Michigan Rivals, part 1: Spartans and Sit-downs

Michigan was our treat.  After all of our back-and-forth traveling, we were finally staying in one state for a while!  First, we had a sit down in East Lansing of four days (three had shows) at the enormous Wharton Center for the Arts on the campus of Michigan State University.  David, our resident college football fan and proud graduate of the University of Michigan (whose fans refer to MSU as their "little brother") insisted on wearing his Maize and Blue to load-in.  However, even with rivals showing their true colors this early on, we were all thankful for the Spartan hospitality, as our crew raced our set inside from the freezing cold and onto the stage with gusto.

The Wharton Center provided us with a few interesting challenges.  The big one?  A huge thrust stage.  Now, we'd performed on a "mini-thrust" (more of an extended apron) before at a school in West Virginia.  And our experience there certainly helped.   However, it takes a lot of mental readjustment when you set up the set and your stage looks like this:

Lots of real estate to play.  And so, with some general tape marks and a few "don't go past here" pointers from the crew, we prepared for our first of six shows.

A change like this puts everybody's brain into overdrive.  Not only do you become hyper-aware of sight lines and spacing, you also realize that you have much more space to cover than usual, and that the typical cardiovascular workout that the show can be has been thrown into overdrive.  And, because of all this, the show took on a nice new life.  It was fresh and fun, if a little disorienting, and the kids gobbled it up, which is often just as satisfying for us.

Post-shows, we shifted our set around so it would fit behind the main curtain.  Why?  Our sponsors, the Michigan State University Federal Credit Union Institute for Arts and Creativity (say that three times fast!), was also producing a staged-reading of Nickle and Dimed in the evening, which Matt, Courtney and I caught.

Having a semi-Michigan native in David, we managed to get ourselves invited to a production of Greater Tuna at the local Williamston Theater.  David is good friends with the artistic director and one of the leading players, so we spent a night at the theater (!) laughing at some outstanding performance.  I am always happy to be reminded of the incredible quality of theater that exists outside of the "meccas" of New York and Chicago, and this proved to be no exception.  Afterward, the two actors came out to say hello, and we briefly traded backstage tales and a few Equity jokes.  Wayne David Parker, whose other credits include Escanaba in da Moonlight and more plays and movies than I can count, wisely reminded us how great it is to be working.  Sage advice, coming for someone at the top of his game who has clearly seen a lot.

The next day brought two more shows and, for the first time on this tour, a chance to show up, perform and leave, all without building or breaking down the set.  Besides being more rested than any of us have ever been for a 9:45am show, it was a nice glimpse of the more-typical theater experience for actors, one I haven't seen too much of since graduating from college.  The one-off nature of Theatreworks shows often means that "normalcy" is found solely in the routines of putting up the set and doing the physical actions of the show.  Now, with a single hotel and a consistent space, we had the mental room to play.  And, with shows done by 2pm and no need to travel, we also got to ground ourselves a little in the Lansing and East Lansing area: Courtney found solace in the all-weather farmer's market across the street from our hotel; David visited friend and old haunts; Matt explored the "campus downtown" area; and Nic and Kristen convinced me to take a kickboxing class with them at a nearby gym.  My abs have yet to recover.

A day off followed (where Matt saw a movie, I got a haircut and everybody slept; it is getting to be that time of the tour where a "day off" means a day OFF) and then we were back for Sunday afternoon public shows, a lightening fast load-out and we were off to the Detroit suburbs, headed to the shrine of Maize and Blue.  Tour keeps chugging along.

Call tomorrow: 8am, Red Roof Inn, Southfield, MI.

Kid Quote of the Day: At the end of the show, we point out and the audience and encourage the kids to "turn a page."  Kristen, as Babymouse, pointed to a boy and girl on her side of the audience.  They seemed a little confused about which one was receiving attention, so Kristen made a point of waving to both as she left.  As she was exiting, she heard the little girl taunt, "Babymouse LIKES you!!"

Adult Quote of the Day: I thanked our TD as we were leaving for all his help (they were a great crew!) and he told me to "try not to have too much fun in that town with those people we don't like," as he glanced over at David, dressed from head to toe in University of Michigan gear.