You may ask yourself...

Why doesn't Jen talk about her students this semester?

I'm not teaching this semester.

Why isn't Jen teaching this semester?

Well, an opportunity presented itself that I couldn't pass.  I got an inquiry from one of my stage management mentors from grad school asking if I'd be interested in stage managing 2 new plays at Alabama Shakespeare Festival between February and April.  I was interested.

Does this mean you'll never be able to go back to your teaching gig ever ever again?

No way.  In fact, the boss and the big boss were both VERY supportive. Remember, I'm an adjunct professor, which means I'm part-time on a semester-by-semester basis. I basically teach specialty classes, in my case, theatre and stage management, and overload classes that won't fit into the full-time faculty's schedules. I was just slated to teach one section of intro to theatre this spring (my management classes are out of rotation til next year), so they were quite understanding and willing to let me go, with the understanding that I"m interested and availble for next fall.  Not to mention, I'll be doing what I DO, what I teach others to DO.  I don't want to be that teacher who hasn't done her thing in 10 years.  Theatre technology is constantly changing and I need to keep up, lest I teach outdated things to my little whiz kids.  They were also excited that I could offer our students current contacts at ASF, especially since it's one of the only professional theatres in our state.

What does Dean think about all this?

Dean's pretty jazzed that his manny, BJ, is going to be spending a bit more time with him and he's excited about the increased guy time with his dad.  He's also excited that he gets Mommy all to himself all day on Mondays, which will be my day off. 

Is the pay better?

You better believe it.  Let's put it this way (without getting too specific):  I"ll make more in 2 weeks working at ASF than I would teaching one class for an entire semester.  This will allow us to have some much-needed electrical work done to our house and will also help us build our savings back to the healthy place it was when we moved to Montevallo.  And I can get a pedicure. And possibly a latte from Starbuck's.

When does Jen start?

Feb. 15 begins my "pre-production week." That's the week before rehearsals actually begin, when I go to the theatre and prepare things, like paperwork, scripts, the rehearsal studio, etc.  I'm slated to have a production assistant who will help me, but I'm not sure whether or not that person will be on contract during pre-production.  Rehearsals start on the 23rd for the first show.  As soon as the first show opens, we start rehearsals for the second show. That one ends on April 26.  It'll be busy, but it should go by quickly.

Will Jen sleep?

Possibly.  Jen will be coming home as much as she can.  I'll have an apartment in Montgomery for nights when rehearsal goes late and during our long days of technical rehearsals, so I will stay there some.  But the way the schedule looks, I should be able to make it home most nights to spend some time with Dean before bed and to feed him breakfast in the morning.

What does this mean for Jen's blog readers?

Hopefully, I'll still be able to blog about 3 times a week.  I've lined up several guest posts for Comfort Food Saturday (still accepting recipes, if you're interested!) and I'm pre-writing some posts to put up while I'm busy.  I'll probably start doing Wordless Wednesday a little more, hopefully giving you some nice shots of the theatre, which is absolutely gorgeous.  If you've got questions about what I do or my shows, I'm happy to talk about that, too, as much as I can.

So that's what's happening with me.  I'm excited to get back into a professional theatre setting for a while, especially since I'll be working on 2 new plays.  There's nothing quite like collaborating on a play for the first time in its existance to get your creative juices flowing.  And at the end of it all, Dean and I will become "people of leisure" for the entire summer, hopefully sleeping in a bit, working on our herb and vegetable garden, taking swimming lessons and just letting the days go by.

Comments

[AJU5's Mom]

I have to laugh at the pay comment. I know all to well what a part-time faculty member makes! But, since I get to work from home, that little bit of money is still nice :)

One question you didn't answer: Does this mean we shouldn't expect Jen to comment on our blogs for 2 months?

[rkmama]

So exciting!
Can't wait to hear all about. I'm in love with the theater but know almost nothing about it's inner workings.

[Heather]

Yay for Jen!! I hope it's a fantastic experience for you :)

[Heidi]

EXCITING! And so busy! I loved the Q&A approach to announcing you huge news! Very creative. I hope everything goes smoothly and that you get to see you family as much as possible. But don't forget to have fun!
Can't wait to see pictures!

[Eugene Charter Service]

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