We've reached a new point in the season...it's an important page being turned in our season. It's the point where people are ready to go home. Oh gosh...really?!?! Yes, it's true. I'm not so much screaming to get out yet, but I'm starting to miss things like favorite foods from restaurants and grocery stores. Can't wait to sleep in my bed in my bedroom! Looking forward to having television and an internet signal that isn't wavering minute by minute.
Other people seem to be at the point where they're getting tired of one another. And in some cases there are reasons to be wearing thin. For instance, in our living space there is one common room where the food is served. Also in that room is a table that serves as a space to gather and socialize but also to eat. I mean that's a good use of a table in the eating area of the house. Well it appears that the table has been commandeered by three or four people who leave their stuff on that table always. The other day it was VERY rainy here. So eating outside on our porch (as we do just about every day) was not a great option...unfortunately it was the only option because the table indoors is not able to be used.
Please also seem to be deteriorating a bit. One act is complaining of a badly bruised and swollen knee, we've had allergies playing a big factor on people in the house and now I have a very bad ear infection. I've been to a few doctors, one of them is a specialist, and I've been given some antibiotics but the doctor is concerned at the severity of the infection. So I'll have a follow up appointment with him after two weeks on two different antibiotics and I'll also have a hearing test done on that day. It's a bit frightening to me because of all the surgeries that I had on my ears as a child. Certainly my mind has raced back to some very vivid moments of prepping for surgeries, following up on surgeries and realizing that I had some significant hearing loss as a child. They are guessing that at this point my right ear is operating at about 50% of it's normal function because of the infection. Not the best diagnosis for someone who needs their ears for their career. But, I'm getting by and I'm keeping a positive energy about it. Stressing, worrying, complaining about it is certainly not going to help me get any better.
In wrapping up, I would like to give a shout out to my best friend from home who has recently started a new chapter of life at a new institution seeking a doctorate. I'm very proud of you and miss you already! Much love!
Enjoy the day everyone.
Adios from the Mountains of Musical Madness.
CK
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Sorry for the delay in posting!
Sorry for the delay in posting! A lot of things have been going on since I last wrote. Let me catch you up to speed...
Starting with the not so good. I have an ear infection. Finally went to the doctor yesterday (long over due says both my roommate and my mom) and figured it out. I am almost positive that this happened because I was doing so much swimming in the first half of the summer. So now my swimming has been limited to above water only. I also bought some ear plugs. But the doctor told me that it's the worst ear infection she's ever seen. When she described what my ear drum looked like I got a bit nauseous. So I'm on a really strong antibiotic (which does a number on your digestive system...ugh!) to clear it up and I'm going back on Monday to have it rechecked.
Next news, the parents are in town! They've seen two shows today and are seeing their third today! So far they've seemed to really enjoy what they've seen. We've had a good time and it's been really nice to have a bit of home right here in the Mountains.
We start rehearsing the last show on Tuesday (I've been not working during the days since last Friday). I'm a bit nervous about the show for a few reasons....
1- The lead in the show is the actor that I had such a terrible time with in our last production.
2- It's a huge show with a huge cast and a lot of logistics.
3- It was written by Mel Brooks...yeah he's hilarious but he should have stuck to writing comedy...not music!
4- Everyone is at the point in the season where they are a little bit sick of each other and ready to get going, meaning everyone is a bit high-strung.
All things considered I hope it will play out in an okay way.
That's all for now...I'm trying to get back to the daily posts.
Cheers from the Mountains of Musical Madness.
CK
Friday, August 3, 2012
Lots to talk about today!
Alright, let it be known that TODAY IS MY FIRST DAY OFF! I'm so excited!
Next, yesterday was among the worst days I've had here...since I've been working here!!! We opened my 4th show of the summer (5th for the theater) last night. In my last post I referenced Truvey, the director. Well the process finishing up with Truvey came to a more gentle landing which is good. BUT along the way a couple of ugly headed stressed out people reared their way to the top! By that I mean, people who snapped during the technical rehearsal.
