La Vie Parisienne (in Champignelles.)

This weekend was the showing of the Opera and every single performance was AMAZING. They performed La Vie Parisienne, which is an Operette by Offenbach. It’s hilarious and ridiculous and our performers are the greatest musicians in the world (I’m only exaggerating a little bit here; the kids are some of the most talented, hardworking kids I’ve ever met and the professionals are by far the coolest people I’ve ever met and are so so so so talented!) Also the music is so catchy that I’m sure I’ll be singing the songs for the next five years.

My job during all of this was placing people in their seats (which is harder than you think when our seating plan is so difficult to understand and people complain about their seats in French), changing the sets during scene changes, and selling drinks at the bar. We also have to close up the center after the performance, which means we never go home without getting sweaty. The coolest part about getting home past midnight every day is that we have a personal beer tap set up in a utility closet in the apartments. We have the freshest beer and it’s amazing. And even better, it’s free for workers (that’s me.)

After the end of the Opera, started the part of the festival full of concerts. So every day there’s a concert (sometimes two) around the region that we have to prepare. We set up the stage, lighting, chairs, bar and ticket station before the musicians come to rehearse and before the patrons come to be entertained. This means we have to leave 9 or 10 in the morning to make the stage (by make, I mean that we have to carry all the stage pieces and set them up, level the area and make sure it’s safe). We also have to eat some time during this day. We either go to a restaurant in the area or we have a takeout meal from the canteen. Again, it shouldn’t be fun but somehow it is!

The concerts are mostly held in churches but we also had a performance in the magnificent St Fargeau castle. It was so nice! The actual room for the concert was in an arms room with armor, swords and shields on the wall but also with strung pigs’ hooves; it was bizarre but also really unique. In our free time (about twenty minutes) we took a condensed tour of the castle and walked around the roof. The venue was great but the worst part was the fact that there were stairs to the room, which meant we had to carry EVERYTHING up the stairs, including 200 folding chairs. And before you say, “They’re just chairs, what’s the big deal” let me reassure you that carrying folding chairs in such masses up stairs in the early morning and after midnight is a horrible experience that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Apart from that, it was a great experience. Or at least I’m glad it’s over and we don’t have to do it again.

The one part that I wasn’t expecting with all of this is the amount of time that would be spent in the car. For the opera, we spent all of our time in one building but for the concerts, we have to travel to do our work. Which means a lot of time spent in the car. But it’s a great time to mingle in French and sleep. So I can’t complain!