here, that I would like to note, as cool and versitle as the VL1000 is.. they were not designed with 'ease of use' in mind. For example, to change a lamp, on the Source4 Ellipsoidal/Mac 700, and some other big names, they use thumb screws that reach a limit, then allow the back of the light to come off (so you don't lose nuts and washers...). The VL1000? Not so much. 3 little tiny thumb screws, each holding in a washer. Totally awesome when you drop one off the top deck of the stage and it falls in the brown grass. Did I mention the nut was smaller than a penny and a similar brassy color? Rock on VARILITE.
That brings us up to thursday night, which was the night we (as in the amazingly fabulous tech crew) got to meet some of the cast. They pretty much rock. I found the one gay guy in the cast that showed up at the bar, and well, we then proceeded to find the one gay bar in Costa Mesa. I know, I am amazing, you can thank me later.
I am going to wrap up this post. I am sure I will think of some creative thing to cap off last week with, but in all honesty, spending my day off at the beach was very tiring. I have to get ready for tech tomorrow (including spending the 8am-11am stretch in my personal sauna...aka the cupola). I have some other fun stories (getting flown to the aerial platform, playing swinging bags with sandbacks and the flight tracks, and how I get to play in a bathtub with boys) that will have to wait until tomorrow. Or something. I doubt I will update again until my next day off.. so hang tight, I promise it will be within the next month. Hopefully. :)
In case any of this post may give the idea that I am not happy here, I need to clarify, I am having the time of my life. I love the people I work with, I love the cast, and honestly, I started theatre work so I could be underworked and overpaid.
WTF. I meant underpaid and overworked. But hot damn, I love my job.
PS - If you haven't seen it already, and are still in the Seattle area, go check out Cider House Rule, Pt 2 (and if you missed pt 1, it starts up again next week!) at Book-it Rep! They have been kicking ass and taking names (but not last names, that is just rude).
Till next time.. have a good night ya'll.
16.9.10
99 semi trucks to unload...99 semi trucks...
I want to start off with a short apology... I haven't been able to update this in the last couple days to a very large extent. We have been loading in the show.. which.. to say is massive.. is an understatement. We have to fit 1350 seats in a round tent, with no internal supports. The entire stage supports somewhere north of 10 traps, of which 4 are automated (Including a 10' diameter center disk that flips over), 5 flying rigs, and a two level upstage area. Oh.. and the entire stage is set about 6' off the ground.
Sooo, while I could be writing long, amazing stories every night, I really just want to sleep. Or shower, then sleep. Or have a glass of wine, a box of white cheddar cheez its, and sleep (Don't judge, you are just jealous!). Our current tally is about 27 semi trucks for the show, plus we bought another couple today. I can officially say that we now rival Lady Gaga's tour. Only ours was never meant to tour! We found out they decided to bring it stateside after how it did in London... so that is where I end up.. rebuilding a set that was never designed to travel, in a field, under a tent.
If you get some spare time, come on down and help! ;)
I will try to update soon. There is talk that we won't have Sunday off so we can get everything done...if we do get it off, rumor says Disneyland. Or sleep.
I miss all of you out in Seattle dearly.
PS - If you get a chance, there is a really amazing show (Cider House Rules, pt 2) opening at Book-it on Saturday night. You definitely should check it out. Truly amazing theatre.
Sooo, while I could be writing long, amazing stories every night, I really just want to sleep. Or shower, then sleep. Or have a glass of wine, a box of white cheddar cheez its, and sleep (Don't judge, you are just jealous!). Our current tally is about 27 semi trucks for the show, plus we bought another couple today. I can officially say that we now rival Lady Gaga's tour. Only ours was never meant to tour! We found out they decided to bring it stateside after how it did in London... so that is where I end up.. rebuilding a set that was never designed to travel, in a field, under a tent.
If you get some spare time, come on down and help! ;)
I will try to update soon. There is talk that we won't have Sunday off so we can get everything done...if we do get it off, rumor says Disneyland. Or sleep.
I miss all of you out in Seattle dearly.
PS - If you get a chance, there is a really amazing show (Cider House Rules, pt 2) opening at Book-it on Saturday night. You definitely should check it out. Truly amazing theatre.
