what a day

Today was a little bit frustrating.  I am killing myself running around like a maniac, demonstrating everything way way WAY over the top and the kids are giving me maybe a quarter of what I am showing and at about a sixteenth of the volume.  Then when they do do what I ask, the next time they have a line it is back to zero.  They just aren't getting it.  And I am nervous that they are forgetting their blocking.  I eventually accepted that well, I can't be pestering them on every single line for the whole rehearsal or we will never get through teaching the blocking.  They are doing the best that they can.  This is just a more soft-spoken, mild-personalitied (yes I just made that word up) group, and this week, as long as the audience can hear them and understand the modified version of the story, that will be just great.

The girlfriends asked me I would come back next year.  I told them Missoula probably will come back next year, but it probably won't be me coming back.  They then all complained that they wanted me to come back and asked if there were other people who worked for Missoula who were as cool me.*  I laughed and said I had a lot of really cool co-workers.  They then told me that they were usually pretty shy and quiet and took a long time to come out of their shells, but that they didn't feel that way with me.  They also said I was the best director they've ever had because they understand what I want them to do when I explain things to them.  They like that I demonstrate everything, which is of course what MCT tells us to do- and it is definitely the most effective way of teaching.  I can't wait to direct other non-MCT shows and apply the directing skills I have gained from this job to everything I direct!

*This was of course, after they realized that I didn't work at the country club.  They asked me today if I was an actress.  They didn't seem to realize that we were parting of a gigantic international touring company.  When I told them yes I was an actress, some of them swore they'd seen me in plays.  I told them that was pretty unlikely.