Todd...How Do You Do It?

If you've followed this blog in the past few weeks, I've mentioned a couple of productions in which I'm involved. It has been a crazy couple of months! 

I went through: rehearsal, then rehearsal (for one show...) and rehearsal for another, then performing one show while rehearsing for another, then rehearsal for just one show. But tonight ends at least a part of the madness. Tonight is our last rehearsal for the second show. Beginning Monday my schedule is doing one show every other night (except Sundays...) until the first week of September.

Needless to say, the whole experience has taxed my aging body. And so it is that much more amazing that I have a friend who has lived that lifestyle of doing show after show--sometimes congruently--as well as choir concerts and the occasional run or bike race.

And his name is Todd.

I've been in some of those shows and/or choirs with Todd over the years. And inevitably the conversation turns to a discussion of him slowing down or taking things a little easier. And he admits, he really should, but if you know Todd, you know it's not in his nature to turn down something.

Obviously!

Todd--I don't know how you've done it over the years, but it's pretty amazing that you do. Stay strong, brother!

The Past 48 Hours...

I think the older I get, the less it takes to make me exhausted. However, the past 48 hours--I believe--would have worn out a 25-year old version of myself.

Of course, we'll never know for sure if this is true because my crystal-operated time machine didn't work. But tonight, as I sit on my bed and write this blog post, the last two days are a blur. Let's see what I did.

48 hours ago I had just returned from a rehearsal for Peter Pan. I only caught the last half hour of the rehearsal because earlier in the evening I was doing another show, Annie Get Your Gun.

I got a good night's sleep, then I woke up and went to Salt City Steamfest. Steamfest was a blast (I wrote about it yesterday...). I was asked to participate in a panel at 5pm--the Steampunk Smackdown panel with the Space Balrogs (I wrote that on this blog the day before yesterday...). I left the Steamfest at 6pm and got to the Farmington theater by 6:30--call time.

After last night's show, I went to sleep then got up and went to Centerpoint Legacy Theatre for Peter Pan's Tech Day. I arrived just after 8am and left just after 6pm, then I went to Farmington's theater and did tonight's show.

Tomorrow is Sunday, a day of rest, a day I very much need. Even though I've done a ton of stuff over the last two days, I've had fun being with old friends, new friends, and family. It's been a great couple of days!

How'd Opening Night Go? Let Charlie Davenport Tell You...

We opened last night--couldn't have asked for a better opening show! The crowd was fantastic! We got all our lines (well, 99% of them...), and no props fell. And to explain just how great did it go last night? I'll let my own lines tell the tale:

"Holy Toledo! I've never heard an audience whoop it up like that!"

"Course she looks all ratty now, but once we get her cleaned up and dressed proper--"

"I tell you, that girl's worth a million bucks!"

"That poster's terrific, ain't it?"

"This is great, Annie. Just great. Come on, B.B., we gotta send a lot of telegrams to the newspapers."

"All right, everyone--time to get ready for the show. Move it!"

"Tell the truth for a change, Dolly!"

"There's no business like show business!"

That's pretty much how the opening went, give or take a little. And, if you'd like to see the show, we're performing tonight, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and next Monday. Better hurry! Annie's getting her gun!

But, I've Always Had Eyebrows...

Whenever I do a show, it's time to put on the make up. I don't normally put on make up--only when I'm on stage. Still, I believe (and she will back me up on this...), I wear more make up than my wife.

Still, there's one thing that freaks people out whenever I put on stage make up. 

I suddenly have eyebrows.

Since it does freak people out, I decided to take some before, during and after selfies of my make up transformation. Here you go!

The before picture...

Base added...

Eye's done...

One eyebrow...

And the other...

Until it's all done.

As you can tell, I'm not an expert at applying make up--I'm completely self-taught. But after so many shows, directors and stage managers seem to be okay with how I look. And, after I'm done with my make up application, I have to say, everyone's pretty much right--I do look freakish with eyebrows. 

The funny thing is, I've had them all along.

My Day In My Home Town...

I didn't take a lot of pictures today, but the ones I took I like. 

At the end of each day I pick out a picture to use as my "Pic Of The Day." And, as it happens sometimes, there are a couple of pictures vying for the honor.

Tonight as I scrolled through the two dozen or so pictures I took, I picked one then thought about the rest. The pictures tell a story, a story of one day for one person in one town.

When I wrote earlier that I like today's pictures, it isn't necessarily that they're great shots. They're okay--not exceptional as far as quality. However, the people and places in these pictures are. 

We live together, bound by family and culture. We gather and laugh and experience the roller coaster of life together. And so, I give you...

A baby falcon,

A father and his beautiful daughters,

A troubadour,

An interesting building,

A sign,

A main street,

A memory.

My day in my home town.

And So, The Marathon Begins...

When you hear the word "marathon," what comes to mind? Ever since I was a child, I had great respect for those who ran marathons. I mean, over 26 miles? It boggles the mind and makes my joints sore just thinking about it.

But the marathon I start tonight, it's a different kind of marathon.

It's a marathon of events that must be done in a relatively short period of time.

Tonight marks the beginning of every night rehearsals for one of my shows. Along with my wife and daughter, I'm in a community production of Annie Get Your Gun that opens July 29th. Get your tickets today!

But, my every night marathon will not stop there. After this show ends, I'll be in another show that goes until the middle of September. And then there's Salt City Steamfest that takes place the 1st and 2nd of August, and, of course, the next--and greatest so far--Salt Lake Comic Con that begins the first week of September.

I remember back in college I was a busy person, working two or three jobs, singing in a university choir, being a member of a fraternity all carrying a full school schedule. I thought maybe things might slow down, you know...once I got older.

Sometimes. Sometimes not.

Great Day For A Festival...

I took over a hundred pictures today (which, I know, for a digital camera that's not that many...), but what was unusual is I took the pictures in different places.

But for this blog post, I'm focusing on Farmington Festival Days celebration.

Today was our little town's party. It was once called Farmington Fiesta Days--a name I prefer, by the way, and I prefer that name because it's what I first knew. But due to political correctness, it's now called Festival Days.

It began with a parade. Because members of my family are participating in the city's summer show, we were asked to participate in the parade. It was fun and I took pictures.

In the afternoon a few of us from the show performed for what the members of Spinal Tap would call "a festival crowd." And Farmington Festival Days couldn't be complete without a fireworks display. It's been a long day. I'm tired. Goodnight.

And So It Begins...Again

We gather tonight for the first time, a bunch of people drawn together, a sense of excitement, and a little nervousness in the air. Some people we know; some are strangers, all are new to this particular project. It is our first rehearsal.

We hear from the leaders, those who give more of their time to this grand adventure than anyone else. They go over the rules, the expectations, the vision. We sit listening, thinking of the time commitment, of the things we'll learn--dancing, hitting pitches, memorizing lines. Any questions?

We do a first read-through. Then, the first rehearsal is done, in the books. In two days we'll gather again, then assemble three days after that. The pattern will continue until suddenly, it's final dress rehearsal and we'll wonder at how fast the last two months flew. Once again, we'll be excited and nervous, but this time, we'll be among friends. Tonight, it begins...again.