Midwest bound

So, we left Pittsburgh and headed out for the mysterious lands of Western Maryland and Parkersburg, WV (where we met a cat at our Travelodge who would not leave Nic alone).  Our Maryland venue gave us swag: a pen, lovely card and sturdy tote bag.  Parkersburg was our first attempt of this show on a thrust-style stage, which proved a little tricky and was a nice mental pick-up for the company.  For any future tours out there, know this: push the drop as far upstage as possible and, if you can play the show with a single wing (pull the upstage flats as far back as you can and bring all set pieces through the one opening left), do it.  It takes very little additional mental effort to make the show run close to normal, forces you to play further downstage and allows the kids to see everything.  Oh, and change behind the drop, if you can.  The little kid screaming "I SEE A MONSTER!" reminded me of that during the first show.

After a quick stop in Ohio (performing in the high school attended by a friend in the city), we were off to the homeland.  Well, my homeland: the Midwest.  We cruised through Chicago rush hour traffic and arrived in our first stop, a weekend off in Madison, WI.  And, truly, it was good to be back.

I am proud to be the only born and bred Midwesterner in this company.  In fact, knowing that we were headed back to the "homeland" was part of the reason I took this tour (a reminder to my Twin Cities readers: November 23 is rapidly approaching!)  And, even more exciting for me is that a few cast members had never touched down in the "flyover region," which means I get to help introduce them to some of the simple joys that are my home region.  Indeed, smelling that fresh Wisconsin air, tinged with a hint of manure, made me feel right at home.

Madison is a charming introduction to the Midwest: a nice college town, very manageable, a capital, a cultural hotspot and, perhaps most exciting for us, a gigantic farmers market! Team ECK sampled the fare, I started slipping back into my Midwestern accent, Courtney was introduced to cheese curds (which are deliciously squeaky; I will not have a word said against them!) and finally settled on a make-your-own-salsa kit:

After some tea at a tea house and burgers at the famous Dotty Dumplings Dowry, Kristen turned to me and happily exclaimed, "I didn't expect the Midwest to be like this!" To which I replied, "You ain't seen nothin' yet."

On a personal note, now begins a great chance for me to catch up with some friends I haven't seen in years. There are plenty of Minnesotans that wind up in New York City, but many more settle in places like Madison and Chicago, spots that are coming up in the next few weeks. Madison brought me back in touch with Rachel, a friend from high school who I probably haven't seen in at least seven years. We breakfasted at a great diner the morning after Madison's monumental FreakFest, and marveled at the hungover students (many of whom were still in costume). That evening, after we trekked near Whitewater in preparation for our morning shows the next day, I caught up with Kate (pictured below), a stage manager from my summers in Door County who now teaches English and directs a theater program at a nearby high school. She also showed me her classroom, which is a haven for creative students and certainly the kind of place that would have inspired me as a high school-er. While I'm out there inspiring the little ones, she's making sure the big kids are getting their fill too!

Oh, and what did we do for Halloween? Courtney and Kristen hosted a small get-together in their Jefferson, WI hotel room, complete with fresh salsa (!), pumpkin-flavored dessert hummus and pretzels, and we watched the classic Disney masterpiece Hocus Pocus. Thank goodness we were the only people staying at the hotel that night! The laughter was so loud, I'm sure we would have been shushed by the neighbors.

Call tomorrow: 7:30am, Rodeway Inn, Jefferson, WI.

Kid Quote of the Day: After one of the Parkersburg, WV shows, a boy in the front row turned to David and said, "Eh, the books were better."

Adult Quote of the Day: This one was from me, while filling out my absentee ballot. "Of course! I think Sarah Palin is hot, and that's why I vote Republican." Anybody who knows me will see a number of things wrong with that statement.

Pittsburgh Week Part 3: A Grand Night Out

After what almost amounted to a week long, sit-down in Pittsburgh, it was time to bid the city that had hosted us so well a fond farewell. And, although Team ECK made an excursion to the Andy Warhol Museum and a nice little (part-vegan) BBQ restaurant, most of our off-time was spent sleeping in, wandering our lovely suburban neighborhood, catching movies at the local multiplex and mingling with the locals over scrapple and eggs at the nearby diner (that was me; I never need to eat scrapple again). But our last night required something special. And it was Saturday night! So, we (minus David, who was headed to the Carnegie Mellon area with a friend) dressed ourselves up and headed out to the South Side, out for a tasty-looking restaurant for dinner and a ride on the historic Duquesne incline for a spectacular nighttime view of the city.

