It turns out, when I'm vaulting from one gig to another / one state to another / one type of performing art to another, I don't often take time to sit down and write about it. Odd.
Since I've last done a post, it's been quite the 3 years of getting to tell great stories, racing through airports to catch flights, trying to remember what state I'm in, and laughing until my stomach hurts with dear colleagues I can't believe I also get to call friends.
In the midst of it all, I've learned to truly cherish the times I get to work with people I already know and love - sometimes back to back. My current favorite is when I spent 2 months at Sarasota Opera, said goodbye to folks I truly enjoyed working with, then 10 days later traveled to Opera Colorado and greeted 3 of them again like it had been years instead of days (see our very silly video below).
Since I've last done a post, it's been quite the 3 years of getting to tell great stories, racing through airports to catch flights, trying to remember what state I'm in, and laughing until my stomach hurts with dear colleagues I can't believe I also get to call friends.
In the midst of it all, I've learned to truly cherish the times I get to work with people I already know and love - sometimes back to back. My current favorite is when I spent 2 months at Sarasota Opera, said goodbye to folks I truly enjoyed working with, then 10 days later traveled to Opera Colorado and greeted 3 of them again like it had been years instead of days (see our very silly video below).
I've also enjoyed becoming the stage manager I wished I had learned from when I was starting. Taking cues from some of the incredible people I've had the privilege to work with while freelancing, I've started to be intentional about making sure my team is finding time to rest, eat, have emotions, and take time when they need it. On the first day with a new SM team, I love to challenge us to be a team of humans who will all make and fix mistakes while having a great time and putting together a phenomenal show, instead of a team of robots who must be perfect or else. I've worked for both kinds of teams and will tell anyone who will listen that toxic perfectionism is an awful way to live. Plus, we're going to make mistakes either way, so why not be mentally healthy about it from the start?
Finally, somehow I've actually succeeded in my goal to become more than a stage manager. When Covid started, I had so many conversations with peers about not knowing who we were without work. It was a sobering moment of realizing just how much of my identity I was giving over to a place that would immediately replace me the moment I questioned the safety of a dangerous policy. So, on a quest to find an identity outside of my job title, I started the search for hobbies. A lot of them didn't stick (or didn't stick yet? unclear), but a couple have become a big part of my life.
The biggest - as I sit here next to a 6 foot tall bookshelf filled with yarn - is crocheting. My current project is a mountain of mice to be sold in the Boutique in the lobby of Champaign-Urbana Ballet's The Nutcracker to support their fantastic Tickets for Families program. It will be the third year for the mice and this year they'll arrive with tags including names and what state they were made in.
Finally, somehow I've actually succeeded in my goal to become more than a stage manager. When Covid started, I had so many conversations with peers about not knowing who we were without work. It was a sobering moment of realizing just how much of my identity I was giving over to a place that would immediately replace me the moment I questioned the safety of a dangerous policy. So, on a quest to find an identity outside of my job title, I started the search for hobbies. A lot of them didn't stick (or didn't stick yet? unclear), but a couple have become a big part of my life.
The biggest - as I sit here next to a 6 foot tall bookshelf filled with yarn - is crocheting. My current project is a mountain of mice to be sold in the Boutique in the lobby of Champaign-Urbana Ballet's The Nutcracker to support their fantastic Tickets for Families program. It will be the third year for the mice and this year they'll arrive with tags including names and what state they were made in.
Next time I'll write about my big between-gigs hobby, volunteering as a puppy raiser for Dogs Inc. Here's a sneak peak at my current charge - Coco - a 4-month-old Labrador puppy who will someday be a guide dog for someone with visual impairment, a service dog for a veteran with PTSD, a companion pup for a Gold Star family, or something else amazing from Dogs Inc's list of possible careers.
It's been a very strange path, but I'm so grateful to get to do what I do.
It's been a very strange path, but I'm so grateful to get to do what I do.
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