O how this cheers my soul!

The day started off with impressive rains.  It's hard to capture, but you can see the view as we readied for rehearsal.  It was a strong enough downpour that I had to cover the good doctor so he wouldn't melt away between the car and the studio.

Once inside we had a long, sweaty, productive work session before two runs.  Then we had a cast function hosted by Mr. Sticka wherein we got to see Juliet and Kelsey though Andrew didn't make it.  It felt like we hadn't seen them in so long so it was nice to catch up.

Following a rollickin fun gathering I crashed with a friend and we talked long into the night.

Now I'm revving up for a tech and (likely another) two run day.

I'm getting excited for people to see this show!  Hope you can make it!

Best,

M

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Funding:                109.6%

Days in Ohio:         56

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Today is sponsored by TJ Schwab

Town & Country

Actually that's a terrible title, but let me get back to that.

Friday was another rainy day, but a productive one.  I spent it handling personal matters with the help of Master McKnight and my parents.  Then we had another good visit with the NorCal Hardings before they headed West.  It was a nice surprise to see them once more before they departed.

I then spent some time working with the Dr. in a mirror and trying out a sound cue that *almost* works.

[And I would share some with you if the F^#!ng WeVideo didn't suck so much ass!  Arrrggh!]

The design for this show is more elaborate than the last and I think it will serve the production nicely.

In the evening I managed to finally meet up with my good friend Liz Williamson, the newly appointed Executive Director of the Aiken Center for the Arts.  She and I have been friends since our WSU days and, as Liz is a traveler, I've had the chance to see her several times in my many habitats.

Her year has been as eventful as mine and as she's leaving soon to move to South Carolina we were intent to  catch up.  It just so happened she came to Dayton on a First Friday and we had kind of randomly selected the Oregon District as a place to go last night.

We parked and then checked out the food truck rally across from Gilly's before running into the Reverend Tommy Gunn busking with the kids.  Then we ambled over to Lily's Bistro and checked out the food from my high school buddy, Executive Chef, Mariah Gahagan. Yum yum!  Check it out people!

Following that Liz and I wandered around checking out old and new haunts saying hello to Tommmy, Alice and the kids, running into Gary Leitzell and his fam before dipping in the Trolley Stop.  At Therapy Cafe we ran into a DJ from our (but especially Liz's) Asylum days.

Before the hip hop night got in full swing and made it impossible to talk at a reasonable volume Liz and I had a drink, which made me think of the stupid title of this blog.

Stupid only because both Liz and I are urban enthusiasts, though you can see she is far classier than me!  Leather & Lace maybe or the Beast & Beauty.  I dunno.  What do you think Liz?  How should we best be categorized?

After Therapy we stopped at the Southern Belle for a bit (one of my favorite spots in Dayton) and it looks like there's a cool spot that's going to open next door.  Our last stop was at Newcom's, a bar Liz said she frequented in college, though it's demeanor had changed and the whiff of piss when we walked in the door was overwhelming enough to drive us to the patio into the arms of a very drunk clientele, impressively so at 12:30am.  Come on Dayton, hold your liquor!  : D

That was all a backdrop for us catching up and we had a good visit.  I'm sorry we won't get many more opportunities to hook up this summer, but the Party Planner and I will always find a way to keep in touch.  Buona Fortuna on all your new adventures young lady!

Now it's off to a couple of long rehearsals.  Yay!

Hope your Saturday is productive as well!

Best,

M

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Funding:                109.6%

Days in Ohio:         55

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Today is sponsored by William Courson

2 in a Row!

Yesterday was filled with food, family, and rain.  Lots and lots of rain.  So much rain in fact that Y.S. cancelled their fireworks display and obviously I didn't go.  It's rainy enough today that I think it might not happen tonight either.  I'll keep my ear to the ground though.  It could happen.

Besides, I have my second day "off" in a row.

Yesterday was restful for every part of me but my stomach which was groaning after all the good eats we had!  Thanks Dad, Ray and Tom for being the Grillmaster.

