Guest Blogger: Jesse Swimm

The Final Blog….

A trip to the library and a night at the Sea Shanty....

Kayaks, TV Spots, Swing Ons, and Talk Backs

Boy have I been looking forward to this one all week long, lol. This was an especially tough week for a lot of us as we not only had our normal 8 show week, we also had some understudy rehearsal on Thursday and Friday to be ready if the chance arose when we would have to go on. Don't get me wrong, I really do appreciate being able to work on the material in a different way and it is always a treat when you get to hear different interpretations of the story. However, with all that said and done I was still extremely exhausted at the amount of work we had been doing. So the prospect of two days off was a spectacular one. It started out rather a bit intense and not necessarily what one would think would be a relaxing morning. However getting to the gym is something important and actually was the perfect way for us to gear up for our epic day off. Since I have started this job, and a bit before, I have been trying to keep up with a regular routine of gym as well as eating a much more strict diet. So far it has been going well, but there are definitely those times where I would love a large pizza and some beer, ha!!!

It's opening night…

So this Wednesday, the 16th of July, is going to be our official press opening for Fiddler on the Roof. Goodspeed has a wonderful opportunity for actors to run the show for a few weeks as if it were previews and then officially open it at a later date. It really gives the company, at least I feel, the opportunity to really sit into the piece, experience, play, and work on all the little nuances so that it is ready for the critics and audiences alike. For the most part regional theatres don't have this luxury and this is where I really think that Goodspeed excels when it comes to putting on a show. They take the time to truly craft the most exceptional piece of theatre that they can by giving the appropriate amount of time to live with a show before it is ready for the press. With this coming it gave us the opportunity to work some new moments as well as really tighten choreography. Now with Parker gone that duty falls to our dance captain, Curtis Schroeger, to maintain and assess what needs to be looked at before the show has it's press opening. So for the past few days along with our director, Rob, we took the time to really invest in what was happening on our stage, to make it the best possible show we could give. Again it was truly great to be able to take the time to really examine each breath and each beat. The beauty of Fiddler is how truthful it is in its story. It isn't just a piece of fluff. It really has stood the test of time where a lot of musicals have been forgotten by the way side.

Yes I know it's a pretty long title for this weeks blog, but a lot can happen in a few days when working away from home, lol. Such was the case this week as we got to celebrate the 4th; our Fiddler, Max Chucker's Birthday, as well as some much needed time off from the show.

Ah 5, 6, 7, 8…

'Who Day and Night Must Scramble For A Living.....Tradition!!!'

How do you sum up almost seven months of experiences, seven months of friendship and memories?... You can't.

What do you get when you take a group of actors, 6 weeks of skate school, and a beautiful outdoor theatre? You get the regional premiere of Tuacahn's 'Starlight Express'. This past Thursday was the last time my quadruple threat cast (they can now add skating to their acting, singing, and dancing skill set) performed this high-octane show that has been thrilling audiences throughout Southern Utah all season long. For those that don't know the show it is the most unique experience on stage that you can have next to Cirque du Soleil. The concept is simple; through the mind of one young boy we get a glimpse into his imagination as he puts his trains to the test race after race. We have the good guys (Rusty & Poppa), the bad boys (Greaseball & Electra), and the girls who pine for them (Pearl & Dinah). All of this while skating on and off the stage as well as throughout the audience (the skate track actually weaved through the seats of Tuacahn) as they try to be the fastest train on the track.

Tonight we said good-bye to our good friend Miss Millie Dillmount. 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' was the third show in our season here at Tuacahn that we learned and it came straight off the heels of opening 'Mary Poppins' and 'Starlight Express'. It was a whirlwind of an experience as we had only about 4 weeks to get it ready for an audience. What made it even crazier was that we could only rehearse for about 5 hours a day as we were doing our other two shows at night, oh and did I mention it was about 115 degrees during the day at the time and we were rehearsing outside for about half of the process. At the helm of this monumental task was our director/choreographer Jeffrey Denman. Now I have known Jeffry for a couple years but have never had the opportunity to work with him so I was very excited when he showed up to share his 'Millie' with us. I have to say if it had been anyone other than Jeffry, I don't think we could have pulled it off. His passion was immense and as he put us through the paces and shared his vision of Hi-Boys and Flappers we all had this sense that our production was going to be a spectacular endeavor. Everything was going smoothly for me until a bit of tragedy hit my life and I had to fly home unexpectedly to celebrate the life of my beloved Grandma, Rose Ebenhoch and her passing on June, 19th. It was an extremely difficult time for me but I couldn't have asked for a more supportive group of friends to help me get through it. Once I returned and got back into the swing of things with the show it seemed as if the elements were plotting against us, from sweltering heat one day to complete downpours during tech, it made the process that much more special for us. But eventually we got through it all and opened the show to an overwhelming response of praise and cheers for us.

Well gang we have reached the final week here at Tuacahn. It's kind of surreal to think that in five short days this whole experience will be coming to an end. Now you would think that I have done about everything I could possibly do in this lovely town, after all we have been here for, oh, 7 months. Well that is not the case, you see the Grand Canyon is about 3 hours away so a few of us decided why not take a quick road trip there and back. So my friends Nicole, Michael, Clay, and I hopped in the company van and made our way out to the North Rim for some of the most spectacular sights we have encountered on our stay here. I knew it would be about a three-hour trip so again I had to set my alarm for the lovely hour of 6:45 am so that I could take care of my dog, Sara, before I made the trek to Arizona. As I rode my moped over to the apartments in 45-degree weather all I could think of was sleep and a heater but I finally made it there where my friends suggested we make a quick trip to Starbucks before we set off on adventure. Sounds good to me!!!

For today's blog I thought it would be fun if I talked about the art of getting ready for a show, but with a slight twist. Now that we are towards the end of our run here at Tuacahn our show time is at 7:30 with a half hour call time of 7pm. So without further ado I give you the Mary Poppins vs. Bert pre-show preparation.

There is something very exciting about doing regional work as opposed to being on tour. For one you get to be in one city for extended amount of time and you don't have to live in a hotel. Yes the benefits of a hotel room are awesome. Turn down service, fresh towels, room service. I could go on and on. But for me there is nothing better than actually being in an apt, even when I am on tour I prefer it. I have space for one thing, I am not around other loud hotel guests, I can bring my dog with me (very important), and I actually feel like I am living in the city I am working in as opposed to just being a tourist. In a way it almost feels like home. You have a life, you make friends, you have your daily routine, your favorite coffee shop, and your favorite place to eat and let me tell you, you can't beat my view.

ZOMBIE5K…yes you read that right.

I'm a night owl…in fact most of my friends in the theatre are night owls.

There is something very interesting about working in an outdoor venue…

6 months, 172 days, 4,128 hours...but hey, who's counting