Friday, May 21, 2010

A Week of Snafus

This has been a week to remember, both for the good and the bad. After two glorious days off, we headed out for a make-up local show in Montclair, NJ, a school that was a snow-out for us way back in March. It was a very exciting show for me, because my mother was to attend, the first time she had seen me in a Theatreworks show. However, Montclair also began our week of snafus, which I have detailed below:

Montclair, NJ: During the first of two shows, right in the middle of the opening number, the lights went out in the auditorium. But not the sound. We muddled through the rest of the track in darkness (only about five seconds), and then waited. From somewhere, an expectant "Moo" was uttered. After what seemed like an eternity, the lights returned, but the music did not. Claire, Aaron and Grace looked at me expectantly from the barn. Suddenly, music appeared and I continued on with the show. Later, Colleen reported that some crew members had been messing with circuit breakers backstage. Good timing, guys.

Centereach, Long Island: This was our most recent school and, while the shows went great, the day was fraught with some peril. Not only was the show repeatedly announced as "Click, Clack, Moo-Moo" (we've requested a version of this show to be written by our artistic staff to compliment "Moo" from Alabama), our already-long drive was plagued by rain, severe rush-hour traffic and more construction than I can recall of late. We got in to Delaware just after 9pm, and collapsed into bed.

Wilmington, DE: Two days of shows at the charming Dupont Theater. Great crew, cool space, nice dressing rooms and a lovely coffee shop nearby for refreshments between shows. The problem? As I made my way across the stage with my one-dimensional tractor during our final performance, the music just cut out. I looked out into the audience and saw Alaina scrambling with wires and the minidisc player. My knowledge of this technology has taught me one thing: there is no "fast-forward" or "rewind" in situations like this. Suddenly, the rooster crowed, I shuffled back to my entrance position and began the show all over again, as a very confused audience stared me down.

Annapolis, MD: We performed at Maryland Hall, which has received a nomination in the upcoming Click Clack Moo Awards (known as the "Clickies") for worst load-in. Why? Well, it required that we carry all of our set pieces up three flights of stairs. The snafu? Our green room turned out to be some woman's office, and she was quite surprised to find a few of us in various states of undress when she arrived to start her day.

Did I mention that this was also an 11-show week?

Annapolis also held a decidedly more pleasant surprise for us. Unbeknownst to me (at least), there's more to Annapolis than sailors and a naval academy. We enjoyed a lovely evening in the historic downtown area at the Docks Bar and Restaurant, where we feasted on all manner of crabs. A few of us followed the contingent of sailors to a local ice cream shop, where we continued our evening of mid-Atlantic pleasures with pecan fudge ripple on a waffle cone.



Ah, the joys of touring.

Call tomorrow: 10:10am, 108th and Amsterdam. We have two afternoon shows near Trenton, NJ (which finishes our 11 shows), and then we start heading for the DC area.

Kid Quote of the Day: When the cows began playing with the computer, a little kid clearly couldn't make out the sounds. He shouted, "They farted!"

Colleen Tractor Quote of the Day: I'm pulling from stock here. I had been talking up Asheville since it first appeared on our schedule. Thus, "Ethan Marc Angelica!! We are not going to Asheville until you put away your tractor!!"

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