So as anyone who has been reading knows, I am currently light board oping for Something You Did at Theater J.
Board oping is cool because you get paid AND you meet lots of people. Well you meet them if you try. As a board op it's really easy to be closed off and not meet anyone. I never met most of the cast though I was friendly to them in passing.
BUT i knew the stage manager (that's how I got the job in fact) and he invited me out during meal breaks. Always say yes. And you can write the meal off your taxes! Well, half of it I think. Hooray!
First tech i went to lunch with Eleanor, the director, Roy (the SM) and the sound designer Veronika. I liked Veronika; she was smart and laid back. Additionally, I had heard of her before. She has been nominated for at least one Helen Hayes and is a pretty sought after designer. The people I've met so far speak really highly of her.
So we get into tech and the sound design for that show is brilliant. She's really good.
I went out for drinks with the her and Roy after one of the previews. I do a lot less talking these days and a lot more absorbing.
After one of the previews I mentioned to her that I would love to assist her on a show, but I have NO experience in sound whatsoever. I know nothing about it. She said she'd love for me to assist her and started rattling off all the projects she has coming up I could potentially work on. She mentioned one in particular that she'd like an assistant on because she's composing and designing it. I reiterated that I knew nothing about sound. She said that I was smart (how does she know? I don't know) and eager and that was what mattered. Cool.
I think sound is fascinating. I am not, by any means, trying to become a sound designer. I've always tried to be well-rounded though, and to understand this art from all the aspects I can. Sound and lights are the aspects that aren't tangible. They can make or break a show, but it's not always clear how or why. And sound just kind of blows my mind. I don't understand it. I want to. I think it will make me a better lighting designer and director and everything.
I also think it's important to work with good passionate people. It's like in college when you should take gen-eds based on the professor instead of the subject. Learn things from someone who love it, especially if they're awesome at it too. And it never hurts to network. Or try new things. All good.
Anyway. So she emailed me after opening to say that we should get drinks sometime. I replied to say that I was serious about wanting to assist her and yes, drinks. She said we'd chat about it over drinks.
So we met for drinks. I adore her. We chatted for 3 hours. We talked about the shows - she said I could assist her on whatever I wanted that she was working on. She explained why I might like certain projects (one has a really well known director, another an awesome lighting designer, another is a sound heavy project.)
We talked about a lot of stuff. Lots of DC theatre stuff, people I should meet, etc. She also offered to take me up to meet with SITI Company and see the project they're working on. AND she said I should come with her to the Prague Quadrennial this summer. She'll house me, I just have to get there.
I plan on assisting her on the project in the spring that she's designing and composing (Photograph 51 at Theater J).
So I'm assisting a sound designer
Hooray
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