World Premiere

Alright all.
I hope all is well back in England, we just had an absolutely glorious weekend, absolutely glorious, alas it didn't last, it is now looking far more autumnal and grey.
So how did 'Major Dux' go? I hear you cry...
Well I have to say I was ready to move on after last week, as it got quite boring just sitting there for hours on my own. Still, I got quite emotionally attached and was willing it to do well.
Thursday was the 'Vorpremiere' like a dress rehearsal, but bigger in that parents were invited to come and watch before the full bonanza on friday.
Thursday was incredibly nervy, you could tell when they were onstage and mistakes kept creeping into the kids' performances. The director had to intervene several times and it did worry me a bit.
Friday came, and there was tension galore. However, other than a few minor errors, they pretty much nailed it, with lots of energy, the standing ovation they received at the end was well deserved.
I did actually go and see it again yesterday (sunday) in what was there last performance for a month. This was the best performance that i have seen them do, and i've seen it a fair few times now. More relaxed and free yet with the same energy, it was also far more polished and was thoroughly enjoyable. The photos are in the photobucket album.

Today was also my first proper day in the Düsseldorferschauspielhaus. It has a großes Haus (big house) and kleines Haus (small house). The bigger one can seat roughly 800 people with the smaller one up to just over 400. The stage of the big house is the biggest stage with a revolve in Germany, and they seem to really like their theatre here in Düsseldorf.
I have to admit I don't think I've ever felt so nervous. This was not aided by it's not only supreme labrynthine qualities, but also once you get down to the stage, the absolutely overwhelming vastness of it all. It's just absolutely massive. I was introduced to a couple of members of the lighting team, and very very relievingly there is another 'praktikant' (work experiencer) if you will there. She's already been there two months, but she will be there three days a week and was able to help me out and show me around and stuff. This was a welcome contrast to last week where i would have to just sit on my own for hours.
I helped to change the huge bulbs in some of the big 'Wehrscheinwerfer' (I think). These vary in type from a stark parcan to a dispersed fresnel and we were required to change one for another. This was done while the stage builders constructed the stage in the big house, the play is called 'Don Carlos', though apparently there is new lighting every day as a different play is rehearsed each day. After this was done there wasn't much left to do, which seems a pattern, my fellow praktikant Vanessa showed me around the theatre a bit, and then after lunch we watched rehearsals in the small house for a production of Frany Kafka's 'Amerika', the main interest being the stage floor was absolutely covered in paper.

There may not be anything for a while as the schools here have two weeks holiday starting today and my host family are going on a hunting holiday (!) 'til next week, and I'm going with them. Yeah I'm not really sure what to think either.
Still check out the pictures and feel free to ask anything you will.
Bis bald!
Keep Smiling
Felix