14.9.10
Can anyone in here climb?
Holy hell.
Perhaps this entry should start with
"Dear Chris,
You naive idiot.
Love,
Chris"
The first two days of loading in the show has been a tad insane. Starting back from Sunday, I had an uneventful flight down to San Diego. Got picked up at the airport by my friend, passed out on the floor (yes, I am that classy), woke up at 5:30am, and took the motorcycle (Buell Firebolt) up to Costa Mesa. Have any of you driven a Buell? It is like riding on top of a blender in those 'Will it Blend?' commercials. Great torque, just very...vibracious (new word Tuesdays!). Took the 73 up to 405. The extra $5.50 was worth it for smooth, empty highway up to Costa Mesa. I managed to overshoot the exit only once and made it to the Orange County Performing Arts Center around 7:30/7:45am. I originally pulled in the front way of the center, looking for a giant white tent... and saw one of the 'spider legs' sticking out the back. I continued around and found... a giant construction site with a bunch of semis. Woohoo! I found the other people who looked confused about life, and made friends. It turns out they were doing the same thing I was.
The first part of the day was spent fairly simply, unloading 2 semi trucks full of road case and speakers. We started setting up 'soundland' 'dimmerland' 'ampland' ..etc where everything would be stored. When we arrived on site, the cupola (top part of the tent) had already been constructed and was waiting to be loaded. We basically just hung all the electric part of the cupola all morning/afternoon. In order to be successful at doing so, one must also monkey around the truss that supports both the lights and the tent. This is where my designation as Center House Theatre House Monkey was very handy. Over the course of the day it was decided that I was more comfortable high in the air, without safety cables, in precarious positions. Apparently I am good at getting lights in awkward places? Who knew? :P At some point after lunch, one of the tech supervisors wandered into the tent, eyed me up, and asked if I knew how to climb. Naturally, I said yes (before thinking about the fact that I was already in the highest part of the tent, and there wasn't much else to climb). I climbed down from the high truss inside, was fitted for a harness, then was pointed to one of the legs. Apparently my job was to climb up halfway and feed 20+ runs of cable inside the truss to a higher point (about 30 additional feet up). Oye. It ended up being...well... about as amazing as you are thinking. Each cable weighs more than a small elephant (that may be just my opinion) and there are lights/truss support and other things in the way. The best part was when I saw the 5 piles of cable at the bottom, then got excited when we had 4 of the 5 piles pulled thru, mentioned my excitement, then had someone inform me the rest were being trucked over. That was awesome! :)
That first night, we broke around at 7:30pm and I was able to crawl into the house around 8pm. I had enough energy to shower and pass out. I think I sent a couple messages out and was asleep by the time I got responses... (about 5 mins later). Go me.
On Tuesday morning, I was up and at Starbucks near the center by 7:15am. It was nice to wake up early and slowly have a morning coffee/sandwich. I met back up with everyone at the center and we started working again. Today was mainly focused on running socapex cable (the same stuff I hauled thru the truss before) in/around/on top of the cupola truss. So I spent the day crammed inside the truss, doing squats, and running in circles...with a 25-50lbs roll of cable in hand. I have now decided that all work shirts must be quarantined until they can be washed. Cable + dusty tent + sweaty Chris = ewww...
Today we got cut earlier than expected, but mainly because the tent is a giant puzzle. Electrics on the cupola have to be done before fly crew installs the tracks (4 tracks, 2 individual pick points), before the cupola flies up to trim height and the rest of the tent/deck is installed. Since we were waiting for fly to finish, there was not much more we could do.
On the way home I picked up my essentials - a scrubbie pad, soap, cheez-its and a bottle of wine. High society here in SoCal.
I have to end the post here. My fingers are torn up and tired from all the crazy stuff I have been doing. Look for pictures/more posts soon. Hopefully the days will be getting easier soon. While I have been working hard, I do not regret my choice at all. I am having a blast and making new friends.
:D
Perhaps this entry should start with
"Dear Chris,
You naive idiot.
