“From the dirt I rise up like a weed that’s grown out of place”

.
No quote of the day today, just lyrics from the song “In My Bones” by Lauren Shera. We had a ten hour day driving from Richardson, TX to West Memphis, AR the other day, and I listened to the song on repeat at least eight times. I’m an addict. I’m not embarrassed. Sometimes I forget just how good her songs are, especially the older ones that she doesn’t play live anymore.

I’m always a little apprehensive to share my favorite music with people, because I don’t think the best songs can be appreciated in a single, half-hearted listen. I didn’t think Lauren’s songs were as amazing as I do now on first listen, but that’s one of the best things about them. There is more to discover in the lyrics the more you listen. The story and all its details and nuance become apparent bit by bit. I know her well enough that I can guess some of the autobiographical elements of her songs, but she is largely a mystery to me. Rather than hearing a friend announcing her life story and beliefs, I hear a poet weaving images of seeking, finding, losing love, not to pull at arbitrary heartstrings like many singer/songwriters, but so that she and her audiences can find peace in these things.

Here newest album, Once I Was a Bird, is mostly centered around heartbreak, but the final song begins:

I made peace
with the pain in me
one morning as the sun rose.

Opened up
my chest and set it free
and watched it float away like smoke…

A song about coming home, healing and new beginnings.

I don’t know where she holds this well of honesty, or how she can draw upon it with such ease and confidence, but I’m glad it exits. It amazes me that the kind of shy, polite girl I occasionally hang out with is also somehow the curly-haired goddess of song who puts words to inexpressible feelings and can illuminate parts of your soul you didn’t even know you had.

----

And now for the real tour update:

Nothing particularly exciting has been going on. Performing and travelling has settled into routine. We have a few days off here so were able to start rehearsing understudies, which is a daunting task, but it’s relieving to have it underway. Five days until our seven week break. I’m looking forward to being home for the holidays.

“Do you know what slap means?”

.
Turns out it’s an acronym for set, lights, and props, usually appended by the word “crew.” I’ve learned a lot of new things performing at the Lutcher Theater, including that people from Orange, Texas are the nicest people in the world. After the shows a volunteer crew set out a potluck lunch, and the whole cast left with a Lutcher Theatre stress-ball and fridge magnet. The food was delicious. I didn’t even know I liked coleslaw, but apparently I love coleslaw.

Getting back into the swing of things after our little break hasn’t been hard. In fact, it already feels like we didn’t have a break at all. I’m reminded of Allen Strange, that old Nickelodeon show about an alien trying to fit in on Earth: “Time has no meaning in the Pod.” Replace the word “Pod” with “van” and there you have it.

In other news, nothing is bigger in Texas except the grass. The actual blades of grass themselves are wider. Neat.

Here’s the runner-up for today’s quote of the day:

“Have some of this, I bought it for Mr. Lyle Lovett, last time he was here.”


It was tea, in case you were curious.

"We couldn't find any ring pops, but we got you this vintage segway..."

I'm enjoying my last night curled up in my own bed, and one of the first of many nights curled up with my new laptop! Its most exciting features are its battery life, which will allow me to watch an entire movie on the van, and its webcam, which will allow me to video-chat with friends and family and occasionally post ridiculous videos on the YouTubes. All of the YouTubes!

I say last night, but I actually mean last night for now. I'll only be gone for 14 days (two days shorter than my previous stint) and now that I'm more used to touring, it will probably fly by like a Saiyan on a mission.

My little bonzai-break has been pretty great. It featured catching up with friends, birthday dinner #3, Misdirections magic shop, old French movies, and catching a performance by the always lovely Lauren Shera at this neat little possibly haunted lodge in the Santa Cruz mountains. We arrived about an hour early which gave us time to replenish our strength at a taqueria, and our supply of ring pops at a super market (two of which we gifted to Lauren and her violin-accordion-accompanist Andrea). Lauren was as wonderful as ever, but we decided not to stay for the other two acts and brave the ocean of hipsters.

Home is always ncie, but getting back on the road is also exciting. Paducah, KY here we come!

I am now going to disregard modern English convention by not writing a concluding paragraph. Wait... whoops.

“We have to put the beard back on the goat!”

.
I think I’m going to start titling my posts with a quote of the day. Specifically, a quote that you would probably not hear in any other context.

Our puppets (along with many of our props and set pieces) aren’t as durable as they should probably be for a touring production, and a show or two ago, Signora Goat’s beard fell off during her big solo. She (We call her Signora, but in the script she is sometimes a he and sometimes a she, so no one really knows. I’m sure that was a deliberate choice on the part of the playwright.) was a little embarrassed, and apologized to the rest of us about throwing off the rhythm of the show, but we assured her that little mistakes happen to everyone, and she was still the star.

At the moment we’re in Durango, a pretty nifty city in Colorado near the border of New Mexico. It reminds me a lot of Ashland – much charm, few chains. A saloon with live bluegrass on Sundays.

The altitude here is quite a bit greater than what we’re used to, made evident onstage by all the panting and light-headedness. Adjusting to differences in weather and venue size/layout hasn’t been a challenge, but adjusting to changing altitude has been quite difficult.

Also more difficult than changing venue-size is changing audience size/enthusiasm. The second show in Gilbert, AZ and this show in Durango have been public performances, rather than for field-trippers, and it really shows in the crowd turnout. This theatre is around 600 seats, and I’d say not more than 200 were full. Gilbert was probably 900 seats, less than a third of which were full for the second show. It’s harder to be energetic when you’re not receiving as much from the audience, but we manage. One of the biggest things I’m learning as an actor is how to keep myself at the same level regardless of circumstances.


Celebrating a birthday out of town is kind of a downer, but it’s not without its perks. Most importantly, the fact that it gets to be drawn out over about a week! On the day itself the cast and I had a travel-size pizza party in the hotel. A couple days later I got to eat cake with my family in Phoenix, then meet some relatives in Durango, and soon I’ll be back home to celebrate with my friends and family.

Halloween also turned out alright. I got to play guitar for a bit, pet a dog and some cats, and witness Tim and Martha’s second group of trick-or-treaters since they’ve lived there. Tim drove me back into town that night. We’re staying at a really nice place (really though, everything is nice compared to La Quinta), and I had some time last night to walk around and admire the costumes and belligerent drunks on Main St. A worthwhile experience.

We’re meeting for dinner soon, so I should wrap up. It will be my first time trying Himalayan food, and hopefully we’ll make it to the saloon for some bluegrass afterward.

Happy November!