CAUTION: You Guessed It…Still A Long Read…

With our bellies full and our feet a little tired from all of the walking, Alyssa and I eventually pulled up to the visitor’s center of the McChord AFB! Despite a slight misunderstanding with our passes to actually be on base, we finally crossed the threshold gate and made our way to Evergreen Inn, the hotel on base we would call home for the week. Each of us was given our own, private Officer’s Suite – talk about luxury! The rooms were large, comfy and definitely some of the more fancy accommodations we’ve been provided this summer. My suite consisted of two conjoined rooms: a living room, and spacious bedroom with HUGE adjoining bathroom. The bed felt like heaven and it was nice to be able to completely unpack my suitcase and house all of my clothes, etc. in actual drawers/a bureau!

Our truck parked outside the hotel

There were other vehicles there too…a little different from your usual Ford or Toyota…

My private living room

The couch

Entryway into my bedroom

My lovely bedroom

Flat screen TV, sink, microwave and fridge…I was all set!

I miss this bed! So comfy!!

Just 1/3 of the actual bathroom — it was roomy for sure

Alyssa and I kept remarking the entire week how much it felt like the base was a mini self-sustaining, self-sufficient community within the larger Seattle-suburb world. With their own bowling alley (Sounders Lanes), movie theatre, air force museum, gas station, grocery store, shopping mall, golf course and other amenities, there really was no need to leave base; everything anyone could ever need or desire was pretty much a few hundred yards away. This week also found me especially interested in military life and how it affected the kids we cast. I really enjoyed talking with them about growing up on base, how it felt to have a parent constantly traveling or being reassigned, and if they were interested in pursuing military careers was well.  I just found the whole situation/experience so fascinating!

The Bowling Alley — apparently being an expert bowler on Wii games doesn’t translate into reality. My first game I bowled  zeros for the first three rounds!

BOWL? Me??

My favorite place on base was the McChord Field Gym. Working out there was like working out with the most high-tech, in-shape machines and people in the world (actually, it probably is one of the most high-tech physical fitness facilities around and the people using the gym are probably some of the most robust, healthy people breathing)! I LOVED working out at the gym and I’ll never forget the slogan adorning the building entrance: Fit for Freedom…sounds good to me!

Love it!

Although the hotel, gym and the entire base in general was quite impressive, the coolest segment of the week was when Alyssa and I were honored after the Friday evening performance with a “coining” ceremony. We were presenting with individual coins by the 62D Force Support Squadron of the United States Air Force. It was awesome! As you are presented your coin, you shake hands with the general/sergeant/officer giving you the coin, and it is supposed to symbolize privilege and good luck – so cool! I felt very honored to be a part of such a respected, dignified tradition.

62D Force Support Squadron seal

My coin!!

This was a particularly rewarding week for me, and the unique circumstances of our cast’s home lives were never far from my thoughts. Most kids would come to rehearsals after having to say goodbye to a parent who had left for active duty or more training on a different base; some of them hadn’t seen one of their parents in over six months and were excited at the prospect of participating in Missoula Children’s Theatre and sending a copy of the show in a care package to their duty-fulfilling parent. The residency was no longer just about putting on a show the kids would have fun doing; it was about creating an atmosphere of support and acceptance. We became a team that week, not just working together to put on a show, but a team working together to build a strong foundation of encouragement and comfort that would outlast our weeklong residency. It felt very fulfilling to know that by sharing in the universal language of the arts and bequeathing (yes, I did just use that word, haha) the concept of the stage as an equalizer and place of safety to the kids in the cast, we were aiding them in forging bonds that would reach across tangible boarders and boundaries so that they could rely on a strong network of friendship and tolerance, no matter where they might be in the world. Working for Missoula Children’s Theatre has been more eye-opening and revolutionary than I could have ever imagined – again, I am so grateful for everything I’ve experienced thus far!!

Before we “deployed” from base to head to our next residency in Mill City, OR, Alyssa and I visited the Point Defiance Aquarium and Zoo in Tacoma, WA and checked out the grounded planes at the McChord AFB museum. Point Defiance was a pretty area right on Commencement Bay in Puget Sound. We saw lots of cute and interesting critters while we wandered around the property, and even got to see newborn tiger cubs!

