tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51966878997500559322024-02-20T11:18:05.147-08:00Tripp Around AmericaTripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-31068468987826739602012-06-30T14:56:00.001-07:002012-06-30T15:20:23.363-07:00A View from the "Other Side"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">When I left South Pacific it was not without some tough decisions, but I new that an opportunity had presented itself that I had to take! I was asked to help teach the choreography to a show that I love, 'S WONDERFUL. The director and choreographer from the piece were the same as the tour and I was thrilled to be able to come in and help set the show in a SUPER fast rehearsal process. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">In high school and college my biggest thrills and joys came while I was teaching, directing, or choreographing. It's certainly something I see myself doing more of in the future, so to have this opportunity placed in my lap was HUGE. It was so huge that I almost felt as though the creative team had made a mistake. Of course my imagination went wild with visions of much more experienced actors looking at me and just laughing while I fumbled over myself and tried to teach the show. I saw eyes rolling and scoffs and I knew I had gotten in over my head. The fact of the matter was... I was terrified. I have always said that when an opportunity comes and it's scary, you are in the right place. I had to realize that I needed to take a dose of my own medicine. Being timid, nervous, and not confident was only going to hurt me, so I sort of decided to "fake it till I make it." </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">I worked non-stop to prepare myself for the job, picking apart each and every bit of the show, studying tape, shifting the show to work on a thrust stage, and trying to anticipate any and all problems. When rehearsals began I was so nervous, but I was quickly put at ease. The director was his excellent, jubilant self and the cast was incredibly receptive and welcoming. I quickly realized that while these performers <i>were</i> more experienced and incredibly talented, they also respected me and wanted the best for the show and I think they immediately recognized that common goal. We were all there for one reason: to tell the best story. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">For the first time professionally, I was able to work creatively and alongside the director, hearing his thought process and bouncing ideas off one another. It was terribly exciting and energizing. As I said earlier, the rehearsal process for this particular show was SUPER fast (7 days rehearsing and 2 days of tech/dress) and on our first day of tech rehearsals the choreographer came to see the show. It was the most nervous I have ever been in a rehearsal. Here I had just taught <i>his</i> choreography and he was there to see my work. Well, the show sort of fell apart that day, as it usually does on the first day of tech. It was somewhat in tact, but really... pretty rough. I had such a mix of emotions. The choreographer was gracious and gave me a few notes and helped clean some things, but I couldn't help but worry. I knew in my head that it would all come back together, and it did by the time we opened. My own insecurities were really what was plaguing me. I eventually realized that my worries over what the choreographer thought were all in my head. He knew that tech rehearsals are crazy and he's a smart guy; he could see the big picture and where things were going. It was me that was short-sighted and couldn't see the forest for the trees. I didn't need to worry about how the show looked in one rehearsal, it was how the story would be told for the next month, 8 shows/week. My own pride and concerns were pushed aside and the work was completed. In fact it was not <i>just</i> completed: it was excellent. The show was quick and clean and wickedly witty and smart, just as the choreographer designed it to be. It really was... 'S Wonderful. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">I'm sorry. I had to.</span></div>
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</div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-29259633491309700972012-06-16T23:02:00.001-07:002012-06-16T23:03:24.391-07:00Proud to be a Hampton Man<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">This may seem like an obligatory Father's Day post, but truly... it's not. While I was writing my Mother's Day blog I couldn't help but continually think about how incredible and unique my dad is, too. I have such amazing parents and I am excited that today I get to honor Berry. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;">My dad is an only child of an only child. He grew up in a house about 10 miles from where he lives still today. He went to college about an hour away. His parents didn't raise him in the most abundantly loving environment. All of these things could add up to a pretty closed-minded, tough character, but somehow my dad came out of all of that. There's so much I want to write about. He made me fall in love with the outdoors and he can make me laugh (sometimes AT him) like no one else. Plus he does a pretty awesome karaoke rendition of "Mack the Knife." But I can't cover it all.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">When I was growing up one of the things I cherished was our family dinners. Every single night we would gather around the table and eat together. If our schedules were crazy it would sometimes mean eating at 9:00 at night, but that was ok because it was our time to check in with each other and eat gorgeous food. My mother can follow a recipe like you wouldn't believe. She hates to cook, though, and as soon as my parents had kids my dad started doing all the cooking. If you have been to our home you know... he is ridiculous. My dad could open a restaurant right now and be successful. He cooks with love for sure. When I come home after having been away working for a long time I have a list of Berry's best dishes that I request. We're talking fried chicken in the cast iron skillet, ribs, fried green tomatoes... and FAMOUS mac 'n cheese. From the time I was little he was always pushing us to try new things, experimenting, and whipping together new concoctions. Honestly- I'm mad at him for it because it spoiled me! I remember going to other kids' houses and having to eat these sad dinners. One of my favorite things is being able to have my dad cook for my friends. He's done major cookouts for multiple casts and people can hardly believe it! He truly shares so much love through his cooking. To this day he goes to the grocery store almost every day, tries new dishes, and cooks beautiful meals. He's inspired his kids to do the same and don't you worry- I've already got an inheritance claim on his cast iron skillet!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARlBPr42PLd8JT8fT9HxbfjQKefv6pGCHAZg1QOWrszInOcYyViGRa_VX573L0B8pGnQbBueufyOScHWGkD-mx2-rfUIeeKCUWvnsfX019Vc_7nzFIvXLdnVTAFd7xSRf6zHENO1x1aE/s1600/551840_942176758570_1429797863_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiARlBPr42PLd8JT8fT9HxbfjQKefv6pGCHAZg1QOWrszInOcYyViGRa_VX573L0B8pGnQbBueufyOScHWGkD-mx2-rfUIeeKCUWvnsfX019Vc_7nzFIvXLdnVTAFd7xSRf6zHENO1x1aE/s400/551840_942176758570_1429797863_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yummmmmmmm</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;">My dad also has a great sense of style. As a farm boy born and bred in Kentucky you may not expect it, but my dad knows what he's talking about with fashion. Haha! He worked for an upscale men's boutique for years as a buyer, traveling to New York and selling clothes in Louisville. Growing up he insisted that we dress well. I remember multiple mornings when I would come down dressed for school wearing my latest weird middle school trend. "Go back upstairs," he would say. I was allowed to come back down when I dressed better. For my first school dance my dad went with me to buy a suit. There was a nice sales lady and I was happy to have Dad there making sure everything was good. As the saleswoman got out her measuring tape to do her first measurement my dad just spouted off a list of numbers. When the saleswoman and I both looked at him confused he insisted that those were my measurements. He listed them off again. I was thoroughly confused as my dad had never measured me for anything. The saleswoman insisted, "Oh! That's great! Well- I'll just double check then," but you could see in her eyes that she thought my dad was as crazy as I did. She went to work, but it was no use. My dad was spot on with those measurements! My dad taught me to tie a perfect tie, bowtie, how to wear a pocket square, they beauty of white bucks, and the value in your favorite ratty t-shirt. In college and even now, I have friends often say that I dress like a dad. I tend to wear classic, preppy stuff. I laugh because I am so proud of that. I do dress like a dad; I dress like <i>my</i> dad. Around our house it's become a little bit of a running joke because my dad and I own multiple items that are identical, but I couldn't ask to be merging styles with a better dressed dude. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">I love this cultured part of my dad because it is such an enigma. He has always lived with a 15 mile radius of where he is now. He hasn't really traveled out of the country, and yet he is stylish, a foodie, terribly smart, and can get along with anyone! As a farm boy it's not necessarily surprising that Dad is a great gardener and landscaper. He has such a green thumb! But I always marveled at my dad growing up because to me it seemed he could answer any trivia question ever written. To this day I dont' know how he knows the stuff he does. It's like he studied some trivia book. He loves doing crossword puzzles and watching Jeopardy. He knows so much about history and other cultures, too. It's amazing to me. When I picture my dad the first image that comes to mind is of him telling stories and laughing with people. He has friends from all walks of life and has always loved getting to know my friends in theatre. I think that's something I got from him, too: the ability to talk with people and tell stories. It's what I get to do for a living now. In the theatre my job is to tell stories. I think it's important and beautiful and joyful and all of that comes from seeing my dad tell great stories. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">My mother is an accomplished musician and music teacher. She is brilliant with what she does. When people learn this they often jump to the obvious conclusion that I must get my artsy, dramatic sensibility from her: that natural theatricality that comes with being the son of an artist. They are wrong, though. My mother is a brilliant musician. My father, however, is where I get my emotional, dramatic side from. Dad has always been one to get... What shall we say... passionate? My dad has always LOVED to tell a joke. He loves to laugh and share that with people, but there is a key to his jokes. One word: delivery. My dad can deliver a joke like no one else. He LOVES a good hyperbole. He thrives on detailed imagery. And he LIVES for... a dramatic pause. Every good story, joke, or prayer must have a dramatic pause. Berry has perfected the dramatic pause, making sure it is placed at just the opportune time. The more important the point, the bigger the pause. Prayer pauses are the best, though. You can drive a MAC truck through those suckers. I love it. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My father crying after opening his Christmas present... a television.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">My dad also gets worked up over politics, religion, and other major, life-altering occurrences like movies, sports, and memories. Have you ever seen anyone cry watching a basketball game? Come to our house. My dad loves to cry. He knows it, too. His favorite movies are a select few gems that trigger the water works. They are as follows: "Return to Me", "Legends of the Fall", and the first half of "The Way We Were." I can hear him now insisting I watch the latter. "Look at this! Watch this! Watch when she brushes back Robert Redford's hair!" Oh please! If he hasn't had a good cry in a while he will just read a sappy romance novel to get it out. He has no shame. The most amazing part is that as much as I tease him, I am so grateful to have grown up around a man who taught me that it's ok to have emotions and to feel and to love, and get upset. With Dad being an only child on a farm with tough parents he didn't have to come out embracing his emotions, but somehow he did. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That fashion sense is wearing off!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px;">As over-the-top as he is with he feelings, he is even more over-the-top with his love. I am so lucky to have a dad that made sure to tell me how much he loved me every day. I have heard my whole life that my father is proud of me and loves me. It's a part of Christianity not everyone can understand. The whole loving Father image of God is tough for a lot of people, but for me it's been a concept that has made sense from day one. My dad showed me what a loving father can do. Dads can look at you and tell you who you are. They can determine your destiny in so many ways and when my dad looks at me and says, "You are so talented, you make me so proud, you are so loved,"... I am. Just yesterday I overheard my dad telling his youngest grandson who is only a year and a half old, "Jonah- I love you. I want that to be the first thing you hear in the morning and the last thing you hear at night. I love you." My dad always made sure that was what I heard every day. Today I want this to be the first and last thing my father gets to hear. "Dad- I love you. Thanks for teaching me to love food, how to dress myself, how to tell a good story, and to be open with my love, anger, and joy. I love you."</span></span></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-76493679996858022222012-06-01T00:22:00.001-07:002012-06-01T00:27:35.118-07:00Inspiration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">I have recently discovered a blog I love and this commencement address was posted. I thought it was so delightful and excellent. Neil Gaiman spoke to the University of the Arts 2012 graduates and said:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #626566; font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><em style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"People who know the rules know what is possible and what is impossible. You do not and you should not. The rules of what is possible and impossible were made by people who have not tested the bounds of possible by going beyond them - and you can."</span></em></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #626566; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 20px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/42372767" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-6978195212986112142012-05-20T17:32:00.001-07:002012-05-20T17:33:16.562-07:00The Miraculous Thing About Miracles<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">I'm currently reading Tim Keller's book "The Reason for God." Tim Keller is the pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City. It is one of the largest congregations in the city and he is known for his excellent approach to Biblical truth. Manhattanites love him for the way he comes at the Bible from an intellectual perspective. The book is excellent. I often compare it to the modern version of C.S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity" in that it is a reasoning for the Christian God, broken down by the doubts many intellectual seekers have. The title of the book has garnered many questions from friends and even strangers on the subway. Everyone seems to have a question or strong opinion about it without my even asking. Haha! One woman on the subway yesterday said to me, "If I were you I would just skip to the last page." Ha! </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Anyway- Keller makes some really excellent remarks on many issues people have with the God of Christianity, but today I was really struck with his discussion of miracles. He goes through the arguments of science conflicting with faith, etc. and then at the end of the chapter he says this:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">"Jesus's miracles in particular were never magic tricks, designed only to impress and coerce. You never see him say something like: 'See that tree over there? Watch me make it burst into flames!' Instead, he used miraculous power to heal the sick, feed the hungry, and raise the dead. Why? We modern people think of miracles as the suspension of the natural order, but Jesus meant them to be the restoration of the natural order. The Bible tells us that God did not originally make the world to have disease, hunger, and death in it. Jesus has come to redeem where it is wrong and heal the world where it is broken. His miracles are not just proofs that he has power but also wonderful foretastes of what he is going to do with that power. Jesus's miracles are not just a challenge to our minds, but a promise to our hearts, that the world we all want is coming."</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">A redemptive, powerful God. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Live rejoicing.</span></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-45910189996119400382012-05-12T23:31:00.000-07:002012-05-13T00:03:25.153-07:00For a mom who broke all the rules<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Growing up the son of a conservative, Christian mother who was a teacher wasn't always easy. My mother is a woman of strict morals, self-discipline, respect for authority, and high expectations. She raised her kids to follow in those footsteps in many ways, but while growing up we also discovered from restrictions and constraints comes freedom, abandonment, and fierce love. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">My parents raised us in a home where you knew the rules. We had chores without an allowance. We knew words we weren't allowed to say unless we wanted to eat soap for dinner. We knew what channels we were allowed to watch. We knew our butts would be in a church pew every Sunday morning. Our house was always clean; we made our beds and dusted our rooms. As a music teacher, my mother required my sister and I to take piano and practice DAILY from 3rd grade until we graduated high school. By middle school we were required to be making our lunches and doing our own laundry. We couldn't see PG-13 movies until we were 13, and if we planned on driving a car once we got our drivers' license, we knew we would have to pay for it ourselves by getting a job. Life could seem a bit regimented...but it never did. