After many moons I have finally finished what has been a very long and intense four months. Let's just say there was a reason that I was not updating my blog consistently (read "At All") for the past little bit. I did five shows in those four months. Let's recap.
First there was Phantom of the Opera, and first is sort of an arbitrary adjective because most of these projects were happening at the same time. I started working on this show in September, but the full explosion happened starting in January. I put in about 80 hours the first week back from break on that show. But I'd say it was worth it. It was my first foray into the world of Stage Management, which proved invaluable in a later project. I also got to learn Fly Systems, which also proved invaluable for a later project. Let's just say that if I had stopped after Phantom then I would have had a busy and successful semester. But that would have been too easy!
Then I performed Henry V, rehearsing all of January and then doing a two week run at BYU while touring every Tuesday and Thursday to elementary schools around Utah. That was nuts, because one small child is fine, but 600 is just terrifying. Plus we did theatre workshops with the sixth grade students before every show (Yeah, weird, I know, sixth grade in elementary school). I learned a great deal about children, how to harvest their minds, how to herd cats. Plus I got to drive a large van, so that was cool.
Next came Wind of a Thousand Tales, a student production. I enjoyed it. I learned things about working with people. It was also good practice because I will be doing the same project (different script) in Fall semester of this year (keep your eyes peeled for Learing: A Hip-Hop Adaptation from King Lear). Again I learned about molding the minds of children (granted, these children were freshmen).
In the meantime I also worked on Utah Regional Ballet's Peter Pan, wherein my skills with flight systems came in handy as I learned that essentially I am and always will be fairy dust (in a metaphorical way). I help people soar. And I'm good at it. I also discovered Rocky Mountain Drive-Inn (and no, that's not a typo), and their quantitatively good milk shakes. Oh yeah, and I actually got paid for this show. None of the others, although I did get 1.5 credits for Phantom, which accurately reflects the amount of work and number of hours that it required academically. Not really though.
And somewhere in the mess of all of this I also signed on to assistant direct Zion Theatre Company's 10th anniversary production of Farewell to Eden. This is where the stage management skills came in, because I also became acting stage manager for the run of the show. And whenever anyone said something like "Cast and Crew," they should have just said "Cast and Matt," except then you lose the alliteration. And cutting alliteration for a moderate slant rhyme just doesn't cut it in the community theatre business. I wanted to campaign for the program to say "Matt Fife: Matt Fife" instead of "Assistant Director: Matt Fife" because one title just doesn't cut it. I performed a unique amalgamation of roles that can never and should never be replicated. But I would not exchange the experience for anything. Well, maybe if I was exchanging it for stacks of money. Or a lifetime supply of pudding.
And so, if you have felt like maybe I disappeared from off the face of the earth, now you know why. Also if any family members or other people wonder why I'm still not in any sort of significant relationship with a female, then there is your answer, too. Sort of. A mighty Snorlax is involved in a more involved answer, but this suffices for now. I figured I'd share in case anyone wanted to know what I do with my life.
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