One Year Done

So, it's been a while since I've revisited this blog. I guess grad school will do that to you!

I've finished year one of my MFA, and it was incredibly busy, incredibly difficult, and incredibly fun all at the same time. The fun I owe to my classmates and colleagues, who are some of the raddest people ever. The difficulty- well, going back to school after five or six years off isn't the easiest thing in the world. Also, some classes are just really demanding. But I feel I've learned a lot (and still have a loooong way to go). I'm moving to a new house in New Haven for next semester, and it's a bit closer to campus and a bit further from the halfway house and pawn shop, which is nice.

Spring semester, I greatly enjoyed my rigging class. I had been trained in rigging by a variety of TDs and electricians who just happened to be around wherever I was working, and I knew based on differing opinions and practices that there was a lot of misinformation out there. I always wondered about the systems in some of the theaters I worked in. Now I may not have everything memorized, but I do know where to turn for information, and I feel that anything I rig is going to be as safe as I can make it. And I can also analyze a pre-existing system for flaws fairly accurately.

Structures got easier second semester, perhaps just because I got into a groove and had less of a struggle finding time for the homework. But also because I knew more about what to expect on tests. I genuinely enjoy doing structures, even if it is a pain in the ass. Learning it has made me feel somewhat accomplished.

I ATD'ed a show in the spring, and that was a really great experience compared to my other production assignments. And somehow less stressful. Working with the staff carpenters was really cool- they are all very helpful, and very funny. I think my drafting improved greatly on that show, and I started to understand what it's like not to be so hands-on (like when you have a union crew). Not sure I like being hands-off, but I'm understanding it better at least.

This summer, it was quite difficult for a lot of my classmates to find summer work, and I was no exception. I think in my case, it's just because I wasn't willing to do summer stock again. I managed to find a partial-summer internship with an events production company, which had me working on all manner of crazy things. And now I'm freelancing for the rest of my time in NYC until school starts back up.