Countdown

Tick, tock...

Final studio rehearsals today and tomorrow, and then tomorrow night we move to the theater to begin tech-ing for Saturday's opening. The production crew has been there since yesterday, loading in, laying the floor, and setting cues. This show is going to keep everyone backstage on alert all night long since there are eleven ballets (am I counting right?) instead of the usual three or four. When I went in for my final Emeralds costume fitting this morning, Kathy Scoggins, our wardrobe mistress, expressed some apprehension mixed with resolve about the number of quick changes she has to orchestrate. We did do two costume run-throughs in the studio last week without catastrophe, but running this program in real time and space could be a different ball game.

The mood throughout the company is fantastic, very excited and ready to get back onstage where we belong. I'm really proud to be a part of this program, to look back and honor the company's history and recognize that I am a part of it. So many OBT alumni will be at the performance on Saturday night, and we'll all be on stage at the end of the evening to bow together and share a moment of pride in our contributions to Portland's ballet company. Just thinking about how important and momentous that is gives me goosebumps. I hope in another twenty years I can join the 2029 OBT company members for another retrospective.