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">My mother always had a love and zest of life unlike other moms. Other moms are sweet, kind and gentle. My mom is all of that, but I more admire her wit, sarcasm, and spontaneity. As an actor, I have had the privilege of stepping into different worlds on stage and telling stories. My mom was the one who instilled in me the love of story-telling. Some of my earliest memories are of her reading to me and convincing me to watch a new movie musical with her. When I picture my mother in my head it is usually with my father and sister around the dinner table laughing at each other. Our dinners were better entertainment than anything the television could provide. She is an entertainer through and through, and most times... an even better audience member, laughing at me or my dad telling a crazy story. My family loves louder, harder, and harsher than any other family I know. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More into her Halloween costume than me or my sister</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">In elementary school we would be woken up by Mom and head downstairs where she would make us breakfast. 99% of the time it was a bowl of Cheerios or Crispix and then a "next." She would ask, "What do you want for your next?" and we would proceed to have toast or a cinnamon roll or something. One day she asked, "What do you want for your next?" and with my little kid humor I joked, "Ice Cream!" Without missing a beat, my mom got out a bowl and scooped me out some cookies and cream, the breakfast of champions. That was when I knew I had the coolest mom ever. The next morning the request for ice cream didn't work.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">As we cleaned the house every week, I remember BELTING out to the soundtrack of "The Big Chill" and to Billy Joel and Beach Boys albums. My mother has always loved music and watching her love it taught me to love it in a very special way. Forcing us to take piano was a monumental task. No parent wants to argue every day with their kid to practice. And no kid wants to practice learning an instrument every day. No parent wants to have to hear "Tarantella" and "Flight of the Bumblebee" 7,000 times, each time with repeated mistakes. My mother knew the secret, though, that my sister and I certainly didn't know. She knew the joy and freedom that would come from the drudgery that is daily practice on the piano. She knew the payoff would be worth it.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me trying to keep up with Mom's mad skills.</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">My mom isn't like your mom. She is such a night owl, you would never believe it. As a teacher who has to get up in the mornings you would never expect it, but she loves late nights. I know past 1:00 a.m. the only person I can call and expect to answer is my mother. She's still got better things to do than sleep. While I was at college, a number of times she would actually call, waking ME up! It would be 2:00 in the morning and I had class the next day. She didn't see the issue. When I was little my mom always tucked us in and would be up for hours and hours later, but she also woke us up early in the morning, ready for work. The rule of the house on Saturday was STRICT, though. If you are up before noon, you better head downstairs and stay pretty quiet. And whatever you do... do not even THINK about cracking open or sneaking through the door to my mom's bedroom. Saturdays were no joke. My mother slept in like a 22-year-old college student...and still does to this day. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">My mom instilled in us as kids the need for intentional fun. Growing up we always had games to play and places to go. One of our favorite days was the Donna Hampton original "Kid's Shopping Day." We would have a big day of fun where my bookworm sister would get to go to Hawley-Cooke Booksellers to purchase a new treasure and I would pore over rocks and gems at the Nature Company. To top it off we would head to downtown Louisville and go to Caufield's, a costume and novelty shop where my mother led us in finding the wackiest and most hideous masks, wigs, and hats. You've never seen anyone rock a crazy hat better. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">When I bought my first car, a Jeep Wrangler, my mother was not happy. She insisted it was dangerous, foolish, and not practical. I bought it anyway. When I brought it home I remember taking her for a ride in it for the first time with the top down. We were driving on a back road and all of a sudden my mom begins to unbuckle her seatbelt. She proceeded to stand all the way up while I was driving, head all the way above the windshield. She raised her arms high in the air and shouted and laughed and screamed. She wasn't happy I was driving that car, but she sure was happy she was riding in it. A year later she bought herself a nice little convertible. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">When we got our new dog while I was in middle school I'll never forget my dad trying to convince my mother it was a good idea. The dog wasn't well-trained, it shed everywhere, used our living room as its bathroom a couple times, and was disobedient. While trying to find the perfect name for the dog, my conservative Christian mother insisted that we name the dog "Damnit." That way we could say, "Come here, Damnit." "Look what you did, Damnit." We named the dog Sadie. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DPYCRzl_x1fXZN97zzvGidDFp5R_64-7e5waVYKFtAwhtVvAGJyo8Ga-gOc4tighNJswXSWK9_Kj7JZToVqE8-ZEZDjv3Z8YKaLXtVwFPp2mQhnrSk1_8UTgghq02lNx9UBS_DIiYgI/s1600/38384_477323884987_591929987_6585961_4305829_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DPYCRzl_x1fXZN97zzvGidDFp5R_64-7e5waVYKFtAwhtVvAGJyo8Ga-gOc4tighNJswXSWK9_Kj7JZToVqE8-ZEZDjv3Z8YKaLXtVwFPp2mQhnrSk1_8UTgghq02lNx9UBS_DIiYgI/s400/38384_477323884987_591929987_6585961_4305829_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sneaking around backstage at one of my shows to get a go at those hats!</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">I remember my mom and I had a wild chase one Saturday morning in high school when we began fighting over who would get to eat the leftovers in a bowl of brownie batter. We chased each other around the house in our pajamas, me running with the bowl in tight grip and her wielding the mixing spoon like a weapon. The chase continued into the back yard, barefoot and laughing, but unrelenting... mom won. In the same irreverent way, I remember my mom and dad arguing over a lost spatula in the kitchen. Dad insisted mom had put it in a wrong spot and now it was lost. My mother was viciously bitter. After all, she did the dishes most nights and always put things back properly. Upon discovering that, in fact, the spatula was sitting right in front of my dad, exactly where it should have been, my mom didn't gently point it out and move on. She grabbed it and started spanking him with it until it cracked in half! </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her favorite picture of us. Okay- it's actually MY favorite picture of us. </td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">My mom breaks rules. She HATES cooking. When my dad would travel out of town for work or something she would maybe make a simple dish, but usually she used that time as an excuse to order pizza or chinese takeout. She LOVES facebook and her facebook account is more active than mine. She loves her kids like mad, but also loves to make fun of us, be sarcastic, and laugh at us. Nothing is off limits with her. When I need an ear she is there to listen to my frustrations, encourage me, knock me back to reality, and sometimes tell me the tough stuff I need to hear. I am still learning from her every day. She is incredibly successful in her work and continues to learn and grow and come up with new ideas. She is loving and hardworking. She is dedicated and fiercely loyal to my dad and our family. She is wildly talented and the funniest person I know. (After me.) And she is mine. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">I love you, Mom. </span></div>
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</div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-40273911929603972312012-03-11T16:36:00.003-07:002012-03-11T17:32:51.569-07:00Sailing away from the South Pacific<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">During my week off I had made final negotiations for an exciting offer. My "'S Wonderful" family had called and I had the opportunity brought to me to help set the show at a theatre outside of New York and I couldn't pass up such a great chance to be part of a creative team. This business is so hard. You have to make such big decisions in such a quick time-frame it seems. My heart was torn from trying to be loyal to the contract I was already involved with, working in a new position, working with people who had been so loyal and wonderful to me, etc. So many things go into these decisions, but I ultimately had to decide to say goodbye to the "South Pacific." I had only a couple weeks left, though, so I knew I had to live it up! </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Our first week back was in Nashville, TN. Since it was so close to home I was able to have my car, which was such a treat. I felt like I could really get around and see friends, eat at great restaurants, etc., even with some pretty nasty weather. The week was spent drinking vats of sweet tea, fried green tomatoes, cheese grits, and biscuits. Haha! I made sure to take a group out to the Grand Ole Opry where we did a backstage tour and had fun exploring. More than anything, though, just going aroudn the grounds of the resort was so interesting. That hotel is CRAZY! Around every turn even I was blown away, having been there before, to see ANOTHER giant atrium, indoor waterfall or giant tree! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">We also spent some time at a trendy area with some great restaurants in East Nashville. I LOVED Noshville, Fido, and a Frech cafe place. Broadway is always fun downtown, too. I had a really fun night meeting up with my elementary school friend, Ashley Herod. We literally hadn't seen each other since 6th grade, but had so much fun catching up in a honky tonk and she was so generous to come see the show with her family. Then Katie Reid and I were SO excited because our 'S Wonderful friend, Katie Mitchell came to see us, also! We had a great night going to a couple honky tonks and dancing with her. Seeing any of the cast from that show is just special. We can catch up right where we left off like it's only been hours since we've last talked. The highlight of my tie in Nashville had to have been my family coming to visit! Berry, Donna, GG and Grandaddy, Debbie, and Paul all trekked down to see the show. It was an incredibly special time. We ate a Puckett's Grocery and stayed up late after the show chatting. In the morning before they left we had a great brunch at Fido. I am so grateful that they could come down and see the show. Donna and Berry always know how to bring me back to earth, encourage me, lift me up, settle me down, humble me... whatever it takes. I always just feel a little more like me when I have them around. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The last week I was on tour was a week in Chicago! I haven't spent a ton of time there, but it was great fun getting to explore and we played a beautiful theatre. Other shows were playign in town at the same time so I got to meet friends of friends in American Idiot and Million Dollar Quartet. I was really excited to meet a fellow Stephen Foster alum, Colte Julian, who is in MDQ and hooked me up with tickets to see the show! Those guys were insane! They are ridiculously talented, playing instruments, singing, and looking just like their iconic counterparts they are playing. What an awesome show. I also enjoyed seeing the Bean in Millenium Park, having good food, Chicago pizza at Giordano's with Katie Reid, and drinks on top of the Hancock Tower. As a finale to my time on tour a big group of the cast went out after my last show to get ice cream sundaes at Ghiardelli and then to party and celebrate the wonderful time I've had on tour. There were some ups and downs along the way, but I will say one thing: I would have NEVER gotten through this tour without losing my mind if it wasn't for my friends (who became family) on tour. If I wasn't able to vent and laugh with all of them I would have become so bitter and jaded.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">On South Pacific I learned so much. Mostly about the kind of person I want to be in theatre. I learned that I want to be a teacher, an encourager, and a positive force. Too often I think the art of play is lost and theatre becomes work. I learned more about respecting people and treating people how you want to be treated. I learned that even in a business of actors and artists and all types of people, honesty is the best policy. Most of all, I learned that there is no point in doing theatre if you aren't able to have joy doing it. There are so many people in love with the arts and music and dance and storytelling that there shouldn't be room for those who are are jaded and tired of it all. Smile, people! It's not rocket science! It's theatre! Have fun! Live rejoicing!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Tripp</span></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-1318349568157838702012-03-06T15:33:00.005-08:002012-03-06T21:03:22.858-08:00Quick Stops<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">At this point on tour we started doing some one-nighters and weekend stops. Schedules are tighter and there's just not as much opportunity to explore, so tour becomes a little less exciting. We drove Bartlesville, OK and I was in some pretty bad back pain. I called around and found a chiropractor that said she could squeeze me in, so I started walking to the office. In smaller cities, walking from a hotel to a doctor's office isn't super easy. It means walking a far way, without sidewalks, among lots of cars, and sometimes (as in this case) not great GPS directions. I ended up calling the doc back because I had walked in the wrong direction and wasn't going to make my appt. Being in Oklahoma was lucky, though, because that sweet hospitality came right out. The chiropractor insisted I shouldn't have been walking out in the cold anyway and drove out to come pick me up! Haha! She was very nice and did a great job fixing my back! If you're ever in Bartlesville, head to see Karen Wallis! </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Next we headed to Lawrence, KS. It must not have been too interesting because I can't remember ANYTHING about our time there.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">We had a stop-over in Elk City, OK before arriving for the weekend in Albuquerque, NM! We performed on another college campus while in Albuquerque, which is always fun because there are lots of shops, restaurants, etc. around. We had a good time enjoying great Mexican food, good weather, walking around to hipster shops and having great coffee. We also enjoyed Rudy's BBQ again (from Austin) and ate at the famous Frontier Restaurant. Those cinnamon rolls... I can't. We had another stop over on our long travel into California. We stopped in Laughlin, NV, a town that is only there for one reason... gambling. It is the strangest, smallest, dingiest town around. We stayed at a casino where I ate at a gross buffet, smelled a lot of cigarette smoke, and saw Red Tails, the not-so-great movie about the Tuskegee Airmen. Needless to say, I was glad to get out of there in the morning and head to Cali!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">We had a quick one-nighter in Bakersfield and then headed to San Luis Obispo. I loved "SLO." It was a very cute town with great shops and restaurants and we had the chance to be outside and enjoy walking in the sun again. We found Firestone Grill and devoured one of the best sandwiches I've ever had, the tri-tip steak sandwich, before the show. After the show we enjoyed a little bonfire on the patio of a nearby bar and embraced being in the warmth of California. We spent the weekend in Palm Desert, CA, a very wealthy community. The McCallum Theatre was so nice and we enjoyed the many amenities for the weekend. There were lots of great shops, fun outdoor restaurants, etc. The highlight of the weekend was getting to see Tina Diaz! Tina is one of my closest friends. We went to Governor's School for the Arts together in 2004 and became fast friends then. Through the rest of high school and all of college and beyond she has been a great friend to me and I was thrilled to see her and her boyfriend Charlie. They drove to see my show and then stayed for a HUGE cookout on the grill and patio at the theatre. With our Emile, Marcello, manning the grill, we had mountains of food to enjoy and send us out for a week off!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">For this little break a few of us guys decided to get a trip together to Las Vegas. I had never been to Sin City before, but knew I had to experience it, so I quickly jumped on board for the trip. What a crazy couple of days! That city just EATS your money. I may as well have just thrown my debit card down the toilet for the weekend. But boy did I have a GREAT time! Ha ha! We stayed at the beautiful Cosmopolitan hotel, the newest major resort on the strip. It was right in the heart of it all and from the moment we drove into the parking garage we knew we were in for a treat. This place was jaw-droppingly opulent. From the walls covered in flat-screen panels, constantly changing the environment, to the 3-story chandelier bar in the center of the hotel to our suite over-looking the famous Bellagio dancing fountains, we were set up for success. Our room was over-the-top nice. We had 2 large flat-screen tvs, a bathroom as big as my apartment in NYC... it was crazy. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">We only had one night and one full day in town so we knew we had to pack in as much as possible. We started our first night at a tapas restaurant in our hotel. The group was me, Drew, Christian, Shane, Alex, plus Alex and Drew's girlfriends, Morgana and Sara Lynn. From there we headed to 2 shows. First was Jubilee, the famous old-school Las Vegas showgirl show. It was really fun to see that old-school style that is just about gone from the world of live theatre. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Then, on the other side of the spectrum, we went to see Le Reve. I don't even know where to begin. Le Reve is a cirque du soleil-style show at the Wynn Resort. It is a small theatre in the round and the stage is covered in water. The floor comes up and out of the water at times, changes levels, shapes, etc. The show is full of magical moments of people doing synchronized swimming, dance, aerial acts, acrobatics, etc. It is absolutely the most visually stunning thing I've ever seen. I've never sat in a theatre with my mouth wide open and audibly saying "WOW!" so much. It was unreal. If you get a chance GO SEE THIS SHOW!!!