Ice and Snow

Despite over six years in New York City, I have moments when I think of myself as a hearty Minnesotan.  I enjoy hearing New Yorkers complain about the cold as I merrily skip down the streets with every part of my body covered except for my eyes.  When Philadelphia closes down over an inch of snow, I let out a guffaw.  And I enjoy regaling my friends who grew up "out east" with stories of the Halloween Blizzard of 1991 (8.2 inches, and I still went trick-or-treating) or former Governor Jesse "The Body" Ventura's plan to outlaw snow days.  And, with a crew of six headed to the North Star State, a few for the first time, I was hoping that they'd get a bit of a show, if only so they too could tell their friends and family that they had braved a Minnesota winter.

What we got wasn't exactly what I had hoped for.

As I sipped my morning coffee, ate my danish and admired the Precious Moments figurines adorning the mantle of our cozy Super 8, The Weather Channel offered a pleasant reminder of home: St. Joseph, MN was coming in at 12°, with a wind chill in the negatives and black ice on the road.  Typical morning, I thought, and things should warm up as we head towards the Twin Cities.  Plus, the venue told David that we'd be loading right onto the stage, so our exposure to the elements should be limited.  Everyone assembled and skated their way across the frozen parking lot to the van, where we carefully tossed our bags in and headed for St. John's University and our concert hall venue.

As David navigated the frozen streets and we pulled up the circle, I began to think something wasn't right.  All I could see was a church with an enormous bell structure, something that looked like a 1950s-style community center, and a large brick building with a vaulted ceiling.  No loading dock, or even large utility doors.  Nothing that appeared to load "onto a stage."  We were all at a loss until a man in a large, downy coat walked out of the brick building, and waved to us.  Behind his hood I could barely make out a devious smile.  Why?  Because he had just walked down eight ice-covered stairs that lead up to a sign reading "Humphrey Theater."  Apparently, he (who turned out to be our TD/contact) had neglected to mention the steps to David while advancing the show.  Everybody's face went flat.

Now, as far as Theatreworks sets go, this one isn't bad.  Anybody who read along on the Alien Green Gorilla blog is well aware of the challenges of building a 13 foot tall house every day.  However, what we lack in physical set, we make up for in props and costumes.  Kristen weighs in as the winner with 13 costume changes over the course of the show, and I handle nearly a dozen props in the first eight minutes.  So that's a lot of bins.  And we have four, big, heavy flats, a wheeled table and the "ottoman/toy chest" (a boxy piece with a lid), which all wheel very nicely on flat surfaces, but not so well on stairs.  Thankfully, our TD had employed two of his workstudy students for us, who we convinced to do most of the lifting.  I was glad I packed my work boots.

We managed to get everything up the stairs slowly and carefully without any slipping.  Somehow between my first and second trip to the van, grit appeared on the steps, which put my mind more at ease.  We set up as quickly as we could, checked sound, filled the aluminum bottles provided by the University (thanks!) and flew threw two great shows.  The second one was particularly fun, as it was ASL interpreted.  The interpreters (who I recognized from my childhood in the Twin Cities) were just as enamored with the show as we were with them.  It was hilarious to watch a 50 year old man with a full white beard do a "pee-pee dance" as he frantically signed, "I have to go!"

Load-out was made slightly more challenging because of some fresh snow atop the ice.  Though just a dusting, it caused our first (and only) spill of the day, as Courtney slipped while carrying a bin.  She was just fine, but everybody slowed down significantly after that.  With the van safely packed, and everyone in one piece, we thanked our student crew and followed our TD to the university dining hall, where we relived our college days over a scrumptious buffet of salad, bbq chicken, pizza, sandwiches and, yes, hot dish.  It was only appropriate for a group that had just earned its Minnesota winter stripes.

Call tomorrow: 7:15am, Angelica House, Minneapolis, MN.  Yep, those are my parents.  More on that soon.

Kid Quote of the Day: This one has to go to the kids who applauded and gave me some pretend shrieks as Leonardo during my between-story interstitial bit where I work on my roar.  Vindication for Leo at last!!

Adult Quote of the Day: Remember how I introduced Kristen and her many voices?  Well, a new character has emerged: Carlotta, the Avocada.  Here is an interaction with Mr. Banana (Nic) at the St. John's dining hall: