Well, as I have told most of you, being on tour was amazing. I had some wonderful professional and social experiences and I got to see parts of the U.S. that I never even thought of going to. Ate alot of Froyo... and fast food, which caused me to gain somewhere between 10-15 lbs. while gone. That part wasn't quite as fun, but I am rectifying that problem right now and there will be more on that in another blog. Anyway, I digress. Some of the theatres we performed at were just so beautiful and LARGE, and then there were some that were... not so great. (Chicago, I'm lookin' at you!) But, experiencing both of those extremes was such a learning experience and made me a little more flexible, I think. We had a few replacement cast members, too, but for the most part we all got along so well and I made some really special friendships on that journey!
Now I am in the middle of my next endeavor at The Walnut Street Theatre. I was cast as an Extra/Understudy for Aspects of Love. We have been rehearsing for almost two weeks now and begin previews tomorrow night! To clarify, as a non-union Extra in every show, I am contractually not allowed to sing, dance or speak in this show. Pretty much, I am costumed stage crew. The concept for Aspects of pretty cool, though, because the director is using us as a dreamlike state for the main character, George. Michelle and I move curtains pretty much the whole show, but it's done in a way that we are part of the scenes while doing it. It's interesting. And curtainography is way harder and stressful than you would think. Especially when you are working with a director that demands exact precision and is short on patience. Oh, also, when the stage floor has a revolving turntable AND a revolving donut around said turntable... and they sometime move at the same time. Ever feel like the floor was moving under you? Yeah, mine does.
Although I would love to actually be playing a role in the show, being an extra has been a fantastic learning experience in working in an Equity theatre. I get to learn the ropes without quite as much pressure. And at least half of the cast I am working with have been on Broadway and tours previously and are quite a talented bunch, not to mention extremely humble and sweet. They don't see a line between them (being Equity and playing actual roles in the show) and us (being non-Eq and just being extras). They are very appreciative of us, actually.
Ok, I'm going to stop there for now. I could probably go on for pages, but I don't know how interesting that would be. I'll try to keep them short and sweet. Now, off to the gym.