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The rest of that night we spent walking around, watching the Bellagio Fountains, exploring the Venetian, eating at the secret pizza restaurant in our hotel, and doing a bit of gambling. I am thankful that I have no interest in gambling at all. I play once to say I did it and then that's it. The next day we woke up late and went and enjoyed brunch at the Bellagio's never-ending buffet. This city is just all about indulgence. There was so much food I almost didn't know what to do! Almost. We continued the day driving out to see the Red Rocks quickly and then came back for dinner and a show at the MGM Grand.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The MGM has a fun lion display to see and we ate before seeing KA, a cirque du soleil show that, again blew my mind. I don't know how the technology of that show works, but it was the craziest beast of a technical marvel I've ever seen. I couldn't believe it. The sheer size of the theatre, built especially for this show, was incredible. After that we had indulged enough and it was time to drive out of town and head home in the morning! We had a great time, but I was so thankful for a break to spend time with my family and gather my thoughts away from work and away from the road. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">All the best to all of you!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Tripp</span></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-79081540903025390212012-03-06T15:09:00.004-08:002012-03-06T20:29:38.674-08:00Finishing up South Pacific<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">I do this at the end of a lot of my jobs. I just have a hard time keeping up with the blog when I'm traveling at such a fast rate (as I do on tour), and then I end up having to do a catch-up post because I know one day I'm going to be glad I have these stories and memories written down to tell my grandchildren. So here we go... I'm going to try to get all caught up on the blog over the next couple of weeks since I am in one place now... New York City! (More on that as we catch up with the blog.)</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">After Christmas break tour commenced in Salt Lake City, UT! Adding another state to my list of states I hadn't been to was very exciting and the company was all very happy to see each other. It was really cold and dry, but it was fun to see snow. Our time in Salt Lake was so interesting. Growing up with many friends who were members of the Church of Latter Day Saints, I was fascinated to learn more about their culture in the hub of it all! We toured the tabernacle and were marveled by its acoustical genius. We also went into the convention center and the MASSIVE auditorium there. Along the way we learned so much about the history of the church and encountered so many welcoming, hospitable members of the community. Our Mormon experience was fully realized on Sunday morning when we got to attend service and hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sing! It was so cool to hear that iconic, pure, clean sound live. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The other big event of the week was that I went skiing! I have only been snow-skiing once, but it was indoors in Dubai! Haha! Finally getting to ski outdoors was so much fun. It was just a BEAUTIFUL day and we couldn't have asked for a better time. I went with Royce, Drew, and Chase up to Alta. They were awesome friends throughout the day, being patient as I jumped in full force. I felt pretty good about it all, skiing consistent blues by the middle of the day. We had such fun. The rest of the week was highlighted by exploring Salt Lake's AWESOME library, a great sushi joint, and great pizza at Pie Hole.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">A couple funny things did happen during this week back. At one point the dry air got to me and during intermission my nose started bleeding. I ended up having to sit out most of the second act because it wouldn't stop! What is it with me having bloody noses during shows?! Also- we became major patrons of a restaurant called Bayleaf. There was an eating contest that happened where our great Stewpot, Erik Cheski, took on plates piled high with fried chicken, eggs, bacon, waffles... it was intense. He didn't quite finish it off, but we were super proud of him! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Our next stop on tour was Tempe, AZ! We were welcomed to the beautiful ASU-Gammage, the only theatre designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, by great crowds and a wonderful board of directors who threw us a fun opening night party. Tempe is a really great college town and we were so glad to have some great food and fun places to walk while we were there. One morning we hiked up A Mountain, a small climb that gave us great views over the campus and main strip in town. I was glad to be in warmer weather and spending time outdoors. I quickly realized that my friend Kyle Riggs lived in Pheonix so we ended up meeting up and having a fun lunch from food trucks. I also got to see my elementary school music teacher, Pat Foley! She was so nice to come to my show and we went out for lunch as well. It's always the biggest treat to see old friends along the way during tour. It brings a little feeling of home and familiarity that is invaluable. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The highlight of the week for me was going with Chase, our violinist, and his family out to Sedona! I had been wanting to get out to see that part of the country for years. I've heard so much about how beautiful it is so I had to see for myself. We drove out and spent the morning hiking to the very top of Bell Rock, a gorgeous rock formation. Hiking and that sense of accomplishment makes me feel so alive. It's a connection to God's creation you can't duplicate. Anyway- we had a wonderful day with beautiful weather, good food, and INCREDIBLE company. I haven't laughed like that in a long time. Thank you to Chase, Michael, Chris, and Jenni! The week in Tempe ended with a wonderful party at one of the board members' homes. David Horowitz hosted the company at his home with much food and drink. We had a great time and I was able to get behind the piano and play for a while as the company had a mini jam-session. Thank you, Tempe!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Good luck keeping up, everyone! Love you all!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Tripp</span></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-65045208341018673772012-02-14T00:18:00.001-08:002012-02-14T00:44:07.926-08:00Isn't This Backwards?I just started reading a new book today that already has my head spinning a little bit. We are gearing up for another election and, as usual, I am so torn. I believe VERY strongly in what I believe. There are stances on certain issues that just are so completely clear to me right now and, unfortunately, every candidate seems to be split on some of these issues. I am totally on board with a candidate on this matter, but totally opposed to their view on another. It's so hard for me to understand how the candidates can not believe exactly as I do, but that's another issue altogether. <div>When I first was old enough to vote and NEED to care about politics I came to an understanding of what I thought was good, right, in line with Jesus... and those things seemed to be in the Bible and on my heart. There was this backwards thing, though; I learned about what was good and right many times from my friends who weren't part of the church. I determined what I believe was in line with Jesus' teachings and what I wanted to stand up for from my home and my church, but also a great deal from my friends in theatre. Below is a quote from "The Reason for God" by Timothy Keller. It perfectly describes how I felt.</div><div><br /></div><div>"I seemed to see two camps before me, and there was something radically wrong with both of them. The people most passionate about social justice were moral relativists, while the morally upright didn't seem to care about the oppression going on all over the world."</div><div><br /></div><div>I am not saying that the church doesn't fight for the oppressed and for social justice. I have been involved with missions within the church my entire life and it was those missions that gave me the heart and eye for loving people like Jesus did. It just struck me that the way I was taught to think about helping people was that it was a private sort of thing. Keep it in the church and take care of it how you would like to, but make it a public issue and it's wrong. Since when is there a wrong way to help the "least of these?" To my young mind and heart (one that is fully admitting to not being the most informed or knowledgeable on political matters) an opportunity to give to the poor or help the oppressed of our society or lend a helping hand is just that. It's an opportunity.</div><div>One thing I have learned and that I do know from this business is that you only take what you have sometimes, and many times all you have is a chance. An opportunity. Why not take the opportunity to help and to show who Jesus is? Why not take the opportunity to give, and open up conversations about the Giver who gave His life? Why not take the opportunity to follow that example? To allow others to see the beauty of a chance in Christ through the love of His people?</div><div>I know I don't get it all. I know this is a simple, surface look at many larger issues. All I know is that Christ was not stingy with me. He showed me what it means to be loved and to be COVERED in the lavish gift of redemption and life. I hope I can show a piece of that love.</div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-65488606836108079922012-01-25T23:05:00.000-08:002012-01-25T23:12:19.209-08:00Up to Christmas Break...<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>709</o:Words> <o:characters>4046</o:Characters> <o:lines>33</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>8</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>4968</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1282</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">We spent a week in Orlando and I was so excited because I was able to visit with my friends Ellen Kahne and Brad Frost who are both working down there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We stayed at a hotel right downtown and went to dinner one of the first nights there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Seeing friends on the road is just such a refreshing thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It reminds me that there is life outside of this show and that I have a community of people supporting me along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Later in the week we planned a trip to Disneyworld!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If I am in Orlando I will do ANYTHING to get to Disney.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s one of my favorite places in the world!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A couple of cast members hadn’t ever been to Disney and we all contacted as many friends and family as possible who work at the park to get some tickets!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My great friends, Karen and Chris Baker, are both working there after having met on our cruise ship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They are such sweet and talented, hard working people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They were sous a chance. generous to get a big group of us into the parks and we spent the day exploring Magic Kingdom and Epcot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The biggest part of my week in Orlando was that I went home for a few days to be part of the wedding of Matt and Catie Castleman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I had so much fun being in Cincinnati for a couple days and it was great to see so many friends from college, high school, church, etc. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We just had a great time and I was so happy to be there to support two people who I admire so much and are so wonderful together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I can’t wait to be in the same city with them for a longer period of time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our last day in Orlando was a whirlwind of me traveling back, doing two shows, and then we had a big party thrown for us!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Brad and Ellen were able to come out and meet the cast (Ellen saw the show) and party a bit at a great little spot where the had food and drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We also got together and had a little cabaret night where we all sang Christmas songs and stuff that we had with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s always great to get a chance to do something DIFFERENT than our show every night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The last week of tour before break was a week full of one-nighters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We started in Rockford, IL where I decided to plan a little outing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The night before in Orlando we had so much fun singing together and singing Christmas songs and I thought it would be a terrible waste to not share that holiday joy with others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I found an assisted living facility nearby to our hotel in Rockford and called them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We ended up having about 20 of the cast plus our violinist, Chase, come along and sing from the show, Christmas carols, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I played piano, Chase improvised beautifully on the violin, and we threw together about an hour’s worth of music that the residents seemed to REALLY enjoy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It made me so glad to be able to use our talents for something bigger than ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We performed that night at a really great old palace theatre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is always fun to see the varying architecture of theatres all over the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The next day we were in Evansville, IN.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was crazy to think I was so close to home, but the day flew by and the next day was a travel day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We drove through rain past downtown Louisville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What a tease!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I just wanted to jump off the bus, but we had a few more days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That night we stopped along the way in Charleston, WV, a city I never thought I would randomly spend so much time in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This time we were in a hotel that was surrounded by… nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were no restaurants open or anything, so we ended up having a bit of a pizza party in our hotel room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All sorts of people came by as we watched old Christmas movies on TV, played Catch Phrase, and Celebrity and had a grand old time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We have definitely learned how to entertain ourselves on the road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">For the first part of the weekend we played Richmond, VA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We performed in a HUGE theatre, the Landmark Theatre, which had history as a Masonic lodge or something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have never seen anything quite like it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was nice to be in a pretty fun town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There were lots of shops and things around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Between shows on Saturday I ended up taking a group to a restaurant I found called The Black Sheep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It had been on Man vs. Food and was one of the best meals we had on tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was just so incredible; warm, RICH, and delicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our last stop before break was Charleston, WV, where we actually performed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We were in a beautiful performing arts center, but the highlight of being there was that my parents came to see the show!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was such a nice treat to have them in the audience and then we had a late drive to get me HOME!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For someone who travels constantly for a living, I just CRAVE being home in the Louisville/Cincinnati area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To my friends and family there: I am so thankful for the loving community you are to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It makes all the difference to have people surround you that build into you, invest in you, and care for you the way you all do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is because of you that I love to come home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Can’t wait until next time!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Love, </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Tripp</span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-10268016589821908042012-01-08T13:35:00.001-08:002012-01-08T13:35:46.924-08:00When the Saints Go Marching in... to NOLA!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>584</o:Words> <o:characters>3334</o:Characters> <o:lines>27</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>6</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>4094</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1282</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Returning after Thanksgiving break we knew that we only had 3 weeks, so it was a really exciting time to get geared up for the holidays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am so thankful to be so close with my family and friends, but on the road these people are truly your family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We make sure to watch out for each other and take care to make life as happy as possible, especially during a season like the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, when we all just want to be home.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Our first week was spent in New Orleans, a city I have been dying to visit for a long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a great welcome back to tour, all of us out dancing and excited to see one another in a city so full of history and culture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We spent the week rehearsing quite a bit because we had a new addition to the cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ann Northern joined us for a few weeks to fill in Jenny’s track.