Lines...

I don't think there are many who like waiting in lines. Unfortunately, it's one of the realities of modern life, especially as more and more and more people call this world their home. Modern technology can help with some of the lines we've stood in for years. For example, you can go to Stamps.com. I don't use the service myself, but from their ads, they guarantee eliminating waiting in lines at the post office forever.

There are lines that can't be replaced by technology. Case in point, the lines you run into at an amusement park on one of the busiest days of the year. 

There's no getting out of those lines. 

This afternoon I went to the park. We can tell by the number of cars in the parking lot how busy it's going to be. As we drove in, we knew it would be crowded, very crowded. The show I do holds forty people in the theater--that's it, only forty. We were scheduled to do seven shows today. We ended up doing nine. That's 360 people out of tens of thousands who can get in. Ever since we opened our show last year, I don't believe I've ever seen a line as long as the one we had for people waiting to buy tickets to see our show today.

Later in the day, I spotted another line. This one was for one of the many haunted houses on the park. I asked the worker holding the sign how long the line was to get in the haunted house. They said, from that point, it would be one and a half to two hours of wait time.

Personally, that's a long time to be in a line, but the people didn't seem to mind. They kept lining up and the sign holder had to keep walking back as more people joined the line.

I knew those who saw our show tonight had to wait a long time to get tickets. I speak to many of those waiting before the shows begin. Several have told me they tried seeing the show last year, but were unable to see it because everything was sold out. I guess, technically, they've been waiting in a "line" for almost a year.

I'm glad they decided the wait was worth it. I hope we made it worth their time.

"Séance" Has A New Home...Or, At Least, A New Homefront

Last year I was part of something amazing. I had heard about it beforehand, but I had no idea--none of us did--just how incredible the experience would be. There were five of us in all, and I knew (kind of...) only one before we started. By the time the show's run came to an end, I considered each a friend.

Strange how close you can get to a group when your job is scaring the bejeebers out of people.

But that's just what we did.

And now, it's time for the scaring to begin again. You can sense it--there's something in the air.

It's time for another séance.

Because the show had never been in Utah, almost no one had heard of it. It came from the brilliantly twisted mind of Joey Wartnerchaney, special effects genius and all-around great guy. He had been working with the Lagoon Amusement Park for several years designing both their summer shows and helping with Frightmares. Last season, though, he got to have his self-admitted "favorite show" open for us. I'm so glad he did. The show is flat-out awesome.

It's also tear-inducing, faculty-losing, mind-blowing scary.

Frightmares begins this Friday at Lagoon. If you want to see Séance, you'll need to get into the park and get a ticket. I should say that tickets go fast so getting a ticket for our show may be something you do when you first arrive. You can buy tickets at the entrance to the Arcade, or what we used to call the Penny Arcade. You can't miss our new home. They built an amazingly beautiful facade that houses both the ticket office and our front door. It's a fitting tribute to a great show!

Yes, there's something in the air.

It's time for another séance.

And I can't wait!

It's College Football Season...And I'm Watching It From A Dressing Room

The last few years I've found myself involved in theatrical productions in the fall and winter. This happens to be the same time college football season runs. Of course, in this modern day, a person can record an entire game and watch it later at their leisure. Still, there's something about watching a game live as it happens that's hard to beat.

The past few years, I haven't had the chance to do that.

And it looks like the same thing's going to happen again this time.

Yesterday the show my daughter and I have been doing closed--at least, for us. You might be thinking I'll now have my weekend's free. Actually, I won't have a weekend free until after Halloween. Next week is Salt Lake FanX Comic Convention, and after that, the next show begins, Lagoon Amusement Park's Séance.

There's two main differences between the theatre where we finished Pirates of Penzance, and where we do our haunted show...the former has internet access and the latter does not. Last fall I had to try and watch games (between shows, of course...) on my little phone and not on my laptop or iPad. Again, I'm not complaining (too much...). I can always watch the recorded game later.

Doing shows and entertaining people is something I love to do. And if having to wait to watch a sporting event is part of the price I pay to do that, I'll pay it gladly. Then again, if the Utes don't win, then it doesn't matter anyway. ;)