Close of Caesar



Caesar closed to glorious work this weekend, and I am incredibly proud of everyone involved. Lenny and Jenna, you did it, guys. And Bernie, you are a fantastic tech director for getting that going so smoothly and so well.

I ran the camcorder during the Friday show and then photo call after it. There are basically two approaches one can take to videotaping a theatrical performance-- either pick a spot that sees the whole stage the whole time and leave it there, or try to follow the action from a general vantage point. I significantly prefer the latter, as it can afford you much better views for all the differing parts of the stage-- I feel like I can see the important stuff much better when I go back to watch that way. That way, however, requires a lot more attention and care in the process. I am roughly familiar with video cameras but have no real training or skill, so I am serviceable but not excellent at operating them. While I'm certain I could improve with practice, I unfortunately do not have the steadiest hand, and the tripod I was working with had some weird resistance that I had to, sometimes shakily, push through. All in all, though, with a little help from Jared in the second act, I think we produced a decent tape.



Photo call was done in less than an hour, and probably would have gone faster if there hadn't been a touch of "too many cooks in the kitchen" syndrome going on. People were also keyed up from having done a great show, and though I really didn't want to be a killjoy it can be tough to yell instructions at people who are being loud and silly AND getting contradictory instructions as well. Ah, well. Again, I got that shit done in under an HOUR, which, if you've ever run a photo call for a show that long, is freaking RECORD time.

Strike was done in record time as well. Basically the cast and crew just swarmed the set, tore it apart, cleaned up, AND helped Melcher carry in the wood for his upcoming show's build. Well done, guys. I love the dedication and work ethic of the real HTPers. Goodbye, gorgeous set. Thus goes the ephemerality of theater. A trip to IHOP was organized after strike, but by that point I was feeling for some reason, as I occasionally do, unattractive and unpresentable, and therefore had no further desire to be out in public. I kind of regret not sharing in the fun, but I hate inflicting myself on other people when I'm feeling down. So I went home and took a shower to scald off the feeling of ugly.

Yesterday I took Jared to the airport so he could go home for the Pesach break. This afternoon I will be making the same trip so Bernie can as well. That means I will have a few days to myself before I make my own journey home for Easter. I confess I don't particularly want to go, but I do want to be with my parents, who miss me. It just leaves only a small amount of time to take care of some of my own projects and chores without any obligation to others. I think right now I need that.