um...

So today was our "Load Out" day. We are, of course, loading in and out of all the theatres we play, but today was extra special as we had to somehow get the set from four flights up the elevator-free Masonic Temple that is our rehearsal hall down onto the street and into the van without getting shot for being theatre freaks in Dorchester or getting crushed for being incompetent weaklings. Oh, and there was one more fun addition to the day - the four crew men that were hired to help us move the hundreds of pounds of set didn't show up...so we, the indoor kids, took their place. Let's just say this process involved a large pulley, a lot of back braces, a large and very burly man named Bart and a lot of actors trying not to pee in their pants as giant pieces of steel were slowly but surely lowered ONTO them. Here are a few pictures.

Set Picture

To give you an idea of the size of our set - it will look fairly small on the stages we are playing but it looks fairly enormous when you try to put it into a truck.

mustering our courage

Part of team "Classics!" - the weakest, palest, most frightened part of the team - otherwise known as "actors." Quimby, Sarah, Nick, Anna and Tom. Notice the vacant look in Tom's eyes...notice where his hand is.

Stairs

The four glorious flights of the Masonic Temple.

please don't die

This is everyone hoisting the heaviest part of the set over the banister after I ducked out so as to avoid being decapitated. Check out the dude squatting on the bottom right - that's Bart. He was tied to the wall with a three hundred pound item attached to his crotch. He was fairly heroic. He also offered me a ride home. Yeah...

View of Boston from our rehearsal space in Dorchester.

I enjoy my new camera...

Soooo much. But not too much, that's gross. I am pleased because now I can share more of my everyday, always poignant experiences with you, dear reader. It'll be an addition to my blog that shall henceforth be known as "can you see what I see?" When you read that last sentence you can think to yourself: "yes, yes I can." If you want to practice, you can scan backwards in the sentences and repeat the exercise. Good luck.

Today, most of our allotted eight hours of rehearsal were spent driving to Logan Airport in order to get our Department of Transportation physicals. This was to ensure that we were physically fit enough to operate the very, very large truck and occasional Bowing 747 that we will be traveling the eastern sections of the country in...After waiting two hours to pee in a cup, I was told that I don't have diabetes and was therfore qualified to operate anything and everything I could obtain the keys for.

Tomorrow we have two runs of the show in order to prepare us for the all-exciting "designer run" on Monday. That's six changes of shoes, seventy five run-on sentences recited and two sword spanks on the bottom for me... If I don't get those shoes changed in just the right way, they might fire me. Seriously. Updates as warranted.

Chris enjoys himself...

Am I kidding your face?

No. No I am not. This is my blog. Nobody likes a group email, right? My friend Julia recently spent time in Rwanda and she kept a blog and it's cool and poignant. I am going on an absurd tour of the eastern seaboard and I will keep a blog. Cool? Not at all. Are you kidding my face? It's a BLOG. Poignant? I think you'll agree that it already is.

So, to begin my journey into utter geekdom I will say that I am currently in boston having finished only half of the four and a half week rehearsal period for the show I am in. We leave for our first date in North Carolina on October sixth. Until then, I am hopping around between the apartments of three of my oldest friends who all happen to live in the same area and who have graciously agreed to lend me their couches and beds...and who I occasionally spoon in the middle of the night when I'm pretty sure they are sleeping. Only been caught once. (sorry, julia)

To give you an idea of the show I am working on I will say only this: sometimes I wear a cape, sometimes I "clinch" and sometimes - just sometimes - i get spanked.

that's all for now...