The Massive Tour Post

So for those of you who are interested in how the last 8 weeks of my life went, please feel free to read the novella that is about to unfold. Some dates and cities are left blank, I either don't remember much, there wasn't much to remember, or am actively repressing what I do happen to recall. For those of you who choose to skip the novella… I will create a Spark Notes section at the very end – please feel free to skip to that point. I will not be offended. Enjoy!

Edmonds, WA: 9.24-9.29

My travels out of Burbank were fairly uneventful. I had a layover in San Francisco and I jokingly sent my brother, Daniel, a text saying it's too bad that I finally made it to his neck of the woods but we can't even see each other. Andi, the person to whom I was referred to for this job, got incredibly sick upon her arrival to Washington, so she was unable to pick me up from the airport. Instead, the Front of House Engineer (i.e., "Sound Guy"), Brian, met me at the airport. We headed for the hotel where I met my roommate, Kelly, and the rest of the acting company (none of whose names I remembered that first night). I was overwhelmed to say the least.

The first two weeks we did not have a tour bus, instead, we traveled around in a fleet of minivans. During rehearsals I rode around with the crew which consisted of myself, Brian, Andi, and Julian (the wardrobe supervisor). The days consisted of 8 hour rehearsals for the cast and 8 hour work days for the crew. The crew had an entire gymnasium to set up a few tables for desks and lay out all of the gear for the tour.

Saturday the 26^th there was a local farmer's market in the downtown Edmonds area. The crew and I caught the tail end of it walking back from lunch, so we picked up half-off baked goods like it was nobody's business. The best part about the farmer's market was the beautiful displays of flower bouquets that were only $5. I wish I had taken some pictures because they were exotic, brilliant and breathtaking.

On Sunday, September 27^th, the band flew into Washington, which was another overwhelming experience. Just after I got to know the cast and crew I had 12 new faces to meet. We all met up at the Mexican restaurant next to our hotel for what felt like a huge family reunion. Some of these guys have been on the road together for years so they all have their inside jokes and the usual incessant need to make jabs at one another. Really it was like I inherited 12 crazy uncles all in one night.

It wasn't until after that meal that I could truly grasp the slanted gender breakdown of the tour. Of the 24 company members, there are only 5 girls. Two of whom are married (Chris and Adriana), Kelly (who is in a serious relationship), Andi, and myself (the two eligible bachelorettes).

The next two days were simultaneous cast rehearsal and band rehearsal in two different spaces in the Edmonds Performing Arts Center. It wasn't until the 29^th that we actually installed the show onto the stage, and did a full technical rehearsal with the cast, band, lights, and sound. It wasn't until then that I actually got to know the show that I would be traveling with for the next 6 weeks.

Wenatchee, WA: 9.30

So our bus driver, Tom B., is also our merchandise salesman. Since we did not have the bus for the first week on the road, I was the temporary merchandise girl. I hated selling merchandise. It was by far the worst part of my job. But I did it because I was asked to, I knew that I could, and I was getting a paycheck for the first time in a long time.

Tacoma, WA: 10.01

Portland, OR: 10.02

Portland was by far the most beautiful city where we performed, in my opinion. The city was very clean, and I have not seen a town that was more bicyclist friendly. We actually stayed in a downtown hotel in a major city that was beautiful. I also think it was the most regal, elegant theater we played in, called the Arlene Schnitzer Performance Hall.

Edmonds, WA (Take 2): 10.03

An excellent precedent was set in Edmonds, WA. Here's the story. Part of my job is arranging the company complimentary tickets for our performances. Each theater holds our company 15 free tickets, and then company members must submit a form to me to request them. I compile all of the requests a week before the performance and submit them to the theater director so they are waiting at will call on the day of the performance. This system works very well assuming that the forms are given to me a week before the show. However, when a fellow company newbie (and first saxophone, Greg) gives me a complimentary ticket request two hours before the show it gets very complicated. I managed to smile at the right person to push the ticket request through at the last minute (for which I was very grateful, as was Greg). A little while later, I was selling merchandise in the lobby of the theater, and I saw an usher walking toward me carrying a beautiful bouquet of exotic flowers. I smiled at her and said, "You must have been to the farmer's market this morning." She responded, "Not me, actually, but a gentleman asked if I could please give these to Maddie as a thank you for getting me tickets." It was the cutest thing ever. I had a fresh bouquet to look at for a few days. And that was the precedent I tried to push onto everyone from then on (without success).

