Getting there isn’t half the fun. It’s the bit that bugs me.
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Want to use this image for something else? Great! Click it for the link to a high-res or resolution-independent version.I’m heading out for a show tomorrow, and I have some mild anxiety. Nothing huge, just a light gnawing in the back of my mind.
Am I concerned about the acoustics of a theater I’ve never worked in before?
Nope.
Am I worried about the musical configuration of the act being different from the normal setup?
Nah.
Am I concerned about executing well for an important, original work which is debuting in two days?
Not really.
I’m concerned about getting there. I’m apprehensive about whether there will be enough room for the van-o-gear to park and get unloaded successfully. (The new, big-time theater complex downtown was, of course, built around a street that was redesigned to mostly be friendly to pedestrians. Hey, Salt Lake! How about a performing arts facility with an awesome parking lot for cargo-van-scale vehicles?) I’m uneasy about the loading-zone only having space for two cars – maybe I’ll get to use the dock, maybe I won’t, and I still have to park legally while I get general access first.
Speaking of which, I don’t know if security will be “simpatico.” Chances are that they will be, but you never know. Walking up to an intercom and having nothing else to work with other than, “Hi! I’m here with audio for the show,” can be a little uncomfortable.
And then I have to re-park the van once I’m loaded in, my choices being both limited and expensive because:
A) It’s a van, not a passenger car, and
B) I have to be there all day and into the night.
About that parking lot, Salt Lake…I have thoughts.
This might sound like a lot of kvetching, and it is in a way. I’m going to get through this thing. My anxieties are almost always overblown at some level.
The thing is that, even so, the process of getting TO somewhere and IN somewhere is the least fun part of this business. Late nights, loud noises, uncertainty, technical issues, etc – it can all be dealt with. When the infrastructure you’re dealing with doesn’t work seamlessly with your gear transport, though, it’s a factor that feels out of your control.
(There’s another, nearby arts complex that has a !@#$%^& club behind it, and they have their VIP parking in the chokingly-small alley that you have to use for load-out. Whose bright idea was that, I wonder?)
Seriously, Salt Lake, can we talk about performance facilities and parking?
Anyway.
(Post-publication note: The facility very kindly let me park the van – for the whole day – in their ample loading dock. I felt very happy about that.)