Hadley Family Fun

Spent yesterday evening capturing some photos of my favorite family and figured that before things get away from me I should post a few online and then maybe I'll have a chance at catching up on all the un-posted photos from this summer. We went to our secret spot which was full of the signs of fall. These two kiddos are growing like weeds. Here are some my favorites after my first run through - I was only going to post 3 or 4 but somehow 12 ended up and there are SO MANY great ones that these 12 don't even do the hour we spent together justice. Enjoy!

p.s. one last one :)

Whats in a name . . .

Seeing your own name (my name - Sara K. Menssen) in print, spelled correctly with my middle initial (which is how I like it), in a publication that you've dreamed of seeing your name exist on the pages in for years is a pretty surreal feeling.

Oh Deer!

This guy found his way into the neighbors back yard the other evening. The only reason I realized he was there was from the tizzy fit the chickens were having. The five of them are usually quite quiet but that evening they took to squawking like the world was ending. I guess they don't like sharing their territory with deer.

Dog days of summer . . .

91 degrees outside today and all I want to do is sit on the porch steps in the shade

like this guy. He lives somewhere across the street - I see him on various front porches throughout the day depending on which is guarded by the most shade. He moves slow like I imagine sloths do and doesn't seem to mind the chickens, cats or deer that populate the neighborhood. Not the best watch dog if you'd ask Roxy dog who is back in Montana making her daily patrols around the back yard. She certainly would not let this scene happen back home let alone right around the corner from a chosen resting spot:

FAIRexpressions

 The Venue: Carpenter Hall

The project: FAIRexpressions

A look inside before the house was officially open

I'll be honest the thought of blogging the past two weeks has made me extremely tired. Hopefully this post will make up for my lack of enthusiasm.
I've successfully completed the most stressful part of my participation in the program known as FAIR at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival - most stressful in my opinion of course. Those of us that arrived in April as part of FAIR were tasked with creating something relevant to our experience here and to help us FAIR persons get to know each other in an artistic way. That is the best way I can describe this project because even we, during the process, didn't really understand what it was we were doing. What it turned out to be was an evening of staged readings - 3 of the 4 pieces were new works created in part by the director presenting them. At the end of the day the evening went rather well. We had roughly 75 people show up to see what FAIRexpressions had turned in to and then about 25 of them stayed to contribute to a post-show discussion. I was exhausted by 8pm when I peeled the last pieces of spike tape up off of the floor in carpenter hall. The project was accompanied by a lot of stress for a few reasons. The first being the time slot it happened to occupy. RIGHT NOW is the busiest time of the season for basically everyone that works at OSF. There are three shows opening on the Elizabethan stage next week, three days in a row which meant that our project was happening in conjunction with tech week(s) or the weeks that everything comes together on stage - all the sounds, lights, costumes, props, scenic elements - EVERYTHING gets thrown on stage and we give the show a go. This also means that this is a period of learning with a steep curves. Suddenly because we are outside onstage we know that X, Y and Z don't work and need to change and this has be re-painted and this dress is to long etc. etc. So on top of tech-ing my own show (Robin Hood) I also had to schedule, manage, trouble shoot, herd.....a side project which mostly felt like herding cats. Despite all of the frustration/confusion and general madness that I now associate with the project called FAIRexpressions I did find a silver lining. My resume will now read:

FAIRexpressions        Oregon Shakespeare Festival          Stage Manager

and that is pretty cool. I'd like to say that in this final photo we were burning the scripts from the evening or using up the last of the unclaimed programs but I am not THAT much of a rebel and was mostly waiting for people to go home so I could go to bed. We did however manage to procure the ingredients to make s'mores. I am happy to report that I was the expert on s'more making and taught more than one person how to roast a marsh mellow to a nicely browned exterior and gooey melty interior.

The BRAIN

Last Thursday we had a guest speaker at FAIR Forum. Lue Douthit is the director of Literary Development and Dramaturgy at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. She said a number of things that were of interest to me (my note taking chunk of paper is sitting with my script in the SM office – the one day I forget to bring it home with me....oh well for another blog post) one in particular dealt with the human brain and the act of watching live theatre. I've always been a huge believer that live theatre is far better than television and I think a fair amount of people agree but why? That has always been the question and as it turns out science is starting to provide some answers.

