Let the Long Bus Ride Begin

Richmond, Virginia

About nine and a half hours later we were stepping off the bus from Providence, RI to Richmond, VI.  All nice and cozy in the bus seats, it was time to move and stretch and find our way to our rooms.

After catching up on some much needed sleep it was time to get out and see what this city had to offer.

VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University was right around the corner along with some shops and places to eat.  The campus was located right in the downtown area.

If you were up for some gallivanting in the sun however, the canal trails were the place to be.

Running over the Richmond Evacuation Bridge, pipes, and close to the water put in perspective that even in this city, you were still able to escape back to nature.

And when we were all tuckered out, it was time for a Girls Night Movie Night!

I swore I would never watch it, but it happened.  I caved and watched "Blades of Glory".

A room full of girls, all with skating backgrounds, popcorn, chocolate-covered strawberries, and candy can only mean one thing…sugar-highs, laughs, and good times.

The fun didn't stop there because my parents and Grandma made the trip to visit this week!! There is nothing like a good taste of home that can always lift your spirits even higher.  However, goodbyes are still as hard as ever.

Until the next though, it is time to head on to the next city.

See you along the coast!!

Back in the Northeast

Providence, Rhode Island

The leaves are changing, there is a chill in the air, and it is beginning to feel like fall.  No more steamy, hot, humidity of Florida.  It's football weather now.  Light jackets, hoodies, and boots are just around the corner with bonfires, s'mores, and warm apple cider.

It's amazing what a place can look like at a different time of the year.

I really wish the Fire Water display was still up and running, but maybe next time we come through it will be.  At least we were a little closer this year and there wasn't snow on the ground.

A little less than a year ago, I was here over Christmas and wow, when the sun is shining and the temperatures aren't dropping below freezing, so much can change.  It really makes sight seeing and exploring what the city has to offer so much more enjoyable.  

Running through the streets gives you such a different outlook of a place over just driving through.

The cobblestone streets and trees that drape across the road forming an arch over your head, with antique looking light posts, really gives it a small town feel.

Further up the road, I came across Brown University with its own downtown area with places to eat, hangout, and shop.  It may not be SRU (Slippery Rock University), but for the week it was definitely enjoyable.

Something that was even better about this city, other than the Cheesecake Factory that was in walking distance along with the mall, but I got to see a friend from last year's tour!

We all say goodbye when the season ends, thinking we may never see a particular person again, and sooner than you think, things fall into place and you are put face-to-face with that exact person. It's funny how those things work and how people are magically brought back together again.

It is always such a lift seeing a familiar face on the road.  A good, home-cooked meal, and being in a house setting in a neighborhood away from the hotel is even better.

It is funny how the smallest things go unnoticed when you are so used to them and as soon as the disappear you begin to miss them with a passion.

Anyways, it was time to get back on the road again; and a very long bus ride later, we arrived in Virginia.

Show Buzz #1

D34!!

New building, rehearsing in Florida, and we have mini vans!!  Ya, we looked pretty cool rolling around everywhere in our red and white Dodge Mini Vans.  This was definitely a change from either the bus or the taxi services that we are used to on tour. 

Aside from the transportation luxury, we were in store for a lot more to come. 

Before we even had our first meeting, or our first session on the ice, we were already working on becoming a family.  The day everyone landed, it was time for a BBQ!

We are lucky to have the crew that we do because they set us up really nicely with custom-made cornhole boards and bags to match.  We even had a basketball hoop, a picnic table, and two grilles to use at our leisure. 

Oh there were countless nights of sitting around that table playing cornhole and basketball, listening to music, telling stories of where we were from, our background, and just getting to know each other. 

Those were the days. 

Then, before we knew it we were doing dress runs and preview shows and it was time to open!!

After being in the same place for five or well about six weeks in the end, it gets to feel like home and not a whole lot like tour life.  However, we all needed a change and just in time for us to open the show in Orlando!

Why not start out with a bang: opening city = opening night party + 6-pack weekend!

What a way to kick off the brand new show!

Coming off all of that excitement, it was time to calm down and enjoy the fall-like weather in Providence.  Finally we were getting out of the hot, steamy humidity that Florida kept dishing out. 

With two cities under our belt, we still have a lot to learn, but a whole year ahead of us.  We will see where it takes us!

Places to see: 

Ellenton/Palmetto: The World of Harry Potter, Universal Studios, the outlets, the Beach!  Basically if it was a day off and we had enough energy to do something other than just sit by the pool we ventured out.  Days off in rehearsals were definitely low-key. 

Orlando: Downtown Orlando shops and a small festival, Walt Disney World.  Opening city!! Opening Night Party!!

Providence:  Providence Place Mall, Brown University, Cheesecake Factory! (Fire Water had already concluded for the season)

Accomplishments:

Office Staff: 4 returners out of 5

Crew: 6 returners out of 15

Cast:  11 returners out of 40

FCP:   75 total!!

Opening City!

So it is finally here!  I cannot believe that after five to six weeks of rehearsals, we are finally hitting the road again.  We are actually moving on!  It may have been a short trip basically up the road, but it’s a start.

