Thursday, July 22, 2010

Upswings



At one point during the course of my "f-unemployment" I was given some helpful advice: broadcast your need. Seemed like a good idea, seeing as how people won't usually offer you work if they don't know you're looking. And when that friend of a friend mentions they have a gig, you want YOUR name to be the first one to pop up in your friend's head. So I forced myself to stop being embarrassed and managed to slip my job hunt into every conversation I had. Friends, acquaintances, random people on the subway... throw the net wide, right?

Then one random afternoon in the first few days of February, I got a call from a number I didn't recognize. It was the co-producer of MCC Theater's Youth Company's winter show. He explained that he needed a production assistant for this show, maybe even an assistant director. And the job started immediately. And it paid.

What?

Turns out my friend (and former summer camp RA) John had mentioned my name when they were brainstorming ideas of people to help with the show. I'd worked with MCC's Youth Company a few years back on their annual UNCENSORED show as an unpaid assistant, so I was a good fit for this project - many of the kids I'd worked with then were still involved. Naturally, I was overjoyed to have this new show to work on, especially when I got to see the great team they'd assembled. Working with such bright, talented High School kids was a good reminder too, proving to me again that I did love this, despite the hardships of the field. (The picture is from opening night!)

I didn't stop looking for other jobs though. I was still applying like mad, checking Playbill's online job postings every day. And then I heard back from one, an organization called the Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York (or A.R.T./New York for short). They were looking for a development intern, which wasn't exactly what I was looking to do, but their mission sounded so interesting I figured I would at least go to the interview (watch the video on the front page of their website, and you'll understand!). As soon as I met the Director and the Associate Director of Development, I knew I wanted to work there. They were funny, smart, and excited about what they they were doing - and why wouldn't they be, since their job was to get money for the use of nearly 300 member theatres?

I found out I got the job a few days later, and started with them right at the beginning of March. Most of my work involved cleaning up data related to their annual gala (to be held in June) and making it usable. It was decent pay too, but it was only twenty hours a week, so I kept looking for other jobs to fill up my days/wallet. And it's a good thing I did...

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Bounced Reality Check


Never thought I'd catch this blog up to the current year did ya? Yeah... neither did I!

I spent New Year's Eve in Chicago with Aidan, where we had a lovely dinner with friends before bundling up and trying to head downtown for the fireworks. We just missed the train though, and decided to trudge back and watch the televised ball drop (slightly ironic that I end up watching Times Square coverage after having just left? Perhaps). Then after the festivities, we kicked off 2010 right - with an all night road trip. Yes, it was back to Ohio for us, in preparation for my friend Julie's wedding (!) that Saturday. I was the maid of honor, and after being hundreds of miles away during most of the planning, I was determined to be there for all of the day-before prep.

We pulled in as the sun was rising, and I managed to get in a few hours of sleep before heading to her mom's house (which is exactly 5k/3.1 miles from my house; Julz and I used to run from one to the other for cross country practice)! We got working right away, assembling bouquets, packing up reception supplies, and running errands. The day flew by, but we manged to get just about everything finished. Saturday dawned bright and chilly, with a gentle snow. Of course, there was last minute rushing and a few frantic moments, but everything turned out beautifully. Most importantly, Cory and Julie seemed to have a great time.

A few days later, I packed up and headed back to the city. It was a little surreal; I'd done several internships before in places like Minneapolis and Chicago, but I'd always headed back to Ann Arbor when they were finished. There I was, having just wrapped up MTC... and still in New York. A definite "Welcome to adulthood" moment, made even more real by the fact that I was without a job. I tried not to focus on that though. I still had enough money left from my Dr. Phil gig to survive for a month, maybe two, so I got right to work hunting through job postings for the right fit. I soon got an assistant-director position at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, working alongside Burke Walker (founder of the The Empty Space Theatre in Seattle) on a production of the 1937 play "Time and the Conways". It was only temporary though, and it certainly wasn't enough to pay the bills, so I kept looking for some supplemental work.

And so a routine was born: Wake up, travel to the lower east side, rehearse, come home, apply for jobs. Sleep. Repeat.

After a few weeks of this, my optimism began to wear thin. As did my savings.

It was the first time since arriving in New York that I really questioned myself. Was working in the arts worth all the pressure and stress of struggling to survive? Now, let me be clear on one point: Never during this admittedly low period was I in danger of living on the street, or not eating, or burning my manuscripts for heat a la RENT style. Thanks to incredibly supportive parents, I knew there was a safety net there should I fall. But that didn't make me any more okay with falling. Fortunately, along with the promise of financial support, my family was always there to give me emotional support. At times, that meant listening to my fears. At others, it meant telling me to stop whining and remember that many more experienced people had been out of work for six months. Or a year. And that this is what I wanted to do.

I could not - could NOT - have survived without them. And I can't begin to thank them enough.

Of course, this odd period of semi-employment did lend itself to some unique sort of adventures and mini-jobs. I hawked comedy show flyers for a day, dreamed up a dog-walking business, and trained to be an SAT tutor, among other things. I also went back to MTC for a day and helped them with their Winter Benefit at the Plaza (my duty was to escort SNL alum Ana Gasteyer). But when February rolled around, things took a whole new turn...

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Turkeys and Yaks


Somehow amidst all the adventures, the holiday season snuck up on me. I flew back to Ohio for Thanksgiving, and had a wonderful time visiting my family. It was a short trip, but we packed in a lot of fun (like our annual "Flying Feather Four-Miler" run the morning of; the picture is of Rachel and I crossing the finish line together). Rachel regaled us all with stories from her Bhutan trip too (if you haven't checked it out already, take a look at her page on the Bisker wiki; the pictures are wild! And yes, our family does have a wiki. Top THAT!). She brought home some cool trinkets too; some families just have pumpkin pie at thanksgiving... we got prayer flags and yak-hair scarves!

Once I got back to New York, I only had two and a half weeks left at my Manhattan Theatre Club casting internship. After a lot of thought, I'd decided not to stay on with MTC for the entire theatrical season (Sept-May) as originally planned. It was a great experience, and I learned so much about the casting world, but the work hours to pay ratio was wearing me out. I also felt that it was simply too large of an organization for me in the long run. So, despite not having anything else lined up, I went ahead and told them I'd be leaving after the winter break. It was harder than I'd expected; MTC had been a sort of first home for me after landing in New York. But it was the right choice. Of course, right before I flew home for Christmas, I got one last great invite because of MTC (we got a lot of nice comp offers to various shows while I was there). This one was to a private pre-screening of the movie Nine (a film which was based on the Broadway musical Nine, which itself was based on Federico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8½. Follow that?) at the Crosby Street Hotel Film Club. I found the movie enjoyable, despite its flaws, and was excited to listen to the talk back with director Rob Marshall, of musical-movie Chicago fame. I was even more excited when a surprise guest showed up to join the talk back: the star of the film, Mr. Daniel Day-Lewis himself. Hearing him talk about acting and art and the industry was exactly the send-off I needed. I left for home in high spirits, eager for the challenges 2010 would bring.