When I was a little girl, my mother worked for a while as a nursery schoolteacher. And for one year, when I was four, I was in her nursery school class. One thing, probably the only memory I have from back then, was that when the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus came to town, instead of taking her class of four-year-olds to a circus performance, she’d take them to the fairgrounds the day before the first show to see the circus getting set up. We’d watch them pitch the big top, settle the animals, and get all the booths ready for the big show. The vivid memory I have from that day before the circus when I was four was watching an elephant urinate—the endless mighty yellow stream fascinated and horrified me. I couldn’t turn away.
Ever since my mother’s outing, I’ve loved to watch things get set up before they start. And today was no exception. I loved wandering around the Hotel Real de Minas after I dropped off my books at the bookstore and finished my tech rehearsal. Here’s a little portfolio of the buzz of activity waiting for the conference to begin.
The tent is where I’ll be teaching…all the classes and workshops will be outdoors this year. Time to practice projecting my voice…