There have been countless studies focusing on the brain and its various functions but as many studies as there have been there have been that many more questions asked - it really is an organ we know very little about. A study Lue read talked about how the brain reacts to different types of stimulation. The study detailed that while watching live theatre the brain reacts as though it is actually doing what is being observed. Tiny neurons firing and reacting just as if the observer were a participant in the onstage action. In the case of television (another watched form of entertainment) the brain and those tiny neurons essentially remain asleep. They don't react. This sit doing nothing. I found this simply fascinating.

Speaking of brains; mine feels like it is in overdrive these days. We have finished tech and are moving head first into our first dress rehearsal Wednesday evening. We are also smack dab in the middle of our FAIR Expressions project which goes up Monday the 3^rd – to say the least my organizing/tracking capabilities are being stretched to their limits. This brain is ready for shows to open so it can relax and enjoy the ride.

For lack of being able to photograph my brain let alone anyone else's, this photograph of my hat shall have to suffice – it keeps my brain from frying like and egg when we are onstage during the day.

Tech and stuff

We finished early Thursday morning with our last day of technical rehearsals. Outside, onstage, with lights, sound and in our case costumes. It also happened to rain all four of our tech nights which made for a rather soggy experience. Three of the rehearsals I spent on stage in a little cubby/hole that our play doesn't really use so I could be "on book" for the actors and so that they could hear the line called for over the noisy rain. The fourth night I was promoted and was sent backstage to help wrangle our crew and keep our costumers informed. It was a major upgrade to be able to move around - I didn't even have to add a layer of clothing that night. Speaking of layers, teching a show on the outdoor stage requires exactly that. You never quite know what the weather will bring which leads me to the list of stuff I brought to each evening of tech:
2 umbrellas - one for my head, one for my script
rain coat
1 clear rain poncho - clear so I can see my script through it
1 beach towel - either to soak up water or pad my seat
1 extra absorbent camp towel
1 pair of fingerless gloves - have to be able to turn pages
1 pair of regular gloves
2 stocking caps of different levels of warmth
2 head lamps - in case one dies
my sleeping bag
wool socks
2 long sleeve shirts
1 hooded sweatshirt
1 jacket
scarf
thermos of hot chocolate
baseball cap
belt - to hook my headset pack to

It was quite the down pour we survived and it always seemed to stop at about 1:30 in the morning or an hour and a half after we would end our night with the actors. The positive to teching in the rain is that our cast has now run the show in the rain so it is not an unknown the negative is that it slowed us down a fair bit and we didn't actually get through our entire show (though the weather I'm sure isn't entirely to blame). We have our first dress rehearsal next week and then in two weeks we have our first live audience for Previews. It is hard to believe we are already this far into the process. It doesn't feel like I've been here long enough. I think we've rehearsed for something like 180 hours thus far.

The Bricks

The Bricks. Most know it as a sort of town square located at the heart of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. This patch of bricks is located at the center of the three theatres, in the middles is a grassy knoll with a small outdoor stage. These bricks are a meeting place, a gathering place, a watching place, a laughing place and many more things to many people. There are corners to read a book and perches to eat a meal upon - it is a place of all the many spaces one could find themselves while at the Shakespeare Festival that any one may be found in. No key required or badge of honor/employment – it is open to all. As a decade long audience member I loved watching green shows on the bricks while at the same time watching actors arrive for their show calls – you never knew who you might spot sneaking through the masses to find the stage door. As an apprentice I particularly enjoy walking across the bricks between 6:30 and 7 in the evening. This is the time when patrons on the bricks search your face for a sign of recognition – they seem to silently ask: “have I seen that face on stage” or “is that a face listed in the back of a program?” I am not yet one of those faces but hope to be one day. When that day comes I’ll look forward to telling family and friends “I’ll see you on the bricks after the show.”

