Mime4Jesus - Setting the Hamlet (Among Other Occurrences)

Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set the example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. I Timothy 4:12

Mar. 29, 2009

Setting the Hamlet (Among Other Occurrences)

It is finished.

OK, so I guess I shouldn’t parody Jesus’ last words. But this years’ YCW was the biggest undertaking yet, so having it behind us kind of feels like… something big. Haha. I’m kind of brain dead right now, but need to write this down.

Jo and I did the customary run-around-like-chickens-with-our-heads-cut-off routine for half an hour before we left around 8:40 to get to the church at 9. I wanted to get there early but when we did arrive – in the rain – the only people not there yet were the Duncans and Josh, so even though we were early we weren’t. Oh, well.

Of course, on the day of a presentation, my thoughts are first and foremost on props, so I immediately grabbed Emily and asked her to ask Ryan if we were using props to practice with that morning. He said no – I questioned this but am learning to submit (hey, that’s our Bible study discipline) – so Emily and I grabbed, folded, packed, and checked props. We put most of the props in the black/red duffel (not the HUGE ones) and all the Bibles – we later figured out we needed more, so about 16ish – in that black roller suitcase we take on mission trips. We just took the printer and other stuff out of it and dumped it on one of the shelves in the prop room. The flags went into a big black trash bag so they wouldn’t get wet. Someone would have to carry the crosses through the City.

Once most everyone was there Ryan called everyone to the front, had someone pray, and commenced practicing. We started with Go, skipped Stand, and went through Virtuoso, Faithful, America Again, and Love Story before going back to Stand. We used Bibles for Go and America Again and streamers and crosses for Love Story but left all the rest of the props packed up. We did a lot of stop-and-starting to fix various things – was kinda scary all the various things we had to fix – but eventually we were pretty ready. Not totally, but pretty. So packed up the remaining props and waited till 10:45 to leave. Spent the extra time praying and talking about what to expect… and calling MELISSA, who got to come! HALLELUJAH! And there was MUCH rejoicing.

On the way out to the City – I was in the white van with Egroj driving – Kristi played Adventures in Odyssey. The one about Tasha and Dr. Blackgaard and Jason and TA418. Which was kind of random, but I guess it kept us from singing VeggieTales. We got there and it was cold but no longer raining, just sort of misting. Of course, in keeping with tradition, Tess took off to figure out what was going on and we were left in the employee parking lot.

After a few minutes we all piled out, grabbed props, and headed inside, with me leading (at Mr. Brown’s bidding). Through Geyser Gulch, past the toy shop, past the Lost River (people were actually riding it), past the wax man and up to the Saloon. Knocked on the side door where we usually enter but the dude said there was a show going on and we couldn’t put our stuff where we usually do because there was too much stuff back there already. Said we could put it in the side door so long as we were really quiet. I grabbed the gloves and the prop bag and stepped over the chain, creaked open the door, and deposited the stuff inside. I felt really bad about it for a long time. Not sure why. It was pretty weird.

We went to the Mine Restaurant, divided up into groups of eight (but ended up we didn’t have to), went through the buffet line, sat down, got up and moved at Jorge’s suggestion, and ate. They have the cutest short squatty cups there. They had pink lemonade and I knew it was really good – had it at Mary’s something restaurant last year – but opted for water this year. Learned that Emily B hates pork.

Plan changes:
Started: going to the Saloon at 1:30
Going to the Saloon at 12:30
Putting makeup on at the Saloon
Going to the van at 12:30
Putting makeup on at the van

I guess the reason Mr. Brown kept telling me everything was because I knew my way around the park (but then, most of the team did). At any rate, it made me feel important. :) Went back to the van. Down the big hill to the right. Past Browns’ candy factory (despite Jo’s pleas to stop). Braked at Thunderation for a quick bathroom break. Past the flooded mine. Over the train tracks. Past the waterboggan. Back through Geyser Gulch. Through the “employees only” door.

