The Last "Lazy" Saturday at PNT

Today is the last lazy Saturday for the Apprenti. Now, "lazy" has a different meaning to us than it has to, say, Calvin and Hobbes (The Lazy Sunday Book). Lazy, to Apprenti, doesn't mean that we don't have any work to do. It means that we don't have a children's show in the morning, cleaning after that show, a 3 pm professional show, a scramble to reset the theatre, and an 8 pm show. Lazy means that we have some office work and a show at 8.

The reason for this lazy Saturday is, of course, that it's the first preview weekend. Usually on these days, the only people at the theatre are Mike and myself, as everyone else finally has a day to catch their breath, secure in the knowledge that one show is closed and another is on track to open without any major disasters. Two preview audiences have weighed in on the new stuff, and three more will get that chance before Opening Night. Much, if not all, is right with the world. It's quiet, which is absurdly rare.

Makes a fellow reflective, as this is the last show we'll run as apprentices. Yes, over the summer, we'll be turning our jobs over to some other young folks. Doubtless they are embarrassingly overqualified and will make us look like the navel-gazing slothboxes we are, but for a fleeting moment, we will know more than they do about working at PNT specifically.

In a while, I'm going postering, because you, your family, your friends, your co-workers and acquaintances, your neighbors and landlords, and that cute girl or guy with whom you make eye contact for a little under two seconds across the counter at the coffee shop as you do your best to give nothing away even though you desperately want to make the moment last, all need to know about A Picasso, which is an excellent show. Heck, I'm even interrupting a blog post about my apprenticeship to advertise it, because that's what an apprentice does.

Lest this sound too much like a wistful, last-day-on-the-job, Ben-Folds-playing-in-the-background post, let me remind you that Mike and I are here for a while yet, and we have a ton to do before we're done with this place. (I'm writing this because it's the last lazy Saturday, remember?) And Ben Folds is most certainly not playing in the background. Note: If Ben Folds is playing on your iTunes or Pandora, you are required to turn it off now and re-read this post from the beginning. Working at the PNT means being part of something groovy, and I expect I'll be picking up tricks o' the trade and making wisecracks with the staff for the next two months non-stop.

Hope you're enjoying your lazy Saturday. I'm enjoying another weekend at the theatre.

Thanks for readin',

Russ