California!

I have been given the most incredible opportunity this summer. I am currently in California for the Bay Area Playwrights' Festival. My scenic design professor, Mellie, has started the New Play Design Lab this summer, so I get to be part of something new. I'm feeling pretty lucky right now - I received a grant from Lehigh University to do this, or I never would have been here. It's almost frightening to see just how much people believe in me, but I want more than anything to prove them all right.

Turtles!

The trip started with a conference at the San Damiano Retreat, which is the most peaceful place I have ever been. The first night, I ended up wandering around outside, and the air was light and smelled of flowers. The best part, however, was spending time with so many talented artists. At 20 years old, I was a bit intimidated coming in, but everyone was very welcoming. There is a certain insanity that artists have which makes me feel right at home.

That creek runs down the steps - so cool!

Got the time?

There are six plays being performed this summer, and each one was read by the playwright. I have actually never been able to spend time with playwrights, and hearing their perspective on theatre in general and their plays specifically was fascinating. When they read their own plays, their love for the art is apparent in every word. This hit me especially with the playwright I am working with, George. I had read his play, but the tension that he created when reading aloud drew me in, and I found myself almost crying by the end. The emotions I had felt on first reading it were intensified a hundred-fold. The language he uses is incredibly visual, which, as a designer, is always inspiring. The emphasis on color as emotion drew me into the character's psyche. I was able to physically feel the play, as my heart swelled, trying in vain to escape the cage of my ribs and find freedom and blue. We also had time to meet with our teams, director, playwright, and dramaturg. My team was very excited to bring in a design element, which was very encouraging. All of them were able to speak visually, to hear the sounds of the play, and were just very fun to talk with about designing the play.

After the conference, we returned to San Francisco, and I checked into my hotel. Mellie, Luke, two of Mellie's friends from the area (she's originally from the city), and I went to see Spunk at Cal Shakes. It is a fabulous new musical consisting of three stories of the early twentieth century. The actors encouraged audience participation, and danced, acted, and sang beautifully. One of the women was the main singer, and her voice sent chills down my spine. I also absolutely LOVED the Zoot Suits worn in the second story, especially a stunning red one. The third act made me somewhat sad, because it was so strongly focused on relationships. I wished that my boyfriend could be with me, to see everything that I am absolutely loving about this experience. I was cheered up by the best part, though, which was the dance party on stage afterwards. I love dancing, and I loved just being a part of a group doing jazz and blues dance.

We got to create our own instruments for the show, and I made a sort of a stringed percussion square

The city itself is stunning, and there are actual streetcars! Luke has been making fun of me for geeking out about all of the architecture in the area, but I couldn't care less. It is beautiful here, and I want to see and experience everything!

Pretty much Luke's reaction to everything I say