El Studio

Friday, Sept – 4^th

Today we went to the site of our show and began our set up on the Foro del Lago stage. This stage is really unique because it is positioned on a lake. Pretty cool. The dressing rooms are actually below the stage as well, which makes for a deceptive exit from the stage. Set up was hot, hot, hot. Lots of SOL. I worked primarily with Michael W (sound intern) today helping him place speakers, wire them, and power them. I learned a lot.

After lunch, we briefly rehearsed our show on the new stage and then were dismissed. The attention of the cast had shifted to that of our Friday night plans. Earlier in the week, a Tec student had announced that he was going to take his host brothers out to a local club in Leon. There was great disparity in the acceptance of this message between the staff and students. If only you could freeze-frame every face in the audience to see it. All my cast mates had been looking forward to this night all week. And finally, it came.

We went to a club called Studio. This place blew away what little expectations I had. From the outside, the place looked a bit drab with its metal gate fence and dirt parking lot, but once we entered, the scene changed to Hollywood glamour and European elegance. There was a multi-tiered set of private tables and bars which surrounded a raised glass dance floor that changed colors. Above that was the greatest disco ball I have ever seen in my life. It was the size of Jupiter, probably. Beyond the vibrant atmosphere, Viva la Gente was in full force that night, which made it even more fun. I’m so glad that so many of the host families were so willing to drive/pick-up or even attend the outing. !Que divertida!