Post by barbt on Jun 19, 2014 21:14:37 GMT -5
Everyone was nervous and excited the next day, waiting for news of Ryan's move to the rehab hospital. They all knew it was a big step for him, although Sharon had not told any of them of his reluctance to go or the intervention she'd had to make. She simply told them, as she had the production staff, that he was complaining about having to be in the hospital. She passed the same message on to the fans through a blog, knowing they would see it as a welcome step towards recovery that Ryan had gotten hold of his phone when he wasn't supposed to.
Ryan's family was nervous, too. This would be a new and very different environment for Ryan, and they would not be with him throughout every day, only in the evenings to visit. It had been explained to them that the hospital fostered all forms of independence, and that also meant reducing reliance on immediate family presence as a support or buffer. Ryan would need to learn to cope with things on his own, and most importantly, ask for help if he needed it.
Ryan had been nervous about arriving in an ambulance, thinking that the new staff would think he was worse off than he was. That notion was immediately dismissed when the staff greeted him first and asked him to introduce who was with him. He was taken to his room and allowed to get his things put away where he wanted them, then taken, along with Raymond and Colette, on a tour of the hospital. Ryan's care manager, Shivaun, ushered his parents into her office to speak with them.
"I want you to know," she said, "that I will be asking Ryan these same questions, but since it's imperative for me to have as much information as possible, I'm also asking you in case he omits something. We've never had a professional performer as a patient here. Generally we have some clue to what our patients' occupations require, but in this case we're almost completely in the dark. What does a normal day look like for Ryan?"
Mr. and Mrs. Kelly looked at each other and started laughing. "I'm not sure there is such a thing as a normal day where Celtic Thunder is concerned," his mother said. "They are a rather unique bunch, as are the performances they give. Have you seen any of their work?"
"I did watch a few things on YouTube," Shivaun said, "But in that respect it looks quite a bit like any concert performance, really. I imagine there are rehearsals and sound checks involved, but that's about all I can come up with."
Mr. Kelly looked thoughtful. "Well, unique individuals aside, things can look very different depending on whether they are in rehearsal, filming, on tour, or doing promotional tours."
"All right, let's see if I can narrow things down a little," Shivaun said. "Do you know what Ryan's immediate goal is concerning the group?"
"Yes, although I'm not sure it's realistic," Mr. Kelly said. "They are scheduled to film a new show at the end of August, and Ryan is determined to be a part of it. They've all been very excited about it. He'd need to be able to go into rehearsals at the beginning of August at the latest."
"That is a big goal," Shivaun agreed. "What does being in rehearsals entail?"
"Initially, a lot of individual work with their musical director, working on solo songs and parts for ensemble pieces, as well as bringing everyone together for the ensemble pieces to work on putting things together. There are also choreography rehearsals; usually whoever isn't with the musical director is with the choreographer."
"I didn't notice a lot of dancing on the part of the singers," Shivaun said. "I assume the choreography, then, refers to their movements on stage, where they are supposed to be and so on, rather than actual dancing?"
"Yes, for the most part," Mrs. Kelly said. "Keith, who is one of the other singers, referred to it as 'swanky walking' once, early on."
"Ah, so the WAY they move as well, not just their location?"
"Yes," Mr. Kelly agreed. "Each of the boys has something of a designated 'character' in the show. Ryan is the 'bad boy', the one all the girls fall in love with even though they shouldn't. His movements tend to be more athletic than most of the other guys, he's frequently jumping off of things or running across the stage."
"Don't forget the kilt twirls," Mrs. Kelly reminded her husband, grinning.
"Kilt twirls?" Shivaun said. "I didn't see anything with them in kilts, what do they do?"
"Be very naughty, mostly." Mr. Kelly laughed. "They do their last number in kilts, and their producer once warned them to be careful when they turned around, so the kilts wouldn't fly up. Well, being the mischievous boys that they all are, they immediately started perfecting MAKING the kilts go up. They are only doing half turns, but when they want to they can have those kilts flying at waist height. It's become very popular with the fans, and the boys have been known to come up with, shall we say, non-regulation costume to wear underneath them at times. Never anything lewd, you understand, just something surprising - white boxers with shamrocks on them, for instance."
