The Tractor

Many of my long-time readers may remember that, as Farmer Brown, I have a one-dimensional tractor. Well, after breaking and being repaired by our prop guru Colleen, the responsibilities of managing the packing and unpacking of the tractor fell to me. You see, I am one of the few people on the cast tall enough to get the darn thing in and out of its bag. And, since I spend the most time dealing with this prop, Colleen assigned it's management to me. However, as this was not part of the original pack/unpack that I learned in rehearsal, the idea that I was to manage the tractor was a difficult one to grasp, for whatever reason. And Colleen, who manages the props with a deftness like no other, was quick to remind me at the end of the show that I needed to put the tractor away. Her reminder usually went something like this:

"Ethan, don't forget your tractor."

Well, one particular day, her gentle reminder came out with a certain air of motherly guilt-trip. The cast got a kick out of this, and I proceeded to encourage her to make this a regular occurrence. In fact, I now refuse to put the tractor away until Colleen has given me specific instruction to do so. In homage to our mutual friend Lauren (who toured with us on Max & Ruby II), the daily reminder started to come with a Long Island Jewish accent. Then Colleen began to include my full name (including middle!) And, since its humble beginnings, this ritual has grow more and more absurd tone every single day. In fact, some of Colleen's gems are so priceless that, beginning with this post, I am adding a new end-of-the-blog section known as "Colleen's Tractor Quote of the Day." So, when you read each one, imagine it highly accented, and directed as though its recipient (me) is three years old. I promise, they're good!



Call tomorrow: 7:20am, 108th and Amsterdam. We are in the throes of our last week of local shows. Which means I'm barely sleeping. And tomorrow is a big day!!

Kid Quote of the Day: When I ask "What is a farmer without a farm?," one kid (who was clearly paying close attention to our quick changes) shouted, "A chicken!!"

Colleen Tractor Quote of the Day: "Ethan Marc Angelica! You are dead to me if you do not put away your tractor."