"It's not that we want to go anywhere. We're all just trying to get away from somewhere we don't want to be anymore."
SCENE ONE:
My roommate left. Without a word. I came home one night and she was already asleep. When I woke up there was a note explaining that one of her loved ones wasn't doing well and she was returning to the states. I went to her room and two Koruna on the floor were all that was left.
It was an eye opener to me, truly, to have her leave. I realized how scary this is, that I'm here, thousands of miles away from my loved ones. I just found out that two of my dearest friends have set their wedding date to July, before I get home. I suppose in a lot of ways I forgot that life keeps going, even when I'm not there to watch it happen.
SCENE TWO:
I have officially stage managed two shows now. The first one was for my internship, Prague Shakespeare Company. I stage managed the play Shiner. I met some of the best people I'll ever meet through that show, including the playwright who flew from Los Angeles to see it. The play is about two thirteen year olds dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts, finding solace in music. The show connected with me on so many levels. I think it did with most of the audience.
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| A prop (pre-paint) I built for Shiner. Lugging this lumber through Old Town was a sight to be seen |
There's a quote in the show at one point that I'll never forget.
Jake screams at Margot, "Where did you go?!"
She tells him, "I got scared."
I've been trying to deal with losing people in my life a lot recently. So many times I've wanted to ask, "where did you go?" I think the answer is the same every time, no matter the circumstance. They got scared.
I got scared too. Of a lot of things. Of where my life was going back home. So I jumped on a plane and flew to Europe!
I don't think anyone actually wants to go anywhere. They just don't want to be where they once were.
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| Set of "A Moment of Silence" |
SCENE THREE:
As soon as I finished stage managing Shiner, I instantly began stage managing a student's thesis at DAMU (a theatre graduate school in Prague). This was completely voluntary, not for my internship or for pay. All for experience and making connections. And, oh my god, have I made some connections! I've been asked to meet the head of the Scenography department and discuss my potential for attending grad school at DAMU in scene design. I've already got a pretty good looking portfolio.
The DAMU show is called, "A Moment of Silence". It's actually a play within a play about Iran and the 1979 transition into the Islamic Republic. I've been an active member in the Feminist movement over the last few years and I've been researching women's rights in the Middle East for over five years now. The director, an Iranian woman, and I instantly clicked when we realized how much this show meant to both of us.
We've had two performances so far. Tomorrow is our closing night.
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| Everything I need for the Prague Quadrennial Theatre Festival |
SCENE FOUR:
Next is the Prague Quadrennial. It's an eleven day theatre festival with workshops, lectures, plays, and more! It begins the day after "A Moment of Silence" closes. I went and bought my eleven day pass today. I don't know what hours I'll be working for my internship, but I plan on going to every single event that I can.
It's funny. Summer is technically a "dead season" for theatre in Prague. But theatre hasn't stopped for me since I got here. I've also been going to shows anytime I can. I saw a modern dance show with one of my new theatre friends last week, and I should be seeing an opera with my roommate in a few weeks.
It's funny. Summer is technically a "dead season" for theatre in Prague. But theatre hasn't stopped for me since I got here. I've also been going to shows anytime I can. I saw a modern dance show with one of my new theatre friends last week, and I should be seeing an opera with my roommate in a few weeks.
SCENE FIVE:
I've been telling people my "ten-year plan" spill forever about climbing the corporate ladder before doing the business side of non-profits, specifically theatre. But I look at my resume and it's filled with theatre! Not the kind of theatre that gets you a job in the business side of it. Technical theatre. Stage managing. Everything but business. It's like I can't walk away from it. I watched a movie the other day and looked through the credits and thought, "I could do that! And that too! I could be scenic designer, or welding crew, or rigger, or lighting crew!" I've been pursuing a business path in school but I'm starting to ask myself, "why?" I know it's partially about money and I don't want to be a starving artist, but I honestly can NOT get away from theatre. One day I will try to enter the corporate world, hand them my resume, and have them laugh and point me towards the nearest theatre.
I don't know what I'm doing for my future anymore. What I do know is I've been inside a theatre every single day for the last fifteen days. Who knows where I'm going with this?
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| I live in a Disney movie |
In the meantime I'm putting on damn good shows, and that's what matters to me right now.