It is a chance to start fresh and brand new.  We are finally getting into a show routine!  There is a long road ahead of us and we may be just starting, but you have to start somewhere to end up where you want to be in the end. 

We all pulled together to get through this week and took on all the adversities and in the end we stood strong and tall as a family.  We are all on this long journey together. 

With a few preview shows under our belts, it was time to get real.  After a few days off letting our feet and bodies recuperate and getting a chance to take in the views that Orlando had to offer, it was time to get down to business. 

While the crew had been busy at work putting in the long hours to make our Opening Night successful, it was time that we did the same and got back to work.

Just around the corner it was the official opening night of the new show! 

Of course there were the first show jitters and butterflies, but no one can take the feeling away from you that fills your body when you hit the ice for the first time.  The people are filling the seats all the way to top of the building, the show lights hit you and the music starts; it’s show time!

Before you know it, the first Act is done and you get a chance to breathe at intermission.  Then, Act two starts and before you realize what is going on you are in finale and the show is done.  You finish and you are almost ready to go again because of the adrenaline. 

Having everyone in such a good mood, it was time to celebrate and congratulations was in order for making it through rehearsals and the first show!

No time to relax though; we may just be have opened, but we have to keep to it.

See you all in the north!

Here's to New Beginnings!

I cannot believe that two months at home have gone so fast.  It is crazy how time flies.  One minute I was just walking through the door from being on the road for nine months and the next; I am boarding a plane for rehearsals to start the new touring season. 

I cannot wait to see what this year brings and the memories that unfold.  Even though saying goodbye to friends and family was still one of the hardest parts about leaving for tour, knowing a little more of what to expect this year definitely made the travel and transition a lot easier. 

Walking in knowing that we were all starting from the same point on a new show brought us all closer together.  We were an immediate family; that, and the fact that we all got together and had a BBQ the night we flew into Florida.  It was a nice way to bring everyone together and hangout before we actually got to work together. 

Corn hole, basketball, yummy food, good music, and a picnic table in the hotel parking lot in the steamy Florida heat with new people could only mean one thing…the start of a brand new touring season!

It was going to be a long, hard rehearsal period for the next five weeks to come, with very sore feet and long hours, but we were going to make it work.

Everyone put their best foot forward and trucked along through whatever came our way.  Each day we learned not only more about the show, but we learned more about each other and after those long days it just comes down to the fact that we are all people too.  We are all coming from different backgrounds and experiences and were collected together to perform as a unit. 

Even though it may not be ideal, it was just the opportune situation for this group.  

One day off a week may seem a bit steep, but going to the beach, shopping, relaxing by the pool, going to Universal Studios; had a mysterious way of making us all appreciate that time we had together so much more. 

I have never been in one place for so long while on tour, that it is beginning to feel like home and just when it does, it is time to keep on moving.  Through the first days of class together and all the meetings to the rehearsal days of long scene ice to follow to the dress runs and preview show; we made it!!

Now, it’s time to get on the road!

Here we come U.S.A!          

                                                           

Georgia Peaches

As we started this last week together I cannot believe how far we have come.  From those first two weeks in Rockford, IL I would have never known that we would have become as close a what we have.  We are all from different places around the world and are able to come together for nine months and be our own little unique family. 

We travel together, celebrate together, make the most of the holidays together, and are there for support when we all need it the most.  I never thought I could get so close to a group of people that were so different, but it happened.

We have shared so many memories and good times together and I am going to miss each and every one of them. 

If it were not for the love of the sport, determination, and hard work, I would have never even had this opportunity of a lifetime.  I am truly blessed and feel incredibly honored to say that I am able to perform for a living.  I feel like I am living the dream.

There were times over this year however that it was hard, but we all pulled together and are finishing strong.  This was an amazing group of people that I am very pleased to say that I was a part of.  I wish them the best of luck on their journey and hope that our paths cross again in the future. 

Finishing up the last week in the south made for a warm ending after all those long, cold winter months we have had. 

I cannot even believe we made it this far.  It feels like we just started tour yesterday. 

See you all again on the road next year! :) 

Back to Texas

From the booming, flashy town of Las Vegas, Nevada to the small-town atmosphere of Corpis Christi, Texas we were in for a change. 

Travel day started off with a bang when both flights were overbooked and then the second plane could not fit all of luggage on.  About 30 pieces of luggage were left behind and some people were left with no luggage whatsoever.  Rest assured though, all the bags were returned to the owners later that night.  Thank goodness because the next day was our closing night party. 

Located along the beach, with access to the restaurant as well as volleyball nets, corn hole, and other beach-themed games, it was time to have some fun.  Everyone was mingling and watching the basketball and hockey games that were on the television screens throughout the building along with enjoying the view from either inside, outside, or right along the beach. 

It was a more relaxed atmosphere than what opening night party was and it really brought everyone closer together again.  It was the last big hurrah with everyone together because from here, not everyone will be continuing on to next year with the same group.  It is very sad to realize that this year is coming to end, but it does show us all how far we have come as a group and the triumphs that we have had. 

It is not goodbye forever; just maybe for some it is goodbye for now.

Until then though, we still have a little time left and are going to make the most of it!

One more week!