Bottom of the Totem Pole

Lessons learned from today’s yard work:

1) Don’t sweep without gloves. You get blisters.
2) Team work makes any job seem less intimidating.
3) Compliments are good for morale.
4) Complaining doesn’t help you finish faster.
5) It’s nice when someone else bags up your pile of garbage.

Paying your dues. We all have to do it. Well, at least those of us who aren’t handed a career on a silver platter. It’s a good thing, really, when you think about it. You get to meet people in the business; bond with others who are in the same measly position as yourself. Usually, it’s those people who you’ll end up working with down the road. Get noticed, that’s what matters. At least that’s what actors are constantly hoping for. But sometimes you just gotta get your hands dirty.

Who knew that part of our tuition dollars would go toward clean-up duty at the theatre? While The Last 5 Years rehearsed for their upcoming Opening Night inside the nice air-conditioned auditorium, we apprentices raked, bagged, swept, mopped, weeded, and scrubbed the grounds and porch of Berkshire Theatre’s Main Stage. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. It was a beautiful day, and the exercise was great. Hard labor produces character like nothing else. Besides, I got my first sunburn of the summer. (Don’t worry, it’s not that bad.)

When I came back from washing up, I passed by the open door to the main auditorium. It was too tempting not to peek, so I quietly stood in the back for a few minutes watching Jason Robert Brown’s musical masterpiece come to life. It was a tech rehearsal, so they were in full costume with the lights and sound. During one song, one of the actors was supposed to move the bed center stage, but it got stuck and he kind of fumbled a bit. A little laugh escaped under his song lyrics as he looked out to the director as if to say, “Sorry!” Somehow I was relieved to know that even professionals don’t get everything right the first time.

Being at the bottom of the totem pole may mean a few blisters on your hands, shoddy internet connection, and no AC. But when people like Katherine Hepburn, Christopher Plummer, Lionel Barrymore, Christopher Walken, and Dustin Hoffman have the Berkshire Theatre Festival on their resumes, it kind of makes it all worth it.