Day 71: Iolanthe Opening

Back in the good old days when Iolanthe was still an everyday part of my life, I wrote a couple blog posts about the experience. Due to lack of photos and general busy-ness, I never posted them. So now, I present to you, a series of three posts about Iolanthe. Today's installment was written the day of the first show, when I was definitely feeling the pre-show jitters...

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Iolanthe opens today!

It’s bizarre to think that we’ll actually be performing in just a few hours. The dress rehearsal yesterday, where we finally got to use the real stage, made it feel a bit more real, but it’s still strange to think that all our hard work is going to pay off tonight.

There's nothing like being on stage again...

We’ve put so much effort into this show. Gilbert and Sullivan Operettas aren’t easy, but I’ve been really impressed with how everyone has handled the challenge. For the most part it’s been relatively smooth sailing, until the past few weeks where the little issues have started to surface. Singing with a live orchestra, for instance, is much more difficult than I expected. However, everyone’s really stepped up their game in the past few days, and I’m confident everything will fall into place tonight.

Fairies watching during the dress rehearsal

We had a bit of a scare on Saturday when our title character was ill. One of the other chorus principles was bumped up to play Iolanthe, so I had to take her songs and a few lines. It was a little stressful, having to learn extra parts at such short notice, but it was also really exciting to find that we were so well prepared to handle the crisis. As it turned out, the actress playing Iolanthe was better in time for the dress rehearsal, so the show will run as planned. But I still know Lelia’s part, in case she accidentally trips on the stairs…

One thing I’ve loved about being in Iolanthe is that I got to be the choreographer for the show. I joined the production expecting that there would be quite a bit of choreography involved (all the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas I’ve seen before have been quite dance-heavy) and was disappointed to learn that there would be very little dance. When the director learned I was interested in choreography, he started giving me little bits of music to fill with dance until eventually, just three weeks ago, I was officially dubbed Lord High Choreographer.

Loudly let the trumpets bray!

Initially, it was rather stressful being thrown into this role three weeks before the show (not that I’m complaining—I kinda asked for it…) I had four dance segments to create and teach to a cast of mainly non-dancers. The first choreography rehearsal was really nerve-wracking because I had just spent hours composing the dances, and I was worried the director wouldn’t like them. Instead, he really liked what I had created, and he contributed a couple ideas to make them even better. My volunteer dancers were also super keen and enthusiastic, and they learned the combination really quickly.

In short, Iolanthe has been a whirlwind of singing and dancing, of new experiences and new friends combined with general Gilbert and Sullivan awesomeness. It’s been so much fun, and I’m already excited for next year’s production. 

Day 31: One Month!

A month ago today, to the hour in fact (and I mean the hour that I’m writing this, not posting it, because, you know, editing takes time), I arrived in St. Andrew’s.

It’s been a whirlwind ride. Life is only now finally fitting itself into a routine, and, for better or for worse, that routine actually involves a lot of school work. The first few weeks were like a vacation, but now I spend most of my time in my room hunched over a book. Things should get better in a few weeks, though, once my two major essays are handed in and I’ve written the Old English Vocabulary test.

 

(Old English Word of the Day: anfloga means “solitary flyer” and its only recorded use is in an elegy known as “The Seafarer.” I’m not quite sure why I love this word so much, but I think it’s because its flowing sound captures both the sadness and beauty of being alone.)

I realized the other day that being here for one month means that I have already lived through a 9^th of my time in Scotland. Now, I know that a 9^th isn’t exactly a huge fraction, but it is a substantial chunk. I’m not a complete newbie anymore… and I don’t have unlimited time ahead of me.

 

I don’t think too much about how many days I have left, though, because I simply don’t have the time to mope about how my time here won’t last forever. Aside from school work, I’ve settled on these activities:

Christian meetings such as bible studies, worship nights, and prayer meetings happen nearly every day. The Christian community here has just been so welcoming and kind that I felt right at home from day one. Definitely an answer to prayer! The Christian Union also lets me get a little more involved in giving back to the town, by volunteering at Toastie bar (which sells 50p toasties and donates the proceeds to charity) or doing yard work for elderly neighbours.

 

Performing Arts are also a huge part of my life here. While I’ve had to drop my dance class due to a scheduling conflict (sadness…), I landed a lead-chorus role in the Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s Iolanthe, which rehearses twice a week until the show in mid-November. I’m also co-directing (and possibly teching) one of the Freshers Plays (plays put on entirely by Freshers), and auditions for that start next week. Finally, the St. Andrew’s choir, with over 150 members, is singing Handel’s Messiah this year, so I’m considering joining.