One of these two is someone who I work with EVERY DAY here. He and I have been kind of "partners in crime" this summer because we are always together. Getting frustrated and yelling at me over a microphone is not a way to further a "partner in crime" relationship. He apologized and I told him that I understand that tensions get high but in the future think twice about how you handle your stress.
The second was one of The Pros. He's an ass! He's been working up to the way he acted yesterday for the whole summer. And the problem is that his ego is so large that he never will apologize. At this point, I would forgive him for the way he treated me. Which was basically abysmal...so much so that the other Pros who were at the rehearsal apologized on his behalf. So nice to know that they realize that it is not okay to treat people that way, but, as my mom says..."shame on you" for being too self centered to apologize yourself. Unfortunately he has the lead in the last show of the summer....let's hope he knows his music well because he's not going to get a whole lot of help from me until he apologizes. Which I doubt will happen.
I would like to say that this was the end of the "crap" for the day but it wasn't. Anyway, that's for episode two of this post. I'm off to enjoy a sunny day off.
Lounging in the Mountains of Musical Madness.
CK
Next, yesterday was among the worst days I've had here...since I've been working here!!! We opened my 4th show of the summer (5th for the theater) last night. In my last post I referenced Truvey, the director. Well the process finishing up with Truvey came to a more gentle landing which is good. BUT along the way a couple of ugly headed stressed out people reared their way to the top! By that I mean, people who snapped during the technical rehearsal.
One of these two is someone who I work with EVERY DAY here. He and I have been kind of "partners in crime" this summer because we are always together. Getting frustrated and yelling at me over a microphone is not a way to further a "partner in crime" relationship. He apologized and I told him that I understand that tensions get high but in the future think twice about how you handle your stress.
The second was one of The Pros. He's an ass! He's been working up to the way he acted yesterday for the whole summer. And the problem is that his ego is so large that he never will apologize. At this point, I would forgive him for the way he treated me. Which was basically abysmal...so much so that the other Pros who were at the rehearsal apologized on his behalf. So nice to know that they realize that it is not okay to treat people that way, but, as my mom says..."shame on you" for being too self centered to apologize yourself. Unfortunately he has the lead in the last show of the summer....let's hope he knows his music well because he's not going to get a whole lot of help from me until he apologizes. Which I doubt will happen.
I would like to say that this was the end of the "crap" for the day but it wasn't. Anyway, that's for episode two of this post. I'm off to enjoy a sunny day off.
Lounging in the Mountains of Musical Madness.
CK
Friday, July 27, 2012
The next endeavor
Today marks the third day of rehearsal on the next show in the rotation. It's the show that I was most excited about as I got ready to come here this summer! And let me preface the below comments by say that I think it will be VERY GOOD!
We have a guest director in town for this show, we'll call him Truvey. Now Truvey has been an actor here before and I've worked with him the past two summers. This year he is just coming from a job where he was actually in the show that he is now directing here. so he knows it quite well! All of that is good stuff except for the fact that he's driving me crazy. If I hear the words "having just done the show...." one more time I might go mad! Yesterday Truvey was actually reading in lines for the guy playing the role that he just played and using the characters voice to do so. (RUDE!) At one point in rehearsal he approached me at the keys and said, "What was just going on with the music right there?" My response at a later moment was something to the effect of you do your job and I'll do mine.
Oh gosh...I see a long week ahead of me. The thing is that I've been working with The Man at my side as the director for the entire summer so far and I'll be doing one more show with him at the end of the season. I guess you don't realize how easy it is to work with some people until you aren't working with them. I'm taking deep breaths and hoping to get through the week.
Until next time...from the Mountains of Music Madness.