Spokane, WA: 10.04

The truck (in which Brian, Andi, and Julian travel) has to arrive at the venue 3-4 hours before the company does to install the show and be ready for sound check. Sometimes they decide to drive to the next city after a show, other times they just leave really early in the morning to make the drive. It really just depends on how they are feeling (whether their need for sleep is immediate) and how far the drive is.

Well, they decided to leave early on the morning of the 4^th to make the drive to Spokane, WA (about a 6 hour drive). The vans left 3 hours later, and about an hour into our trip we get a call from the truck saying that they have gotten stuck on the highway in a major dust storm that has left them with zero visibility. They got found by a local reporter, and I have provided the news clip below:

Needless to say it was an amazing feat that while arriving 2 hours late to the theater we managed to get the show up only 30 minutes late. It was truly a team effort to get that curtain open.

The next morning the tour bus was waiting at our hotel – marking the end of the minivans and the beginning of the adventures of Maddie's mobile office.

Keizer, OR: 10.05

The hotel threw our company a reception with free booze and food… I bet they regretted that quite a bit. From left to right in the picture you have Gene (sax player), Andi (production manager/lighting director), me, Brian (Front of House Engineer), and John (another sax player).

Florence, OR: 10.06-10.07

In Florence the bus pulled up to an unappealing motel. I hung out in the parking lot where there happened to be an array of lawn furniture. I remember that Kelly dyed her hair that day and Brian and I hung out in my room both working on advancing or respective areas of the show (him sound, me hospitality). It was a lovely afternoon until my health started to go south. From our motel, there was one really long, steep staircase to get to the shoreline which was surrounded by this quaint little downtown area. I remember it being a huge ordeal for our group (which probably had about 10 people in it) to decide where to eat for dinner. We finally settled on a cute and relatively affordable seafood joint. Over the course of dinner, I started coughing and feeling pretty gross. Brian walked me back to the hotel, where I immediately climbed into bed. I woke up the next day with a sore throat and cough that lasted for a ridiculously long time (at least 3 weeks).

Eureka, CA: 10.08

The most notable thing about Eureka was that the preshow dinner that night was great. A local brew house called The Lost Coast Brewery hosted us and I just remember my pulled pork sandwich being one of the most delicious things I had while I was gone.

Paradise, CA: 10.09

Vacaville, CA: 10.10

San Rafael, CA: 10.11

One of the hardest parts about meeting up with people on tour (other than the fact that I have no time whatsoever) is that I don't recognize the names of all of these suburb cities we play in. I didn't realize until it was too late that San Rafael is 10 minutes outside of San Francisco so I should have made Daniel and Katie come out to see the performance.

The show was uneventful, but afterward things got a little exciting. See, for the most part the tour is bus and truck – no flying. On occasion, dates and times work out in such a way that there is not enough time for the company to travel by bus to arrive at the next venue in time to do the performance. Getting from San Francisco to Denver in one day was the first time this happened. So after the San Rafael show, two of the trombone players (Art and Brandon) got in the truck and pushed to Denver while the crew and the rest of the company took the bus to San Bruno where our airport hotel was. I was planning on meeting Daniel at the hotel so the two of us could hang out and catch up for a little while since I was in his neck of the woods. However, to get from San Rafael to San Bruno, we had to drive straight through San Francisco… just as a 49ers game was getting out. We sat in downtown for about 2 hours. To make matters worse, as soon as we were on the Golden Gate Bridge – a nice highlight to the trip – we were getting in a car accident on the Golden Gate Bridge – a nice lowlight to the trip. Everyone was fine, but it was good for prolonging the journey another hour. Needless to say, by the time I got to the hotel it was too late for Daniel to come and visit. Luck was just not on our side this trip.

