Catching Up: Everything of Importance Since Mid-Novemeber

As this title might lead you to believe, this is going to be quite the post.

End of Fall Semester

I finished the fall semester with a 3.243 GPA, by far the highest I've had. It brought my cumulative up to 2.795. Everything went well.
On a less academic front, as I mentioned in my previous post, I am an understudy in Alpha Psi Omega, the National Theatre Honors Society, which has been a goal since freshman year. This was only made better when the big/little reveals were made, and it is one of my best friends, Brian, who is currently studying abroad in India.

Winter Break

This winter break was absolutely fantastic. I got to work with Broadway Training Center (where I was a student from 2007-12) on their Gala production of Boeing Boeing. It was a huge learning experience for me. I assisted with the building and painting of the set and ran the lights during the show, as well as some other odds and ends. It was so wonderful to be able to work with some of my favourite people.

jTerm

This jTerm, I did a directed study in set design. We have normally-offered courses called "Fundamentals of Theatrical Design" (which I took last spring) and "Advanced Lighting and Design" (which I will take a year from now). There is nothing in between, so my advisor and I decided to call the course "Intermediate Design". I worked independently on a total of four designs for M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang. You can read more about what I did here.
Also as part of the course, I attended the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region 1. (KCACTF1, or just ACTF). I attended all the set and lighting design workshops that I could, and made a presentation on what I learned as well. I earned and A in the course, bringing my GPA to 2.836. The biggest thing I took away from the design work and ACTF is that scenic design is what I really want to do.

Side note: Why do I care so much about GPA?

Well, I think I have a pretty good reason. To be inducted to the national for APO, I need at 3 by the last semester of my senior year. Also, I'd like to be in Sigma Tau Delta (English honours) as well, for which I need a 3.0 cumulative and a 3.4 in my English courses. All of that seems like it is on track to happen.

Also jTerm: I designed the costumes for our production of "The Actors Nightmare" by Christopher Durang. What I learned there is that I am not...cut out...to be a costume designer.

Spring Term, so far.

Week five of the semester has just passed, and things are going great. I'm taking a geology lab (#LiberalArtsCollegeStudentProblems), as well as Intro to Literature, the last English course I need for the minor which isn't involved in the theatre major (the theatre major requires 4 dramatic literature courses, and the English minor needs 5 English courses plus Intro). I'm also taking Contemporary American Drama, which is greaat. The last play we covered was actually M. Butterfly. We've also looked at Clyborne Park and a few other cool plays. We will do The Laramie Project and Hedwig and the Angry Inch later in the semester, which I really look forward to.
Also in Noah's world is #Concussion2k15. By the title, you can assume that I have a concussion and every thing is horrible. It happened 5 March and is just starting to clear up. Obviously, I'm well enough to write this. But what this also means is that I've been out of class since the 9th, aside from going to contemporary because we were doing Butterfly that day. I should be back in class on Tuesday. I'll have a lot of catching up to do over spring break.
Another really cool thing? I'm a design assistant on the main stage production of The Liar by Pierre Corneille, translated by David Ives. I'm working on making a library of images to use on the set. Even cooler is that I've been given a Freedman Prize for this. What that means is that I have a certain amount of money to put toward the project and will have a contingency prize at the end. What this also means is that I will be presenting my work at the scholar showcase on 8 May. Yes, on  my birthday. My 21st birthday. What can you do.

I think that's really it, and you can look forward to a redesign of the blog soon! 

Weeks 7-11: Not Exactly "Comme Il Faut," as it Were.

It certainly has been some a while since I have had the requisite time to sit down (or, more accurately, lay down) and write a post for my adoring fans. Oh, and then there is you all! (Just...take that as a compliment. That is the intent behind it.

Well, lets go in somewhat of a chronological order, shall we?

Whenever midterm grades went out
I discovered that if my midterm grades were my end-of-semester grades, I would have a semester GPA of 3.43. That is a huge deal for me. HUGE. HUGE! GIGANTIC!!!

Friday, 31 October
-I went dressed as an original character from Star Trek: The Next Generation. Read as: I wore the TNG uniform and made myself look pretty.

Wends-Sat 5-8th November
-The performances of The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht that I knew I would be involved in since this February. So, it was an event quite some time in the making. It was a pretty good show, and we got a pretty good reaction from the crowd. Since this is a blog about my life, I have no qualms saying that people complemented me more than a few times on it. That made me happy! It was the 40th production I have done. I made the ballsy move to render my pronouns as masculine (the way I prefer them) in my bio and whoever edits the program took it upon themselves to "correct" them. That was set straight right away because the director of the show is one of the best allies I know.

Saturday, 8th November
-A wildly good day. First I had the Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honors Society interest meeting.  My parents came up to see Chalk Circle. It was my half-birthday. I had some good pizza. I went to the cast party. An all-over fantastic day!

Monday, 10 Novemeber
-This January, I am designing the costumes for Cardboard Alley Players' production of "The Actor's Nightmare" by Christopher Durang. We had our first production meeting. It is going to be a very, very cool show.

Wednesday, 12 November
-I will be going to the American College Theatre Festival this January. It is in Hyannis, MA. I have never gone before, but it should be really great, just by looking at the other people who are going and what I have heard about it. Surely it will be a great networking, and, more importantly, learning experience. It is a Kennedy Center thing.
-APO UNDERSTUDIES SPRING 2015!!! Yes, you read that correctly. I will be/am an understudy (inductee) for APO this year. (Nu Iota Cast) Those of you closest to me know how much I have wanted this and for how long. And I am finally getting it. It means so much. One of the biggest things it symbolises to me is that I am accepted with the other theatre students and that I am forgiven. But, honestly, all it means is that I meet the requirements, I know that. It just feels like so much more.

14 Novemeber
This semester, I managed to have two workstudies, both filling up my allotted 7 hours/week. For reasons that should not be on the internet, I needed to quit one of them. The need was there for a while. On 14 Nov, I finally had the guts to do it. Go me. Lucky for me, since it is only three hours and the theatre department kind of likes me, I've picked up theatre work study to fill the missing time. I have to say, I feel pretty empowered.

~There has been more than all of this.~

~Looking back, these are just the things that stick out!~

(the) NEXT (few) WEEKs

On Friday (21 Nov), I will leave for home for Thanksgiving break, where I will stay for the remainder of the month...wow. On Saturday, the family and I are going to see Craig Fergueson. I cannot tell you how stoked I am for it! Then, on Sunday, I'm going to see BTC do their production of Big Fish which seems to have been getting all sorts of great press! I'm so proud of them. 

SIDE NOTE: I have started a GoFundMe campaign to help with what I want to do this summer. Basically, I want to take a week-long design course in London. GoFundMe is a more personal version of Kickstarter (crowdfunding). Take a look at my project here. It's starting to be the holiday season, and every penny counts :)