When Everything Falls Apart

To try to make everything work, you know? Yeah. It's supposed to be our friend, but when it goes wrong, Woo. I mean, it's not even that it went wrong. It's like, you know, just trying to use it. Yeah. Gotcha. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Yeah, exactly. And then it's gotta go with the flow. Yeah. Yeah. Or you know, you wait for it all to fall apart, , but everything falls apart.

Plan B. Exactly. And sometimes plan C. Right? Exactly. Yeah. So, uh, you know, Thinking that maybe we should introduce ourselves a bit more and maybe we'll just dive right in on that. What do you think? Yeah, definitely. Yeah, we kinda talked about our kids and how they got into theater, but we didn't really talk about ourselves.

Yeah. Well, I mean, at least my getting into theater is all centered around the fact my kid got into theater. So, you know, you didn't do anything before that when you were younger? Not for theater, no. I mean, like, I have a pretty varied past life. Mm-hmm. , um, especially professionally speaking, like, you know, we all talk about as adults, like.

Our life is our work. Mm-hmm. , you know, but, um, so until Pinky got involved in it, I mean, we've always just been supportive of whatever it is the kids are doing, right? Mm-hmm. , so like, uh, when they were younger, we were real heavy into, um, Swim. They joined the local, well I say local swim team. We actually didn't join our local swim team.

We joined the Winter Haven one, which was not as local as Local One, not so much local , but the local one was. We found later, I'm glad that we didn't just because their like home based swim team was like positioned directly over. So it's like really, really hot

Cause we would have to do like swim meets miserable go to And they're long. Yeah, they're long. Yeah. But we would go to that pool, the gandi pool, I think is what it's called. Mm-hmm. . So we would go to the gandi pool and you're just like, you're just boring sweat and like, You know, of course we're not in the water.

We're not getting to cool off. We're just it. Adults swim. Adults swim. That's right. Not that I can do it very well, but yeah,

and they're like, um, can you please get out the pool? Yeah, I'll you the end. Last one there wins . Exactly. But yeah, it's, uh, so we were getting really involved in the swim stuff and then the kids were kind of like, We're done with this. Ah, So we, you know, abandoned that. And then we were kind of in search of like, what are we trying next?

Because you, you, the kids needed something. Mm-hmm. , you know. Right. And, um, McKayla got into band and I was like, Great, this is great. And then she got tuba and I cried, . Um, it was like, what happened? Oh my God. I bet it was bigger than she was. She didn't choose it. She still is. Yeah. Well, yeah, I'm sure it is.

Did she choose it? She did. So that when you get into band, they, um, they have like a. and, um, like in, in middle school. Mm-hmm. , you know, when you start in sixth grade and they have a day where you try out several different instruments and then they, um, the banded teacher will decide which one is the right one for you.

Mm-hmm. , and I'm not sure what the criteria is, even after all this time. And I was a music performance major in college, so like, you'd think I'd know this, I don't know this, I don't know what the criteria was, like why was I pointed to clarinet? Right. Right. And she was pointed to. Yeah. I don't know. It's something about like how well you can make a noise on it that first day.

Yes. I don't know if it's that simple. I think it's that simple. That's my guess. My brother got pointed to Tuba when he missed the day that they were signing instruments and nobody else wanted to. Tuba came like the school the next day and he was playing the Tubo. Oh, dang. Nice. Yeah. Yeah. So he was just unlucky.

Exactly. Oh man. Did he stick? just through high school, you know, being that okay. Mm-hmm. , but still that's, that's good. That's a few years, yeah. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Okay. Through, So in middle school, through high school, right? Yeah. Okay. Yeah. That's a few years. Yeah. So was Makayla excited about the, the tuba situation?

She was super excited about the tuba. Okay. Okay. And she still is today. She loves the tuba. Mm-hmm. . And she loves the fact that she's a girl that plays the tuba. Mm-hmm. , which is actually kind of a rarity. Sure. Yes, yes. Even if she still struggles today, to lift the damn thing in the car. , you have to get out

In the Harrison lot, you know, And, Okay, sorry, everybody I like pop the thing and it's boooooo, boooooo for, you know, 30 seconds is the thing raises, and then I help her get it into the car. Oh. And then as it comes back down, we get in the car, go and it's a team lift. Oh yeah. I've helped with that thing before.

But yeah. And then, And then Pinky. Well, I'm, I told this story. Mm-hmm. last time Pinky got, you know, she tried soccer. That didn't work. Mm-hmm. , I tried to be supportive, but I just can't lie to the kids. I know. So, you know when she'd come off the field and she's like, How is that game, mommy? And I'm like, Well, you almost hits the ball.

Yeah. You know, Keep going, baby. You've almost got it. Keep running after it. Yeah. And she just realized she sucked. And it's okay. I mean, we're not absolutely, we're not really a sporty family. Um, but the, you know, she tried it and I, and I did, I got the, like the poster size print of her mm-hmm. , you know, and I free Nice out and I put it on the wall in the hall and she came home the day I had framed it and put it up and she's like, Why is that here

Cause at this point we were already involved in theater. We were doing our first show. Yeah, yeah. And she's like, Why is that here? And I'm like, Well, you, you know, I'm proud of you baby. You know, you tried and you know, it's a cute picture and it just represents that time of your life or whatever. And. . No.

Get rid of it. You gotta take it down . Yeah. Yeah. That's gotta go. Yeah. She had already moved on, you know? Well, yeah, and fast. She found her jam. It was really fast. So she was really good at swim though, for what it's worth. Oh wow. She was really good. It took her a while to find. kind of, excuse me, Her groove there.

Okay. Um, but when she did, like, she had this like beautiful dive off the block into the water mm-hmm. , and I was like, Oh man, if she wasn't so short, she might have a real shot at, you know, doing something a real with this. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. But she she'd like beautiful dive into the water and then she was the last one a lot of the time.

Mm-hmm. because she was swimming in her age group and she's always been so tiny and petite for her age group. Mm-hmm. , she just, she should have been swimming with like, you know, she was. I, I don't know, maybe first grade. Mm-hmm. , second grade maybe when that was all going down and she was swimming against, you know, those same kids that are, they've already got like a foot of growth on her.

Right. Right. Exactly. That's a big difference. Something a longer legs. It does. I mean, you see just a few inches. Can make a difference. Mm-hmm. Or a different cardiovascular system can make a difference in swim. Yeah. Yeah. It's a big deal. It's a big deal. Yeah. Did you have any previous theater experience?

Zero. So I didn't have any at all. Um, PJ had a little bit of like church choir situation. Okay. But other than that I did not. Um, I'm a nurse by trade. Um, been doing that for, Oh, A long time now I'm gonna date myself, but, um, uh, I don't know, like 16, 17 nurses has been a long time. So, but yeah, so I've been doing that.

And, uh, PJ's a nurse as well, so we're very like obviously medical field, you know. Um, he's definitely more creative. Mm-hmm. than I am, so Gabby definitely gets that from her dad. Yeah. So that's not any trait that she gets from me at all. Well, maybe they'll get to do a show together. We've got that one coming up that has kids and adults, so that'll be fun.

Yeah. So a chi, shitty bang, bang. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. at Lakeland Community Theater. So that would be wonderful. So we'll see. Um, you always see parents that get to do it with their kids. Mm-hmm. and they always talk about how, what a great experience it is. So yeah, they're gonna shoot their shots, so we'll see what happens.

