Thoughts on Thoughts on Thoughts
Pulling double-duty, befriending Canva and Photoshop, printing and cutting dozens of posters, meticulous attention to detail, having fun with social media, house managing, and my love of photography being encouraged, all while my last semester at Fordham University soon became underway. A glimpse into my time as the producer and assistant props designer for Thoughts on Girlcock.
This is going to sound so cliché, but it all started with a phone call.
In a strange yet humorous way, I had always known that I was going to be a part of the Thoughts on Girlcock (TOGC) team in some form or another. I had a few brief conversations with the production stage manager, Adeline, about possibly stage managing, was offered to join the scenic team by the scenic designer, and was offered to join the props team by the props designer; before I ultimately deduced that being a production assistant would allow me the flexibility to float around and help out multiple departments. When I finally reached out to the production stage manager expressing interest in being the PA, some time had passed before they later asked if I was free for a phone call to talk about my involvement. It was early January when they had told me that the playwright/producer, Ryann, wanted to bring me on as a co-producer instead, and if I was interested. Imagine the utter shock and deep honor I immediately felt knowing she was asking for me to join her in producing. To make a long story short, naturally I said yes and thus the TOGC producing team was born, but because I still wanted to acquire another level of involvement with the show, I was also confirmed to be the assistant props designer. There were a few specific people who were working on this show that I had always wanted to collaborate with, so very selfishly, I was quite excited to get started.
Though I’ve pulled double-duty before and have worked on shows overlapping, it was never anything quite like this. Once we hit load-in, I found myself learning when and how to split my time in half to ensure that I’m adhering to all my responsibilities— for both producing and props. My producing responsibilities included taking photos for social media, creating all of the “meet the team” posts, creating and managing the social media page (@togc_play), proofreading and spellchecking the program, compiling a list of the attendees for all of our performances, house managing all of the performances, and making sure we had programs for each show. My props responsibilities included helping to create more designs for our posters, printing, cutting, and hanging up said posters, helping to preset all of the props, and creating a makeshift GoPro headset with the help of a lot of hot glue. The natural through line with both of my positions, of course, was also that I am there as an extra set of hands. Especially for my fellow producer.
Not only was she the producer and the playwright of the show, but she was also starring in it. She had her hands full, needless to say, and in our very first sit-down conversation, this was an exact point that was mentioned. At some point, she will be tapping more into her actor brain instead of her producing or playwriting brain. And I wholeheartedly understood and expected this to happen, especially as we approached closer and closer to performances. When that point hit, I knew what needed to be done, how to do it, and would immediately get on it. For our second day of invited dress, we didn’t have enough programs so I took it upon myself to go find a way to print them. Lo and behold, I run into her in the green room as she’s getting ready, she asks if we have enough programs, and I say that I just made more and they’re in the cabinet now. Truly as if we were sharing the same brain.
All of these responsibilities may seem like quite a lot, especially when many of them were happening within one day, but I found and communicated a way that worked best. On days when we were scheduled from 11 am to 8 pm, I would spend the first half of that time working with props, and the second half of the day on producing. Because I subconsciously had instilled this time limit in my head, it held me accountable and kept me on top of all my work.
Depending on who you ask, proofreading and spellchecking might be some people’s worst enemy. But oh was I thrilled. I have been victim of my name being misspelled on too many occasions (my last name does NOT have an E!), and by proofreading the entire program, bios, and every single word on every page, it put me in direct charge at ensuring everything is concise, spelled correctly, and that people’s names are spelled right and they are credited with the right title.
On a more somber side note, this was my second-to-last production with Fordham Theatre, and oh was I feeling bittersweet about everything. I have a few personal favorite moments from throughout the process: witnessing the actor’s flock for the first time (and accidentally walking into one later on), the entirety of our closing night, being invited into the group huddle, the countless runs to Whole Foods during our meal breaks (and being surprised that it’s snowing outside), always having more than one beverage on hand, gradually filling the theater with more and more posters, the beautiful chaos that was our late night closing performance and the special energy a room full of theater students will bring for their friends, our theme days during load-in, working on the show with two of my best friends, and a random 11 to 8 tech day. For some reason, that tech day stands out to me. We were nearing the end of our nine-hour day, and we had just gone on a break. Me and my two friends were going to get some air, and as we were walking out, I couldn’t help but notice and take in the space. How warm it was in that theater, tech tables everywhere, someone either sleeping or resting their eyes in the second row, someone else lying down on the floor, everyone having little snacks by them, and everyone being so noticeably tired. It’s the pinnacle of a tech day, and being gathered all together in that space, working through everything, it’s theater at its finest— and I love it. And I’m going to miss doing that at Fordham.
Thoughts on Girlcock played performances from February 26th to February 28th in the Kehoe Theatre at Fordham University.