Barn Parties and Grunt Work

As everyone already knows, I got to Texas last Tuesday. I'm all settled in now--for the most part anyway--and am still kind of trying to make the apartment feel like a home. I've been able to keep myself busy, which is good. I have a light design that I've started working on and there are a few other random things that I've needed to get done. If you know me, then you know that I enjoy staying busy!

Last Friday night was my first night to really meet anyone else (other than my roommates) who are working on the show. The company threw a barn party at the stables across the street from our apartment complex as a meet and greet with the folks who are on the board of the company. There was dinner, dancing, and a live and silent auction to raise money for the company. I enjoyed meeting everyone and I am so glad that when I'm in a room full of other people now who are part of the company I actually know someone!
ALSO, I absolutely love all of the people I'm working with who are on the hospitality team with me. They are all fabulous people and I'm really looking forward to getting to know all of them. I'll keep you posted on if they all remain fabulous or not....just kidding! I'm sure they will remain fabulous. Everyone is really helpful and ready to jump in and do things. It's really GREAT to work with people who are ready to do anything.

Tuesday night was my first night of job training, and I feel like it went really well. Everyone on the hospitality team broke up into their individual groups and we did training that way for a while then got back together again for some more specific training and recieved information about ushering and grounds work.
I guess this is the part where I tell you what I'm doing for the whole summer....
Bascially.... Everyone is going to be ushering at some point or other throughout the summer. There is a very specific schedule that has been made up (and is also currently being revised, since some people are only working four days a week), so we all usher in shifts.
At the beginning of each night, another girl (Shain) and I will do grounds--which basically means we will walk throughout the entire theater (house, bathrooms, walkways, courtyard, etc.) and pick up any garbage that is lying around. When we open the house, Shain and I will take our places at the gate to greet everyone and tear tickets. It's one of those tedious jobs, it also means that we get to meet lots of people, and I absolutely love working close to people. I feel like I'm a friendly person, and this will give me a chance to work on my people skills! Yay!
After we're done tearing tickets, we head up to usher for half an hour, then do grounds, then usher again. It's basically in half hour segments, and we get one 15 minute break.
BUT, the most exciting part (at least what I think is the most exciting part) is that I get to give tours! I will be giving tours of the theater and of the Palo Duro Canyon (like bus tours). We don't give tours every night, but I'm so excited to be able to tell patrons the history of the theater and the canyon! I'm just excited to learn the history of the canyon. I was reading through the tour guide handbook tonight, and there's some pretty interesting stuff--rock formations and such--in the canyon. Which means I'm also going to have to drive through the canyon--further into it than I have been going. I suppose that means my next day off will have to be devoted to exploring the canyon and learning about it.

Anyway.... Tonight was the first night of real work, although we didn't actually have people coming with paid tickets. It was one of those nights that we theatre-y folk like to call a 'preview.' People who work at the local hotels and restaurants were invited to come for The Big Texan dinner (which I get to try tomorrow night!) and the show.
The 'real' work tonight came before the show started. What I'm referring to as 'grunt work' was having to sit in the hot sun in the house and peel tape off of all of the chairs that are by the aisles. I have blisters on my fingers and my nails are broken, but I can't really complain because it's work that needs to be done.

That's all for now, folks.
I will definitely keep you posted. Opening night is Friday and we're sold out! I'm so excited to see what a regular night is like at "TEXAS!"

I hope ya'll are having a wonderful summer so far, but I can guarantee that it's not as fabulous as mine has been!

Jen