WHAT A WEEKEND!!

This is the first time I’ve turned on my computer in the last three days.  To say we’ve been “slammed” would be an understatement!  Here’s the “weekend in review.”

DOGWOOD CENTER – FREMONT, MI

After spending Thursday in workshops, Friday was show day.  This is a beautiful space and the staff and crew are great.  The day ran so smoothly – thanks largely to Don and Tim who were so organized before we arrived.  And when the doors opened and the audience came in, we ended up with the largest crowd the Dogwood Center has had in several years.  They were a great audience!

After tearing down and loading out the show, we drove for a couple of hours to Evart, MI where we spent the night.  Our next show was in Roscommon – and it was about 3 hours away.

KIRTLAND CENTER FOR THE ARTS – ROSCOMMON, MI

Roscommon is in Northern Michigan in a very beautiful part of the state.  We had an earlier-than-normal arrival and load in time for the KCPA – and we were greeted by Josh (the TD) and Don (the director) to help get us into the loading area.  The stage is different from what our “normal” performance space is like.  This is a modified thrust stage with the audience almost 3/4 of the way around the performance area.  That can be a HUGE challenge for a magic show!

Cindy knew it was going to take her some time – and thought – to get the show to run efficiently in this space.  Josh and the crew re-arranged the room immediately off stage right.  Cindy designated it as the “stage right wing” and operated much of the show from there.  There was very little space behind the back curtain so we left some of the cases in the loading area.

Miraculously, Cindy was able to get almost the entire show to work in this space.  We only had to cut two illusions to make it flow.  Brilliant – she is brilliant when it comes to this stuff (and a VERY hard worker to make it happen).  Between Ethan and Cindy, the show ran very smoothly.

We were really pleased with the audience as well.  During intermission, the director of the theatre told us this was a great crowd for them – one of their largest in a long time.  And when I met many of them after the show, they were very enthusiastic and complimentary.

After tearing this show down, we had another drive of 3.5 hours to get down to Utica, MI for our next show.

MACOMB CENTER FOR THE ARTS – CLINTON TOWNSHIP, MI

We had a very early load in here – 8am – and after an already busy weekend, everyone was a little tired.  Lack of sleep will do that to you!  We had two shows at the Macomb Center – one at 3pm and the other at 7pm.

As we pulled into the loading dock, Jeff (the technical director) was there to greet us.  This was going to be a long day for everyone.  These guys – the entire staff and crew – really worked hard to get the show up in record time.  It was a real pleasure working with all of them!

The lady responsible for taking “care of us” was Mom. She’s been a part of the Macomb Center for more than 20 years – and she does an amazing job of keeping things organized and making sure the artists are happy.

Our first show was a very mixed crowd – young to old.  We had great volunteers and lots of energy.  I love it when I can see the faces and here the “oohs and aahs” after each illusion.  They were very vocal.  I know there were also a few of the area magicians in the crowd.  We appreciate it when they come out to support us.  I met lots of people in the lobby after the show but needed to rush off and start getting ready for the next show!

Ticket sales we a little slower for our 7pm performance but, as it turns out, we ended up with big sales at the door.  The crowd, though a little smaller than the 3pm show, made up for it with huge energy, enthusiasm, and big responses.  Volunteers were awesome!  In spite of the face that all of us were tired, this audience gave us so much energy.  The second show was my favorite performance!

Once again, the great crew of the Macomb Center kicked into high gear and we were down and loaded into the truck in near record time.  Truly, this was one of the most professional crews we have ever worked with – they knew their stuff, never complained about making a few adjustment, and ran the show with us like the pros that they were!

After the show, we drove back to the hotel and grabbed dinner at the National Coney Island diner next to the hotel.

MONDAY MORNING

We slept in this morning and didn’t hit the road until 10:30am.  We are heading home for a day and a half.  Just enough time to wash the clothes and make a few calls.  While driving, I was able to do a phone interview with the newspaper in Frederick, MD (Weinberg Center for the Arts) where we will be performing on October 29.  We stopped this afternoon at a service plaza on the Ohio Turnpike and parked next to another touring show, much more recognizable!

We’ve stopped for the night in Cambridge, OH and we’ll finish the trip home tomorrow.  I just finished up an interview with the Lancaster newspaper for our show there this weekend.  Time for some rest!