My lack of writing updates isn’t just because I’ve been stuck in editing hell, which surely is in Dante’s circles somewhere. It’s the result of a very exciting turn in my theatre career. I’ve had the honor of stage managing for Hawai’i Opera Theatre’s 2022-2023 season. I stepped in as a substitute assistant stage manager for their production of The Secret Garden, then stepped up as stage manager for Elixir of Love (directed by the lovely Maria Todaro) and, most recently, Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi (joining up again with Gregory B. Keller, one of my favorite humans).
It’s hard not to say something cheesy like “stage management is where my heart is,” so I won’t try. Stage management really is where my heart is. It’s exhausting, sometimes thankless and lonely work, but I get the joy of working with incredible and talented people and seeing remarkable productions move through the process from rehearsal to performance. I get a front row seat to the dedication and hard work of all the different departments who come together to make opera work. Not everyone gets to look at this barely controlled chaos and think “This is my JOB!” I do, and I have come to love it, and the people I get the privilege of meeting. It might be cat herding, but they’re my cats and I’ve grown adoration for all of them.
Schicchi is, in part, based on Dante’s Inferno, and those who know me know I love a good story of the damned (which probably means I should actually read the source work).
In other news, No Takebacks is in editing, and should be back by the end of the month. Oh, wow, that’s tomorrow! I imagine I’ll have a lot to say as I progress in the publishing process for it. I can’t wait to get this book into your hands. I’m looking to pitch this one, so it may take longer than I like, but it will be worth it, I promise.
Until next time.
Leave a Reply