Yeah. Hopefully they'll get in. Um, PJ just wrapped up. Um, Dog sees God, which was an awesome stage read. Amazing. So yeah. Yeah, yeah. Totally. Yeah, we could probably talk a whole hour just on that. Mm-hmm. , but um, you know, it's fantastic. So anyway, Yeah. So he kind of cut bit by that bug as we talked last time too, but, you know, for me, um, that this is totally different.

Mm-hmm. , you know, so being an rn, I started off in critical care, er, icu, emergency situations. Um, totally a different way of. , you know, and all of that. And, um, just kind of made my way up through leadership. And I'm a clinical operations director now for a, um, client based healthcare model. Mm-hmm. company, they're nationwide.

Um, it's fantastic. I love it and, uh, gives me great flexibility with the kids, which is always something you're looking for with that life work balance. Yeah. Mm-hmm. , it's hard to find that, you know? Yes. I. You're seeing more opportunities for that since Covid, but mm-hmm. now even those companies are kind of pivoting back to, you know, you gotta be in the office, you have to have this kind of schedule and stuff.

But yeah, that's, it's nice to have that flexibility. Yes, it is. And I certainly don't take it for granted. So, you know, we're happy with that. And pj, he's a provider, um, for a local, um, group here in town. And so he has more of an office. You know, um, eight to five and, you know, seeing patients and whatnot. So I'm definitely the one that's a little bit more flexible so we can do all the running around mm-hmm.

and get the kids where they need to be and, and all that. Um, what's the kind of thing you have to have in a, you know, A household with kids. Yes. You have to have somebody who has that flexibility. Yes, exactly. Shit comes up. Mm-hmm. , you gotta deal with kids sick at the school, you gotta go get 'em. Or they have doctor's appointments or whatever, you know?

Mm-hmm. . Yep. It's true. We do a lot of divide and conquer, which I'm sure you guys do too. Um, but, you know, PJ's a great partner, so we, you. Tag team it and mm-hmm. Get it done. And you know, like I said before, theater is just one of those things that we can all do together, which is fun. Mm-hmm. . So we enjoy that.

What about you, Angela? Do you have any previous theater experience? I do. Oh, bring it on. I wanna hear this. This needs a drink. Go ahead, hesitated to tell you because I didn't want you to be jealous of my talent. Oh. Oh wait. I, I feel like you were a cheerleader too, though, right? Oh, gosh, no. Uhuh, no. Okay. No.

As an athlete. Okay. Yeah. No. Well, you're still an athlete. No. Cheering. She's like, there's no, mm-hmm. When I was about probably about seven or eight, my mom had us in children's theater classes, so Oh, wow. , you pay the monthly fee, you go to class. It was at Parker Playhouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale. And I can remember we had an audition because they were doing a play or a showcase, I can't remember what it was, but I was going to sing, um, my favorite things from Sound of Music.

So I had practiced, Oh, is there a video of this? I. I can't even, you know how old I am? I did just turn 53. So no, it was before video. Oh, God's too bad. So I get up on the stage and you know, they're all sitting behind their little table for the audition, and I chickened out the last minute. Oh no. Sing my country.

Tissie, . Oh no. It was horrendous. So you went total rogue. You were like, I can't do this. Panicked. And, uh, so the next week the cast list came out. You wanna know what I got? Uh, sure. I wasn't even and it's not like I got to pass out the play bills. Oh my God. It wasn't even like a play within a play. Well, and my mom was paying for these classes, so you would think I'd get a part, but that pretty much ended my career right there.

So, no, there's zero talent. It was short lived. Very short lived. Yeah. I think I must have quit classes after that, but, um, Oh no. Yeah, that's it. No talent whatsoever. Um, I'm a teacher by trade and I can stand up in front of a group of kids all day long and love it. I taught for 21 years before we moved here.

Um, but put me in front of an audience. . No, thank you. And that's not happening. No, no. Yeah, Yeah. I. I mean, it's gonna happen in, it's, So I'm just saying wait for Bumble people. Yep. Angela's gonna make her big debut. My debut. Yeah. I don't chicken out. You know what, we'll have to tell you. You're not, Once we like figure out what part Angela is like what appendage or whatever.

Yeah. So then everybody can go and walk . Well, I think it's, I think it's an arm. And an arm. Yeah. Oh, okay. Extremity, whatever. Is it legs? No legs, I don't think, Is there a body's just floating? I don't think it's, Yeah, I don't think it's a, I mean, I don't know. We haven't seen the mock up, but in my head, what I have envisioned mm-hmm.

is a head in arms. So, and, and, and an a star. I'm a star. Go on a tree. I, I don't know. I could be completely wrong. There could be an entire body. And you're just like operating the arm on it, right? I, I don't really, I don't know. Yeah, We'll find out. Uh, I mean, I assume we'll see something to do with the plans for that at some point.

Mm-hmm. or she, like our prop master may just go straight to the director and be like, Hey, what do you think of this? Right. Yeah. So, All right, well, once we find out Yeah. Which one? Angela's holding my debut. We're gonna let everybody know so they can cheer for you. . Yeah, go right on. That's right. I wanna hear it.

Arm . I just have to remember, I'll ask, I'll see if I'll, if maybe, you know, Word has made its way to the director Jordan to see if, uh, she knows kind of what we're gonna get. Mm-hmm. , I don't know. Yeah. Well, more to come. That's kind of exciting. That's right. See how Bumble comes alive. Snow. Yeah. I mean all this theater magic stuff's pretty cool.

Yeah. You know? Yes. Getting to go. Uh, last weekend we mentioned we were gonna go see the play that goes wrong. Mm-hmm. and we went and saw it and it was awesome. I don't think I've laughed that hard. since forever. Absolutely amazing. Yeah. At a show like, and still thinking about little pieces of it that Yes, it was so much to watch and listen to at the same time, cuz there was so much physical comedy as well as Yeah.

Just the acting. Mm-hmm. Well you're, you're sort of surrounded by like, from the second that we arrived, you're kind of surrounded by like, stuff that's happening. Mm-hmm. , there was like the pre-show stuff, Right? And then your play bill had, you know, it had the, the normal stuff you see in a play bill. But then they had like the fake play bill part of it.

Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . So like, I'm like flipping through and I, I was realizing like this is part of the show, right? Yeah. Everything was from the minute you walked in that theater. Even the text walking around like, Have you seen my dog? Yeah, yeah, exactly. I mean, anything that you could possibly think going wrong in a show like they were doing wrong.

It was perfect. Yeah, it was absolutely perfect. So funny, straight up belly laughs. Oh yeah. I mean, and like cheek hering because of, you know, Yeah, because we were laughing so much well on your face too, that Laura had kind of, you know, shared with me spoiled maybe a little bit like what some of. The moments, the big moments are that it's hilarious, but still even experiencing it there.

Mm-hmm. I was still rolling. Oh my gosh. You know, it's so funny, like the, the physical comedy bits, like where they're, they're smacked out. Knocked out, Right. You know, smacked by door or whatever, and knocked out, and then they're dragging that person off the stage, like through a window like that is, Yes.

Hilarious. Well, the one actor didn't work the first time by the band was a five minute bit my while they trying to get her out and she's like, she's wearing a dress, so like her underwear is flashing and all kinds of stuff. It was just hilarious. And the one actor that was overacting. Oh yes. And he would come into the scene and like jump in and they'd look at the audience and be like, Yeah, I did that.

