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Ah...air conditioning! Last night I worked the final instalment of the women's lyceum at the concert hall. (they don't call it a lyceum...I just like the word, and it sounds better than the cheesy name they have for it) The speaker was supposed to be Sharon Stone, but due to a schedule conflict we got Goldie Hawn. Odd choice for a second, but o.k. Wouldn't it be nice if your life could work like that? You're busy at work and you're going to miss your sister's wedding...so Goldie Hawn goes in your place. Or maybe she takes over at work...whatever. So there we are, listening to Goldie Hawn. She's really quite funny and personable, and I don't think too many people were upset over the change...aside, that is, from the men who had turned out in unusually large numbers. They don't come with their wives for the Duchess of York, but Sharon Stone is another story. The program starts with the guest lecturing...chatting, or maybe "sharing" would be the phrase preferred by the people who run these things. The guest talks for a while, and later takes questions. The questions are written on cards that the audience is given and collected by the ushering staff to be brought back stage. The usher captain is the one who runs about gathering these things from the ushers, and for past events that meant me running up and down stairs all night. Last night, however, I was positioned in the box office lobby...that meant I only had to collect cards from the orchestra level (no climbing!) and then take them backstage. A couple times the "handlers" actually sent me on stage to hand the cards to the facilitator. So Goldie and I were on stage together, if that's the sort of thing that impresses you. It doesn't me. The interesting thing happened later. Between backstage and front of house is the security office. Last night the security staff, rather than watching the building monitors, were all watching the Lakers/Pistons game and I paused to check the score during my rounds. The game was in time-out and the cameramen were doing a sweep of the crowd, picking out celebrities. And there was Sharon Stone. Her "scheduling conflict" was going to the Lakers game. The timing even makes sense...we found out about the switch around the same time that the Finals game schedule was set and the Lakers knew they were going. But how funny is it to have seen her on TV just when she was supposed to be on stage, not thirty feet away? |
