Another Day at the Office

Week 16: Clearwater, FL

Sometimes even something as fun and creative as a theatrical production can be just a job. This is not a negative, it's just a fact. Anyone doing a job they enjoy has these times--sometimes it is just your routine. This can be magnified in the kind of job I do because you literally are repeating the same task over and over again. Performing a show is an exercise in repetition, and it is of course the responsibility of the performer to imbue each performance with a sense of spontaneity and freshness. After all, for the audience it is, in general, a first time experience. This is all part of our job and we apply our craft to keep the work alive and fresh. This week, I have been feeling a comfortable sense of routine about the show, and that's okay. Almost every performance there is something unexpected or funny that happens on stage or off and it keeps things fun. There are moments where the audience is especially "with" us and gives us so much laughter and support. Our opening night audience here in Clearwater was that--it brings the whole experience to another level and it becomes a real dialogue between the show and the audience. And let me say this--the audiences here in Clearwater have been some of the best we have ever had!

We are at Ruth Eckerd Hall, which is an award winning, very successful 2100 seat venue established in the early 1980's. The Hall is named for the philanthropist wife of a drug store magnate who was a big supporter of the arts in the Tampa Bay area. The auditorium is laid out "continental style" which means that there are no aisle divisions sectioning off the amphitheater style seating area--there are continuous rows of seats which means that the audience is more intimately arranged. A lot of us feel that this accounts for a more unified and enthusiastic response from the audience. Acoustically Ruth Eckerd Hall is very good as well, and many very famous musicians and performers have graced the stage there.
I was delighted to have some aunts and uncles attend the opening here, and they joined me for the reception afterward. From left to right, back row: Don, Aunt Diana, me; front row: Uncle Larry and Aunt Nancy. It's great to share what I a doing with my family, especially since I see these folks so rarely.

We were supposed to be visited by Casey Nicholaw this week but he took sick and was unable to come down to Clearwater. His visit will be rescheduled. I look forward to working with one of the original creators of the show. So this week truly is another day at the office, eight shows a week.
This week my dresser is Ann. Ann is Scottish and has a wonderful accent. She told me she was a professional figure skater for over 20 years, touring all over the world performing at major stadiums. When I asked her how she got into doing wardrobe work, she related a story. She was skating in London and came off from one of her programs to change costume. She had managed to get the zipper of her costume partially down but needed her dresser to help her out the rest of the way. When she reached the dresser, she said,"Well, you are halfway out of it, you can do the rest yourself." Ann was so taken aback by this attitude that she swore that if she was ever in that position working with performers backstage, she would never treat someone that way. And so here she is a dresser herself and may I say, she is a thorough PRO. Ann is on point with every aspect of her job and is always precise, businesslike and very pleasant to work with. She is a gem! And by the way, the rude dresser in her story got fired for her behavior!

Our drummer, Lee, is leaving the tour and has been with the it since the very beginning, in the rehearsal room! To see him off we went to an Irish pub called--wait for it!--O'BOOBIGANS. I am not kidding. It is meant to be a sort of Irish Hooters. The cast of "Spamalot" took the place over and we had a great time hoisting a few beers and eating plenty of greasy bar food. The place had only recently opened, so they were thrilled to have our party. The waitresses did wear rather short shorts (emerald green of course) but no one seemed to mind. The place was, after all, called O'BOOBIGANS. And by the way, throughout that night's performance, the most favorite secret ad lib was, yes, you guessed it--O'BOOBIGANS. Just makes me giggle.

More to come from the land of Mickey and Minnie next week.