And (Other Parts)

A letter the Librarians who hosted us last week received. I had no trouble guessing that the fatter elf with the big nose was me. (But I am the elf she mentions in the letter!)

Memorable Questions/Comments from The Audience

"What wuz y'all?"

"What wuz you?"

"How old are y'all?"

"How'd y'all change so fast?"

"I like your leggins!"

"Where'd you get your leggins?"

"Why is she so funny and childlike?"

"Can I have one of those presents?" ( ...no.)

"Is Santa real?"

"Can I see the mouse again?"

"I like the mouse.

"I wanna see the mouse mask again!!!"

"How do the elves feel? (um...what?)"

"Why do you keep touching that keyboard?"

"Y'all are such wonderful performers, how did y'all make this play so wonderful?"

(special place in heaven for you, kid.)

"Did y'all really kiss?"

"How do the elves wrap so many presents?"

(Um...Aleigha how do the elves at the north pole wrap so many presents?)

"How do reindeer fly?"

(Yeah...Aleigha, wanna take this one too?)

"What was the point of you going in the audience?"

"Why did y'all come out here and hit us?"

And one of my personal favorites is after Clem finishes she poem and Santa leaves up the chimney, all without Clem none the wiser:

"YOU MISSED IT!!!!!!"

Sometimes I can't believe that everyone doesn't get to do this for a living.

And I'm Feeling Good

       In my last post I wrote about my concern for keeping a long-running show fresh and alive, and keeping myself present and not anticipating. The next morning after that post we had a performance and I don't know what clicked, but I felt like I accomplished all of my goals for the show. It made me realize how little credit I and actors in general give ourselves sometimes. And I've spent far too much of my life apologizing for my talent and not giving myself props for the things I do right. After that performance I took some time to think about what I had just done and what I reminded myself that day. I am an actor who is able to be present and inspired. I am aware of and know my audience, which helps inform improv choices in shows like this. I can think on my feet and respond organically to my castmates and whatever changes and choices they make in the show. I can PROJECT, which for some reason not all actors know how to do. And I have a genuine love for what I do. Even though I may be exhausted and disgruntled I can leave it at the door and just perform. I think it's perfectly healthy to recognize what you do well, and I encourage my other actor friends who often beat up on themselves to make a list once and a while of the things that they KNOW in their hearts they do well. If they could see themselves through my eyes, they would have no doubts, but its never that easy to see yourself that way.

Okay, enough of that rant. I am heading back to the East Coast in 6 DAYS! Is it wrong that besides the puppies, friends, and family I get to see I have been spending a great deal of time dwelling on all of the delicious foods I want to eat? I haven't had decent chinese food since I've been here, and I miss Bruno's tomato pie and vodka penne so badly. I could devote an entire post to all of the restaurants I want to visit when I'm home but I don't want to bother you all with my gluttonous daydreams. Here are some photos from this past week:

Elves!

I made a friend.

Sweetest kitty going wild in this antique store.

& that's no Bull!!!

...that's a big rabbit.

Swanky Christmas Party.

Tour Kids!

Down The Chimney

So this past week or so has been the meatiest part of our touring schedule. We traveled to all different areas of the state, sometimes driving as long as 3 and a half hours to do one 45 minute performance.

Some highlights:

• I can now say I (and my castmates) made someone laugh so hard that they peed their pants. Some little girl in the second row made a giant puddle. ON MY BIRTHDAY. Winning. 

•  At the same performance, the kids were told it was my birthday. Some little boy in the front row who was SO into the show and was wearing rec specs shouted to me, "Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas!!!" I almost cried. So cute.

•  Some horses were right up against the fence of a parking lot we were in and I walked over and got to pet them! It was so cool!

•  Whenever *SPOILER ALERT* Aleigha comes down the chimney as Santa, the kids freak out and it's always great to try to anticipate how they will react. Some crowds are louder and more animated than others. But this clip from our performance from the other day really takes the cake. Just listen for this girl's reaction after "down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound..." 

•  We've had 1 show days so far this week. So easy it's almost too good to be true.

not so high-lights:

• One of our longest drives yet had us going up some pretty windy and narrow roads. We may or may not have had to stop for some motion sickness on the way. Pretty not awesome.

• Today our van wouldn't start so we had to wait for another van to come get to us, unload our entire set and re-load it into a much dirtier, smellier van. Boo.

• I also feel like I've been anticipating so much in this show. I am trying so hard to be present and really react, but it has been SO difficult! I don't think I've ever rehearsed a show this much and performed it so many times. Other shows I've been in felt slightly under-rehearsed so I was always a tiny bit nervous and didn't know what to expect. This I could do in my sleep, which is both good and bad. I don't feel like I'm doing my job to my fullest potential. I know most people probably wouldn't notice it but it is important to me to be able to do a long run and still keep it fresh and present. Any tips and tricks on how to accomplish this, actor friends?

All in all it's been pretty fun playing a funny character for once. And the show has definitely grown since we've been out performing. Some of my favorite things in the show are the newer things we've discovered during the run, and even things I thought at first I was going to hate doing I thoroughly enjoy (rapping). I'm hoping to have it taped so I can show any interested parties what the heck kind of nonsense I've been up to down here. The south has been interesting so far. But I'm SO ready to get back to the East Coast and recharge my batteries.