/dev/zero

I got some dirty looks from my crew today when I asked them to set the stage for Act I, Scene 1 after the matinee show. They wanted to go to lunch and set the stage when they got back. I asked them nicely and got an argument. When everything else was done I came back and it still wasn’t done. It takes 2 minutes tops.
I walked to the front door where they were kicking back and I asked them to do it again. “We’ll do it later.” “How about doing it now, like I asked you?” More dirty looks and rolled eyes as they jumped up to do it, but they were back in 30 seconds. (I’d already done 2/3s of the work anyway) They both jumped into their cars and tore out of the parking lot. When I got to the lunch place they were chatting with the AD. After lunch she pulled me aside and gave me a lecture on the use of “please” and “thank you” and how she doesn’t want to deal with this kind of tension. No shit, Sherlock. I tried asking nicely. When I ask nicely I get either ignored or argued with. When I make it more forceful, suddenly I’m the one showing a lack of manners.

Anyway, the evening performance went off without a hitch and I had a chance to talk to my crew during the show to show them the list of items that needed to get done after a show that I was getting stuck doing all by myself (though I didn’t bring that up). After the evening show, they hopped right to it and we had everything cleared up and put away in no more than 10 minutes, and they stuck around until I released them like I asked. MUCH better.

We then all met up at The Abbey, a near by restaruant / bar. It was karaoke night. I sat down with the gang (including my crew, the AD, and 3/4ths of the cast. The producer / director and the theater / house manager came later.) but was informed that I couldn’t sit at the crew table unless I was going to sing. I refused at first and sat with the cast. After seeing some of the other patrons go up and “sing” (I use the term loosly) I agreed to do a song. When I told them what I was going to do, two of them immediatly chimmed in that they’d do it with me.
After singing Garth Brooks Friends in Low Places (yes, believe it or not, I’m a Garth Brooks fan. Besides, it was the only song in the list that I recognized well enough to be confident I could sing it) I am no longer a karaoke virgin.
I tried to get a couple of the other guys to go up and do Twisted Sister’s We’re Not Gonna’ Take It with me, but no one new the song. Pity.
I had a blast. Hopefully we’ll do it again next week.