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We were so happy to have her and her personality meshed so well with our whole group!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Rehearsals certainly never stopped us from exploring, though, and I had a lot of time to do just that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The main event of town is just walking around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The architecture, the music, the food… it is all so overwhelmingly colorful and vibrant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I had so much fun just easing my way through the days there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Wandering through the French Quarter I found lots of fun shops, viewed interesting churches, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">One of the first days we went exploring through one of New Orleans’ famous cemeteries and explored all the mausoleums of voodoo queens and mayors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I started day one having classic food from the area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Between red beans and rice, jambalaya, gumbo, po boys, crawfish etouffee, etc. I was in heaven!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I had more incredible seafood in New Orleans than is fair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I also stopped for the donut-like dessert of beignets a couple of times, both at Café Beignet (my favorite little hole-in-the-wall) and at the renowned Café Du Monde.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Katie Reid’s good friend Aimee is from New Orleans and was in town, able to show us around!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We ate at her restaurant, which was fantastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Later in the week Katie and I also did a master class at a school near the 9<sup>th</sup> Ward, which was so terribly damaged by Katrina 7 years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was amazing to see the progress that has been made there, but this is still a city in major recovery of that time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was so rejuvenating to be around students who were very talented and so eager to learn and listen to any advice we had to give.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a wonderful, fulfilling afternoon and I was glad to share it with Katie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We went to Mother’s for lunch and had the best jambalaya of the whole trip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The nightlife in New Orleans is unbeatable, of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We explored Bourbon Street, but our favorite spot was Frenchman Street where there were many little dive bars with great jazz music playing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We had a big night out hearing all sorts of great musicians, young and old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was cool to see the musicianship of the community still being passed down through families and generations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We also went to a unique place called Carousel Bar where there’s a carousel inside the bar and the bar stool move around the bar in a circle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was so fun to find spots like that throughout the city.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Our last night in town we went to the Ritz-Carlton and to the Davenport Lounge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I had been given a tip to head there because Jeremy Davenport was an excellent trumpet player and entertainer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He had played in Harry Connick Jr.’s band for years and now is the resident lounge singer at this hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was also excited to see my friend, Ramon, again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was a dancer on my ship and I was able to meet him in Jacksonville earlier on tour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I love the fun times we have together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We went upstairs to a BEAUTIFUL room, decorated for the holidays and packed with patrons all in great moods to hear Mr. Davenport’s music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He played all sorts of standards and we had fun dancing throughout the night, but the highlight was certainly when we were all dancing to the Louis Armstrong classic “What a Wonderful World.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It truly is a wonderful world and a wonderful city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We were so blessed by our time in NOLA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Tripp</span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-4057350085226600862011-11-29T21:22:00.000-08:002011-11-29T21:23:19.582-08:00Ready for Turkey Time<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>496</o:Words> <o:characters>2830</o:Characters> <o:lines>23</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>5</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>3475</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1282</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">We had one more week of one-nighters before our Thanksgiving break!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Needless to say, we were all pretty antsy and anxious to see family, friends, and get a break from doing the show and traveling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To cap off our week in Austin we had a 5 show weekend right into shows on Monday and Tuesday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our day off for the week wasn’t until Wednesday, so we ended up doing 11 shows in 8 days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Those first two shows were in College Station, TX, home of Texas A&M.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We pulled in the first day and just had time to run to the Applebees across the street for dinner and headed to the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The next 24 hours included 2 more meals at Applebees, spending a portion of my Best Buy gift card, and a game of shuffleboard on a terrible board.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thrilling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Off to Pearl, MS, which was just a stopover in our travel, but it meant a night off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We bided our time with dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s and catching up on the Sing-Off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>One thing that was funny was that we quickly realized another tour was staying right by us and a lot of us had friends there that we were able to catch up with!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What a small world!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our experience at Ruby Tuesday’s that night was also a bit of a mess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Quite often we have found that people are thrown off when 50 of us come in, all with ID’s from different states, all traveling together… it is understandably confusing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>However, this restaurant refused to take a NY state ID that was valid!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We quickly pulled together more NY id’s to clear up the situation, but the manager was very confused by our teaming up from tables all over the restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ha ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oxford, MS was a nice stop just because we really got a taste of the South.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Pretty girls wandered around the immaculate main town square and there were plenty of shops to peruse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The show was in a really nice concert hall on Ole Miss’s campus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We went out for my roommate, Jake’s, birthday that night and enjoyed Square Pizza afterward, a great late-night snack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The next day we had a show in Baton Rouge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a little bit of a tricky theatre backstage, but all went smoothly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was able to get a small taste of Louisiana (enough to get me excited for New Orleans) with some red beans and rice for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The following morning we hit the ground running, traveling again to Galveston, TX.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We were all THRILLED when we pulled up to our hotel that sat right on the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was GREAT to get a nice walk on the beach, an automatically calming and rejuvenating environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The show was in a really pretty Opera House that was pretty tight for our show, but very charming and we played a PACKED house that night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Our last 2 shows of the week were in Orange, TX.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a really long, but rewarding day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We had to wake up and travel to Orange on the bus, heading straight to the theatre and into sound check.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our first show was complete and we had dinner provided for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Little did we know that it was going to be a Thanksgiving FEAST!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With 50+ people in our company it’s not exactly easy to feed all of us, but we all ate to our heart’s content and were filled with good ole Southern goodness!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This certainly got us ready for the last show, which was one of our best!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It included an intermission dance party thrown by the kids’ dressing room and subsequent celebration as we went to the hotel to pack up and head to our families for the holiday!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Heading back to tour now, refreshed and ready for 3 weeks of hard work before Christmas!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Tripp</span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-10810276496192205432011-11-28T23:48:00.000-08:002011-11-28T23:49:41.232-08:00Finishing up Before Thanksgiving!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>1163</o:Words> <o:characters>6632</o:Characters> <o:lines>55</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>13</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>8144</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1282</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">A long weekend in Colorado is always welcome to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have quickly learned that I love the mentality of the people in this part of the country and there tends to be great food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We were in a really nice little theatre in Fort Collins and I had gotten some great recommendations from my friend, Maddie, so we were set to go!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We enjoyed going on the main strip right in town and found some great spots there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>After Mongolian grill for lunch, we did two shows and I had dinner with Katie’s family at Austin’s, a really fantastic bistro.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For dessert I had to take up Maddie’s tip for dark chocolate crème brulee at the Chocolate Café.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh. My. Heavens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t even know what to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We also loved the bread pudding and tomato soup there. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">That night we went out to a couple bars, which was particularly fun because Colorado State University is in town and we had fun mingling with all the students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ha ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our hotel was a little ways out of town so we figured we would just take a cab back, but thankfully we made friends with a guy named Bill who volunteered to drive us in his pickup truck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>6 of us piled in and made the trek, but it was pretty funny to see all of us piled among his fly-fishing gear and everything!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The next morning a group of us guys walked in to get breakfast at the well-known spot, Snooze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We had heard that there would be a long wait, but that it would be worth it, so we went ahead and put our names in and got coffee for the hour-long wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thank goodness we did!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our brunch was just over-the-top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The servers and hostesses were so great and our food was out of this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At the table we ended up having pineapple upside down pancakes, red velvet pancakes, sweet potato pancakes, plus eggs, bacon, corned beef hash… it never seemed to end!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That just made my Sunday and my time in Ft. Collins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We went to Chocolate Café for dinner that night and ended our time back at the hotel playing Celebrity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What a crazy couple of days in Colorado.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was great to just gorge over those two days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Little did I know what Austin would hold!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh gracious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">I have heard for a couple years how great Austin is and I was excited to discover it for myself!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Our hotel was outside of town, so a few of us decided to chip in and share in renting a car for a few days to have the freedom to get around town as we pleased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We got in early on Monday and hit the ground running!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>First we had dinner at Trudy’s, an Austin Tex-Mex staple. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>From Mexican Martinis to stuffed avocados, we weren’t disappointed in our castmate, Ben’s recommendation!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>From there we decided to explore 6<sup>th</sup> street a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>6<sup>th</sup> street is the Austin equivalent to New Orleans’ Bourbon Street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Lined with bars and live music, we had a fun time trying to find the best spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We heard some fun music and even ended up riding a mechanical bull!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Getting into the Texas spirit was proving to be easy for our group, for sure!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We ended up finding a fun spot called Buffalo Billiards where we played table shuffleboard for a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The night ended at Mozarts, a charming spot right on some water that was open late for coffee and locally made ice cream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There was even a fun Christmas light show set to music that capped off our night!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All in one night we had fallen in LOVE with this city.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The next day a group of us went to the shooting range.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a really fun time just having shooting competitions and trying out different guns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We all had a great time and ended up meeting some really nice people along the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That afternoon I had Rudy’s BBQ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ben actually used to work there and gave us the inside scoop on what meats to order, sauces to use, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Nothing like a great BBQ meal outside under the sun to get you ready for a show!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We performed for the week at the Bass Concert Hall on the University of Texas campus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a big theatre and reminded me a lot of Whitney Hall in Louisville.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The audiences were just so generous to us the entire week, having so much fun and enjoying the show out loud!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That night an opening night party was thrown for us at a local spot and we headed back to Buffalo Billiards for another round of shuffleboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We quickly realized our addiction to the game and a competitive spirit was born around the shuffleboard table among our cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ha ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Wednesday was our last full day with the car so we all piled in and headed to South Congress, a quirky street lined with vintage stores, great restaurants, local flavor and fashions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Austin is known for its food trucks, a trend that is growing in cities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Not just your typical street meat, these carts are parked in pods and groups ALL OVER the city and serve gourmet quality food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Everything from cupcakes to bbq to Thai… you can find ANYTHING.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We explored those and then started filling our bellies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We had Home Slice pizza, Sugar Mama’s Cupcakes, and tacos at Polvos Mexican all in a matter of a couple hours!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh my heavens!