We discovered quickly that our instincts were accurate. South Side is quite trendy, and clearly the hip Saturday night meet-up place. However, this presented a problem: the van. See, taking an oversized Sprinter van to a densely-populated, "in" urban area and expecting to find street parking on a Saturday night isn't exactly the brightest idea we've had on this tour. And, after an hour of spotting only cramped street parking and low-clearance garages, we did the only reasonable thing there was left to do.

We valet parked the van:

The guys were actually thrilled to get to drive something as big and "manly" as a Sprinter. Anyway, with our van safely tucked away (under the watchful eye of the valet dudes) at a price our pocketbooks could afford, we headed off to Yo Rita, a small-plates taco bar where (under the disdainful gaze of our eye-rolling waitress) we enjoyed some of the most unique Mexican fare I've ever tasted, and far too many baskets of free chips and salsa. This cast as a penchant for living well on occasion, and tonight was no exception. Dreaming of what we would each do with a million dollars (we play these games at dinner when we've run out of conversation), our troupe retrieved the Sprinter, tumbled in and raced to catch one of the last trips up the incline:

So long, Pittsburgh! It was a great week!

(P.S.  We got press!  Check out an interview with Nic here,  an interview with director Kevin here and a stellar review here!)

Call tomorrow: 7:30am, Travelodge, Parkersburg, WV. We'll be performing on our first thrust stage!

Kid Quote of the Day: Part of our time in Pittsburgh also included some workshops. We taught three groups of kids (ages three through five) theater games and imagination exercises connected to our books. Which, of course, garnered me a whole host of quotes. My current favorite? During an exercise where we had the kids pretend to be different kinds of monsters (after Leonardo), the entire class recognized Nic as Sam (the boy Leo tries to scare in the story) and ganged up on him. When I pointed out that Sam was scared, and we needed to help him, guess what happened? Nic disappeared underneath a pile of hugs.

Adult Quote of the Day: At the "scrapple" diner, I was referred to as "honey," "sweetie," "sugar," "angel," "darlin'" and "babe" by my server. It was an experience.

Pittsburgh Week Part 2: Nathan

We were signing programs after our 2pm performance at Bethel Park High School, our second-to-last venue on the Pittsburgh week. We were tired, but still eager to meet the kiddies post-show. Lunch had been a spectacular Middle Eastern stew over couscous, and, despite a stage that was about 40 feet wide (we're used to a 24 foot playing space, so imagine all that extra running), the performances went extremely smoothly. Our post-show program signings had become a highlight of the day for us, a nice reminder of precisely why we are doing the show. Plus, they always netted me a stack of "kid quotes," and they gave our crews a head start on tearing down the set.

I had, as usual, stolen the green sharpie for autographing purposes (Leonardo is green-ish, so I like to sign in green) and was seated between Matt (Duck) and Nic (Captain Braidbeard), making up the "boy section" of the autograph table. We'd been through a bunch of girls in fancy dresses, a few boys with eye patches and fake swords, one girl who sang Kristen (Babymouse) a few lyrics from "The Sound of Music" and more than one small child that insisted that Matt "quack" for them. A couple of kids had told me that I didn't scare them, and I convinced a few make a scary face for me so I might have some inspiration, lest Leonardo attempt his child-scaring ways again.

And then a little boy, in a green rugby shirt, sheepishly stepped in front of my section of the table.

First thing, I complimented his shirt color. This got a smile. Then I asked him his name. "Nathan," he whispered. "You were my favorite." I thanked him, asked him if he'd read the book (he had not), asked him if he'd seen a play before (he had not), signed his program and gave him a "high three" (as Leo only has three fingers). His sister followed quickly behind, and soon I was back to more fancy dresses and quacking.

But Nathan wasn't done.

Next thing I knew, he was tottering back towards the table, fingers in mouth, mother in tow, staring right at me. I gave him another wave between programs, and he mumbled quietly, "Your story was my favorite." Nobody comes back twice like this for Leonardo, so I gave him a big thanks and, spotting a newly-purchased copy of Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, offered to sign the book. Nathan looked a little shocked, and went running back into his mother's arms. I figured he'd gotten a little shy, so I gave him a "thumbs up" and a smile, and went back to my green pen.

But Nathan still wasn't done.

