What's your FAVORITE thing about touring?

"What's your favorite thing about touring?" asked the girl from Central High's school paper. Her tone sounded like she'd asked herself in a mirror over and over and now it was CRUNCH TIME. In the background, a fellow staffer was snapping pictures. I leaned down toward her phone, which she was using to record our chat.
"Well," I began as I heard Maria (our awesome Lady M and all-around super cool lady) answering the exact same question behind me, "I love the fact that we're presented with an entirely new show every night." My subtext was Don't sweat it, future journalist, you're doing fine! This is probably weirder for me than it is for you. "That space is different, the audience is different, it all informs the kind of show we have in the end. I love it, it's like theatre boot camp."

Indeed it is.

I thought about the past week or so. Counting the two previews, we'd done about 10 shows and 2 workshops since last Friday. I haven't gotten up this early this frequently since High School. Many a morning, I found myself trudging to our meeting spot (The Omaha Community Playhouse) with my hands buried in my sweatshirt pockets, trying to squeak out a warm-up on the way there while I attempt to wrap my brain around this career path. I wake up at 5:30am to get together with friends, drive to a high-school and MAKE BELIEVE for an hour. Last Wednesday, we had three shows. That means three load-ins and load-outs. Three sets of fight calls (The final Macbeth Macduff scene on the final performance was an exercise in endurance.) And a whole lot of STANKY LEGGINGS. Afterward, I felt like I unlocked a damn Achievement. If you can do that, you can do any-fucking-thing.

"So, you've been doing this for a while. Do you like your other cast members?" she asks, a bit more relaxed now after we'd chatted a bit.
"I love em'. I LOVE EM'." Tune it down, Dakotah--you're scaring the poor highschooler. "It's a pleasure to work with such an amazing group of people. We all really have each others' backs out there." And we do. We've yet to have our Perfect Show, so in the meantime--we're ready to jump in on a missed cue, help each other put on clothes (in AND out of show, ROWR--no that's not true), clarify stuff, dial shit up/down, and if need be--deliver Maria's baby. I'm just sayin'--how awesome a story would that be? "And she never broke character!"

"Do you ever get tired doing the same show over and over?"
"No, not really." I wished one of the kids had asked this in the talkback. I've been wanting to verbalize this thought process for a while. "The way I see it, every night you're noticing something else. It's like when you watch a movie over and over--you start to appreciate the minutiae. The more we do it, the more new stuff I hear every day."
"Oh wow," Reporty McReportpants laughs, no longer in 'reporter mode', "I never thought about it like that."
"Yeah."
"So, how did you like Central High?"
"Ah-" I pause. How exactly do I say this? "They're rambunctious, but pretty focused. I think they really dug the show." Well done, Brown. No f-bombs. To be honest, they had some trouble with unsex me here, and all the murders--which are evidently HILARIOUS(??), and I definitely saw some kids sleeping, reading, and playing with either PSPs or their wieners (I couldn't tell, it was three dudes hunkered into their chairs all looking at one dude's crotch.) To be honest, the best shows we've had were at a pair of havens for underprivileged children. The kids helped us set up, paid INCREDIBLY close attention to the show (which they LOVED), and their questions were the most intelligent we'll probably get on the tour. On top of that, they're all SUPER sweet kids. I'm amazed that we got to enrich their lives with our make believe. We're actually helping people. Shakespeare is fucking AWESOME.

"Well thank you," the girl said into her phone, "thanks a lot."
"Oh yeah, of course! Thanks for comin' to the show! Pleasure to meet you." and she leaves after a firm, professional handshake.

I have the best job ever.

Tuh-GIFF!

