After a thrilling and busy tech/preview in Springfield, Missouri, we spent today traveling through the great state of Oklahoma (I can assure you there were no shortage of musical references). The scenery was as expected, I have to say. Grass, wheat, cattle, repeat. It just about fit the mold of what I had been anticipating. It was a smooth ride, passing by with the healthy recipe of sleep, script study, and of course... football. It was almost 90 degrees getting off of the bus, but the heat was masked by 20-25 mph winds. Again... very Oklahoma-ish (at least what I pictured).
There was enough time to climb up to the 11th floor, settle in, hit the gym, and then join the cast for a slice of pizza! Went to an awesome place called "Wedge" with brick-oven style pizza. We met up with a former Who and a couple of her friends, all of which are in town with the National Tour of Sister Act. I'm constantly reminded of how incredibly small this community is. Yesterday, I see my friend Brett's name on the wall of the Springfield theatre from his tour of Beauty and the Beast, and today I'm meeting more friends of friends in the theatre world. Always exciting to meet more artists- who knows, may just be future cast-mates!
We get a bit of a break now, which is warmly welcomed! After a week of all day and all night work in tech and previews (including a three-show day), a day off sounds like a dream!
So, I guess this is where the tour "kicks off". This is when we start playing cities for a week at a time, sometimes up to 10 times in that week. Even though this is just our 2nd city, I can safely say this isn't something that it going to get stale, not something I'll take for granted or grow tired of. I'm fueled enough by the new audiences, filled with several generations, including kids who are seeing their very first Broadway-style show- however, the people I am with and the things we are experiencing together are already making the time fly. What an awesome blessing, to tell a story to thousands of people, help them to escape, entertain them, provide them with Christmas joy! Honestly, it's still so surreal when I'm handed a paycheck for this. I mean, it's hard work and we all make sacrifices to be here, but to think of this as a "job" is still a bit weird to me. I'm reminded of a saying I heard once: "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life". That's essentially what I feel right now. Thanking God every step of the way- every curtain, every new city, every new experience- just treasuring this time so so much.
There was enough time to climb up to the 11th floor, settle in, hit the gym, and then join the cast for a slice of pizza! Went to an awesome place called "Wedge" with brick-oven style pizza. We met up with a former Who and a couple of her friends, all of which are in town with the National Tour of Sister Act. I'm constantly reminded of how incredibly small this community is. Yesterday, I see my friend Brett's name on the wall of the Springfield theatre from his tour of Beauty and the Beast, and today I'm meeting more friends of friends in the theatre world. Always exciting to meet more artists- who knows, may just be future cast-mates!
We get a bit of a break now, which is warmly welcomed! After a week of all day and all night work in tech and previews (including a three-show day), a day off sounds like a dream!
So, I guess this is where the tour "kicks off". This is when we start playing cities for a week at a time, sometimes up to 10 times in that week. Even though this is just our 2nd city, I can safely say this isn't something that it going to get stale, not something I'll take for granted or grow tired of. I'm fueled enough by the new audiences, filled with several generations, including kids who are seeing their very first Broadway-style show- however, the people I am with and the things we are experiencing together are already making the time fly. What an awesome blessing, to tell a story to thousands of people, help them to escape, entertain them, provide them with Christmas joy! Honestly, it's still so surreal when I'm handed a paycheck for this. I mean, it's hard work and we all make sacrifices to be here, but to think of this as a "job" is still a bit weird to me. I'm reminded of a saying I heard once: "If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life". That's essentially what I feel right now. Thanking God every step of the way- every curtain, every new city, every new experience- just treasuring this time so so much.