Stray Bolts

Storms rock. There's the sunshine afterward to look forward to.

Monday, May 25, 2009

Post-production Blues

Well, it's over. Paper Boats left port yesterday afternoon, and I helped break the set with a great deal of wistfulness. It happens after every production. It was an incredibly fun cruise, not without its challenges, and like every production I've helped out in, I'll miss all the experiences. I'll dearly miss:

The shock of realising that there was YET another thing to do for publicity.

The hours I spent on my computer designing shirts, tickets, the poster, and the programme booklet.

Getting my designs vetoed by Ms Nansi (hey, rejection is a real part of the working world. It's a valuable experience.)

Liaising with people I'd never even known existed.

Folding a small fraction of the 5 million paper boats we used for the set.

Seeing the finished product of all my designs.

Trying to convince people to come for Paper Boats.

Watching the rehearsals and all the hilarious debriefs.

Waking up early on weekends just to help out with rehearsals.

Searching for sounds to use in the plays.

Tweaking the sounds so they would be appropriate for the plays.

Lunches and dinners and in-between snacks during rehearsal breaks.

All the wiring stuff I had to re-learn from our godlike Production Designer.

Stepping gingerly over the fluorescent tubes.

Screaming at people not to step on the fluorescent tubes.

Replacing the broken fluorescent tubes.

Catching up with my wonderful alumni friends.

Visiting the otherworldly "up-there" where all the spotlights and wires and speakers and hidden tricks were.

Getting excused from classes.

Hiding in the sound booth during every show.

The butterflies in my stomach just before every show.

The satisfaction of a good show.

The realisation that every show was a constant reminder that there was still something that could be done better.

Testing the sound system before every show.

Checking volume levels every 3 minutes just because of paranoia.

The litres of Root Beer I consumed in the effort to stay alert all the time.

The wonderful audiences!!!

Man, I've got the post-production blues real bad. Maybe it's because I was so heavily involved this time. Whatever the case, even though it wasn't perfect, it was still a satisfactory show, and the paper boat has finally left port.