OK... I'm not sure how this happened, but I proposed some changes to our student directed/student written/student designed one acts, and now they have created a new job for me- Design Mentor (there is a directing mentor) to facilitate the student designers and directors (none of whom have taken a class in design or directing, but have worked on shows) collaborating. I am pretty excited, although I won't get paid more. They will be hiring someone to take on some of my costume duties for the regular shows, so I am hoping this might be a good transition from the costume shop into things I enjoy more.

YAY, Sophia! That is awesome; I'm so excited for you.

That sounds great, Sophia!

That's awesome, Sophia.

That's terrific, Sophia!

I think you should ask them to pay you more, Sophia. I mean, the worst they can do is say no, right?

Ari Shapiro is an INFANT. Also I mentally pictured Korva Coleman as a 55 year old white woman.

Yay, Sophia!!

I'm checking my gmail account and I see I have an email from Owen--who is at school. He created a story at pbskids.com and emailed me a link.

So cute!!!

What is this instant click thing she's talking about?

I hope the date is going well, tommyrot. For me, on a first date, all I'm looking for is, do I like this person enough to spend another hour (or few) with them. "Instant click" physically is often a bad idea, and instant click on a personal level is super-rare, IME.

I think the same thing happens with people you become friends with to. At least to me it does

Totally. But rarely! I still can't believe I actually became great friends with a woman in grad school, because we were together in our first class, and I immediately wanted to be her friend after listening to her comments in class, so I kind of maneuvered my way into having lunch with her. And it was totally right, and true. And we aren't lovers....

Here's this thing about this NPR version of "Telephone": [link] Is that an NPR producer, or a tall Jonathan Rhys Meyers?

That is AWESOME.

Ari Shapiro is an INFANT. Also I mentally pictured Korva Coleman as a 55 year old white woman.

Also all of this! Funny.

I am pretty excited, although I won't get paid more. They will be hiring someone to take on some of my costume duties for the regular shows, so I am hoping this might be a good transition from the costume shop into things I enjoy more.

So the same money for different/better responsibilities? That sounds good, but I agree that you should ask for more money....

So the same money for different/better responsibilities? That sounds good, but I agree that you should ask for more money....

Yes. First semester I would just be the costume shop manager. Second semester they would hire someone else to take on the costume shop manager responsibilities for eight weeks while I do this. So they are coming up with more money, it will just be paid to this mysterious new person. The idea being that if this new person works out, maybe they could take on more, and I could ease in to just mentoring designers and stage managers, which is a really big problem in our system, because I am the only person who designed or stage managed or was trained in those things. The professors are a director and a tech theatre person, and then we have a tech director who has never and has no desire to design or stage manage, and a props person who is actually trained in arts administration.

ETA I think it is exciting, because I never meant to be working in costumes (especially making them) for so long. I decided while in college that I was more of a director/designer and I just got really side-tracked because this costume stuff is a skill I have. Also we are transitioning into a "real" costume shop, which I am frankly less qualified for. I put in the time and do the work, but I have a heck of a lot more training in design, directing and stage managing than in pattern making (which is none-- I am self taught), and this better serves the needs of the theatre, too, if they get someone who is passionate about making other people's designs come to life. And the mentoring role would give me more time to maybe work on some outside projects.

It is really exciting!