After dropping us off, the bus driver, Tom B., started the long haul to Denver. The only other thing I really remember is that dinner that night was supposed to be pizza, which was almost an hour and a half late getting delivered. Frustrating.

Denver, CO: 10.12-10.13

Our flight to Denver wasn't until 6:00 PM, so some people took the afternoon to go see a matinee or hang out at the mall. Brian and I went to lunch together. While memorable for many reasons, I recall that both of us got Monte Cristo sandwiches which made me chuckle that we both walked to a Mexican restaurant and neither of us got Mexican food.

The flight was delayed about an hour leaving San Francisco, but it all worked out in the end. Bud had told me he had arranged for a Bus to pick us up and take us to the hotel, but he didn't tell me he'd reserved a PARTY BUS!!!You can se me between John and Brian on the right poking my head away from the center of the bus. There were fiberoptics in the ceiling for stars and it was all kinds of decked out.

Casper, WY: 10.14

Casper was the city I wrote about previously. It was a 10,000 seat hockey arena. In which we only sold 250 seats. Embarrassing for our promoter, eh? However, the view outside the loading area was gorgeous. The picture didn't come out well, but it's Andi and I at the overlook.

Cheyenne, WY: 10.15

Colorado Springs, CO: 10.16-10.17

The second half of In the Mood is very patriotic. It includes a military salute in which the anthems of each branch of the military are performed and audience members stand if they are active duty or veterans of the branch. It was one of those things that really sucked in rehearsal, but once you have the energy and emotions of the audience behind you it really means something to perform. Well, needless to say, performing the military salute at the Air Force Academy was pretty awesome. Having a thousand people stand for the Air Force song was striking. And you always see veterans who salute the stage and I would say about 75% of the time I could spot a crier.

Following our performance in Colorado Springs, my Aunt Sandy and Uncle Pat picked me up and I spent the night with them in a lovely private cabin. The gave me an adorable package of "get better now" items (cough drops, a netti pot—which was quite an adventure fir a first-time user, teas, etc.). Sandy, if you're reading this, you will be sad to know that the Green Magma as gone unopened. It has traveled safely back to Burbank where there are big plans for my roommates and I to all try it at once tomorrow.

The following morning marked my first ATV ride ever. It was by far the most fun thing I did while I was on the road (and completely unrelated to the show, go figure). I took a few hits, destroying a pair of paints and giving me a boo boo on one knee, but I wouldn't have changed it for the world. It was AWESOME. They dropped me back off at my hotel early that afternoon so I could get some work done, and I ended up going to bed early that night, feeling a little sore and a little sick, but very much appreciative for an awesome day off.

Above: Pat & I. Below: Sandy & I.

Greeley, CO: 10.18

Hays, KS: 10.19-10.20

Hays, KS was the only city where we stayed more than one day. It was a very bizarre feeling.

In the show there are two major swing dances: We'll Get It and Sing Sing Sing.Sing Sing Sing at our first performance in Hays. I was only a few feet away from her in the wings when it happened. I remember it being scary but then I kinda just slipped straight into Stage Manager (or perhaps Assistant Stage Manager) mode, getting her the medical attention she needed, filling Andi and Brian in on what was happening. Finding crutches, etcetcetc. It made me feel important to be backstage at the right time. I felt terribly for her as her job becomes practically impossible with a sprained ankle. Chris, who is our fearless director/choreographer/singer/dancer sprained her ankle toward the end of

After the show, the theater director had invited our entire company over to the house of someone on the board for drinks and snacks. I can't believe people are willing to do that stuff for us – I find it very bizarre. Didn't keep me from drinking a lot of their beer, though.

For some reason I had to print something and the hotel let me use the computers behind their check-in counter. Everyone thought it made for a good photo op. :)

Topeka, KS: 10.21

Topeka itself kinda sucked a lot. Our hotel was alright. I remember doing my laundry right away when we arrived. That's something I've managed to not mention yet. Doing laundry is always a battle. Next leg I know to pack more clothes and less extraneous "other stuff." I can make do without any books, but I REALLY needed another pair of jeans.

