Tag Archives: work

31 Days of Holiday Memories!, Log

Be Kind

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31 Days of Holiday Memories

Day 19

I worked at Mouseland twice. From 2008-2009 and from 2011-2013ish…I don’t remember the EXACT years…because towards the end was when I hit major depression…I lost a couple years there.

ANYBUT!! This is not about that.

I worked at a theme park that was open 365 days a year. During the holiday season, I worked 40+ hour shifts (occasionally overtime, ocassionally ten days in a row).

I had no family who lived in the state.

I only ever got time off approved once for a week.

Sometimes I had an 8 hour turnaround. Which, for me, meant 2 hours to get to work (including cast shuttle time), 2 hours to get home from work (again including cast shuttle time), and 4 hours to sleep (if I immediately went to bed).

Cast members do not get holiday pay. Cast members do not get bonuses.

The point of this post is:

BE KIND TO THOSE WORKING THE HOLIDAYS.

Not just Mouseland. Not just theme park workers. ALL workers.

So many businesses DO NOT close on holidays. They may close early…rarely, but there are people who are working these holidays so the CEOs and CFOs and those who are not on the ground can have their holiday bonuses, their holiday time off, and so on.

BE KIND.

You may not know the person you’re screaming at, saying they’ve ruined your holiday…………won’t get to see their family. Won’t get to celebrate the same way you are. May be too exhausted to even wrap presents for their children (if they had time to buy them in the first place!).

BE KIND.

Everyone can be stressed this time of year. But that doesdn’t give ANYONE the right to treat those who’ve given up their holidays (MANY NOT BY CHOICE!!!! THEY DID NOT CHOOSE TO BE SCHEDULED!!!) so that you can buy that last minute gift, so your family has a magical experience, or so you can go to businesses on the holiday even though no one should be working or going out on holidays.

BE KIND.

Log, That's My Job, Thinking Out Loud

Once More the Curtain Comes Down

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Another show done…

The first show of the season is done. Another bittersweet closing. The cast was good, the crew (the three of us there were) were good, the show was good, and…well, that’s pretty much it.

It was good.

Tomorrow I continue what I’ve fallen behind on.

TO BE CONTINUED!!!! Not this. The things I’ve let fall behind.

Log, That's My Job, Thinking Out Loud

Ready Steady…Lights Go

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My job is ending soon…

The reason I’ve fallen behind on my spooky drawings has been due to a ramp up of work.

The musical I’m working on closes this weekend and when I’m not there I’ve been helping to build and restore a second show.

September through early November is my busiest time. Then I get December and January off.

Just gotta make it through this show and whatever else the other show needs and then I get some rest.

Sort of.

Log, That's My Job

So Many Guitars

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Rehearsal Day 1…

The next show has begun. The actors double as the musicians and today was music day.

Which means there were a LOT of guitars in the room. 5 guitars being played, 3 sitting to the side. One bass guitar. 2 Mandolins. A violin. An accordion. A small drum set. A piano. AND a melodica.

So many instruments, but definitely a LOT of guitars.

Best part:

They’re all amazeballs players! This show is going to be fun to listen to, but we’ll see how much fun it is to run…

Anybut, rehearsal day 1 in the BAG!!

P.S- I’m writing this as they’re rehearsing…but don’t tell my boss…who’s sitting right next to me…

UPDATE: There’s also a banjo.

Log, That's My Job

Once More Unto the Breach

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Rehearsals are starting again…

The next show I’m working on starts rehearsals tomorrow (Monday). Unlike the last show, this one is smaller in cast size and rehearsal time. Instead of three weeks, we’re only rehearsing two weeks.

I mentioned in a previous post about the pre-rehearsal work. But tomorrow is the real stuff. The actors/musicians are going to be there and it’ll be time to do some real work.

I’m not as familiar with this show as I was of the last one, but that makes it more interesting for me. Although, the accents used for this show are pretty thick so we’ll see how well I can follow along.

I mean I have the script, but I don’t like staring at it too much.

Anybut, I’ve been sticking pretty well to posting every day, but we’ll see how much longer I can keep it up.

If I can reach 100 days I’ll be happy…so I guess as long as I can keep this up for…two more days? I’ll reach that goal.

Log, That's My Job

Turning, Turning

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Pre-rehearsal work is happening…

The next show I’m working on doesn’t officially start rehearsals for almost a week. But today I was back in the rehearsal hall…programming the turntable!

That’s right, they trust me to program that sucker! And we got 3 cues done!

Okay, I know that doesn’t sound impressive, but to be fair it was also a spacing and choreography pre-rehearsal. There were actors there (none of the ones cast in the show) so the director and choreographer could see the moving pieces with the turntable before the actual actors arrive.

It’s gonna be a fun show. It’s smaller, but sometimes the smaller shows are the more impressive ones.

So excited!

Log, That's My Job

All By Myself

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Two days off…

Now that the show I’ve been working on for six weeks has closed…it’s been lonely.

I miss the cast. I miss the crew. I miss the show………BUT!! I don’t think I had another week in me.

This show wasn’t as bad as the last show I did. That show I was done after week 2 of performances. But there’s still a sense of “ready to move on”.

The next show is going to be smaller. The crew is going to be four or five people including me and the assistant stage manager (NOT including costumes and wigs). The cast is still a pretty good size….13, but there’s only one set with nothing moving….except for the floor (because it’s going to be on a turntable).

The more interesting thing (for me anybut) is the cast is almost all brand new faces, except for 2. Though it makes me a little nervous, too. The last time we did a show with mostly new faces……the actors almost got into fights every day….

ANYbut, I’m not going to think about that, but think about the next show in a positive light. I get a brief break before that show, about 3 weeks.

POSITIVITY SHALL BE MY MIDDLE NAME!!!!

Log, That's My Job

Performance #12 & STRIKE!!

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I know it’s today….

The end of the show! Final performance!!

And this show was ready to be over. A few more pieces fell off props, timing was off, set moves were late or almost forgotten….

She (the show, the beast, the fantasy) is done.

Strike (for me) went quick with a few hiccups, but overall it was great. Out at 6:30pm.

There was an after party in the lobby….that moved to a hotel, but I didn’t partake. I’m not one for those kinds of things. I’ll see everyone again, plus I wouldn’t really feel part of it. This show, I feel, really was more of an ensemble show and they shared moments I don’t want to interfere with.

And, again, I’ll see most of them again. I’m not going anywhere.

But now I’m on a break until September when we start rehearsals for the next show.

I’ll still be posting every day until the 31st of August….and maybe beyond that…we shall see…

Log, That's My Job

Performance #10 & #11

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Two show day…

Morning show went well….but the show seems to have decided it’s ready to be done. Things were breaking all over the place (not in the show-breaking way, but enough to be annoying).

The evening show went much smoother….except a sun flat caught on the scrim, but it was easily freed and didn’t stop the show.

Tomorrow is the final performance. Then we STRIKE!!

Bitter sweet, but I’ll save those feelings for tomorrow.

 

ALSO!! Our air conditioner went out yesterday….and of course this is a hot weekend….slap me sideways!