You'd think it was the easiest part of making an opera, booking a hall. Especially if the opera in question was a part of your studies, and the project was approved by all the necessary officials in your department. Well. Let me set you straight at once: booking halls is a project of its own and takes time and dedication.
In the beginning there was an innocent email: "I'd like to book a hall. How is this done?" I was instructed to go to one of the info desks in our Academy - the N-house info was mentioned as particularly helpful. I happened to be in Musiikkitalo, however, and thought I'd ask straight from there, the hall in question being in the same building. I met a charming young lady who had never heard of my studies ("Opera coaching? Errrm, really?") and said that she really doesn't know about booking any halls, either. She suspected that someone else might know more, and I was inclined to agree.
Next I went to the particularly helpful N-house info, and there my innocent question was met with "Who told you that it could be done here?" - and I was sent to talk to an Important Planning Person. I was told I also could write an email to a special booking system, but I was warned that they rarely book anything if a student asks.
This Important Planning Person was nowhere to be found. She'd escaped the bureaucratic inferno and went on a holiday - but luckily she'd named two other Important Planning Persons to look after her stuff. I was told one of them was hiding in T-house, so I went there, and asked from their info whether the person in question actually was hiding somewhere near. This was said to be the case, and having asked for coordinates from a helpful, important-looking lady, I found him sitting in a corner. I told him my dilemma, and he said that the other Important Planning Person assigned to deal with these things would be much better suited to this task. Unfortunately she was somewhere else, but would come back soon. When she'd come back she'd have to go to a meeting, however, so she really wouldn't have time for any of this.
At this point I was starting to get nauseous. In my despair I went to meet the secretary of our department, an amazing woman who has a lot of answers. This time was no exception: the superwoman said that she'd just book the hall herself and explain it later if anyone came asking. We found a suitable time and she clicked the screen to confirm the booking, and then we found out that she didn't have the rights to book the hall in question. She could book other places, but not that one. No, not my second option either. She also suspected that the Important Planning Person I couldn't reach probably wouldn't have known anything about this kind of bookings anyway, just the regular ones.
Not all hope was lost, though - the secretary gave me a name of a man who might be able to help. He had helped the department in the past, but nobody knew if he still would. I don't know what this mysterious man does, but somehow he's connected to bookings and halls. Now I'm waiting for his reply, and I'm supposed to call him if he won't answer in the next couple of days. If he says he cannot help, I have no idea where to turn to next - but then it most likely will not be an issue anymore, since all the free times in the halls will be gone and we'll have to perform our opera outdoors.
I'm breathless and bewildered, and I've lost all faith in humanity by now.
