On Tuesday, July 1, we created a performance space out of an old gymnasium.  About 35 people showed up to load in seating platforms, build the seating sections, place chairs, hang backdrops, and generally transform the old gym into Headwaters Headquarters.

It’s one of my favorite days in the whole process.  It’s community in action - young guys and old guys, women and children, some folks busy the whole time, some folks with time to gossip and catch up.  And by about 3 pm, the space was transformed.  Jerry Grillo, Roger Williams,  Mike Kaiser and I assisted Tommy Deadwyler in hanging the two big backdrops that contain the seating section, and then it was all done.  Here’s a little video:

In the midst of this, I had to leave, get all dressed up (well, a nice linen outfit instead of shorts and a polo shirt) and go to the White County Rotary Club as the featured speaker of the day.  Quite a contrast, and an opportunity to speak about what Headwaters is and what it does.  And an opportunity to sing, too - Courtney Johnston, a past president of Rotary, joined me in singing Hard Times.  It’s was Courtney’s first time singing in front of Rotary.  She’s been hiding her light under a bushel.  There were spontaneous testimonials about the show after I was through extolling its virtues as an agent of community change (with references to Jo’s book, Spider Speculations). 

The performers (those who hadn’t participated in the platform load-in) were appropriately impressed with the change in the gym - I love it when people walk in and say "wow" first thing.  And Mallory London, our stage manager, was back in rehearsals for the first time in a week and a half (family obligations, poor dear), and she was delightfully blown away by how the show had grown in that time.

Today, we’re finishing focusing the lights and setting up cues.  We’re ahead of schedule on the lights, thanks to Jessica Coale, our fabulous designer, and Dale Farmer, electrician and all round good guy, working with Tommy D to get everything ready.  We have a built-in reward: if we get all the light cues done, we all get to take two full days off on the 4th and 5th of July.  So we’re working at it - witness the power of good incentives!

Tonight, another run-through, probably with some lights on it.  One week from our first public performance - and this company is nearly ready for an audience.  Wahoo!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 am and is filed under Headwaters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.