Electrics

So when they told me we were making an intern blog, I was skeptical. I'm Ashley, the lighting/electrics intern, and, as I've been told by a couple of the other interns, I'm a little rough around the edges. I'm kind of rude, not very tactful (my version of tact is simply not talking) but I figured I'd give it a shot and just remember to proof-read my entries every time, heh heh.

On to what I do: I pretty much shadow Jim, our House Electrician. Between shows we work 8-hour days taking one show down and putting the other show in the air; hanging lights, cabling, patching, cuing. Then we move into tech and do 16-hour days making sure the whole thing isn't going to burst into flame. That whole changover/tech process is done in the space of a 7-day work week. During the shows I run the board (I make sure the rig is working and then go to the booth and press GO for 2 hours.) It's a pretty decent gig, and I meet some interesting people, including New York designers and the local IATSE guys (not all guys; I've seen a couple girls!). I play with electricity and heights, and when I tell my mother about my day-to-day tasks, all she can say is "you're giving me gray hairs!"

Last night we opened SCRAMBLE! and it was pretty boss. Decent crowd, excellent after-party (we got to be outside this time; for Hot 'n' Cole it was raining so we were stuck in the lobby). The after-after-party at the Babe Bungalow (our affectionate name for the Beach House) ended with four of us girls zonked out on the couches upstairs in front of the TV with my Scrubs DVD still scrolling through Play All mode, still in our party dresses! Now on to the chill part of my job: the show calls. Speaking of which, I gotta go to one right now!

Edit later on: Matinees, as I'm sure everyone who's worked in theatre knows, are SO bizarre! The crowds are so different from the night crowds, and they tend to laugh at stuff I'd never even think was funny. Closing night is the same way, and when there is a matinee on closing day, you don't know WHAT's gonna happen! For those of you who are theatre-goers, this is me sharing the following secret: theatre is unique in that it's an interactive experience; you don't realize it from the house, but the audience has a lot to do with the energy on-stage. We analyze you just as much as you analyze the show! Wacky, I know, but that's also one of my favorite things about theatre, is that the audience isn't totally passive, they're part of what makes the show unique every night (and why companies run Preview shows (-; )