A Change of Pace

This is sort of a strange time for me. It is the first time since I came to Gannon almost two years ago that I’m not in a show at the Schuster Theatre. I mean, it’s not a bad thing; merely a change of pace! It is actually very cool in some ways. I can get in more time at the radio station, I’m going to start writing for the Gannon Knight. I’m actually working on an article right now for next week’s issue!), and I’m spending more time with my roommates! (Sometimes I think they forgot that I lived with them last semester..)

Being the webmaster at the radio station is sweet. I get to see all the newest concerts and events going on in Erie and other places like Pittsburgh, Toronto and Cleveland; I get to work with our promotions director to spread the word about great things happening on campus; and I get to learn internet software that is definitely going to help me later when I look for a job in the communications field. But it’s not all work at the station, yesterday we had a party to celebrate International Disc Jockey Day! It was awesome- all of the DJ’s came to the station and we had a pizza party!!

Even better than that- I now have an assistant. In the middle of last semester, one of the freshmen, Beth Gaertner, approached me with an interest in web design. So, for the past few months I’ve been teaching her all the stuff I learned as webmaster for the WERG site! She is learning very quickly, and it makes my job easier to have someone helping me out. Here- check out the site we work on every day- www.wergfm.com.

Now, as for the Gannon Knight, that is something I was a little more nervous for. I have always loved writing, and what better way to learn the most I can about journalistic writing than to work with the writers of the “Knight”! I’ll keep you posted if something I write makes it into the paper, I might need a little more practice.

So, as I’m thinking about it, it’s okay not to be in a show for the first time in two years, I’ve got extra homework time, extra radio time and extra time to write. But to be honest... I can’t wait to audition for the next show.
Til next time-

Peace- Nicole :)

P.s. my radio shift started back up again this week, check it out Thursday afternoons from 4-6 pm on 90.5 WERG. (www.wergfm.com)

Home Away from Home.. Away from Home

I love living on the campus at school, hanging out with all of my friends, studying late in the power room, all of those things (well, maybe not the studying quite as much..), right? And all of a sudden, after establishing a routine for 5 months, it’s break, and it’s time to leave for almost a month! I mean, I could complain about picking up everything and putting things on hold at Gannon.. or I could revel in how great it feels to come back to Pittsburgh and see my family, friends and boyfriend and everyone else here! It is sort of a double sided feeling.

Every college student goes through the same thing; first you wonder about leaving home and starting fresh in a brand new place, then you get there and realize it’s not so bad. Next it takes a few weeks to start establishing relationships and new favorites in a home away from home. Finally, to complete (and sometimes confuse) the circle, things like Christmas break come along, sending you right back home where you started. Which sometimes, for me, feels like a home, away from home, away from home (make sense?).

My obvious favorite part of coming home is hanging out with my family and boyfriend- who I don’t get to see but a few times a semester since he goes to college in New York- and breaks like this mean so much to all of us to get to spend so much time together!

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I love college, but I love coming home. No, that’s not it; I love college, AND I love coming home.

I’ll keep this entry short since it’s break, and my brain is shut down anyway. More to come as a new semester gets underway on January 12.

Peace :)

Nicole

What I LOVE about the end of the semester...

Hey again :)

Wow, the show is winding down, which only means one thing. Show withdrawal... and FINALS week!! (Well okay, two things.) It feels almost as though I just started these classes, and suddenly the semester is over. My last psychology and theology classes were today, and it seems strange to know the next time I step into those rooms I will be taking my final.

I remember my first experience with finals week last year as a freshman; being so nervous to be examined on the collegiate level on these subjects. Then I realized.. I had been studying all semester, working with my teachers, and preparing for this the whole time! I just needed to stay calm, go over the study guides, do some reading and stick out the week. And I did!

Finals week ushers in a sort of calm to the campus; everyone is busy studying and concentrating on finishing the semester on a good note. This is the time of year when you are most likely to get free coffee from various clubs and organizations around campus and see students in sweatpants all the time.

