I think I chose the right major.
Today was pretty crummy, when it started out. Yes, I did get to sleep in because my Writing 150 class was canceled, but I didn't feel quite right and was still pretty sleepy. But I got my planner put together and made it to Theater History class.
I find it really amusing how nobody likes this class. It's funny how quickly people can bond over something they mutually dislike. It seems that whenever I run into another theater student, all I have to ask is, "Are you in 210?" and we're automatically bonded. Though I enjoy the complaints of others much more than giving my own, for some reason. I wonder why that is!
Nevertheless, we once again survived Theater History today. It actually wasn't all that bad, since she used clips the London Olympic Ceremony to make a point about spectacle. Every single class though, we have to turn in a "Lecture Exercise." Basically, everybody gets out a piece of paper, writes down the answer to a question or a response to whatever she asks us to, and then there's a mad flurry to hand it in to the TAs at the end of class. It's only real purpose is to be an indirect form of taking attendance, but it's more annoying than anything. Ugh.
Writing 150 was cancelled today because of writing conferences we each had with our professor. I scheduled mine right after Theater history class, so naturally I went there next. We discussed my thesis and topic sentences, and she really liked my idea and my argument!!! There was one point I made that she disagreed with though. Not that it was a bad point, she just had a different opinion. We discussed it a little bit, and I admitted- I don't know all of my opinions yet. I have an idea of what I think is right and wrong and what I think in general, but I'm not certain of all the details. And she totally was ok with that... I don't know what I expected, but... yay, I guess! I'm allowed to be conservative! She also mentioned challenging those ideas, though. I don't remember her exact wording, but it was something along the lines of challenging my ideas to help them form. I like that. I think I'm going to adopt this perspective in general, it's a good one to have.
I don't think I've written about this on the blog, but I very often find things I think or believe to not be the normal or "right" way of thinking of things around campus. Mostly politically. Most people here are pretty liberal. I'd like to consider myself more moderate, but I'm still moderately conservative. So... a lot of what I think has been challenged here. I just didn't really think of it as a challenge before. I like this mentality a lot though. When something you believe is challenged, it becomes a lot stronger, and it can become stronger because of that. It's more about standing up and facing what other people say than trying to avoid it in order to nurture any tension you feel as your ideas are being countered. This could also be more stressful. We'll give it a try and see!
Anyways, tangent. Sorry.
I am WAY too good at going off on tangents. I'm pretty sure if you gave me a microphone and a topic to start with I could just talk and talk and talk and it would turn out to be something fairly entertaining. Or not. But it would be interesting, because I wouldn't stop until I either caught myself or somebody told me outright to shut up.
Maybe I should be a video blogger. I can record my random little thoughts and people can listen at will, if they want. Or they can skip ahead in the video. It gives all this talking a purpose though.
Dinner tonight was a nice little treat for myself. I walked all the way out to Parkside with my Lord of the Rings book and had dinner there before walking all the way back to the McClintock Theater. I could've just eaten at EVK or Cafe 84, which are closer to my starting and ending destinations... but I wanted the food at Parkside more. So why not? Plus, I really enjoyed the walk and the time with my book. It's a good thing to give yourself a little time to just be alone and sink into a book, you know?
Anywho, to the real point of the blog. Finally. Sorry...
These next two weekends are going to be quite interesting. Remember how I worked backstage on a show last semester, even though I didn't really have to? Well, this semester I have to. I'm working on "The Art of Success" written by Nick Dear and performing in the McClintock Theater next weekend, but tech started today! So instead of going to Fortinbras rehearsal, I went to the first Meet and Greet night for Art of Success.
I'm working with the same Stage Manager as Lady Windemere's Fan, which is awesome. I love Jen! She's adorable and awesome and just all-around great! I'm also doing the same kind of job- deck crew. But there's a lot less for me to do, since there aren't many scene changes, so I'll mostly be filling in at every little area that someone needs to be at- Costumes, sets, props, whatever. It'll be a blast!
We were supposed to see a run through of the show, but the show isn't actually all together yet. Jen let me go early, since Fortinbras was literally rehearsing next door. So I did end up in rehearsal after all!!! And I LOVE rehearsal. I love this show. I love my fellow actors. I love the director.
But seriously, I'm working with an incredible group of people. I don't do a whole lot in this show, so most of the read through we've been doing lets me sit back and admire everyone else's work and watch as they work through their respective material. It's just... it's all so cool. I really do admire what everyone is doing. They're all perfectly cast! Plus, I'm learning as I listen. :) We're all getting along pretty great too!!!
By the way, I learned Hamlet's real name- Kapil. Also, Horatio is Austin and Ophelia is Stephanie. Hopefully I'll remember that! Anywho, Kapil and I sang more of "Love is an Open Door" after rehearsal. He was excited to show me that he learned some of the chords on the piano, which was AWESOME. I also learned that both of our favorite Disney movies is Aladdin, so I played "A Whole New World" and it was equally grand. He walked back with me since we were both going in the same general direction, and we talked more about music, and then science, and then time travel. Yay! I have a new friend!! :)
The whole reason I'm happy right now is because of rehearsal though. All day today I've been feeling crummy on and off, worried about all the work I have coming up these next few weeks, trying to figure out how I'm going to juggle rehearsals and working at tech, and through all this not knowing where to begin and worrying about it all. But being in the theater... it makes everything better. I'm so grateful for being in a show. I'm grateful that it's this show! It's going to be a great 6 weeks :)
Scratch what I said when I started writing- I know I chose the right major. This is exactly the type of environment and people I want to be around and the type of work I want to be doing every single day of my life. Hands down.
Fight on, friends
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