Shivaun couldn't help but laugh. "I think I'm beginning to understand about them being a unique bunch," she said. "So Ryan's initial return will be mostly vocal and movement rehearsals, then? Anything instrumental?"
"He does play guitar and tin whistle," Mrs. Kelly said, "But I don't remember him saying if he would be playing at all in this show. There is always a possibility , though. Most likely guitar."
Mr. Kelly added, " They are also going to be doing some additional film work, showing people where they live and around Dublin and such, as well as a "making of" video. That will also be done during the beginning of August, so he'll have some lines and things he'll need to remember. And they frequently have promotional work, interviews and such, to do as well during rehearsals. It's not unusual for them to be in rehearsal for 10 or more hours a day, although I know Sharon, his producer, will make any adjustments needed in that regard."
"She'll most likely have to," Shivaun said, nodding. "I can't see him being up to that sort of schedule so quickly."
"It won't be a problem," Mr. Kelly said firmly. "Sharon will adjust and make do as needed to do what's best for Ryan. If she needs to, she'll cut him from certain pieces or make his parts shorter or easier."
Shivaun looked concerned. "Is there any worry that he might be cut from the show if he can't keep up the pace?" she said.
"No." Mrs. Kelly shook her head. "She's promised Ryan that she would never cut him, that he has a part in the show as long as he wants one, even if she has to make changes. She'll make it work, and most likely she'll be more cautious with him than he would be himself. She has been before." She and Mr. Kelly looked at each other meaningfully.
Shivaun didn't want to pry, but felt she needed to follow this up. "Has he been injured before?" she asked.
"No," Mr. Kelly said slowly. "Let's just say that last summer Ryan had some disastrous emotional and legal issues happen that made him feel he would need to leave the group. He didn't have to, in the end, but Sharon put some additional restrictions around his involvement with fans for a while, which he wasn't too happy about, to protect him and allow him time to recover emotionally."
Shivaun nodded. "Then you know you can count on her to watch out for his best interests," she said. "That's all I needed to know. So after rehearsals, they'll film this new show?"
"Yes. That will most likely be several very long days, with at least 2 performances before live audiences, as it will be filmed live."
"Then what?" Shivaun had been taking notes the whole time.
"Then they start a 3-month tour of Canada and the US almost immediately."
Shivaun blinked. "Seriously? They'll be touring the show they filmed, I assume?"
"No." Mr. Kelly shook his head. "They won't tour that one until after the videos are released to the US public television stations, next spring. The tour is a 'Greatest Hits' thing, so it will be a completely different show than the one they film."
"Oh, my." Shivaun wasn't quite sure what to say to that. What Ryan wanted to do with the filming was daunting enough, but then to go immediately into another show and tour..."What exactly does touring entail? Do they fly between sites?"
"No, they use tour buses. They have, I think, 67 shows planned between the beginning of September and the beginning of December, all over the US and Canada. There will be three buses and two trucks worth of equipment traveling together, about 35 people in all. Usually they will get to a venue in the morning, the crew will set up while the singers do interviews or go sight-seeing, then they have rehearsal and sound checks and then the show. After the show they get back in the buses and travel to the next place overnight. Every few days they have a day off, either traveling in the buses or they'll stay in a hotel and have some down time."
"I see what you mean about Ryan's goal not necessarily being realistic. What about his fellow singers? Will they support him, or are they going to be upset if he can't pull his weight?"
"Oh, they'll support him, no question," Mrs. Kelly affirmed. "They all showed up at the hospital the night of his injury and didn't leave until they had to, to do performances in Atlantic City. They spent a lot of that time singing to him so he wouldn't fight his ventilator or the medications he was on - almost 2 weeks straight. They'll do anything he needs to help him get through it and never hold it against him if he needs a break. And Sharon is planning on taking the man who is understudying for him now along with them on tour even if Ryan is able to go."