A Different Perspective

I was a shadow last week backstage on the Bowmer Theatre. A shadow is an interesting thing to be in the world of theatre. It can be an up close and personal period of observation or examination of that part of the stage that is off-limits to the general ticket paying population. I was lucky enough to be granted permission to shadow the Production Assistant of My Fair Lady – a unique opportunity to say the least because musicals are not what one primarily finds a the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Having been able to see the show from the audience perspective the week before I was ready to see what happened behind the scenes. What struck me the most form this experience were two things; first: the simplicity of a musical (typically monstrous shows on stage) and second: how much better I thought it sounded back stage than sitting in row O in the audience. There is some simplistic elegance about a musical being accompanied by two grand pianos center stage but hearing it, live, echoing through the sides to the backstage world is something else. My Fair Lady is a fun show as evidenced even more if you get to experience it back stage – I won't give away any of their secrets – as it was a privilege just to be a part of it all for one performance but it is something else altogether. The nature of the show is that there is no secret about the fact that there is a back stage and its existence – the audience could see me shadowing for parts of the show and I could see them for most of the show. I got to walk out onstage, following like a shadow, for the final last minute checks before the show started. It was almost as fun to watch the audience reaction as it was to just be back stage. One woman in the front row smiled the moment the pianos started playing and didn't stop until the cast took their final bows. I think I smiled the moment I put my stuff down in the audience and didn't stop until I got home that night. It is always fun to see something from a different perspective so because I couldn't capture a satisfactory photo of a shadow I leave you with this picture of the poppies in my backyard through the openings in the backyard gate. How do you view the world?

George

This is George. I named him because he lives on my windowsill. I'm not sure what kind of insect he is, only that he is not a spider which is why I allow him to reside untouched on the screen of my window. He's been hanging around for about a week now and as I have determined, presents no real threat to my humble existence in the cottage I currently call home. The reason I introduce you to George is because sometimes I feel just like George. A teeny tiny bug, perched on the screen that looks in on the inner workings of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. A vantage point that allows for a whole lot of observation. There is often so much going on, that tiny – bug – me, sometimes doesn't know which end is up. I observe because I want to learn, I listen because I want to learn but I participate because I want to be known. I have never worked for a company as big as OSF and this place runs like a well oiled machine with over 600 employees contributing to its well functioning existence. It is so much bigger than just producing plays – education, audience development, new works and so much more. Sometimes I think I'm lucky (as a bug in a rug), to not get run over or left in the dust because there is so much going on. We seem to be so close but so far away from our first rehearsal onstage. There seems to be so much to accomplish before that happens but the date is really just around the corner. We had our first run through – stumble through of Act 1 last week and will stumble/run through Act 2 this week and then do a full run through of the entire play by the end of the week. It is amazing to see all of the pieces start to come together even if sometimes I feel like George.

An incredible story

This story is what has been on my mind this week. This is my friend Shane with Former President Clinton at the premiere of Shane's movie Bridegroom at the Tribeca Film Festival in NYC on Tuesday, April 23^rd. I borrowed this photo from his Facebook Page because I don't have any of my childhood photo albums with me here in Ashland-trust me we were pretty cute kids back then. But back to the point, well sort of, I'm sure I'll get to it eventually - the Former President is quoted as saying “This is really -- on one level -- a wonderful, sad, heartbreaking yet exhilarating and life affirming story, and on another level it's a story about our nation's struggle to make one more step in forming a more perfect union, for which marriage is both the symbol and substance," Clinton told the crowd. "I hope you enjoy it as much as I did." I know it's not directly related to FAIR or OSF but in a way it is a whole different level of the Diversity and Inclusion conversation we have started to engage in. I have known Shane for as almost as long as I can remember. We grew up together and I learned a lot about inclusion and diversity from him. I remember his struggle to fit in with our world in small town Montana, his fears and frustrations of being in a world where being “out” was at times like putting a target on your back. His bravery, demonstrated by sharing his own story with the world, now, is something I am most proud of knowing him for. He is slowly turning tragedy into a triumph by simply telling a story – his story. Isn't that what we as theatre artists do? We tell stories about the human experience in an effort to make people feel, to start conversations, and to engage our audiences in bigger and smaller ideas. Part of why I love OSF is that they have started telling new-old stories – American Revolutions: The United States History Cycle is a project dedicated to the telling of stories about America – some known and some unknown, some good some not so good but all parts of our past as a nation. So I end my story today with a toast to my friend Shane and his incredible story and his generous heart that has chosen to share his journey with the world.