I had dinner with half of the cast tonight at a place called Stokes in gorgeously aged Downtown Omaha. It's a little southwestern place that whips up a surprisingly good fish taco for middle America. Their margaritas come in buckets, and I was tempted to snag a second and KEEP THE PARTY GOING as it were. Afterward, we all went for (FREE!) Ice Cream at a place who's name unfortunately escapes me. It's one of those places that has a stable of flavors, but only twelve at a given time--and they rotate daily. SUPER taste. I recommend the Lemon Cake Mix...y'know...next time you're in Omaha.

Rehearsals are picking up as I'm gradually getting more comfortable. We got started on the Banquo/Murderers fight yesterday (almost wrote 'two days ago' man, I'm losing my concept of time..) and its pretty quick n' dirty. Poor guy, gettin' all surprised like that. It's chuggin' along, though. "RELAX and DO WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU." is the name of the game.

Oh, by the by, Macbeth Curse Body Count: 1

The super-rad Sean Carlson rolled his ankle a little bit ago. Now I know we're a professional company, and we're not going to believe goofy shit (if you pay attenion, you'll note that Max, like me, is an ass man.) like that...but hey...I've been feeling faint lately...and I did hallucinate and see a toothpick before me. I mean, maybe it's working its way up.

Anyway--its time for sleep. I've got to rest up for the FIRST RUN IN FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE of costumers TOMORROW.

Also, I saw this tonight.

In The Middle-West

I landed at the Nebraska Airport and immediately saw a 'Tornado Shelter' sign. This felt like an indication that this place would be unlike any other I've been to.

So far though, (all two days) it's been pretty normal. I think the nicest part is, actors are actors are actors, we're basically the same goofy fuckers anywhere. Oh man, let me tell you about the cast for the show. Oh man oh man~

So Vincent and Sarah Carlson-Brown are the road managers and basically THE Nebraska Shakespeare guys. Vincent, who is playing Macbeth, has some serious street cred as we say in the cred business. He's been with the company for about 10 years, doing security at first--then getting on the stage--then apparently making the stage his beeyotch. He is a mental and physical combination of Allie's Jordan and Jason Scott--so an intense actor with a wealth of knowledge on the subject, and also a tattooed goober with a Star Wars obsession that I deeply deeply admire. He and Sarah are married (been together for the better part of about 7 years) and they have proven to me that not only can an actor couple completely thrive, but they can buy A GIANT EFFING HOUSE WITH A STAR-WARS ROOM.

Sarah is rad too, of course. She's playing the Witch/Porter/Old Crone/Child/Set/Audience. She is an equally intense actor with a major goofball side that can kick some ass in the tandem bike on Wii Sports Resort. Oh yes, we got 7th out of 30 people...but we also PUSHED OTHER BIKERS OFF A CLIFF. That's right. MURDER. She gets to fuck around with audience members during the porter speech. SEX-SAY.

Shawn Carlson is Vincent's brother and reminds me of kind of a midwestern B-Frost, except replace all things medieval with all things soccer-related. He gave me the Nebraska Tutorial and showed me where the best pretend Irish dive bars were. Also he taught me double-jump. He's playing Malcom.

Brian, who plays Duncan and Macduff, actually reminds me of the Brian from Much Ado--except he's waaay toned down. He's awesome though, and hilarious, and will destroy you at Wii anything. He's got that gamer's beginners' luck going on. His acting is fuckin' subtle, yo.

Maria is one of the most terrifying actors I have ever met. By that, I mean she is abso-fucking-lutely amazing. She plays Lady M--no no no no, she OWNS Lady M. She's like a tiny, blond, pregnant Christina Ricci. She's got an adorable circular face, and a voice that you completely don't expect. It's deep and resonant, and will make you DO THINGS. I got goosebumps nearly every time she opened her mouth. Goddamn, she scares the living fuck out of me--half because I want to be her.

Anyhowitzer, I'm going to find something to eat in this crazy Baltimore-esque city. I feel like I won't, but its worth a shot. Hopefully I'll have better luck than yesterday, when the University of Omaha security surrounded me because I was using their WiFi after hours.

I mean....shut up....

Love,
Dakotah