Our final show for the month of January was in the quaint town of Ocean Springs, MS. We performed at the Mary C. O’Keefe Cultural Center in the downtown area. The Cultural Center is in a newly-renovated school building built in the 1920’s. Today, this building houses galleries, classrooms, and a beautiful theatre.
Eric Zala is the Executive Director and he’s doing a fantastic job. He met us as we pulled into the loading area, gave me a quick tour of the stage and backstage area, and introduced me to the technical director, Derrick. Cindy and the guys scoped the stage to figure out where it was all going to go and load in commenced!
It’s a good thing we had lots and lots of guys to help – load in was a little more interesting than usual. BUT there guys got it all in…and won’t have to visit the local gym for a few weeks (lots of lifting involved). Once we were in, the rest of the day was fairly uneventful – scenery, lighting, focus, tech, and show time!
The great news of the day was the show was completely sold out – they even set up a few additional chairs to accommodate the “extras.” The show had generated lots of media attention – 3 prominent features in area newspaper – and the excitement in the audience was palpable. This was an amazing crowd – enthusiastic, responsive, and great volunteers.
One of my high school friends – John Duke – his wife (Leanne) and their daughter (Zoe) drove in from Pensacola to see the show. Afterwards, we hit the local Denny’s and had the chance to visit. Ocean Springs, MS was a great way to wrap up January 2010!