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That kept our tummies full while we shopped at some fun vintage stores and a great men’s store called Stag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We also went to Barton Springs Pool, a really unique watering whole right in Austin where a spring has been controlled and used as a big public swimming hole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That night after the show a group of us went to play shuffleboard and I ate an incredible burger at Casino el Camino, a dive bar that was famous for its burgers, featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The next day we knew we had to really take advantage of the last few hours of car access so we drove all the way out to Ben’s house and to the famous Salt Lick BBQ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>On the drive there I dreamt out loud of tons of meat just smoking over a huge pit and I was NOT disappointed!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I had a plate of brisket, ribs, and sausage, but was quickly upgraded to the all-you-can-eat plate so I could enjoy more and more!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I won’t even discuss the blackberry cobbler for dessert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>All of it was just OUT OF CONTROL!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We had some understudy rehearsals that day that were really encouraging and I felt great to have gotten pretty much the whole show as Cable under my belt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The weekend was exciting because our Nellie understudy, Rachel, went on for the first time!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was so exciting to see her hard work paying off for the crowds in Austin and all of us were just super pumped, watching and cheering on her every move from the wings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We decided to make Friday night a big night out to experience Austin’s 6<sup>th</sup> street in full force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The bus dropped us off and we walked around a bit to find somewhere we could dance and we ended up at some bar that we ended up referring to as Bali Hai!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was SO FUN.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There was a loose jungle or African theme, but we basically went upstairs to the glass dance floor where a hip DJ was playing GREAT music and mixing it up for us all to dance the night away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At one point, though we all looked up and realized that there was no roof!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The dance floor was open to elements and we danced away underneath a full moon and with giant elephant tusks forming a sort of canopy over us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was so fantastic!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We headed to another dingier place afterwards in a basement where we had a funny encounter with some smokers in the bathroom…. Sheldon….<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The night was capped off getting late-night food from a food truck and heading home, having conquered 6<sup>th</sup> street and marked our territory!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">The weekend finished up smoothly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I had my last brilliant meal from Hut’s burgers and on Sunday night we celebrated Rachel’s run as Nellie by going out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>First, though, I had a surprise up my sleeve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I heard about a place called Tiff’s Treats in Austin that delivered hot cookies by order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At the start of our last show in Austin I put in an order for 2 dozen assorted cookies to be delivered to the stage door at the end of the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Just as planned, they arrived and were warm and WONDERFUL for a treat to celebrate our AMAZING run in Austin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(My dressing roommates were pretty psyched, too.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Wow!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hope your mouth is watering by now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thanks, Austin, for probably my favorite week on tour!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Can’t wait to return!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Tripp</span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-45445932023349789382011-11-17T00:13:00.000-08:002011-11-17T00:14:22.738-08:00One Night Only<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:documentproperties> <o:template>Normal</o:Template> <o:revision>0</o:Revision> <o:totaltime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:pages>1</o:Pages> <o:words>538</o:Words> <o:characters>3070</o:Characters> <o:lines>25</o:Lines> <o:paragraphs>6</o:Paragraphs> <o:characterswithspaces>3770</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:version>11.1282</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:displayhorizontaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:displayverticaldrawinggridevery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:usemarginsfordrawinggridorigin/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Milwaukee left us one person short, unfortunately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Jenny Piersol, our precious “Bessie Mae,” slipped in a rehearsal and actually broke her foot!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We were all just so upset about her leaving, but the show must go on and though our hearts were with her, we kept on and our swing, Angela, really stepped up to the plate!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We had quite the travel to get us to our next show in Grand Forks, ND!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We spent one day traveling as far as Minneapolis where we stopped at the Mall of America for the night!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was really fun to explore the mall and we even took the time to ride some pretty great rollercoasters in the mall!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ha ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Grand Forks, ND sits right on the border of MN so me and my roommate took the time to walk over the river to say we walked to Minnesota.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The night flew by.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These one-nighters are so hard to keep up with because they just fly by so fast!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Thankfully, our crew does an incredibly good job of keeping the show running really well, which makes all the shows blend together at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>From Grand Forks we went to Bismarck, ND.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>On our way to Bismarck we stopped in a mall and I saw a friend I went to college with at NKU.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This world is just so small.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I say it all the time, but I continue to be astonished by how much we are really all living so closely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To think that we both just happened to be in BISMARCK at the same mall, at the same food court, at the same time of day?!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It blows my mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Anyway- it was great seeing him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">That night we had our one and only night performing in an ARENA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yup- that’s right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I don’t hardly know how to describe it to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Basically they sat up a bunch of chairs on the ground floor with a temporary stage set up facing half the auditorium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>There are big drapes hanging to cover our “backstage” and we have some other obstacles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>First, the sheer size of the building becomes quite interesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Any sort of quick crossover to get from one side of the stage to the other all of a sudden becomes a long sprint to make your entrance!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The biggest difference in an arena show, though, is that we have no flys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That means that anything that is flown in from above is cut from the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It is pretty interesting, but really becomes a sort of acting exercise<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to tell this story with our limited resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was surprised to see the audience PACKED in Bismarck and you never would have known the show was missing any of our regular set by the way the audience was eating up the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was a really fun night and kept us on our toes, for sure!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Nights like that make me appreciate non-equity touring experiences and taking these shows to smaller markets like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Bismarck needed to see this show and have a really great night at the theatre as much as Boston did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The audience was so excellent and we were so happy to be there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Our next shows weren’t for a couple days in Ft. Collins, but that long travel included a stopover in Rapid City, SD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was pumped to make it there, though, because Rapid City is home of Mt. Rushmore!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We took a full busload of us up to see the monument for a few minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was pretty incredible to think of the people who climbed around those hills and thought, “I know what we’ll do!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Ha ha ha!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To have the thought of carving these faces into that mountain is just ridiculous, but it did just what they wanted, bringing tourism to their area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was definitely a bucket list item marked off and we had a nice relaxing night enjoying a great meal at Firehouse Brewery and playing celebrity.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">We didn’t know what to expect from the Dakotas, but what a treat it was!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Some crazy country that reminds you of just how much land there is in the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Just… open space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Anyway- on to Colorado and Texas!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Tripp</span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-14198263282465496702011-11-14T13:38:00.000-08:002011-11-14T23:44:43.432-08:00"Once I visited my cousin..." in MILWAUKEE, U.S.A!<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >We spent Halloween weekend in Milwaukee, which I wasn’t particularly excited about, just not knowing what to expect.<span> </span>I was glad to be staying in a Hampton Inn (the best beds) and be in one city for 3 days.<span> </span>We arrived to the large theatre and were really able to spread out with our full show and in a fairly large city for the weekend. <span></span>Unfortunately our booking was a little strange and we didn’t have the best crowds, which we have been spoiled with up until now.<span> </span>It was fine and we still did a great show every night, but wished we were sharing it with more people. <span></span>Milwaukee was a really fun town, though.<span> </span>I didn’t know much about it, but it was nice to explore and get to know this city.</span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Our first night in Milwaukee we went to a really cool bar called Safehouse.<span> </span>We had heard from lots of friends that we just had to get over there.<span> </span>It is in the theme of a secret agent/speakeasy sort of deal.<span> </span>We had to find out where the entrance was (an unmarked door down an alley) and then a few of us learned of the password to enter.<span> </span>We arrived at the door and a couple girls greeted us and said we may enter if we knew the password.<span> </span>Those of us who did headed in through a secret door behind a fireplace and down a mirrored hallway into a unique, quirky space.<span> </span>From there we got to watch as our friends struggled to get in.<span> </span>They had cameras for us to watch as they had to complete acts to enter the bar.<span> </span>Some had to act like penguins, others did full runway walks with boas, etc.<span> </span>It was a riot.<span> </span>The place was very cool with all sorts of little nooks and crannies, unique drinks, secret passages, and puzzles to get you into that secret agent mode!<span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Saturday was a 2 show day, but I was determined to get out and see some of the city (as usual) so I walked with Alex Pepper (our dance captain) over to the Milwaukee Art Museum, which I had heard was a really cool spot right on Lake Michigan.<span> </span>I have always found the great lakes to be really incredible, so I was glad to walk over there.<span> </span>We were pretty blown away by the stunning architecture of this building.<span> </span>It was voted sexiest building in 2010 and I can see why!<span> </span>It has been used in a number of movies and things.<span> </span>The dramatic wings or sails retract around the building a couple of times throughout the day and it was a pretty spectacular thing to watch on such a beautiful day right out on the water.<span> </span>Inside, the light in the main atrium is just stunning.<span> </span>And who would have thought… Milwaukee?!</span></p></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vg2tLk80y1XG3P1LGknVT5MnFUqE44oNAnF-8BFokLHDmUKfgrosQVg7XXSKMoVzdwKpm8jN0IDuUWTnj0WHg4E0tFTOXKqDGnKFOVkOvvHdZjFKCsnGB3C-7b_lGyFNHWgAYH8YuHM/s1600/302649_758936488540_50902046_36735014_1281378410_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vg2tLk80y1XG3P1LGknVT5MnFUqE44oNAnF-8BFokLHDmUKfgrosQVg7XXSKMoVzdwKpm8jN0IDuUWTnj0WHg4E0tFTOXKqDGnKFOVkOvvHdZjFKCsnGB3C-7b_lGyFNHWgAYH8YuHM/s400/302649_758936488540_50902046_36735014_1281378410_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674976427671042258" /></a><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >Sunday I went to church and the Katie and I headed down to Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward and the Public Market.<span></span>It’s a large indoor market with all sorts of local food vendors and was a great way to have a taste of the local flavor and see a really cool part of town with all kinds of interesting shops.<span> </span>The big event of the weekend was our Halloween party on Sunday night after our two shows.<span> </span>Our party planning committee did a great job planning 2 parties.<span> </span>Since we have kids on tour we had a separate party for them first where we had gingerbread haunted houses to decorate, pizza for dinner, pin the tail on the donkey, etc.<span> </span>You better believe, though that we had a huge time with the kids and parents playing musical chairs, limbo, and dancing down a soul train line!<span> </span>Ha ha!<span> </span>Later that night we reconvened for a “adult” party with costumes, music, etc.<span> </span>I dressed as JFK, complete with Jackie O as my date, but the costumes were really excellent.<span> </span>Some of the best included Liat after the war, twin Christian Marriners, drunk Nellie, our Capt. Brackett dressed as a geisha, our Marcello dressed as his wife, Annelle, and Little Richard!<span> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKN6CG_-ichGPhwNHDVYWX0lUVcOjX9Xv8r3J6S4YvdU2hOCCOIAfdEyQsWWjtEhnYBevQIc5K3HIdk39L44_dmUvfoTvo1RUeqULs2tFlVcOUSxA6zJzjencCutP83wi2Iv7Bk2UFvo/s1600/166956_10150898305930315_563925314_21450858_415821799_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWKN6CG_-ichGPhwNHDVYWX0lUVcOjX9Xv8r3J6S4YvdU2hOCCOIAfdEyQsWWjtEhnYBevQIc5K3HIdk39L44_dmUvfoTvo1RUeqULs2tFlVcOUSxA6zJzjencCutP83wi2Iv7Bk2UFvo/s400/166956_10150898305930315_563925314_21450858_415821799_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674976422889936482" /></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:78%;">Liat, abandoned and pregnant after the war. Nellie... "Am I drunk? Yes I am!"</span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" >We quickly realized that we all wanted to have our own games of musical chairs and limbo, so you better believe we had 2 vicious competitions.<span> </span>It was a RIOT to see all of us wrestling each other down to win.<span> </span>I won a solid second place in musical chairs and won the adult round of limbo, also!<span> </span>Solid showing!<span> </span>Ha ha!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBNYAXeBvjwFmtc_y7jnqhLH1loZpY4KtOVqBRbqZzcjg9_ZR7iH106sf5DA36RfDcaCl2hX9YJ5WFaA2yVW9zbzmEtSRYsPnOlkPPHcMXagpmgxVPQCO257_efGIWRASYPFH4TB3x6w/s1600/389962_10150898298730315_563925314_21450712_667969_n.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:85%;"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVBNYAXeBvjwFmtc_y7jnqhLH1loZpY4KtOVqBRbqZzcjg9_ZR7iH106sf5DA36RfDcaCl2hX9YJ5WFaA2yVW9zbzmEtSRYsPnOlkPPHcMXagpmgxVPQCO257_efGIWRASYPFH4TB3x6w/s400/389962_10150898298730315_563925314_21450712_667969_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5674976421428827842" /></span></a><div> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Tripp Hampton</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;">Ps-<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The title of this post comes from a Gershwin song from my tour last year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--></div></div></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-46798074176982744162011-11-07T13:14:00.000-08:002011-11-07T13:15:22.545-08:00One-nighters begin!<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Delaware was our last week of week-long sitdowns for a while. We have been really lucky on this tour to have this great schedule. Many tours aren’t as lucky to stay in one place that long or go to such fun cities. Most non-equity tours play a lot of one-nighters or “split weeks” where you are in a city for 2 or 3 days. We had been so spoiled so the next week was a real reality check. Ha ha! We boarded our bus for the first time and headed to our first one-nighter in Morgantown, WV! These shows can be really interesting. Our crew goes ahead of us and loads in all 4 semi-trucks of our show, including sets, props, costumes, wigs, lighting, sound… everything. We are completely packed in those trucks, but we come as a self-contained full production to the theatres. When our crew gets to each space, they have done all sorts of prior work to be prepared, but you still can never really know what you’re going to be in for and they really have to work their magic to make our show happen in a day. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We arrived in Morgantown with only a little bit of time before we had to get to the theatre. It was kind of drizzling out, but I was determined I was going to walk a little ways over a bridge, down the road and get to the Target, Barnes and Noble, Dick’s, etc. As I began my trek I was about halfway across the bridge when it just started pouring rain. I had no umbrella so I started to run, made it over the bridge, across the highway and to a gas station where, of course, they had no umbrellas for sale. I had to give in and realize that my trip wasn’t going to happen, but now I was stuck half a mile away and it was still a downpour. This is where Donna Hampton has to stop reading. Go away, mom! I ended up just looking around the gas station and finding someone who I thought would give me a ride. Being a male I knew I shouldn’t ask a woman, but I found a young guy and he was more than happy to help me out and take me over to the hotel. Thanks to Spenser for getting me out of the rain! The show went well, regardless of the quirks in the theatre like having no paging system. Our first one-nighter was a success!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The next day was a real doozie. We had to get to Sioux City, Iowa. Let me just say… there is just no easy way to get to Iowa. It is not exactly easily accessible. From Morgantown we made an hour-long drive to Pittsburgh to fly to Dallas/Fort Worth. There we had a layover to fly to Omaha, Nebraska where we would load a bus and drive three hours to Sioux City. Needless to say, it was a very long day, but by the time we got there, I was glad to be in Sioux City for a couple of days. We had a late dinner at Famous Dave’s BBQ (one of my faves) and saw a late movie that night. The next day I was up and about, exploring Sioux City. I stopped at a local coffee shop, deli, and enjoyed their great local city museum that had some really excellent exhibits. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The biggest event of Sioux City, however, was laundry. When you’re living out of a suitcase, finding the time and space to do laundry can be a real hassle. My roommate, Jake, and friend, Shane also needed to do laundry, so we searched and searched before finding a laundromat across the river in Nebraska where our hotel shuttle dropped us off. When we walked into South Sioux City coin laundry we knew we were in for a treat. Behind the desk sat a bigger lady, probably in her 70’s, leaning way back in her chair. We walked in and said, “Hi there! How are you?” Her response? </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“Sassy.”</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Oh boy. After explaining to us that we couldn’t do dropoff, but would have to do our laundry there, she gave us our detergent and pointed us to the machines. She was just as dry and blunt as anything and we were definitely getting a kick out of our worker friend when we asked her name and she responded. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“Nightmare.”</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We continued the rest of our visit loading our washing machines and asking Nightmare questions. She cam over and dug through our dirty laundry when she felt we had overloaded the machines and felt no remorse in making us pay for extra machines or telling us that if the machines were overloaded she would become our worst nightmare. What a trip! We left to get a snack and when we returned to switch our laundry Nightmare had left and a younger lady was there working. We transferred our laundry from the small washers into large, industrial dryers. When we began putting 2 smalls wash loads into one large dryer she stopped us. “However many washers you used is how many dryers you use.” After much frustrated discussion she explained, “Mary, who was here earlier is in charge. If I don’t’ follow her rules it’s my neck on the line. She’s wired this place with all sorts of cameras. She even watches and monitors from her car!” We gave up and realized that Nightmare was going to have her way no matter what. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The show in Sioux City was fun because we were playing a restored Orpheum theatre. The Orpheum circuit was home to many vaudeville performers and this particular theatre had been open in the 30’s. Granted, theatres built then definitely have their own set of obstacles because they are generally smaller, but it was a really fun time and the audiences were wonderful. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I woke up the next morning not feeling well and knowing we had to drive to Mason City, IA. I walked to the local Walgreens to get some medicine and left myself a good 20 minutes to walk back before we had to be on the bus. As I was walking back, though, a train came through town. I waited patiently, knowing it would just be a few minutes and thinking of the trains going through little LaGrange, KY at home. I was in contact with my company manager, so he knew what was going on, but this train was SO SLOW!!! It kept stopping and starting and just never seemed to end. I ended up standing out in the cold for 30 minutes and the bus full of all 50 of my company had to wait on me! What a mess. I couldn’t help but be reminded of when I almost missed my cruise ship in France. It was just me running to meet them. Ha ha! </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Mason City was a quick stop that I tried to block out because I wasn’t feeling on top of my game. We were pretty cramped, but the show went well. All in all our start to the one-night life was pretty smooth, but it’s certainly tiring to travel and work this much. I’m excited to get back to one place for a week as I am writing this post on my way to Austin, TX. Hope you all are well!</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Tripp</span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-10761893338898818202011-11-02T14:02:00.000-07:002011-11-02T14:28:54.118-07:00Jacksonville, FL and Della wear. I mean... Dela where? Delaware.<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Week three of tour was spent in Jacksonville, FL. I had been to Jacksonville before when my brother was stationed there in the Navy. I remembered going there and mostly hanging around with family, but I also remembered a really cool waterfront landing area that was fun at night and had all sorts of restaurants and things to do. When we got to Jacksonville we were happy to see our beautiful hotel, a Hyatt with great rooms and a beautiful rooftop pool! It was a great spot, right on the riverwalk and right next to the Jacksonville Landing, that spot I remembered! Our first walk over to the landing showed just what time can do. Unfortunately that hopping place I remembered had sort of dwindled into a few generic restaurants and an abandoned mall. It was pretty sad to see, but it was still nice to have that right near us and right on the water.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The week was really fun. We enjoyed lots of pool time and it was fun to find a couple places that we could return to throughout the week. For instance, I really enjoyed Chamblains Bookshop Café. It had great meals and was a large building busting at the seams with books! On one of my first days out I also found Chew, an incredible restaurant that served up such amazing food. It had a Southern feel, but was so intricately and delicately prepared. It was refreshing to find somewhere so excellent in Jacksonville. We ended up having a group of 13 go one of our last days for a HUGE family dinner there late in the week. It was just too good to not take advantage of! The second day in Jacksonville I had a great surprise when my old friend Ramon, a dancer from my cruise ship in 2009, contacted me to let me know he was in town for one more day and wanted to get together! I hadn’t seen Ramon in years and it was such a wonderful time catching up with him. He has an incredible spirit and is one of the most amazing dancers I know.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One thing that’s been a little frustrating is that our show gets out around 10:30-11:00 and by then usually the pools in the hotels are closed. This week we had to get around that! The Hyatt was kind enough to keep the pool open late one night just for us! We had so much fun having the space to ourselves to just relax and laugh and let loose together. We have such a great group, but we sometimes don’t ALL get to play together, so those opportunities are much appreciated. The week ended Sunday going to First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, a very large church that owns 9 city blocks downtown. Their incredible facilities proved to hold an excellent, powerful service. It was nice to go to church with some of the orchestra members and with a couple of the kids and their parents. I think it’s been great to have kids on tour. I know it really keeps my spirits up and keeps me thinking of ways to find fun all the time. Anyway- the service at FBC Jax included a 50-piece orchestra and 200 person choir with a couple soloists that just blew the roof right off the place and straight up, raising joyful noise to the Lord. It was beautiful, exciting service.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next we trekked to Wilmington, DE. Staying in a Doubltree Hotel, this week was all about those delicious chocolate chip cookies. Ha ha! We joked that we were able to save our entire per-diem that week because we survived solely on those cookies. Wilmington is a historic city with the great Dupont Theatre inside the Dupont Hotel. It was a different space for us because our show was a little tight in there. We quickly figured out how to maneuver in the space and make it all work like clockwork, but it definitely took some finagling. It actually reminded me of a Broadway theatre because of its size and history. The space ended up being really fun to play and our audiences in Wilmington were wonderful. It was also good to have our director come out and see the show after having been gone for about a month. She was thrilled with how well the show was holding up. We had a chance to do some understudy rehearsals, too!</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Wilmington was a great place to enjoy the ultimate fall week. Our first day in town a group of us walked down to Brandywine Creek and walked through the park right there. It was great to see the water and the fall colors were at their peak. I always embrace any chance to get out and enjoy some nature time. It is definitely therapeutic for me and completely necessary. Wilmington also had some great food! I found the World Café Live, a really interesting space where concerts are held 5 days a week with all sorts of artists. Everything from coffee house performers to big headliners in a 900-seat theatre: this place can host them. There’s also a great restaurant in the building. After a tour through the facility I decided I had to enjoy lunch and the live music, which proved to be really great! We also found some fun coffee shops in town throughout the week, but our go-to spot was the Washington Street Alehouse. It had great food and we ended up eating there and at their sister restaurant, Presto, a few times throughout the week.</span></span></p></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxXvG6ENvljpSe7NdO8rJG9o6PtEky_5ZCoS7fNvVf7ZXpiocszwtTlWylto9xajSpG5damlR1sScqPXEJMnEFWMKcSFSl7pFw36kv9fVYwNQrk7OJh7C_WKLrbRhzrh7xzT_pTn4xWk/s1600/DSC_0122.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 241px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxXvG6ENvljpSe7NdO8rJG9o6PtEky_5ZCoS7fNvVf7ZXpiocszwtTlWylto9xajSpG5damlR1sScqPXEJMnEFWMKcSFSl7pFw36kv9fVYwNQrk7OJh7C_WKLrbRhzrh7xzT_pTn4xWk/s400/DSC_0122.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670512549676345730" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The big event of the week, though, was a large group outing I planned to Ramsey’s Family Farm. I just knew we needed something like this, especially for the kids on tour to get out and be in the outdoors during fall. We ended up (after much struggle) getting hotel shuttles to take us out to the farm and 30 of us spent a few hours on the beautiful property with farmer Stewart. He took us on a long hayride, stopping to explain all sorts of info on agriculture, energy, farming today, etc. I found it pretty fascinating. Afterwards we had time to pick pumpkins in the patch and run around through the corn maze. It was a great day and ended up all working out really well for everyone!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJqJfI4gk7E1ohJiTVq2D9WLAqh4n5L13RXdXqvAVIUMWgvQwnPTa2pMFCsNW5sUev1iC1NwXyqEWFXAmb48c4f1SPlQjts5t8Y_oY0ewHuDvAEQIQxlC1Lkhk_HtQS6Nz_dX8H_wzm0/s1600/DSC_0126.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBJqJfI4gk7E1ohJiTVq2D9WLAqh4n5L13RXdXqvAVIUMWgvQwnPTa2pMFCsNW5sUev1iC1NwXyqEWFXAmb48c4f1SPlQjts5t8Y_oY0ewHuDvAEQIQxlC1Lkhk_HtQS6Nz_dX8H_wzm0/s400/DSC_0126.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670512533185349058" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Finally, Shane and I spent a day in Wilmington working on carving our pumpkin for the NETworks company-wide carving contest! I walked all over town to find just the right tools to use and we created a masterpiece: a portrait of NETworks CEO, Ken Gentry. I just thought it was a great opportunity for humor and to see what we could really accomplish! It turned out pretty well. In fact- we just found out that we WON the whole contest! I am so pumped to see what I will get with my Best Buy gift card! Ha ha! What a fun week. Who knew?... Delaware!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdt1vpBcFgupcMIsED7xfaJxD9gKP2iQY3MzNJh8QcHoTSh02da8SpA9cCpUwVhGrlyPwE_aF4AurpCNac4LBObEEEy80tZ04hg0bpbT2Sd3im5Rmwoq4KgvFYBBmePM4ySO27bS1-Kc/s1600/DSC_0143.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 348px; height: 400px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLdt1vpBcFgupcMIsED7xfaJxD9gKP2iQY3MzNJh8QcHoTSh02da8SpA9cCpUwVhGrlyPwE_aF4AurpCNac4LBObEEEy80tZ04hg0bpbT2Sd3im5Rmwoq4KgvFYBBmePM4ySO27bS1-Kc/s400/DSC_0143.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670512523288560226" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Love to you all! Miss you bunches, </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tripp</span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-17052281336894339942011-11-01T11:24:00.000-07:002011-11-01T11:26:56.143-07:00Just a thought...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Over the past few days I’ve been confronted over and over with the idea of control. It hasn’t been easy issues, either, of trying to control my life or worrying about things or trying to keep things in line just how I like. I’ve been contemplating bigger issues that have been at the forefront of my mind through a couple sermons and essays I’ve happened to read over the past couple of days. I’ve been thinking about the way we, as Christians, try to control God. We sit through sermon after sermon of “3 ways to…” or “5 keys to…”. This is not to say that pastors are wrong in structuring their sermons this way. We like lists as a means of organizing thoughts to understand them better and remember them, but it does seem that this fosters a formulaic kind of Christianity that can become very dangerous. We use all sorts of buzz words and terms like having a relationship with Jesus and being in community with people and I think that is all totally correct and great, but it’s hard. Relationships are way harder than formulas. Here’s what Donald Miller writes:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />“To be honest, though, I don’t know how much I like the idea of my spirituality being relational. I suppose I believe it is true, but the formulas seem much better than God because the formulas offer control; and God, well, He is like a person, and people, as we all know, are complicated. The trouble with people is they do not always do what you tell them to do. Try it with your kids or your spouse or strangers at the grocery store, and you will see what I mean. The formulas propose that if you do this and this and this, God will respond. When I was a kid I wanted a dolphin for the same reason.”</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />What happens when we push toward formulas and steps in a process is that God becomes more and more like a machine that we have built and less like a person with whom we interact. This continues in a manner of us controlling God. What happens when we put ourselves in a place of controlling God? We become god. The person in control is above the person being controlled. Suddenly we think we are putting God first, but all the while we are putting ourselves first. God becomes a sort of vehicle for our own desires, opinions, and agendas. We are manipulating ourselves into believing that our own desires are His, that our own ideas are from Him, and that our own agendas are in line with His plans for us. <br />I’ve been trying to see how in the world to fight this and it’s so hard. I feel like all we can do is pray and approach God begging for humility and for Him to intercede in our selfish desires. I am just feeling challenged to get out of the way. He is so much better at this whole thing than I will ever be. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />Love,<br />Tripp</span></span></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-77519333834755651072011-10-24T10:12:00.000-07:002011-10-24T10:15:19.430-07:00Baltimore or Less<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Our second week on the road was spent in Baltimore, MD. We stayed downtown in the Radisson Lord Baltimore, a really beautiful old hotel. I didn't realize that this city is so dangerous, but apparently there is a very large and quite aggressive homeless population in the city of Baltimore. We learned quickly just to be smart and walk with others, especially after dark. That being said, we played the Hippodrome Theatre, which had great crowds and we felt so welcomed there. It was also fun to have a bunch of people from our home office of NETworks come to see the show and we were able to have a big party one night with them. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I loved the inner harbor area of Baltimore. We had great food there and I found it to be a great place to relax and take in the great weather we had, enjoy being by the water, people-watching, etc. Once day a group of 5 guys all took a car and drove down 30 minutes to Annapolis, MD. Having been there before for my brother's graduation, etc. I knew that it was a gorgeous seaside town and with the Naval Academy being there I thought it would be a great excursion to take. We wandered all around, taking in the campus and pondering what life would be like to actually go here or what it may have been like in WWII, when our show is placed. It is just a remarkable thing to see all those young men and women and know the sacrifice they are willing to make for their country. We learned a lot on the campus and enjoyed the history of the whole thing very much. At lunch time we knew we had to find some great crab somewhere so I started searching and found a gem for us. We drove out to Cantler's, a restaurant right on a creek/inlet. It was very unassuming, sitting back past neighborhoods down a tiny winding road, but I knew we were in for a treat, and boy were we happy! The crab was just out-of-this-world fresh and the atmosphere and company only added to the day. What a great time!