The Aftermath

So as I close out the end of the year, the tour, and my blog, I have to reflect just a little more on the permanent mark this tour has put on me. I have gained many more skills to add to my endless list. The exchange for them was working for a disorganized company while simultaneously being stuffed, betrayed, deceived, abandoned, and repeatedly disappointed. I feel the need to warn others about Moscow Ballet. Now I cannot tell you so never work with them, but I do recommend that you are cautious about accepting a position. I have to say that our crew was matched well together, but the odds of that happening again are about 1 to a billion. We were mostly efficient and close to flawlessly successful when putting up the show. There is always an exception to anyone saying such an extreme statement, but truth be told we kicked ass. I would love to work with anyone on tour again except for a handful of people and that is for my own personal reasons. At least the pay was good...

I hope to hold on to some friends whom I have dearly come to care about. Unfortunately all of us went our separate ways so only time will tell if our paths should cross again. I don't mean to over-dramatize the departures, but I am the first to admit that keeping in touch is difficult.

So what's next? Well another adventure, of course. I will be leaving for London/Paris January 12th and returning February 7th. The thrill of travel has just begun and I plan to ring in the new year with style. You will have to overlook my unexciting New Year's Eve plans, which involves staying indoors watching the Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum going to bed early. I am debating if I want to even have a drink. It has been snowing in Boston all day, though it may have recently stopped. Though I prefer to embrace my recovery from the Moscow Ballet as soon as possible.

Here are some photos of my last memories so that we may reflect together...

Thanks for reading this blog.

Virginia Beach, VA

I know it's been five days without knowing my whereabouts. Your were probably worried and even concerned about my safety. Now no more of that. I bring you news from Virginia Beach that I am safe and sound. I simply must say that I saw no beach in Virginia Beach and was very disappointed.

First and foremost, I must reflect on the fact that we have 2 more days of shows. It is almost unreal that we made it this far and through all the complicated bull shit that our crew had to endure. There is a waiting sign relief ready after we finish off in Sparta, NJ. Sadly, I guarantee that we will not finish without hardship, for the end of the road is very rock and full of obstacles.

Christmas was quite eventful. We had a no so bad hotel with a sadly neglected pool, luckily it was closed off. There was a mall close by with was closed for the holidays. My sister come into town to visit, which was nice. We had a good time without fighting once. She joined us for a delicious Christmas dinner at the Marriot on the company. On the following day, Tiffany assisted me with dressing the children. She did well, and I may consider her for a future position. Keep in touch to see what happens...

Charlottesville, VA

I decided to wake up from my nap to write a new post. We have been through some busy times lately. Our last stop was Baltimore, MD. All I have to mention about my experience in this city is: it was a logistical nightmare. There was a fabulous union wardrobe mistress, Laurie, who I absolutely loved. I found a delicious place to eat, where I went daily, Soups On, which had soups and sandwiches. I was able to work out of a nice rehearsal room with windows (plus plus). When it was time to go, I was ready.

This next performance is basically in a high school auditorium. As I am writing, hormonal basket ball players are walking past me.

So I am now completely this post from my hotel bed. We have just finished our last show before Christmas, which means we do not have another show for three days. There will be joyous celebrations by all.

Rochester, NY

This is our second day on the Roberts Wesleyan College campus. People seen kind here and there has been minimal trouble. Our cast of children is about 80 so for saying there is minimal trouble is shocking. Since the children are not arriving today until 6 pm, I have been taking advantage of all my free time. I woke up late, though I could have woken up later, but my phone rang loud! After realizing I was not going back to sleep, I went for a run. I was very excited to see another fellow runner in my path so I waved excitedly knowing that I was not the only crazy one in Rochester to run in freezing weather conditions. My feet did not completely freeze.

Upon my return from the run I faced some challenges from our producer so I decided to eat a peanut butter and honey sandwich, and then deal with the situation. It was a good sandwich at least.

Easton, PA

We are currently in Easton, PA. Today was a 2-show day without children so I did what I would normally do on such a day: take it easy and do minimal work. Our next stop is Rochester, NY. This is a fortunate venue because we will be there for 3 days straight. That means we get a hotel. What will I do without my bus?

Yesterday, I was told by Patrick, our photographer/video guy that we have reached the halfway point of the tour. There is a little more than 2 weeks left of this life on the road. As of now, I cannot imagine not calling our tour bus home or sleeping without the quiet roaming if the engine as we travel hundreds of miles in our dreams.

