Ain't Nothin' Like The Real Thing Baby

"Mouchoirs" is finally done and my evaluation was mostly positive... which was a relief. I was extremely happy with the show, but getting comments from professors with very different viewpoints is always intimidating. I got everything from "I fell in love with the actors." to "I don't think you've matured as a director yet, as your ecriture scenique wasn't cohesive enough." All in all, I can't complain... directing that show was a fantastic experience that I won't soon forget.

Now I'm in Toronto, working 6 days a week, 5 hours a day, watching rehearsals for the Soulpepper/NAC co-pro of The Real Thing. Since it's still early in the process, I won't say much about the show itself. However, I will say that I am still every day surprised at how different professional theatre can be from student or community productions.... and I don't mean that always in the positive sense. For example, the stage management is incredible. They're organised, the props and set are always ready at a moment's notice and they're super nice people too. On the flip side, we can only rehearse five hours a day (instead of the usual 8) because of actor job constraints. That's not the issue. What I do find odd is that we waste anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes a day due to chitty-chatting, arriving late, getting coffee, sharing anecdotes, etc. This boggles my mind.... that's a lot of time to lose when you don't have a lot in the first place.

Oh well, it's all made ok when Megan Follows touches my arm and asks me if she can have one of my chewing gums. Of course, I say yes and then think "Anne of Green Gables just touched me." We're gum buddies. Then I laugh at myself for being so silly.

I have a great job.