Merry Times in Maryland

This week marked our first actual tour-like-we're-on-tour experience.  Meaning, we drove somewhere, stayed overnight, got up early, did the show and then drove somewhere else.  And our first destination was Wheaton, MD, close to the college haunts of cast mate Leigh.  We piled into the vans, pumped up the "jams," and started racing our way there.

And then we hit rain.  And traffic.

Indeed, one thing we learned from this mini-touring experience is that MapQuest and Google Maps do not necessarily give accurate times.  Perhaps it has something to do also with the requirements of our contract.  The Equity TYA (Theatre for Young Audiences) contract, which is the one all company members are using, stipulates that we are to receive a 10 minute break every 90 minutes and a one hour dinner break after five hours of work.  Travel is considered work.  Mind you, I'm a big fan of these regulations.  They ensure that nobody goes hungry, and that proper circulation is maintained in everyone's lower bodies. However, they do add time.  So, with our breaks, traffic and rain, our 4+ hour trip became an 8+ hour adventure.  Similarly, due to traffic, breaks and some confusing signs, our 4+ hour return trip took 7+ hours.  All in all, over 15 hours of travel for one, 49-minute show.  Good thing everybody in the vans likes everyone else!

Kid quote of the day: During the pre-finale, "Happily Ever," a little girl in the front row noticed Ruby's microphone, which sits in the middle of her forehead and has a 1/4" x 1/2" windshield on it.  Already primed by our spooky number, "Blue Tarantula," she caused a panic in the audience as she screamed, "You've got a spider on your head!!!"  This panic became minor pandemonium when other kids discovered that, indeed, everyone on stage had "spiders on their heads."

Next call: Wednesday at a undisclosed time, Manhattan garage near Columbia.  We have a 5-day weekend!!