The End Of The Show

I will no longer be traipsing around Goose Grease Gulch (a stone's throw from Unnecessary Mountain) or Contagious Lane (where there's a nice view of the Skunk Works) or for that matter any other place in Dogpatch USA.

The seven show run ended last night. I had had my fill of Dogpatch a few shows ago, likely during tech rehearsal if I think back that far. It had the unfortunate time slot of following Julius Caesar this summer, for those who were in both shows it was the Summer of Lil' Caesar.

Now tis ended and I'm a drained person for it. The brutal heat and packing schedule of Caesar followed by the outdated material of a nearly three hour musical had me begging for a break after a while, a short while.

I wonder how many people have did a search on Alf Landon, Clarance Darrow, Drew Pearson, and many of the other references from the forties and fifties that lace this show's material? To paraphrase President Obama, "Let me be clear" (which he follows up with incomprehensible and rambling answers) so let me be clear, the actors did a stellar job with subpar material. (note a clear and concise answer)

The director, Ship, did an amazing job as she had to overcome several cast changes, even up to last night's show! That takes some serious skill and patience for a director to accomplish. A lot of directors would have melted down with the first cast change late in the rehearsal run. Not Ship, a round of applause for her and the job she did on this show! I believe this was the third show I've done with her and a few more if you count her being an actor on stage.

So you had all of that adversity and the fact that one of the air conditioners wasn't running last night. Well it would run and then blow the breaker and stop, and then run for a few more minutes and that all equaled a very hot tech booth and a hotter audience.

Last night was also the striking of the set. Normally I stick around until the very last speck of dust is swept off of the stage, not last night. I had had my fill of Lil' Caesar. I took out the trash from the booth, my sound station partner wanted to sweep the booth but I headed home. There was a cast of thirty to dismantle a largely moving and simple set. I was unneeded and as I wasn't feeling 100% anyway (a fact later confirmed by my throwing up supper upon my arrival home) I decided to skip out on set strike. A rare event for me as I'm usually at every set call when many aren't.

Now I'm finished for a while. I need a break from the Theatre. I don't know for how long but I'll likely be involved with the next show as my friend is directing for the first time, Filmmaker partner Chris.

Thus ends the Summer of Lil' Caesar and all of it's drama:)