As I signed my last program, I spotted Nathan, Mom and Sister in a corner. Nathan was alternating between staring at me, staring at his book and crying. With all the attention diverted my way, I had a feeling I might be the current cause of concern, so I excused myself from the table and headed over to Nathan. When I arrived, I discovered the the problem was the book. Mom explained that Nathan really wanted me to sign his book, but the book was new, so he didn't want anyone to write in it yet. A major dilemma. However, Mom and I came up with a very fitting solution: I signed the inside corner of the cover flap, so that the autograph was there, but could be hidden if Nathan wanted to. Then I gave Nathan a huge "monster hug" and sent him on his way to the football game smiling.

So, why does this story stick with me? Because I was the kid who was completely transfixed by the performance of "A Strega Nona Christmas," my very first play. I was the one who was too shy to say hello the first time I got to meet actors after the show, and was beyond-amazed that a "big boy" was performing on a stage. And I was the one who had (and has) so much respect for books that it would have been a huge crisis to even imagine writing in one. I was Nathan. And knowing that I might have helped spark Nathan's imagination, that I made him think and marvel at a play, that I offered him that glimpse of the joy of creativity and wonder, just like some actor out there did for me over two decades ago, reminds me why I endure the long drives and early calls and hard load-ins. Theater has the ability to change lives, and when you do, the feeling is indescribable.

Call tomorrow: 9am, Days Inn, Frostburg, MD.

Kid Quote of the Day: One particularly brash post-show kid twice told me, "You didn't scare me!" But then, when I offered to sign her program, she went running back to her mother with a shriek.

Adult Quote of the Day: While listening to Patti Lupone sing "Being Alive," Courtney fell back on to her bed and announced, "I'm dead."

Pittsburgh Week Part 1: Opening Night

“The Pittsburgh Week” seems to be a Theatreworks institution. Each year, the Pittsburgh International Children Theater presents a series of different touring children’s shows, including a few from Theatreworks. Last year, one of them was Click Clack Moo, so I had some foreknowledge of how this whole thing worked from my old SM Alaina. Basically, over the course of a week, the show tours to different high schools and performing arts centers in and out of Pittsburgh proper, performing mostly afternoon and evening shows for paying audiences. What? A week of evening shows? Days when I don’t have to be in a van until 4pm? This sounds a little too good to be true.

Our first show was at the beautiful (and historic!) Byham Theatre in Downtown Pittsburgh, a truly beautiful venue that really deserves a photo:

(photo credit: David V.)

After battling Steelers traffic, we arrived at the theater to be greeted by an IATSE crew, who had us in and up in no time. One of the guys even fixed a broken wheel on one of our flats! This was already a winner in my book. IATSE Local 3 requires an hour break before the standard “half hour” call, so we took our lunch break with them, expecting to head off to the surrounding areas for eats. Not so, again! Lunch appeared in the basement, provided by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, along with two board members who sheepishly asked us if we would mind signing some posters. In four previous Theatreworks tours, this has never happened to me. We all naturally said yes, and also gleefully agreed to two post-show receptions, both of which meant more autographs for the kids. We ate and autographed, changed, David called “places” and we headed onstage for our first of 10 shows in the Pittsburgh area. To a full house of nearly 1100 kids and families.

Performing for over 1000 is a singular experience. There is an extraordinary “group think” that goes on, particularly if the crowd is revved-up (which they were), which transports the performance to a near-transcendent level. The audience grasped every (and I do mean every) joke in the show, and applauded with such enthusiasm that we wound up holding between stories in order to accommodate their cheers. I have very little memory of the rest of the show, except for one point backstage when I looked over at Nic and we shared a smile like none I have ever known during a show. We may as well have been a first-class Broadway national tour with the response we received.

The fun continued after the show, with our meet-and-greets. So many little girls (and boys!) showed up dressed in their “fancy clothes” to meet Nancy, and more than a few brought copies of the books to get signed by the characters. I learned that Leonardo is a little scary up close to those under the age of 5, but letting them pet the green fur helps tremendously. (It also helped that Kristen, as Babymouse, gave me a big hug in front of the kids and told everyone that I’m really bad at being scary.) It was one of those evenings that goes down in memory, and gets you through the rough performances. And I’m so very glad we had it!

The rest of the week progressed similarly: load in, provided lunch/dinner (!!), a show or two, autographs afterwards, and load out. I won’t detail each one, but look for future posts about some very specific moments that remain in my memory. However, a huge thanks goes out to Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater, its artistic director Maranne P. Welch, executive director Pam Lieberman and the dozens of volunteers and staff members that helped us throughout our time in the area. Your hospitality made it a week to remember.