Good, didn't I? ? Yes. That constant break of the fourth wall. Yes. Yes. Yeah. Why don't we explain what that is? The fourth listeners wall. Yeah. Explain that. That's like the, You wanna take a crack at that? Sure. Yeah. It's kind of the barrier between the audience and the actors, and generally actors don't break the fourth wall.

They don't make any kind of connection with the audience or eye contact, or try to communicate with them in any way. But every once in a while there are plays that do that. But this one, the one actor kept breaking the fourth wall. He kept looking for affirmation from the audience and like, Yeah. Yeah.

Nailed it. That was funny, right? Yeah, it was very funny. Yeah, because it was part of the premise that the show. It was a little community theater troupe, and you kind of got the impression from the director that who was actually one of the actors. So they weren't all that talented and that they didn't really have the money.

Yeah. But he was excited cuz he actually had enough actors for this one show. Oh my. To go into it like knowing it's gonna be a disaster. What did he say they were doing? James in the Giant Peach and said I guess something had happened and it was just James. It was James in the Peach first. Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

And then it became just, and the peach rot and so it was just James. Cause they didn't have the budget for two weekends. Right. They only had budget enough for one Peach. Yeah. It was brilliant. It was absolutely brilliant. That is really, I I, I mean, I don't know how people come up with this stuff, but it was, it was just brilliant.

I know that. Who was that directed by? Who is the director? Um, I wrote it down. Mark Hartfield. Yeah. We wanna make sure we give credit to him. Yeah, he is fantastic. The theater, Winter Haven. Mm-hmm. . Yeah, absolutely. Uh, they have like a pretty awesome season. I'm definitely looking forward to. Mm-hmm. this year.

But, um, they, the, the lady that was in this cast as the stage manager mm-hmm. , uh, in the play that goes wrong, she was our director for physical, um, junior. Which all of our kids were in. Mm-hmm. . And, um, she's got a, she was brilliant and uh, so we went down after, you know, the play was done and, and she took us backstage and we got to see some of the magic, which I think was really cool because, you know, the play that goes wrong isn't just about like the people doing things wrong.

Mm-hmm. , it's also about like, just like tech shit that's like gone awry. Mm-hmm. , it's tech component is a huge part of that. You. Yeah, so the lady getting knocked out and dragged off the stage and then the stage manager having to throw on and duck GAF tape, I shouldn't say gaf, tape the dress together at a fitter.

Right, because they were different size people. Mm-hmm. and she's out there with a script in hand, you know, reading and, and pretending to be this character that's just been knocked out and just gone. Now, once they dragged out you outta the window. Mm-hmm. . And she was brilliant. She was brilliant at it.

Absolutely wonderful. And it was so awesome after the show for us and the kids to get to go backstage and, um, you know, kind of get the tour of like all the magic behind that because, you know, at the end, spoiler alert, you know, just, you know, wait for a, a second and then I'll tell you. So you can, if you've never seen this, you can just like skip ahead a couple of seconds.

But, um, Okay, now I'm saying it. So at the end, . And we're back. Just, Yeah. It's going morning. At the end, the whole stage falls down. Yeah. And you know, they have like a, a section of the, the, um, stage two that's like supposed to be another story. So like they take an elevator up to it all the time and that falls as well, which was terrifying.

Oh God. It was very terrifying. Cause it would, it was levels like a loft and then Uhhuh. One pole got knocked out. So the note kept. Yep. It had closing further down, further down that it would, And they're up there to slide by the time it was done. Oh, I know. And they're up there with a desk, a globe, a plant.

There's no railing. And I'm thinking, this guy's gonna slide right off the same and nothing's bolted to the floor. People like know. Oh my goodness. It was just a trick platform. Yes. Which it was really neat to get to go backstage. Mm-hmm. and kind of see that rig and how they made that safe. Mm-hmm. , you know.

Mm-hmm. , uh, as safe as it can be anyway. You know, it's funny because all the times that we've been up to the theater and we've been helping with strike, um, after the end of every show, that's a big part of it. You stay for a few hours and you strike that set. All the actors, all the tech help take down the set.

Basically down thele everything, dismantle everything. Lots of heavy power tools involved. . I mean, they clean, clean up dressing rooms. They have crew that's at the theater that's, you know, brought in by the theater. That helps with all of that. But what, it's our job to help clean up, help get costumes kind of in a state where they can be, you know, taken to storage or whatever's happening with them next and, you know, to dismantle the set So, You know, I've been told a bunch of times during all of that, like how dangerous the theater can be.

Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. , you know, especially when they're doing stuff with the, the fly rigs, right? Mm-hmm. . Yes. And, you know, things can go wrong. You know, those, there's a lot of weight up there, counterbalancing those flies and you know, that's just one aspect of how dangerous a theater can be. Mm-hmm. . So to see how they work these.

and kind of get glimpses into that magic is kind of neat. Yes, it is. Yeah. Well, and everything kept falling off throughout the play. Things, different things would fall off the um, walls. Right? Yeah. And what they were doing was they had magnets on the other side, holding it up, and then when they were ready for it to fall, they would.

Pull the magnet away. But they had to time that there. Yes. Cause there are several things. There's no way one person could have done that. No, no. They had a whole team in the back just knowing Sure. That it was going, It was an Army text back there. Yeah. And they really, they had to coordinate that. They had to know what they were doing.

Yes. Very impressive. Yeah. It really was. Mm-hmm. and that and, and that. Really impressive rig for the, the floor, the loft floor. Yes. Yeah. The network that went into that, it was all welded together with all that very, um, interesting intricate looking system back there. Mm-hmm. because it, it didn't just all fall at once.

It had to fall on stages. Right. And it had to be safe at each stopping point of that stage. And I thought, wow. To have to like, think through how you're gonna do that and stuff. I mean, that's impressive. Yeah. Yeah. And that's a lot of trust on the actor's part. That the techs are gonna do what they're supposed to do.

Very true. And you know, the thing. It's not even necessarily that text could have done something wrong, but like anything could go wrong. Mm-hmm. . And so, you know, kind of think back on like text stories and stuff that we have mm-hmm. , you know, just in the, since 2019 or so when we've been backstage in helping mm-hmm.

I mean, I'm sure you guys have stories like, Oh yes, we do. , Wanna share? Yeah. Share one. Yeah, sure. Can share one. Okay. So we can totally just share one. So, Gosh, Angela and I, she's usually stage left, so we can talk about that. So when you are looking, when you're on the stage and you're looking into the audience, that's when you get stage left, stage right.

So I used to get that always confused because I'm used to being a spectator looking onto the stage. Mm-hmm. . So it'd be completely opposite. So when we use the word stage, left stage right, that's gonna be from our point of view of being on the stage, looking out into the house where the. Right. Okay. Sandra Gig, Be stage left, I'd be stage right and we'd handle our little things.

Well in the last show that we did, which was Oliver Junior, which was fantastic, it was a great show. If you didn't get a chance to see it, you and you missed it. Um. I feel bad for you cuz it was a wonderful, so much talent with those kids. Oh my. Oh my God. And it was at Lakeland Community Theater. Um, so anyway, so Angela and I had the opportunity to work on the same side , which was great.

So we were pretty much in charge of these movable stairs. Okay. They're wooden. Um, they had breaks at the bottom so that we could make sure that they were very safe for the kids and they were used in. At least one pair of stair, I think was using almost every scene. Right, and in different configurations.

