Alegira

Final post (for real this time) and a good-wrap up for my time with CdS.

When I left the internship I never thought that I would get asked back. I had no hope that I would ever work for Cirque again and that the internship would be the pinnacle of my career.

I was wrong. Not even two days after leaving Vegas I received a call from Montreal. They wanted to interview me for a Stage Management position with the touring show, Alegria. Wow. I went through the interview (stopping at a Cracker Barrel in TN for good reception), and felt like I did an alright job with it, but I wasn't sure if I really wanted to accept the tour. CdS Montreal seemed very interested in me...

A short week and a half later I received another e-mail from CdS--they wanted me for a second interview. They had narrowed the field down to two people, and this round would be conducted via Skype with two of the three people interviewing me using Skype to teleconference. Double Wow.

Now, let me interrupt for a moment to say that I already had a summer contract, and CdS was looking for someone to join in two weeks. This meant that I would have to had left my current company before or right at the beginning of their season. Responsibly I gave them a call and let them know I was being interviewed for CdS and it may mean trying to find a replacement SM for the latter part of the summer. I didn't want to leave the company in a lurch, but I knew that it was a possibility.

Now, this predicament got me thinking.... Here I am, straight out of college, straight from an internship, and I'm being interviewed for a full-time position with my dream company? Triple Wow. I couldn't believe it! But still, I had my misgivings. See, with Alegria being a tour, I would be moving every 5 days, and only be home every 10 weeks for 2 weeks at a time. I would miss holidays with family and homecomings with friends. Going to the tour meant never unpacking from Vegas or college and just re-shuffling to get myself on the road. I haven't had a real break in 8 years since I started the performance thing, and it might be time for a chill-pill. That's one reason I was looking forward to the summer I already had planned. But again, on the other-side--scoring a full time gig right out of undergrad would be a great accomplishment.

With all of these questions reeling in my mind, I called one of my co-workers from Mystère. She had been on tour before and loved it, so I asked her my questions and was able to get a better feel for what life on the road may be like. She also gave me some good advice, "Go with your gut-feeling." This, along with Elon's 2010 keynote speaking advising the class of 2010 to 'Take a break' guided me to understand my true feelings about the tour...

I don't want to go. Not yet at least. It's too soon for me. Though I have the ability to do a great job, I don't want to be on the road just yet. Maybe in a few months after some down-time, but for now I'm enjoying the good-ol Virginia weather sitting on my front porch sipping tea. I'm not quite sure what I want in life right now, but my 'gut-feeling' is not to take the tour.

So, within the first few minutes of the interview I told the team I wasn't available till August. They knew of this possible conflict from the first interview and went, "Okay. We'll keep you in the pool for something else. Perhaps we'll contact you in a few months." It took all of 5 minutes.

Whew... I have the biggest grin on my face. I'm so relieved. Sure, I turned down (in a way, as I was one of two final candidates) one the best entertainment companies of the world--but you know what? I'm young! There are so many opportunities out there, and I've just tipped the edge of possibilities. To me, I'm placing importance on enjoying and living life. Taking time for the activities and PEOPLE that mean something to me. Those, my friends, are the kinds of things you can't get back in life. Jobs will come and go, but life experiences and happiness are always worth pursuing.

So it it with these thoughts that I finally sign off. Perhaps in a few months I'll begin another blog about my next adventure, but until that time it's sunshine, The Sound of Music, southern bliss and The Road Not Taken.

Final Night Reflection

Well, it's been a few days since my final night, but I feel that I should quickly touch on the topic before the impression leaves me.

For my last night with CdS I ran the Rover track and then watched the show from the house 2nd show. Wow. I can't believe that I spent 9 weeks with these amazingly talented people. Watching the show from an audience seat was thrilling. For the opening I still heard show calls as if I were still wearing a headset, but after a while this settled down and I was drawn into the world of Mystère. From act to act I was enthralled with the performance onstage and was awed by the pure talent displayed. Again--I can't believe that I had the opportunity to work with these amazing people. I feel truly honored to have spent time with this cast and crew, and will greatly miss everyone. From getting tangled in wireless headsets to dealing with Big Baby antics and dealing with the pressures a large-scale show demands, my CdS experience was awesome.

NOW... I'm road-tripping it back to VA with my Mom. Currently we're sitting in a restaurant eating lunch in AZ. The past two days were dedicated to seeing the Grand Canyon (wow) and cruising through Sedona. We're camping on the way back, and thus far we've ben lucky with the weather. Last night we stayed at a beautiful campground and our site was right next to the Oak Creek that runs through the Sedona Canyon. It was fabulous listening to the birds and creek all night while being able to look up at a clear night of stars.

Virginia--2,240 miles, 32 hours--we're on our way!

Winding Down...

And it all comes to a close--or it will in 5 days.

I'm going into my final week of CdS life today. This past week I completed my final project(s) and will continue to do these tasks throughout this coming week. This coming Monday I'll be running a Cube training, and throughout the week I'll be sitting in the booth doing the SM choreography, doing pre-show check in and line-up read and calling cues for the Main a Main act. Wow. Pretty cool. I can officially say that I've called cues during a live Cirque du Soleil show.

But anyway, as things wind down it's time to plan for my return trip back East. My Mom will be joining me for this adventure and on this trip we'll be taking some time to visit the Grand Canyon and visit family. Once in Virginia I'll spend a few days with the beau and then head back to North Carolina for commencement. After this I'll be heading back to Virginia for another summer with the Heritage Theatre Festival.

Looking back, I've had a great time. As I said to a friend recently, my time here has not only presented me with learning opportunities within Stage Management, but it's helped me grow more as a person. I've developed some new hobbies (who would have thought I'd ever do a 5k in my life, let alone 2 in two months!), made some new friends, and have developed a better understanding of myself. I've put myself in new situations and have continually accepted challenges where there was no guarantee that I would succeed. Without getting too philosophical--I've learned a lot of life-lessons out here and I hope that I'll hold onto these teachings rather than leave them behind.

So, needless to say, this may or may not be my last entry. I think there are plans for the SM team to go out for drinks before I leave, and that should be fun. Then, as I mentioned, my Mom and I will be making the trip back together--so there may be some fun things to report on there. Until those times--Au Revoir Mon Amie!