Wrapping Things Up

After doing roughly 250 performances of Show Stoppin', we are closing at the end of this week. I'll be back in Ames the day before classes start, so my summer is ending in a mad dash of packing, moving and jumping right into classes. A lot of other people are also leaving for school, so everyone's schedules for this week are a little screwy. We go back to doing three shows a day instead of four since the park closes an hour earlier-- bumping night parade up to 9:00 instead of 9:30.

I’m pretty bummed that I can’t stick around for Fright Fest. While Six Flags stops daily operation in September, Fright Fest is when the park completely converts to a Halloween theme park for weekends through the fall. I've never been here for it, but it sounds like they really go all out-- the entertainment department kind of gets to take over, decorating the entire park as well as putting up several haunted houses and all new shows just for Fright Fest, it sounds awesome. Since I can't stay to work Fright Fest, I'm hoping to at least come out for a weekend and see everything.

As the summer is wrapping up, it feels very different here than it did at Great River Shakes. I’m really pleased that I consecutively worked at two very different places, especially in this order. To some extent I miss the magic of opening night, the collaborative and community feel of a self-built company devoted to creating art in a beautiful, riverside town. I also miss working on actual plays. During our trip to the Wisconsin Theatre Auditions I grabbed lunch with one of the GRSF producers and he asked about how much it matters to a techie that they would be working on Shakespeare (as opposed to musical theatre or a typical summer stock season). I’m pretty sure that it isn’t that relevant for all technicians, but I’m definitely pleased that my first project this semester is Twelfth Night because it certainly matters to me.

That being said, I loved, loved, loved my summer here! I also don’t think my education would be complete without working this side of theatre. I really appreciate non-educational work, where mistakes are not brushed off and there are high standards for every show. I do think that product is important and work has to sell to continue operation in the future. Plus, Show Stoppin' is FUN. It's not Lear, but it's a loud, colorful and upbeat show, which is something I can appreciate.

I also loved working on an extended run—I’ve never gotten to do a show so frequently that it becomes routine. It not only prepared me for work that I will inevitably get in the future, but also provided the chance to really perfect every detail. By this point in the season a flawless show for me is expected, and manageable. Usually in a two week run you still have some kinks that never quite get worked out simply due to the time crunch. It’s incredibly satisfying knowing that you are doing your job to the best of your ability without having to give up sleeping during tech week and opening.

Then all the gushy stuff—between living in my gimpy but fabulous housing situation and the badass people in the entertainment department, I’ve made a lot of amazing friends this summer :) When I have real internet again I’ll put up photos, but it’s been all together a really wonderful experience for my second internship. Highly recommended to other ISU perf students, either for tech or performance. I guess this ends my summer blogging, which means that the next time I show up on this blog it will be as an ISU Theatre alum! Hooray!