Even though Yellow Springs had no fireworks, I did get to experience one of the fringe benefits of being at Winona.  We sat in the driveway and watched the Fairborn version! (Until we got rained out of course.) : D

Tommy and I also watched Saints Misbehavin', a fantastic doc about one of those (mostly) unsung heroes - at least one that never crossed my radar: Mr. Wavy Gravy.  If you're a decent human and you don't know anything about this fella, maybe check out this doc!  What a great patriotic thing to see yesterday.  Seriously.

I hope your 4th was as much fun!

Best,

M

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Funding:                109.6%

Days in Ohio:         54

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Today is sponsored by the Wooten Family and William Courson

Happy Independence!

Hey y'all!

Yesterday was a lovely day starting with a goodbye to the aunt and uncle and then a visit to the Greene where we visited with the NorCal Hardings and the Elder Dixons.  We met at Panera and had a brunch before walking about and finding snow cones near the fountain.  I got quality time with both my sister-in-law and my niece.

I also ran into Steve Bognar and talked about a photography show he's involved in at the DAI conveniently across the grand hall from the Hale Cloister.  So if you see FAUSTUS, make sure to drop and in and check out Reinvention Portraits!

I had time for an errand and then some brief time to work before heading to a very satisfying rehearsal at the DAI.  The space really informed the show and I felt very good about both runs.  FAUSTUS will be interesting  for certain sure.

Following our sweaty rehearsal, Cameron provided us all with sparklers which burned as we crooned the Star Spangled Banner in front of the Art Institute.  It was a lovely moment.  A real moment.  A truly patriotic moment of togetherness for no particular reason.  My favorite.

Then Brian and I had some Pizza Hut and shot the shit before he brought me home to Fairborn where I handled some balderdash that has been foisted upon me and remembered, yet again, the reason I will come out on top is simply that I have continued to cultivate friendships over the years and I treat people with the respect they deserve.  That's a good thing to realize.

Our independence ultimately depends on our inter-dependence.  Thank you all for being part of that web.

Enjoy Independence Day . . . or the American Insurrection . . . or Boom Boom Fun.  However it shakes out for you.  : )

As much as I love all of my friends, I'm going to take the day off and spend it with as much of my family as I am able.  I hope you all will too!

Best,

M

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Funding:                109.6%

Days in Ohio:         53

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Today is sponsored by the Wootten Family

1000 Words

And no I'm not kvetching about my lines again - though I do have a lot of them.

Yesterday was a full and wonderful day with all manner of family and fun.  I thought I might do a photo essay today instead of discussing everything in detail as I am anxious to return to that bliss.

[no picture available]
6:45am Tom and I go to Sinclair and he takes placement tests

11:00am Tom and I stop at Walgreens to buy me tonics and balms for my aching shoulder  - Tiger Balm works!

[no picture available]
12:00pm The Nor-Cal Hardings show up and Katrina and I decorate for the summer babies birthdays

1:30pm My aunt Joanne shows up and checks out dad's garden

3:00pm Stacey shows up and we have a summer babies birthday soiree  for Mike, Tom and Stacey - nice hats, eh?

4:00p WSP steals the hat and looks "debonair"

5:00pm  The NorCal Hardings drop me at the Zoot Studio for rehearsal and take a quick tour - here's the first peek at the Dr. Faustus Puppet! 

6:00pm We find that our ponchos may still need some work - my forearms nearly popped the seams - Anita has a slightly different issue . . .

[no picture available]
9:30pm We finish two very interesting work-throughs and Brian gives us notes before sending us home - exhausted

11:00pm After getting home and having some delicious chicken stuffed with artichokes, spinach and parmesan and a bit of lasagna for good measure - all I missed I dinner we all bid each other good night - the glow balloons still glow - as does my foolish heart

I suppose next time I plan to do a photo essay I should make sure I have enough photos.

: /

But I'm eager to get back to my family as rehearsal is much earlier this evening.

Oh and Sommer, I think your request is a good one and I aim to give it a go, but it probably won't happen before the end of the week as I'm taking Thursday *OFF*!

Happy Hump Day Everybody!

Best,

M

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Funding:                109.6%

Days in Ohio:         52

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Today is sponsored by the Wootten Family

What art thou Faustus but a man condemn'd to die?