(P.S. We were also on the marquee!!)

Call tomorrow: 7:45am, Days Inn, Frostburg, MD. We’ve got a three-show day in a real theater on a college camps. And there is talk of a crew. And coffee.

Kid Quote of the Day: During the “meet and greet,” there was a little girl who was very taken with Babymouse. Kristen, charmed, asked her if she had ever been in a musical before. The little girl answered, “My first show was Charlie Brown and, well, I love the signing and dancing but... I didn't think it would be so much work! I love to sing and dance, but I don't like all that work!”

Adult Quote of the Day: Our van required diesel, and Matt was at the wheel. Upon arriving at a Sheetz, David passed the company card to Matt, with the expectation that Matt would fill it. Matt looked dumbfounded. “Um, I don’t know how to pump gas.” Matt is from New Jersey. Never let it be said that Theatreworks is not educational for ALL involved…

Misadventures, Part 2

(A note to my more sensitive readers: this post contains PG-13 elements.)

I sense that this will become a series for this blog.  Sometimes, there are events that are too small for a full entry, but deserve recognition.  So, I give you some quick-and-dirty highlights from the last week or so:

• Remember that trip Team ECK took to the winery in Ellicottville, NY?  Well, one evening, Courtney and Kristen decided they wanted to uncork a bottle of wine.  Problem?  I had the wine key, and I was downstairs doing laundry.  So, they called me to ask which room I was in to see if my roommate (David) might be able to let them in. "I forget which room I'm in," I said.  "I think it's 215."  So, the ladies trotted to 215 and pounded on the door.  Repeatedly.  To no avail.  Just as they were about to give up, the door swung open, and a gaggle of tipsy college jocks greeted them.  Kristen and Courtney bolted for the elevator, but the college boys were too fast.  "Hey ladies," they slurred and stumbled.  "You married?"  "Yes," Kristen blurted out, as the elevator doors closed, "to each other."

• This company has a big sweet tooth, led by Nic and Courtney.  If there is a cookie, cake, cupcake or whoopie pie within 50 feet, somebody in the company will find it and eat it.  And our downfall was State College, PA.  We were eager to spend an evening hanging out as a group, since we happened to have one free, so we headed to the downtown area to do some window shopping and grab dinner.  And then we discovered the farmer's market. Within two minutes, everybody had some sort of delicious, Amish-made treat in their hands.  But the fun didn't stop there!  After dinner at a fancy Thai restaurant, we ventured off to the fabled Penn State Creamery, where we downed mounds of delicious ice cream (although no one got sprinkles).

• Also in State College, David and I shared a room, as usual.  I was digging through my bag to find my winter coat, and clothing was flying everywhere.  Which is typical for me.  Anyway, as I repacked my decimated bag, I came across a black item that didn't seem to belong.  As I turned it over, I spotted lace and a Victoria's Secret label.  It was a thong, torn at one edge.  This item wasn't mine.  Further room inspection revealed two broken hair binders under the bed and scratches on the headboard.  I have chosen not to dwell on how all of this came to be.

Call tomorrow: 8am, La Quinta Hotel, Moon Township, PA.  We're sitting down in Pittsburgh for a week, and have workshops tomorrow morning.

Kid Quote of the Day:  At a performance in State College, a little boy in the front row mirrored the choreography to "Leonardo the Terrible Monster" step for step.  It was both incredibly adorable, and extremely impressive.  Connor, should we need another replacement, I've got one for you.

Adult Quote of the Day: There are interstitial moments between stories, which each of us fill with choreography or story-specific business.  Nic bears the brunt of this.  During the transition into Leonardo, he does some funky dance moves, including a fair amount of "booty shaking."  During this section at one performance, a woman in the front row (who had been thoroughly enjoying the production thus far) shouted, "Yeah, baby!"

A New Duck

What is it about Theatreworks and their ducks?  It seems to be the hardest track to cast, and the easiest to lose on the tour.  On Click Clack Moo, our first Duck, Shaun, left us to pursue a fabulous opportunity that awaited him in the city.  He is now shooting a super-secret-but-crazy-big-deal film, and is in a Pizza Hut commercial.  Likewise, our Duck in Duck For President, Jonathan, received word after our second day of shows that he had been cast in the new Off-Broadway show Extraordinary Ordinary, which will be premiering at Theater Row this December.  It's sorta one of those things you don't pass up.  And so he didn't.

