and there's a troll

Virgin Designer Katie Driscoll gave me some challenging words to use in my blog posts this weekend.  I've already managed to use rhododendron (our state flower), shower curtain and now I can use poop (sort of). 

I am not going to tell you which play this is from.  You'll have to come out tonight to find out for yourself but this is a line from one of the plays tonight. 

"I have to shit too."

Meanwhile, Erin Pike is looking hot as hell in tech and there's a troll.

torsion and wet panties

Dear Diary,

We have reached that place of torsion that happens in the theatre.  Everything is coming together but only through an immense amount of hard work, cooperation and details, details, details.


I feel a little diffuse while everyone else is extremely focused.  I see women on stage with dresses as red as a rhododendron on Mother's Day.  There are a lot of women in this show, eighteen of them, in fact.  There is a play about Goddesses called "The Ceremony" by Kate Jaeger and one called "The Importance of Beauty" by John Farrage.  There's a woman in the sound booth, two women bloggers, three female playwrights...women everywhere.  While it might seem tangential, I find it heartening.  These are strong women.  Passionate women.  Talented women.  Extraordinary women.  (The men are extraordinary as well, I assure you.)

Speaking of extraordinary men, ever-so-talented Virgin actor Mark Waldstein stopped by to chat while I was typing this to tell me that he's feeling pretty tired and beat up.  He's in play #7 Kids. Today. by Nik Perleros, which is already been touted as the Play That Will Shock You.  He said it will likely do more than make my blush.  Color me intrigued!


I decided to paste some random quotes, pictures I took and a little haiku with some snippets of today into my diary so I won't forget this experience.)

"My cat's a big hit on glee."

"Out on "fucking playwright""

"I spent time in an insane asylum."

"A chain of buttholes."

Director Agastya Kohli directs his actors for Brandon Jepson's play Hot Tub

  "Jane Lynch gets my panties wet."

"She's what's noble about women."

Justin Alley directs Daniel Wood in John Farrage's play The Importance of Beauty

i believe in love
devil is in the details
just delectable!

Swooning,

Kymberlee

PS, Stage Manager Danielle French just asked me how blogging is going.  It felt nice to be asked and all I could say is "It's just so much fun." It most truly is.

devil. details. underwear.

Talking with Virgin Design Team member Doug Willott about costumes, details, and underwear.

from the danger zone

A little behind the scenes in the danger zone of the shop.  People are always trying to keep me away from power tools (for good reason).  Fortunately, there are people who know how to use them because they make cool things like TELEPHONE BOOTHS IN ONE DAY and magical balloon-laden glitter portals like this one featured in John Farrage's play Kings last night:

Photo by Joe Iano Photography

I am DYING to see what they come up with tonight!  Come out to the show at 8:00 or 10:30, get your Pride on and see what these fabulous artists have been creating for you in a handful of hours on a hot, sticky Saturday in Seattle.

A side note:  While I'm typing this in the dark, cool theater, the band is sounding amazing singing something that sounds like Latin.  I think I might have heard the word "gonorrhea". 

Three Characters In Search of an Author

This is Ian Bell's second night working on play by Dave Clapper, which will once again go into slot #3: My Cat from Hell. A band member stop by just as we're talking about trading blow jobs for a tech element of the play. Go figure. Ian hums a showbiz closing riff that he wants to close the show and is met with a blank stare. I'm confident the band will figure it out, even without the exchange of sexual favors.

This play is so meta. The actors are playing actors who are playing other characters and writing/improvising a script as Ian and the cast work through Dave's script trying to figure out when they are actors and when they are characters and now I'm confused. The characters start trashing the playwright and consider rebellion.  Its Three Characters in Search of an Author, with references to Night 1 plays and past 14/48 masterpiece Once Upon a Time in a Litterbox.

It's a wild, creative room and everyone is throwing out ideas and interpretations. Oh my god, there is a pink furry monstrosity in the corner and I think this is the cat costume that the designers were talking about this morning. Holy hell. This. is. good.

Hanging out with Goddesses

The costumer is visiting the rehearsal for Play #1 The Ceremony by Kate Jaeger so the room is full of partly naked ladies. Linda Clemon-Karp tells Jillian Vashro, "Oh, I would totally fall in love with you in that." They talk about bras, digress to some girl talk about breastfeeding and bra size, and eventually decide that they characters will be dressed up, but wearing tennis shoes, to be removed in preparation of a ritual. I haven't heard a word of the play yet, but I'm already getting a sense of what may be coming: sisters, a hike, and a Goddess.

Director Debra Pralle is ready to get blocking and they rearrange the space. She's excited to be in a larger room today. She maps the space and shows her actors their initial blocking on a white board, football play style. The actors leap right into action and keep going when lighting designer Maggie Lee stops by. They are already putting down their scripts here and there.

They stop to talk about what is the exact way to bow and talk to a Goddess of Destruction. Are we headed for an apocalypse?

at the intersection of altruism and misanthropy

These are the guys that are feeding us.  Just before dinner last night, they were utterly exhausted and still rallying to bring food.  This crew is hungry and more food was needed so plans were made to rush out and get more.  They made sure there were plenty of vegetables, tofu for the vegans and a bit of comfort food for everyone.  It was hot and the ice kept miraculously appearing in the bowl and the coolers.

