Showcasing

The day began early, with a 7:25am call at our lovely Wyndham in Pittsburgh. Our day off prior had been wonderful: Thai food and tea, a trip to the Warhol Museum and dinners out (mine with my dear friend Molly). However, for a 10:30am show and a 15 minute drive, 7:25am seemed somewhat excessive. No matter. When we arrived at the brand-new August Wilson Theater in Pittsburgh's new Cultural District, Ken Arthur (Producing Director) and Steve Cochran (Associate Marketing Coordinator), greeted us with coffee, bagels, pastries and two sets of extra helping hands. We had our set up in no time, and spent the remaining hour sharing tour stories.

This performance, our second so far, was very different from any other we're likely to do. You see, Theatreworks was presenting us as part of the International Performing Arts for Youth showcase, a gathering of presenting organizations to check out the artistic wares of producers from across the world. Shows included a one-woman King Lear, a clown Frankenstein and us. As Ken put it, "They're presenting Art with a capital A, and we bring dancing cows." My previous experiences with showcase performances had not been a good one, having most recently performed 20 minutes of Max & Ruby for a very unimpressed group of middle school students who refused to applaud when we finished. Now, with the added "Art" pressure, I was scared we were going to be laughed off the stage. Plus, poor Alaina and Aaron were both feeling sick, we were using our now-taped-up broken tractor for the first time and Theatreworks wasn't entirely sure the 200+ preschoolers they had invited to act as a sample audience were actually going to show. Not a good combo.

What happened over the next hour was perhaps one of the most incredible theatrical experience of my life so far, and, truly, it was all about the audience. One of the things I love about this show is that it truly has as much for the adults as for the kids. So, with a bunch of pre-schoolers in the front row (all with extra chaperons) and a gaggle of theater people in the back, we managed to land every single joke. The kids roared when Loretta's "magic" pizza box revealed a fully eaten pie, and as the mini doppelganger tractor rolled across the horizon. The adults hollered as the Duck sang about the "pain in [his] foie gras" and chuckled as the cows searched videos on YouTube. I actually got some comforting words from the kids during my break-out, self-loathing number and, when we hit the finale, the audience jubilantly clapped along. It was the first time I felt the show work perfectly, and it was absolutely exhilarating.

But the best was yet to come.

After the show, there came a knock on the dressing room door. Aaron answered, only to find Ken standing there. There were tears in his eyes and, with a huge smile, he gave us a giant thumbs up and told us we were amazing. Apparently, the show had gone so well that theaters as far flung as Ontario and Alaska were inquiring about future bookings. Ken was so impressed, in fact, that he has instructed Alaina to take us out to dinner on him. We're not sure where or when, but it will definitely be an experience.

So, thrilled after a great show, and feeling the Theatreworks love, we grabbed lunch at a Pittsburgh institution:



...and headed into our overtime- and invasion-laden six-and-a-half-hour drive back to NYC. Mooing all the way.

Call tomorrow: 6:35am, 108th and Amsterdam. After getting in at 10:30, this is gonna be a rough one.

Kid Quote of the Day: To me, after Jenny professes her intention to leave unless I start treating the cows better: "You're a bad farmer!"