SurfDogII

The mark of a true theater performance is how well all aspects of the show come together, lighting and sound, both the design of and the execution of, directing, production values.

As most everyone knows, I am involved in the theater. Mostly community, some professional, and if you want to count me standing in the background collecting $75.64 a day eating from Craft Services, you can say film, also (If you hit pause during two scenes, you can see me in the movie, "The Replacements"). Anyway, I had taken a small hiatus since the passing of my mother in 2005, and was approached at the beginning of summer of 2007 to assist with the technical aspects of a few shows, including the show I am currently working on, Agnes of God.

Usually, when you are dealing with theater, everything technical has to be based on a time line. A very precise time line. If you fall behind on the time line, you are fucked. Well, when preparations for Agnes started last summer, I was approached to work on the show in a technical capacity, and I agreed, due to my knowledge of the space we were working in. There are three major aspects that are addressed in the final week of preparing for a show: Loading in and finalizing construction of the set, the light hang (aiming and gelling, or coloring, the lights) and the cue-to-cue, which is the painstaking process of making sure every single cue is in place, timed right and works with the flow of the show.

When we rolled into the theater space on Friday night, I looked at the schedule, and pointed out to the director that "Wednesday will be unnecessary for tech purposes". The director looked at me confused.

"I was assured," the director said, "that we would need Wednesday to finalize everything."

"Karen, if we are not ready on Tuesday night for an audience, tech wise, I will buy everyone a drink involved in the show. If we are ready, you buy me dinner, agreed?"

She agreed to the wager (yet another prop bet), and needless to say, I enjoyed a lovely dinner last night, compliments of the director. I am a Nazi when it comes to theater schedules: I take no shit from anyone. Especially when a prop bet is on the line.

If anyone is in the area the next 3 weekends, come out, see the show for free (on me) and we'll have a drink and go out singing at this great place I know.

If not, oh well... you miss out!