Tick tick tick

Due to sheer exhaustion, today’s post about yesterday and today is more of a list of what I have done, and some pictures to illustrate.  These are all things that I either did, saw, heard, or learned while traveling about the city.

Saturday, March 1:

- I heard “Knights In White Satin” by the Moody Blues done by Peruvian Pipes in the subway.
- Then Jon, Lindsay, Latera, and I explored the Union Square Greenmarket and was tempted to try all of the different foods.  The crockpot in our room may get some use after all.
- I bought my week’s subway pass- best use of $24 so far
- Jon, Latera, Lindsay, and I had lunch at Rocket Wraps near the Classic Stage Company.  It was very delicious.
- Our class saw Chekov’s  ”The Seagull” at Classic Stage Company.  I’m not quite used to watching Chekov.  The story was interesting, and most of the acting was very good, but it is not my favorite of the shows that we have seen so far.
- I became separated from Jenn and Sommer on the subway when my week pass would not let me through.  After running across the street to buy a single ride pass, we managed to meet up at the L.
-We met with Stephanie Gatton, the SM of Vital Theatre Company’s “Death Bed” at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre .  Stephanie was very informative.  My two favorite pieces of advice from Stephanie were: there has to be a separation, this should not take over [your] life, and that we should decide if we love doing Stage Management.  If not, we should get out.
- I saw “Next to Normal” at Second Stage.  The play was too overwhelming for me.  I felt like the more they threw at me about Diana’s mental illness and the dead son, the more I wanted to withdraw into myself and shut out the world.  The musical numbers were all very catchy, but the subject material hit closer to home.  I do not care to explain this.
- After the class discussion, Jon, David, Lindsay, Latera, Reggie, and I joined UMW alumns Jess, Jenna, and Tori at the Gaf Bar to catch up.
- While walking back to our hotel from Gaf, we discovered one of the locations of Papaya Dog.  A few of us stopped in to get hot dogs and french fries which were very delicious.  Jon ordered a glass of their papaya juice which I stole from him.

Sunday, March 2:
- David, Lindsay and I set out for the Fashion District to explore the stores and possibly pick up hats to protect our freezing heads. Although Lindsay and I did not find the hats we were looking for, we did find shirts at the 3 story H&M.
- The three of us took a chance and bought candied almonds from the Nuts 4 Nuts street vendor. They were scrumptious!!! I highly recommend other people take advantage of these delightful warm treats.
- Next we discovered the joys of street music starting with the subway to Central Park. At every stop there was either someone playing the saxophone, the guitar, the flute, or singing.
- When we reached Central Park, we pet the Blackey the carriage horse at the Plaza, walked along stopping at the Ice rink, carousel, and finally Bethesda terrace and fountain. Along the way we stopped to say hello to the ducks, saw a woman roller skating/dancing, a gigantic great dane, a children’s ice skating competition, and the bridge/tunnel from Godspell and Cloverfield.
- At the Bethesda fountain I stopped and enjoyed a harpsichordist.
- We then hopped onto the 1 train and traveled to Christopher street where we discovered that an episode of Sex and the City was partially filmed at Le Petit Puppy, one of the cutest pet stores I have ever seen. Lindsay, David, and I joined Reggie to play with the puppies and contemplate buying one.
- After words we dined at the Manatus. The food was fairly good and reasonably priced. After filling our tummies we walked to Grove and Bleecker St.s to see the friends building. It was rather anti-climatic, but I did get pictures. Next, Lindsay and I found hats at a cute store called brooklyn industries. Now my head will stay warm!
- Next was “Grace” at the Lucille Lorel Theatre. This show posed a question about religion. What is right and what is wrong? Is is possible to live and have relationships with people of conflicting beliefs? I did not enjoy the show. I found it boring, and did not understand what their true point was. Were they preaching tolerance? If that was the message, I did not get it.
- Jenn, Sommer, and I boarded the 1 back to Times Sq to make our appointment with Seth Sklar, the ASM of “Legally Blonde.” We had a little time to kill before our meeting, so we popped into Toys R Us on Times Sq, and quickly realized that it was not the right store for us, due to the sheer number of people there. The t-rex and leggo displays were very neat. When we arrived at the Palace Theatre, we were buzzed down at the Stage Door and met Seth. Seth’s career path was quite different from Stephanie, whom we had interviewed the previous day. Where Stephanie encouraged us to look into Grad School, Seth said that it was unnecessary. He could not stress enough the importance of not just who you know, but how many people you know. After talking with Seth, he showed us around backstage and downstairs. I liked his calling station. Although it was tight, it had everything he needed right at his finger tips.- After the show, Natalie Joy Johnson (a UMW alumn) and Gaelen Gilliand took our class on a tour of the Palace Theatre. I never realized how small their space is, but their stage is excellent. We saw how their scenic pieces tracked on and off stage. Since they have very limited wing space, most of their pieces fly in and out to keep them out of the way. Gaelen took some time after giving us a tour to answer any questions our group might have had. I took this opportunity to ask questions about her path from college to where she is now. One of her best pieces of advice for aspiring actors was to go to every audition possible. Put yourself out there.
- The day (and this post) concluded with our class discussion on the show. It is always interesting to see each member of the class’s take on the shows that we have seen that day. While someone may have loved the show, another might hate it. Today our class had a good discussion about the themes of “Grace”. Some members of our class are still repeating exactly what other people say, which is quite annoying as it wastes everyone’s time.

Tomorrow will be another exciting day when we meet Terry Alexander, the ASM of “Mary Poppins”, see “Gypsy”, and continue to explore the city.  Please see my next post for photographs from yesterday and today’s excursions.