I have costumed hundreds of children and there are so many more to come. My record number has been 84 children. Can you 

imagine dressing that many kids? Somehow it all works out especially because I have recently grown six extra arms. I may just join the circus for my next gig because I will get to travel and fill thousands of people with awe and wonder.

(Various photos are from Easton, PA and Paducah, KY)

Going to Gettysburg, PA

This is a short one.

I am leaving Charleston, WV and heading to Gettysburg, PA. The day was long and tiring. As I lay in my bunk, I reflect upon on my experiences. Our crew works very well together, our dancers are kind, and for the past several days I have been getting free food.

Touring is tough, but I really do enjoy it. Considering how many kids I have been costuming is a testament to how good I am at my job, and I still love kids. Wow! That even surprises me. See you in the next city...

Morgantown, WV

Today we have arrived in West Virginia University. Upon emerging out of the bus after a 13 hour bus ride, I looked at my surroundings to find fresh snow upon the ground. The cool air was refreshing considering the bus very dry and lacking in good circulation.

Originally we had today off because there were no shows scheduled, but unfortunately another show was added on this day. Fortunately for me, I do not have any kids but it is technically not a day-off. I will be spending it playing catch-up with all the things I have been putting off, such as, laundry, repairs, phone calls, gathering my sanity, etc...

Now don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed the kids. Parents, on the other hand, drive me mad! Kids have an excuse because they are young, full of energy, jovial, and basically always at play. Parents are not. They meddle in affairs having nothing to do with them and do not know when their job ends and mine begins. So I am on vacation from parents yet, sadly, I will miss the kids.

I also plan on seeing the show, having a real lunch and dinner, and going at my own pace. Oh, joyous Morgantown, how I love thee...

Sandusky, OH

A Night on the Town

We are now in Ohio on a two day stop. I must say that this place will always stay in my memory. Our intentions for a late night dinner turned into wandering search through the streets in the cold, freezing wind for anything that was open.

The i-phone results were unacceptable so we simply decided to walk until we found something. It was a chilling night so we were all planning on this trip being as brief as possible. Upon arriving at a local bar with glances from everyone in it, we questioned the woman behind the bar about any place within walking distance to find food. Sadly, our only choice was to walk to a Circle K three blocks away. 

We arrived at the store with another new discovery, not only was this our only choice, but also this particular late night establishment did not except customers on the inside. Apparently the place had been robbed so many times that they had to replace the front windows, the cashier's counter, and then lock all the doors after a certain hour. So basically what you need to do is go up to the window and order. Of course you have to guess at what choices you have and watch the guy go back and forth with different options. All of background info was told to us by a woman who was patiently waiting her turn. She also told us that there was another employee who worked late nights and was incredibly slow. There would be a long line of impatient people yelling for her to hurry up. While we were waiting for the not as slow guy, some dude quietly appeared from around the corner without much warning looking a little sketchy, thankfully we were done and quickly left.

You can probably guess that Circle K was a bust. Luckily for Patrick, his preferences were not as particular so he brought frozen pizza and beer. But our hopes were not completely destroyed, Michael with his i-phone was once again in search of another option. Pizza delivery. And after many attempts there was success. We actually had a pizza and cheesy bread delivered to our sleeper bus. I was so over filled with joy that I ended up only having one slice of pizza and three pieces of cheesy bread. Yummy...

More Photos!

HIghway going to Zanesville, OH

So this is not where I am currently but I love these photos.

We are currently leaving the Kentucky/Ohio area after a great night of normalcy. There was food, fun, and conversation with other people not on this tour.

So I have not done something that should have happened in the beginning. I have not introduced the crew. We are the brains behind this operation. The people behind the magic that make the show as good as it is more importantly, we kick ass and get the job done.

So I will start from the top. Paul is our production manager, the only one who has done the tour before. It shocks me to know that he has only been in the theatre business for a year. Shocking! John is our company manager and I must say he keeps this tour interesting with all his quirking commentary. He keeps the humor rolling through all the stress, and also gives quick, comforting back rubs. Next we have Michael the Master Electrician, his multi-talents make things happen once inside the theatre. He knows his job well and it is quite obvious to see. Then there is Patrick who was hired last, but still joined us on time. He is our photographer and he really likes to sleep. Blair is our wardrobe supervisor with the Russian men and women. She has ample experience next to John, and she makes her job look easy. Last is moi. You know me from these blogs. All I can say for being wardrobe supervisor for the children, thrown into the craziness, I am not so bad.

