This was written during the first performance of Face in the Mirror.
The worst part of my evening is the last fifteen minutes before curtain. All the little boxes on my list have checks in them. All the props have been counted thrice. We’ve gone over the cues until it all feels smooth. And I sit here, trying to figure out how to keep myself sane.
Then comes the opening, and curtain. I love the feeling of opening night, as the lights go down and the audience members cough and shuffle their feet as they settle down to be comfortable. The House Manager stepped on stage, gave her speech, and then it was all me, all what we’ve rehearsed. Lights down, sound go, thunder, lightning, thunder lightning, lights 6 go, lights and sound, actors step on stage, lights up and we’re off.
I really am enjoying this show. As amazing as Poe was – and it still is my favorite, this one feels. . . more real, somehow. It’s a more traditional format, I have an ASM, and I’m a lot more organized. I feel more like a Stage Manager than a Stage Management Student. I have a few problems with the script, but overall, I think I do really like the show.