Yes. Did you have all three from SpongeBob? Cause they were stairs from SpongeBob, weren't they the same stairs? Probably. I don't know. Yeah, there's only two. We had two sets. They were sets of roles. I think there were the shorter ones. We didn't have the super. Oh yeah, that super tall one was scary. Oh, yeah.

Yeah. That was everybody that had to get on that, and SpongeBob was like terrified. Mm-hmm. had to go up that, Yeah, it had rails. It was perfectly steady, right? Yeah. Anyway, yes, we had two short ones and the way that they were is how many stairs? I don't know. Maybe five or six. Oh, at least do, I'm gonna, Probably about six feet.

Yeah. Maybe it's, And then it had a platform. With, um, rails on both sides. So, and then they had a platform and so hers would go up in one direction, and then I had a second set of stairs that would go up in the other direction so that when the platforms would meet, , it would be like a going up the stair platform and then you would come back down.

Okay. Yeah, yeah. That's perfect. Yeah. So the two tall sides would make like a bridge, like we'd be rolling 'em across the stage and meet up. Yep. Mm-hmm. . And so literally for each scene, we had to do something with these stairs. Okay. So, I mean, not to mention, we were always banging ourselves up. Oh yeah. We would come home with bruises and everything, but that's just part of it.

And it's fun and Yeah. Whatever happens. Yeah. And you learn how to keep your legs away. How to not roll the platform over your foot. Yeah, exactly. You learn real quick, you learn the hard way. Mm-hmm. . And so some of the transitions that we would do would have, um, like the blackout curtain would come down, meaning that the audience couldn't see what we were doing, which was great, but sometimes it was just dark lighting.

Blackout. Yeah. . Yes. Complete blackness in total darkness. Oh, total darkness. Yes. Ooh, yes. That's pretty rare actually. Cause usually like the lighting guys, when they're setting that up, they at least give you like 2% blue or something. So you have a little bit, There may have been 2% blue, but it don't like a hundred percent black.

Yeah, it did. You have spike marks on the floor. It locate. Well, we did, yes. . We tried the glow tape thing. You know, we tried to give ourselves the best advantage because Cause lights go out and you just can't see anything. No, yeah. Or you see, I see glow tape. I don't know which one's my Spike . Right. Could be from one of the sectors.

There's like two dozens of glow tape. So you kind of get this. So yeah. So at this one scene, I came from stage right with, um, my stairs. So I had to unbreak. Get 'em across. We had these other boxes like crates that were on. Okay. And so those had to strategically get moved out of the way. And, you know, um, one those cube, I think is what those are called.

Right? Is that Sure. Pretty sure. Mm. That's a nice technical word for them. I like that. I know. They're just boxes. I agree. And they're boxes. They are heavy. Yeah. They're they're very, they're very solidly built. Yes. So once I was outta the way, I would grab my stair and I would have to meet. With Angela Stare, so across the stage.

Okay. Okay. And so again, this is not a blackout curtain situation. Mm-hmm. , this is just blackness cuz there's actors on the stage doing whatever it is that they're doing. Mm-hmm. , you know, and so I'm coming across now, Angela had to take her stare and move it from the position that it was already in. And move it, turn it around so that it would be ready to meet up with my stare as I came across the stage.

Okay. And we had done this like clockwork, I don't know, two dozen times, like Yeah. And so we had it down, you know, the timing with the song. Because remember, you gotta be ready. Yeah. When those lights come back up, you don't wanna be caught out there like, I know. Angela's always ready though. . She's like always in the running position.

My ninja pose. Yeah. It's already, Is it now? Can I go? Can I go? So this one time, I don't even remember which show it was opening night. Oh yeah, that's right. Opening night. Mm-hmm. . But we had already practiced it all. So it wasn't even something that we were worried about. No. But anyway, I'm coming across the stage with my stairs and her stairs are completely opposite and I'm like, It took me a second cuz I was like, Well, hold on.

A. Thinking in my brain, is this when the blackout curtain comes down? Because we have a whole nother scene where that happens and her stairs go the other way. I'm like, No, no, no, no, no. This isn't it. And as I'm getting closer, I'm thinking, Okay, she'll, she'll spin 'em, she'll turn 'em, she'll turn 'em. And she's not turning them.

No. I was down there trying to figure out where the brakes were. Like why can't I find the brake? It was on the rock side. So I finally, I get close enough and I'm like, Angela, turn it around. Turn it around. using my finger at her, like turn it around. In the meantime, the S stage manager who's running the lightboard is probably like, Dude is the deck set.

We're waiting. I spin that sucker around. I, She did slam into the portal. Oh my God. Didn't break it Bent. Yes. We were able to fix that. It like, yes, that piece just kind of bent back into it and then, but I mean, we still did it. We got it done. You know, we slapped those two suckers together, put the brakes on.

I got off stage and I don't know what happened. It's like my brain farted. You could hear it go and everything just fall out. My ears . And there was, there was nothing in there. I literally was standing there going, Oh, that's totally, what do I do? Oh my. Like I was so headlights, spit it around, spit it around

She's like, Come on brain. It was horrible. And it did. I mean, we made it, you know, it did. And it, it only probably took maybe three or four seconds off of what we had been doing, but it did feel like forever. It was like slow motion. I feel like time moves a little slower on the stage when you're doing that.

Mm-hmm. , because we're all like frann, right. High adrenaline. Just trying to make sure that we we're getting it done and we're not the holdup, you know? Right there, there may be a hold up, but it doesn't necessarily have to be you. Exactly. Um, Yeah. You never want it to be you. No, Because you feel like you're dragging the show down.

I'm sorry. The last thing you wanna be is the one that's discovered on stage when the lights do come up. You do that during the, Been there, done. That flicker off. Nothing to see here. Nothing to see here. We're just going. Well, you guys make fun of me all the time, which I deserve it for my ready pose because, But it's great.

Well, and I take teching very seriously because we have a group of people who have worked for months to produce this amazing production. I don't wanna screw that up because like we saw in the play that goes wrong. Once the text started messing up, it threw off the actors. Yep. Yeah. And then it just snowballed from there.

Yeah. It was so when this, when this prop piece isn't where it's supposed to be, or a set piece, and then actor has to like think on their feet, which they're great at. Yeah, they were. But it screws them up. Yeah. And then what they've worked for, for all this time, you know, it can just start this. Mm-hmm.

That's an interesting point. When we saw that in the play that goes wrong, he goes out to get a pencil. Mm-hmm. . And the pencil was supposed to be on the desk and the pencil wasn't on the desk. So he's like, I'm gonna improvise and I'm looking for my pencil. He's like vocally saying pencil grabs keys.

Mm-hmm. , I've got the pencil and leaves. Yeah. And then the next guy comes on and he's like, I need my keys. Keys are gone. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. And he, so he grab. A vase. It was a vase. Was it a vase? Yeah. Uhhuh. . So then he grabs a no, cuz the base was the notepad. Oh, okay. So what did he grab? I don't remember what he grabbed now.

He grabbed something else. I don't know. And then the next guy came in looking for the notepad, grabs the base, the flowers. He grabbed the notepad? Yes. Okay. You're right, you're right. Cause it, it was a snowball thing. It's like a tra. Yeah. It just kind of kept going. Mm-hmm. . So then later when the guy has to bring the notepad and a pencil out for.

he brings, Here's your pencil, hands, keys, , here's your notebook, which is like a base, a notepad or whatever. And it's the vase. Yeah. So he's like improvising with keys in a vase and he pretends to like write on the vase, which is hilarious. Like you're peeing yourself laughing so hard. Yeah. But um, you know, that kind of thing, that snowball that happens.