The Great Shop-ocalypse

The title of the invitation to the annual Scene Shop party - apparently it is a pretty big thing around here for most of the OSF company. It is tomorrow night - Robin Hood has rehearsal until midnight but we've been assured it will still be rolling. In preparation I have hot-roller-curled my hair - it took 45 minutes and now my arms hurt.

Where's a girls mom when she need her!

27

Yesterday, I turned 27. I feel extra old, I mean even the movie "The Sandlot" turned 20 this year, I have a 30 year old brother (so I guess I'm not that old) but if not older I am definitely wiser. It was the first birthday I have celebrated in MANY years (I was counting and I really think it is over 10) that I have not been at some sort of theatre rehearsal. It makes sense though if you think about it because that is roughly how long I've been pretty actively involved in theatre. I celebrated last night with a wonderful group of new friends. I made a crock-pot full of soup and everyone brought something to share be it salad, cake, wine or some other tasty drink made of vodka and pineapple. We started late in the evening because Monday is our day to get stuff done - laundry, grocery shopping, bank attending etc - I found a nice box in the mail room with my name on it and it came full of all kinds of wonderful little things and then festivities ended quite early in the morning. In fact I'm not sure when the last time I stayed up until nearly 3 am was. We laughed, talked, danced and participated in general merry-ment. There is talk of making Monday at the "Wimer House" a regular occurance - we'll see what happens. A photo of the remnants of my birthday celebration:

sorry it is a little blurry - again snapped with my phone but I wanted to catch it before the lilac wilted and figured I better do it now while I have time. Both cards were hand made for me - the one in the middle says "there are a thousand miracles to behold"which I just love. It is simple but true.

Tracking

The photo above relates to this post in that it is a very small snapshot of my world of tracking in the realm of stage management - lots of pages to sort through, sticky notes for side notes to come back to, words to revisit. 

track
verb
1: follow the course or trail of (someone or something), typically in order to      find them or note their location at various points:
       follow and note the course or progress of
       [no object] follow a particular course
       (of a stylus) follow
I more often find myself tracking - stuff - at rehearsals. Words mostly - new ones, old ones, deleted, added and/switched around ones but also scenery, props, instruments, breaks – all kinds of stuff. I thought of this concept for a blog entry while listening to a conversation I was engaging in. I've begun to track this whole "Diversity and Inclusion at OSF" idea that is being embraced by this company, to try to sort out how exactly I fit in to it all. While diversity is not at all foreign to me, I did grow up in a rather un-diverse locale as compared to other places I could have grown up. These conversations I've been a part of are thought provoking, enlightening and even entertaining at times but tracking them, connecting the ideas to my world and starting to think about how I, myself, can implement them or relate to them is what I find most interesting. To sum up "Diversity Inclusion" in as few words as possible because I believe it embodies a pretty big overall concept or idea I look to the words of the all knowing osfashland.org website:

“We believe the inclusion of diverse people, ideas, cultures and traditions enriches both our insights into the work we present on stage and our relationships with each other. We are committed to diversity in all areas of our work and in our audiences.”

These are ALL good and exciting things. The conversation is far from over and I will continue to track it wherever it may lead.

Just a photo I took with my telephone

I snapped this the other day while waiting to go to rehearsal. Lithia Park is an easy place to wait around - lots of trees and green space to spread out in. The duck pond is a favorite spot with its park benches and varying spaces of sun and shade. This mallard paddled over was pretty sure I should be sharing my grapes with him. I however was more interested in the reflection of the back of the Elizabethan Theatre in the water.

