VIRGINIA IS FOR LOVERS...AND GRITS!
Sorry for the late entry but we got a little busy this spring.  More updates to follow this one!
Well, back in March we headed out for a state yet discovered by GRITS (Gals, that is...I'm quite sure they eat 'em there) and we headed to the lovely town of Suffolk!  It was the first time we had ever played in the great state of Virginia and we didn't know what to expect!  Because it was about 6 hours away, half of the cast and the crew headed out the night before.  We were going to need to load in and rehearse and for me wearing as many hats (literally and figuratively) as I do during this process, I find that I cannot do all of it if I have that long a drive SO...we headed out to parts unknown ahead of time!
We stayed in lovely Emporium, VA the night before....just outside of Suffolk.  My husband of NASCAR sports writing fame, informed me that this was the hometown of the famous Sadler Bros.! Too true, we found out fast enough, as we tooled through the town passing the Sadler Auto Care Center, Sadler Travel Center, Sadler Restaurant and so on and so on.  These were a welcome sight to us as we pulled into the city that was let's just say a little...sketchy.  It was pretty late and mostly what we had passed on the way in was the never before seen  "Slip-In" convenient store &  gas station.  As one of my more seasoned actresses put it.... "I'm NOT going to the bathroom in this town in a gas station called the "Slip-In"!  You don't know what you are gonna come out of there with!"  BUT... when we checked into a lovely Holiday Inn Express and all was well with the world and we were just a 45 minute drive outside of our destination.
We arrived at the precious town of Suffolk and at a theater that was more than lovely the next day around 11:00 am.  We were met with an interesting group of young men who were tech crew for the center.  As we pulled up in the truck hauling the pink trailer with "GRITS: THE MUSICAL" painted on the side, one young man asked, "You the GRITS ladies?"  I responded, "Yes...yes we are." and we were off and running.
Loaded in, set up and got my new stage manager up to speed.  Yep!  That again.  Turned one very promising assistant stage manager into a full blown, calling lights and running the show, stage manager that trip.  Training as we go is a must for this crew and this new gal was great.  I know she was scared, but she didn't show it and we just did what we had to do to make it work like we always do!  Was it a lighting masterpiece?  No, but it was solid and good and that was the most important thing.  The piece does not live or die by lights, it stands with basics just as well as with all the bells and whistles.  It's the material, music and cast that are what the people come to see.
As the rest of the cast filed into the super nice dressing rooms, we noticed a man that was coming in and out of the dressing room area.  Senior gentleman and very nice.  Told my seasoned actress that he was looking for his 5th wife and if there was anyone in there that he could spend his money on? Come to find out, it was Mr. Frank.  He was the custodial service manager and was very sweet.  He had been working at the facility for many years and was quite a character!  He fit right in with the GRITS Gals!
We moved onto the stage area to start out cue to cue rehearsal.  Had to have one...not for the actresses but for the poor new stage manager who had never called a light cue in her life!  We started going through the show and she was doing great.  We got to the song "Lipstick Sisters" and in that particular number we go down into the audience and hand out lipstick (really chap-stick in individually wrapped packages with the show name and website on it...WHAT? I have to market this bitch anyway I can!)  anyway...down we go, and stand before the empty house in the dark.  House lights should come up, but this new gal was just figuring it all out when POW!  Bright lights hit me right in eyes!  FLASH!  Another one...right in my face!  I am totally blinded.  I look at my co-stars to my right and left and they are laughing.  I finally regain my sight and I see Mr. Frank standing on the second row.  FLASH!  Again the lights...closer this time.  Mr. Frank. clicks a disposable camera and then  twists the knob to advance to the next picture.  He's up in my face like the paparazzi on Kim Kardashian.  I guess he thinks he's found his 5th wife.  Don't tell my husband.  We laugh and continue on.
Show time comes and it's a terrific crowd.  Almost all 500 seats sold.  We are all dressed and they fed us a wonderful meal and took pictures with us for their social media sites.  These were some charming folks.  We head upstairs to do the show and begin.  The crowd was SO into it.  You never know from state to state how the jokes and songs and text will be interpreted, but these Virginians LOVED it!    We are half way through the first act and I look over to the stage left wing and there is Mr. Frank again.  With his disposable camera.  Click!  Twist, twist, twist.  Click!  Twist, twist, twist.  He is in the wings taking pictures of us, Well...I am gonna say "us".  The rest of the cast would have said "me".  It was hilarious.  Luckily we were so in the zone and it was a cast that was so familiar with the show that it wouldn't have mattered what what going on backstage, so it was all fine.  We completed the night with a standing ovation and we shook hands and took pictures for at least and hour after the show.
We didn't see Mr. Frank after the lights went down and the trailer was all packed.  I'm kinda glad actually.  Not exactly sure what Mr. Frank was gonna do with those pictures and I'm pretty sure I don't ever want to find out, but we'll just chalk it up to a man who loves him some GRITS and leave it at that!