Cooking with Gas

This afternoon the SLO Little Theatre was a' buzz with Annie Get Your Gun activity, and we're not even the next show to open! The costume designer, Rene, was like a tornado blowing through all the theatre's costume inventory upstairs, pulling western-style shirts, tuxedos with tails, 19th-century frocks, hats, and fringe skirts. In five trips we loaded up her van with the costumes she pulled from the chaotic upstairs wardrobe area. While she was foraging, I met downstairs with Jayne and Lynn, who will paint the set, and Ron, who will build the flats that the women will paint. What a find Ron was! I cast him to play Pawnee Bill; he's a 63-year-old realtor who has never acted before in his life. But even more than that, he used to do displays for May Company in L.A., and is a gifted carpenter. Who knew? So with my design (yes, I actually designed the set--a first for me) and Ron, Jayne, and Lynn to execute it, we're well on our way to having a huge chunk of backstage work done for our show, which doesn't open for eight more weeks!