Mom with her cubs behind her

Leafy Sea Dragon!

Lemur

The McChord AFB grounded planes section of the museum was pretty cool. Alyssa and I got to get up-close and personal with the retired planes and learn about what the different models were used for. Standing next to these metal birds of the sky truly makes you appreciate their design and craftsmanship, as well as realize just how magnificent and large they really are!

Yep, that’s just one wheel

The heavy artillery

Details on Mill City, OR are quickly accruing! Hopefully by Wednesday I’ll be posting in real-time again!!

CAUTION: Yep, Still a Long Read Ahead!

Once we had amused ourselves with all of the bee products and information, we jumped in our truck and made our way back to the United States and over to Des Moines, W.A.  Des Moines was a fun week because it afforded us several opportunities to check out Seattle and see some urban civilization since leaving Vancouver.

Probably the most exciting part about Des Moines was its close proximity to the buzzing city of Seattle, Washington. After our daily rehearsals with the fun cast of local kids (some of whom have participated in over 12 MCT shows!), Alyssa and I were able to drive into Seattle and enjoy some yummy cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory, peruse the name-brand-shop-laden streets, and even catch an improv show at the Market Theatre (housed in the famous Gum Wall Alley – aptly named for the millions of wads of used gum stuck to the surrounding brick walls).

White Chocolate Tuxedo Cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory!

The Market Theatre in Gum Wall Alley (yes, all of those speckles are chewed pieces of gum!)

Des Moines was also an especially nice residency since it reminded me so much of how theatre was dealt with in my high school. After our Friday evening performance, the cast of kids couldn’t remind Alyssa and I enough how tradition dictated that the entire cast head over to the local Red Robin for after-theatre munchies and show T-shirt signings. The camaraderie and excitement emanating from our section of the restaurant reminded me of high school shows at Cranbrook when everyone would migrate to Big Boy after Friday performances and spend a few hours drinking malts, sharing laughs, and driving any ‘civilians’ in the restaurant crazy by singing songs from the show and refusing to be anything but buoyantly happy and excited. We truly had a great time experiencing this annual ritual with the kids at Red Robin!

Red Robin was a nice break from my typical Road Warrior dinner of peanut butter and reduced fat wheat thins!

After our final, successful matinee show on Saturday, Alyssa and I packed up our set per usual (+ some new T-shirts we had delivered to replenish our dwindled supply), and decided to spend our free evening out and about. We ended up seeing a production of Sideshow at a local community theatre called ArtsWest. While reading the program, I noticed that the director, Christopher Zinovitch, had actually toured with Missoula Children’s Theatre! Alyssa and I were very excited and made sure that after the production (which was very enjoyable!) we exchanged a few words with him. This just illustrates the Missoula Children’s Theatre alumni are everywhere, doing everything!

Sunday morning we waved ‘goodbye’ to Des Moines, WA, and began our commute to McChord Air Force Base, WA. Before we arrived at the base, we made our last trip to Seattle for a visit to the Seattle Art Museum and a scrumptious Savor Seattle Food Tour. The museum was brilliant and I really enjoyed being among all of the art; a Frederic Edwin Church painting entitled “A Country Home”.

“A Country Home” at the Seattle Art Museum (this photo does not do it justice! I spent sever moments examining the painting up-close and from a distance — I was mesmerized.)

The real jewel of our day in Seattle, however, was the Pike Place Market private food tour. As I sipped an iced vanilla latte in the “original” (relocated) Starbucks in Seattle, we met our foodie tour guide, Nick. Armed with his conspicuous pink umbrella (reminiscent of a real-life Hagrid), he guided us through all of the various stalls housed in the famous market and had us sampling such delicacies as fresh donuts, spring rolls, salmon jerky, pears, cherries, plums, macaroni and cheese, salmon bisque, seafood bisque, pirogues, ravioli, Starbucks passion tea lemonade, oatmeal cookies and crabcakes. The entire tour lasted two hours, and by the end of our excursion, I was quite literally stuffed! Probably my favorite tasting in the market (though it really is hard to pick only one item – everything was so good!) was the salmon jerky. Unlike smoked salmon I’ve had numerous times (lox), this smoked salmon was like a dried jerky that was more flavorful and a more snacking-friendly consistency – yum! The salmon jerky is also obtained from the fishmongers who are famed for flinging thwir fresh catches of the day through the air to wrap them up for waiting customers. The call and response of the whole ordeal is rather fascinating to watch! It was also great to learn about the history of the Pike Place Market, since it is one of the oldest and largest open markets in the U.S. with definite lasting power; the market was opened in 1907 and is still going strong with over 10 million visitors annually.