When Kelly and I walked into our room, the other side of the door beheld the best surprise ever. Somehow, through the miracle of miracles (penny-pinching bosses, and subpar hotels aside) we got a suite. That's right, we had an entire living area. Our room was huge. If you are my age, you know what that means – you're hosting the dance party. So we told Julian who had been itching to throw a dance party since day one and told him he could have free reign over our room that evening. He themed it the mismatch party (you had to dress according to theme to enter).

Immediately after the show, Bud took everyone to the bar for a "first round on the boss" occasion. It was really nice to spend some time with everyone out of the context of theater. The bar happened to be called Maddie's which I also approved of.

After the bar, I don't really remember the order of events (I will be honest and let you know that I had one too many whiskey sours), but for some reason I ran into Chris and Andi when I was walking outside the hotel and I climbed over their balcony. In their room I got put into a mismatch costume, and from there I got tied up on the phone and missed the party entirely. Oh well. I still have some fun pictures. First picture: me climbing onto Andi and Chris's balcony. Second picture: Andi, Chris and I all ready to go to the fiesta.

Davenport, IA: 10.22

Rockford, IL: 10.23

I'm not sure what day this picture is from, but it's cute so I'm putting it here.

Lunch at Wendy's on a travel day.

Effingham, IL: 10.24

Jonesboro, AR: 10.25

The drive to Jonesboro from Effingham was longer than our usual morning trip. To ease the burden, we drove some of the distance after the show on the 24^th to arrive at a midway point at 1:30 AM where we stayed for the evening. When Kelly and I walked into our room we had one King bed instead of a double. We both turned to eachother, exhausted and asked if the other cared, be both said no. So we crawled in together and called it a night. We later found out that about half of the company was in the same situation, but they all went to the front desk to change rooms. A very brave decision to loose some precious sleeping time since bus call was at 6:00 AM to get to Jonesboro.

Here's what's wrong with Jonesboro, AK. First off, it's in a dry county. After only getting a few hours of sleep sometimes all a girl wants is 3 beers to call it a day. Also, we stayed at the grossest hotel ever. It was a Day's Inn gone wrong. The showers and sinks were all dirty. Kelly's bed had no sheets on it. Chris's shower was full of someone else's pubes. I mean it was GROSS. All of the rooms were disgusting.

I do remember having a very lovely dinner at Cracker Barrell, hanging out with Brian for a while, and coming home to an awesome game of Catch phrase in which Brandon and I were the big losers.

This is my "why am I in Jonesboro?!" face. The gas station behind me is called a Kum & Go, which I think is prime competition for Pittsburgh's Get Go slogan "Get in, Get out, Get on your way" in terms of gas stations with sexual innuendo up the wazoo.

Chattanooga, TN: 10.26-10.27

Choo! Choo!! Now that's out of my system. We did add the Chattanooga Choo Choo into the show for that one performance. It got a nice applause – always nice to know the audience appreciates a little added effort on our end.

The hotel was nice. Brian pulled out his hookah so a few of us hung out outside his room for a while to partake both evenings.

Dayton, OH: 10.28-10.29

We had a legitimate DAY OFF in Dayton. No show and no traveling. It was awesome. The second of two days off the entire leg. A lot of the time was used to acquire any last minute Halloween costume needs as Chris is the official hostess of the Halloween party. I also managed to squeeze in a much needed haircut and an excellent sushi dinner with Chris and Brian. Chris and I split a love boat for two :) Also, Chris managed to find wine that came in juice boxes (see picture number 2).

Jackson, MI: 10.30

Greenville, MI: 10.31

The wardrobe supervisor left the tour for three days to do some styling work in Los Angeles. I had been spending a lot of the time on the tour learning his track (ie. what he does from the beginning of load-in to the end of strike) so that I would be ready to replace him. Well, Halloween was my big test. The truck call was at 6:00 AM so that we could drive and arrive to the venue by 8 or 9 (I can't remember exactly when load-in was scheduled to begin). Anyway, thus began my two longest days on the tour.

