Natalie-Upon-Avon

I was thinking to myself yesterday while at the RSC workshop that the people here seem to work awfully slowly/spend hours and hours and hours on the same project. Today, I realized why. Everything they make is like a little precious artisan-crafted jewel that is ready to be in a museum. Now, part of that is because they are in a thrust stage and the audience can be literally only a few feet away from the props (unlike at the Huntington where you've got a good 15 feet or so of "blur room", so little bits don't show. I spent ALL day today working on these wooden swords. I cut one of them out twice, only to mess it up twice and have to re-draw it a third time for the head guy to cut out. I didn't fare as badly on the other but I spent AGES sanding and filing it to perfection (and really, it is still flawed but not terribly so and the way it is decorated, it won't show).

I feel a bit inadequate at times and have to remind myself that I'm just volunteering and anything I do right helps them and anything I fuck up puts them no further behind than they would be if I wasn't around! My boss, John, is really sweet and even when I'm making a total mess of things, he'll say something like "Well, we can't quite use it like that but that's not to say it's your fault. It's the nature of the beast, I'm afraid" or "It's not you, it's just a bit of trial and error, you see?" That's very reassuring to know he's nice about it, even when he probably thinks I'm a bit dim! haha. He did say last week they had a work-experience girl who didn't even know how to operate a paper-cutter (SERIOUSLY.) and so she basically spent her two day visit watching everyone work. I'm glad I'm a bit more useful than that!

I'm CRAVING being moved from the wood/metal area of the shop into the crafts room where they do all the paper props, books, and fabric work. I'm much better at that. Hopefully I'll get to do some gold leafing tomorrow too. Or something! No more wood, please!!

I took the bus from down by the workshops this evening into town centre and then walked down to the Courtyard Theatre. I knew that 'Hamlet' was being performed tonight, which means the place becomes a madhouse (David Tennett, of Doctor Who fame plays the lead), but I didn't realize how early it started. I had hoped to get there before the crowds but I didn't. I'd made the trip, so I wanted to get into the gift shop for a look around, so fighting the bunches of other folks in the tiny shoppe, I picked up a few things (here's looking at you, Amanda, Marcus, and Kirsten!) as well as a t-shirt for myself and then spent a bit of time down by the river, watching the birds. There are lots of swans, who are nice to watch. Their long necks are so funny and they move them about, watching you and expecting food. It reminds me eerily of velocaraptors! They are so used to humans that they'll come right up to water's edge and look at you, waiting for bread. They hissed at a passing kayak but didn't seem to mind me being only feet from them!

That's all for tonight.
Ciao!
<3 Nat
PS- If you read this, post a comment and say hello :-P