Transit of Venus vs Nosferatu

Dear Diary.

It’s two days since the Auckland show, and a week out from the first Wellington show.

I watched the video of the show, I was really pleased with how it went.  A very different show from the last one (2009), and everyone who’d seen both preferred this one so I think that’s a good forward step.

We started sometime between 8am and 9am, going to pick up all our gear from the studio.  Then we were at the venue at 9, a group of us moving all the seating and rostra around for just over an hour.  We were really grateful to our team of volunteers who came to help with the heavy lifting, it would have been a much longer job without them.  Next thing to do was to set up the sound system, the projector screen, and the projector.  I think this took us through lunch, I remember there was sushi brought by our fantastic photographer, which we ate as we worked.  There was a last minute file delivery from our video-wrangler, saving the day and enabling us to show a good quality projection of the movie.  Then we had lights, instruments, microphones, set pieces to sort out.  Our soundie arrived mid afternoon and we ran through the show to make sure everything technical was going to go smoothly.  Everything did, and by then it was time to brief the ushers, down a kebab, have a cold shower and wash my face with shampoo (because I forgot to bring soap or face-wash)  and then get into costume.

In costume, back stage, peeking as the audience comes in… we are waiting for our cue to come out, suddenly a cast members nose starts bleeding.  ’Stall the show’. We stall. We wait. The audience is looking at their phones, fidgeting in their seats, we are panicking, tissues and toilet paper, worried there might be fainting on stage if we go on…  Wondering if we should call a doctor… we wait and wait… the bleeding doesn’t stop, the brave cast member says he is ok to go on, and so we do.  Toilet paper up the nose, swallowing blood, he still does an amazing job!

After the show we chat with friends, have a drink, relax finally.  The feedback is fantastic, the compliments make me blush and feel a little uncomfortable but I try to accept them. We’ve worked hard and we deserve them.

10:30 is our scheduled pack-down time.  We change out of costume, close the doors to the theatre and start packing everything up and loading the cars. Luckily we don’t have to move all of the seats and rostra around again.  As it is, I think it’s midnight before we leave.  And then home, and then the unloading of the cars, the avocado on toast, and the picking apart of the show and watching the video to spot any mistakes.

Next morning we make pancakes and waffles for cast and crew.  Half of the cast can’t make it, but some of our helpers are there, and it’s nice to relax, drink tea, eat brunch.  And then later it’s back to real life, work, all of that.

Now preparing for the Wellington show.  It’s going to be fun!

Yours sincerely,

Kristie