People change and plans get changed, everything changes...

It has been a doozy of a week and a half.  Lots of emotions, lots of work, lots of pushing through.

Last week my great-uncle passed away.  He was a really kind and loving man and he will be missed.  I was so fortunate to be able to attend the funeral in Pittsburgh last Thursday, but this made for some frantic scheduling and preparations here at Heritage.  The service was really nice and many family members were able to make it, so that was wonderful.
Going on at the same time as all of this is that my grandfather is sick and wasn't doing too well that week and then my cousin was hospitalized to have his appendix taken out.  So its been a rough few weeks in the Monk/Wagner family, but the great thing about having such a large and loving family is that even when things aren't going well, we all stick together.

On the happy side of things... Phill and I had our two year anniversary of dating!!  That was really awesome.  We had a $20 gift limit as we're both saving up money/working theatre jobs and he got me some really awesome personalized Sharpies cause he's the best!

Today it has seemed that all my actors coordinated their freakouts so that they all hit and were all impossible to solve in any simple manner.
I was asked to child wrangle the six youngest Von Trapp children for The Sound of Music for three days this week and a day of shadowing and even though it's been going well and I am more than happy to help out, I did not really stop to think that this would give me four 11 hour days in a row.  Yeesh.  I am one tired stage manager.

I am very used to having my "breaks" be more of working lunches or quick trips to the bathroom or checking personal emails but this summer my "lunch break" has all but disappeared!  I am so used to being in the same boat with a director or actor or someone who is sympathetic when we're on a back to back day, but this year not so much.   Stage management are the only people who have the double days and therefore the directors and designers are not terribly aware of our schedules.  I've been getting better with it, finding ways such as sending the ASM out of rehearsal 1 to set for rehearsal 2 or hiding during lunch, but it really is just for another week, so I'll survive.  But wow these child wrangling days are just LONG.

I am really, really hoping that I can finagle a visit up to see Phill in August after my contract is up.  I miss him so much!!!  Plus, seeing one of Weston's shows sounds fantastic too!  And I figure if I'm not otherwise occupied with some sort of amazing theatre job, why not?

It may be a little while before another post, I'm going to be spending some time in Tuna, Texas.
~Marley