I did just fine as the wardrobe supervisor (and I knew I would). Everything got done, no one was forced to go on stage naked, and nothing was lost or broken. I actually really liked doing that job, and would hope that if Julian ever decided to leave (though I like him so I want to keep him around as long as possible), that I might be considered for the position.

After the show, we got back to the hotel. All I wanted to do was take a never ending nap, but instead I went shopping with Chris, Brian, and Kelly for decorations and food for the Halloween party. Chris had me take a 5 Hour Energy which seemed to have the desired effect. The hotel was letting us use a meeting room, so we bunkered down and decked it out for a few hours. We ordered in pizza and everyone put on their costumes while we waited for it to arrive. I was Pippy Longstocking. I didn't stay until the bitter end of the party because most of me just wanted to get some sleep. I still had a great time, though. Please enjoy the pictures of the shenanigans.

The whole gang.

Brian & Paul (the male swing dancer).

Kelly (who dressed as Julian because he was out of town) and I.

Andi and I.

Team decorations!

Clinton Township, MI: 11.1

Wisconsin Rapids, WI: 11.2-11.3

Grand Rapids, MN: 11.4

Rochester, MN: 11.5-11.6

We performed at the Mayo Civic Center which was pretty cool. The show got boring, so the wardrobe supervisor decided to give me a couture makeover (or at least a hair-over). I look a bit possessed.

Detroit Lakes, MN: 11.7

St. Paul, MN: 11.8

There were mixed emotions running into the final show of the tour. It's a combination of being sad to say goodbye to all my new peeps, but the excitement of not living out of a hotel for a while. Also, never feels good to say farewell to a steady paycheck. Bud gave a speech reminding everyone to keep the show the same, and that just because its our last show, it's still the first impression for our audience and they deserve excellent performances across the board.

Dinner was at the hotel that night. Very bittersweet and full of goodbyes. Bud and Chris both gave speeches thanking everyone for all of their hard work. Bud even mentioned me by name and everyone cheered (apparently the catering was much appreciated). Julian and I had learned to do one of the dance moves in a swing dance number, so when Bud left the room to get everyone's paychecks, we performed it very quickly in the breakfast area.

Burbank, CA: 11.9

Getting home was a long travel day. My airport shuttle left at 10:00 AM and I didn't arrive in Burbank until 6:30 PM (which included 2 time zone changes). So all in all, it was 10 long hours to get home from St. Paul.

Since arriving home I have managed to rest up, unpack my suitcase, start packing for my move out of my apartment, and really just get my feet back under me. I've caught back up with most of my west coast friends, and have started thinking about what to do with the next two months of my life.

The Spark Notes

Being on the road was the most amazing job I have ever had. It's tiring, frustrating, rewarding, exciting, motivating, and rejuvenating all at the same time.

Bud Forrest, the creator, producer, and music director of In the Mood, has managed to create a show that is timeless and moving. He has generated a success. Because he is a musician and most of the company members are musicians, the show is very well known in that social circle. The music book is really challenging and the Bud Band (as it has been dubbed in the musician's network), is known for its excellent musicianship and is highly competitive. The show is much lesser known in the theater and singer circles.

My biggest fears heading out for the tour were that I wouldn't like my job and/or I wouldn't like the people. Well, the job was a perfect mix of administrative duties and stage work, and the people became my second family. Kelly was a perfect roommate, meeting Brian was an unexpected perk, I got along with everyone on a professional level, and I got along with 90% of people on a personal level.

Despite the constant catering and nightly hangouts, I managed to loose a few pounds on the road and have decreased my drinking to an almost non-existent amount. I've stopped drinking soda since I got off tour (switched to SmartWater as per the recommendation of Chris & Brian). I'll do that until I grow weary of paying for water. But really, life on the road has had a profoundly positive effect on me.

I have learned one valuable lesson though. Seeing as how this blog post is taking me the better part of a day, I will try to keep a little more current next leg.