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Production Week Practicalities

10/16/2014

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Throwback Thursday: Production still from earlier this week, all decked out in nineteenth century garb
Tech week has arrived and I am pleased to report that besides being a bit sleep deprived, eating my dinner at the bus stop, and achieving a new personal record for fastest shower taken, I am chugging along and getting very excited about opening night! I have been trying my best to follow my own advice that I shared back in September (if you missed it, the surviving tech week post is here) and have to say that while I have in no way followed the tips to the letter, I have kept the general ideas in mind and they have definitely made a busy production schedule and tech week a bit less hectic.

Hands down, the best thing I've done to help ease the craziness during the production and tech schedule has been to take a planned vacation day from work. I had my day off earlier this week and I think this is a tradition I will keep going for every future production--I am kind of in awe that I did not think of this sooner. It is such a simple idea that made such a difference in  how I felt starting the week leading up to opening night. It was amazing to have a day to sleep in, do some laundry and food prep for the week, watch some Netflix, and take a nice long nap with my cat in the middle of the afternoon. I had originally planned to do some script analysis and work on character, but in the end found that I wanted to take a mental vacation from the production as well. It paid off, and I went to rehearsal at the end of the day feeling rejuvenated. I highly recommend gifting yourself with a day off in the midst of production! You won't regret it.

I hope that whatever you're up to, you find a way to refresh this week as well. I think it's always easier to make the final push on a project when you cut yourself some slack and build in some catch-up time.

Just a few links and other things for you in case you're interested:

Need character shoes? I bought my first pair for the show on Amazon. Yes, I know I made it to 31 years old without ever owning a pair. These were inexpensive, relatively comfortable, and arrived quickly. They run small, so make sure you order at least 1/2 size up from your normal shoe size. Unless your feet are giant like mine, then order a full size up.

It's hardly an original idea, but it's new to me. I made a ziplock bag of treats for each day this week so that I could just grab one (along with a salad and frozen lunch) and take it with me for the day. I filled each with tea, fruit, natural beef jerky, and the incredibly delicious Gluten Free Bars (soy, nut, dairy, AND gluten free to comply with a recent diet experiment). Not to be a walking advertisement for Gluten Free Bars, but if you have any kind of food allergies or if you are looking for a vegetarian  or vegan snack, these are the best protein bars I've ever eaten. Check out their website here.
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My production week treats, all ready to go!
Other production week must-haves: A constantly filled water bottle, endless supply of bobby pins, Vitamin C drops, and an umbrella (even if it's not supposed to rain, you never know when a stray shower will decide to transform your recently coiffed nineteenth century hair-do into a frizzy bird's nest).

Other production week wish-I-hads:
This extra long denim shirt (to wear to and from rehearsal and help with ease of hair and make-up)
A stylish leather backpack to stow all my show stuff in (it reminds me of the style of Felicity)
This very cute cat cosmetic bag (because I am a cat lady all the way)
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    Author

    My name is Melissa and I'm an actor, playwright, author, filmmaker, and teaching artist who wants to help you discover, cultivate, and care for your creativity. 
     
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    ​No one is going to present us with a ready made creative life--we have  to step up and gift it to ourselves. I'm so glad you're here.

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