As I'm sure it will surprise you, yesterday was spent in pursuit of my lines, my lines, my lines.  Ah the old refrain.  I feel I now have at least a tenuous grasp on every line and hope to strengthen that today as I have time. Touch wood.

I also found my left shoulder (the one with the old stage roll injury) begins to kill after about 2.5 - 3 hours of solid isometric work.  Probably gonna seek out some Tiger Balm today.

All that said rehearsal was promising.  I look forward to it tonight after what promises to be a very long, though very fun day.

The other half of yesterday was spent in prep (at least in the house if not by me) of my eldest brother visiting with wonderful wife and my niece.  We also had a lunch trip to El Rancho Grande in the middle of the day where we were sat an auspicious booth and had the fastest turn around on an order in my living memory!

But now I must to my ablutions.  Much to do and little time in which to do it.  I will be pleasantly knackered by the end of this one I can tell you!

See you on the other side my friends.

Best,

M

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Funding:                109.6%

Days in Ohio:         51

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Today is sponsored by Nikki Lopez and Steven Aragon

Half Time Report

It's hard to believe that I have been in Ohio for 50 days and that our first show has opened and closed!  And I know the rest of the summer is going to roar by like a freight train.  

In fact, we only have 7 (count 'em 7!) rehearsals before FAUSTUS opens on July 10th.  *bites nails*

I thought I'd check out the numbers again and let you see them as we head into the latter half of this adventure.

Stats:

• 6819 page views to date (1417 in the last month)
• 84 Benefactors have backed the Summer Shakespeare Sojourn Subsidy
• $3836.33 of the minimum required $3500 has been received to date                                         (future donations will still be accepted and appreciated as unexpected things will no doubt occur)
• All 91 days of the Sojourn have been sponsored with an additional 6 days of the Chicago Layover being sponsored, leaving only 5 days of the Chicago Layover unsponsored (AMAZING!)
• Travel Honor #1 was backed by Mike Mauloff which got me from LA to Dayton on 5.13
• Brian McKnight is sponsoring travel from Ohio to Chicago in mid-August
• Travel Honor #2 was backed by Loyana Maria Garcia Vodicka and will get me from Chicago to LA on 8.29
• Benefactors were mostly from LA (45) and California in general, including LA (53)
• There were 11 Benefactors from Chicago and 11 from Ohio with 23 people contributing from outside of those centralized markets
• Most of my computer viewers use Windows (34%)
• Most of my phone viewers use iPhones (12%)
• The most used browser to see the blog is no longer Firefox (23%) but Chrome (26%)
• 34 hours of 9 days and 14 hours owed to Benefactors have been completed (14.78%) -                                         Claim your Hang Outs People!  : D
• The first blog post (2/25/13) is still the most popular with 940 views and 2 comments

Stats with no change

• People from 10 different countries have viewed the blog, overwhelmingly from the US (87%)
• The furthest benefactor donated from Dubai 
• The most popular donation method has been PayPal with over 50% of backers choosing this method (You can still contribute by sending a donation to ssssmlh2013@gmail.com through PayPal!)

Yesterday involved our closing performance (we didn't rain out!), strike and then a little Hanging Out time with Brian before the most monster nap of all time.  I then did a little business before crashing out. 

And as I didn't have internet through much of the weekend, here are some pix that I missed this weekend. 

Enjoy!

                                                                               Triple Stack at the Whizbang: 

                                                                            Tommy Gunn on the Bed of Nails, 

                                                              Ginger Ail on the Bed of Blades on Tommy Gunn, 

                                                       The Green Monster on the mini-Bed of Nails on Ginger Ail 

                                                                   and Jake the Wrestler on The Green Monster - 

                                                                                             What a trick!

                                                                       Charlotte rocks out on Big Mike's Ukulele - 
                                                                                  Promise of things to come!

                                                                                        The Usual Puppets - 
                                                                      Castmates to whom we say goodbye, 
                                                                   along with Andrew, Juliet and Kelsey.  : (

                                                              At least there's more summer series in the works - 
                                                                                   hope to see you all there!

Best,

M

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Funding:                109.6%

Days in Ohio:         50

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Today is sponsored by Dino Balos and Monina Marin