A Very Interesting Week

This week has been very "interesting" so far. We began the week in Medford, OR and had a good show there. Nothing that unusual, just our typical fun show, with a really great audience.

Wednesday and Thursday we were in Bellingham, WA. I met a little girl named Sadie who was celebrating her 8tho birthday with two friends and their moms. I had been asked by a friend of Alayna's who knew them if I could meet them and give them a backstage tour so before the show I met them and showed them around. The moms had brought blonde's and cookies for the cast which were awesome. Blondie's are a type of brownie and were amazing. Anyway, I gave Sadie a souvenir backpack and program book and all three girls got posters signed by the cast. They were very cute and very excited. It was a joy to share this special moment with them.

Our director, Martin, also saw the show Wednesday. I guess he was pleased with the show as he didn't have anything negative to say to me although I am sure he could have found something. There I go again, being overly critical of myself.

Thursday we had a rehearsal to put Gracie, who just joined the tour to take Amanda's place as she has been filling in until Gracie could get there. Gracie is a very cute, sweet little girl and I know she will do a great job.

Today, we traveled to Kennewick, WA and played at the Toyota Center. It is a hockey arena! Yes we did "Annie on Ice." Well sort of. There was a stage and chairs and it looked pretty much like other arena shows I have done. Two main differences: It was FREEZING! They put the stage up over the ice and the audience sat on the ice which was covered by a temporary floor but it had be 60 or below. It was very difficult to concentrate and move well in such cold. The other different thing was that all of the backdrops "traveled" instead of "flying." Typically our backdrops go up and down which is called flying. They are lowered down from the "loft" when we are using them and then raised into the "loft" and out of view of the audience when we are done with them. Here they traveled from side to side like giant window curtains. Additionally they had to be pulled manually. Usually stage curtains travel by pulling on sets of ropes. Not here. A stagehand or cast member literally grabbed the drop and walked across the stage pulling the drop with them. It was actually kind of fun and added a "special" look to the show. I don't, however, look forward to doing it that way again anytime in the near future.

Medford, Oregon

Tonight we are in Medford, Oregon where we played the Ginger Rogers Theater. This was a great little theatre. If Hendersonville wanted a prototype to follow for a local theatre suitable for big and small productions this would be it. The stage is only a little larger that JP2's stage and the house wasn't much bigger either but it did have a full fly system, impressive lobby and support areas and fabulous dressing rooms for a small space.

While we are accustomed to bigger and nicer facilities traveling with Annie I loved this space. If anyone knows who to contact back home about building a space that could be used by Steeple Players and serve the great community for things like Community Singers, dance recitals and touring productions let me know so I can send them this information and get things rolling.

If I could choose my place when this tour is over it would be to come home and run a theatre like this bring to Hendersonville the best in local and touring productions. I know Hendersonville can support this, I just don't know how to get the money together to get it built and then to keep it running.

We also got to meet the new orphan tonight. Her name is Gracie and seems to be a very sweet young lady. Don't know much about her but is cute and has a great smile. I look forward to getting to know her this week as we begin the process of "putting her into the play."

If you live in the Hendersonville/Nashville area be sure to check out Steeple Players Theatre production of "Bye, Bye Birdie." It opens this weekend and runs for three weekends. My wife and a friend of ours directed it and tons of my friends are in it. You will have a great time and the price is right. Go to http://www.steepleplayers.org/ for more information and to make reservations. (Yes this is a shameless plug for the theatre group that I founded and still love.)

Week #10

It is hard to believe that it has been 10 weeks since we left Orange Park, FL and began our tour. I have been away from home for three months now and while I miss it terribly the time has passed quickly.

This week we have been making our way up the west coast of our great country with stops for performances at San Luis Obispo, CA, Stockton, CA, Redding CA, and Eugene, OR. California is a very diverse state geographically. We have been on the coast and beaches, in mountains, on plains filled with farms and all of it has been amazingly beautiful.

There was a natural let down after leaving the Kodak theatre but the enthusiasm of the audiences has more than made up for it. The audiences in Stockton, Redding, and Eugene were simply the best. They responded enthusiastically to everything we did and performing for them was an absolute joy.

On Tuesday while in San Luis Obispo a group of us drove up to visit the Hearst Castle, the home of William Randolph Hearst back in his day. It was built at about the time that "Annie" takes place so I viewed it as research for the role. It gave me great insight into the lavishness that these wealthiest of people lived in while the world around them feel apart during the depression and thousands were starving. I can only hope that we have learned our lesson and that our current economic troubles won't lead us down that same path. It is said that Hearst was spending $60,000 a day back in the early 1930's. Multiply that by 40 for inflation and that is what he would have been spending each day today!

Tomorrow we have a "Golden Day." This is a day off with no performance or travel! We don't get these often so most people are really looking forward to it. I imagine that I will simply relax and maybe see a movie or something.

