Hard Working Folks

Week 6: Schenectady, NY

Our performances thus far in Schenectady at beautiful Proctor's Theatre have been received with wild enthusiasm by our audiences here. You can feel the energy from the crowds, who are so pumped up for our show and clearly just love what we're doing. Feeling that energy helps when the bones ache and the voice feels hoarse and one wonders why one chose this crazy profession! I continue to get generous emails from audience members who feel inspired to take a few moments to tell me how much they enjoy what I am doing. This means so much to me.

One of the things that has struck me during this week in Schenectady is the powerful economic impact a show like ours has on a small community like this. The crowds that come in to see our performances also patronize the local restaurants and shops and I have seen the workers at some of these small Mom and Pop cafes and bars run off their feet with the extra workload. But they are so grateful to have us here, and many of the local businesses have offered the company and crew special discounts. My favorite local spot is Earthly Delights, an oasis of health food and vegetarian cooking, run by upbeat and friendly people. I have been in there for dinner every night, tasting the fresh homemade sandwiches and hot entrees. I respect people who create their own businesses and sustain them with integrity and a sense of community. Schenectady, like many American towns, relied on a particular industry to sustain itself--in this case General Electric. But when the company sent many of the jobs to plants in the south, the town fell on some hard times. The small businesses that remain take faith and hard work to keep going. I admire and applaud the friendly and hard working people I have met here.

A Schnectady Snapshot:

This town seems to have a penchant for street music. I have mentioned already the "Mambo Italiano" blasting from speakers outside the Villa Italia bakery. The charming little creperie, Chez Daisie, with it's yellow stucco walls and $1.00 cups of coffee, has French accordion music wafting out on Jay Street from little speakers. And the other night, when I was enjoying vegetarian lasagna at Earthly Delights, suddenly bagpipes were being played outside in the street. Apparently, this is a common thing that the Irish gift shop next door does---and sure enough, there was a portly gentleman in kilt and everything, standing on the street playing "The Rising of the Moon" on his bagpipes for a shivering audience of six.




Add another photo to my growing gallery of local dressers. This is me and Carol, my lovely dresser here in Schenectady, who has been doing a great job. I thought I was thrown into the show with very little preparation--these folks are handed a book of flip cards detailing all our changes and costume pieces, are talked through it all quickly, and then go right to work at our first performance without even seeing or knowing the show. Must be very nerve wracking! But they do their work with a smile. I feel fortunate that I had the three weeks of performances in DC to get used to all my changes and I can help Carol learn how to dress Actor #5. Did I mention before that each role has a number? Yes, each and every 'track' (another way of saying 'part') has a number and our costume pieces, microphones, etc all correspond to our particular number. Sir Robin is #5, and I am fond of saying that I am "a classic--like Chanel."

Tonight our local sponsor, Key Bank, is throwing private parties to which we principal actors have been invited. Tomorrow we close on a matinee, wipe off the greasepaint, and hop a bus for Boston. I am excited to return to the city where I began my education in theatre and started my professional career. I will also get to see friends and family and do my opening night performance at the Boston Opera House for my Mom, who is, as you can imagine, beside herself with excitement. So more to come from Beantown!