Lorca In A Green Dress

At 1:00 pm on Tuesday, October 7th, Two Thousand and Three. I entered the Thomas Theatre (then the New Theatre) for the first time.  Having no idea what the impact on my life would be. I sat with my classmates from a small-ish town in Montana and watched in wonder as the story of the death and life of Federico Garcia Lorca unfolded before us. Lorca's story as told by Nilo Cruz is an examination of the life and death of the famous Spanish Poet following his murder. Different versions of himself help him to accept the inevitable, his passage from to death. As a senior in high school I had no idea what I was watching except that it was beautiful, emotional, powerful, exciting and like nothing I'd seen before. We did theatre in Montana but not like that. What followed that week were more displays of the impossible - shadows being left on stage, a kings fall from the thrown, a version of Midsummer in the soaking, bone-chilling rain, Hedda's slide toward tragedy, and a Shakespearean soap opera none of us could seem to follow. Our young minds learned more in that week about theatre and possibility than I think I could comprehend even now. Just the simple idea that this art of story telling could even be a full time job, for more than one person, is something that stuck with me for the next ten years. I owe so much of my theatre story to that first week of watching plays. I owe even more of my story to growing up in a place that supports the arts. The community I grew up in and learned about the world of theatre in let me and my classmates fly in ways we never thought possible. I have returned many times to the festival – as I mentioned above the first time was as a student soaking up inspiration and then later years I arrived as an adult chaperoning young minds and also as a solo patron hungering to hear stories of the human experience. I find it fitting that on my ten year anniversary watching plays at the festival I have a pass, to the world behind the scenes and while it is technically a Guest FAIR pass the benefits have already begun to appear. Being accepted into the FAIR program was really simply a dream come true. Working with professionals at this level and in this element can only lead to good things and I am proud to be a part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Family.

TAPE!

We get to work with a variety of kinds of tape in the world of stage management gaffers tape, regular scotch tape, glow tape, duct tape etc., but my favorite is probably the kind known as "spike tape." It comes in a plethora of colors and generally is either 1/4" or 1/2" thick and can be easily torn with out the use of scissors.

While we didn't have an actual called(scheduled) rehearsal with actors we did spend time in our "New Place" rehearsal room hosting a taping party in which any stage management persons available came and helped us compete the task at hand. We spent the mid - morning hours taping out our set in neon green and orange and yellow spike tape colors. These lines will serve as our guidelines for staging in a space that is far from the reality of the Elizabethan Stage. Point after point we plotted and strung lines to re-create a flat version of a very three dimensional world.

New Place

Tree in full bloom outside "The New Place" or our rehearsal hall for the upcoming weeks.

Everything smells so good here - there are flowers blooming everywhere and the days have been nicely warm. We started rehearsals today with a show introduction and then a read through. I am so excited to be working with these people. Our director is from The Twin Cities so every time he talks (which is often) I feel like I am talking to my cousins. I wish I had a tape recorder during the show introduction because I would have loved for you all to hear the passion he has for this show. The play is about change, connection, heart, adventure and so many more things. It is a new telling of an old tale and the best part is that it was described at one point as a "journey into the heart of the forest that goes a little Monty Python." It's been a long day - complete with an allergic reaction to something tree nut though I'm not exactly sure where it came from just that it happened 3 hours before rehearsal started and I wasn't going to let it ruin my first day and it didn't - so I'm going to get some sleep. One last thought though, as posed by our director, "What makes us rich?" - this question is at the heart of Robin Hood's story and the answer finds itself as the story unfolds.

Company Member.

My day started at 8 AM with a meeting that included all of the different FAIR participants from this part of the season. There were 9 of us present and I think I understand that there will be 12 of us eventually. 3 Director's assistants, two stage management assistants (me included), a props assistant, the Richard Hay Design Fellow and two lighting assistants. We will meet every Thursday as a group to discuss, engage, support, listen, learn and grow as artists beginning April 11th. It is part of our FAIR Experience - we numbered into groups of three and our first assignment is to bake cookies for our next FAIR meeting. Should be interesting - not sure yet how it is relevant but if I find out specifically I'll let you all know. After our meeting we were taken on a tour of the many places we may find ourselves in the coming weeks. We walked all over the OSF campus and went through doors and hallways I've often seen but never been granted access. I saw the costume shop, the props department/construction, the scene shop, all three trap rooms in the theaters and we walked across stages and no one told us to get off or don't step there. There was a moment I had standing center stage on the Angus Bowmer Theatre stage. I found myself looking out over the 600 empty seats and I thought to myself "I'm finally on the other side."

