Overnights Ahead

We are now on the morning of our second string of overnights. This one takes us north to Brunswick, OH; Joliet, IL; and Springfield, OH, and we will be at this last stop for two days. We've all packed for four days and said goodbye to our rooms. It's motel beds for us for a while. We are doing The Legend of Sleepy Hollow six times in a row on this trip.

We have a Springfield area map, courtesy of Cat, and a handful of brochures to help us kill our down time while in the city. We do wish we had more time in Illinois, if only perhaps to spend some time in Chicago. We'll drive through it, naturally, on our way out west.

Yesterday, at the Defiance Public Library in Defiance, OH, we performed in an outdoor tent. It was...interesting. We had never had to contend with the elements before, and when the wind blew over our backdrop as soon as we put it up, we knew things were about to change drastically. The lovely library staff hefted out some sandbags for us to anchor our drops with, though the fabric continued to furl in the breeze. So we used that one thing which theatre people know cures every problem: gaff tape! We taped the poles to the weights and, for the most part, our set remained stationary.

We also contended with a large metal pole in the center of our stage, but we were able to use it and incorporate it into the scenery. Perhaps the most difficult obstacle was the grass. The trees are on wheels and at several points have to spin around and/or move laterally across the stage. But the wheels kept sinking into the ground, getting caught in the grass. The tree-movers had to basically carry the trees while skating the wheels gently over the lawn, but we made it work in the end. The audience was receptive, the scenery was gorgeous (we were but fifty feet from the shores of a picturesque autumnal river scene) and the people were friendly. They gave us free donuts, hot cider, and popcorn before sending us on our way. All in all, a positive experience for everyone.