For real. Yeah. Right. Yep. You know? Right. And then one actor can throw off another actor and it's just this whole giant mess. Yeah. Yeah. Well, like in SpongeBob, when we had to push a new Patrick out on stage and act, um, you know, nobody had a chance to actually tell SpongeBob. Oh my gosh. Or Sandy, uh, they were both, I think they were both out.

Mm-hmm. . And so when Patrick comes out, and it's not the Patrick, they'd been working with. Yeah, it's patchy in Patrick's outfit. Um, yeah, they were Ben Santos, you're the best. There you go again. Uhhuh love that guy. So like, you know, they, they had to kind of take that in stride, right? They did a fantastic job.

And of course, you know, Um, they had to help kind of usher him mm-hmm. around the, the blocking on the stage, which is mm-hmm. You know, where you're supposed to be when mm-hmm. mm-hmm. . Um, and, and it worked out fine, but at the time you, you could see it on their faces. Sure. Like they were wrong with it as best they could.

Yes. But it definitely threw them, and then when they got off stage, they had to turn around and almost immediately go back on mm-hmm. . And in that coming off, they were right by me. I was running all the, the projection screens. So I had my little laptop and I was, you know, waiting for cues and stuff. I could hear them in whispered tones, like freaking out and hugging Ben and like, gosh, they was so supportive.

Mm-hmm. so supportive. Mm-hmm. , and they did fantastic. I don't think from an audience point of view you would've felt that. No, I don't. They just, they just rolled it. I mean, they, the next show announced that. Mm-hmm. or one of the next ones that followed anyway, that Ben was filling in and, you know, kind of at the beginning, so you know, pardon the roughness of this, but Yeah.

Yeah. During that, when he pops out on stage, it was not expected. Nobody knew that was, the audience would've seen that because they were physically, he came out the book's hand, just like the play that goes wrong. I mean, it was. I, this is just the only way to do it, I guess, you know, But, uh, love theater, it Yeah.

You don't get takes, It's what you get is what you get. You don't, Yeah. Yeah. And so we talk all the time about how important it is and how we feel, seeing as how we've been so active in the tech that we think everybody should have to go do tech. Mm-hmm. , like all, and we push it for our girls. And, you know, Max enjoys it.

Like it's something that they. They should do because they need to learn the backstage and they need to learn to count on the tech and they need to know how important that is. Mm-hmm. , um, that it's not just Oh, that's right. You're just a tech. No, you're not just a tech. You do everything to make that show go.

Mm-hmm. , you know? Absolutely. And we get a lot less rehearsal time for that. Oh yeah. Yes. We get. Tech week and then it's showtime. It's not even a full week. That's why I make diagrams of everything because you're in dry tech and you're in wet tech. So there's like your long days and you put figuring out where everything goes and it makes total sense in that moment.

Yeah. And then you show up the next day and you're like, I don't know where anything goes. I can't remember cuz we don't know the show like the actors do. That's very true. It's a valid point too, like when you come in as dry tech, like your kids, I mean, when we're doing it for our kids, right. Your kids don't talk to you?

No. Do they tell you anything about what's happening there? Very little, right? Mm-hmm. , I only know what I know about the show that we're doing because I'm in the production crew. Mm-hmm. as the assistant stage manager. Mm-hmm. Asm, but before that mm-hmm. , I was just as blind as you guys and am when I'm not that role.

Mm-hmm. . So like you come in on tech week to help push stuff out onto the stage and, you know, make sure that the, the play is going to happen and you know, be okay. Mm-hmm. and you're blind. You're like, Okay, so what are we doing? Right. I don't know anything about this show because like we already said mm-hmm.

we don't come from theater backgrounds. I was a band nerd in high school and in college, and then, you know, I was an animal. I have a varied background, was an animal trainer. You know, I've been in marketing for almost, you know, 20 years in various forms. I'm an entrepreneur. I have had several businesses, but like, you don't hear theater in any of that, do you?

Right. , like, I don't know, shit. , I'm still learning every, every time I get involved with something, it's me learning and I love to learn. Mm-hmm. , which is. Been great because I have to learn a lot in my history. Yeah. Um, jumping from things that are completely unrelated to the next thing. Mm-hmm. , I, I don't know, I'm following the dopamine, I guess, but like, life short.

Do what makes you happy? Well, yeah, and, you know, I thoroughly enjoy everything that we're doing at the theater, and these plays are amazing and I'm, I'm loving all of this exposure to it all. Mm-hmm. , but I really don't know anything. And so when I'm. You know, called in his tech to help with whatever. I'm like, yeah, I'd never seen the play.

Yeah, don't know anything about it. You know, like we're probably gonna help with chitty bang bang. I would imagine, especially if, if the kids are lucky enough to get cast. Um, and maybe, I don't know, I'm, I'm really enjoying my time as, uh, stage managing mm-hmm. . So, you know, maybe, maybe I'll get lucky and be asked for that one.

Yeah, that'd be great. Maybe it would be unlucky for me to be asked, cuz I've only done it like twice. Still scary. That's a big one. It is a big one. Mm-hmm. . It is, but. But you know, I, I don't know anything about, I don't even think I've seen the movie. Chris pulled it up the other day. He was playing it before we had to leave for rehearsal for Rudolph.

And I was like, You gotta wait, save that cuz we wanna watch it. And I was realizing real fast that I didn't know this play or this movie and so I'm not gonna know the play either. Well, even when you do often the plays are different. There's different scenes are different. That is very true. Yeah. A little bit aren't in the movie or the book.

Mm-hmm. . Yes. So you go in completely blind. My first checking experience I can blame your husband on was Beauty and the Beast. . Oh man. That castle was a cool set. Oh, it broke in the middle? Yes. And then it was held together like you would bring it off. Off, uh, stage. Both pieces went off stage left, didn't they?

Right? Mm-hmm. . And then there was some stairs stage, right? That also got connected? No. They were stage left. Well, yeah, there was stair, both sides. Oh, they were on both sides? Mm-hmm. , Yeah. Mm-hmm. . Oh my. So it would all have to come together and then be pinned together? Yeah. So there was like a big pin in the middle of the main set piece, and then pins on the stairs.

And we had a kid down there as a tech that would help pin that together. Yeah. Yeah. And like I, he just wrote in the set. I came in, he did, he just stayed in there as a little dungeon. And I came in late because I wasn't initially on this. I forgot about that. Yeah. I casually mentioned, Oh, if you guys need any help, let me know.

Oh. So that's, you know, a couple hours later, Chris is texting me, so sos to use more tests. Remember how you offered. So I show up. There was no training. It was, All right, we're gonna push this cast on go. I'm like, What? ? Yeah. And the thing was huge. I mean, it's like half the stage it was, and you had to get it behind this one curtain and there was maybe like a two inch little gap that if you went one way or the other, you were gonna cause major destruction.

So it's kind of, It did sort of happen. It did a little bit sometimes. Yeah. Cause like I think Chris, he hit, I'm getting tongue tied. So he was like helping to move this, the first stage piece off to stage left. And then the second one was coming and it was coming fast and it, something happened and he gets pushed.

