Rehearsal

Sitting in the Thrust Theater at UofL,  in the last row of Section A, early for rehearsal and to pass the time now and in the long interim between appearances, I’ll write in this notebook.

The pen I am using is not very good for me.  It is a Uniball Vision—fine point that has to be pushed along the line instead of rolling.  I brought it to approximate a fountain pen and it does that fairly well.  So this is my handwriting with a fountain pen; not very nice.  I’m using a few different techniques in an effort to improve it; it’s not working very well.

We are in the second last rehearsal for Atomic Bombers; it is Monday and the play opens on Wednesday.  Our dress rehearsal yesterday went from 2:30 until 9 at night.  It was the crew’s first experience with it and our first dress rehearsal in costume.  There were missing props and much confusion surrounding light and sound cues but this is to be expected on a complicated show such as this and to some extent on any show.

I spent a quiet day at home, mostly with Carola; she went out a couple of times, once to the store and again to talk to neighboring ladies when she saw them outside enjoying the mild winter we are having.  These are good omens; she is more active and taking more initiative. 

As for me, I wiled away the day, baked a cake, made the icing, prepared the mailing of my latest book (I like the sound of that) to the kids, and I found a guy on Facebook in my search for Cousin Freddie.

 This guy’s name looked like a shortening of my mother’s family name, he lives in California, his pictures look a lot like Cousin Freddie, and his wife’s name is Linda.  It made me wonder if Cousin Freddie is in some sort of witness protection program.  Later I received his phone number from another cousin and he’s in Saint Louis, just like he would ordinarily be.

Others have come into the space so I’ll put this away for now.  A parting thought, there are many moods in evidence here tonight and most are good.

Now In costume and makeup and ahead of time again; so I’ll write some more. One of the cast is in the lavatory, throwing up; the rest of the cast is suiting up.  So now what to say?  I dunno, maybe later.

It is later, the pen has been replaced because it was just too difficult to use.  We are now in that part of the play that the action is carried by everyone else except Szilard and me.  So I have a lot of time until my next cue.

We are quickly evolving into a cast that will receive the play from the director on opening night.  This surprised me when I first encountered it about five years ago; the Director said goodbye to us on Tuesday and we opened Romeo and Juliet on Wednesday.  It has similarly happened in every production since, “Lequel j’ai vu.”

My French is still mushing along.  The experience of listening to two presentations in French Friday last made me aware of just how little I know/ understand.  This doesn’t daunt me, however, I do a little s.t. every day: the CDs, the News, the reader; and although I can’t quite hear it, beyond a few words that are familiar, I am beginning to “know it.” If the opportunity were to present itself to live there a few years, I would be a speaker, listener, reader, and writer of the language. 

Aside: I was pleased that The Artist, a French film, won best actor and best picture at the Academy Awards last night.  This film and The Pursuit of Happyness, also of a French director with Will Smith, show a certain sensitivity that American film directors don't seem to have.

I called our CPA and informed him that I was changing to a different firm to prepare our business and personal tax returns.  It was an important call for me to make since it required me to ”deliver the rose.”  I suppose I’ve become somewhat inured to this over the years but it is not s.t. I like to do.  I tend to put it off until it has to be done, and then do it.  I employ this strategy for many things; more than for which it is good sometimes.  I do my duty, however, when I must.

But there is one thing about which I’ve been procrastinating and that is placing the shoe collection boxes.  It requires me to ask for s.t. for which no recompense is made to the agreeable.  This is a real problem for me.  I don’t have the right frame of mind for it because I have one of the world’s hardest noses when people want from me but at the same time I/we are very generous.  We give freely when the opportunity presents itself but rarely when s.o comes right out and asks.  I suppose it is the reverse of the Golden Rule.

(We are now on page 64 of the script and my cue is page 75)

I am going to do the boxes.  I know that once I start and do one, others will quickly be placed.  I have already placed three but there is no pattern, or system to my effort.  I’ve been responsible for placing about ten.  There are so many great places in our service area where opportunities exist and I’ll do it.  

This would be a great opportunity to do s.t. spontaneous, or at least so for me.  I’d like to make it big enough to require some planning; that seems to heighten the anticipation. There is the Sorority Convention in the third week of  April and The Rolex in the last week, followed by our Derby Party on the first Saturday in May; so it may have to be later in May.

 I’m almost on, later.