5 Days Before We Open

And it's around this time in the pre-production process that everyone turns into a completely different person.

Amazing to see what effects stress has on a personality. Our director has gotten very funny (she was funny to begin with, but now she's punchy funny and quite witty.)

Our costume designer has gotten very verbal with her thank yous and encouragements, which means a lot when you're lost in the wilderness with a hot glue gun and miles of silk ribbon that you're supposed to transform into a lion's mane. "That looks amazing" she says, and suddenly, all your burnt fingers are worthwhile.

Our Munchkins are so in sync that they're finishing each other sentences when they're not onstage.

And as for me? I'm swearing. A lot. Not AT anyone. Just in general conversation. It's easier to express your thoughts through profanity(like how stupid people are on Wilshire Blvd. during 6pm traffic.) Such a shorthand, when you're working on five and a half hours of sleep every day.

When you're opening five days away, all you see is what's going wrong. Light cues, sound cues, dialogue goofs, our rabbit puppet doesn't have eyes, do we need a makeup person. Intellectually, you know everything will sort itself out. Emotionally, you're not there yet.

Everyone is working their ass off, and we're actually much farther along in terms of cue to cues than many productions are. It's just that we've got so much technical stuff going on that it's hard to see how far we've come, because all I can see is how far we have to go.

It will be fine. Oh yes, it will be.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!