It's cold in January, even at The Station

I learned a lot from this show. What a great experience! The only real bummer was the biggest lesson I learned:

Always have a good grasp on:

1. Who is available to help you.
2. When they are available to help you.
3. What they are willing to do.

When we moved in to the space and started working on this set, I just had it in my mind that I’d be doing most of the work. I was totally incorrect, and I feel I wasted a good deal of Sierra and Aaron’s time as a result. Luckily, they didn’t kill me.

Other highlights I learned from this show:

Always lay down a primer coat when covering a scene on the floor or walls.

Beautiful floor from Rhino shone through 2 coats of paint

Thankfully, Sierra didn’t kill me for this one, either. She painted over Rhino’s floor twice with our beautiful watery blue before we decided it had to be primed. She went over that floor 4 times for this show!

Attention to detail

At one point near opening day, we were getting a few last-minute things done. I think I was screwing a board to cover a doorway and painting it. In the meantime, Sierra was taping off the edges of the watery-blue floor and painting the outside freshly black. It looked so sharp! Sometimes I overlook how such a seemingly simple little detail can make the space look so much better for patrons.

Sunday work calls can make a big difference

Rob fixed up this nasty angle

For some reason, I was nervous about the Sunday work call. I was still mad at myself for not making the most of Sierra and Aaron’s time from the beginning. So, I prepared specific tasks I could assign to folks for the work day.

Everyone who came was a huge help. We really maximized our time! Amanda painted a bunch of white wall pieces. Rob undertook some carpentry work after stating that he “doesn’t really know how to do this,” and his work was fantastic. This, that, and the other — by the end of the day, we really were almost ready.

I need to make a point to attend more work days and strikes for other shows…