There are two events, though, that I love above all others for finals week. Every semester comes to its end with the Mid-Knight Pancake Breakfast; a time when the faculty serves a DELICIOUS pancake breakfast to studying students from 9:30 to midnight the night before finals begin. I went both semesters last year, and not only did I have a great time taking a study break with all of my friends, but it was so cool to see all my teachers (and Dr. Garibaldi) serving us breakfast!! This coming Sunday is the Mid-Knight Breakfast for this semester, and I couldn’t be more excited J

Second? WERG’s Top 90 Countdown of the year: last year I listened all day from my dorm while studying, but this year I’m not just listening- I’ll be hosting an hour of the countdown! From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m on Tuesday, December 16, we’ll be counting down the best music that we’ve been playing since the beginning of 2008 (I’ve seen some preliminary lists, it’s shaping up to be a great show!). I’ll be in the studio from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. counting down the songs on the air, and I’m super excited!! I’ve never hosted all or even part of a count down show, so this will be another new experience for me. You can listen to me on 90.5 WERG or online at www.wergfm.com if you click the “LISTEN LIVE” link at the top of the page J

Good luck to any of you with finals coming up, I’ll be studying right along with you over the next two weeks.

Until next time-

Peace :-)

Nicole

Opening Night of 'A Tuna Christmas'!!!

Hey everybody! Just a quick note to let you know that 'A Tuna Christmas' opens tonight at the Schuster Theatre! This is my stage managing debut, so hopefully it all goes well!

Final dress was really great last night, and the cast is truly hilarious. So, come to the show! It runs tonight Dec 4-Saturday Dec 6 at 8:00pm, as well as next Thursday Dec 11-Saturday Dec 14 at 8:00pm, and next Sunday Dec 14 at 2:00pm. FOR TICKETS, call 814-871-7494.

Oh, and if you're a high school student interested in theatre, you can come to Gannon Backstage Night and get a look behind the scenes. That's this Friday, Dec 5. But you have to register online or by phone first, and you need to do that by noon on Friday! Go to www.gannon.edu/theatre or call 814-871-5311.

It's a great show and it's going to be awesome. I'm so proud of the cast and crew, and it's been a blast working together!

Peace :)

Nicole

An Unbelievably Exhausting (and REWARDING!) Theatre Experience

Waking up at 8am on a Saturday is not exactly an ideal start to the weekend for most college students. But last Saturday, I woke up a little tired and absolutely stoked. It was my first tech day as stage manager of the Schuster’s current show A Tuna Christmas. Our goal? Go through my friend Chris’s lighting designs for the entire show, making sure each scene would be properly lit to help fit Director Jax Kubiak’s vision.

I’ve been pretty nervous about stage managing. See, I’m used to being on the stage. Last year at Gannon (as a freshman), I performed in four shows here: The Dopey Fairy Tale, NINE, Love and Freindship (sic.) and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Even before college, I always loved performing on stage. But this year, I was offered the position of stage manager, something I’d never done before. Working only from my knowledge of past SMs and Jax’s promise to guide me along the way, I accepted the job.

Throughout the rehearsal process I’ve worked closely with my assistant Jared. But today brought one of my biggest solo responsibilities, and something I’ve been nervous about since the beginning- learning how to use the light board. We started running cues, marking spots on the stage for special lights, and moving quickly from scene to scene. Sometimes as an actor, I forget how much work goes into a show before performers even set foot on the stage. Every prop is noted and set in a specific place on or off stage, and a set piece moved an inch to the left or right can change everything. Jared and I were running around moving heavy Christmas trees (see the show and you’ll understand!), and by the end of the afternoon, after finishing the cue-writing session and a dry tech (where I got to run the light board!!), I was absolutely exhausted. Exhausted, but accomplished! :)

Now, as cliché as this sounds, I was thinking about how this has absolutely everything to do with Gannon’s slogan, “Believe in the possibilities.” I never would have thought a little over a year ago when I was starting here that within only a short amount of time I would have performed in five shows, pledged to the theatre fraternity Alpha Psi Omega, and began work as a stage manager at the theatre (And that’s not including my involvement at our radio station, WERG. Maybe in my next blog… )

I keep thinking about when I was applying to schools, seeing places that offered what seemed to be great theatre opportunities, but didn’t even allow students direct connection with productions until their senior year. How can I build my resume or even gain experience just from watching? Well, Gannon answered this question for me by letting me get all the experience I was willing to commit to. That opens the door to possibilities I never even imagined. I believe there are new possibilities every day, and I’m eager to explore them.

Peace :)

Nicole

P.S. - Watch my video!!!