Weekend Wrap-Up From Sidney, OH

Cities I performed in this week:

Leesburg, VA
Woodbridge, VA
Sterling, VA
Reston, VA
Glenshaw (Pittsburgh), PA
Cleveland, OH
Cincinnati, OH*

*-indicates FAVORITE city of the week

There was really nothing particularly exciting about this week (the weekend was a different story).  The only unexpected thing was getting stuck in the Pittsburgh morning commute Wednesday morning; however, we arrived 30 minutes before showtime and were ready to go at 5 til - pretty efficient.

As Black History Month draws to close, so does our heavy month of Frederick Douglass performances.  We closed out the month today with a performance at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, OH.

This was the first time I've been nervous for a performance.  Kids can be a tough audience, yes, but performing fictionalized versions of historical events for adults is a different animal.  I was also worried that they'd have lots of questions that I wouldn't be able to answer.  Nonetheless, everything went smoothly and the performance was well-received.

The performance was in the middle of what turned out to be a pretty awesome weekend.  On Friday eve, I attended a performance of How? How? Why? Why? Why?, presented by Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park, at the recommendation of Margaret Ellen.  It was an excellent performance about living with a disability and enjoying life in spite of it.  Then it was off to Dewey's for a late night pizza.  I ended up eating at the bar with an adorable bartender and discussing everything from Cincy to the Olympics with this cool couple - although I must say, the man was so effeminate, I had to wonder.  Lovely night.

I got to spend the rest of Saturday evening with Smithra, a transplant to Cincy from Raleigh.  He showed me his new apartment, and we got to catch up on the past couple of years, as I hadn't seen him since the last time I visited Cincy - November 2007.

Then came my favorite activity of the weekend:  LASER TAG.  I hadn't played laser tag since Memorial Day 2008 and I was so pumped to whoop some behind (or at least do better than I usually do).  I ranked 7th or 8th (out of 30) in both rounds and actually improved my accuracy level the second time around.  WooHoo!!!

Best tour weekend EVER.  Thank you, Cincy.

Sunday is a day off.  I'm excited cuz that means I'll get to watch the USA vs. Canada gold medal hockey game and possibly the Olympics closing ceremonies.  WORD.

Weekend Wrap-Up From Ashburn,VA

Tomorrow (Tuesday) will mark the end of the Virginia leg of the tour.  Ah, ol' Virginny.  My birth state.  I felt a tug at my heart as we passed through Williamsburg - the city of my birth.  I realized that most of my memories of this state are from my childhood; I'd love to take some time at some to explore it as an adult.

That being said, Virginia is a BIG ASS state.  Dense, and at times, it seems never-ending.  The traffic surrounding DC is quite frustrating; I never want to live here.  The metro is not reliable enough and driving a car to get around everyday is too daunting to imagine.  Nonetheless, the schools here have been especially gracious and welcoming, AND we had a day off after all - a school in Maryland canceled their shows Friday because they missed so many days due to snow.  So no 11 day stretch!

Speaking of snow, it's everywhere here.  Not on the roads, but on curbs, in parking lots stacked high.  It's hard for me to fathom what 30 inches of snow looks like, but the remnants of the "snowpocalypse" are still here - and I have a feeling they're only going to get worse as we go further north.  Up this week:  Glenshaw, PA (a city near Pittsburg) and then onto Ohio for the weekend.

We performed for 4 libraries in Prince William County this weekend..  Library performances have become my favorite; everyone that attends wants to be there.  The audiences may be smaller, but they always appreciate the performance and ask great questions.

I promise to post some pictures as soon as I can get them uploaded.

alwayslove.
Lorma :)

Weekend Wrap-Up From Chesapeake, VA

I spent the weekend in Raleigh and therefore did more important things than blog.  I slept in my own bed, walked around the house in my underwear, and saw some theatre.  Not as much as I had planned, but I got to see my Meredith ladies a bunch, and I got to eat breakfast at Gypsy's.  :)

I also got to wish Ashley Chandler Phillips farewell as she departed for the other coast.  :(  and  :)

Sorry if I was supposed to see you and then didn't.  (This means you, Athena and Brett and Lori.)

The last week was rough because it was a bunch of long distance drives in a row.  Leaving Columbia, we went as far southwest as Americus, GA (LOVELY town), but then it was right back to Asheville to stay at the actor house (5 hrs), and then up before 6am to get over to Lenoir (1.5 hrs), and then another 4 hour drive to get to Raleigh.  Whew.

I'll try to post some pictures sometime this week; Americus was very picturesque, and the theatre we performed at in Lenoir was pretty baller.

I haven't done or seen anything particularly exciting yet; my body is still adjusting to this whole 6am business, but the driving is much lighter this week, so perhaps I'll be able to get out and do stuff.  We're mostly in VA this week, with weekend performances at DC libraries both Saturday and Sunday - meaning no off days this weekend.  11 days of performances - no breaks.  This should be interesting.

Weekend Wrap-Up From Columbia, SC :)

First week of tour:  DONE!

Despite the snow, we got in 7 solid performances of The Life of Frederick Douglass.  All of the sponsors we've met thus far have been very welcoming and enthusiastic about the show - and every single one of them has given us something free - either a memento(like an Obama tote bag) or buying us lunch.  It's been a lovely first week with very appreciative audiences.

On Friday, we performed in Wadesboro, NC, located in Anson County.  We performed for the high school freshman(tough crowd) and for the 7th and 8th graders at the middle school.  Both of these shows were performed in the school's gym; neither of the school's have an auditorium.  Furthermore, there isn't a theatre in the entire county.  Hearing this made me grateful for the opportunities I've had.  I can't imagine how different my high school experience would have been had there hadn't been a theatre program.  My "drama club" not only offered me a place to escape from the unfortunate parts of high school, but it also provided me with a platform to ulneash all of my creative energy.

I recall how I used to complain that students in WCPSS now were so lucky to have so many more opportunities than I did, but these shows reminded me how blessed I was to be exposed to the arts at a young age, or even at all.

If you would, tell me how developed (if at all) your theatre/arts programming was in public school.  I'm curious to hear what people's experiences were like.

Next up:  GEORGIA!

alwayslove.
Lorma Doone :)

City #1: The Acorn City - Raleigh?

I write this from my Mom's bedroom in Raleigh, NC.  I guess this is what you call full circle.

Snow has not been good to this tour thus far.

My tour partner and I arrived in Raleigh around 1:30 this afternoon, and as I pulled onto my block I did not have a good feeling about the odds of us performing in Wake County.  My block is covered in ice, and several bus routes travel through this neighborhood.

Around 6pm, Wake County announced they're closing schools for the third straight day.   :(

On Wednesday, we travel to Robbins, NC, which apparently does not have to shut down for 5 days because of precipitation.

Hope to give a full report on our FIRST SHOW tomorrow.

(Maybe we had to come to the Acorn city for luck before starting our journey?)

Love to all.  :)