Party in Prague!

Again, skipping over Venice to get to Prague, but I will start with my train horror story from the overnight from Venice to Prague. Got on and realized there were no locks on the doors. Not good. Had heard from a girl that she was actually gassed in one of the overnight cars so that the robbers could come in and unclip money belts. More not good. Anna (character: Anna from JMU who is working as a housekeeper to a professor at his villa on the Italian island of Elba) gets on a few stops later and we are told that we are the only two people supposed to be in the car. Great. We fall asleep, but I take great precautions with my stuff, locking it with a bike cable to the bed and put my messenger bag under my head around me under my shirt and the whole bit. At around 3AM I wake up. Not sure why, but I'm just lying there when I two guys open the door and pop their heads in. I'm just watching them thinking, "Oh, they must be lost." One of the guys sees me and gestures to the other guy to shut the door as they say sorry. Think more to myself...no, they saw two girls alone in the car. There are only supposed to be two of us in there. They are trying to rob us. I run out of the car and start asking them why they are in this car and what they are doing. In my sleepy mind, I was ready to beat up two train robbers... Anyway, they flee to another car, but I knew, for some reason, that they would be back. I lay back in bed thinking of all the James Bond ways to kick them in the face (I thank Kayt for this state of mind...) and thinking that I should get out my pocket knife, when all of a sudden I hear Anna screaming, "My wallet's gone!" What? I was awake the whole time! Nope...I had fallen asleep and the guys came back. She woke up to the bald one breathing heavily on her face, but she thought that they were just trying to climb up the ladder to the top bunk. When they saw her awake, they fled. Apparently, he reached over her, unzipped her purse, took out her wallet, took out the euros on one side, the dollars on the other, and put the wallet back in a different compartment, thankfully leaving the passport, the iPod, the camera, and the credit cards. But we were more freaked out that they could get that close to us and neither of us noticed!!! She decided to stay up the rest of the night, and the conductor had her and 3 other people get off for a few minutes at Salzburg to file a police report. We were the only ones with a description. Very scary. We put the ladder against the door in case anyone else tried to get in. Talked and snacked for a bit as we just sat in shock. They didn't take anything of mine, but if they were that close to her, they were that close to me. Avoiding night trains from now on...or, I'll take my bike cable and put it around the door handle and lock it shut. Surreal.

Anyway, Prague is great! Turns out I went from knowing no one on my travels to knowing 7 other people(and really another, but Kara didn't tell me she was there...more on that coming...), so it was really a party in Prague! Crashed in the hostel for a bit since I didn't sleep so well on the train and then went off to the Mucha Museum, which is great! If you like Art Noveau, if you like poster design, if you like art, go to the Mucha Museum. Walked along the river for a bit and then went back to meet up with Eric! (Character: Eric, my cousin who just graduated from the Air Force Academy and is going to Africa to climb mountains. He's awesome.) Had dinner in Old Town Square and then walked around town for a bit. Then both of us decided to crash. Planned to meet up with Eric, Katie, and Bryce (Characters: Katie Stebbins, a costume design student at CMU and the awesome sister of Amy Stebbins! and Bryce, Katie's awesome boyfriend who is now a lover of the theater) to do Prague Castle. Eric and I looked around Tyn Church (it has beautiful spires!) and St. Nicholas's Church and then met up with K&B for Castle time! Made the long trek up, but it was worth it. St. Vitus's cathedral alone is worth it. It's a beautiful church with gorgeous stained glass windows, of which one is by Mucha. Climbed up the trecherous spiral staircase to the top of the tower for great views. Had a wonderful "traditional" lunch of fried cheese (any culture that emphasizes its fried cheese is good with me!), meat (something I didn't have in all of Italy), and knedkly (dumplings). Got caught in a downpour on the Charles Bridge and split off to go to an internet cafe, but got rerouted by the sight and sounds of a military parade in the Old Town Square in memory of a 1621 massacre in the Old Town Square. (Thank you, Dan, for filling me in on that! All the speeches were in Czech and the soldiers were marching with big smiles on their faces...maybe it's beacuse they have to march like awkward toy soldiers from the Nutcracker ballet...) Spent the whole night in anticipation for the Prague Quadrennial (the PQ!) which Katie and Bryce were participating in.

Oh my gosh, the PQ is so wonderful and fun! OK, the PQ is an international festival of scenography and theater architecture that happens every four years in Prague. This sounded not only up my alley, but was my alley. It was so cool! There were exhibits by every country by both students and professionals. Some of these exhibits were good, some not so good, but all were very interesting. I started off by perusing the theme exhibit which was given to student designers to create anything they wanted. The theme this year was Aristophanes's "The Birds." The costumers had a field day! I saw some amazing stuff in this exhibit from puppets to set models to amazing costume sketches to video art. Then attended a lecture on how acting exercises could influence or affect drawing and design. Mostly for costumers, the lecture discussed the extensions of the planes of the body that actors must work with in order to inform their movements. All I could think of was Bo in his Caterpillar costume for Alice. It was a great lecture because many times designers don't think about how their design will affect the actors acting. We think, "The actor will deal. It is what they do." But really the designers AND the actors have to be on the same page. Not that I'm giving up raked stages, people, I'm just saying that I will be more aware of a raked stage's implications on the acting when I design a floor that is above 15 degrees with water... Then I toured the professional pavillions. They ranged from extensive overviews of what is happening in that country's theater scene (the USA, Ireland, and the Sushi Bar of Japan--amazing concept! you sat at a plate with a set model on it and the description in the menu on your placemat) to random drawings, still photographs, or slide shows (Germany and Poland--whose pavillion was the outline of Poland extruded 20' in the air and built out of bright magenta plastic), to installations and interactive spaces (Hungary's customs booth which rejected everyone and the Czech Republic's Carnival). I think I prefer the extensive overviews, especially the one from the US. Maybe that's because I recognized many of the designers. Everything from Eugene Lee's set model for "Wicked" to pictures of the Theatre de la June Lune's "The Miser" and "Amerika" was there. Poland, however, does win for the best caramel candies. I also looked upstairs at the inspiring architecture exhibit. So much is being done in theater architecture in the world. I only hope I can get into that stuff. Decided that I need to go to USITT next year. Anyone up for it? Ended with an interesting lecture on designing with smoke machines and fog. Blase and Tom, this workshop was for you! Then I met up with Xin Wei! (Character: Xin Wei, a good friend from Harvard who was on the Board of Directors for the Gilbert and Sullivan Players with me and is on her way home to Singapore after graduation) She's travelling with two friends and we met up with Eric and went to a really good dinner with more meat and more fried cheese. Went out with them and a girl we met at the hostel to a jazz bar to listen to music and just relax and chat. Great day!

