Leaving Canada

Well, we have finished our final Canadian leg of this tour.  It has been a good few days but we are all ready to be back in the states where our cell phones will work!

London, Ontario was a neat town and I had a great time there.  Saw a movie, ate some good food and had two good performances.  I met 8 people worth mentioning at the stage door after the shows.  First was a man and his daughter who was in a wheelchair.  I have no idea what the little girl suffered from but she was waiting at the stage door as we came out with a large hand made poster that said "I love Annie and Orphans" on it.  Naturally she got all the girls autographs and pictures with all.  She was thrilled to get meet the girls and you could tell she was having the time of her life though I think her Dad may have been having a better time. 

I also met and older couple (probably around 60 - Sounds younger every day) who came over to introduce themselves and say how much they enjoyed the show.  The man said he had brought his little girl to see Annie 25+ years ago and had special memories of that shared experience.  As he told me the story and how much he enjoyed watching Madison and I together his eyes filled with tears.  I know that feeling of recalling memories that flood you with emotions of joy you can't suppress.  I think it may be a "Dad" thing, or at least a parent thing.

There was another older lady who came over and hugged the stuffing out of me and told me how much she enjoyed the show.  It was a little shocking but still appreciated.

Finally, there was a young man who was confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak that was there with some friends or caretakers and he was obviously having the time of his life.  His smile spoke all the words that his voice couldn't.

These are just a few of the moments I will cherish for the rest of my life.  Yes, performing is a lot of fun, but meeting people like these is what theatre is all about.  It is amazing the way our simple performances effect so many peoples lives.  God has truly blessed me.

What a week!

Wow, a whole week has passed since I last blogged.  My wife is not going to be happy about that.  This past week has been one of those that we try and forget or at least not dwell upon.  We have been engaged in a week of one nighters where we move from one city to the next with just barely enough time to do the show, shower, sleep, eat and get back on the bus.  Highlights of the week include a performance in Brooklyn where many of the cast had lots of friends and family see the show.  I got to see last year's "Grace" which was nice and met a young woman who has been following my blogs that I had never met.  It is rather odd to me that people enjoy reading this blog who don't know me.  It is humbling and rewarding to know that what I do is interesting to others but I don't find the things I write here all that fascinating.  It was nice to meet and her and has helped to make the week a little more enjoyable.

Portland, Maine was a great place to visit though we didn't get to stay there for long.  It is a very quaint town with lots to do and see.  They also really enjoyed the show which is always nice.  After all these performances I find that I still rely on the audience response to keep me excited about the show.  While acting is enjoyable in and of itself it takes the audience response to keep one going after 400+ performances.

Tonight we are in Niagara Falls on our way to London, Ontario.  The falls are amazing but the city is disturbingly commercial.  It is sort of a cross between Rio and Pigeon Forge.  In my opinion it detracts from the majesty of the falls.  

Three-and-a-half weeks to go before the layoff begins.  I am looking forward to being home and being with my family.  But until then, I will try and do a better job of posting on my blog.

Joyful, Joyful

Since I last updated you all we have closed out Detroit and performed in Elmira, NY where Samuel Clemens aka Mark Twain lived the last years of his life with his wife who was from Elmira.  Detroit was great.  The audiences were large and excited to have us there.  I was somewhat surprised that we had such large crowds with the economic troubles this area has seen.  I visited the Henry Ford Museum while I was there.  I would recommend it to anyone who ever visits the area.  It would take a good two days to see all that it has to offer.

Here in Elmira the crowds have also been wonderful.  I am really enjoying performing right now.  I had a realization the final night in Detroit that I have applied here in Elmira and it is making all the difference in the world.  I often get asked what is the difference between what you did at home with the theatre you started and doing theatre in this professional setting?  The stock answer includes the abundance of talent.  Everyone here is amazingly talented as there is a much larger talent pool to draw from.  Steeple Players has wonderful talent but we will never have the 400+ auditionee's to select from that they do for these tours.  Another big difference is the money.  I could do an entire musical for Steeple Players on the money they spent building my costumes for this production.  

But there is another difference that bears mentioning.  After a while on the road with these professional productions it does become a JOB.  People reach a point where they are here for the paycheck.  With Steeple Players the performers perform simply for the JOY of performing.  I realized last week I was losing the joy.  Upon realizing this I have made it a point to reclaim that JOY regardless of what is happening around me.

I am married to the most "joyful" person I have ever known and I am drawing on her example of finding JOY in seemingly hopeless and joyless situations.  Our JOY is not dependent on others but only on our outlook, attitude and willingness to accept and relish in the gifts God gives us each and every day.

So, tonight I am filled with joy after having performed for an amazingly appreciative crowd.  I am overjoyed to be able to go to work every day doing something that I love.  And I am looking forward to completing the next four and a half weeks of "Annie" and then returning to Hendersonville to work with Cay, the church, and Steeple Players.

Providence

Well, I am now in Detroit spending some time with my wife after a wonderful weekend in Providence, RI.  The weather there was great and the city is really wonderful.  Very beautiful and some great places to eat.  This is another of those places I will have to return to in order to see more of it as there just wasn't enough time to take it in.

Thursday night most of the company went to the Circus.  It was a lot of fun and was good to do something with each other just for fun.  Thanks to Bill for getting us the discount and arranging it all.

I had another of those moments when I am reminded why I continue to do this crazy thing we call touring.  After the show on Friday a mom brought her daughter over to meet me.  "She just wanted to meet Daddy Warbucks" the mom told me.  I signed her program book and had my picture taken with the little girl.  As I was getting up the girl grabbed my neck and gave me the biggest hug I had gotten in a long time.

In a world filled with so much darkness, despair and ugliness, it is an amazing thing to witness and be a a part of such unbridled joy and passion.  This little girl has inspired this actor and I know now that I will survive the final six weeks of tour with an improved attitude and a brighter demeanor.  My thanks go out to this little girl and her mom for being by "Annie" and filling me with joy, hope, and optimism.