The famous Public Market neon sign that marks the entrance to Pike Place Market

Our tour guide, Nick, talking about the ever-flinging fishmongers

Lovin’ my vanilla latte at the “original” (relocated) Starbucks

There were so many gorgeous, fresh flowers for sale at crazy-cheap prices

Nick’s pink umbrella and newly caught poissons!

These donuts were delicious!

The Pike Place Market truck and pig mascot

Crab cakes! Clearly I already devoured mine…all that remained was the napkin…

Great view of Mount Rainier from the outskirts of the market

With our bellies full and our feet a little tired from all of the walking, Alyssa and I eventually pulled up to the visitor’s center of the McChord AFB!

More on McChord AFB and our current residency (Mill City, OR) is heading your way!

CAUTION: More Long Read Ahead!

On Friday, Alyssa and I wandered around Gastown, a more historic part of Vancouver with lots of cute little shops and plenty of restaurants; there’s also a famous steam clock tower that sounds every 15 minutes or so. After perusing the various offerings in Gastown we grabbed an interesting supper at a Jamaican restaurant called Calavash. Since spicy food isn’t really my thing, I ordered the blandest thing I could find: a tasty stew chock-full of potatoes, leeks and carrots mixed with rice and coconut biscuits. It was actually really delicious! After our feast, we went over to Chinatown for the weekend night market. It was a lot smaller than I was expecting, and there weren’t too many exciting booths like I was hoping for. However, I did try my first bubble tea, and it was quite an experience! Bubble tea is simply tea (either a creamy tea, or regular tea – I had a peach black tea) with little balls of flavored jelly at the bottom of the cup. You get a large straw and eat the jelly bubbles while sipping your tea – very extraordinary! Since the evening was still young and Alyssa and I were still full of energy, we wandered over to our favorite meet-new-people-place: the Cambie Gastown bar. It was here that we met Simon and K (short for Khalid), both of whom were studying in Vancouver. Simon was from Taiwan and K was from Dubai. They introduced us to a bunch of their other friends from school (two girls from Germany and three boys from Brazil). Since the bar was closing up for the night, we all decided to walk to Eagle Cove beach. It was a fun walk down Granville Street and hanging out on the beach at night was also lots of fun. I have to admit though, being in the sand wearing normal clothes without a beach towel is not as great as it sounds…I ended up with sand everywhere!! After staying to watch the sun rise over the mountain range and over the ocean skyline, Alyssa and I took a cab back to our hostel and decided that since we had stayed out so late, we would treat ourselves a nice morning of sleeping in!

Once we were caffeinated and somewhat awake again, we took the bus over to Granville Island. Granville Island is a quaint, eclectic little island sandwiched between the heart of Downtown Vancouver and the outer suburban skirts of the city. We watched an eccentric street performer juggle and put his balance to the test while hobbling around on a ladder, browsed through an incredible fresh, colorful and busy farmer’s market, and poked out heads into various local shops. Granville Island was simply buzzing with locals and tourists, all coming to explore this mecca of everything local, sustainable, and just plain fun! By the time Alyssa and I caught our bus back to the hostel, we needed a moment to rest from all of the day’s excitement. Soon, however, we were back on our feet readying ourselves for our last night in Vancouver! After much primping and priming, we cruised over to our much-beloved haunt, Doolin’s Pub on Granville Street. Despite it being a Saturday night, not much was going on at the pub, so we ambled farther down Granville Street to a nice sports bar where we talked FIFA World Cup with the bartender and took advantage of the nice beer special. Once we had all the details about what time the final match started on Sunday morning, we worked our way over to The Cambie Gastown Bar and met up with Simon and K from the previous evening. We continued to meet several new, interesting people at the bar, and soon we were getting to know a really friendly group of Irishmen who served in the Irish Army, but had taken the year off to travel and work in the U.S. Alyssa and I had such a great night talking to our new friends (another Simon, Dylan and Kevin), and we couldn’t think of a better way to end our last night in the amazing city of Vancouver, British Columbia!