Clearly, Theatreworks doesn't mess around when casting their web-footed characters.

Anyway, Molly (Associate Artistic Director), Kevin (Director), Connor (Choreographer) and Matt (Musical Director) worked their magic and got us Matt:

(photo credit: David V.)

Matt comes to us directly from my alma mater: NYU/CAP21.  In fact, when I stalked him via Facebook, I discovered that we have at least 25 friends in common.  So I figured he would be a good guy.  My friends have discerning taste.

In accordance with Equity rules, Matt received four days of rehearsal in New York City with our production staff to learn the show.  Four days to learn what took us about two-and-a-half weeks.  And he didn't have props to handle, set pieces to move or costumes to change.  And, because our show is brand-new, he didn't even have a video to watch.  Yeah.  On top of that, he gets to see a show (or two), and receives a put-in with the cast and whatever props we could muster.  Which isn't a lit.  I don't envy anybody this task.

Matt drove up to Connecticut with us on Columbus Day, as we traveled for a show the next day.  Because our van only seats six, we were joined by a rental car.  We lunched on pizza, learned that Matt is from Trenton and loves apples, and then went looking for rehearsal space.  You see, our hotel's "breakfast nook" would barely fit the cast, not to mention our set pieces and costumes.  David called around, and eventually found a Residence Inn down the road that had a decent-sized conference room at a relatively OK price.  We loaded in, plugged some speakers into David's computer and got ready for some review.  Jonathan was on hand to give pointers.  Matt's instruction to us had been "shove with love."

He didn't need any.

Matt came into our rehearsal with every lyric memorized, every dance step down pat, his blocking locked in and his shifts almost perfect.  It was rather incredible, and I'm fairly sure everybody was completely blown away.  Our whole show down in only four days?!  Look out, New York City!!  Matt Steele is here, and boy is he good.

We grabbed a "Margarita Monday" dinner together, slept away the night in our lovely Holiday Inn Express, and awoke ready to give Jonathan a good sendoff performance.  Our space had a crew (which made loading in and out a cinch), we had a great dressing room in the basement (which had a brutalized prosthetic hand that gave us all a laugh) and the house was full of eager, energetic kids, who were ready to have fun.  Jonathan gave two outstanding performances, the kind we've grown accustomed to.  As much as we are thrilled to have Matt joining us, we'll miss Jonathan a ton.  He's a phenomenal performer, a team player, and an all-around great guy.  He'll always be a part of this Duck for President family.  Best wishes, Jonathan!  We can't wait to see your show when we get back!

Call tomorrow: None.  A glorious, glorious day off in New York City.

Kid Quote of the Day: When we rotated the panel for "Babymouse: The Musical," a little boy squealed in the front row: "That's my favorite!!"

Adult Quote of the Day: At "Margarita Monday," Kristen ordered a hefty meal.  About it, she defended herself: "I'm belting like I'm Patti Lupone, and I'm eating like I'm five people!"  Clearly, that memoir we listened to on the six hour drive has done a number on this company.

Adults in the Audience / The 11th Show

One of the things that Theatreworks shows are particularly good about is engaging a broader audience than just the "kids" for whom the show is initially meant.  For every group of kids at a school of field trip show, there's at least one adult who must sit through the show with them.  When we have a show that's open to the public, the grown-ups often outnumber the kids.  And this week included our first slew of more-adults-than-kids shows, with an evening performance in Altoona, PA and two weekend shows near Princeton, NJ.  Which, of course, changes things, as far as audience reaction is concerned.

Grownups generally seem to be afraid to laugh at a “kids show,” particularly if the audience is smaller.  I say this because, when we have a preponderance of adults at a performance, it often takes about two or three stories (of six) before we start getting laughs.  “Duck for President,” our first story, is littered with more advanced humor, but frequently our adult-heavy audiences remain silent for almost the entire piece.  “Fancy Nancy” will often get a few cheers and some applause, but the responses are mostly from the kids.  It’s not until we arrive at “I Have To Go” that everybody clicks in.  Which leads me to my first large observation of the tour: everybody laughs at pee jokes.  I don’t care who you are or how sophisticated you think you may be.  When we talk about somebody peeing, in either direct or indirect terms, you will laugh.  Guaranteed. 

After the pee jokes have loosened up the audience, the rest of the show (and jokes) run without a hitch.  Nobody can resist a musical disaster in “Babymouse: The Musical” or the silly baby costume in “Pirates Don’t Change Diapers.”  And, while “Leonardo the Terrible Monster” doesn’t seem to be terribly joke-filled, the older the audience is, the more vocal responses we get to the highs and lows of the tale.

