A Late-Night Metro Adventure. AND An Early Morning Corporate Theatre Meeting!

Gooooood Morning! Afternoon...

So last night was trying. After rehearsal was over (and really, who holds rehearsals at Clark Street until 11?) all of my usual rides were unavailable. That's cool. Tolmie was there so we planned to travel home together by metro. The last Yellow train is scheduled to leave Crystal City at 11:48, which would have gotten us to Gallery Place in time to catch the last Red train at 12:08.

Never Underestimate the Inefficiency of Wah-Mah-Ta (WMATA).

First of all, the Yellow Train didn't show until 12:02. We hoped, because of delays on the Red line earlier, that the 12:08 train was also delayed. Then our train stopped underground for almost 10 minutes. Tolmie was in constant relay with Derek about Bus Timetables and delay announcements (though there were none.) We were being Planbedextrous (metro vocab).

We arrived at G-place around 12:20. Just missnig the last Glenmont train (there had been delays, but it was not enough). The WMATA staff was pretty cool, since there were 8 of us that were now Effed in the A, they radioed the service car and let them know that they would be taking us to our destination with the rest of the staff on their way home. Which is pretty awesome, gots to admit. This is the one and only time WMATA has gotten points in my book. But anyway, we waited for probably another 20 minutes. We made it home around 1am. Not cool, but it could have been a lot worse.

If it's like that tonight, I'm leaving earlier. Damn straight!

Meanwhile, this morning the Box Office was closed so that we could attend the All-Staff Meeting and Production Display for The Imaginary Invalid. For the first half of the meeting, MKahn and the Businessy folks talked to us about stuff like how we LOST a LOT of money this season and that they're actually trying to be good business people when it comes to theatre. Now we'll set a budget... and STICK to it!

MKahn says that he had to do that for Antony and Cleopatra, this is how he put it: "Now instead of hiring out of NYC, you know because when you hire actors from there it's not just their wages, but their housing which is a lot. So I cut 6 actors from the show. And in cutting 6 bodies, it's not just the actors, you know, but their costumes and... you know. And because fighting would take up so much time, I cut all of the fights. And I think it's a better show! Now because I can't have whatever I want, I find myself using my imagination more!"

Congrats, MKahn, it's taken you 60 years to learn what everyone else in DC and the Rolling Stones already know. You can't always get what you want. Deal with it.

Then the director for Invalid did his little speech about his show. How he's been so fortunate to have performed here a few times and then have MKahn ask him to direct, 4 Times! For leaving London and his "CLOSE, PERSONAL FRIEND, DAME JUDY DENCH" (emphasis his) wish him well. And how unfortunate he is that he only gets a cast of 17 bodies (not people, bodies) so he can only have so much Ensemble. But he's going to work it into the piece in that you SEE everyone double and triple, SEE them change costumes and characters. WHAT a CONCEPT!

The set looks pretty cool, very classic for this piece, and the costume designer is an ARTIST.

Also ran into Adam at the Croissant table at a break, it was really cool to run into him. I need to say hi to more people more often.