Sunday morning was a blur of packing, checking out of the hostel and getting all of our luggage in the truck. We crossed the street to Granville one last time to join the throng of mega-fans watch the final game of the FIFA World Cup on the jumbo screen situated in the middle of the road. Everyone was dressed up to support their team, people were yelling and chanting, and the roar of approval or disapproval when the ball got near either Spain or the Netherland’s net was overwhelming. It was truly a one-of-a-kind experience!!!

Sadly, I began to feel quite ill during the last bit of the game, and excused myself to go sleep in the parked truck. When Alyssa returned from the game (Spain victorious over the Netherlands!), I was feeling like death and was exceedingly loopy. Needless to say, Alyssa did the 236 mile drive from Vancouver, B.C. to our next residency in Vernon, B.C. Our week in Vernon was not a terribly enjoyable one for me, only because I spent the majority of it trying to bring down a 103 degree fever that simply would not break. My throat was raw, invaded by puss, and despite wanting very badly to lock myself in my Best Western hotel suite and sleep the week away, I still went in and taught my sessions with the kids. I now have a whole new appreciation for the term “The Show Must Go On!” Luckily, by the very end of the week I was in better spirits and better health due to some miracle antibiotics sent from home (Mom and Dad are LIFESAVERS!) By the way, I highly don’t recommend getting sick and going to the hospital in Canada…it is simply no fun at all! However, Alyssa and I were happy to be able to get through our two shows successfully, spend a night out on the town Saturday after our shows, and even check out Planet Bee, a local bee-keeping farm. Vernon is apparently famous for their tasty honey selection!

Once we had amused ourselves with all of the bee products and information, we jumped in our truck and made our way back to the United States and over to Des Moines, W.A.  Des Moines was a fun week because it afforded us several opportunities to check out Seattle and see some urban civilization since leaving Vancouver. And don’t worry folks – more on Des Moines, WA and the rest of my travels to come soon!

Some pictures to tide you over…

Here are some photos from Friday Harbor and Vancouver to satiate your Road Warrior Nomad hunger while I continue to type up the rest of my adventures thus far with MCT. Enjoy!

Popeye, the one-eyed wild Harbor Seal that hangs around the Friday Harbor docks hoping for some tourists to throw him a fish or two!

At the Whale Museum in Friday Harbor comparing my brain (a human brain) to a Dolphin brain, and a whale brain!

Hello, Friday Harbor!

Even Popeye the Harbor Seal makes an appearance at the Fourth of July Parade!

My amazing homestays: Bob, Judy and Ajax the Wonder Dog

Just one of the many views from my private balcony…no big deal…(!!!)

The Fourth of July fireworks spectacle observed from Lori’s deck right in the harbor by the ferry dock

View from Lori’s deck during the day — so nice!

Waving goodbye to Lori and Friday Harbor on Monday morning from the departing ferry — Vancouver, here we come!

***

I couldn’t resist! At the cinema in Vancouver just after seeing Eclipse

My bottom bunk at the Cambie Hostel Seymour!

The entryway (and essentially entire space) of our room at the hostel

It was so small, there was hardly any room for our luggage!

My scrumptious salad before renting bikes for the day — it was YUMMY!

Biking along the Seawall in Stanley Park in Vancouver

We stopped at Third Beach for some fun in the sun, sand and surf!

Seymour and Dunsmuir — where our wonderful hostel was located! If you look closely, you can see the sign for the Cambie Seymour and the sign for the attached Malone’s Bar and Grill

Granville Street — How I enjoyed you!!!

Even Obama likes to hang in Vancouver, B.C.! Some truly awesome sidewalk chalk artwork.

Never fear, blog fans — more posting still to come!!!

CAUTION: Long Read Ahead! (cont.)

