Animal Farm

The room is boiling hot. How nice that we’ve been assigned the worst ventilated studio in all of Clifftown to spend three weeks in. Walking in the door after the first hour has passed is little different from hitting a wall. A dense, unbreathing wall. 

We’re two weeks into priority. This is our first – near – full length, proper play, which is the school’s way of preparing us for the year to come. In 3^rd year we will be doing little else than creating shows. Sure enough we had priority weeks last term as well working on “shows”. But these were short, not lasting over half an hour, and we were divided in groups. 

The school as hired in a director and her assistant, who are working with us. We are making the script ourselves, based on George Owell’s book, Animal Farm – which really is worth a read. It’s not very long either. 

It’s going to be dark and gritty, all the scenography made from pallets and tattered, big plastic sheets. We’ll be wearing boiling suits combined with masks – though the masks will be worn at one hand, rather than the head. Difficult to picture? Well, in real life it really works.

A Very Expensive

Weekend.

(And it was not caused by alcohol – I know that’s the first conclusion anyone would draw). In two days I managed to “waste” 85 pounds. Oh happy day for a poor student. Here’s how it happened: 

Saturday came around and I decided to get on my bike to do my weekly shopping at Lidl. I’d been planning to drop by the bike shop for the past two weeks in order to inflate* my wheels, and decided today was the day. So off I went, the weather gorgeous and everything. I get to the shop and the guy behind the counter tends to my bike. 

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When I straightens up however, he says my back wheel is broken. And quite badly so. The axel, or whatever it’s called, that’s the thing that keeps the wheel to the rest of the bike and spinning. He said it had clearly been getting worse and worse for a long time, as it was really bad. A new wheel is going to be 40 pounds. Ok I thought. I can survive that. So I left my bike and walked to Lidl (never mind that it started to rain on the way – just my luck). 

Then comes Sunday. The weather is once again sunny, and after dinner I decide to go for a little walk. When I come back however, I discover I forgot my key in my room. Toria was home, so she let me into the house, but the door to my bedroom is locked (as it locks when slammed)… This is the first time I haver ever lost/forgotten my key. For about an hour I tried to pick the lock, but finally had to give in. With Monday being a bank holiday, Host would not be available to help me until Tuesday. So with a groan I got my phone and found a locksmith. Thus I lost another 45 pounds. 

And that is how, in the span of two days, I lost £85 due to inattentiveness and pure idiocy. Grrr.

Late Night

Stitching

So the costume rehearsal for the third year combat show was in two days. To put it mildly, the two ladies in the costume department was slightly freaking out.

“Any chance you have any lessons off tomorrow?” 

“No, but I can come after school?”

Oh, hang on, for this to make sense, let’s rewind: 

The idea came to life before Easter break when I noticed the flyer on a board in Clifftown for the first time. “The Costume Department needs you!” There would be no salary involved, but that is not all there is to the world, and depending on how you do, this may have a positive effect on your final university statement and so on. 

Easter break came and went, and the costume ladies were more than thrilled when I popped my head in and said I would like to help out. So for the last few weeks I’ve gone there during any free lesson we’d get. 

With the third year show coming up, many costumes were in dire need of final repairs, changes, and making. And that’s how, on a Thursday evening, I ended up alone in the costume room at quarter past six. Music playing softly from my iPad, four doughnuts, needle and thread in hand, and two medieval coats that needed my attention. 

I listened as the school fell more and more quiet, the light slowly dwindling from outside the windows. At half past eight the security guard poked his head in. We were the only ones left in the entire building. 

Not until half past nine did I finally pack up, tidy the table and lay out the final results for the ladies to see in the morning. Going down to the ticket office I told the guard I was done, and we exited the building together. 

***

This is now actually two weeks ago, Thursday 8^th of May, and since then I’ve spent several more hours stitching, repairing, and also tidying. It’s tiresome sometimes, but still a lot of fun. And the two ladies are the nicest people you will ever meet. A week after my late night I came in to find a big, flat present on the table with my name on it. The two ladies had bought me a basic sewing set. To someone else it may not be the most fancy looking thing in the world, but it was the greatest surprise I could ever get.

(Not to mention I’d already been planning to buy myself something similar, so it was quite the lucky coincidence).