Leaving Roanoke Rapids, NC

This will be a quick one because I have to get some sleep. I am currently on our crew bus, which we have been desperately waiting for. It's about 1 am and the vibrations of the road are calmly allowing me to drift. For some reason I am the only one not in my bunch. I am not restless, nor do I have thoughts racing in my mind. I am mostly in a reflective state.

This tour for me is not entirely what I expected. I knew there would be multi-tasking, long days, dozens of kids, and many expected challenges. Apparently it has not phased me. I can honestly say that my job is relatively easy. I have faced all that was expected and more, but also I actually enjoy the kids and their abundance of energy. I know most would think it's strange, but that is how I feel.

I do not know what will come with future venues. There is a strong possibility that I will start hating my job. Instead dreading that moment, I will continue to be content. Yeah, maybe I will get even better at what I do.

Next stop Knoxville!

Garysburg, NC (Thanksgiving Day)

Sadly I did not have the family style Thanksgiving where you stuff your face and pass out. Today I missed the opportunity to push my stomach capacity to the max and beyond... 

We traveled from York, PA down to North Carolina. Our arrival was more than disappointing when we pulled up to a Best Western in the middle of nowhere, only to be accompanied with a gas station. Desperately we fought the reality set before us, instead we searched madly for any restaurant that was open. Michael and I called multiple Chinese restaurants only to discover they were closed, but the Waffle House was open. Blair sat on her bed looking at apartments with out worry, she could not have been any more carefree. Once we discovered our chosen eating establishment the next challenge was getting someone to take us there. Upon returning to the phone we discovered most cabs were not running except Mack's.  I got Mack's number from another guy I called. He was not driving tonight but he knew a guy who would.

We waited for the cab for about 30 minutes. The situation looked grim, though I was hopeful. I was not going to settle on all this effort being in vain. Mack finally did arrive in his Ford Expedition and off we went. It was interesting to talk with the native North Carolinian, he had a good deal to say. Apparently he is quite the ladies man. The drive was so close and Mack did get a generous tip. No problem, it was worth it. The food was good and my belly was happy. He also took us back just in case you might be worried.

I must say it has been an eventful and sadly depressing day. This is the life on tour. That's all I have to say.

York, PA

As I write this entry with my new hotel pen, I think about how good it is to rest. Since my last posting much has happened. Our 6-person crew has been stuffed inside a Chevy Uplander about a dozens times traveling to and from the theatre with all our luggage, we had an hour of sleep before a show, most of us have only eaten one and a half meals, I watched a Russian comedy show, interacted with about a hundred children and their parents, and we have only had three performances.

Our crew has bonded through hardship to say the least. Today we have a day off and I love it.

The Bus and Snow! 

Recent Locations: 

Painted Post, NY

Elmira, NY 

West Point, NY

Springfield, MA

Chicopee, MA

Today we left Lee, MA at 4 p.m. in a limousine.  Our intentions were to leave on Thursday, but we unexpectedly had to load out our costumes, set, and etc.  I have a feeling someone is toying with us so that we feel misinformed and confused. We went to the hotel to pack our bags and waited for the car service to pick us up. 

I needed a tasty cider for comfort from the unexpected plans of the day. It seems like we have to be ready and alert at all times, considering that each day is it's own challenge. Our plans are always changing and I have only been working with this company 8 days. I must say that the limo was a highlight because I have never been in one. The lights kept changing and flashing, and there were smaller lights on the side that looked like colorful stars. It was like we had a mini disco on our drive. All in all, there is never a dull moment since I joined this tour and I am anticipating some crazier posts to come...

Prep Week

The Berkshires. Locals around here are well aware that many New Yorkers come to buy houses here, then come and go as they please. I am staying at the Pilgrim Inn located the town of Lee. Though the the inn has not captured my heart, Pittsfield and Lee are both very lovely towns. The architecture varies from simple New England homes to extravagant mansions too large for one soul to ever maintain, but most likely inhabited by a 3-person family. We also found Moe's tavern. They have some tasty local brew, but sadly no Duff® beer.

Today we had an easy workday organizing gondolas in the

warehouse and fitting puppet poles. I know what you are thinking it sounds easy but there is much to do.

Here are photos of where I am staying. My roommate's name is Blair and she is also on the same tour. We have a microwave and refrigerator, so not to worry.

About to tour

I leave for my tour with the Moscow Ballet soon. I keeping wondering what it will be like. I have nothing to do left yet so I will just have to wonder... Oh, wait! I have to pack!

I am wondering -->