Love,
Chris"
The first two days of loading in the show has been a tad insane. Starting back from Sunday, I had an uneventful flight down to San Diego. Got picked up at the airport by my friend, passed out on the floor (yes, I am that classy), woke up at 5:30am, and took the motorcycle (Buell Firebolt) up to Costa Mesa. Have any of you driven a Buell? It is like riding on top of a blender in those 'Will it Blend?' commercials. Great torque, just very...vibracious (new word Tuesdays!). Took the 73 up to 405. The extra $5.50 was worth it for smooth, empty highway up to Costa Mesa. I managed to overshoot the exit only once and made it to the Orange County Performing Arts Center around 7:30/7:45am. I originally pulled in the front way of the center, looking for a giant white tent... and saw one of the 'spider legs' sticking out the back. I continued around and found... a giant construction site with a bunch of semis. Woohoo! I found the other people who looked confused about life, and made friends. It turns out they were doing the same thing I was.
The first part of the day was spent fairly simply, unloading 2 semi trucks full of road case and speakers. We started setting up 'soundland' 'dimmerland' 'ampland' ..etc where everything would be stored. When we arrived on site, the cupola (top part of the tent) had already been constructed and was waiting to be loaded. We basically just hung all the electric part of the cupola all morning/afternoon. In order to be successful at doing so, one must also monkey around the truss that supports both the lights and the tent. This is where my designation as Center House Theatre House Monkey was very handy. Over the course of the day it was decided that I was more comfortable high in the air, without safety cables, in precarious positions. Apparently I am good at getting lights in awkward places? Who knew? :P At some point after lunch, one of the tech supervisors wandered into the tent, eyed me up, and asked if I knew how to climb. Naturally, I said yes (before thinking about the fact that I was already in the highest part of the tent, and there wasn't much else to climb). I climbed down from the high truss inside, was fitted for a harness, then was pointed to one of the legs. Apparently my job was to climb up halfway and feed 20+ runs of cable inside the truss to a higher point (about 30 additional feet up). Oye. It ended up being...well... about as amazing as you are thinking. Each cable weighs more than a small elephant (that may be just my opinion) and there are lights/truss support and other things in the way. The best part was when I saw the 5 piles of cable at the bottom, then got excited when we had 4 of the 5 piles pulled thru, mentioned my excitement, then had someone inform me the rest were being trucked over. That was awesome! :)
That first night, we broke around at 7:30pm and I was able to crawl into the house around 8pm. I had enough energy to shower and pass out. I think I sent a couple messages out and was asleep by the time I got responses... (about 5 mins later). Go me.
On Tuesday morning, I was up and at Starbucks near the center by 7:15am. It was nice to wake up early and slowly have a morning coffee/sandwich. I met back up with everyone at the center and we started working again. Today was mainly focused on running socapex cable (the same stuff I hauled thru the truss before) in/around/on top of the cupola truss. So I spent the day crammed inside the truss, doing squats, and running in circles...with a 25-50lbs roll of cable in hand. I have now decided that all work shirts must be quarantined until they can be washed. Cable + dusty tent + sweaty Chris = ewww...
Today we got cut earlier than expected, but mainly because the tent is a giant puzzle. Electrics on the cupola have to be done before fly crew installs the tracks (4 tracks, 2 individual pick points), before the cupola flies up to trim height and the rest of the tent/deck is installed. Since we were waiting for fly to finish, there was not much more we could do.
On the way home I picked up my essentials - a scrubbie pad, soap, cheez-its and a bottle of wine. High society here in SoCal.
I have to end the post here. My fingers are torn up and tired from all the crazy stuff I have been doing. Look for pictures/more posts soon. Hopefully the days will be getting easier soon. While I have been working hard, I do not regret my choice at all. I am having a blast and making new friends.
:D
11.9.10
Boarding pass!
I am all checked in for my flight down to California tomorrow. I have a short laundry list of things to do (finish laundry, grab some motorcycle gear from my parent's house) before I board the plane. All of my luggage arrived in Long Beach on Friday and should be waiting for me when I get off work on Monday!
I am looking forward to having brunch with some of my friends in the morning and (hopefully) will not shed too many tears. I have had a great time in Seattle with many wonderful memories and can't wait to see what the road has to offer!
I am looking forward to having brunch with some of my friends in the morning and (hopefully) will not shed too many tears. I have had a great time in Seattle with many wonderful memories and can't wait to see what the road has to offer!
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