Bright and early on Monday morning, Alyssa and I caught the 8 a.m. ferry for Anacortes (the mainland!) for our drive to Vancouver, British Columbia. Alyssa and I chose Vancouver for our week off because we had heard that the city was really nice and definitely worth checking out…wow, was that description ever spot-on! Vancouver was AMAZING! We stayed at a respectable hostel called The Cambie on Seymour Street. Our private double room was quite small…okay, more like Harry’s cupboard under the stairs and lacking air-conditioning, but other than that, it was ideal.

Our first day in the city (Monday) we checked out the new Twilight Eclipse film, perused the Pacific Centre Mall, and I had my first honey-lager beer in Vancouver with two very nice girls we met at the Hostel, Britt and Natalie. They were in Vancouver for the weekend dress shopping from Victoria (where they attend university).

Tuesday we strolled up Robson street window shopping and I even found some scrumptious green tea ice cream sandwiches with red bean paste in the middle from a cool Japanese market called Minna no Kombiniya (YUM!). Later in the evening we checked out the historic Railway Club for drinks and live entertainment. There weren’t too many people, so we headed over to The Cambie Gastown hostel bar and met a lot of really cool people from Vancouver, Oregon, and Mexico. After the bar, we ventured to our first Canadian club called The Roxie. It was fun dancing, but we were pretty tired by the time we got back to our little hostel bungalow.

Wednesday we spent the day in the Pacific Centre Mall (though neither of us actually bought anything; it was just nice to be in air-conditioning!) then spent the evening walking along Granville Street with Carlos, Bobby and Cody, some cool people we had met the previous night from Alberta, but who made an annual trip to Vancouver for a couple weeks of summer fun. Before meeting up with them, Alyssa and I checked out the Caprice nightclub. Save for a few people at the bar, hardly anyone was in the cavernous club – it was kind of comical, actually. We promptly left the dud of a club, and then met up with our new friends to check out a much more lively Irish bar called Ceili’s. It was such a nice bar and just perfect for dancing, talking and embodying the Irish idea of having a casual, carefree night out with friends. We even met these really nice people from Ireland who had good things to say about Ceili’s! Carlos, Bobby and Cody were staying at the Westin Hotel right near the docks and cruise ship port near Stanley Park. Alyssa and I were jealous of their beautiful location (and air-conditioning!), and it was a lot of fun to just hang out with people our own age and have an elevated conversation with someone over the age of 12! Haha.

Thursday was a much more outdoorsy day for Alyssa and I: first we treated ourselves to an upscale lunch (I had a fresh spinach salad with strawberries, toasted pecans, veggies and warm goat cheese cakes with the most fabulous raspberry vinaigrette dressing). Next, we rented bikes and peddled through Stanley Park along the Seawall. We stopped over at Third beach for a few hours of soaking up some vitamin D and enjoying the hot weather.  It was tons of fun to bike around Vancouver (TONS of people use bikes as their form of transportation there!) and before heading back to the hostel, we grabbed some scrumptious Rocky Mountain Chocolate Company ice cream (yes, that amazing-smelling chocolate shop in Somerset Mall). After showers and some rest after our long day, we ended up hanging out in the hostel lounge and met a really nice guy from Manchester, England, two guys from Ireland, and one guy from Montreal. Despite being a little tired from the day’s activities, Alyssa and I headed out into the evening and ended up at the Cambie Gastown bar. While enjoying a pint, we met a super-kind guy from Tenessee named Thomas.  He was surprised to run into other Americans in Vancouver, and we ended up hanging out with Thomas the rest of the evening at another Irish pub called Doolin’s (located on Granville Street). This pub was far more casual than Ceili’s and they even had a live Irish band playing music – they were really good! I also tried my first wheat barley beer at Doolin’s made complete with a huge orange slice; it was very tasty, but also very filling! Alyssa and I decided that Doolin’s was one of our favorite places to go and chat it up with the locals and new acquaintances! We bid farewell to Thomas (who was going camping up in Whistler the following day), and walked back to our Cambie Seymour bunk beds to rest up for our last half of the week in the incredible city of Vancouver!

(Even more to come later…whew! This entry is becoming comparable to a small novel…)

CAUTION: Long Read Ahead!

