Tuesday 17 May 2011

Well, this is certainly a schedule that sorts the sheep from the goats (an expression I use with some hesitation as I'm never quite sure which camp I'm meant to be aiming for).  TWO stage orchestra rehearsals today, meaning ready to rock'n'roll at 10 a.m. and released at 10 p.m. to wander round in a daze wondering where you left your clothes.  Naturally there was time in between, but it does tend to disappear in a mulch of cycling to and from the theatre, buying forgotten essentials at the supermarket, eating, studying the score AGAIN, trying to find a way of remembering incorrect entrances etc etc, and frankly lying down on the bed and passing out for a little while; that in-between time doesn't count as pure relaxation.  Not to mention I take 10 a.m. to mean ready, clothed, possessed of any props I need, and waiting to go on stage at 10 a.m. precisely.  So if I want to actually FIND my rehearsal clothes (the costume department reckoned we didn't need them for orchestra stage rehearsals.  Hmm.  Buggered if I'm going to hit the floor with a thump more than once in my own clothes, or try to balance on mattresses on a steep rake whilst walking slowly in my own high heels, and not those provided by the theatre with nice thick rubber treads...), and get the voice warmed up into the right place, that means bowling up considerably before 10.

The kicker is, we get to do it all again tomorrow.  Last orchestral stage in the morning, hopefully a run-through (and fingers religiously crossed that the solo cello in the forward orchestra, from whom I take many tonal cues, is back... apparently the theatre couldn't find anyone who could play this music at short notice!!).  Then in the evening, same again but with make-up, costume, lighting, props... most of which fall under the category of "technical difficulties" at least once for me in this production.

I'm just praying that the voice survives mostly intact.  There's so much pollen whizzing around at the moment that even I, a luckily non-allergic type, have had to stop and cough my guts out a couple of times while cycling.  Not to mention inhaling an average of 47 tiny flies per journey.  And there are some nasty bugs going around.  All I can really do is wash my hands like a maniac, eat well, drink enough, attempt to sleep, and battle to retain enough sense of humour to keep the entire thing in perspective.

Oh yes, and maybe refrain from spending valuable time typing away on the computer... ;-)

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