Rent wrap-up . . . Hardbody Kick-off

I can't believe that it has been a month since my last post.  I guess I have been just a little bit busy.  Getting "Rent" on stage was a big job, as they all seem to be. The run of the show went incredibly well and the critics were very good to us.

Since opening "Rent" at New Line, I (along with Kathleen) staged a production of "The Diary of Anne Frank" at Looking Glass Playhouse. It opened the Thursday after "Rent' and closed the Sunday before "Rent" closed.  How convenient is that?  In addition, I finished installing "Cabaret" at Stray Dog Theatre.

So, I may not have written much, but I have sure been busy...

Last Saturday, we closed the show and began the arduous task of striking it.  We began about 10:30 PM and I finally left the theater at 2 AM on Sunday morning with 20 lights still on the ceiling, all the rest of the lights to be sorted, and packed for return and a few scenic things to take back to the shop.

Sunday morning, like clockwork, I was up at 6:30 AM and back at the theater at 8.  I dropped a few lights, but my wife is not fond of the idea of me on a ladder 16' off the floor and no one else around to sweep up the mess should I come crashing to the floor.  So, I spent about 4 hours removing and sorting gels, wrapping cords and packing things as best as I could.  At noon, I loaded my car with as much stuff to take back to the shop as I could and headed out.

Monday after school, Kathleen and one of her students joined me to drop the last of the lights, load all of that into the trailer and return it to Mark Shilling.  We then loaded the last of the scenic and prop items and hauled them back to IL.  I have a little bit to put away in the shop and "Rent" will officially be put to bed.

Tonight, after cleaning up the shop and getting everything out of the way, I will pull our 1998 Nissan Frontier pick-up truck into the shop to begin surgically dissecting it...literally skinning it.  The next task is a daunting one.  I have to take that truck apart, build a light-weight framework, then reattach the body to that framework so that it still looks like a Nissan Frontier.  I would be lying if I said that I wasn't just a little bit intimidated by the prospect.

The goal is to have the truck ready for load-in by the end of April because May 10 will get here REALLY fast!

If I live through this season, I'm not sure how many more of these INSANE projects I can take on...

What we do for our art...  See you at the theater!
R