Okay, so it isn't a lie per se. It all happened to me, it just isn't the sort of thing that I would have written down with the express purpose of sending to you. Since this blog is supposed to be us writing letters back and forth, it seems dishonest to publish it here. But, I have been forced under penalty of being slightly-less-apreciated to write the following to be posted on the Portland Stage intern blog and I'm certainly not writing two separate blog entries tonight. Nothing could be worth that. (Incidentally, I just misspelled "worth" as "wroth" and there wasn't a squiggly red line underneath. I just looked it up and it's totally a word. It means angry. The example sentence on google is "Sir Leicester is majestically wroth." Using it.)
Now onto the actual blog post:
Hello and welcome to Portland Stage’s 41st
season! With so much happening as we prepare for our first production, Brighton Beach Memoirs, it’s easy to
forget that the intern company has only been in town for two weeks. Already
I’ve come to regard the theater as a sort of second home, as I spend nearly as
much time there as I do in my apartment.
As the Directing and Dramaturgy intern assigned to the first
production, I’ve jumped headfirst into the rehearsal process, both aiding the
cast and director in the rehearsal room, and contributing to the written
Playnotes guide that can help the audience get to know a little more about the
play. As you can imagine, these dual roles have kept me plenty busy. As a
dramaturg I’ve had the chance to learn all I can about the world of 1937
Brooklyn so that I am well equipped to answer any questions the actors might
have about the time and culture. Some of what I’ve found out has been fun and
unexpected, and I thought I’d share the three most interesting pieces of
information I’ve learned while working on the show.
- · The inflation from the Great Depression to the present was more than you think it was. Whatever your guess is, double it. You could rent a three bedroom apartment for only $30 a month and gas was twenty cents a gallon. Of course, a full-time salary could be as little as $15 a week, so it’s all relative.
- · Families who couldn’t afford to pay rent often snuck out of their apartments on the last day of the month carrying everything they owned. They would then find a new apartment, and repeat the cycle 30 days later.
- · Many families had recently purchased cars shortly before the depression started. Once they could no longer afford gas, they stripped the car of its heavy engine and strapped it to the family horse or mule.
Part of why I enjoy the role of dramaturg so much is because
I get to learn facts like that about so many completely different settings. In
a few months, when I go into production for The
Whipping Man, I’ll get to do it all over again, except about the culture
and history of Jewish, Southern slaveholders immediately following the Civil
War.
I’ve been having a rollicking time as the Assistant Director
as well. Probably the most unexpected turn so far was when I was asked to stand
in for the two young ladies sharing the role of Laurie in the mornings while
they’re at school. It just goes to show that an Assistant Director does
whatever the show demands of her, even if that means embarrassing herself trying
to act alongside the phenomenal talent that makes up the Brighton Beach cast.
Well, orientation is over, and the season has begun. As Brighton Beach’s hero, Eugene would say,
“Onwards and upwards!”
...Did I sound professional? I was going for smart but not so smart that you don't want to be friends with me, which was also my goal through all of college. And if you're wondering why I used the "er" spelling of theatre when you know I prefer the "re" it's because that's how Portland Stage makes you do it. How disgustingly American of them. I should rebel. Although, in the context of the above blog, it's referencing the building rather than the collective art form, so it's technically supposed to be "er" anyway. That's the rule, right?
Two weeks to Spain!
Emily
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