However, one of the reasons I love having adults in the audience is that, if they give over to being silly with us and laughing from the start, they can bring the energy we thrive on and make the show incredible.

And that leads me to “The 11th Show.”

Contractually, Theatreworks gets nine shows from us each week, and can get up to 12 if they pay us for each additional shows.  Nine shows is an exhausting experience, and anything above that adds to the fatigue.  Throw in a six-hour drive back to New York City (see previous post), and we were pretty much done.  Our 10^th show, near Princeton, NJ, was taped for posterity by Theatreworks/USA, and nobody was really feeling number 11, especially since it was scheduled only an hour after number 10.  As David called places, we trudged to our spots, and it was all anybody could do to bring the energy.  Yet, we had a secret weapon in the audience: Courtney’s family, two of Jonathan’s friends and Kristen’s “entourage” of nearly a dozen friends and family.  And boy, were they ready for us!

From the get-go, we had a cheering section, and they laughed louder and stronger than any audience we’ve yet had.  They were pretty far back (the front row is usually reserved for the youngest of the crowd), and their infectious energy crept forward faster than any I have ever seen.  Soon every single audience member was cheering, laughing and crying along with us, and that was the energy that got us through the show.  It was one of the most theatrically fulfilling performances I’ve had, and it’s all because everybody got into the act.

So, to all you Theatre for Young Audience-attending grown-ups out there: laugh a little.  It’s good for you, and it’s good for us.

[I want to give a particular thank you to Granny (Courtney’s grandmother) who has supplied our van with a gigantic bag of sweet and savory munchies, and to Nana (Kristen’s grandmother), who is a regular reader of this blog.  You ladies rock!]

Call tomorrow: 9:30am, Upper West Side garage.  We’re traveling to Connecticut with a new cast member.  What???  Details soon.

Kid Quote of the Day: Post-show, David asked a little girl in the front row what she thought.  Wide-eyed, she gushed, “That was WONDERFUL!”

Adult Quote of the Day: When Courtney asked her mom what her dad thought of the show, she said, “He liked the one about the pee.”  SEE!?!?

The Six Hour Drive

The Theatreworks manual for actors states it very clearly (in all caps, and underlined): "YOU WILL SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN THE VAN."  And this tour is no exception.  Usually, Theatreworks seems to schedule no more than a three hour drive on a performance day.  However, after our 10am show in Delevan, NY, the orders were simple: get back to New York City.  Problem?  Delevan is about 45 minutes south of Buffalo, NY.  Other problem?  The Yankees had a home game.  And so began our six hour trek back to New York City.  Accompanied by the audio book of Patti Lupone's new memoir (which has created catch phrases for the cast such as "MY MOTHER!" and "Oh God!"), we headed out on the open road:

Hour 1: Kristen "primes" for the trip

Hour 2: Courtney is perky as always in her middle seat.

Hour 3: David employs the ideal coping mechanism for long drives

Hour 4: It's starting to get to me.

Hour 5: Nick's descent is apparent

Hour 6: Need Jonathan say more?

It is worth mentioning that Jonathan, who loves his long drives, sat behind the wheel for all six hours.  He is our hero.

Call tomorrow: 10:30am, Upper West Side garage.  Yes, there's a show tomorrow.  Two actually: numbers 10 and 11 for the week.  And Theatreworks is videotaping for posterity.  Gulp!

Kid Quote of the Day:  Backstage after our first evening show of the tour, a little girl introduced herself to the cast.  "This summer I went to Dollywood and saw Dolly Parton's touring van and, and, and you expired [sic] me to be an actress and tour like you ."  But she didn't stop there.  "Oh, and, yeah, I guess y'all were pretty good."

Adult Quote of the Day: From a teacher in a teacher's lounge, as we enjoyed a provided lunch, "So, you're NOT college students?  They actually PAY you to do this?"

The Mark of Theatreworks

(photo credit: David V.)

It has begun!