"OK, then. I see we have our work cut out for us here, but a very supportive environment to go back to. Is there anything else I need to know about Ryan right now?"
"He's still having some episodes of agitation," Mr. Kelly said. "Usually if he starts getting scared that he won't be able to get back to the group. He is getting much better at letting us know that he needs a break, and usually he will ask for his Ipod. The other singers made recordings for him and left them for him, and he'll use those recordings to settle himself down. If he can't find the Ipod, things will escalate quickly. So it's important for him to have that with him at all times. Sometimes when he gets very stressed his ability to speak is very limited, and the most he can do is a few words, so it's hard for him to explain what he needs."
"That will be very helpful," Shivaun said. "Does he get aggressive when he's agitated?"
"Sometimes, but not often towards people. He only tried to hit someone once, and that was right after he woke up. He's pushed people away a few times, and thrown things, he almost threw my phone yesterday when Sharon told him he had to come here. Mostly he'll throw things across the room, kick things, and swear - all of which are very unusual for him."
"He didn't want to come here?" Shivaun asked. "But Sharon talked him into it?"
"Yes," Mrs. Kelly nodded. "He thinks he's just weak and will get better just fine at home. We had quite a few arguments with him, and he finally talked his brother into giving him his own phone and texted Sharon, telling her he was going home, not here, and asking her to back him up. Once she got the full story, she was able to talk him down and get him to agree to come. She's very much the 'mother' on the tour, and the boys often listen to her better than they listen to their own families."
"You keep referring to them as 'boys'," Shivaun said, puzzled. "I know Ryan's in his early thirties, are the others so much younger?"
"No." Mr. Kelly smiled. "They act like boys, even George, who is nearly 10 years older than Ryan. Emmet's the youngest and he's 21. But it's like having a gang of kids around when you get them all together, with the wrestling and pranks and slagging and such. They even refer to the others as 'the other boys', when they aren't calling each other 'brother'. They're very close."
Shivaun thanked the Kellys for the information and saw them out, then went back to her office to try to figure out how to convey this information to the staff that would be working with Ryan. It would definitely be a challenge, working with him; she thought that the man himself, his job, and his work colleagues sounded very unique indeed.
Ryan's family was nervous, too. This would be a new and very different environment for Ryan, and they would not be with him throughout every day, only in the evenings to visit. It had been explained to them that the hospital fostered all forms of independence, and that also meant reducing reliance on immediate family presence as a support or buffer. Ryan would need to learn to cope with things on his own, and most importantly, ask for help if he needed it.
Ryan had been nervous about arriving in an ambulance, thinking that the new staff would think he was worse off than he was. That notion was immediately dismissed when the staff greeted him first and asked him to introduce who was with him. He was taken to his room and allowed to get his things put away where he wanted them, then taken, along with Raymond and Colette, on a tour of the hospital. Ryan's care manager, Shivaun, ushered his parents into her office to speak with them.
"I want you to know," she said, "that I will be asking Ryan these same questions, but since it's imperative for me to have as much information as possible, I'm also asking you in case he omits something. We've never had a professional performer as a patient here. Generally we have some clue to what our patients' occupations require, but in this case we're almost completely in the dark. What does a normal day look like for Ryan?"
Mr. and Mrs. Kelly looked at each other and started laughing. "I'm not sure there is such a thing as a normal day where Celtic Thunder is concerned," his mother said. "They are a rather unique bunch, as are the performances they give. Have you seen any of their work?"
"I did watch a few things on YouTube," Shivaun said, "But in that respect it looks quite a bit like any concert performance, really. I imagine there are rehearsals and sound checks involved, but that's about all I can come up with."
Mr. Kelly looked thoughtful. "Well, unique individuals aside, things can look very different depending on whether they are in rehearsal, filming, on tour, or doing promotional tours."
"All right, let's see if I can narrow things down a little," Shivaun said. "Do you know what Ryan's immediate goal is concerning the group?"
