Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Jerking my chain.

Well it looks like I might not have the Props Master position after all. In the face of budget cuts they may be eliminating my postion. Which doesn't make me very happy. If you can't afford a Props Person don't look for one. So I'm a little grumpy at the moment. We'll see if I still have a job tomorrow.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Things are progressing in the right direction....

I managed to land the Props Master gig. It's gonna be interesting as the budget is only $100 and I'm not quite sure what's going to be my problem. I think for the first time as a props person I'm going to be activly advocating the cutting of items from my list. Normally I'm like the more the merrier but since this a period show, I hoping to be able to sink my rescources into the items that are absolutly nesscary. Its another small theatre but hopefully this will help me to eventually be able to support myself through Theatre and not the various and asundry crap jobs that I do to keep money coming in.

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

If you can't fixing a toaster in 35 plus years, maybe you shouldn't own a Fix It Shop.

SO last night my friend Jenny told me about how she noticed a disturbing thing on Sesame Street. Maria and Luis had been fixing the same toaster for several weeks. I searched through my recolections of the show and I realized that in all my memories of the aforementioned fix it shop were of Maria and Luis fixing that toaster or maybe the occsional radio. If this is all you can fix can you really run a fix it shop?

It got me asking questions about myself. I can do props and I can do them well but can I make it in the field just based on that skill, or do I need to diversify my skills? Its a question I'll be pondering as I work on finding my place in this industry. I'm not giving up just trying to improve my chances of making this work.

And it seems to be starting to work. I just finshed a job in Chicago for the House Theatre. It was a new work that was being written as the rehearsal progressed. It was about a telkentic girl returning to her home town to tell them her secert. The show asks a lot of the design with multiple locations, minmal budget and an ASM as run crew. Yet it flows well and the changes work with the actors carrying on the desks or lockers and making seem as if this is what happens when you go to class. It has been a joy to work on and I'm sad to see it go.

And hopefully I'll be working as a Props Master up in Lake Forest,IL, which for me would be huge considering its the first time that I've prop mastered. So I'm hopeful.