I’ve been trying to write a bit, by keeping this blog going and writing for the student newspapers of both St. Andrew’s and King’s back in Canada. The creative writing society, Inklight, frequently hosts workshops, which I attend whenever possible. A couple people I’ve met are also into writing, so we’re trying to encourage each other and might end up collaborating on a play, if we can get our act together (no pun intended).

Getting so involved in St. Andrews has made me realize just how silly it was of me not to be more active in student life back home. I may have had an excuse—the school workload was definitely heavier—but I missed out on so much by not auditioning for plays or going to writing workshops or volunteering or joining Campus for Christ. Academics were definitely a priority, but there was so much more I could have done at Western. And now I’ll never get the chance…

 

Well, then. No use moping over a couple partly wasted years. Time to stop blogging and head out to paint the elderly neighbour’s fence, then off to Iolanthe read-through, and then Bible study…

(NOTE: The random flower pictures are from an afternoon when Kayla (one of the other Canadian exchange students) and I visited the Botanical Gardens and I went a little crazy with the macro setting on my camera.)

Day 24: It's Been Three Weeks...

It’s day 24. I’ve been here for over three weeks.

I’ve gone to four lectures, and a tutorial in my prof’s office. I’ve ordered books online and signed up for a library card at the public library. I’ve been cast as Fleta (a principal fairy) in the Gilbert and Sullivan Society’s Iolanthe, and have been trained for tech at the Barron theatre. I’ve made tons of new friends and gained an academic family. I’ve experienced gorgeous St. Andrew’s, and travelled across Scotland. All in all, it’s been a fantastic three weeks.

To be cliché: it feels weird that it’s only been three weeks. While sometimes it seems like I just got here, more often I feel like I’ve been here for much longer. My life is so bound up with this town—it’s hard to imagine not taking just ten minutes to walk everywhere, not mentally converting pounds to dollars, not constantly explaining how I’m a fourth-year-abroad-from-Canada.

Life hasn’t quite settled into a routine yet, but I expect it will soon. It’s funny to look back (wow, looking back already, and it’s only three weeks!) to Fresher’s week, when I thought that life would quiet down once term started. Yeah, right. This past week has still been busy, with no sign of stopping.

Monday- Travel back from the other side of Scotland, callback audition for Iolanthe, attend Christian Music and Drama meeting, hang out with friends and sing along to YouTube vids

Tuesday- Class, call mum, Christian Union main meeting, worship night at a friend’s house

Wednesday- Class, skyping Alex, Fresher’s Plays meeting, Tech training, dinner with my academic family, Iolanthe rehearsal, pub night with Gilbert and Sullivan society

Thursday- Christian Union prayer meeting, study at the library, groceries/laundry, Jazz dance class, Bible study

Friday- Fresher’s plays meeting, Exchange student potluck, Toastie bar helping

Saturday- Iolanthe rehearsal, birthday party, dinner with the other side of my academic family, party at a friend’s flat

I don’t expect many of you actually read through that super carefully, and that’s okay, since it’s just a rather random sample of things that may happen in my life. (Frankly, that was mainly for my mom). All those things are also the reason why I really haven’t done a lot of reading for my classes yet… My lack of studying hasn’t been a problem so far, but I really do need to start working on some essays due in a few weeks. It’s just so much more fun to walk around singing from Iolanthe….

And now: Pictures!

The path down to Castle Sands (this happens to be right across from the English building)

Castle Sands (well, the rocks... the sand's kinda off to the side...)

Seaglass! And rocks! And shells! Oh my!

That tidepool ain't gonna get any bluer.

The castle, from the attacker's point of view

The shoreline was completely covered with small pebbles-- when the waves lapped in the sound of the stones rolling
over each other was like music.

Castle-- and clouds. Because if there's one thing Scotland does well, it's clouds

Gate leading out of St. Mary's Quad 

Holy Trinity church-- I'm pretty sure this is where John Knox preached

Random arch I need to walk through on my way to pretty much everywhere.
You know you're from North America when you wonder why the arch isn't bigger so they
could have two lanes of traffic underneath... *facepalm*

My new favourite seaglass find!

Some of the seaglass I've collected. There's just so much green, and even blue!

St. Salvador's Quad (affectionately known as "Sally's")

Nothing looks imposing like a row of arches

Or a tower.

Gardens. :)

Pointy turrets 

And a gate!

Other side of the tower

Apparently Patrick Hamilton (one of the first reformation martyrs) was burned at the stake one this spot.
Now, it's student legend that anyone who steps on this inscription in the pavement will fail their final exams.

To end my slideshow: St. Andrew's most entertaining street sign.