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.

2 comments:

Laura said...

I was just thinking about how a Fix It Shop is almost obsolete in our culture today. Seriously, what do you do when your toaster breaks? don't you just buy a new one?

If you're concerned about diversifying your skills maybe you should get some more experience by practicing on fixing some toasters. What's the show? True West has a toaster that has to burn the bread and I remember someone telling me when they did that show they rigged the toaster to not only burn the bread but it was on a dimmer on the light board.

I hope you get this Props Master job too!

Nicki said...

Yeah, practise your carpentry skills by building dollhouse furniture or learn how to knit or something.

Props on the master's job though: you know you're making it when you get minions!