And all I got was this stupid t-shirt

The students are coming! The students are coming!

Alright, so they're already here. In fact, the Brazilians have come, left and bought the t-shirt. And speaking of t-shirts...have I mentioned that I'm required to wear one for the entirety of the 5 1/2 weeks I work here? Would that normally be an issue? Of course not. Is it ridiculous because I was given an XL that was dug out of the bottom of a filing cabinet, has paint on it and looks like I'm wearing a nightgown to work? Yes. Plus, it's kind of difficult to use my arms when the shoulder seams are down at my elbows. Oy! Just another example of the DWW on a power trip. She, the music director and the choreographer can wear whatever they want and whatever they feel comfortable in for working. Me? A tent.

Working with the students was actually wonderful...when I was actually allowed to work with them. Early in the process I was told that my only job was to sing the songs once through as a demonstration and then to remain silent while the music director did the actual teaching (and, of course, to do any mundane task the DWW asked for. that's a given). As a certified theater and music educator, this was painful. Especially since the music director repeatedly ASKED for my help, but the DWW said no.

That is, until she was in a bind with no other options.

Here I come to save the DAY!!!!!!!

For our morning workshops, we had a separate piano player to assist the teachers. That music director was very talented and highly qualified, lots of great credentials in that bio and perfect to be accompanying Broadway performers as they taught dances from their shows. Week 1: great. No problems at all.
Week 2: Monday morning. Started out like any other morning. I arrive to set up the room for the day, the Broadway guest artist arrives, I text the DWW every time I take a step or blink an eye, etc.
Well, the piano player's call time comes and goes, and still no piano player. I call him. The DWW calls him. The DWW calls me:
Apparently, the piano player forgot to look at the schedule and went out of town. Out of town! I've got a cast member from a Broadway show and 20 Brazilians waiting to dance, and no piano player. Oh wait...I'M a piano player.

Rewind to the past week: there had been a need for another piano player for an audition portion of the workshop. The music director suggested to the DWW that I would be the best person for the job because I can read music well and can sight read. The only three people in the room when this happened were me, the music director and the DWW. After the music director says, "Get Rachel to do it. She'd be perfect." The DWW looks me in the eye and says, "Oh no, I need someone really good."

Mind you this person has never even seen me play, while the music director HAS. But the DWW assumes that since I'm, I don't know, young...from the Midwest...not a Broadway star...that I must be mediocre.

Cut back to the day of the MIA accompanist. The DWW is frantically putting in calls to other piano players, but of course none are available at 8:00 a.m., so she very reluctantly asks me if I think I'm capable of doing the workshop. I say sure, no problem, especially because I make sure it involves an extra paycheck.

So I talk to the guest artist about the cuts, sit down at the piano and begin teaching the song to the Brazilians. Because, after all, I taught choir for three years. No big deal.

Then, the guest artist begins teaching the dance, and I begin sight reading the score. Because, after all, I took piano for 18 years and it was my minor in college. No big deal.

So the workshop went great. The guest artist was complimentary, which made me feel good, and the DWW hired me to accompany the next two workshops as well.

But here's the best part. Even after I saved her ass 3 days in a row, I was still chewed out for not wearing the stupid ginormous t-shirt at one point during the day. REALLY???!?!?! You don't think I earned enough respect to choose my own wardrobe after completely bailing you out of a crazy problem? REALLY!!?? Well I've got a t-shirt I want you to wear, and it's a graphic t with my middle finger on it.

It IS a problem!

Since my conversation with the DWW where I pointed out that the condescending tone used to address the employees might be part of the reason we react the way we do, the DWW has actually been semi-pleasant to me. Not nice, mind you, and CERTAINLY not normal, but a kind of quasi-decent where its just enough to make my work experience not horrible.

However, there have still been a few gems I thought the readers might enjoy.

1. I was asked to research a few video companies for a potential project,and I was told to go get the names of the companies from my coworker. So I go over there, and my coworker is already looking at them. We look at them together for a little bit, watch a promo video for one company, and then I go back to my desk and do a little of my own research on the companies. *ring ring* My coworker gets a call. It's HER! dun dun dun. My coworker begins discussing opinions and observations about the companies, and just in passing mentions that we had looked at the websites together briefly...AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Horror of all horrors! Two coworkers collaborating on a project!!! The world is going to self-destruct!!!

Oh, what do you mean that's not a normal reaction to two coworkers collaborating? Well, according to the DWW it's the only appropriate reaction.

Shortly after my coworker hangs up, clearly defeated, my phone rings. Again, dun dun dun. The DWW, with all the pleasantness one can muster, begins to tell me that I should not discuss assignments with coworkers because they are assigned for a specific reason. My work is none of my coworkers' business and vice versa. If I am told to get information from a coworker, I should get NOTHING but the SPECIFIED information and then move on. No discussion, no sharing of ideas and certainly no chit chat. I was pretty much instructed not to speak to my fellow employees unless the DWW said I could. So apparently it's marshal law/Nazi Germany in the office now...even though the DWW doesn't work out of the office, but from home.


2. The second event was minor, but just makes me laugh because it's so uncalled for. The DWW was out of town for a personal emergency. So yes, apparently the DWW is human and has friends. So I can appreciate that the DWW was emotionally distraught because of personal situations, but still... I was trying to be a good employee and keep my employer informed about our progress. I said we were missing some of the materials we were supposed to find from a previous project, but we were searching. I was immediately snapped at that I shouldn't tell the DWW that until I have some sort of solution. Wait, didn't you yell at me a few weeks ago for not checking in with you enough? And now you say I'm giving you TMI? Which is it friend?

So anyway, we all go looking for the materials in the office. We can't find them, but they are audio cd's which we can easily remake. No big deal right? WRONG!
I call the DWW back and say, "So we didn't find them, but we're just going to burn them again and it shouldn't be a problem." Just trying to be pleasant and positive.
The response? The DWW snaps, "Well it IS a problem. It IS a problem because it's MY property and its missing."
You know what? You're right. A few missing CD's burned from files on the computer is definitely a problem, like world hunger or homelessness, right? Totally worth getting upset about, right? This person really needs lessons in priorities, and probably some deep breathing exercises.