Long-time-no-post! This week I am updating from our residency in the city of Vernon, British Columbia in Canada.

***

Our performances in Friday Harbor, WA (U.S.A.) went very well, and Alyssa and I even extended our stay for a day and a half in order to spend July 4^th on the island! Lori, whom Alyssa stayed with during the week, graciously offered to house me for the extra night, so we could attend the annually anticipated Fourth of July Parade. It was my first live-parade (save for Disney World!) and I was absolutely enchanted by how much the community got involved in the festivities, whether it was walking alongside a float throwing candies, or simply stopping their morning routine to support their fellow neighbors. Almost every kid from our cast participated in the parade, and some of them got so giggly and animated to see Alyssa and I in our lawn chairs on the curb that they would give us the candy and completely ignore the other children around us! Just a perk of the job, I guess!

Following the parade, everyone trekked over to the Pig War Picnic. Way back when, San Juan Island was half occupied by French and Americans. Apparently some feud over a pig arose between a Frenchman and an American, and voila! A war was started.  I’m told that the Americans eventually won this battle, but relations between the two “sides” were currently on good terms (I would hope so! I mean, c’mon…it was literally over just one pig!) After consuming the traditional hot-dog and pop, we headed back to Lori’s house for a quick nap, and to help her ready the house for her Fourth of July party. Soon guests were arriving and we were munching on delicious finger-foods, discussing the importance of programs like Missoula Children’s Theatre, and then had front-row seats for the big fireworks extravaganza that literally took place on a barge in the harbor right in front of Lori’s deck (and the Friday Harbor ferry dock).  Despite being very far from home and with none of my usual suspects, it was a great holiday, and I felt fortunate to be sharing it with such caring people!

(rest of the post to follow soon…I told you this would be a long one!)

I can see Orca whales from my window!

Aloha from Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in Washington! This week Alyssa and I have found ourselves in the picturesque, lively, wonderful town of Friday Harbor. Island life is treating us very well and the children we are working with are incredibly talented and focused!

This is the first residency in which Alyssa and I are in separate home-stays, her with a fabulous woman named Lori, and me with a fantastic couple named Bob and Judy. Bob and Judy’s spacious home (reminiscent of a Northwest Native art gallery and lined with pictures that Bob, a photographer, has taken on his travels around the world) is perched atop the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Basically, as I eat my eat my breakfast and sip my coffee in the morning, I watch Orca whales hunt for salmon and bald eagles soaring in the sky…

Can someone pinch me, please? I can’t believe this is just part of my job!!

I promise to post more later on this week, but I know that many of you avid readers have been hungry for some sort of update on what I’ve been up to. Please know that I feel so grateful that this blog has garnered so much interest, and I hope that you enjoy reading about my adventures as much as I enjoy sharing them with you!

Many well wishes from the North Pacific!

P.S. Here are some photos from our residency last week in Eastsound, Washington (on Orcas Island) — Enjoy!

Down at the water’s edge in Eastsound, WA (on Orcas Island)

The quesadillas Alyssa made for us for dinner in our cabin at the Doe Bay Resort our second night in Eastsound (they were delicious!)

Me at the summit of Mount Constitution in Moran State Park. You could see Vancouver, Canada and Mount Baker across the ocean!

A restaurant right on the water where I had some fresh, yummy fish n’ chips right on Main Street in Eastsound, WA.

Orca whale hat! Orcas are totally ‘in’ right now…

The wayward traveler finally has a functioning laptop again…

Yes, I am still alive! I have not a) fallen off a treacherous highway into the Pacific Ocean, b) not been TAD-napped by a swarm of rowdy children, nor c) gotten lost in the no-man’s land of the American North West. The past week and a half I have simply (though terribly inconveniently) been without a laptop and internet, though the problem has been resolved and I am now back in the blogging game!

