Turning a New Chapter

Well... this evening started out in a great way!!! As I was driving home during the heart of the golden hour, I noticed the incredible sunset and simply had to stop to take some photos. I drove to a location near my home that I've been dying to shoot for ages, pulled out the nifty fifty, and started shooting. I've been neglecting my camera lately because of being so busy with the show, and it felt really good to finally be making some photographs again. The light was simply spectacular - I was getting shot after shot after shot and loving every one! I was having the time of my life! And just as I was about 150 images into the fresh memory card - *POOF*. Out of nowhere, a card formatting error reared its ugly head, dragging my photo-taking escapade to a grinding halt. I tried in vain to recover some of the images, but without any success. After finally accepting the loss of the images, I reformatted the card, but by the time I was ready to start shooting again, the sun had set and the incredible light which had lit up my photos was gone. I begrudgingly got back in my car and drove home, resolving to return at the next beautiful sunset with multiple backup cards in my bag. And so, instead of a conglomeration of beautiful sunset images, I give you this poorly-written and disorganized journal entry. Voila!

Hmm.. what else.

Okay, so despite the devastating loss of my images, I'm still very excited. Why, you ask? Wait, what's that? You didn't ask? You don't really care? Ah well, I'll tell you anyways. Like every good technical theatre major, I diligently sent out my applications for summer internships to regional theatres all across the country. And, after multiple rounds of resume-sending and a phone interview, I have finally accepted a position as an Electrics Apprentice for the Hangar Theatre's summer season!! WOOT!!! For those of you not heavily involved in theatre, this probably doesn't seem like that big of a deal, but for me this is HUGE! I will be spending the summer working harder than I've ever worked, literally rubbing shoulders with professional actors, directors, designers, and technicians. And, as of about 45 minutes ago, all the contracts were signed, all the tax forms were filled out, all the housing information was recorded, and my paperwork packet is on its way to making me an official employee at the Hangar! I also got a first look at the schedule for the summer, and oh boy is it scary!! The theatre puts on 14 (yes, thats FOURTEEN) fully produced productions in a two-month time period all on the mainstage - plus another 9 on a smaller, secondary stage. Because of that, it's literally a 24-hour operation. Looking at the calendar, there's hardly a single hour in the entire summer where some department is not working. Painters work every day from 10pm to 8am, Electricians do changeover from 11pm to 4:30am, and many of the tech rehearsals start at hours such as 6pm or 11pm, totally throwing off whatever sleep schedule you might be on.

As I reflect on my freshly-signed contracts, sealed in their envelope waiting patiently to be mailed off to Ithaca, I wonder if I really made the right choice. This summer will very possibly be my last summer ever to enjoy and just spend time with my friends. Hell, it may very well be the last time I ever see some of my friends, although I sincerely hope that that's not the case. Yes, work and education are always good things, but is there such a thing as too much? Am I digging my own grave by sacrificing my only school-free months to the demanding and rigorous time commitments of a professional summer stock theatre? I really don't have an answer for that one. I suppose only time can tell how everything will work out in the end. And until that time comes, I'll make the most of every moment I have, before they've all run out.