Today we played our first festival of the tour! There are actually several festivals on the itinerary and today was the first.
We woke up in Iowa and only had a few hours drive to get to Stoughton, Wisconsin. It's been really nice these last few days to have shows less than a zillion miles apart. The start of this whole thing had us driving 600 mile days to get to Seattle on time, so a 2 or 3 hour drive is nothing. Thank goodness for the Eastern states!
Upon arriving at the venue, we were faced with an interesting floor plan for the stage. Ordinarily, we take whatever stage we have, and we set up our backdrop system to create a "backstage" area. This is where Paula can run the sound, and everyone else can stay out of sight while not on stage. We try to keep that area as small as possible so that there is as much usable "stage" left over as possible. This usually results in all of our illusions already on stage, pushed to the back and draped until their spot in the show. So, a large stage is a plus! Well, today, we were faced with the smallest stage yet, and at the same time it was also the largest stage yet. How? Well, the stage itself was actually only large enough to accommodate one prop at any given time, so no onstage storage. But- there was a GIANT room directly to the side where we could have stored three of our shows. So, it was a simple matter to simply bring in one illusion at a time. No need to figure out how to position all the props on stage- awesome!
Here's another relatively new thing:
We woke up in Iowa and only had a few hours drive to get to Stoughton, Wisconsin. It's been really nice these last few days to have shows less than a zillion miles apart. The start of this whole thing had us driving 600 mile days to get to Seattle on time, so a 2 or 3 hour drive is nothing. Thank goodness for the Eastern states!
Upon arriving at the venue, we were faced with an interesting floor plan for the stage. Ordinarily, we take whatever stage we have, and we set up our backdrop system to create a "backstage" area. This is where Paula can run the sound, and everyone else can stay out of sight while not on stage. We try to keep that area as small as possible so that there is as much usable "stage" left over as possible. This usually results in all of our illusions already on stage, pushed to the back and draped until their spot in the show. So, a large stage is a plus! Well, today, we were faced with the smallest stage yet, and at the same time it was also the largest stage yet. How? Well, the stage itself was actually only large enough to accommodate one prop at any given time, so no onstage storage. But- there was a GIANT room directly to the side where we could have stored three of our shows. So, it was a simple matter to simply bring in one illusion at a time. No need to figure out how to position all the props on stage- awesome!
Here's another relatively new thing:
That's a huge 5' x 15' banner that we attach to the side of the trailer at every show. We park the trailer somewhere visible near the entrance to the venue, and bam, instant advertising! I asked a very talented friend of mine and he designed this thing and had it shipped to us while on the road. Thanks again, Shawn!
So, the show went really well. The temperature outside was hot today but the AC felt great indoors. The folks at the church were also phenomenal helpers for both load in and load out!
Speaking of great folks-
So, the show went really well. The temperature outside was hot today but the AC felt great indoors. The folks at the church were also phenomenal helpers for both load in and load out!
Speaking of great folks-
Here's Paula with a gentleman from the church whose wife runs a store that sells cheese. We're in Wisconsin and you're supposed to try their famous cheese, right? Well, before the show, Paula mentioned that she had always wanted some Wisconsin cheese. Afterward, this man hands her a bag filled with several varieties that they carry at their shop! What a great guy!
Back on the road we go, and when we stopped for gas, the kids showed me this:
Back on the road we go, and when we stopped for gas, the kids showed me this:
When you start acting out stories that involve characters you've drawn on your fingers, you've reached a new level of creativity, apparently. When we stopped next, Clay only had the "boss" on his thumb left- everything else was gone. The boss's name is E. Racer.
We stopped for dinner at Fuddrucker's (a first for this trip!) and had to get a photo with Paula milking the giant cow outside:
We stopped for dinner at Fuddrucker's (a first for this trip!) and had to get a photo with Paula milking the giant cow outside:
Tomorrow we head to Naperville, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. We plan to get there early so that we can see some of the city before the show.
We're having an absolute blast so far, and although the tour feels like it's flying by, we still feel like this is just the beginning. Here's looking forward to a great time tomorrow in Illinois!
We're having an absolute blast so far, and although the tour feels like it's flying by, we still feel like this is just the beginning. Here's looking forward to a great time tomorrow in Illinois!