The morning started a bit earlier than usual because we had a lot of work to do today. While we are still contemplating hiring another person to work with our team on the road, I think I’m going to put that decision off for a few more months, especially since my first choice is no longer interested. Instead, we’re going to be working Nolan and Keith steadily over the summer to see if we can tighten up the technical aspects of the production. That’s going to take some time – and it all started today at the Dixie Carter Center for the Arts!
One of the big things we had to work on today was the lighting cues. After a bit of a “possession” of the light board last night, we wanted to make sure that everything was good for today’s performances. Keith worked with Scott to figure out what was going on and, soon, they had it fixed and ready to go.
David flew up from Dallas and was with us for the weekend as well. We worked the morning on a few of the illusions and then started preparing for the 2pm performance. We did work Nolan hard on the Brick Wall and he performed it with us in both shows – his stage debut with The Spencers. We had a smaller crowd for the matinee but we expected that. It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon in West Tennessee. But the crowd that was there was fun and enthusiastic.
After the 2pm show, we grabbed a quick bit to eat from a great restaurant right across the street from the theatre called the PDC Arts & Eats. The food was homemade and excellent!
After lunch, we started working on some of the other illusions in the show to get Nolan familiar with all the mechanics and engineering. It was a “crunch” day for him – a lot like cramming for a final exam! But he did a fantastic job today. This was David last “official” day with us. He won’t be coming in for any more performances unless he comes as a spectator or audience member. That’s going to be really strange.
The afternoon went fast and we were coming up on the 7:30pm show quickly. Everyone kicked into gear and got the show set before running off to get into costumes. The music started – the doors opened – the audience started rolling in. Nolan performed and worked backstage the entire show tonight – the first “full” show that he’s done with us. Once again, he came through under pressure.
It was another really great crowd tonight, much like last night. The responded well to all the illusions (and even the bad jokes) and took this magical journey with us for the evening. At the end of the show, their response was enthusiastic and, once again, the honored us with a standing ovation. We never take those for granted and are thankful that we pleased this crowd tonight.
After we had the show down and loaded out, we went back across the street to the PDC – at the invitation of the owners – and enjoyed dinner and dessert. It was a nice end to a long day.
Tomorrow we head back home for a few days before the performance in Columbia, MD at the Columbia Arts Festival. I’m off to bed….