The next day was cousin quality time at Karlstejn Castle. If you want to feel like a Disney Princess in Prague, go to Karlstejn. It's up on a hill and you go through a medieval town to get to it. Very Renaissance Faire in a way, but that is due to the tourists. I've decided that castles are more beautiful from the outside than the inside, and palaces are vice versa. But it was still great to go! If you go, book in advance for the long tour that takes you to the chapel and the great tower. We couldn't get in, but the pictures were beautiful! The castle was built by Emperor Charles IV of the Holy Roman Empire for his treasures. He collected relics and one of them is the head of a crocodile, which he believed, because they didn't have crocodiles in the area often, was the head of the dragon in the St. Michael story. Hilarious. The castle was also occupied by Wencelas IV, and it had a very Ruddigore-esque picture gallery. (No, no stained glass, Courtney.) Had a great time at the castle, and got back in time for dinner with Xin Wei's party and a show at the black light theater. Black light theater is very beautiful for production stills, but not necessarily wonderful after the first effect wears off. There were a few mimes that did some funny bits though. Spent the rest of the night at a jazz bar listening to a great trio that wasn't playing jazz. (I hate jazz.)

Went with Xin Wei and friends and K&B to the PQ for its last day! Katie showed me around the student exhibits, which are really creative I thought. Again, a whole range, but there was the USA extensive overview booth, which was just well done. Each master's program represented had its own closet in this big mirrored box. They could design their closets, so some had shelves with portfolios and pictures, some had models, puppets, props, and UNC? had the most creative...you pulled open a drawer and the top looked like a puzzle. When you pulled up each piece, you saw a tube with show pictures, descriptions, and props. Very neat. Austria or Australia (can't remember which) had a neat pavillion too...you were Alice falling down the rabbit hole...or rather sliding down a big slide with the tea party table upside-down all around you, all made out of paper. Not sure if it showed anything about student theater in the country, but it was fun! Sat for a long time in the uber-awesome cafe structure. Another theme of the PQ was construction, so they made a three-tiered cafe/seating area out of scaffolding and covered everything in foam, bubble wrap, and thick brown bags blown up and sectioned off to make very comfortable lounges and sofas. I must find some in the States and make furniture for my apartment (if I ever get one...) next year. Xin Wei and I sat there for at least an hour just chatting. It was so good to see her again before she gets stuck on her island that lacks the presence of cows. Have fun in Singapore! Then Katie tells me that she and Bryce bought several bags of bird seed with the intention of having a happening. Katie wanted to have a whole flock of pigeons following her around Old Town Square, so we head off with a trash bag full of bird seed. (We stop at the Jewish Museum which is made up of five synagogues and the cemetery which Rabbi Lowe, of the Golem story, is buried. The Spanish Synagogue was beautiful, but the whole thing was very expensive. Not sure the way they set it up was the best way either, but it was interesting.) We get to the Square and there is only one pigeon. Bryce runs after it with a box and gives it a whole pile. After being confused for awhile, it starts pecking. Then another pigeon comes. Then another. We look up and there are hundreds of birds coming in for a landing! We make a line of piles, so the birds started at one end, and when they were finished with that pile, they moved to the next one. Thus, we had hundreds of birds zig zagging through the Square! Finally Katie puts lots of piles around her feet. The birds gets closer and closer as they other piles disappear. After about 20 minutes, they are ready to go to her feet, but all of a sudden, a tiny child runs into the picture and scatters all the birds away! They are so full from the rest of the food that they don't come back! It was hilarious! A wonderful performance that came full circle. People actually were watching. One group clapped I think. Ta da! After that K&B were leaving town, but I will see them again in Berlin! Can't wait! They are great! Met up with XW and friends for one last dinner and then hung out with Eric and friends (he met up with some buddies from the Academy and some girls from Switzerland) at a neat place that was basically a maze of underground caverns with some bars. Reminded me of the big theater party in Edinburgh that the Underbelly Theatre held in the bank vaults underneath the city. Ate a really good fried cheese sandwich walking back to the hostel. Eric, I hope you had a great time in Prague!

Eric and I chatted by the river a bit before he had to leave on the plane. It was good seeing him! I'm glad he came to visit! He directed me towards Frank Gehry's Dancing House, aka Fred and Ginger. I really loved it! I'm not sure it fits its surroundings, but it did look like two figures dancing. I like it. Walked around for a long time and then Dan Wenger (character: Dan, friend from Harvard who is an actor and is studying in Prague for six weeks) called! We didn't know if we'd meet up, but we did and chatted at a cafe for a long time. Helped him through buying train tickets at the station (I'm a pro!) and then met up with one of his friends for a delicious dinner by the river. Great ending to a great city! Thank you to everyone who met up with me!