We arrived at the van and Tess was quick to inform us that nobody could put makeup on in the red van. The result was that most of us ended up doing our makeup outside. The girls hurried over to the far side of the red van – the vans were parked side by side – to do the AIM-change. That is, we put our mime shirts on over our navys (navies?) and then took the navies off from under the stripes. After we were all changed, this is how it looked:

Courtney had her mirror propped up on the first bench seat in the red van and was standing outside of it, doing her makeup. Melissa was on that side doing Maria’s makeup. I had my makeup balanced on the hood of the red van and was doing it there with Madison and Moriah (who did her white and had help with the rest from Madison). Heather, Josiah, John, and a couple others were in the white van applying the stuff (which would not spread). Ryan was standing between the vans doing several guys at once – at least that’s what it looked like. Tess was sitting in the first bench seat of the white van doing Hannah’s makeup (think she did Emily D’s as well?). We were pretty spread out. It was cold; it was misting; it was windy. It was hilarious.

It was quite the ordeal to get all our makeup applied in the cold, but we eventually finished and even had a bit of extra time (to stand around in the cold) before we had to go into the City. I’m making this sound terrible; sorry. It wasn’t that bad. It was really good that we had extra time, too, because it was during that extra time that I realized we didn’t have the suitcase of Bibles. Now THAT was a fiasco waiting to happen! After a few heart-pounding moments Courtney found them in the back of the red van and we all exchanged glances of relief. In hindsight I realize I didn’t thank God for that. Should have… He saved me a LOT of worry. We prayed while we waited and tried to warm each other up.

So back through the City, this time as mimes. We got the usual stares and strange comments, and I even heard a mime pun. Can’t remember what it was but it made me think of Lori Ann. We got to the Saloon and waited about five minutes before they opened the doors to let people out and Tess opened the backstage right door to let us in. As soon as we got in, everybody went nuts.

The doors opened at two and it was 1:30ish, I think. Jory and kids were almost instantly on the balcony, Jory brandishing a microphone (he wasn’t really, but it’s such a cool word I hard to use it). Ryan went somewhere to do something with sound. Tess was telling people where to put their stuff. Emily, Madison, Courtney and I were setting props. Everybody was throwing stuff everywhere and trying to find gloves. It was crazy and hectic and totally awesome. I love the thrill of YCW.

We set props as quickly as possible and ran staging for every song, which was VERY helpful. Changed a couple of things – like in Faithful, we came out from the door by the bathroom on stage right instead of from double zero, which I think worked really well. Kudos to whoever – Melissa? – mentioned it. Realized we’d have to be cautious not to whack anyone in Love Story with our ribbons. Took some people out of the dance in Virtuoso. Told people that we could use the little part in front of the stairs and right next to the piano on stage left. Encouraged spread-out staging. Ran Love Story One.

Started to run LS2 and then realized that the doors were opening in four minutes. Panicked (that was me). Did the chicken routine again trying to get all the props reset. Once the doors were open and I was stuck offstage left I realized that we needed more blood (red sashes) on stage left. Told Jorge. He dutifully ran across the stage and came back with some other prop I needed as well. Asked him about the blood. Turns out he’d taken some from SL to SR. Rats. Needed that blood on this side of the stage. Melissa the small to the rescue! She skinnied behind the curtain with the props I needed and came out on the other side without being seen. I’ll bet she did that at least six times DURING the presentations. She’s awesome.

It was Madison, Heather, Rachel, Hannah, John and I on SL (plus Jorge, the “stage manager” for offstage left during the presentations). We all gathered together to pray as people came in, and after that just stood around. Of course I was freaking out. As a prop person I feel it’s my duty to freak out before the first presentation at YCW. Not really. But I really was freaking out. Hannah mentioned it outright. I tried to calm down. What is it about YCW that makes me so jittery? Must just be because of all the problems we’ve had in the past.

So then the music started for Go and, like I said last year, the rest is history.

Dad was there for the first presentation and he only had enough battery to tape Go and Love Story, but I think he picked the right ones to tape. Go the second time went better than Go the first time – so what else is new – but the problems weren’t major. Actually, we didn’t have any major problems. Surprise, surprise. It was weird.

Anyway, in Go I had this piece of some sort of white papery stuff stuck to my shoe and didn’t realize it till I fell out of the V. Pretty bad. Pretty obvious. Oh, well. :)

More later. It’s late. Keep reading to find the meaning of the title. :)

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Mar. 30, 2009 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Claire

AHH!!! So exciting!! Keep writing - I promise I'm still reading. :)

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