6 Degrees from…

Now that Pretty Perfect Lives is closed it’s time to reflect on it. The project is not entirely what I thought it would be but it really did teach me a lot. I came on as a substitute assistant stage manager, meaning I was only going to be there for part of the run. It showed me the importance of everyone in a show, and different roles that I had never seen before since most of my background was in educational theatre. I saw the roles that the producers took on that previously faculty at my institutions would have taken, and noticed that sometimes you need more people than you can actually have. The weirdest part about the entire thing was not being there for the whole process. In general I feel that if I was PSM and had the budget for it, I would have my subs be there for the rehearsal process as well. Not only did I generally just miss being there, it became harder to find my own path in this production because I didn’t entirely know why I was doing certain things. Why do I have to move on this line for a quick change when there are still 10 pages before the change? Is that too much time, is there a reason or is it just because that is when the ASM is comfortable moving? 

Productions, especially on this level truly take a village. So many people were involved in this show and as I got introduced to them my favorite game “6 degrees of Kevin Bacon” came into play. You can interchange Kevin Bacon for literally anyone. But this show reminded me that everyone knows everyone. In just the last month that I’ve been in New York I’ve hit only one degree away from Sabrina Carpenter, René Rapp, Meryl Streep, Ross Lynch, Donald Glover, and so many others that I simply don’t know about. It's a fun game, but also a reminder that you always have to bring your A game because you don’t know where the next person you meet can take you.

This show reminded me that everyone can appreciate your work even when they don’t see it or you don’t feel as though it’s your work. It was hard to come onto this production because I am so used to having the whole thing on my back. Jake was constantly looking at me saying things like “you just opened your first off broadway show only 4 months after graduating,” but it didn’t really feel like my show until literally the last day. I hadn’t realized that the cast, while small, still noticed my presence, the PSM appreciated that I was eager to learn and work, and the general manager and producers actually knew my name and what I was doing. I had felt my small impact on this show as I learned the lines just by sitting backstage and making my own scenes with the cast. 

I am grateful for this experience and am excited to see where it may take me. This job is hard because it revolves. A show might only last a month and then you’re back to being unemployed. It is a constant hunt and I am terrified of being bored. I spent the last two years working from 9 am until 11 pm with very few breaks so now having full days to myself while I wait for rehearsals is absolutely mind numbing. Here’s to a new contract that will keep me busy.

xoxo ,

Randa