CK
We have a guest director in town for this show, we'll call him Truvey. Now Truvey has been an actor here before and I've worked with him the past two summers. This year he is just coming from a job where he was actually in the show that he is now directing here. so he knows it quite well! All of that is good stuff except for the fact that he's driving me crazy. If I hear the words "having just done the show...." one more time I might go mad! Yesterday Truvey was actually reading in lines for the guy playing the role that he just played and using the characters voice to do so. (RUDE!) At one point in rehearsal he approached me at the keys and said, "What was just going on with the music right there?" My response at a later moment was something to the effect of you do your job and I'll do mine.
Oh gosh...I see a long week ahead of me. The thing is that I've been working with The Man at my side as the director for the entire summer so far and I'll be doing one more show with him at the end of the season. I guess you don't realize how easy it is to work with some people until you aren't working with them. I'm taking deep breaths and hoping to get through the week.
Until next time...from the Mountains of Music Madness.
CK
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Opening
Show #4 opens tonight (third musical). I have mixed emotions about it. I really like the show!!! It's a great one. But I have a little bit of a problem doing it with such a small band as we're using. It just doesn't sound right without all those saxes and horns in there. The show was written by my favorite composer and I really just think that he is brilliant! Unfortunately he thought it was a good idea to change keys every page of music and to write songs that gave the singers lots of liberties. These two factors make it so that I have to work REALLY HARD throughout the show. There is a lot of room for error (or messiness I suppose).
BUT, when the hardest part about it all is that the set designer decided it would be a good idea to build a platform above my head. There are two main problems with this. #1 it makes it hard for me to hear the singers! #2 it makes it impossible for me to see the singers. At one point there are curtains drawn underneath this platform which makes it so that I'm sitting inside a tent. Now really?!?! Who in their right mind thinks it a good idea to put the pianist/conductor inside a tent and expects them to keep the pace of a show moving. And really thats how it works. Once the show begins it's the job of the stage manager and the conductor to keep it all moving.
So needless to say, there is some anxiety there! I'm sure it'll go off just fine but I'm expecting today to be a very stressful day! The good news is that tomorrow we start working on the show that I've been looking forward to most for the summer. And that opens next Thursday and then I HAVE A WEEK OFF!
Keeping my cool in the Mountains of Musical Madness...
CK
BUT, when the hardest part about it all is that the set designer decided it would be a good idea to build a platform above my head. There are two main problems with this. #1 it makes it hard for me to hear the singers! #2 it makes it impossible for me to see the singers. At one point there are curtains drawn underneath this platform which makes it so that I'm sitting inside a tent. Now really?!?! Who in their right mind thinks it a good idea to put the pianist/conductor inside a tent and expects them to keep the pace of a show moving. And really thats how it works. Once the show begins it's the job of the stage manager and the conductor to keep it all moving.
So needless to say, there is some anxiety there! I'm sure it'll go off just fine but I'm expecting today to be a very stressful day! The good news is that tomorrow we start working on the show that I've been looking forward to most for the summer. And that opens next Thursday and then I HAVE A WEEK OFF!
Keeping my cool in the Mountains of Musical Madness...
CK
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Looking Ahead
I've reached the point in the season now where I am looking forward to my first day off. That'll happen in a few weeks when they go into rehearsal for the comedy that's being produced. No music in that one so I'll be free! In general, I am really enjoying the people here still. I know what you're thinking, "wow that sounds kind of harsh." I mean it does, but you gotta understand what theater folk can be like.
In years past there has been a lot of issues with people being respectful and kind to each other. I mean it's hard to work together every day and then come back to a house where everyone lives. For instance, yesterday my roommate, let's call her The Mrs., she really upset me in rehearsal. I left the room and she changed something in the music with my assistant while I was gone. Not cool! I came back into the room, found out what had happened. Took a deep breath and approached her on the next break to say, we're not changing that. I don't change your dances when you leave the room so you're not changing the music when I do. You know, these things happen when you work with people. You have to communicate...no big deal. But then you have to come back to the house and live with that person. Now The Mrs. and I have learned how to deal with things like that because we're great friends but that's not the case with everyone here.
So the moral of this story....I'm looking forward to a day off!
Ciao from the Mountains of Musical Madness.