And so that, that backdrop is just a curtain. It's not a wall essentially. It's not a wall. It looks like a wall. You think it's a wall, not a wall until you have to stand up. And so he got pushed and it knocked him off balance and he went into that curtain. Mm-hmm. on the other side of that curtain is a, a walk.

and our prop tables and, uh, all of Caston's, um, number uses, uh, these like metal aluminum mugs, mugs, like mm-hmm. beer mugs, or signs maybe is the right word. Anyway, they were all just kind of, you know, thrown up. Uh, in a, like a triangle formation on the prop table, and he bumped the curtain, which bump the table, which sent all of those cascading down, but not all at once, no just kept falling and they were so loud, just kept waiting for it to end.

Yeah, please be the last one. No, it's not the last one. . Here comes more. I think Jordan was back Yes. Um, in that hallway when it happened. Yeah. She's like, I didn't do it. I didn't touch anything. It wasn't me. . Oh man. Poor Chris. He must've felt horrible. Oh God. Yeah. Yeah. Territory. It happens, you know? It's live theater.

Yeah. Yeah. There's good stories from every show when you're back there. Oh. Yeah, there's plenty. And some of 'em aren't even like that. The normal tech, like the pushing stuff around, like you think of mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . Um, part of the stuff that happens backstage to make everybody be on time and to make those transitions be as fast as possible is quick changes.

Mm-hmm. . Oh, yes. And, um, I'm hoping that we can bring Laura on who's, Oh, she is like the queen quick change. She's, yeah. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Change anybody in five seconds flat. Oh, she's got all the tricks, knows everything. It literally takes two of us to fill those shoes. Yeah. Literally. Yeah. She's so good at it. But, um, you know, she came in when I was, I I was desperately in need of tech help, including dressers.

Mm-hmm. and thank you guys for coming to I love You're perfect. Now change and like, helping with all of that and helping make it happen. Because without you guys and without Laura, I don't know how we were gonna do that. Mm-hmm. , it's cast of six. Three guys, three girls, and it's, the scenes are like for anybody that's never seen it, doesn't know anything about it, basically it's.

Like little vignettes mm-hmm. In time through, uh, relationships or, you know, pre relationship. It's hysterical. It is, it is hysterical. The whole thing is just a hysterical awesome. And, um, but you, you have six cast members and so two may be on stage or all six, maybe on stage or anything in between. And when they come off, they've got seconds to change outfits and become a new person.

Mm-hmm. for the next vi. Yeah. And that is, that's magic in and of itself. Mm-hmm. . But it doesn't always go smooth. No, it does not. No, it doesn't. Sometimes it's just a jacket. Yeah. And sometimes it's in a completely outfit, including shoes. Yeah, yeah. Like the, the wedding. Yeah. Mm-hmm. , when you're go getting ready to go, the, the couple's about to get married.

Everybody in the wedding party, everybody's on stage cuz it's right before our mission. Mm-hmm. and you know, So the scene before that they're scrambling mm-hmm. . Yes. And I was running my own lightboard and stage managing. Show. I mean, I've stage managed a stage read, but that's like, it's a different level.

Mm-hmm. . And so this was like my first one and I'm like on the headset and I'm like, Okay, you guys gotta tell me I can't see anything. I don't know what's happening. Y'all are backstage, right? Yeah. And it's dark, right? Yeah. And the van is live on stage and they're just ving like, you know, playing the same little bit over and over and over again, waiting for the queue that everybody's ready to come on and you're just sitting there.

Pin needles, you know, the audience has got it. Like you've been that person in the audience. Like what is taking so long? Exactly. There's something going wrong back there. Yeah. Cuz it was, Yeah. Oh my gosh. You know, like those quick changes are tough And so, you know, all it takes is somebody that can't get their pants off from the prior scene, which happened repeatedly.

I had, um, Andrew had that a prison jumpsuit on Oh yeah. That jumpsuit. And we could never get it off past his shoes. So that creates the problems. Yeah. And sometimes part of what makes that transition. Um, like the quick change itself work is like leaving the shoes on. Mm-hmm. , right? Or like, you know, Yeah.

Making sure you leave certain parts of an outfit on that aren't really gonna be seen like chance in the, um, infomercial. Mm-hmm. because he, like the first time we ran that, like in costume mm-hmm. , um, it wasn't a show. I mean, it was just a rehearsal. I think it was just a rehearsal. Yeah. Probably so. , he completely got down to just boxers and like hops in the the the fake bed.

Right. The prop bed. Right. And then he had to get completely dressed for the wedding scene after that or something. Mm-hmm. , no, it wasn't the wedding after that, but he had to get completely dressed anyway, was the point. And so we're like waiting and waiting and waiting and we didn't realize until after the show had done, we kind of reconvened like, Hey, let's work on that transition.

It took a long time. It took too long. Yeah. Oh, that was chance's fault because he, he completely got disrobed and he only needed to take his shirt off because you didn't see he was wearing pants. He was under the covers. Yeah. So, you know, you kind of learn as you go. But yeah, there's, there's a lot. There's a lot that kind of happens even with just that small piece of it.

Mm-hmm. The costume. Mm-hmm. . Absolutely. Listen, the first time I was with Laura for that show, she was showing me mm-hmm. . So we were back and one of the scenes was Adrian. She was a bridesmaid, so we had to put that red dress on her. So we had to get the one dress off and then get the red dress slipped back.

Okay. So to take the, I think it was a black, It was black or brown. Anyway, she had a zipper, so we would unzip it, she'd shimmy it down. We'd have to like spread the red dress out. So all she had to do was like put her feet in it. Oh, like make like a donut for her? Yeah, yeah. Yes. Dress donut slip. Yeah. So you'd have to slip off the wind dress.

She'd have to step in it. Now she's got heels on, right, Like character shoes. Mm-hmm. . So you. , catch the lining of that dress. You're never gonna get it up. Oh yeah. So you have to make sure her legs are like right where it is. So you're like guiding her feet and then you have to stand up. Woohoo. Put it up, spin her around, zip it up.

Wrap. Yeah. All in the dark. All in the dark. Mm-hmm. . So Laura's standing there with me and you know, you can hear the music from the band, which was wonderful by the way, that we had like a live band. I know. It was so cool. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. That was awesome. And we're doing it. We're doing our thing and we, whatever, we're done.

I'm like, Laura, I'm like, we had plenty of time. That was fantastic. And. No, Kathy, they were just gonna keep playing until you were done. And I was like, You thought the music was awesome. did nice. I did. I was like, Oh, we made it because the music was playing. She's like, So good. No, no, no. Kath like, it needs to be quicker.

I'm like, Okay. So then we can Yeah. Cause then somebody has to signal the band, like rack it up. Yes. Yes. So what we decided to do, it actually took two of us because the dress that had to come off of her, she actually had a zipper in the front and the back and we were just trying to do one zipper to save time.

Yeah. But we were having a hard time shimming it down. So one person would do the back, one person would do the front, and it came off a lot quicker. And, you know, was, Was that tennis outfit? No, this was the black dress that she wore. Scene. She was like, Oh, okay. Yeah. You know where she was? Like the host? Yes.

I think she had a blazer that also went on. I didn't realize it had two zippers on it. Mm-hmm. That's funny. Mm-hmm. ? Mm-hmm. . . Yeah. Then Laura decided to leave and go to New York and leave she to do the quick. That wasn't stressful by that point. It felt like. Well, we had a couple of bumps still. We were, Yeah.

Iron and out. That was the one scene that was really tough. Yeah's a dress that was, One on one side and one on the other. Trying to did change in 15 seconds. Yeah. And it almost got to be a competition like Angela. It totally did. Didn't almost. I'm like, We beat her. We beat her. I'm like, Yes. We got out before then.

