ENERGIZED GUYZ: On Tour! 81 Performances of laughs and learning filled with improv comedy brought to life by The National Theatre for Children has been a new and exciting experience. Life on the road has taught me many things, from continuing to decipher between my "wants" and "needs" to getting to know myself better. I initially took this opportunity for two reasons, the first is that NTC is a good company and I get paid to act, which in today's economy, is not the easiest thing to come by and the show is part of community programming and education. Second, my travels are all inclusive so I get to enjoy exploring the country and traveling.
Co-Star Shelby and I in the "Water Vampire" sketch, based on the Twilight saga
Being the socialite that I am, meeting new people is one things I enjoy most. There is constant change on the road, and as I am a versatile person, change is something I constantly seek. At the same token, changing hotels sometimes daily in addition to time zones, reminded me of the convertibility in consistency. It really helped me better understand what a happy medium could be which I am working towards achieving in my life. Being away from my loved ones back home was hard at times and harder during others, but as someone special to me once said, "No one said following your dreams isn't going to be scary." And while a sense of confiding in strangers and finding a home away from home might not be the scariest thing out there, it has it's moments. Some moments included great friends from my past, like my high school "improv/actor idol" Jackie Southee and my good friend from the American Theatre Wing's SpringBoardNYC Program, Jodi Watson. I even got to pit stop in Kentucky to visit my friend Samantha Figueira and the first ever KFC as well as in Atlanta to see my cousins for a weekend. Such a blessing!!!
Jackie and I in CHICAGO, which I loved!!
My SpringBoardNYC mate Jodi & I after her terrific show in Dollywood!
The original KFC Colonel spokesperson at the first ever KFC!!
This is also the first experience in which I had to do more than about 20 runs of a show (The Who's Tommy, at last May being the last show I performed in with several consecutive performances). Performing in 2-4 shows a day with audiences ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred at each show provides several different experiences. I am glad to say that most of our performances were "hits" although there were times I had to find inspiration to bring the same exciting show to life and not jip a new audience from the experience of live theatre magic. Doing the show for what felt like a million times really put my education and college theatre training into perspective. I understood acting concepts better than before and got to "play" with different ideas, characters, and techniques. My top 3 "play" dates were when my favorite character in the show, "Felonious Monk", the evil foreign scientist, entered the scene, once with a peg leg and an array of accents (a hysterical disaster), once traveled through the scene strictly on a rolly-chair (a comical traffic jam), and once with shoes on the wrong foot and a duck waddle in my walk (a cartoony creation).
Yours truly as "Felonious Monk" the foreign evil scientist
Not only did I try different things with the 6 characters I played in each show, but I also tried different things on the road....This includes music, hotels, and my favorite: FOOD! I have probably eaten at every fast food chain in existence, as well as at the well-enjoyed "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants recommended by locals. This can get pricey and be unhealthy but enjoying complementary breakfast at our hotels and having nights off (which gave me time to work on many things like my website and these blogs!!) also lent time for exercising and the occasional dip in the jacuzzi.
Each show I get to play an audience suggested person and improv galore!
All in all, I was happy to not only entertain over 7,000 young aged theatre patrons, but to share with them a message on energy efficiency. The National Theatre for Children's motto to "Teach. Entertain. Inspire." was all over my map for the past month or so on tour and is defiantly a time in my life that I'll look back on and appreciate. While I am looking forward to good nights rests only in my comfy bed back home, this has been quite the experience, from meeting new people and exploring the country, to sharing the gift of theatre performance and education with many. Thank you to my wonderfully talented tour partner and co-star Shelby Nichols, and the entire team at NTC, including Pat Rowan and Jon Mikkelsen.
Next Up: "HAIRSPRAY" the B'way musical in the DC area! Details later. ;)
