The Adventure Begins

Max & Ruby has taken over my life.

Quite literally, in fact. The DVR queue at my apartment is taping every episode on Nick JR from here to eternity; the last five items I checked out from the Brooklyn Public Library have been in some way associated with the world of Rosemary Wells's characters; the top three "Most Played" songs on my iPod are tracks from the show; I'm even dreaming about clacking lobsters and green gorillas. Clearly, I'm smitten. And just in time. Tonight marks my final evening before we start performances. So far, it has been two weeks of (mostly) 10-6 rehearsals, cramming the score, lines, blocking, choreography, costume changes and set moves into my head. Today was our final dress, for family (for me, my sister Carmen), friends and the composer, Carol Hall. By all reports (and despite how anybody might feel, cast-wise), we are in good shape. And a good thing, too. Because, as my summer as an actor/educator the Prospect Park Zoo has shown, the under-10 set can be a challenging audience if they don't like things.

Theatreworks/USA, our producer, cites itself as "America's largest and most prolific professional not-for-profit theatre for young and family audiences." They are so prolific, in fact, that there are TWO Max & Ruby tours out on the road. We are the "Red" tour, which means our domain is the eastern seaboard. So, in the coming months, I will perform in theaters and gymnatoriums (or "gymnatoria," for those of us who took Latin) stretching from Maine to Florida. And, as a TYA company, we are self contained. Meaning that Ethan (me) is going to build some might nice-looking "guns" during this tour as he loads, builds and strikes the set for every performance. We had a taste of that today, as we struck the set from our rehearsal space and loaded it into our Sprinter van (which is tall enough for me to stand up in!!). Despite our greenness and two snowy "mini blizzards" gusting down 26th Street, we managed to load our 17-foot tall, 30-foot wide set, plus props and costumes, in under three hours. Which we've been told is the norm, especially at the beginning.

Which brings me to the final question: who are "we"? Well, Max & Ruby "Red" comes with a great crew of 6 actor/ASMs (assistant stage managers, which means we build/strike the set) and a stage manager. Seven distinct, lovable, nutty personalities (in the best way, guys!) Michelle, a Texan and bundle of energy, leads our cast as Ruby. Ben, who plays Max, lives in Brooklyn and shares my disdain for hipsters. Ester is Louise, the "super bunny scout," and has the deadpan humor thing down to a tee. Valerie, another bunny scout, is played by Lydia, who moved to NYC from Chicago just days before we started rehearsals and grew up in Germany. Leigh is our Grandma and has toured twice before; she and I are, apparently, the "social directors" for the company. And, last but not least, Emileena is our illustrious, super-organized stage manager. Together, we comprise a dream team that, as of now, still really enjoys spending time with each other. Theresa, our Company Manager, told us that we will become our own "dysfunctional family." As of now, through two weeks of rehearsal, we're still functioning. If a little frazzled.

As for me, well, I'm still excited. I've been performing as animals and working with puppets since I left college, so it's a natural extension. Plus, it's the kind of high energy theater I love to do and kids are, indeed, some of the best audience members out there. I'm sure the tour will bring its challenges and strains (which will be tastefully documented, of course) but, for now, I'm pumped, and proud to be spreading "the gospel of Theatreworks" as the Alien Green Gorilla!

Call tomorrow: 6AM, Manhattan garage near Columbia.