We will have a busy week next week as we travel four out of seven days and begin to put a new person into the show to play Kate and understudy Annie. We also have a rehearsal scheduled on Thursday with Martin. It should be a very exciting week for everyone. Simply having someone new around will be exciting after living and working with the same forty faces for 3 months.

Playing before stars

My wife says I need to blog more often and tell more stories so here goes. As I mentioned in my last blog we played before several celebrities while we were at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CA. While we didn't get to meet but two of them it was a great experience and very humbling. I was reminded that the way we felt in meeting these stars is the way many "Annie" fans feel in meeting us. Every cast member waited anxiously for these stars to arrive and a few even asked for autographs.

So, the first one we meet was Molly Ringwald. I am not sure what all she has been in but I think I am correct in saying she was in "Sixteen Candles." She was a very beautiful lady who had brought her daughter to the show. They came backstage and said hello to the cast and we had a group picture taken with her and that was pretty much it. She seemed a little uncomfortable around so many people. I can only imagine what she was feeling and thinking. You come to a show to treat your daughter to a special time and end up being the center of all that attention.

The next night we got to meet Debra Messing. I was down by the stage door waiting to go out and meet the audience after the show when Debra, her niece (I think) and the mom came down the hall with our company manager and our "Annie." They were headed upstairs to meet with the cast as I met Amanda to go sign autographs. Debra was half way up the stairs when she recognized me as being "Daddy Warbucks." She ran back down the stairs, offered me her hand, and introduced herself. She was genuinely excited to meet me and was very complimentary. It was a joy to meet her and speak with her family. She was "just another fan."

After both of these events I went out and met our audiences and signed autographs until everyone had the chance to get a name on a page. Some may think of this as being egotistic and I suppose to some degree it is. I like to think that I am attending to the needs of the audience, offering a thank you for paying all that money to see the play I am in thus keeping me in a job, and being an ambassador of good will for the show and for my profession. Too many people in "show business" are distant and aloof. They have forgotten that we are able to do what we do every night because of the people who come to see the show and then hope for a glimpse of us and possible an autograph.

I have also found that we as performers often have an effect on people in ways we can never know. I have discovered a few of these by taking the time to say hello and thank you, and sign an autograph. Next time, maybe I will share a few of those with you.

Hollywood and the Kodak Theatre

This week has been amazing and overwhelming. Tuesday we opened at one of the most famous theatres in the country. The Kodak has been the sight of "American Idol" and in February will once again host The Academy Awards. The theatre is huge and beautiful and set in one of the most famous cities in the world and is next door to Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The staff there has made us feel like stars all week long. It has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

When we first pulled up to the theatre we saw the huge banner out front. It is 40' wide and almost as tall. Everyone walking down the street couldn't help but to see it and most of them were taking pictures of it (not because of me but because of where it was). Then we stepped onto the stage at the Kodak and saw that beautiful and famous stage and auditorium where some of the worlds greatest performers have stood.

On Tuesday night every major character was applauded when they entered the stage from Annie to Sandy and more. This had never happened to us before. It was a performance I will never forget. Afterwards people lined up outside the stage door for autographs. There were so many folks that security had an area roped off to keep it orderly and safe.

Then there were the famous people who came to see the show including Molly Ringwald who played Kate and later Pepper in the first National Tour of Annie, Debra Messing and Michael Jackson! It was so weird to think that these famous performers who I have watched through the years would be sitting in the audience watching me!

The Kodak is located in a huge mall. I assume it was built at once because of how it is laid out. The point is that the layout meant that lots of folks would notice us as we went to dinner or lunch so we got a real taste of what it must be like for the really famous. I have to admit it was a little fun but I am not sure I would want to live that way all of the time. Most people were very gracious and just really appreciative of our performances.

I also got to be reunited with last years Annie, Amanda. She went on as Annie at the matinees and did her usual wonderful job. It was great to get to work with her again.

Martin Charnin, our director, also came to see the show this weekend. For the most part he was pleased with what he saw and almost as excited as we were to be playing the Kodak.

Every night when I would say "Annie, I'm the luckiest man the world" I knew it to be absolutely true. I am living my dream in ways that most people will never know. I have truly been blessed in so many ways.

Abilene and San Diego

Well, this last week as been a very long journey! Last Monday we drove from Kansas City to my hometown Wichita Falls, Texas (actually the big town near my hometown of Archer City) for a layover on our way to Abilene, TX. It was nice to be near home as I got to have dinner with my parents and my sister and her family. It was great to sit in a house at a dining table and have dinner, watch TV and chat with loved ones.

Tuesday, we arrived in Abilene, TX for a one-nighter. The show there went well and the audience thoroughly enjoyed it. I love playing the smaller towns and venues as they always seem so appreciative of our efforts.

