Making Friends and Networking with People

The Queen assisting Jess with her Savasana Saturday morning. 

After work last Friday, I headed straight to BAM to get in the standby line for Richard II. The show started at 730, the house opened at 7, and the box office opened at 6. I arrived a little after 6 and the line was already out the door, and at least 25-30 people long. I checked with the chick in front of me to make sure that I was standing in the correct line, and then we just kept talking. Soon the gentleman in front of her was talking with us, as well, and then we were making plans to grab drinks once the show started, assuming we were too far back to actually get tickets. BUT wonder of wonders, we all somehow DID get tickets!

I think, because it's David Tennant, and there was lots of press there, we all got lucky because the press returned a bunch of tickets AS the show was starting, so I got to sit gallery center (literally exactly center) with a ticket I purchased less than five minutes before! The only issue was that the lights had already gone down and the music had begun, and I had to walk past a good 15-20 people to get to my seat. That, alone, would have been embarrassing enough, but then, some guy I walked past had the GALL to say, "Shame on you" as I scooted past him. Yeah, to say that this colored the first half of the show for me would be an understatement. But then, I reached a point where I was like, look, I JUST bought my ticket. I was here at 6pm, most likely long before you, sir, because it is worth it for me to stand in a line for 90 minutes, hoping to be given an opportunity to purchase a ticket to this show. If you would like to blame anyone for the interruption, please blame the theater, who did not have to sell me a ticket after the show had started, but chose to, so that they could make more money. Harumph!

I even heard him complaining to an usher about it at intermission. This, clearly, was not about me, but about something that he was going through. Also, I had to pee the whole first half, so who suffered more? Really, think on it. Despite this mental distraction, the show took over and was worth the wait and the price of admission! So happy I got to see it.

Afterwards, I ran into Christine, the girl in front of me in line, and we went to a German bar to grab a drink and talk a bit. She's visiting NY for a month from Manchester and staying in an air bnb in the Bed Stuy/Bushwick area of Brooklyn. Last Friday was her first day, so hopefully, I'll be able to hangout some more with my new friend while she's in town! Yay friends!

Plus, John, the guy in front of her who joined in on our conversation, is an actor who once ran a theater company in London. He's equity and offered to help us both out however he could. So, networking and making friends and seeing theater! All-in-all a great night! Although, it did make getting up on Saturday to teach the 830am Stretch Therapy class a little more difficult than usual. But, worth it!

I had mental plans to head to a Shakespeare exhibit at the performing arts library after teaching a private to Jess last Saturday, but that fell through in the face of napping and hanging out at home for the afternoon before heading back to BAM to see the second part of Henry IV. It was good choices. I might head that direction after teaching tomorrow, but again, we'll see how I feel. The show runs through the beginning of next month, so I have a few more weekends to check it out if I bail.