So, the callback!

The show is going to have four movements:

1. Genesis, directed by Sam, is going to do 2 stories of creation, one Biblical featuring Adam and Even and the other being Navajo and featuring the first woman and man, a spirit of creation, clouds, spider woman, elders, animals, following up with the murder of Fred Martinez. "It morphs into things."

2. Yonder: a tribute to historical activists fighting for gender rights. We're supposed to send in quotes from appropriate people. Like Laugh In, he wants little things popping up and songs. It will end with "Boogie Time" ant the end to go out on a high note. Sam directs that one too.

3. Salem: about gender abuse, the darkest part of the show, Sarah does that one. He didn't say more than that.

4. Utopia: Sarah does that one too, about hope, determination, keep persevering, equality, hope, unity.

Rehearsals start on January 5 at 7 (gonna have to cut my vacation short a bit), we may or may not rehearse on weekends but if we do it's during the day, small group rehearsals may be done on our own, we will probably not have to come on every single day depending on what they are working on.

"An artist is almost addicted to the work."

After that he had whoever had dance skills go do some kind of thing with Isaac the choreographer and everyone else he'd just talk with individually and they could go home. I wasn't on the list of dance people even though I put that on my form (to be fair, he had no idea if I could or not from that class), but he said if you wanted to, go ahead, so I did. We did what the guy called "contact improv" in which you danced while always being in contact with one or more people. This got really cool and intimate and exciting and generally awesome, actually. (Yeah, the most action I've seen in...no comment. I really want to make certain jokes, but it's 2017.) Everyone really ended up liking doing it. You can tell it's a drama crowd because everyone was fine with doing that sort of thing with strangers, apparently.

I eventually did my individual talk with Sam, he said I'd be in the historical section at least and since I live so far away he'd only have me have to come in twice a week. All right, then!

So, I AM IN A SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In other news, I went to see Miss Bennett: Christmas at Pemberley, the same show Bev reviewed earlier in Holidailies. I really liked it. It certainly felt like Jane Austen while being super fun and adorable and sweet.

I wasn't a huge fan of Scrubs (I really can't get into medical shows), but I did watch their musical episode and I kept thinking of the song "Guy Love," except in my brain rewriting it as "Nerd love, between two nerds."

Two years later, the Darcys are having Christmas at their house for the whole family (minus Wickham, who's categorically not invited ever), even though the Bennet parents and Kitty are never seen but supposedly arrive at the end, and heck if I know where Georgiana is. But everyone else shows, including the remaining Bennet sisters and any stray de Bourghs in the vicinity. Namely, the new Lord Arthur de Bourgh, the cousin we never knew existed who just inherited Lady Catherine's estate. Arthur is a scholarly type who used to study snails, didn't want to leave college, and is pretty flummoxed by his change of events and feels rather chained down about inheriting.

Meanwhile, Mary Bennet used to enjoy having the house/books/piano to herself, but she's feeling bored, like something is missing, and she's studying maps and daydreaming about the travel she'll never do. When she meets Arthur, they happily hit it off on an intellectual, slightly socially challenged and adorable way, but she does point out to him a few times that compared to her, he does have choices and freedom.

However, two ladies try to interfere with the course of true love. Lydia, despite being married, throws herself at Arthur, leading him to try to dissuade her with mistletoe by pointing out it's poisonous and romance could lead to vomit. She also writes him a romantic letter and sticks it in Mary's book instead of Arthur's (they're reading the same one but with different color covers, and mix them up a lot). Once Lydia figures out Mary's interested, she does back off, but THEN Anne de Bourgh shows up announcing her engagement to Arthur, which Arthur certainly had NO idea about. Like her mother before her, Anne claims it was her mother's last wish that the two marry and preserve the bloodline and fortune....and also she really really really doesn't want to get kicked out of her home, even though everyone reassures her that won't happen/she could always go to the Darcy's if necessary (though she hates that idea). It's up to the men to uh....get their wives in on this and help sort things out.

Arthur and Mary are adorable together, both of them with their glasses and semi messy hair. And when you see their actor photos, Mary is extremely gorgeous but you would not know it with the hair and glasses and plainer dresses compared to everyone else's. Yes, just like the movies. It almost made me want to ditch the glasses, except (a) I don't look different with them off and (b) it took a half hour and two people to put one contact in my eye and we ain't doing that again. The guy playing Arthur also had super soulful eyes in the photo that you could not tell so much with the glasses on. Go figure.

Fun moments:
* Christmas trees are new in 1815, and everyone finds it very weird to have cut down a healthy tree and installed it indoors.
* Darcy walks in on Jane and Lizzie discussing Lydia's horrible marriage. Upon hearing what the subject matter is, he says, "Very good then," bows, and leaves.
* After the discovery of the letters, Mary yells, "I hate farce!"
* Bingley is incredibly perky throughout almost all of the show, except when he finds out that Jane asked Lydia to move in.
* Mary throws a book at Arthur, realizes she threw her copy and not his, grabs the correct book and chucks it again.
* The use of the words "bear attack." First used as a method of describing how to get away from Lydia (at one point Arthur hides under the desk), later Mary uses it to tell Arthur to bug off.
* Darcy's solution to Arthur's love life: "Find the women!"
* Mary's pissed off rendition of "Joy To The World."
* "It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single woman of good fortune...."
* Lydia actually improves by the end, backing off Arthur, attempting to help, and pretty much being all "project!" at the idea of trying to fix up Anne.
* According to the program, the co authors thought this idea up while on a road trip. They are working on a sequel, which I presume is going to fix up Anne and/or maybe Kitty? She wasn't in this episode.

Anyway, it's highly recommended, go see it if you're in an area where it's playing. I'm amused that I saw two Lauren Gunderson plays in the same month/location, but she is the most produced playwright, and good for her, I say. A lot of the plays on her website sound like fun.

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