Twenty Truths

I finished stage managing my first opera almost two weeks ago. I learned so much. Not surprisingly, not much of it was directly related to opera. I struggled with how to share it all. After hours of typing and deleting I figured it out.  I can’t write about it. Rather, I can’t write in-depth about it.  Too much of the story isn't solely mine, too much of the story isn't over….there’s just too much.

So, I narrowed it down to twenty truths that stand out.

1. First impressions matter. Boots make a good first impression.
2. It is possible to learn to read music in twenty-one days.
3. Coffee.   I’m totally adding a coffee pot to my SM kit. For me.  Not the cast.  me.
4. Don’t trust what anyone says to you. Get it in writing. Save every text and email.
5. Italian isn't too terribly different from Spanish and French.
6. Men can, in fact, be grouped into categories based on their vocal range.  Me?  I seem to prefer baritones.
7. Saturday morning rehearsals are stupid. 
8. Staying out late before the aforementioned Saturday morning - just as stupid. But completely worth it.
9. Everyone has a line.  Know where yours is and be prepared to defend it.
10. No feedback is just that, no feedback.  No feedback isn't an indicator that you’re doing a great job or a piss-poor job.  It’s just silence.
11. New is not always scary.
12. Treat them like lemmings, and they will act like lemmings.
13. Needing a protector? Blows.  Having someone want to be the protector? Awesome.
14. People are nosy and gossipy.
15. It’s okay to call a woman a girl but call a man a boy and he’s not a happy man.
16. What “they” think? Not important.  The truth? Important.  Happiness?  Important.
17. The same words spoken from two different people – two completely different feelings.
18. Crude is not impressive.  Ever.
19. Trust is hard. Trust is scary. Trust is necessary.
20. There is still only one who can make me blush like that. and he knows it.