I have not written much about Harvey, the play I am in at Ilion Little Theatre. I don’t feel I should write about the rehearsal process, but I think set construction is fair game.
At the first set construction I attended, about all I did was hold up a wall while somebody else drilled a hinge onto it. I suppose that was helpful, but I did not feel that I made a real contribution. So when I heard they were painting last Saturday, I thought, “Ah! Here’s my chance!”
Mind you, I am not an experienced painter. Places I have lived have needed very little in the way of paint. When they have, other members of my family actually did the work, most notably my father, who is a skilled professional. You might think I had gotten him to teach me the tricks of the trade, but that would be crediting me with a lot more ambition and foresight than I actually possess. Still, I thought, maybe there is something in heredity. Anyways, it doesn’t have to be perfect: only the actors see it up close, and they have other things on their minds.
My first task was to accompany Megan to select paint. We went to Ilion True Value Hardware.
“Ooh, a local business,” I said. “This might be something good for Mohawk Valley Girl.”
Actually, if I want to do a post on Ilion Hardware, I shall have to return, because all we looked at was paint colors. That was fun.
My dream job is making up names for colors. I’ve thought that ever since I sold shoes about a hundred years ago and realized how many words there were for tan. I had to question the mind that gave colors names like “lentil” and “fiber” (the colors were similar, and I guess there is fiber in lentils, so maybe not too weird?) (mmm, yeah, weird). My favorite was “hunky dory.” Megan said she might use that one for a trim.
“But would you use it in a sentence?” I asked.
She thought she had, probably with ironic intent.
Back at the theatre, roller and/or brush in hand (I used both, plus one of those little spongy things), I was less helpful. I dripped paint on the stage. When I got it where it belonged, it was too thick or not thick enough. I left a couple of lumpy looking drips. In short, I discovered that painting is not a hereditary talent.
But everybody was nice about it, and I had a lot of fun while trying to be useful. The set is looking more like the places it is supposed to be. I see now that I have told you more about my personal misadventures than anything else. Maybe in a future post, I can tell you more about the play itself. One other thing: the set is not red. I was going for a play on words; you know, paint the town red? Oh well, headlines are hard.
Mohawk Valley Girl 