Nearly 3 hours later I would find myself back in those seats amongst hundreds of others attending my first OSF company meeting. It was one of the most endearing moments I've personally experienced at the festival so far. The very first thing we did was go around and introduce all the new people. From FAIR apprentices to actors just beginning their season this year to ushers to custodians to board members - EVERYONE was introduced. It is a wonder to behold that such an amazing place is as amazing on the inside as it is on the outside.  I stood up in front of the entire company and shared my name, the show I was working on and in what capacity and where I came from and now long I had been with the festival. It was probably one of the most nerve wracking experiences of my theatre career. It lasted not longer than 15 seconds and a few people hollered about MT - will be interesting to see if they reveal themselves to me ever - and the introductions continued on down the row. The important thing to take away from my 15 seconds is that I think people actually cared and were invested in each one of us introducing ourselves. I have met so many people today and have so many more to meet tomorrow at our first rehearsal that I think my head might explode from trying to remember everything.

Between the tour and the company meeting I met with the Assistant Stage Manager I'll be working with on Robbin Hood. We started moving things into our rehearsal space, copying scripts and chatting about expectations. It sounds like my responsibilities will be similar to those that I held at SCR except that I am not expected to be at everything all the time unless I want to - why wouldn't a person in this position want to? I can't fathom why you would hear the entire experience as opportunity knocking...

I ended my day on campus watching The Unfortunates to borrow from the OSF website: "A musical pilgrimage through uniquely American genres delivers five prisoners to salvation — or at least keeps the terror at bay. Facing an uncertain end, they bring to life the story of Big Joe, a tough bartender who risks everything to save the armless courtesan Rae from a deadly plague. Combining the heat of a gospel revival with the sweet sorrow of the blues, "The Unfortunates" convinces us that any great challenge can be faced with dignity, grace, and compassion." It was amazing and a perfect reminder of why I love theatre and why I love being a part of theatre. We have the unbelievable capacity to tell stories that mean something, that make people feel and that make people think.

Lastly, as I looked through the tickets of shows past that I have seen here at OSF I found the ticket from the fist show I saw which was "Lorca in a Green Dress" which was staged in the Thomas Theatre (then the New Theatre) which happened to also be where the Unfortunates was staged. It was a bit of a 10 years ago I sat in this space and dreamed I might be here and now, well now I have a key card and responsibilities. The adventure officially begins tomorrow with our first rehearsal.

Back to blogging!

No really, I'm serious about it this time. Really truly serious and here is why: On Friday, December 7th I was sitting in Great Falls High coaching at a particularly chaotic tournament when I noticed I had missed a phone call. Upon retrieval of a voicemail message I learned that the Oregon Shakespeare Festival wanted to talk to me about my FAIR application (fellowships, assistantships, internships and residencies). Let me just say that one more time - the OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL wanted to talk to ME about MY application (an application I had submitted in May and prior to this phone call had heard nothing about). After almost deleting the message and the info inside it I managed to write down a telephone number and then broke the news to my colleagues. After much talk and excitement I wandered down a vacant hallway, found an abandoned staircase and called the number back having prepared the message I would leave as it was nearly 8pm Pacific Standard Time and surely whomever left the message wasn't still in their office. Lucky me! Someone answered the phone and my prepared message went right out the window and quickly turned into "yes! i'm still available and interested" and just like that I was offered an assistantship in stage management at OSF. I called my mom and dad and then I called everyone who would still be awake and know how excited I would be. I held off announcing the news on the blog for so long because it took a long-ish time to get all of the official paperwork and on the off-chance that it wasn't real, or something happened and I really didn't get the opportunity I didn't want to deal with the heartbreak of un-announcing the big news. Safe to say though I am all moved in to my "bungalow" and start tomorrow morning at 8 am.
I left clear blue skies in Montana on Saturday morning and drove to Portland where I stayed with my roommates from college and then drove the rest of the way to Ashland on Sunday. The weather has been coolish and it rained most of this morning but I am hopeful that things will start to warm up soon. The flowers and trees around here sure look like they would appreciate some warmer weather.
I promise I'll be better at blogging but for now here is photo I took on the way out of town. I love those Montana Mountains!