Daytona Beach

Yesterday and today we have been playing the Peabody Auditorium here in Daytona Beach. It is a small stage but we have had a great time doing the play and hanging out on the beach. The weather has been amazing with highs around 75 and sunny skies.

Got some sad news today. Ben Alford, the pastor who hired Cay at HFUMC passed away today after a battle with cancer. Ben is also the person who encouraged me to begin Steeple Players and reclaim my love of theatre. He will be missed.

On a happier note, Amanda and Annalisa came to see the show tonight. Amanda played Annie and Annalisa played Molly in last years tour. They have both gotten taller and are no longer "little girls" but have grown to become beautiful young ladies. They were thrilled with the show and we had a great time reconnecting, even if only for a few moments.

Tomorrow we travel to North Charleston, SC to play two days there. So, at 7:30 in the morning I will be getting on a bus for the six hour drive.

6 days and counting to Macon when I will get to spend some much needed time with my beloved wife, Cay.

Peace to all and Happy Holidays!

Thoughts on Miami

Tonight we closed out our stay in Miami. It has been quite a week here. The weather has been great and we have all enjoyed having our days free to explore the city and beaches. The shows have gone well but we would have liked to have had bigger crowds. Those who showed up really seemed to have a good time.

Tonight the "Annie" understudy went on for the first time. She did a really great job as did our child swing. Everyone was really excited about having our first "understudies" go on. I have to admit I was excited but not as much as everyone else. I guess I have come to accept that this is merely part of the job.

Miami is a unique city in many ways but also just another big city in others. While it is not one of my favorite places I have enjoyed the week of sunshine and short sleeves. The thing I found most striking about Miami is the contradictions. Miami has an incredibly wealthy population with million dollar mansions visible at almost every turn and very exclusive high rise condominiums everywhere. But in the shadows of those big buildings and big bucks lies one of the largest homeless populations I have ever seen! At almost every turn I would see someone living out of a suitcase or a plastic bag. On one of my walks to the theatre I came upon a homeless community. In "Annie" they call in "Hooverville." I don't know if it has a name here in Miami but it was a street whose sidewalks were lined with homeless who had made their "homes" on the hard concrete. A street with sidewalks on both sides with chain link fences running along the sidewalks to keep people out of the parking/construction sites that lay beyond them. The homeless hung belongings from the fences to provide shade and to "mark" their boundaries. It was one of the saddest sights I have ever seen. It is my prayer that we won't see these pop up everywhere like we did during the Great Depression.

I witnessed another moving event today on the Metromover, the "elevated train" that runs through downtown in Miami. The homeless and low income use this train to get around and to get out of the heat. A man who appeared to be down on his luck sat in the corner eating his dinner. Another man who was also down on his luck and probably homeless got on the train and sat next to the man eating. After a few moments the man offered some of his food to this stranger who eagerly accepted it. It was incredibly touching.

Tommorrow we leave Miami and drive up the coast to Daytona Beach for two days on the beach! It's a tough life but somebody has to do it!

Miami in December

Well, we have arrived in Miami. It has been an adventurous couple of days since I last blogged.

Sunday we were at the State Theatre in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It is a beautiful, historic Vaudeville House that has a very small stage. We were able to use most of our drops but not the orphanage or stairs. The show really plays very well without these and of course the local audiences don't know they are missing unless they have seen the show somewhere else. Liza came and saw the show and said it went very well. The music director for the show also saw part of the show and was very complementary.

Monday we flew from JFK airport to Miami. It turned out to be a longer day than expected due to us missing our flight in JFK because of bad traffic and confusion getting there. It was not a happy story but one best left untold here. I was one of the lucky ones and was able to pay a few dollars to get on an early flight and only arrived in Miami 2 hours later than expected. Others were not so lucky. Everyone got here though and seems to be having a good time.

We are playing the Adreinne Arscht Center here in Miami. It is an amazing theatre with a huge stage and beautiful house. The theatre seats about 2,500 and the stage is large enough to house three complete sets at one time. In fact, they have in the past actually set up three stages or their one stage.

It is amazing and impossible to describe here. I tried to take pictures but as you can tell the space is so big I couldn't get it into one frame. This picture was taken with me standing at the upstage (back) drop of our set facing the back of the theatre. As you can see the backstage area goes on forever and this is about half of the space!

I have spent my days thus far wandering around downtown Miami. There is a lot to see and do but none of it really excites me so I just window shop and see the sights. I haven't bought anything as I try and stay away from spending money. Two reasons for this. One, I don't have a lot of money to spend, and two, what would I do with the stuff I bought when I am living out of a suitcase?

The show continues to go well and the company seems to be adjusting to life on the road. We are still finding our little circles but everyone is really great and we are having a lot of fun. I hope to see some of you soon!