Trust me I do this all the time...

I have spent the past week at school late every night and not because I'm in a production, but because the dread VD organized a local group called the Music Room into renting my theatre. I call it mine because I use it the most and really care about the space. My kids are running the lights and sound because it is my new equipment in there and I really don't anybody to screw it up.

I don't mind doing these things. What I do mind is when the director of said production group talks down to me or talks down to my kids. I also mind when the VD lets these people do whatever they want in my space with my stuff. At this time both of spot lights are down because they weren't bright enough, some strange man has patched into the back of my sound board so he can illegally videotape the show, they are using all kinds of my stuff without asking (including the blocking of some girl into standing on my sofa, now I don't come to their facility and stand on their furniture). It's just nutty!

The one advantage to all this chaos is that my kids are getting to see how another director works. They say they like be better. It was nice. It is also giving me some time to try and catch up (you can see I'm doing a good job at that one). So, in an effort to be the productive teacher/director I am here is a list of what I will get done tonight...

1. grade papers from today
2. make fliers for our first ever Thespian Inductions
3. prep for tomorrow's lesson on Dadaism (makes for a really fun poetry project)
4. update the list of students who owe me money
5. figure out what the heck I'm going to do with my tech kids tomorrow
6. design my display board for the upcoming ROP Career Fair

That should take me right up to about 10:00pm when all should be done. Then it's home to get some sleep and do it all again tomorrow night.

I know that I don't know my new equipment as well as I should but I do happen to teach 4 different preps, direct shows, run the staff club, participate on the school site council, am a union rep and cook for my husband. I'm sorry if I can't spent hours on end in the theatre just learning the equipment. And even if I don't know it as well as I should, I know a hell of a lot.