CK
In years past there has been a lot of issues with people being respectful and kind to each other. I mean it's hard to work together every day and then come back to a house where everyone lives. For instance, yesterday my roommate, let's call her The Mrs., she really upset me in rehearsal. I left the room and she changed something in the music with my assistant while I was gone. Not cool! I came back into the room, found out what had happened. Took a deep breath and approached her on the next break to say, we're not changing that. I don't change your dances when you leave the room so you're not changing the music when I do. You know, these things happen when you work with people. You have to communicate...no big deal. But then you have to come back to the house and live with that person. Now The Mrs. and I have learned how to deal with things like that because we're great friends but that's not the case with everyone here.
So the moral of this story....I'm looking forward to a day off!
Ciao from the Mountains of Musical Madness.
CK
Monday, July 16, 2012
Blunder #2
Professional Blunder #2
So here's the situation. Some of you may know that I've been working on an original show that was written by The Man. Apparently, he did this show here several years ago and it went over quite well. So he decided that it would be a good idea to revamp the show (add some new songs, modernize some pop culture references, etc). No that's all well and good except that he really is not a trained composer. By that I mean he never was really trained in the structure of music and harmony. For instance, it is not okay to have a G sharp in the melodic line and harmonize it using a B flat major chord. (I know that at least of of you will know what that means.)
The problem exists when I am spending large amounts of time re-writing music that is not appropriate to give to singers or a band. Now certainly, the person who wrote the song, played it over and over again as they created it audibly, can get through that but not another singer or instrumentalist who has never heard the song. So basically for the past three weeks since I got here the show has been reworked and re-written to make sense. Now it's very daunting because I really have compiled, arranged, composed, purchased more than half of the music for this show. Unfortunately the composer (The Man) does not think that I've "composed" anything, he thinks that I've merely been an "arranger". I call that bologna!
All I'm really asking for is just to have some recognition. This marks the third original musical that I've helped to create here. In all of those shows, I've never been credited with any artistic ownership on the shows. Maybe just a little shout out as a "collaborator" on the project. Each year audiences come to see the show and in the end of the curtain speech that welcomes the audience the person giving the dialogue says, "so now enjoy 'The Man's' original musical, _________________!" I just sit there and sigh, knowing that half the material is mine. I just suck it up, but this year I've begun to voice my opinion and will continue to do so. The show opens tonight and I think it'll be good.
Cheers from the Mountains of Musical Madness.
CK
So here's the situation. Some of you may know that I've been working on an original show that was written by The Man. Apparently, he did this show here several years ago and it went over quite well. So he decided that it would be a good idea to revamp the show (add some new songs, modernize some pop culture references, etc). No that's all well and good except that he really is not a trained composer. By that I mean he never was really trained in the structure of music and harmony. For instance, it is not okay to have a G sharp in the melodic line and harmonize it using a B flat major chord. (I know that at least of of you will know what that means.)
The problem exists when I am spending large amounts of time re-writing music that is not appropriate to give to singers or a band. Now certainly, the person who wrote the song, played it over and over again as they created it audibly, can get through that but not another singer or instrumentalist who has never heard the song. So basically for the past three weeks since I got here the show has been reworked and re-written to make sense. Now it's very daunting because I really have compiled, arranged, composed, purchased more than half of the music for this show. Unfortunately the composer (The Man) does not think that I've "composed" anything, he thinks that I've merely been an "arranger". I call that bologna!
All I'm really asking for is just to have some recognition. This marks the third original musical that I've helped to create here. In all of those shows, I've never been credited with any artistic ownership on the shows. Maybe just a little shout out as a "collaborator" on the project. Each year audiences come to see the show and in the end of the curtain speech that welcomes the audience the person giving the dialogue says, "so now enjoy 'The Man's' original musical, _________________!" I just sit there and sigh, knowing that half the material is mine. I just suck it up, but this year I've begun to voice my opinion and will continue to do so. The show opens tonight and I think it'll be good.
Cheers from the Mountains of Musical Madness.
CK
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