Unto These Hills 2015 Week 1 has come to a close. It's a cool, comfortable night after a hot morning, a rainy afternoon, and a humid evening. A fire dances in the pit outside the boy's dorm. Music echoes through the Day Room. After a long week of hard work, everyone feels the need to wind down. For some, this means partying. For some, it means conversation. And for others, it simply means an early bedtime in preparation for a day of rest, a sabbath.
Officially, days have begun all week at 9:30am for the actors at UTH, though of course many choose to rise earlier than that. Days have mostly ended around 10:00pm, though of course many choose to stay up later than that. Lunch and dinner breaks vary drastically depending on a given day's goals and the size of one's role(s) in the production. For many, these breaks are even times of work as we all scramble to learn our lines and get those pesky scripts out of our hands. To say we are all ready for a sabbath is an understatement. Both physically and mentally, our work as performers has been exhausting. This profession is a taxing process at times. It can be extremely stressful. It can be a challenge. But it's also a lot of fun.
Tonight, before making an appearance at the evening's party, I sat in my apartment chatting with Carson, a fellow return actor from last year. We shared stories and laughs and Carson picked up a guitar and began playing some music. I remembered from last year that he, like myself, is a Josh Ritter fan. I asked if he knew how to play any Ritter. Immediately, he began to play the song "Empty Hearts," an extremely fitting song, given the evening.
Together, Carson and I sang,
"I'm inside with my friends
We build fires and pretend
That the night could just bend on forever
While outside in the frost
Are the wolves and the lost
And we sing to the dogs or whoever
Singing don't let me into this year with an empty heart
With an empty heart
Don't let me into this year with an empty heart"
UTH, in my mind, doesn't allow one's heart to be empty. At least, not for long. I love this place. I'm sure there will be drama on the Hill this year, just as there was last year. I'm sure some days will be difficult and grueling and emotional. But for every negative thing that occurs, so many positive ones abound here.
Earlier this evening, a small group of us went out to eat at the local Japanese restaurant, Kobe. We told jokes and stories and shared a bit about ourselves with one another. Throughout this week, I've started the process of getting to know new folk and to rekindle old friendships with those I haven't seen for several months. This is why I came back to the Hill for a second round. It is wonderful to be a part of a community.
But like I said earlier, this week has also been a week of hard work. Tomorrow, our day of rest, our sabbath, is arriving right when we need it. A day free of work when we can relax. A day when groups plan to go to movies--be they Mad Max fans or Pitch Perfect fans. A day when I will likely make my way down to the coffee shop, sip a chai, read a book, and recharge (though even my introverted self is all about going with a group to see Mad Max, let's be honest).
We're off to a good start. Here's to hoping the summer will continue as it has begun. And all the Felixes in the house say, "Cheers to that!"
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