Dream of: 14 March 1997 "Malach"
I was in an audience watching the live performance of the first episode of a new television comedy series, being acted on the stage right in front of me. The audience and I were sitting in seats that formed a semi-circle around the stage. The show was based on a character who had somehow been involved in another television series, "The Jeff Foxworthy Show"; this, however, this was a brand new series, and not the Foxworthy production.
Although I had seen "The Jeff Foxworthy Show" before, I wasn't familiar with the show, and I was unfamiliar with the character who was appearing in this new show. However, I found watching this production of the half-hour comedy to be immensely interesting.
As I watched, I could hear some noise behind me. Looking around, I saw what appeared to be people who were involved in the production of the play; they were talking in a small room at the rear of seats. Somebody finally walked over to the small room and shut the door.
The star of the show was a tall slender fellow whom I had never seen before. Apparently he was a well-recognized comedian. As I watched the show, I didn't find it to be particularly funny. Nevertheless I was enjoying being here and watching the taping of the show.
In one scene, the star of the show was standing with two other men at the side of the stage. Each of the three men was holding an ear of corn and all three of them were eating the corn at the same time. Their display was supposed to be part of some sort of comedy routine, but I didn't find it very funny. Besides, they were standing in a darkened area, and they couldn't be seen well. Most of the light seemed to be focused in the middle of the stage, and the sides of the stage appeared dark; someone should tell the actors they should move closer to the center of the stage.
When it seemed as if the show had finally ended, I stood and walked around, getting ready to leave. Then someone said one final scene was going to be shot. Some people were still talking on stage; I thought a commercial must be taking place, and the last scene would be shot after the commercial. However the break lasted for so long, I finally walked into a hallway back behind the seats.
After waiting five or ten minutes, I realized something: even though the show was taking place before a live audience, it was still being taped so it could be edited later. That was why the show had drug on for more than a half hour, and why what I had thought was a commercial break was taking so long. All the scenes were being taped, and certain ones would be edited out later. I thought about how difficult that must be, to decide which scenes would remain, and which ones would be cut out.
Some televisions were sitting near me; some scenes I had just watched were on the televisions. There was no action – just still shots. I looked closely at the televisions, to see if the sides of the scene were darker than the center, the way it had appeared while I had been watching the action. To my surprise, the entire stage seemed bright on the television. I concluded the problem of the darkness on the side was somehow corrected when the scene was broadcast out from the stage to the television.
When I finally walked out of the hallway and back into the auditorium, some members of the audience had become tired of the show, and instead were now watching a film on a screen set up at the rear of the room, where some seats had been turned around toward the screen. However I wanted to see the final scene of the show, and I looked for a place to sit down. Now that some people had moved out, it looked as if I might be able to find a better seat than the one in which I had been sitting. Every time I walked up to a seat, however, I was told someone was still sitting there, or someone else beat me to the seat. I finally ended up walking over to the side and sitting in a seat which wasn't very good.
***
I was walking around outside the building where the studio was, when the star of the show stepped up and began walking along beside me. Looking around me, I realized we were in New Boston and the production studio was located here. I thought this must be the first time anything like this had ever been done in New Boston. I felt quite privileged to be walking along with the star of the show. He asked me what I thought about the show. I told him I was just an ordinary person and had never been to anything like this before. I wanted to give him my opinion, but it was hard for me to give an good honest critique. I wanted to tell him that in certain ways the show had been funny, but in other ways it hadn't been funny. I wanted to tell him I was unsure the show would succeed.
At the same time, I rather liked the fellow, and I asked him how long he had been in New Boston. He told me he had only been here a couple weeks. I thought to myself it would be difficult for him to meet anyone around this area; not many interesting people lived in this area. I told the fellow he could give me a call if he wanted to go out some time and have a beer, but I didn't bother to give him my name or phone number.
***
I was with Carolina, telling her about how I had gone to the production and seen the show. I also was thinking that I now had a job at the studio and that I now worked with the entertainment industry. I was also realizing I had had some expenses when I had gone to the studio, and I would be able to write those off my taxes. It seemed strange to me that I would be able to write off entertainment for tax purposes.
Carolina was looking for a new job, and I thought she might like to go to the studio because I thought the studio was looking to hire new people. I was even carrying a sheet of paper which talked about the kind of people which the studio was hiring. Looking at the paper, I saw that it described the "Malach-educated" or "Malach-oriented" people which the studio wanted to hire. I wasn't quite sure to what "Malach" referred, but I thought it might be a strange religion or some kind of book. I thought it had something to do with a strange way of thinking. Carolina might be interested; if she were interested, she would have to read more about "Malach." I told her she should look in the book store, and she said she might be able to find it in the entertainment section. I didn't think she would find it there. I thought she would have to look in a more esoteric section of the book store to find the books of Malach.
Copyright 2001 by luciddreamer2k@gmail.com