And then if we had like a hiccup, I'd like, Oh man, Angela is done before me. . Yeah, it was fun. It was stressful. We had a great time. . I think the one thing we enjoyed though, is in that we realized it was way easier to quick change adults than it is children. Yeah, so, Well you guys did, uh, you were the quick chain together, right?

For Madeline? Yes. That was rough. Oh, that was, that was bad. So Gabby played Madeline and the little, the little boy, he's not little anymore, but he played Pa Pito, um, super talented and was so cute. And so Angela was in charge of the clown suit. He had to change into this clown, clown suit was huge. It was all this fabric and Oh, nightmare.

Oh my gosh. I would have to find, you know, the. Leg holes, but it was so hard because it was like it was giant. Oh, so big. So one time I kind of messed up and both feet got in one leg, . And before a kid was like, he's like trying to shuffle onto stage, you know? Oh, it just, it. Terrible. But that's the kind thing that then it kind of messed with his mind for that scene.

Thank goodness it was an easy scene for them. They just kind of laid down and there was on a wa older kids doing this. Yeah, I think I remember when he came off on the other side of the stage where I was, It's a little frustrating man. He was, yeah. He was not a happy place at that moment. But it's hard.

And like the kids once that have been doing it for a while, they get it. Like once you hit, um, the. Help me out portal. Yes. Once you hit the portal, they can start taking stuff off, you know? Right. And the kids always have undergarments on, so don't ever think, you know, I don't want anybody to get the, for anybody listening, it's not.

Super aware of terms. The portal is like this kind of blocker that's on either side of the stage. Mm-hmm. , it helps keep the magic on the stage and you don't see what's happening backstage. Mm-hmm. , Yeah. Mm-hmm. . And it's part of the set, so it'll look like it just blends in. Mm-hmm. . So as they're coming, they're already taking things off like ready for us, which is great.

And Gabby had. Multiple pieces to her little that she had to put on. Yeah, we had to put the skirt on, which would be fine if it was just a skirt, but it had like legs in it. Um, yeah. What were we calling them? Panum. , Yeah. Was with like elastic around the ankles. Okay. Okay. So to get her, So I'd be down there and I'm like hitting her right ankle.

I'm like, Come on, do your right foot first. And she's lifting the left. I'm like, No, I'm not ready for that one. Give me the other one. So it took us a while cuz it's like, Yeah. You know, and you have to get in. So I'm doing that. Someone else is doing the shirt and putting the blouse on, and even like Lily Kate was helping and she would try to put, yeah, try to put that corset on and she'd get it on, and then it would pop off.

And it was a whole situation. I think we got it completely, 100%. Maybe once or twice maybe. Cause then she had this head piece, this like scarf thing that went on top of her wig. Mm-hmm. . So then the, we decided, you know what, we're just gonna not be stressed out about this cuz she would start to get stressed out about it.

Right. So it's like, you know what, even just your energy can mess 'em up. Yeah, for sure. So then we just started to say, you know what, Every time you come off we're just gonna add a piece of clothing. Mm-hmm. and it'll add to the story of you slowly becoming this character within the circus and whatever.

Laura, you weren't there on that side of the stage, so No, we could have used you. We could've missed you. See what happens when you're not there. No, she was, Was she calling that show? No, cuz we had somebody in for that. Oh no. She was doing something. She was with me. I think maybe she was on the other side.

On my side. Yeah. Yeah. Stage left. Mm-hmm. . But anyway, we did the best we could. We did, Yeah. But with the kids, it's very difficult. It's pressure. . It's pressure. It's, it's total pressure. You wanna mess them up. The adrenaline definitely gets pumping. Oh yeah. You know? Yeah. Yeah. , but that's, I mean, it's kind of turning us into like adrenaline junkies a little though.

Nice. Because like, I, I love it. Mm-hmm. , I love when we're back there and helping with the shows. Yeah. Mm-hmm. and the, this, like in between where the kids are just doing the rehearsals and stuff. Mm-hmm. , you know, when you're not a part of that, you're just kind of like, Okay, so what am I doing? I guess I'm just Ubering kids.

Yeah. I'll just drop 'em off and then you wait for an hour or two hours or three hours, you know? Mm-hmm. , and then you pick 'em back up and take 'em home and everybody's just tired, but. You're not, you're not on that part of it yet. Mm-hmm. You know, the, No, the exciting part. Mm-hmm. , I really enjoy when they do, um, little dances and things and then they put 'em on to the special Facebook page where just the people that are involved in Yeah.

I don't know if, if everybody kind works it the same way as we do when we're doing stuff with L C T. Yeah. Um, I know Winter Haven did that for us too, so maybe it's common. Yeah. Maybe mm-hmm. . But, um, you know, generally speaking, we're not allowed to. I mean, if you're not a part of the production team, you don't get to see the show unless you're teching before a show day.

Mm-hmm. . Exactly. Um, and then, you know, we don't get the, like when you're getting the, the theater is getting the rights to be able to put this production on mm-hmm. , it's pretty rare that you're given the ability to video it. Right? Yeah, exactly. And so, you know, The only thing we can do is say, here's a rehearsal.

These kids need this. It's a chore. Need this to be able, cuz we do it for the adults too. Mm-hmm. Like this is a dance number use to help you. Mm-hmm. Yeah. So you can do it right. And you have this to answer your questions. Mm-hmm. , you know, and it's, it's definitely a very helpful tool. Mm-hmm. , it's a good resource, but we don't, you know, those aren't saved anywhere.

They're, they're not downloadable. No, no. They're kind of locked. And they're just to the group of folks that are in Yeah, exactly. The parents get to watch it. Yeah. Mm-hmm. . So that, but I mean, that's all we get. Yeah. It's just like a tease. It is a tease. It is. Yeah. I know. And it all comes together. Did you see the, the ones we posted for,

We've had one choreo rehearsal so far. Yes. Yeah. With the ls. I saw that ly Katie was playing. I'm like, I hear Gabby . Did you hear her singing? I totally hear her singing. Very cute. You so much. Yeah. Goodness. It's a, this is gonna be really cute show. Mm-hmm. , I mean, it's a lot of the songs and stuff that we're already kind of familiar with.

Plus, you know, the Claymation mm-hmm. , like, it's, it's all kind of that. But yeah, this is gonna be cute one, and I love Caroline's, um, choreo. Mm-hmm. , like it's really, it's cute, cute stuff. So, Yeah. And it is not like dumbed down in any way, shape, or form. Mm-hmm. , like these kids are really dancing up on that stage, you know?

It is not like, Oh, they need to make this simple. It's good. That kinda reminds me of a really good point though, right? Mm-hmm. , like when we first started going to, um, Lakeland Community Theater, until we saw a production there, it was. You go in and I, I feel like I had, it had a stigma or something to it, and I was like, Oh, this is just gonna be like some chinsy cheesy shit.

Yeah. The kids Yeah. Or whatever, you know, And you get in there and you're like, Holy shit. Oh my, this is like real, this is the real deal. Yeah. It's legit. They, it's legit. Devote as much to the kids shows as they do the main stage shows. Absolutely. Mm-hmm. , they, they want a quality. Exceptional product, no matter what it is.