They were back at it this morning in full force with a huge spread of breakfast goodness.

There is a deep level of generosity of spirit here with a  wee sprinkling of misanthropic neurosis.  It's pure perfection and the outcome takes the awesomeness factor up to 11.

(Also, there's Mackelmore and the Black Keys to keep them company while they toil on our behalf)

What I'm noticing here at 14/48 is that the entire experience is fueled with altruism.  Well, that and Ezelle's fried chicken.

a little sticky the morning after

Dear Diary,

I woke up disheveled and a little sore and sticky this morning.  I feel more vulnerable and somehow more grown up all at the same time.

I'm not a virgin anymore.  None of us are.  We're all a little disheveled and wearing little, secrets smiles. 

It's Pride weekend and the vibe of many of the plays last night had that resonance.  There was a feeling of not holding back and of letting things out of the closet.  I will write a bit more about that later but for now,  I will just say that today started with Joe Zavadil offering me Monkey Bread. 

When he asked me what I thought about it this wonder of sticky sweetness, I could only blush a little and mumble, "It's like an orgasm in my mouth."

And so begins day two.  The Devil is in the details.

With a sigh of delight and anticipation,

Kymber

wrong in the most delicious way

Dear Diary,

I have so much to tell you.  I saw so many things tonight.  So many wrong things (but wrong in the most delicious way) and so many wonders!   My crush from earlier has been replaced by the newly crowned Drag Queen from Play #7.

I'm a little wiped out but I decided I have to stay for the next show which starts in 20 minutes.  I had a nice chat with Jodi-Paul a few minutes and go tell him how fabulous this experience has been.  I told him it's a beautiful thing and it is. 

I'll write more when I get home and I'm all snuggled in bed with my teddy bear.  For now, I'll say that there is lobby full of people who are waiting for the seven plays that will not disappoint. 

The writers are on their way home ready to write 7 more plays for tomorrow.

(Yawn)

xoxo,

me

cherry poppin' haiku

the excitement mounts
like a bride on his husband
soon, virgins no more

it's a little like sex

Dear Diary,

It's only three hours to show time.  Tech is still happening.  Kitchen crew is exhausted after serving us all day.  Costumes are on.  Lights are coming up and going down.  The band, formed just last night, is making music and adding all kinds of chromatic splendor to the pieces.

I was talking to Stan Lippman, a crew member who recently moved up to Seattle from Tuscon.  He said he's enjoying all watching how it all comes together and I concur.  He was asking how I know what to say on the blog and when to stop.  I told him I have been trying to tell people what happens and what they might not otherwise know.  As for when to stop, it's a little like sex, I guess.  I stop when I feel finished then I rest a bit and come back for more (I didn't say that Stan.  I hope he isn't reading my diary.)

I asked some of the design team about their experiences.  The virgins like Roy Stanton mentioned being very grateful for the experts like Michael Mowery.  There is a stunning amount of work in this process.  Things are being built in these handful of hours, costumes are pulled together and props gathered.  I have been keeping myself from peeking in on the shop because I want to be surprised tonight.

I want you people reading my diary to be surprised a bit too but before I skedaddle off to dinner, I'll tell you that I am currently watching a fish and a bear onstage.  I also noticed that one of the actors shaved his beard for his play.

Sometimes it's more fun when it's shaved.

TTFN,

Kymber

i'm willing to shave it if you want

Dear Diary,

I'm back.  I took a break to eat some lunch.  There was a brief moment of calm and an odd sort of quiet as we stuffed our faces.  Soon, the Green Room was full and we were all on top of each other eating, laughing and sharing stories. 

There was a lot of talk about how things were coming along and things that needed to be tweaked.  With only seven hours until showtime, everyone is showing some noticeable signs of stress.  Manageable stress but stress just the same.  I feel for the design team as they try to find costumes for roles that were just assigned a couple of  hours before.  Katie Driscoll, who is used to being on the stage, said she is finding the job really hard but fun.

I heard one of the actors say, "I'm willing to shave it if you want.  I mean, I like my beard but if it needs to go, it's cool."

Dedication like that is everywhere.  We're steeped in it here.  It's inspiring.  Not a shiftless soul in the house.

I got to help Rebecca M. Davis run lines after lunch.  I was the fish.  

New Haiku for you (using some words I was given for fun):

no pastille needed
running on adrenaline
so perspicacious!

Now only FIVE hours until showtime.

exes and ohs,

KdL

PS, I'm a little heartbroken to know that my crush is married!  Just my luck!

fish beer and other Sweentastic things I've overheard

"You're going to be straddling her, because that makes the most sense."

"Some occasions call for the big guns."

"I stopped being mad at you at least four beers ago."

"Pardon me.  I tend to speak in metaphors."

"You graduated from frou frou drinks to fish beer. I call it that because it always has a fish on it." 

"The third from the bottom "Fuck you" on page two."


"Just be here in this moment."

"The gay bars will be filled with things like that tonight."

Some of these are Sweentastic comments are lines from the plays and some are just random comments.  You'll have to come out to the show tonight at 8:00 or 10:30 to find out which is which.   :-)

This is where you will be tonight.  Come fill up these seats with your sexy seats.  :-)