Staunton, VA - Well, now that we are back and all settled in, everybody, it seems appears to be getting sick. Chris first came down with bronchitis, and now Tyler has a cough, Jessica has something going on, Kevin threw out his back, Andrew has a sore throat and has trouble talking, and Alyssa, on top of still recovering from (and performing on) her broken toe, is lying in her room sounding miserable. I am a little nervous trying not to catch any of this. While I have pretty much recovered from my general soreness, I find each show saps some energy from me, and I have to make sure to get full rest to get ready for the next day. Chris actually brought masks into the men's dressing room to help us avoid catching any germs. I think I may start to upgrade my daily dose of Vitamin C and get some of that wellness stuff my wife likes from the health food store.The past week has been sort of hectic. We are scrambling a bit to get our interlude stuff together, which includes music in between acts (our intermissions are called "interludes"). We're learning new stuff, and we are trying to squeeze it into 30-minute rehearsal blocks before call for each show. I'm playing percussion (which is cymbal and snare) on some MA music, and I am also trying to put together a R3 pre-show composed of catches. I am using catches I already know, and writing new words for them. We're a little behind in it because the other shows have taken precedence, and today I am missing Kevin(sick) and Greg (nursing Alyssa), so I canceled a scheduled rehearsal and am waiting until tomorrow. I don't feel too much of a rush, as we still have more than 2 months to do pre-shows, but I would like to get it over and done with ASAP. The current R3 pre-show, which Greg and I do, is a boring, straightforward announcement type of preshow, and is rather dull. So the sooner I can get something there that's more clever, the better I will feel. We don't officially open until this weekend (starting Friday night), so there is still time.
The past week of shows has been great. The first weekend home the audiences were loving the shows. Adjusting to the space has been the hardest thing. The Blackfriars Playhouse is so live that modulating sound can be very difficult.My high-frequency hearing impairment has made it even more difficult for me. Our first Planet performance was too loud, so we adjusted by bringing everything way down instrumentally, and that made the situation better. It doesn't feel like you're rocking out too much in restraining the instrument, but it does give a better sound. So it has been for the other shows, trying to find adjustments as needed both vocally and in the pacing. I must admit, being back on the Blackfriars stage is a good feeling, although it did seem a little unreal at first. I caught myself a few times in a sort of surreal trance on the stage, thinking maybe I was dreaming, and that at any minute it would all turn back to some auditorium or conference room. it's interesting how everything feels more at home here than it ever did on the road.
I am also now mostly settled in my room, and I have had visitors come to my window and admire my set-up. My XM radio gets great reception with the antenna set right between the houses. I still have my microwave and hot plate from my Belle Grae place, but I mostly use the kitchen for cooking. I did indulge in one splurge and bought a very small electric car cooler so that I can have cold drinks and keep my half-and-half downstairs. I can make coffee in the morning either from my Belle Grae drip pot or my French press. I have an electric water kettle for tea, and I bought a few crates and storage tubs for storing things. So it's not too bad at that. They still have to fix my window, which I can take right out of the sill and which won't go up on the track. Good luck getting that fixed in a timely manner. The landlord of these Bev houses is not exactly swift in terms of repair. The one thing still missing is a solid internet connection. I can use my modem, but hopefully the houses will be getting together to get a cable connection into the house. At least Paul Fidalgo will be getting internet into his place, which is right next door to me, so within the next week I hope I can get some sort of cable connection. Otherwise I'll be spending a lot of money down on Coffee at the Corner.
This past Monday was a day off, as well as most of Tuesday, so I did find the time to relax. On Monday I traveled to the Natural Bridge, which is exactly what its name implies. It is a huge rock structure which rises from the Cedar Creek valley straight up over 200' on either side, and has a bridge spanning the top.
Cedar Creek flows under it. The height of the structure is taller that the drop from the top of Niagara Falls to the bottom. it's actually pretty imposing when you get right down to see it. I took a number of pictures and a small movie (I know I'm behind in updating my movie page), so you can check them out under the April set on my Flickr site (click the badge on the right sidebar). I had lunch at a small cafe in Natural Bridge Station, VA (not to be confused with Natural Bridge, VA), and the cook there kep trying to push the ice cream on me (I did give in to the peach cobbler). On the way back home I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway, and man, what a great drive! I had the parkway pretty much all to myself, seeing maybe one car every 45 minutes or so. The views were incredible, and towards the end I got caught in some passing thunderstorms. It was cool seeing the clouds roll in from all across the mountains. By the time I got home, though, I was pretty tired, having drunk a bit too much wine the night before (thanks, Olivia!), so I took a nap at 5:30, got up at 8PM and listened to the opening game of the NY Yankees, who are out in Oakland (lost 2 of 3). Tuesday I was supposed to go on a practice tour with Greg, but no one showed up to tour around. Then I rehearsed some music with Olivia and Kevin for MA, and the night was free. Wednesday we had an MA matinee, after which I did the Q&A with Tyler, followed by an evening R3. And today (Thursday) I have spent getting a lot of busy work and personal errands done. So that about catches you up on events here.Tomorrow I will be doing a podcast for the ASC on Planet. These podcasts are new,
and you can subscribe to them through Apple iTunes. Open up iTunes and click on the Music Store. Then go to podcasts and seach for American Shakespeare. You should get a search return with the ASC podcast on it. Hit the "subscribe" button and you should be all set. If you don't have iTunes, to go to the American Shakespeare website and get them directly by clicking right here. iTunes is availabe free for Windows and Mac. Give us a listen and let me know what you think! -TWL
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