Sunday, June 13, Alyssa and I waved ‘bon voyage’ to Missoula, Montana and hit the highway to The Dalles, Oregon! We drove through the most GORGEOUS stretches of road in Montana, Idaho and Washington en route to Oregon, and the city of The Dalles itself is breathtaking. We made good time on our journey, and were greeted by our fabulous contact Melanie once we arrived in Wasco County. We drove by The Dalles-Wahtonka High School where we would be based for the week, and then headed to our homestay’s home in the hills of The Dalles; Ray and Wendy are probably some of the most warm, welcoming people I have met! They went out of their ways to help Alyssa and I with whatever we needed during the residency, and they kept us very well fed! Their adorable dogs Madison and Missy were great, too! Joining us for our first week on the road was Reid, our absolutely fantastic, groovy trainer! This past week could not have been so successful or exciting without his support, knowledge and encouragement.

The view from Ray and Wendy’s deck (that’s Mount Hood)

Reid, Alyssa and I in the Dalles, OR

A really nice article was printed up about the auditions in the local paper (The Dalles Chronicle) that Ray works for. I’ve included the link for your viewing pleasure: http://www.thedalleschronicle.com/news/2010/06/news06-17-10-03.shtml

There were two photos included in the printed article, and there was one minor misquote (it is written that Alyssa said something about how the kids do what adults deem impossible – putting on a musical in one week – but it was actually something that I had talked about)…oh well, you still get the general idea.

Although I can truthfully say that our first week was absolutely exhausting with all of the on-site, real-world learning that went on, it was just s equally rewarding. Watching those kids get up onstage in front of their entire community and seeing them all succeed and have a moment in which everyone was proud of them is touching for even the most apathetic individual. The sheer brilliance that the arts emit is what gives me the strength and determination to undertake the challenge of working with kids who need this program most; suddenly all of the long hours, physical strains and mental fatigue fades into the smile of a child onstage learning first-hand that he or she has the power to shape and transform the rest of his or her life into one radiant spectrum of different emotions and experiences after another.

It was pretty exciting to see so much community excitement about Missoula Children’s Theatre and overall, Alyssa and I had a fantastic first week on the job with a fun, great group of kids!

I’ve left the majority of my narration to the old adage “a picture’s worth a thousand words…” Enjoy the photos!

Missoula Children’s Theatre

Greg Boris, Jim Caron (CEO) and I in Missoula, MT

Downtown Missoula, MT

The RC (Robinson Crusoe) teams showing off our Frowny Faces!

Missoula, MT has a lot of mountains…

Wendy, Ray and I in The Dalles, OR

P.S. Alyssa and I are currently camped at the Doe Bay Resort in Eastsound, Washington located on Orcas Island (of the San Juan Islands). Future post coming soon!

P.P.S. You can check out my headshot and bio on the Missoula Children’s Theatre website under the current list of Tour Actors/Directors!

Until next time!

I cannot convey how lucky, and grateful I feel…

When I attended the callback for Missoula Children’s Theatre, I went in with an “I’d love to have a summer job, but I’m not really expecting much out of this” attitude. I was so pleased and excited to hear that MCT was seriously considering me by calling me about how best to contact my references, etc. and I was even more amazed and delighted to be offered an actual summer touring contract: my first professional – heck! – my first real job!

Since arriving in Missoula, Montana and enduring a full two weeks of 12+ hour days (including weekends) learning about the company, learning about how to teach children, and learning the ins and outs of an entire show (all characters, blocking, songs, choreography, technical elements, set construction, and every other aspect imaginable!), I admit that I was feeling a little run-down. The job can seem so big, and with the time constraint of a mere five days to mount a full-scale musical production with a varied-size  cast (with a varied talent-base) of kids grades 1 through 12, my eyes began to glaze over. How could I, a twenty-year-old girl from Michigan who was still in the middle of her education and training, possibly pull this off without the need for intense therapy afterward?

It wasn’t until today (Wednesday June 7, 2010) that I began to realize my work with Missoula Children’s Theatre meant so much more than just spreading the universal language of the arts to kids; it is truly about teaching children life skills through the medium of the performing arts, and showing them that they can, and will, succeed with effort and a little teamwork.