Just One of Those Shows…

Today was our first day on a three-day stint of Central New York high schools.  We weren’t performing for the high schoolers, of course.  Our sponsor, BOCES (a state-run educational service provides and sponsor of lots of different cultural groups), finds a suitable space in an area school and busses kiddies from the surrounding area in for our show.  The BOCES folks are always lovely, and occasionally they surprise us with a free lunch at the school cafeteria.  Today was no exception.  After munching on an extraordinary salad and soup bar (along with some fresh-made cookies; everybody stashed a few in their bags for later) and chatting with the local high school teachers, we headed back to our gorgeous, newly-renovated theater at the Fillmore High School, ready to tell our six stories to the eager children of Allegany County.  The first audience was extraordinary: they caught every single joke, the teachers were engaged with the show (longtime readers know my beef with staff who zone out during the show) and the house was full to capacity with smiling faces at the end.  Sure, we knew our second audience would be smaller, but we didn’t care: Allegany County clearly is an area that knows how to attend a show, and these kids were giving us everything we needed.

As I donned the green monster suit (photos soon!) and David began his pre-show, I looked over to see a cast full of energy and fun. We were ready to rock out once again.  The fact that there was no audience response at all to the pre-show seemed of little consequence (usually, David gets some applause) as we started wheeling the flats in and singing the opening number.  On my entrance, I snuck a peek out at the audience.  OK, perhaps about half the size of our previous group, but we knew that.  Everyone onstage was alive as we finished the opening number and hit our final pose on the musical button.  And then we waited.

Four claps went up from the back of the auditorium, which happened to be the sound booth.  The rest of the audience stared at us like we were crazy.  Oops.  We scurried offstage, suppressing laughter and eyeing each other with one of those “well, here we go!” looks.  This was going to be a toughie and we were all in it together.  David hit the next sound cue, and we started wondering what was ahead.  Could it get any more challenging?

Perhaps.

In “Pirates Don’t Change Diapers,” I play one of two pirate sidekicks to Nic’s Captain Braidbeard.  Kristen is the other, and we’ve got a bit of a one-act play going on in the background.  Each of us have a “pirate prop” of sorts: Kirsten’s is a hook hand, and mine is a plastic sword.  My sword had been giving us problems since rehearsal, when the hilt started to come detached from the blade.  The fabulous Theatreworks prop department took a look and made some nice fixes, but, once the prop breaks, there’s only so much that can be done.  And, of course, today was the day that it decided to go awry.  Upon my entrance, I thrust my sword at the audience and give it a triumphant wave above my head, proclaiming my “pirate-ness,” or something like that.  Anyway, upon arriving onstage, I looked down at my hand to discover that, indeed, the blade was missing.  No problem, I thought.  Probably somewhere offstage.  But the gasps from the audience proved me wrong.  Next thing I saw, the blade was flying up in the air and towards the audience.  We watched in horror as the blunt end headed straight for a teacher in the front row.  Thankfully, it all landed about three feet away from her, but, by that time, the audience was lost.  It was all we could do to contain our laughter and get them back for the rest of the story.

But it didn’t end there.

Five minutes into “Babymouse: The Musical,” our final story, a little tike hoped up in the front row and scurried out into the well between the stage and audience.  The little guy was on a mission: he wanted that sword blade.  And, though two teachers noticed their quick-footed charge, their reflexes were not fast enough.  The kid got the sword blade, started waving it around in the well, and (as far as I could tell) making high-pitched pirate sounds to accompany his swashbuckling.  A teacher finally subdued the would-be pirate, stole the sword blade and hid it under her chair.  But still, it was all we could do to keep our composure.

I guess the one good thing out of this show is that, by the end, we’d taught our audience when to applaud, that it is OK to laugh during a play and that part of the joy of live theater is that you never quite know what will happen.  Which is certainly worth something.

Call tomorrow: 10:15am, Super 8 in Altoona, PA.  We’ve got a sit-down in a real theater!  What will this bring?

Kid Quote of the Day: During “Babymouse: The Musical,” when I (as the teacher/director) asked my auditioning students if they are ready, about a half-dozen kids groaned “Yes!” in the back row.

Adult Quote of the Day: In the lunchroom at Fillmore High, a teenaged girl chased down Courtney. “Oh my God!” she said.  “You have, like, the most beautiful voice ever!”