Wednesday we drove to El Paso for another layover on our way to San Diego. I went out to dinner with members of our crew. I love getting to spend time with these guys. I feel as though we are kindred spirits since my love of theatre grew largely out of the technical work that I did in my college days. I even worked for a production company in Dallas for a while so I love being with these stage hands and "talking shop."

Thursday was another long drive to Yuma, AZ for another layover on our way to San Diego. I LOVE THE DESERT! The scenery here was breath taking. Additionally our hotel was in a great location next to one of those new open air malls with lots of places to eat. The best part was that I was able to walk without a jacket and get some much needed exercise. Did I mention I love the desert?

Friday we finally arrived in San Diego. Friday night Madison went on as Annie after taking over the role upon the departure of the young lady who had been playing the part. Madison did a great job and I thought we had one of our best performances in a long time. The show received mixed reviews from the critics in San Diego and I was rather upset at first. I always have put too much stock in what others think about me. As the week progressed, however, I began to realize that the only critics that really matter are the 1000+ audience members who show up every night and stand and cheer for us at the end of the play. So, while I might occasionally glance at a review or two I will no longer allow them to affect me or my performance.

We did five shows in San Diego and they all went really well. Another bright spot in San Diego was that Amanda, last year's Annie, has rejoined the tour for a few weeks to play the part of Kate while we bring in someone to fill the role permanently. Amanda is an amazing performer and an even more amazing young lady. It is a joy to be reunited with her.

I was again struck by the number of homeless people in San Diego. I was also struck by the fact that many of them didn't fit the stereotype we hold for the homeless. It reminded me that homelessness could happen to any of us. One woman that was in the 7-Eleven while I was getting a soda said that she was on the streets because her husband had been hospitalized for a long period of time and eventually passed away and due to medical costs they had lost everything. There were others who were obviously mentally ill. The saddest part is that the passers-by walked past these people without seeming to even see them. No one looked at them. No one noticed them. A man or woman would be lying on the sidewalk and we walked around them as if they weren't there. I wonder if we would react differently if it were our brother, sister, daughter, son, husband or wife? No person in the greatest country in the world should ever have to sleep in the streets. It is easy to ignore those we don't know. It is much harder to ignore those we know. I was reminded of something my daughter Alayna told us while we were in Kansas City. She carries loose change or a couple of dollar bills in her jacket pocket to give to the homeless in NYC as she walks down the street. I now do the same.

Well, today we arrived in Hollywood to play the Kodak Theatre. It was an amazing experience. One that I will share with you TOMORROW!

Everything's Up to Date in Kansas City

This past week we have been in Kansas City, MO. We arrived on Tuesday after a stopover in St. Louis which is a beautiful city if you have never been there. We stayed at a great hotel across the street from the theatre so this had all the makings of being a great week. Add to that the fact that Cay, Alayna and Ashlea arrived on Thursday and stayed until Sunday I was one happy "Daddy Warbucks." The shows went well. We have been having a lot of sickness the past week so many understudies went on. Liz went on as Grace on Thursday night. Monica went on as Lily on Saturday. A couple of the kids were out so we did several performances with just 6 orphans (there are usually 7). The dance captain/child swing was even out a day with this bug.

Fortunately I have avoided it thus far. Pray that my good fortune continues.

Cay and the girls and I spent time doing what families do together, eating, talking, shopping, etc. We saw a movie together and spent a lot of time just "hanging out" together. It was really great seeing them. Being away from home heightens ones awareness of what really matters. Just being in the same room with the people you love becomes a source of great joy. And you realize how much you miss the little things, even the things you complain about the most when your are home. Things like cleaning out the litter box and taking out the trash. I know, "I would never miss those things." I said that too until I could no longer do them. I can't wait to get home and clean out a closet, mow the yard and work on Cay's "honey-do list." For those of you "stuck at home" take out the trash for me and hug you spouse and children on the way back in. It is not such a bad thing after all.

Kym, if you read this, know you are in my thoughts and prayers. I wish I could be there on Thursday with you. Know that I am there always in my prayers. I read in a book recently that we carry our families and friends inside of us. I have discovered this to be true. I hold you all in my heart daily.

Speaking of the book, if you haven't read it I encourage you to buy a copy today and read it ASAP. The book is called THE SHACK. It is an interesting and intriguing book and one that every God loving or God fearing or God seeking person should read and share with their families and friends.

Today I am in Wichita Falls. I grew up near hear and went to college here. I got to spend the evening with Mom and Dad and my sister and her family. It was great to get to see them and share a little time together. If you are reading this and haven't spoken to your parents or siblings lately, sign-off and call them now. You might just make their day.

Tomorrow we are off to Abilene for a performance and then off to San Diego.

Happy New Year and Peace to all.