Yeah. Every time. So, yeah. I, I was the same way. Totally shocked by the whole thing. Yeah. But it's, But it is a good show. It's a really good show. Yeah. And for anybody that has a community theater, I think you just need to like, give it a chance. Mm-hmm. go. Yes. I mean, maybe they're, they're not all created equal, so there's a chance that yours is what you're expecting.

but there's also a chance that it's like you're missing out. Yeah. You really are. Yeah. I'm, I mean, it's funny. Broadway level or just slightly under, like they, they feel. A lot more solid of a production than you're expecting? Yes, definitely. Yeah. Especially in our area. I mean, being in Polk County, we have, yeah, Tampa, we have the Strats, we have Dr.

Phillips in Orlando, you know, um, there's the rep out in Orlando. There's so many different theaters that aren't just community. They've got regional theaters as well. Um, but as far as community goes, I mean, it doesn't get much better in like when community we're kind of in this. Talent bubble too. Yeah.

Wouldn't you say like Yeah, we absolutely are. There's a lot of really talented kids and adults out here. Mm-hmm. and because we're positioned in between everything, like you said. Mm-hmm. , we draw from that too. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . So it's. Yeah, it's a really good show. Oh yeah. Our first show when we moved here was Shrek, and we had just moved from Fort Lauderdale where we went to the performing arts center and saw the, you know, Broadway national tours, and we had very low expectations.

It was just, you know, let's go see it. My mom and I both walked out of there going, Oh my gosh, there's so much talent in this community. And every single one of those characters was played by somebody exceptional. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. And it's not just the actors, it's the costumes. Mm-hmm. , It's the makeup. Yeah.

It's the set design. I mean, all of that puts it together and you're like, this a Broadway quality. Yeah, it's interesting production. You think about like who is it that's doing all of this stuff? Well, a lot of them have been in the biz for like a long time. You know, like the guy that does a lot of the set designs at L C T.

Mm-hmm. has been doing it since, you know, forever. Right. Yeah. And he's done it for movies and TV shows and you know, he. Um, the haunted houses, he's part of that crew that designs the haunted houses out at Universal Studios for Halloween Hos. Mm-hmm. , you know. Yeah. It just, in just an incredible amount of talent.

It, like across the board you see it, whether it's lighting design or set design or, um, you know, music or just directing, like they, these people have been. and they just, They're here. Mm-hmm. , and they're, maybe they'll be here forever. Maybe they won't be, but they're here now and they're contributing and they're volunteering their time.

Mm-hmm. to put on these amazing productions for. And it's like cheaper to go to that than it is to go to the movie. And I enjoy it way more. Oh yeah, definitely. Oh, absolutely. Especially when you get to know the people and Oh yeah. Go support your friends. Get out there and cheer for 'em and everything.

Yeah. Love it. Yes. And we've been doing it a little bit longer now that we've already developed those relationships. So like those kids that were doing it when our kids first started. Mm-hmm. , you know, they're either in high school, so they're really busy now with Harrison and stuff, so like we miss them.

Mm-hmm. , or they're grown and they've graduated and they're off in college and they're doing these wonderful things. Mm-hmm. . , you know, you can't help but think Yeah. They're, they're gonna make it, They're definitely gonna be on Broadway. Mm-hmm. , you know, Totally are destined to have these wonderful careers.

And when you think about it, they all got started here, right? Yeah. At the Lakeland C Theater. Mm-hmm. I mean, that, that's just how it is. Or Winterhaven, you know? Yeah. A lot of people do cross shows. Mm-hmm. , um, because it's so close, and, uh, yeah. It's just, it's really, we have a good fear here too, for like Broadway.

Mm-hmm. , like as a high school, Harrison. Mm-hmm. , you know, there's. Definitely can. I don't mess around. Yeah. Yeah. They don't mess around. Get out in really good product with those kids. Oh. Pretty consistently. I mean, we just had two last go to the Jimmy's right. In New York City. Uh, yeah. Yeah. Is it two? No, one.

One. Just one went. Okay. Two were in the finals. Gotcha. Where like nominated or, Okay, gotcha. Which is pretty amazing. Oh yeah. You know, she made it to like number eight or something in the g's, right? That's right. Yeah. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Top eight. Something's to be good. And she's just a junior, so she's a senior this year.

Right? Yeah. So for those of you who don't know, the Jimmy's is kind of like the Tony's for high schoolers. Yeah. So they are evaluated on plays or musicals that they've done. Mm-hmm. probably musicals, Um, and nominated from there. And if they win their region, then they go to New York and take part in the Jimmy Awards.

Yeah. Which is a big deal. Yeah. Yeah. So they had the, I guess the regionals were at the STRs. Yeah. Yes. Is that where we did those? Yeah. And then so whoever won there got to, Well, the performed hunchback too as a group there, didn't they? Harrison's group. I don't know if they performed the whole thing Or like a song from it or something.

Right. Yeah. Like an excerpt. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like that's what they were doing there because they were all nominated Right. In various degrees. Mm-hmm. For different things in that production. One of the others. The, um, Once Upon A Mattress, Was it that? Yes. Mm-hmm. . Yeah. Yeah. That was hilarious. That was Oh, so funny.

And they're getting ready to ramp up to do Mary Poppins. Yeah. Next week. So if you guys haven't gotten your tickets, we got our tickets. Yeah, we do. We have tickets. Only if you left. Only if you have get on, get them. Um, look it up. Paris School, the arts. You can go online. Mm-hmm. They'll get you Right. I think it's event right, But they'll get you right to where you can purchase your tickets.

Go and see it. You better hurry out cause there's not much left. You won't be disappointed. You'll not be. I be amazed. Contracting me goosebumps. Oh, I know. Oh, and then I laughed a lot in Once Upon a mattress. I had no idea again about that one. But yeah, it was really good. . Yes. That's awesome. Yeah. High expectations now for Mary Poppins.

Right. I wonder if they're gonna fly or they have to fly around. Think. I think. Yeah. I'm pretty sure there's several flying from what. Heard. Oh, I could be wrong, but Wow. Somebody's flying. That's cool. Yeah. Guys are just gonna have to go and see. That's right. Check it out. Yeah, go see that. Go see your local community theater.

Get involved. Yes, you can volunteer, you can do front of house, like ushering or greeting or, There's nothing wrong with ushering. Is there ? No. Every show needs an A show. . Just, just to bring it back around to the beginning. There's nothing wrong with that. You don't get cast. You can usher, . Yes. But there's so many ways to get involved and support your theater, because, because there are, are great things happening.

Yeah, totally. And a great, great group to be involved with. Mm-hmm. , even when everything goes wrong. And it all falls apart. Exactly. . Yeah. When everything falls apart, falls apart. And it's still funny. So hopefully next week, um, on our next one we can do a review of Mary Poppins. Right? Mm-hmm. Where we have seen it by then.

Oh, that's true. Yeah. See it Saturday. I think we're hoping that maybe we'll have a special guest of this for next week spoil. Yeah. Not to give too many scholar scholars, but you know, like it. Yeah. So stay tease our next one. That's right. All right. Well listen, you guys all have a great week. Yeah. And, uh, we'll see you next time.

The next weekly wind down, that's . Exactly. Or mojito, Whichever you like. Whatever you like, whatever your preference is. Yeah. I didn't catch that. Those were mojitos. Mm-hmm. , They are. Oh, mm-hmm. . . Well, I just brought the wine, you know, but I think I might want one of those. Oh, you're gonna want one Trust. Yeah, it's, I'm already like flushed.

You feel like I just had one thing of wine, like, whew. Ah, you're halfway there. How about it? Yeah, it's all good.