Fall Fun Tour

Not sure if I mentioned this, but upstate New York is absolutely beautiful in the fall.  As such, a few of us decided to take a trip through some of the small towns in our current corner of the state and check out the foliage and other fall activities.  We discovered a winery in the nearby town of Ellicottville, and Kristen, Courtney and I set off in search of vino.  Yet, like all good adventures, we were quickly headed down a path we never expected.  A hand-painted sign for "Pumpkinville" sparked our interest.  And this is what followed:

Courtney discovers Indian corn

(I play a pig in the show)

Apple cider and pumpkin donuts sloshing in our stomachs, we headed to Ellicottville, where we tasted their entire compliment and each brought home a lovely bottle for ourselves:

And, lastly, we needed some retail therapy.  Kristen and Courtney were truly the "ladies about town":

These are the days I live for on tour: the chance to see another part of the country that I will likely never visit again, and to adventure with some new friends.  Kristen, Courtney and I named ourselves "Team Eck" (pronounced 'eeck'), and we're looking forward to many, many more adventures on this tour.

Misadventures, Part 1

It's a grey day in Olean, NY, where we are stationed for a day off.  Olean is a college town, with St. Bonaventure University immediately across the street from our hotel.  However, the closest thing to "college town flair" we've got going on within walking distance is a Dunkin' Donuts with big leather chairs (where Jonathan is currently planted with a coffee and his Kindle).  I hear rumblings of a trip to a nearby diner for lunch and then wine tasting at a vineyard a few towns over, but, for now, it's blogging time.

As anybody who has toured with Theatreworks knows, much of the fun of touring comes from the misadventures that surround the actual performing of the show.  And this week -- our first -- has been no exception.  So, without further ado, a few of the favorite tales:

• Theatreworks has a long relationship with Command Performances, a really friendly presenter way up on the US-Canadian border, in the towns of Ogdensburg and Massena.  We perform at two local high schools, which have lovely stages and incredibly responsive audiences.  It's also a part of the US that is beautiful, particularly at this time of year, but feels very remote for those of us used to the hustle-bustle of New York City.  Yet, our Massena hotel offered (perhaps) a small taste of home.  As we dashed through the pouring rain into our Super 8, the first thing we spotted was a female cop and her assistant, a tall and lanky male cop, standing in the corner, holding a woman in handcuffs.  Next thing we know, the trio is marching out to a waiting squad car, throwing the woman into the back and speeding off.  And nothing more was spoken of the incident.

David and Courtney play Othello; Courtney won

Nic enjoys the "Jersey Shore" waffle: note the two scoops of ice cream

Note the "funk" and "waffle"

• We spend a lovely night in Syracuse, also at a Super 8.  After indulging in some vegan pizza for dinner (Kristen is a vegan, so many of our eating choices are tending towards that), I joined Courtney and Kristen in their room to watch First Wive's Club.  About halfway through the flick, Courtney shot out of her bed. "Oh my God," she shouted, "There's a bug on my bed!"  As somebody who has experienced the creepy-crawlies known as bed bugs through proximity (though, thankfully, not in my own habitation), it didn't take me long to make a positive ID.  We raced into action, cleared out the room, charged the front desk with our evidence, and got the ladies moved to a bug-free room.  Sadly, they didn't get much sleep.  With the current epidemic in NYC, we're all a little paranoid, so everybody has been steaming and ironing and drying their clothes and bags like crazy.  So far, so good.  On the bright side, we did spend a great morning/early afternoon of food and games at Funk 'n Waffles, a waffle-and-funk-music eatery on the Syracuse University campus:

• Birthdays on tour are important events, and our very own stage manager celebrated his this very week.  Our local town offered limited attractions for a fun evening, but David's stage management ingenuity spotted something fun within driving distance: a casino.  So, dressed up and ready to roll, we piled into our van and drove off to the Seneca Allegany Casino.  The cast all chipped in to give David a little "cha-ching" to start the evening.  Jonathan, Courtney and Kristen all got carded multiple times while on the floor, which made them pretty happy.  David received a nice $15 of game play from the casino as a birthday gift, which he turned into a tidy sum by the end.  Nic, Courtney and Kristen all tripled their money.  I had a nice $4 drink, got yelled at for taking a photo (which appears below) and ended the night 35¢ up.  All in all, it was great fun.  Happy Birthday, David!

And now we gear up for an 11-show week!  Can't wait to see what comes next.

Call tomorrow: 7am, Microtel in Olean, NY.

Kid Quote of the Day:  During "Leonardo the Terrible Monster" (my main story), a tale about a monster who is bad at being a monster, a small child roared back at me when I attempted to "scare" the audience.

Adult Quote of the Day: (This is a new feature, demanded by the cast.  These will come from within the company or the charming people we meet along the road.)  After David received his birthday cash from the casino, we let out a cheer.  In a droll tone, the man behind the counter groaned, "They're very supportive."  David's response? "That's because I have the power to make them get up early in the morning."