Visitors and Puppy Dogs

After 85 hours without it, the power came back on last Tuesday morning at about 9:45 a.m. I didn't know until I went back to my room at 2:00 p.m. to figure out what I was going to do for lunch--the AC was on and the fridge was running and I was more excited than I'm pretty sure I've ever been in my life about air conditioning and a running fridge.

On Wednesday, my next-door neighbor and fellow intern, Lee Ann, and I had a cook-IN and had hot dogs, lemonade and baked beans. There was Two Gents rehearsal at 6:00, but it was only a speed-through and they got done pretty early. (There was no dog readily available, so one of ASC's star actors--James Keegan--decided to stand in for the day. It was so hilarious that if he played the dog on a regular basis, I would probably purchase tickets to see the show multiple times, just to see him play the dog.) Then, that night, a couple of the actors, the assistant stage manager Abby, Lee Ann and I decided to go to Gypsy Hill Park to see the Staunton fireworks. I would say it was a very successful Fourth of July.

Thursday we were down in the rehearsal room and they did some rehearsal and a full run of the show from 10:00 to 2:00.

Note: the Two Gents "Coming Soon" poster

Friday was the first dress rehearsal for Two Gents at 2:00 p.m. and Dr. Fiebig and his son Jeremy also visited! Sarah (my internship coordinator and Director of Education at the ASC) and I ate lunch with them at the Taste of India buffet, then we meandered back to the theatre so that I could be on hand for the show. My duties consisted of a little dog handling and line notes. The dogs they have to play the role of Crab in the show come from the Augusta Dog Adoption agency, and they hope to have each of the dogs (a different one each week) adopted.

Tulip, aka Crab 

The first dog's name is Tulip--she's a mix of some pit bull, some lab, and maybe some other things. She's a lovely steel gray color with gorgeous yellow eyes and she's a total sweetheart.

I've volunteered to be dog handler for several of the shows before I leave. Basically the responsibilities include helping the dog get accustomed to the space, getting the dog "in costume" (tying a rope around their collars--trying to avoid anachronisms as much as possible here), and making sure the dog is comfortable. Also, in the show, there's a bit where Lance (the character who owns the dog Crab) comes out and has sacrificially taken a beating so that the dog wouldn't be beaten, and we're hoping that by putting stage blood made of peanut butter, karo syrup, and red food coloring on the actor's face, the dog might, in a performance or two, lick the actor's face and make the whole scene that much cuter and funnier. So I was trying to see if Tulip would catch on and figure it out. She did figure it out with me, but I guess it didn't work so well on stage. What the dog will and won't do on stage will always kind of be a crap shoot. Fortunately, the actor playing the role of Lance is very talented and can spin pretty much anything the dog does into a funny bit. Tulip is female of course and therefore, true to the ASC's practices, cross-gender cast!

Taking line notes in the kitchen

It was great to see Dr. Fiebig, if only briefly. They stayed and watched the first half of Two Gents, but left at intermission, as they had a long drive to make that afternoon/evening.

This coming week will be Pay What You Will previews, and opening night for Two Gents will be this Friday night, July 13th. My parents will be in town that next Sunday the 15th to see the matinee of Two Gents, and then that next Monday, the 16th, since Two Gents will be open, I will make my transition into the marketing office for a week and a half of learning about the daunting task (art?) of professional theatre marketing.