Yesterday I spent 8 hours talking to Colleen. Like it was ridiculous how fast time flew by. It was so great to finally get to talk in person again about studio, and religion and spirituality, and our summer journeys, and our plans for working together during the year, and Harry Potter, and Sweeney Todd, and IPA and dialects, and the millions of other interests we share. Colleen is probably the epitome of what I love about being at PHTS - people I can talk with about art in a language I understand, who constantly expand my mind and help me to figure things out, ask new questions, stretch myself, and keep working. PHTS and its people rarely fail to inspire me.
I've spent much of the last few days wandering the streets, reacquainting myself with the streets I'm thrilled to call home. The Gramercy area doesn't feel like my neighborhood yet. I still feel much more at home walking around Union Square and southwards, but I'm getting used to it up here. It's quieter, which I'm not sure I like, but which I am sure can be a good thing for me this year. I need to remember to remain centered, focused, disciplined.
I realized as I was talking with Colleen that part of why I worked so much harder on my directing project than my acting presentation was because with my directing scene, I was accountable to other people. I needed to be prepared for my rehearsal with my actors so I could articulate what I wanted, and have what they needed to move through the rehearsal successfully. I didn't push myself to the same standards when working with myself. So a goal for this year is to be more responsible to myself and not let myself off the hook when working alone. (I also plan to - and I expect will be forced to - work with others as much as possible, because my evaluations from my faculty last year across the board said collaboration will be a big deal for me.)
Wednesday, the first day of studio, cannot come soon enough. I'm desperate for classes. We don't get our schedules until registration, Tuesday night. It's insanely nerve-wracking. I've begun hearing about changes to second year, and I'm anxious to see how things work out, and to meet my new teachers, as well as reconnect with my old ones. I'm also looking forward to watching the process of the freshmen and reflecting again on my experiences last year while acquiring new knowledge and skills this year.
Aside from wishing it were Tuesday so I could be at my Modern US Drama class with Bob (!!!), things are really great. My roommates, Cassandra and Afaaf (happy birthday!), and I get along really well. They made French toast this morning for Afaaf's birthday, and it was delicious. Our apartment is all organized, and we're pretty settled in. I'll post pictures of the room soon. It's beautiful. I'm meeting people on the floor, which is already a big change from this time last year (that's kind of backwards, I know). Tomorrow we're having a floor potluck, and I'm interested to see how I do at being social with a bunch of strangers. I used to be really good at it, but I got much more introverted during high school. I think to an extent that's been changing in the last year, but I know I'm still frequently really stuck in my head a lot. I think a lot more than I speak, when I'm being serious.
Feeling the breath and energy of the city though has been a great inspiration to keep stretching my physical and metaphorical muscles. It feels good to be moving on my feet again and to be constantly surrounded by people, yet still be able to create my own personal space. Being in this city just always feels right. And having the gift of knowing that I will be here day after day for years is something I wouldn't give up for anything. I realized last night, too, that there are so many ridiculous circumstances that may exist in one's life as a result of living in this city. Those circumstances are absurd and unbelievable and amazing and ridiculous, and absolutely perfect. Life is silly and beautiful and I love it.
Slowly but surely I've been reconnecting with my friends here; Amy and Brianna of Blue have both stopped by, and I've spent time with Brandi on a few occasions, and of course much time has been spent with Christoph over the last three days. It's such a blessing to be among theatre people who are all curious and want to explore in a way similar to me. Of course, I could say the same thing about my UU friends. (Nat and Meredith are coming to visit in less than two weeks! Yay!)
It's been a little weird being away from my family after being with them so much this summer. Especially since my mom were together constantly for about a week when we drove out here, then to Ocean City, and went and saw several shows. (Quick notes: go see Rock of Ages to have a ridiculously good time, 9 to 5 closed today, which is kind of sad, because it was fun to see Allison Janney, Mary Poppins is fun, if 45 minutes too long and a little terrifying sometimes, and Chicago is awful and to be avoided at all costs, including free tickets.) It was fun to explore my new neighborhood with my mom though in this last week. She's starting to get to know her way around New York City pretty well (which I'm not sure she's glad about, but she loves me!).
I think that's about all for now. I'm pretty sure I finished my last summer assignment tonight, for Michael Krass of course. Look for an "Oh my god I'm back at studio!" post in a few days. :)
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