Happy Anniversary, Doctor!

So, I was driving up to school this morning, thinking about a presentation I was going to be giving to a large class (about 150 students) - a presentation, you'll be shocked to hear, about The Doctor in Spite of Himself. As I drove, I thought to myself I should mention how long ago it was written. I knew it was premiered in 1858, so after doing the math I suddenly realized we've got a Sesquicentennial on our hands! I don't know why this hadn't occurred to me sooner. That could've been the hook to get international media attention. It's too late to make much use of this information now, but I'm definitely going to plan another production for 2058, and I'll be ready to take full advantage of the coincidence of earthly orbit and digital numerology.

Anyway, we're entering the frantic homestretch, so my blogging continues to be Doctor-focused. Speaking of which, a synopsis is now available over at the Doctor Blog. As part of the "green" emphasis associated with the opening of our new Science Center, we're not going to be printing programs for these performance. All the relevant info (cast, synopsis, orchestra members, etc.) will be projected before the show, during the Overture and Entr'Acte, and during Intermission. Still, here's your chance to get the story straight before coming to the performances. And they're free and sure to be delightfully entertaining, so why wouldn't you be coming?

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FUN STORY: Since we're performing in a brand-new Science Center auditorium that isn't really designed for theatrical productions, I had a meeting with one of our Physical Plant directors yesterday to talk about storage space, dressing rooms, etc. Mark, the guy I was meeting with, was being quite helpful, and we'd already settled on some perfect storage options for setpieces, chairs, stands, etc. We were trying to resolve the more complicated dressing room issue when Jim, another Physical Plant-er who I didn't know, happened by and said to Mark, "Is this Mike?" We answered affirmatively (although, technically, I strongly prefer Michael) and Jim said, "Yeah, I'm supposed to meet with you. I can take over from here." Mark thought this sounded great since Jim apparently knows the building much better.

So, I follow Jim down the hall and he takes me first into a women's restroom. "OK," I'm thinking, "he's going to show me what this room offers as a dressing room option." We go in and he starts complaining about how the contractor has messed up several details. Interesting enough, although the nature of the tile doesn't have much to do with my situation. Before I know what's happening, I'm getting a very detailed description of how the grout is the wrong color, not filled in properly, etc, at which point I finally think to ask just who he thinks I am. "You're the contractor, right?" From there, it was just good laughs all around - anyone who knows me well will get a special kick out of the idea that I might be mistaken for a contractor (this is all I know about Grout), although I have contracted my own orchestra for the show, mostly by strong-arming students. That sounds kind of like what contractors do. Even scarier is that I'll be conducting that orchestra, but that's a story for another day...