This is also part of Meltdown #11. So much to say. So much emotion. So few words. *Odgeda* (What was that?)
Topic #2: People who think they are God Almighty
These are the people who believe they are know all, see all. Those people that feel they know more than you will ever know, could ever know. Usually it’s about one particular subject. Sometimes it’s about everything in life. Lovely, eh? Anyway. Those people.
They give me odgeda. Click the ‘What was that?’ link to see what I mean. I love the Urban Dictionary. Anyway. Let’s get specific, eh?
Math teacher that I am, three years ago, I volunteered to help out the theater program because I love theater, have always wanted to be *in* theater. Since the school doesn’t do faculty plays, this was the best I could do. I was asked to be in charge of the Stage Crew, sometimes known as the Tech Crew. I call them just Crew, people this isn’t rowing and I wouldn’t want you confused. Stage Crew is not just the technical aspects, it’s the construction part too, so I prefer Stage Crew over Tech Crew.
ANYWAY.
This is fall show #6. Yes. Three years and fall show #6. You can do math. That’s two shows for each fall since I started. Yes, the people who do the planning are utterly OUT of their minds. But we’ll leave that off for now.
This show is going up this Thursday. (Yes, that’s tomorrow.) The previous fall show (IE, Fall Show #1 for 2005) closed on 5th of November. Yes, you heard properly. We had approximately three weeks to prepare for this show. And the set for this show was way more elaborate than for Fall Show #1. It involved stairs, flats that needed to be hung from batons, a low wall, a large back wall, trees, shrubs, a booth, a dog house, and a piano. There was a lot that needed to be built for the show. The kids couldn’t start early because how much to be built was up in the air because “maybe” we were going to get this or that from someone else. Add to that the fact that construction on Fall Show #1 was delayed for reasons not in evidence (that’s a whole OTHER rant). And thusly do we come to Fall Show #2. Fall Show #1 had to be struck before Fall Show #2 could be built. And then Show #2 required a lot of work on stage to be done. And finally, we reach the reason for this rant.
Our dear lighting students, I love them dearly, did the best they could with what they could work with. They hung lights in the cats (catwalks, those things above and in front of the stage). But they could not adjust the lights ON stage with everyone in the crew working on stage. It’s – difficult. Since some lights need to be off to see what needs to go where and that makes it difficult for others to work on things on stage – in the dark.
The cast decided they were going to start rehearsing on stage on November 14. For those of you not so good with dates and math, that’s exactly one week after we STARTED strike on Fall Show #1. Mmmhmmmm. That’s what I said. So, in addition to having to work around the CREW kids, who actually don’t give a crap about lighting batons coming down over their heads, the lighting kids had to work around the CAST. Well. The cast can’t very well rehearse with the lighting batons DOWN, can they? Of course not. So work on the lights had to be pushed back. Frustration starts to set it. Slowly.
Come November 28, this past Monday. The lighting kids have done the best they can possibly do with cast and crew on stage at all times, plus the Thanksgiving weekend in the middle there. They know there are problems, but the show does not open until Thursday, December 1. Lots of time to do the fixes. Honestly, this is typical for a high school show. At least, typical for ours. Stuff is not *finished* at the start of Tech Week, but it’s really close. While the cast rehearses on stage with the props and the set, Sound Crew (microphones and sound effects) and Lighting Crew works out the kinks they still have. That’s how it has always been. At least, since *I* started helping out with the show. This is for Fall Shows AND the Spring Show.
Enter two random college students who were apparently students at this school at one time. They’ve come back to help the director with the show. Okay, that’s fine. I don’t mind them helping her out. Goddess knows a direction needs all the help he/she can get sometimes. While there are students assistant directors, sometimes an extra adult around is just what you need.
The problem was this.
College Kid #1 (CK1) And College Kid #2 (CK2) proceeded to talk to the crew as if they were five year olds. Well, let me clarify. I’ve not had a lot of interaction with CK1, but I was in the lighting booth when CK2 came up to take to the student in charge of lighting (Head Lights). Most of the conversation was fine, a discussion about what lighting cues the director (a teacher at this school, remember) wanted for certain scenes. However, as CK2 was leaving the booth, she made this off-hand remark about Head Lights marking the buttons on the light board to know which button turned on which lights. I was stunned at this comment. It was so condescending – at least to my ears. I talked to Head Lights about it and she was not offended, so – okay. Maybe it was just me.
Rehearsal begins. Lights are not *programmed* into the light board yet. That means that Head Lights can just hit a button and the lights for the next scene just come up, set to proper levels. Well, she hadn’t had time yet. Not to mention, Head Lights usually does it during a rehearsal with the actors to see where the actors move on stage. Sometimes the actors go places where there are lights, so those lights need to be brought up. My favorite saying from Head Lights: “Why is she going over THERE?!” Something that has been said because an actor has gone somewhere unexpected. It happens.
Anyway. Head Lights was programming said lights – called cues – into the board as the scenes went along. Sometimes the lights would go down, then up, then down as she set the cue into the board. It wasn’t that the lights for the CURRENT scene were wrong, it was that Head Lights was setting the cue for the PREVIOUS scene into the board. I’m used to this. I would have thought the director was used to this. But, no. We keep hearing CK1 yelling out “No!” and “Not there!” Okay, yes, we know that. Duh. Breathe and have some patience. The director finally just called for full stage lights and finished running Act I with all the lights on. So Head Lights could finish setting the lights. Mmm. Not helpful. Lights cannot be adjusted for dark spots or cues set if all the lights we have are running full blast. You cannot see anything. So – that time where Head Lights was supposed to “work out the lights” was wasted because she could not do it with *all* the lights on.
Dinner break. This happens during tech week when there’s a long rehearsal. It’s normal. We were expecting it. I usually eat last, allowing the kids to get food first. I mean, really, what do *I* have to do before the start of Act II? Nothing.
I’m standing behind one of the food tables, just eating. It was random. I could have been standing anywhere in the lobby space. The director was speaking with CK1 and our – we’ll call her the producer for a lack of any BETTER term. The producer, for the record, is also a teacher at the school.
They were discussing the problems with the lights. And expressing frustration and disappointment. The lights weren’t finished. The light plot was given to Head Lights three weeks ago. And more. I had to physically walk away from where I was standing to keep my mouth shut. I was so mad. There was so much that had had an effect on the lights *not* being finished. And that particular conversation was all about how it was Head Lights’s fault that the lighting was not done. Hello? No. Perhaps some of the fault lies with her, but seriously, not all of it. The actors stole a week from us by being on stage and rehearsing. There’s only so much we can do with people ON the damn stage.
Anyway. Dinner was over and Act II rehearsal began. Suffice it to say that it did not go well at all. Instead of hearing the director telling us what she wanted, all we hear is CK1. This guy – man. The booth was interesting that night. His tone was condescending. And I really – I guess I cannot really convey the whole of that night.
It basically felt to me (and the crew kids) that CK1 was the director. Hello? Yeah, not. And he wasn’t even a very nice one. It was very, very frustrating. Odgeda. CK1 kept “suggesting” how things should be done, “expressing concern” that things weren’t done. It was difficult for the kids. It really was. They cannot exactly say “Go Fuck Yourself.” to an adult – even one who isn’t on staff at the school. They cannot say “If you hadn’t fucking been on stage all the fucking time, it would be done.” to the director. And I can’t say it either. Unfortunately.
So – yeah. Odgeda from the condescending college children – who should know better, since they were IN the damn theater program here when they were here.
I think this whole thing has meandered from the original point, but you get the idea. Stupid college children thinking they know all and have the need to tell everyone around them they know it all. Meh.