"Yes, although I'm not sure it's realistic," Mr. Kelly said. "They are scheduled to film a new show at the end of August, and Ryan is determined to be a part of it. They've all been very excited about it. He'd need to be able to go into rehearsals at the beginning of August at the latest."
"That is a big goal," Shivaun agreed. "What does being in rehearsals entail?"
"Initially, a lot of individual work with their musical director, working on solo songs and parts for ensemble pieces, as well as bringing everyone together for the ensemble pieces to work on putting things together. There are also choreography rehearsals; usually whoever isn't with the musical director is with the choreographer."
"I didn't notice a lot of dancing on the part of the singers," Shivaun said. "I assume the choreography, then, refers to their movements on stage, where they are supposed to be and so on, rather than actual dancing?"
"Yes, for the most part," Mrs. Kelly said. "Keith, who is one of the other singers, referred to it as 'swanky walking' once, early on."
"Ah, so the WAY they move as well, not just their location?"
"Yes," Mr. Kelly agreed. "Each of the boys has something of a designated 'character' in the show. Ryan is the 'bad boy', the one all the girls fall in love with even though they shouldn't. His movements tend to be more athletic than most of the other guys, he's frequently jumping off of things or running across the stage."
"Don't forget the kilt twirls," Mrs. Kelly reminded her husband, grinning.
"Kilt twirls?" Shivaun said. "I didn't see anything with them in kilts, what do they do?"
"Be very naughty, mostly." Mr. Kelly laughed. "They do their last number in kilts, and their producer once warned them to be careful when they turned around, so the kilts wouldn't fly up. Well, being the mischievous boys that they all are, they immediately started perfecting MAKING the kilts go up. They are only doing half turns, but when they want to they can have those kilts flying at waist height. It's become very popular with the fans, and the boys have been known to come up with, shall we say, non-regulation costume to wear underneath them at times. Never anything lewd, you understand, just something surprising - white boxers with shamrocks on them, for instance."
Shivaun couldn't help but laugh. "I think I'm beginning to understand about them being a unique bunch," she said. "So Ryan's initial return will be mostly vocal and movement rehearsals, then? Anything instrumental?"
"He does play guitar and tin whistle," Mrs. Kelly said, "But I don't remember him saying if he would be playing at all in this show. There is always a possibility , though. Most likely guitar."
Mr. Kelly added, " They are also going to be doing some additional film work, showing people where they live and around Dublin and such, as well as a "making of" video. That will also be done during the beginning of August, so he'll have some lines and things he'll need to remember. And they frequently have promotional work, interviews and such, to do as well during rehearsals. It's not unusual for them to be in rehearsal for 10 or more hours a day, although I know Sharon, his producer, will make any adjustments needed in that regard."
"She'll most likely have to," Shivaun said, nodding. "I can't see him being up to that sort of schedule so quickly."
"It won't be a problem," Mr. Kelly said firmly. "Sharon will adjust and make do as needed to do what's best for Ryan. If she needs to, she'll cut him from certain pieces or make his parts shorter or easier."
Shivaun looked concerned. "Is there any worry that he might be cut from the show if he can't keep up the pace?" she said.
"No." Mrs. Kelly shook her head. "She's promised Ryan that she would never cut him, that he has a part in the show as long as he wants one, even if she has to make changes. She'll make it work, and most likely she'll be more cautious with him than he would be himself. She has been before." She and Mr. Kelly looked at each other meaningfully.
Shivaun didn't want to pry, but felt she needed to follow this up. "Has he been injured before?" she asked.
"No," Mr. Kelly said slowly. "Let's just say that last summer Ryan had some disastrous emotional and legal issues happen that made him feel he would need to leave the group. He didn't have to, in the end, but Sharon put some additional restrictions around his involvement with fans for a while, which he wasn't too happy about, to protect him and allow him time to recover emotionally."
Shivaun nodded. "Then you know you can count on her to watch out for his best interests," she said. "That's all I needed to know. So after rehearsals, they'll film this new show?"
