Playbill

I showed up a few minutes late (thanks to an unexpected road repairs shut-down on the planned route) and so when I stumbled (told ya I'm graceful) into the dimly lit (and therefore almost flattering!) theatre lobby, temporarily blinded after the sunshine outside, I was even more nervous than before.

I hate, hate, HATE being the last one to arrive and having all eyes on me for even a second. (Why is it always easier to meet new people when one is first to arrive at the meeting point?)

Anyway, luckily I wasn't the last to arrive. Turns out almost everyone was subjected to the same road repairs and detours, so I was actually not the last cast member to show up.

The director was there. And his wife, who is going to stage manage us. And the assistant director. (Yes, this is quite an operation! Eeek! What have I... or rather, what have THEY let themselves in for by casting an amateur like me?!?) And I must say, they went all out to make us feel welcome and at ease.

Of course, though, all the other cast members (three other girls and a guy) seemed cool as cucumbers, while I was literally trembling in my boots.

Plus, to add further insult to my already fragile ego: they are all GORGEOUS looking creatures. Like, they should be on t.v. or something. (Ah, but some of them ARE! I was to find that out soon enough.) But more bitching information about that later.

We were measured for costumes (never a fun exercise, that) and then jumped right into the rehearsal process with a read-through.

And hello! Turns out that I'm the only amateur in the cast! And what's even worse is that all those beauties have the talent to back up their drama degrees!

Grrr... Okay, I'm just jealous. Truth is, I'm actually just grateful to be among them, and I plan on picking their brains and learning whatever I can from them.

They are all also really gracious to boot!

Don't you despise that? When beautiful and talented people who have no right to possess even have half a brain have, well, much more than half a brain? Because life's not supposed to give you heaps of everything! That's just downright MEAN to mere deprived mortals like me!

Anyway, good and fuzzy feelings abound right now because well, everyone is still being polite strangers to one another.

Since I'm of that rare breed of the Redheaded Species, the one who doesn't like to fight (yes, GASP!), I'm hoping that things will stay polite and friendly, even through two and a half months of frenzied rehearsals and nerve-wracking performances.

I have a surprising amount of high hopes mixed in with my healthy pessimism, 'eh?

P.S. It's a theatre-in-the-round, so blocking is going to be TOUGH.

P.P.S. You guys are probably hoping for a cat fight or two, because upon reading back through this I realised that the "gossip" I teased you with at the beginning of this entry is non-existing.

P.P.P.S. I will tell you more about my "famous" cast mates later on. Right now, time to prepare for round two coming up tomorrow.