Monday, July 06, 2009

My main feeling these days is...exhausted, but happy. I'm working full time, but right now with two consecutive days off. The first of those I usually spent taking several hour naps inbetween reading a chapter or two, then waking up to discover I've drooled all over whatever I'm laying on. Carpet, pillows...my cat. I'm not normally a drooler...it's just a sign of extreme fatigue.

My work schedule is regular for a change, but I'm up at 5 every morning. That means that I'm off usually around 1. No later than 4. And leaves several hours for a nap before rehearsal. BUT my rehearsals go til 10, which leaves a maximum of six hours of sleep a night. A nap is not a luxury, but a regimented part of my routine. I can't wear out now. Once the show is open, I'll be working 50 hours a week, and spending my two days off doing three performances of Oklahoma!

I'm really enjoying this show. Really really. I love the character (who'd have thought?), and love playing opposite my costar. Which is good, since our play is completely different than the play the rest of the cast are putting on. We keep walking in on scenes we've never seen before, and we rehearse on different days than everyone else. I think I remember that from that last time I did this show. Curly and Laurey spend most of the play with each other, and the minor characters and chorus have their own plot and scenes. Not much interaction outside of chorus numbers, but even then - Laurey isn't in the Dream Ballet or Farmer and the Cowman. So I interact less with the rest of the cast even than Curly does.

Tonight I've got to get Oklahoma out of my head to do a single performance of Le Musee du Rodin at a Seattle Playwrites meeting at ArtsWest. I read lines on the bus this morning, luckily it's not memorized, and we'll have one more readthrough before the reading tonight.

Tomorrow we begin Act 1 runthroughs, and block the end of the show. I'm hoping to convince my choreographer to give me a private lesson to make sure I look credible dancing Many a New Day. As long as I get to dance, I'd like to look credible doing it. I've got the basic choreography down, but I want someone to make sure my arms and feet are pointing and curving correctly. I'm doing fine now, but with a slightly more work I could move more firmly into "moves well."

I'm at the library killing time, hoping a practice room becomes available. I got off work early, and rather than go home for a couple of hours, then taking a bus to West Seattle, I may as well stay in town and be productive until it's time to go. I brought my blacks to work and changed in the dishroom, and did my makeup and hair in the library bathroom. It worked.

Off to run lines.