"Yes. That will most likely be several very long days, with at least 2 performances before live audiences, as it will be filmed live."
"Then what?" Shivaun had been taking notes the whole time.
"Then they start a 3-month tour of Canada and the US almost immediately."
Shivaun blinked. "Seriously? They'll be touring the show they filmed, I assume?"
"No." Mr. Kelly shook his head. "They won't tour that one until after the videos are released to the US public television stations, next spring. The tour is a 'Greatest Hits' thing, so it will be a completely different show than the one they film."
"Oh, my." Shivaun wasn't quite sure what to say to that. What Ryan wanted to do with the filming was daunting enough, but then to go immediately into another show and tour..."What exactly does touring entail? Do they fly between sites?"
"No, they use tour buses. They have, I think, 67 shows planned between the beginning of September and the beginning of December, all over the US and Canada. There will be three buses and two trucks worth of equipment traveling together, about 35 people in all. Usually they will get to a venue in the morning, the crew will set up while the singers do interviews or go sight-seeing, then they have rehearsal and sound checks and then the show. After the show they get back in the buses and travel to the next place overnight. Every few days they have a day off, either traveling in the buses or they'll stay in a hotel and have some down time."
"I see what you mean about Ryan's goal not necessarily being realistic. What about his fellow singers? Will they support him, or are they going to be upset if he can't pull his weight?"
"Oh, they'll support him, no question," Mrs. Kelly affirmed. "They all showed up at the hospital the night of his injury and didn't leave until they had to, to do performances in Atlantic City. They spent a lot of that time singing to him so he wouldn't fight his ventilator or the medications he was on - almost 2 weeks straight. They'll do anything he needs to help him get through it and never hold it against him if he needs a break. And Sharon is planning on taking the man who is understudying for him now along with them on tour even if Ryan is able to go."
"OK, then. I see we have our work cut out for us here, but a very supportive environment to go back to. Is there anything else I need to know about Ryan right now?"
"He's still having some episodes of agitation," Mr. Kelly said. "Usually if he starts getting scared that he won't be able to get back to the group. He is getting much better at letting us know that he needs a break, and usually he will ask for his Ipod. The other singers made recordings for him and left them for him, and he'll use those recordings to settle himself down. If he can't find the Ipod, things will escalate quickly. So it's important for him to have that with him at all times. Sometimes when he gets very stressed his ability to speak is very limited, and the most he can do is a few words, so it's hard for him to explain what he needs."
"That will be very helpful," Shivaun said. "Does he get aggressive when he's agitated?"
"Sometimes, but not often towards people. He only tried to hit someone once, and that was right after he woke up. He's pushed people away a few times, and thrown things, he almost threw my phone yesterday when Sharon told him he had to come here. Mostly he'll throw things across the room, kick things, and swear - all of which are very unusual for him."
"He didn't want to come here?" Shivaun asked. "But Sharon talked him into it?"
"Yes," Mrs. Kelly nodded. "He thinks he's just weak and will get better just fine at home. We had quite a few arguments with him, and he finally talked his brother into giving him his own phone and texted Sharon, telling her he was going home, not here, and asking her to back him up. Once she got the full story, she was able to talk him down and get him to agree to come. She's very much the 'mother' on the tour, and the boys often listen to her better than they listen to their own families."
"You keep referring to them as 'boys'," Shivaun said, puzzled. "I know Ryan's in his early thirties, are the others so much younger?"
"No." Mr. Kelly smiled. "They act like boys, even George, who is nearly 10 years older than Ryan. Emmet's the youngest and he's 21. But it's like having a gang of kids around when you get them all together, with the wrestling and pranks and slagging and such. They even refer to the others as 'the other boys', when they aren't calling each other 'brother'. They're very close."
Shivaun thanked the Kellys for the information and saw them out, then went back to her office to try to figure out how to convey this information to the staff that would be working with Ryan. It would definitely be a challenge, working with him; she thought that the man himself, his job, and his work colleagues sounded very unique indeed.