Katie (who is playing Alice) and I at the Amherst CentennialYou know, life really is good at the moment. After a bit of a challenging 'up and down' first week, I have totally accepted this new life, and, after three weeks here (no time at all!) , i am 100% settled in and really enjoying myself. As summer 'jobs' go, this is 1500 times better than the 'abuse' Camp Beaumont put as through as group leaders a couple of summers ago, and about 100 times better than working 12 hour days, 5/6 days a week with kids last summer (although that was at least worth it, money wise!). The people here are wonderful - really, really wonderful. They are very accepting, very welcoming and incredibly hard working, and i am totally enjoying working with such a new theatre company - it's so interesting to see how everything comes together and although the learning curve isn't incredible in Stage Management, i am certainly learning a lot in other areas. The interns are a brilliantly quirky bunch, which is also wonderful - i feel very much at home here! Often it hits me how lucky i am to be able to be here, and be with these people, and to have these opportunities that i get every single day. Not many people have got to do what i have gotten to do, and i love it. FACT.
So, what have i been up to? Well, mostly stage management, with a bit of reading and Sunbathing (and snake/bug avoiding) and enjoying group meals at Prothro (the cafeteria here - it is pretty damn good for a caf!). I have also been for a bit of Mexican food (a new love. My parents lied to me and said it contained lots of lime and therefore i won't like it. There wasn't lime in my food, therefore i loved it! Hopefully there will be more mexican food in my time here!) and, last night, even a spot of Kareoke with almost the whole company - very entertaining, and i had chicken wings i think for the first time, and i also had a very quick introduction to country music. I was amused! There is no doubting that this is part of the south of north america! The rest of my days are spent hanging out in random places with people, and then, occasionally, i am trusted to do other things with the company. I've done quite a bit of stuff with box office/marketing and i even got to help do some painting of the scenery for Alice the other day! We also had the Amherst Centennial, where the group performed some stuff from Alice, and we boiled to death in the 33deg C heat! And it's only going to get hotter - eeek! I have got a little bit addicted to the show '16 and pregnant' (TV gold, in case you are wondering!!!) and i have developed a like for Goldfish crackers, which i am very glad that i only discovered now!
And what are my plans for the next couple of weeks? Well, on Saturday i am going to Busch Gardens Virginia with two cast members from Alice (Katie and Tania) and Tania's boyfriend. We are going to stay overnight in Richmond before going, and i am very much looking forward to being able to relax and have fun before we go into tech next week. We had our first rehearsal in the space today, and although it was a little stressful, it was also nice to be in there so early. Then, the show opens on July 1st, so i am excited for that - although i think that technically, its going to be a little challenging! Time is flying by, and soon it will be time for Hamlet to be performed (i am sure i will be doing something backstage for that... or box office... its an outdoor performance, so in this heat it will be interesting!), and then on the 28th July i leave here for my adventures to Washington D.C, New York and Spain - i can't wait!
I have realised over the past couple of days or so that i really don't miss the UK, despite the fact that i've been away for 6 months continuously now, 10 months alltogether. I don't miss it even a little bit. Sometimes i miss my family or friends (or cadburies chocolate) but never the UK. I don't really want to go back. I don't think it's where i am meant to be: i think my future is in the USA. I'd really like to live in Chicago. Actually, i'm really worried about going back to the UK, in the fear that things will go backwards and be really tough. I hope this won't happen. Also, the pain of not being in Milwaukee has lessened conciderably and i am starting to get over it. This internship was a GOOD IDEA all round!! I suppose i don't know that next year won't be amazing, but if it was a choice between the UK and the USA, i know where i'd rather be!! Here is home.
Anyway, i better go now, i have the job of checking the mailbox every monday wednesday and friday, and that means i have to get up before 11am! After that is intern lunch, so its worth getting up for, coz those things are always fun! I'll keep you updated on my adventures here!
ciao ragazzi xxx
