It was the fall of 2005 and less than a year out of my undergrad when I first visited New York City. Through lies and exaggerations, I got hired by a production company to ship, install, and operate A/V. When orders were put on my desk to truck it up the big apple, I packed up my headphones, travel guide, and the most sophisticated attire I could wrangle and marched a 24' box truck full of gear to the city.
I had three items on my NY check list:
1)Visit 3 museums
2)Walk through Central Park
3)Attend a Broadway Production.
I subcontracted my duties to another technician so that I could play in the street all day. I quickly visited the MOMA, the American Museum of Natural History, and the Met. I took several long walks through the park. But even after staring at all the posters;
Chicago, The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, I couldn't decide on what show to see. Then I noticed this little flyer for a title I happen to be familiar with. Only a few months past, Gregory Maguire had sent me on a highly descriptive, nearly poetic adventure with his novel
Wicked, a runoff from the
Wizard of Oz. It seemed a fair choice. A fresh musical for a beginning theater goer.
My sis, who spent a year at NYU, set me up with a couple of her ex-roommates. I asked one to accompany me to the Gershwin Theater for a evening showing of Wicked. We sat dead center and just a few rows back from the stage.
I walked into the Gershwin Theater as an unmotivated, novice audio technician. I left as an aspiring lighting technician/designer. I had never realized how lighting can cooperate with creating setting. I had only read about how an audience can be launched into a different atmosphere altogether, yet remained in the same seat throughout the performance. I was floored. I embarrassed my date with my spastic rants and critiques. If I had another $180 to blow, I would have gone again. And I didn't even really like the songs.
Being a youngster and only a little less naive, I didn't even bother to research the creative team listed on the program. It wasn't until I became directly involved in theater several years later, when the big names in theater starting become more familiar. And when I heard Ken Posner, lighting designer for
Wicked, Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can, was coming to Dallas to light a musical, I fist pumped with my cat.
And when I found out he was coming to MY theater, I sharted. It was going to be my sole responsibility to implement Mr. Posner's design. The guy that sparked my interest in the art of light. The guy who gave hope to those of the trade.
I have to say, it feels like a test. Maybe its a self-induced test. Or maybe its Zeus or Xenu, trying to stick it to me good, just to see if I got what it takes to play with the big boys. If so, they must be laughing their faces off as they watch me pace around fidgety as me and Mr. Posner discuss our plans for the show over the phone. All the calm, cool, and relaxed communicating skills I have been developing over the years has completely escaped me. I wouldn't be surprised if I got mailed a Valium along with the plots and paperwork.
Either way, its a good experience for number one. I'll sweat, loose my cool, have trouble sleeping, make trips at 4am to the theater to work something out, yell at my staff, make mistakes, and piss lots of people off. But after its all said and done, I will have learned, grown, and acquired new tools for my career and as an artist. I can't help but feel as if I am on a righteous path, riding the snake, going with the flow, feeling the vibe, swimming with current, etc, etc. And its way too late to jump ship now.
Help me Tesla, your my only hope.
