A seething mass of turgid drama.

We absolutely would not have gone if not for the job, because the house is still a shambles from long Beltane. Nevertheless we did, and we had a reasonably good time chatting with mostly usual suspects. I'm looking forward to getting to know the now-former Prince/Princess better.

I mentioned a possible opening gag for this year's GSP production to Juan & Rose and was pleased that they both thought it had merit, although they said it needs work. I agree with that - this was just a joke that I thought was funny, so it's more concept than polished opener at this stage. Of course this morning my brain started fleshing out a possible approach that I also think is funny - we'll see if it lands with the cast when we start rehearsals. Assuming I remember then, but it will probably stick in my brain.

I entered a batch of Strong Green Sauce (16th c, Messisbugo) in the Silver Spoon, which was sauces. I've made it before (though never for a competition) and this was a particularly good batch. It was a close runner-up, although my documentation and presentation were better and I could probably have forced at least a tie if I had wanted to. I don't really have anything to prove though - I have three Silver Spoons already. And, well, a cooking Laurel. So I deferred to a newcomer whose dish really was very tasty. Speaking of, he is half of a couple we met at WCCS that are jumping in to All! The! Things! He cooks and bakes sourdough bread regularly, so I am thinking of approaching him with an offer to be a student for a year and a day... if he does and it works out, we can perhaps do a more formal apprenticeship. We'll see how that goes.

Short version: I am going "blah blah blah," not that I was blah about the event.
( blah say )

I am tired today. Not sore, but weary from being social and a bit wrung out from the whole thing. I would have liked to take today off but after last week's vacation, I can't justify that. So I should get back to work.

I didn't sleep well. A combination of work brain and play brain. Re: play brain, the worry over my lines should be unfounded as I can rattle them off during the week. Then I drop a couple particular ones in rehearsal...

There's a line in Much Ado About Nothing that bugs the heck out of me in rehearsal (admittedly more than the issue warrants):

URSULA: She's lim'd, I warrant you!

The actress reads it as "limmed", which is an understandable interpretation. It is, however, wrong.

The word is "limed", and it refers to Beatrice being "caught" in their plot -- small birds were often caught by spreading quicklime; their feet would get stuck when they landed, so they couldn't fly away.  I mentioned this to the actress at a previous rehearsal, she acknowledged it, and yesterday she was back to saying "limmed".

I'm pretty sure I'm losing this one, if only because I'm the only one who cares (and I am not the director).  It is totally a minor thing, but it's going to grate on my ears every time.  Because I understand the line and its context, and this reading doesn't.

I got some chuckles at rehearsal today for one of Dogberry’s speeches, so I will take that as progress.

I dreamt that I was in a commedia. I was one of four soldier characters; there were two pairs of complementary characters that played off each other.

I explained how the bare bones from the scenario actually revealed a lot of the character details. I was a cavalry soldier, which meant that I was at least minor nobility to have had training, armor, and a warhorse. My pair was a footsoldier, so he was a peasant. You could play this different ways: as dumb peasant (a la Baldrick) or overly-clever peasant and clueless noble (Jeeves and Wooster). Or, it being commedia, both as utterly stupid and self-absorbed.

I don't remember the other pair. My subconscious got all caught up in my explanation and forgot about the other two.

First rehearsal yesterday for our 12^th Night* performance went very well, especially for a first walk-through. It was good to see people I hadn't interacted with in two years. As always, I try to encourage everybody to move more onstage. Even when you're reading from a script, don't just stand there in a static fashion! It's boring. Play to the back row!

That said, some good bones in our first attempts to figure out how we're playing the characters. And the two of us in my one scene rehearsed yesterday came up with some good byplay that we were both happy about. (Especially since we hadn't acted together before.)

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* We're filming it as a standard performance with a live studio audience around the traditional time. No one wanted to do another Hollywood Squares Zoom production.

(Said in Family Guy voice)
Good weekend, but exhausting. We had the GSP picnic to decide our annual show; I'm happy with what we chose, although it means some work upfront for me. (Which I volunteered for.)
Then socializing with Hirsch and Aldith, crashing at their place before the Sunday officers' meeting. The latter went as well as could be expected.

Tired now; I kind of want a rinse-off shower and an early night. And then a weekend to make up for not having one.

Bread dough: rising.
Orange peels: softly simmering in scented syrup.
Split pea soup: assembled and on its way to a simmer.

Still to do: financials and run lines.

I am exhausted today, because we didn't get home last night until eleven. It was totally worth it, though.
We went to an art-house theater to watch a (2012?) production of Twelfth Night performed at the Globe. All-male production. With Stephen Fry as Malvolio.
This was by far the funniest production of the play I've ever seen. Even the moving bits were funny. Having Elizabethan makeup on guys playing the female parts wasn't as distracting as I thought it might be. Stephen Fry wasn't playing Fry onstage - which was good: he played the character and he wasn't the star. I'm not sure he added anything but I have no complaints.

We've already ordered the DVD.