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We also did a big outing to the National Aquarium in the inner harbor of Baltimore. It is a fantastic facility with so many incredible species. I forget how amazing creation is sometimes, but watching the jellyfish, sea turtles, and octopus definitely brought me back to that place of wonder and curiosity. How God could create such things, but then not be satisfied still and decided to make man... in HIS image... is just ridiculous. I find it humbling and flattering and wonderful all at once. Makes me feel loved that he sees those creatures, but wants us to have relationship and communion with Him. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Baltimore proved to have some really nice weather, too. We walked all around and went to a great art museum in town called the Walters Art Museum. Hidden jewels like that in towns are always so surprising. It was a really large museum with a great collection. Afterward we headed over to an area called Fell's Point that had really fun shops and restaurants and just enjoyed meandering near the water. I ended up meeting up with Katie Reid and her parents for a GREAT dinner that night, too. Having the Reids visit was so fun and kind of made up for the fact that I haven't gotten to see my own family in a while. Anyway- the Reids treat me as their own (Sometimes better than their own! Ha ha!) and I'm always happy to see them. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">That just about wraps up Baltimore, I guess! Tour is going well overall. We are just heading to our first stretch of shows traveling by bus and with fewer sitdowns after being spoiled with such a great schedule. This year of tour has already been so different than last year. Much better in some ways, but harder for me, I think. I'm having a hard time finding my life on tour. I don't feel like I know exactly what I'm doing. I don't know how to put it other than that. It sort of feels like I'm just floating around doing shows with these people and for what? Of course I believe in the work and know we are bringing a great show to audiences, but </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; ">I miss my family and friends on the road so much. I think that it actually gets worse and worse. It's not something that I get used to, but I just crave them more and more the longer I am living this strange vagabond life and seeing them all living in community with each other... in houses... and with cars... hmmm- what a thought! I'm definitely having fun and making building great friendships, I just have to also find my own life on the road; maybe it's time to create something like choreographing a piece or arranging a song or learning something new or something. Maybe I need a project. Ha ha! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; ">I miss you all tons. Call me!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: small; ">Tripp</span></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-58642641038585743002011-10-21T22:13:00.000-07:002011-10-21T23:17:19.568-07:00South Pacific Tour has begun... blogging on Beantown!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Our first few weeks on tour are great because we have a really easy schedule, filled with week-long sitdowns. The first two weeks, for instance, were spent in Boston and the Baltimore! I was so excited to spend some time in two cities I have visited, but am not really familiar with. It proved to be a fun kick-off couple of weeks, for sure.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Boston was so exciting. We stayed a little out of downtown, unfortunately, but had week-long passes on the train there to get around, which proved to be super useful. In boston we played the Boston Opera House, one of the most amazing buildings I've ever seen. It was cool to see how many amazing shows had played there and Boston is known for having pretty excellent, smart, and theatre-wise audiences. Because of that it was thrilling to have such full houses and responsive crowds to the show. Our opening night was so exciting! Running up and over that sand dune has to be one of the best entrances to a show I've ever had. It is exciting each and every time and that night, in particular, it was such an energy boost to hear the audience give us sailors great entrance applause! Ha ha! This week was also spent with the show just getting to know our tracks better and better.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In Boston, we made sure to take advantage of being in a wonderful, historic, seaside town! I ate so much seafood it was ridiculous! We spent one of our first days following around our cast-mate, Jess, who went to school in Boston. She took us all over town and helped get our bearings before we had dinner on the water and I discovered the glory of Mike's Pastry in the North End of Boston. This place is famous for their RIDICULOUS cannolis and I would be lying if I said over the course of the week I ate less than 4 of these amazing treats. SO GOOD!!! Boston has so much great food, though. We just stuffed ourselves silly. In that week we had great meals at Quincy Market, Legal Sea Food, Thinking Cup Coffee right by Boston Common, etc. Just so much great food!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was really happy to have friends to see in Boston also. My great friend of many years is a star in Beantown theatre circles. Kami Smith is always such a great friend to catch up with because she is always the same, wonderful person I have known forever. She is a consistent, hard working actor and loves life. I also love that she is a Southern girl at heart. Ha ha! Anyway- we were able to meet up for dinner and she came to see my show between work, rehearsals, and performances of her own show, which was such a treat! Love ya, Kami! I also had the pleasure of catching up with some people from Ogunquit Playhouse this summer! My son in "Music Man" was played by Colby Stack and he and his family came to see the show and took me out for a great Chinese dinner! I couldn't believe that they came to see me and Colby and his little sister sat through such a long show. They are such great people and I'm so thankful to have them as great new friends.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Another day a bunch of the cast made sure to do the Freedom Trail, which takes tourists in Boston to all the major historic sites in town. It is always cool to stop and recognize the human experience that must have been taking place so many years ago to lead us to where we are now and see the footprint of our courageous forefathers. I also had a great time discovering Cambridge quite a bit one day. We walked around Harvard for a long time and found some good food before wandering by the Charles River. The group I was with headed out to rest and spend time in town before the show, but I was so happy to walk around that I spent the whole day meandering on foot from Harvard, all through Cambridge by MIT, etc. until I walked over the bridge and in to downtown for the show that night. I find it's always important to find time to spend alone and check in with yourself on the road. It's the closest thing to going home that I have found. Just being alone, praying, listening to music that calms you and takes you to a comforting place is irreplaceable therapy as a vagabond traveler. Besides, that day I had possibly the greatest ice cream I've ever had. If you are ever in the Boston area you MUST experience Toscanini's Ice Cream. I had such a hard time choosing what I wanted, but was NOT disappointed. The list of flavors is out of this world and changes all the time as the ice cream is created on-site in their "lab." My flavor of the day was something they were calling B3- brown sugar, browned butter, and brownie. I died. You have to go there. The flavors... oh my heck. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The last couple days in Boston were spent making sure we experienced every last bit of shopping on Newbury Street and had brunch at the Paramount, etc. What a great city! We headed out of town, though, to fly (eventually, as our flight was delayed multiple times) to Baltimore, MD.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-15726811900551412732011-10-08T20:11:00.000-07:002011-10-08T22:20:47.410-07:00How to Build Magic<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’m now working on the national tour of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific.” A few years ago while in New York auditioning I was excited to get a student rush ticket to go see the revival of this sweeping show at the Vivian-Beaumont Theatre at the Lincoln Center Theatre. From the moment the orchestra played that epic overture I was off and enthralled in a magical night at the theatre. I was so impressed with the </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">excellence </span></span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">of the production. It was detailed, thoughtful, colorful, romantic, relevant and vital to today’s conversation about war and race. I was blown away. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Fast forward to March of 2011 and find me and my great friend Katie Reid on tour together in “’S Wonderful.” We were on the bus and talking about future plans and prospects for auditions, etc. when we saw that “South Pacific” was going on tour as a non-equity show and I knew I had to be part of it. I certainly believe in the power of positive thinking and, again, as we fast forward to summer of 2011… me and Katie are on the road in the show! I’m so proud to be part of such an incredible production and working with great companies to bring this Tony Award –winning production to audiences across the country. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is all well and good, but there are so many steps to making this happen. Even after the casting, design, and other pre-production work is underway, we head to rehearsal in New York and a whole slew of other steps begin in the process to open the show. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1) Rehearsals are held in a studio in NYC, basically a big open space with mirrors for us to use to learn the show. There are tables along one wall for the creative to use and slowly throughout the rehearsal weeks we will have more and more props and some small set pieces. Throughout these weeks we will also be called out of rehearsal for costume fittings where the costumers will have us try on our costumes and mark them for adjustments, etc. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2) Toward the end of the initial rehearsal process we have a “designer run” where the lighting, sound, set, and costume designers all come to watch the show in anticipation of adding their respective elements to the show. It is here that other final artistic decisions are made and it’s an important day to showcase the work that’s been done to producers, higher artistic staff, etc. Always an exciting day for the cast, too, because it is the first time to perform the show for some sort of audience. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3) Eventually the show moves into tech process. In a regional or summerstock setting this would mean moving into the theatre for the first time, but on tour, it just means moving into </span></span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a</span></span></i></b><span style="font-weight:normal;font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> theatre for the first time. It’s such an exciting moment to step onto the set for the first time. For me as an actor I try to take time to see what our little world feel like on stage. I walk around to find entrances, things that are different than I imagined, spots where I can watch or get away from people, etc. It’s a little bit of a sacred kind of initiation that takes place. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4) Teching is a really delicate, hard, tedious process. Every light, sound, set change, dance number, all has to be tweaked and changed completely to make it all work correctly. The show steps through very slowly from one light change to another, from one dance formation to the next, until the entire show is covered. This whole process can take a few VERY long days. For South Pacific, for instance, (a 3 hour show) we spent 4 full 10 hour days in the theatre before we had gone through the entire show. It is just a super specific balance to make sure everything is exactly as it should be. In the tech process the first layer that is added to make this whole thing a real show is lighting. An average audience member may not realize the impact that lighting can have on a production, but it’s astounding. It transforms everything. We also will add microphones and begin balancing and mixing the cast, getting us used to performing our tracks with wires, clips, and packs attached to us. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">5) Next costumes are added a few days before an audience comes in and this is always fun and interesting for the actors. It is that moment where you step into your character’s shoes (literally) for the first time. You have moments where you just </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">get it</span></span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> and panic moments when you realize you may have to shift some of your life on stage or negotiate things differently because of a costume. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">6) Next the orchestra will be added, another fun time. Up until this point we have been rehearsing only with a piano, so hearing the full breadth of a score (especially a rich one like this by R&H) is truly </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">thrilling</span></span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">7) At this point we are into what are really referred to as dress rehearsals where we work through the show as close to an actual performance as possible for the given amount of time.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">8) Finally there will be a couple days of “preview” performances where we will have a paid audience, but will still be adjusting things from show to show and receiving notes from our director, choreographer, etc. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">9) Then we have OPENING NIGHT! From this point on the show is “frozen”, meaning that the show should remain the same from this point on so the show that the audience sees on day 100 is of the same direction and intention as on day 1. Of course as actors we have freedom to explore, play, and discover, but all within the parameters and guidelines of the show set on us as a cast. Depending on the length of the run of the show, this is when the real work begins. It becomes a true job in the sense that the excitement and energy and discovery of each show must remain the same. Just as the audience is experiencing the show for the first time, each night </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">we </span></span></i><span style="font-style:normal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">must be discovering and experiencing each moment anew. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There ya have it! A look at what every one of these projects goes through to become the 2.5 hour experience you as an audience member receives. The more and more I do it the more and more I realize how magical it is, and yet how truly NOT magical it is. It is really a bunch of hard work from a bunch of people with passion for what they do. That is how magic is built. Hard work and passion. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Love to you all,</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tripp</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-15174532469952342282011-09-17T15:46:00.000-07:002011-09-17T17:40:40.644-07:00Acadia National Park Trip<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">When traveling I have learned that it is important to have goals and big plans and ideas so that you have something to work toward. I think it has something to do with feeling content to experience the place where you are at the moment, but then you end up sometimes really not experiencing much! You get into a groove and think, "Oh I will have time later to try this or that..." but in reality you don't have a lot of time in a place at all, so to make it worth your while it is great to have goals to reach and accomplish. From day one in Maine I said that I wanted to make my way to Acadia National Park.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Before I headed to Maine I researched the state a bit and over and over Acadia was mentioned as a place "not to be missed." I read so much about its overwhelming natural beauty and unique landscape. I knew I had to get up there! With the help of some of the other cast members, especially Tim Grady, I planned a big trip for 8 of us up to the park on one of our last days off for the whole contract. We drove up early Monday morning and checked into the motel that was just perfectly dank and covered in kitschy '70s decor.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBakZa9yOQM3oSLlB2YmIY_1xJhQlc1XbH9R6udbDbbiq9t6D8rmwjYBc1ANhwIdez8a0NsKazZ_q1QHcSgOi1hkdZbJpiC_SLt1f4soHNi_YKvBgvm4-FfTnlzEGII21kD1dPUA9hCfM/s1600/DSC_0020.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBakZa9yOQM3oSLlB2YmIY_1xJhQlc1XbH9R6udbDbbiq9t6D8rmwjYBc1ANhwIdez8a0NsKazZ_q1QHcSgOi1hkdZbJpiC_SLt1f4soHNi_YKvBgvm4-FfTnlzEGII21kD1dPUA9hCfM/s400/DSC_0020.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653466454112757810" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />Once we made it to Mt. Desert Island we had a great lunch in Bar Harbor and decided to go for a hike. I went to the visitor's center and asked one of the park guides to recommend a hike for us. I said, "We are all young and active. We don't have much time, but want to do something fun with good views." His immediate response was that he would do Precipice Trail because it had some fun rocks to climb over and the top was a gorgeous view of the ocean in front of you and Cadillac Moutain behind you. Cadillac is famous for being the highest peak on the East coast. I thought it sounded great, so we headed to Precipice!</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">When we pulled up we saw... basically just a cliff face. It was beautiful and high and I thought I had certainly gotten our group into a mess, but everyone stretched and we started on our way. We made our way over boulders, around bends, and up rungs. It was fantastic, but probably more than we bargained for. Ha ha! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZYwo30W6hpaLydgFw5imtlMjc2lIq_hu7N16J61MP8cwUxOw0sG1FpGUaMS307JNux8Yp8GCjL_DPadwzmhVtXOulKb270gPSfBIxAiJjv6u7AyOQ547c_KTmHiGPcrdjfPIWKclm7g/s400/DSC_0068.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5653485107260679186" style="text-align: left;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px; " /></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We finished our day after our big accomplishment, reaching the "Precipice" by driving around Loop Road in the park and taking in so many gorgeous sights. The next morning I was determined to wake up and head to the top of Cadillac Mountain. If you watch sunrise from there you are the first people to see the sun rise in the USA. I thought that would be so cool, so I drug the WHOLE GROUP out of bed and we drove up through fog and rain to at least try, but it was a failed attempt. I got some major flack for that, but overall the trip was a major success and a big way to finish our contract in Ogunquit. Tim Grady made a fantastic video that is hilarious and accurate and shows some of the highlights of our trip. I've attached it below in two parts. Enjoy!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/MCnoV6huC0A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sUXba3oYcuE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Heading out on tour with South Pacific soon. Let the antics begin!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Tripp</span></span></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-51617722160775195812011-08-18T18:10:00.000-07:002011-08-19T14:34:32.964-07:00OH!!!!! (gunquit)!<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm currently finishing up a run of "The Music Man" at Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine and, having now spent 6 weeks in southern Maine, I just had to post on the blog about my time and travels here. I didn't know what to expect when traveling up to this part of the country, but was so excited to explore. First, I must say that my experience at the playhouse has been wonderful. It was a joy to work with Ray Roderick and Jeffry Denman on such a beautiful production of this show. My accommodations here have been great, the facilities are wonderful, and the cast has become such a beautiful family. I have been learning so much from pros with multiple Broadway credits and tons of stories of working on monumental productions. I am humbled to share the stage with these folks. Then- I am also performing in the quartet in the show and to sing with these 3 other gentlemen is such a treat each and every day. There are always so many moments on stage where I discover new things and we find ourselves cracking up through the whole show. I have never had to keep myself from breaking so many times on stage, but I am so glad that's my problem! Ha ha!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Beyond having such a wonderful job to go to every day, I also have been able to experience so much beauty and joy up in this area. I just don't know how to cover all, but I'll give it a whirl... The town of Ogunquit (7 min walk from our house) is really charming . It is made up of 3 cross streets (Route 1, Shore Rd., and Beach St.) that form a really nice little square. There are all sorts of cute restaurants, shops, galleries, etc. that make up the main strip of storefronts. There is a great little grocery, outdoor seating for lunch, gift shops, a pizza stop, and my everyday coffee stop, Bread and Roses. It is the greatest little bakery and coffee shop! A walk down Beach Street takes you to.... you guessed it.... the beach. Ogunquit Beach is on a sandbar, so the Ogunquit River flows through as well. The tides here are amazing, making the beach shrink in such a dramatic way. I've never seen anything like it. The river is a great place to float and enjoy a sunny day while the tide is high. I must admit, though... the water up here is FREEZING. There has only been a couple of days when it was even bearable to go in. We'll just keep calling it "refreshing" to make ourselves feel better. Ha ha! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-03zL-cPuge1CBj-bmgLIF9fOat2HHbMagvdgShzXgKn0vLJXbYZdUOcqyPU902uZdlq0N2vc-r98F7nk0SW0g0SVt3ML-ArDXhQggQV0HAvApHxOUHCS42YqY486SMg_p_x1zn6nW1M/s400/280236_716212622510_50902046_36257101_7809056_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642667122871255426" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ogunquit River on the left and Ogunquit Beach on the right.</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We usually wander over to the marginal way as often as possible. It's a walking path that goes along the rocky coast of Maine connecting Ogunquit Beach with the town of Perkins Cove. Around every little bend is a view more breath-taking than the last. It's just remarkable to see the power of God's creation at work on those rocks. Perkin's cove is one of my favorite spots in the area. This picturesque town looks like it's right out of a movie set. You wander in and can enjoy the view of all the sailboats bobbing in the cove and then making your way into the tiny loop of the village, there are local candy shops, toy stores, a deli, a coffee shop with jaw-dropping views, and our most frequented meal... Footbridge Lobster. I can't begin to tell you about their lobster roll, but I'll just say for $13.99 you just eat and eat and eat your way through a lobster roll that is meaty and butter and perfect. I love to sit on the dock to eat it and walk along the footbridge over the cove. What a magical spot! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipoO5aoAXlcib-AxEjMt_aR-CRZuvRPyV9GFZ4xYTnp1-FotupOz2h6i60bkgJq3R4nlhoxBvee-CYC5ffeCJKckqcxB36v75VwyIzLxEbBTYdM0yyhQamu5HiJEI3U9JROHtvPIlKlQE/s400/267148_716722760190_50902046_36268749_4105984_o.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642667129476185330" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Eating Footbridge Lobster Rolls on the dock in Perkins Cove.</span></i></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Right over by Perkins Cove is the Ogunquit Museum of American Art, a cute little museum with a nice collection that we enjoyed one day. The real draw of heading to the museum, though, is the property on which it sits. There are great gardens and things, but the rocks behind the building jut out into some beautiful water where you can jump and swim and enjoy the views that just never seem to get old. We spent one day rock-jumping right off those rocks, climbing aroudn and finding our best natural diving board to play on! </span></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1920299772334&oid=256546464362468&comments&set=t.50902046&type=1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;">Here's a video of one of my jumps!</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> It is from "Bulldog Rock", about 15 feet into the water. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We also spent a day in Kennebunkport, the beautiful town just north of us. It is a beautiful stop, very similar to Ogunquit, but with even more stores and cute sites. My favorite part of our time there was the drive along the coast where we happened upon some beautiful homes, a church, and the Bush Estate, where President George Bush Sr. lives. He and Barbara even came to see our show and we got to meet them and the quartet sang "Lida Rose" with the President! What an experience. Another day we went to the nearby town of Cape Neddick and looked at the quintessential lighthouse, Nubble Light. This working lighthouse is practically the symbol of the state and was just as gorgeous as you may imagine! I also made the trek up to Portland one day to look around the Old Port and see what the biggest city in the state had to offer. More of the same... brilliant food, cute shops, ho hum...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDhOQUNzksrw70HPNJbiQpWEERECyqBuRntzt7CyTwADY2ExE2IL47gXZoiO7zkYsZ9tInCqdAy7H8g88VzWDRS0TE27xkuMURjEoCSpcNG5UvLrBr5ZH0LDstTyt4fmwJkFYI4yp2Mww/s400/DSC_0015.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642667118233135874" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 287px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The quartet meets Pres. George Bush Sr.!</span></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">
<br /></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Probably the thing that has made this contract so great, though, has been the people of this community embracing us so much. We have had so many parties thrown for us by board members, volunteers of the theatre, parents of children in the show, patrons, etc. Some favorites include the barbecue and Greek Feast held at the gorgeous home of the President of our board, Jim Morgan. What a wonderful place to spend an evening and eat GREAT food. Also- the Kingston family just blew us away at the Clam Shack, their restaurant in Kennebunkport. The 3 Kingston girls are three gems in the cast and we have grown to love them and their family so much. They hosted a night for us that I will not soon forget where we gorged on piles of fresh lobster, scallops, shrimp, and ice cream for dessert. They treated us too well! </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgloxx4L231C8LrTRGTwhMSTG_kF1x8BgQW1IYDd0Yk3LEgszpbPxI8NxO9eReogwkDLijcymOilfA-XbknsD6gFifcRSWeIr_ZGxTjsvgLX31f_XuDbexv3IqO7IlA9SSbVYGF0KwIJoE/s400/284061_1435974254524_1087980158_31152747_3363626_n.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5642667122992063234" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 268px; " /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The barbecue at Pres. of the Board Jim Morgan's house.</span></i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">
<br /></span></i></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">One stop after another Ogunquit has been taking my breath away for 6 weeks. I have officially fallen head over heels in love with Maine and I just HOPE that my time here is just the first in a long line of visits to come! There is too much here to see and explore to only visit once. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">
<br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Love you Maine!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tripp</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">
<br /></span></span></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-83306024282310007152011-07-11T18:13:00.000-07:002011-07-11T18:24:26.273-07:00Fears vs. Dreams<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I am proud to say I am a dreamer. I am also a do-er. I hear people saying all the time that they would love to go somewhere or be something or try this or that, but rarely watch people take a leap of faith and DO IT. I think I've always been adventurous and willing to try new things, but because of events that happened December 18, 2008... I am now more than willing. I make it a goal to run toward the unknown, the stuff that scares me, and to reach to places where I feel a little uneasy. I learned a lot that night, but one thing is that with great risk comes great accomplishment, joy, excitement, and sometimes tragedy. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I decided in the weeks following that night that I would NEVER operate out of fear. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; ">It's not worth it. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Living a life of no risk is living no life. I know my life seems crazy to some people, but trust me... from my perspective it looks even crazier! I wish so much that I could share so many things with my family and friends that I have tasted or seen or heard. These experiences are usually the product of taking a chance. Today on donmilleris.com one of my favorite authors wrote this and I thought it was so fantastic. </span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">"We don’t normally face our fears willingly. Usually, God has to woo us into the desert. We are either chasing love or some other desire, and we find ourselves in the midst of a situation in which we have very little control. And when we lose control, we go into a mild form of trauma. But the good news is the greatest stories are lived in the desert. The great lives are lived in the places we most fear. If we fear being rejected, the great story has us standing at the door with flowers in our hands, if we fear losing love, the great stories have us letting that person go rather than clinging to them. If we fear taking a chance on a dream, the great stories have us quitting our jobs...</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">So, what is your greatest fear? And don’t you know, the life you want involves taking that huge risk. It’s scary I know, because the truth is it might end in tragedy. But then again, half of Shakespeare’s plays are tragedies, and nobody thinks of him as a fool. He was brilliant.</span></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(100, 100, 100); line-height: 18px; font-family:Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;">May half your stories be tragedies too. And may the other half be comedies that work out great. And may they all be beautiful."</span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Live your story. Take a risk. Dream on. Live on. Live rejoicing. </span></span></p><p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Tripp</span></span></p></span>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5196687899750055932.post-70897203449304546222011-07-08T19:16:00.000-07:002011-07-08T19:41:54.302-07:00On the Road Again<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I was able to spend the month of June at home in Kentucky, which was just so perfect. I am so happy to travel, be independent, adventurous, and have such a crazy life, but I tell you what... I am always so glad to return home. My parents raised their kids this way. We all want to leave and go and see and explore, but we all are so happy to come home, too. I can't remember a time at home that I have been so content as last month. It was a time to really embrace family, friends, and enjoy some excellent summer moments.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">During my time in Kentucky I did the music at my cousin, Emily's wedding, spent time in Bardstown with my family, enjoyed meals all over Louisville, got to eat some incredible meals by Berry Hampton, etc. There were two pretty exciting things that happened as well. My sister, Taylor, came up to Kentucky and we were all there under one roof for 2 weeks!!! I can't remember the last time that happened, but I am so sad it isn't more often. I was so glad to see her and spend some great time with someone who knows me so well. We have always been close, but there are just so few people that I would rather run errands with, learn from, watch TV with, sing with... She was my partner in crime for so many years and the one person in this world who really knows what a blessing it was to grow up in our home. She is an incredible person and these days is proving to be a pretty incredible wife and mom as well. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The biggest perk of her coming home was that I got to spend so much time with her first son, Jonah!!! I have had the pleasure of being able to see Jonah twice before even with touring and everything, which has been so amazing, but this time was the most exciting. Within 30 minutes I was so shocked by how in his 6 months of life he has developed a little personality. It was so amazing to see him discovering things and hearing his own laugh and seeing smiles and being mesmerized or confused or excited. I can't wait to have children one day, but for now... having nieces and nephews to watch is just the most precious thing. That human experienced happening for the first time is a crazy thing to think about and wrap your mind around.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">While I was home my dear friend, Katie Reid also made a trip to Kentucky, which was SO FUN! She flew in and spent the night at the Hampton House before we made a little road trip out to Prestonsburg, KY, where we saw our great friend, Katie Mitchell performing at Jenny Wiley Theatre. It was a wonderful visit with good food, a hug bonfire, the show, a nice hike through the state park, and lots of talks. Those girls are almost like sisters to me and treat me as such. They are so excellent.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I finally had to head out to get to my latest job in Maine and I couldn't help but be sad to leave. My time at home was way to short, but it was spent well. The 20 hour drive to Maine was pretty epic in the un-airconditioned Jeep Cherokee. I made my first leg to White Sulphur Springs, WV, where I met up with my great friend, Mark Scherer. I haven't seen Mark in WAY too long and it was a visit that was long overdue. He is working at the Greenbrier resort, which reminded me SO MUCH of my cruise ship. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Next I drove North and stopped in Winchester, VA, where I had lunch with friends from Shenandoah, Mikey Nagy and Erika Conaway. It was so fun to stop in and see friends from SSMT and watch their gypsy run of the current show. They always do such excellent work and I am thrilled to be an alum of that theatre. They are so sweet. Winchester was just a stop, though, on my way to Hershey, PA where I stayed for the night. My best friend on my cruise ship was Lindsay Karchawer and she has found a real second home at Hershey. It's always fun to visit her and it's like not a day has gone by. Lindsay can make me laugh like no one else and is disgustingly talented. Man, can that girl sing!!!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The last leg of my trip took me to Maine, but first I ended up having to drive through New Jersey and New York City, which was MISERABLE!!! The traffic was a nightmare, the toll roads were never-ending... I was annoyed. I made a stop along the way, though, in Natick, MA at Tavis Doucette's house for a July 4th party. It was quick, but always good to see such a good buddy and share some laughs. Afterward I pushed through and finally made it to Ogunquit, ME, where I am performing in "Music Man." This show is dear to my heart and certainly one of my favorite pieces of musical theatre. We've been rehearsing for 4 days and already I am being challenged with the barbershop music, but being in rehearsal with this cast is thrilling. Everyday there are moments of brilliance when we all realize what a special project this is. I am personally just trying to soak up every moment, enjoying a private room and bathroom (can't remember the last time that happened!), and the great little house where we live. I try my best to spend as much time as possible on our great wrap-around porch, and riding my bike or being near the water. It's so beautiful here. I'm glad to explore a new part of the country!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Man that was a lot! Thanks for keeping up, all! Love, </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Tripp</span></span></div>Tripphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11318220439612428894noreply@blogger.com1