Kim’s Domain

Just got back from spending a couple days in Wisconsin at my buddy John’s family’s farm. I drove up early Monday morning, picked up my boy in Marshfield and he drove the rest of way to Native Bay restaurant where we had delicious roast pig and really amazing potato salad. There were also 4 local breweries there with free samples. Mmmmm, beer tasting. We ate ourselves silly, enjoyed the ridiculously warm weather and finally headed back to the farm where we played dominos and then Munchkin before turning in. Today we met John’s parents at a local brewery for lunch and ended up taking home a growler of tasty local Wisconsin beer (which I am enjoying right now). We drove through a lovely storm on the way home. It rained so hard I couldn’t properly see the road for a while, and we saw lighting strike a power line right next to us. But we made it home safe and sound, though not before stopping at Mar’s Cheese Castle for some tasty cheese curds.

Backing up a bit, my college buddies Ruchi and Maria were in town this weekend. We had a fabulous day on Sunday eating a lot of food, visiting the NU campus, walking around Millenium Park, shopping and topping it all off with a drink in the Signature Room. It was really good to see them, especially since I haven’t made it out for my annual visit to LA this year.

Nixon in China closed Saturday night. We had a great run and I really think the show will do wonders for the company. Thursday night was kind of a weird night, with a mic going live at intermission, a glass breaking onstage during the show, and some other weirdness I can’t remember now, but Saturday night’s show was flawless.

Okay, I’ve been meaning to post for a while, so here’s a belated post:

NIXON IN CHINA is finally open (it’s been open for a while now, but this is a delayed post, remember). We had a very exciting opening night, more exciting than one usually wants to have. There’s nothing like being all ready to start the show and then hearing over headset: “Hi, this is Jennifer running the supertitles. The projector just went out.”

Silence over headset as we all try to digest and ponder this information.

Our valiant SM goes right on trying to get the pre-show announcement running, but there seems to be some problem with that because the cue was run but we heard nothing in the house. So the pre-show announcement is scrapped for the night and we send out the first dancer to officially start the show with the pre-show Tai Chi – and then Jennifer’s voice again: “So, is there something I should be doing to try and get the projector running?” The house sound guy, who is in a completely different location and not able to get to the booth where the projector is, talks her through some troubleshooting for a little, until it is determined that the bulb has blown. We get to the moment of the first lyrics being sung on stage with this information. Our valiant SM presses the sound guy to see if he can locate a spare bulb, but no joy. So at intermission the GM goes out on stage with a microphone to make an announcement to the audience.

Despite the technical difficulties, we still got a glowing review from the Tribune.

This was not the first issue we ran into on the show. Tech week was plagued with dancers injuring themselves. I think this is the first time I’ve ever experienced someone carried off on my side of the stage repeating “Ice! Ice! Ice!” It’s moments like that when one discovers if they really have the chops (and the stomach) to be a Stage Manager. And of course this happens during an orchestra rehearsal, so we don’t stop the rehearsal. I help the dancer get what she needs, I see her taken out of harms way for the next scene change, and my co-worker on the other side of the stage gets the female cover in costume and onstage at the next opportunity.

Ah, live theater.

As for my next project, we had the first production meeting for First Look at Steppenwolf this week. I’m really excited about the project. The PSM seems awesome and the design and directing staff are very talented. I just wish there weren’t such a large break between NIXON and First Look. And I still have no idea what I’m doing this fall, so friends feel free to pass on any job opportunities you hear about! I’ve sent my resume to anyone and everyone who posted an SM and ASM position, but for whatever reason I haven’t heard from anyone. I’m sure something will turn up, it always does, but I would appreciate help!

And now on a non-theater related note, here is my favorite joke from The Aristocrats (to mirror a post from my co-worker and friend):

A rabbi walks into a bar with a frog on his shoulder. The bartender looks at him and says, “Where’d you get that?” The frog says, “In Brooklyn. There are hundreds of them.”

Thank you, Robin Williams.

Okay, what is it with being almost 6 years out of college and suddenly running into all these people I went to school with? On the bus this past week, I sat down – unknowingly – next to a girl I went to high school with. We sort of chatted a little before realizing we knew each other. She told me our ten year high school reunion is coming up and will be at Tommy Nevin’s Pub (which made us both laugh, and makes me a little sad, because the pub isn’t that big, which just shows how few people they think will actually show up). Just tonight at a birthday party my roommate was invited to and I just tagged along to, I saw another girl I went to high school with and a girl I used to hang out with at Northwestern. So I got my NU friend’s number and we’re going to catch up, and my high school friend actually knew the date of our high school reunion, so I told her I’d see her there.

All this, I have to admit, makes me feel a little old. I know that I’m really not, but there’s something about running into people from school days, when I was really young and felt like I had so much ahead of me, that really makes me feel the time that has passed between then and now. But I have to say – I’m REALLY looking forward to the high school reunion. It’s petty, and probably a sign of insecurities that should be long gone, but there are people that I hope show up so I can show off my boyfriend and my resume and prove that I’m not a loser anymore!