This is where I spent Saturday. Right underneath those observation towers that doubled as UFOs in Men in Black. And I do mean under. I was at Queens Theatre in the Park for a reading, and while the ground floor of that institution is above ground (thus the name “ground floor”) the theater spaces? Underground. I did not see sunlight after I entered the building at 12:15. Hell, I didn’t see outside again until about 11 last night, when the reading and the talkback were over. The people at QTiP (hehehe…q-tip) were very nice, they kept all of us participating in the reading well fed and watered (they have these things catered for the talent, since there is NOWHERE to buy food out there), they paid me at the end of the day (woohoo! $35! That sounds mean, but this is the first time I have ever been paid for being part of a reading, so I was truly excited.), and most importantly, I got to hear the play I’m going to be dramaturging in March out loud for the first time in over a year.
I’ve been reading various versions of this script for a month now, and while it’s looking tighter and the playwright (my boss at the theatre where I’m resident dramaturg) has incorporated a lot of my suggestions, it’s always different than you thought when you first hear it out loud. Things that you thought were clear? Not so much. Things that you weren’t sure about? Go down a storm. In spite of losing an entire day of my weekend, this was totally worthwhile. Can’t wait to go into rehearsals and start tweaking. Aboveground, where we can see the sunlight on our breaks.
That’s great Julie! And you got paid and food!
I feel you on the light thing. One side of our lab has nice big windows and the other side has none. We call it the “dungeon” for a reason.
Very cool! It’s great to see something you’ve worked on done by others. And getting paid to listen and eat! What a deal!
Wow, that picture almost looks fake…. amazing.
Glad you’re doing well and that things are finally coming around in the dramaturg department. have fun.
I just found an old picture of my parents in front of that globe. Weird thing is, they look so young, I wonder if they were there when they first put up those monuments.
what the hell is a dramaturg?
Seth~It was completely unreal. When we went down the steps to the theater space, I felt like I was in a submarine or something.
Vince~Oh, honey, they made me WORK for that $35. I had to read stage directions and do about 8 accents for incidental characters. AND take notes on what needs to be changed in the next draft.
Leenie~Alas, I didn’t take it, I got it from the Wikipedia. But it’s a very surreal landscape. And you’re not the only one happy things are looking up creatively. That reminds me, I have to email another playwright…
Michael~1964-65 World’s Fair. My mom was there as well. I guess at that point the towers had restaurants in them.
Sparky~It’s what I do. I give playwrights help on new plays to make sure the story is clear, I give the director another set of eyes in the rehearsal room, and if I’m working on a revival, I do background research on the play, playwright, time it was written in, etc. for the director, actors, and designers to help them get into the world of the play.
God- I feel old- I WAS there when it was a fair! ( of course, I was a little kid lol!) probably 6 or 7 years old!
Glad to see your getting some “bennies” for your time!