*****

Around 3:30 p.m. I was pacing the lobby of the MCT building and trying to convince myself that the nervous energy I was feeling was a mere byproduct of too much coffee at breakfast. However, it actually came from the realization that soon I would be asked to teach a song and dance to real, live kids in an effort practice my skills as an educator. Scary, huh? I plastered a huge smile on my face and walked into the room where I would see if I can really handle the job I was supposed to carry out for the next three months. As the “stunt kids” filed in (“stunt kids” being local children from the community who regularly participate in MCT shows and events), reality seeped into my system, and I could not escape the fact that all of the training I experienced for the past nine days was going to be thoroughly put to the test.

With three lovely young ladies, I taught the Pinfeather Bird Trio their solo chunk of the song “Friday’s Seaside Resort” from Robinson Cruso, complete with the choreography. I am pleased with what I presented, though I certainly know I still have much to learn! What is most daunting, though, is the awareness that now I have completed my practice teaching with the real children, my training is essentially fulfilled. On Sunday morning Alyssa and I will drive our little red truck out of the MCT parking lot for the last time until late August. Wow.

After our dinner break tonight, we all gathered in the main theatre and watched the documentary “The Little Red Truck”. For anyone who has not yet seen this film, you must do so immediately! While sitting amongst my fellow TADs (Tour Actor/Directors) and the MCT staff, I came to understand just how important this job is to the over 65,000 children a year that are positively affected by Missoula Children’s Theatre. We go into cities and towns that may not have a very prosperous arts program, or perhaps no art program at all. We cast the children who have been told they can never succeed, the children whose disabilities have hindered them in the past, the children who thought no one would believe in them, and we give them the opportunity and encouragement to do what most adults consider to be impossible: they learn, memorize and perform an entire musical in six days (20 hours of rehearsal, sometimes even less than that) for family, friends and the community. They discover what it takes to achieve goals and show all who have doubted or underestimated them that they have what it takes to flourish and thrive. When that little red truck pulls into a new city or town each week, it brings a positive life-changing experience to the children who need it most.

Words cannot express how completely grateful and honored I feel to get to spend three months of my life, my entire summer, literally changing children’s lives for the better. Perhaps the most amazing part is that not only do I feel like I am teaching and helping them, but I know that they are teaching and helping me to reach my full potential as an educator, teacher, and most significantly, a human being.

I can already tell that this summer will be extraordinary.

P.S. I have been so busy with training that I really haven’t had much time (or opportunity) for taking pictures. I will take and post some before I leave Montana on Sunday to officially begin my tour, so look forward to visuals then!

RC4 Day 2

Today, (Tuesday, June 2) was spent entirely in show sessions (rehearsals) for our individual shows, plus a quick costume fitting and personnel meeting. Alyssa and I still had to get up early, but at least this morning we felt a bit more rejuvenated than yesterday (Monday). From 8 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. we were stationed in the MCT building learning the blocking for Robinson Crusoe. At 12:30 p.m. we broke for an hour lunch, then reconvened for rehearsals. Alyssa and I then went to our personnel meeting at 3:30 p.m. to officially sign our contracts and W-4 forms (ugh — taxes!). After that meeting, we headed to the costume shop to try on our show costumes. I was relieved to find that my costume fit fairly well and even looked somewhat decent…well, as decent as a Robinson Crusoe costume can look! *A huge thank-you goes to Laurel for measuring me and filling out my costume measurement sheet before school ended — she’s an angel!*

After the meetings concluded, we headed back for more rehearsals, only stopping for a quick dinner, again at the University of Montana’s Food Zoo. From 6:30 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. we continued rehearsing until we decided to finish the rest of the blocking tomorrow (everyone, even Dylan, our trainer, was glad to finally end for the day!) Alyssa and I happily cruised back to the dorms in our truck, showered from our long day, and are finally now ready for bed…actually, Alyssa has already fallen asleep whilst reading; her book light is still on, she was that tired!

I’m having a positively incredible experience so far about learning the ins and outs of living the life of a tour actor. I have met sever veteran TADs who have literally traveled the world with Missoula Children’s Theatre and just keep renewing their contracts year after year. I truly feel so lucky to be working for such a friendly, well-respected company, especially as my first foray into the world of professional theatre!

P.S. I am very excited to report that I am supposed to learn to play the ukulele as part of my show — it’s so much fun! Hmmm…maybe I can list this as a special skill on my resume…haha!