One Week Already??

Hello World!!

I say that as I sure there are very few people who haven’t taken interest in Connecticut College’s Newspaper Summer Blog, and will be hanging on every word I write. Mikey Harris here. I hail from the small state of Vermont and will be spending my summer in foggy San Francisco. What’s that you say? I thought California was sunny?! Well yes that is mostly true, but here in the grand old city, the combination of ocean air mixed with the warmth of the mainland makes fog. Don’t ask me how it works I don’t really get it, but the weather varies so luckily there are some nice days, although all in all I’d rather have mostly sunny compared to the hot and humid inferno that one would get in Vermont.

I am a double major in theater and mathematics, yes I know a very useful combination, but am much more passionate about the theater side of life, which brings me to San Francisco. This summer I have the pleasure of interning with the Un-Scripted Theater Company. The Un-Scripted Theater Company pushes the envelope of improvised theater with 2-hour improvised plays, movies, musical, comedies, and dramas (yes don’t get all PSJ on me I copied that from my boss as a plug to use) all without a script! It’s basically long form improv, something i have never done, but is really cool because it covers all genres and emotions of theater. So far the company and my bosses have been so much fun to work with and are very accommodating. I get to TA improv class twice a week (there isnt much TAing at all essentially i get free class) and have been working on publicity and

marketing as well. Every Tuesday i stage manage rehearsals, which is great because I get to warm up and do little improv exercises with the company. They are all hilarious and I’m learning a lot. If you read this blog and are in San Francisco their show opens July 9, I highly recommend seeing it and you can check them out at their site at www.un-scripted.com

Outside of work I’ve been walking around a lot exploring the city. My first day i walked down Haight street, where Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix lived, and couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. Everything is so unique and colorful and there is a plethora of great people watching opportunities. (I later walked down Haight and ran into Benji/Joel Madden from Good Charlotte, one of the two couldn’t really tell, but was impressed with myself for the celebrity spotting) I then walked downtown via Market Street, and got to check out the San Francisco Bay. All of the walking is making my legs sore, I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but I’d rather walk than pay for transportation and this way I get to experience the city. My walking escapades have also taken me to beaches on the western side of the city, which gave me the opportunity to see the Golden Gate Bridge. As soon as I saw it i couldn’t help but smile.

I met up with some fellow Conn Collegers in Berkeley where they are living for the summer. Berkeley is hippie central and it’s cool to feel all the love. Last Saturday was the World Music Festival on a perfectly sunny day. It was really fun to listen to all the different types of music. We saw a band from New Orleans and they were having so much fun and we danced it up with some local hippies. The lead singer, in tandem to singing, played an instrumen, that was essentially a washing board vest that he wore on his chest, and played on it with spoons….that with the mix of  an accordion, drums, and guitars made it quite an interesting band.

To finish this off the food here has been great. There are so many good Mexican restaurants and the one night of sushi that I had was pretty unreal. I am a huge food person so the next couple posts I’ll try to remember specifics and suggest restaurants because food is just that important. Tomorrow i get to see the touring cast of “In the Heights” with some people from Un-Scripted. It’s a musical set in Washington Heights (area of NYC past Manhatten/Bronx) that mixes hip hop, latin music, and musical theater all together.

Until Next Time,

Mikey