Chromatic Chimera

I feel like I should talk to people, but then I don't. I worked in the scene shop again today, surrounded by people and noise. But they aren't MY people. I'm like a visitor in there. I show up and work every now and then. People are friendly, and they kind of know me since I've been around for about 3 years, but they aren't really friends. Two of the scene design students were talking, and I know both of them and am pretty friendly with them. At first I thought I should go talk to them, but then I thought, what's the point? They're certainly talking about something I wasn't there for, and I'm not a part of. So why bother? That right there is a huge flaw in the department. There is no community. At CMSU, we had a greenroom where we would hang around between classes and eat lunch. We got to know each other and be friends there. At UMKC I don't even remember the names of the first year students, and why would I? I never see them. About 95% of theatre is networking, and UMKC's whole dynamic works against it. It's a real flaw in the program.

In other news, I realized this week that I got royally screwed. I was planning to assist on "Give 'em Hell, Harry", which is an MRT show. It's a Rep show at Union Station, which means it's a good responsibility, and I might have been paid. I had to give it up because it overlapped with "Pippin," which I was to be designing for the conservatory. I would have gotten paid for that too, but it still would be a crappy job. Just to compare, "Pippin" is like the generic vanilla sandwich cookie, and "Harry" is more like a chocolate torte. You get my point. Anyway, Harry runs this fall, and then closes and reopens for a few weeks in the spring.

Then Robyn's wedding came along, and I realized that it's the same time as "Pippin," which I didn't want to do anyway. So as I'm trying to get out of Pippin so I can participate fully in the wedding, I find out that Jen is going to assist on Harry. AND not only did she get MY job, but the designer can't come back in the spring so SHE will get to remount the show. GODDAMMIT!! She will get paid again to do that, and will (sort of but not really, let's just say almost) be designing a Rep show. To reiterate, If Pippin is working at McDonald's, Harry is managing a restaurant on the Plaza. Fuck me.

So in the end, it's good thing that I'm not doing anything during Robyn's wedding, so I won't be distracted. But I got screwed out of a real job that would have been good for my career at the Rep. I could have done both, if it weren't for that stupid damned PIPPIN. Argghh!!