Childsplay National Tour

Drea here.  Ah, time to blog again. Right now, we are in the process of loading into the theatre here. Rancho is sunny and warm. The space is lovely! Complete with an awesome and friendly crew. And we have a special guest with us today- Gretchen Schaefer from Childsplay! It is a little sad to think that this is our last venue. The tour has flown by! It will be hard to say goodbye to “Tomas”, yet good to return to my life, man, pets, and bed in Chicago. Ah yes, closings in theatre are always a little bittersweet. I will miss Tiff and Izzy, my two partners in crime. And I’m going to miss the Love Rat. But, I have had a wonderful time on this tour, and am very grateful to have had the opportunity to have performed in this landmark show for one of my favorite companies in the world.

Okay, enough mushy stuff. Izzy and I (along with the Love Rat) are in our dressing room right now. Izzy is talking with familia en el telephono, and I am borrowing Tiff’s ‘puter yet again for an update. Since last we blogged, we performed in Portland, Oregon. I think it is fair to say that all three of us were in love with the city. We were in an adorable hotel in downtown, within walking distance of fantastic restaurants, coffee houses, shops, and microbreweries. We were two blocks away from Powell’s Bookstore, an amazing Portland landmark. We were treated to fabulous vegetarian and organic choices. Although we did notice an unusual trend. For being one of the nation’s healthiest cities, everyone tried to force unhealthy food options on us. Which we, of course, had to put to the taste, err, I mean, test!!!  Awesomely rich and full-fat coffee drinks from Half and Half, gourmet cupcakes at Saint Cupcake, amazing homemade pasta and bread at Justa Pasta, and the most delicious and off-the-wall flavored doughnuts (Grape, Bubblegum and Blood-filled) from Voodoo Doughnuts. Tiff and I were actually tricked into going to the latter by Izzy, who told us that they had a great coffee bar. They had plain, undelicious coffee. We forgave Izzy, however, once we tasted the sugary goodness that was the Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Crispy Treat doughnut. Oh, and I would be remiss to not send a shout-out to Kecia, our extremely wonderful contact in Portland, for making our stay more comfortable. We will miss you! Portland was also made more special by a visit from Andres Alcala, who kindly archived our show. Thanks so much, Andy!

I also got to see my stepbrother Nikolai in Portland. He came to the show with his girlfriend Evita, and our friends Jake and Erin. They sat on the floor with the kids, and had a great time. During one of the Q & A sessions, we were taking to the children about what Tomas might have missed by being away from his home in Tejas. One little girl piped up, “When I’m away from home, I miss my blankie. IT’S MY FAVORITE!!!” She then bounced up and down for emphasis. It was pretty darn adorable!

Well, it is almost time to leave the comfort of the dressing room.  I look forward to dinner with Gretchen, Tiff, and Izzy after sound check.  And in case anyone is wondering, we did find a Starbucks about 3 minutes away from the venue.  So it will be a good week.

Gotta go!  Time to feed the Love Rat!

Drea here, of “Tomas and the Library, brought to you by Starbucks”! Seriously, it is getting a little bit out of control. Tiff just had like three shots of expresso, and I fear she may actually explode. My own vanilla latte consumption is reaching an all-time high. As for Izzy, what he lacks in coffee consumption, he more than makes up for in pastries. His cinnamon roll muffin he ate earlier did look delicious. But I digress…

Back to some thoughts/memories/comments from earlier this tour! I apologize that somewhere in the earlier blogs, I got off track with dates. Too much caffeine, maybe?

February 24th- Daytime in Seattle, PM drive to Tacoma for load in

Tiff- Ferry boats!!! Kick-butt load-in at Pantages Theatre in Tacoma, where Jim Luther used to work!

Drea- Disappointed to find no McDreamy and no Seattle Grace Hospital. Fantasy of being on Grey’s shattered. But, a nice hotel by Tacoma Dome! Awesome crew and space. Good night’s sleep.

Izzy- Beautiful theatre- with laundry facilities!

February 25th- Shows in Tacoma, drive to Eugene

Tiff- Awesome shows, awesome lunch at Irish Pub (Shepard’s Pie…mmm), and a Starbucks every 1/2 mile. Love Washington.

Drea- Fabulous hospitality. Love the fruit plate. Oh, and did Izzy really eat all those pastries? In Eugene, a visit with my cousin Betsy who is going to school there.

Izzy- Crazy diaphragm exercises need to fill space. But no mikes for us- we are real actors!

February 26th- Drive to Crescent City, CA

Tiff- Redwoods. Enough said.

Drea- Delicious seafood platter with clams, shrimp, and calamari for $10.95. And it’s good! Pays to be right by the water. Mind-blowingly huge trees. Tiff loses her cell phone, completing the trilogy.

Izzy- Redwood adventures and amazing night vision. And tree hugging!

February 27th- Drive to San Rafael for load-in

Tiff- Awesome hotel!!! Amazing bed that I didn’t want to crawl out of.

Drea-The locals pronounce it “San Raff-el”.  I connect with my cousin Celise who lives nearby in Marin County.  :)  Wish I didn’t have to get up so early. 

Izzy- I meet some other “artsy” folks staying at the hotel.  They are a Military Marching Band from Europe.  Many accents!

February 28th- Shows in Marin County, drive to Salinas!

Tiff- Crazy CA freeway infrastructure gets us lost of the way to the venue.  Pigged out at Fresh Choice salad bar!  Yum!  Propmaster Jim Luther had family at show!  Oh, and I had sub-par Yorkshire pudding for dinner.  The Love Rat finished it.

Drea-My Aunt Bev and cousin Celise came to show!  What a treat!  They took me to a delicious Indian Buffet in San Rafael for lunch.  The waitress was afraid of the Love Rat at dinner.

Izzy- The Love Rat comes to dinner with us in Salinas to the Penny Farthing Restaurant.  I finally get my fried pickles!!!

February 29th- Load-in and shows in Salinas, then drive to Santa Rosa!

Happy Leap Year!

Tiff- Dark chocolate mocha!!! Need I say more? Fox Theatre- an unusual space.
Drea- On the marquee at the Fox Theatre!  An interesting show with rock star lighting.  Did you know that Salinas is the Artichoke Capital of the United States?

Izzy- The Love Rat visits a gutter on the loading dock of the theatre with some of his new bouncer friends from the Fox staff (yes, we had bouncers at this show).  I talk the Love Rat into staying with us, rather than returning to his roots.  With kind words and Cheez-its, I convince him to stay in the van.

The Love Rat-  I never really planned to go back to the sewer.  I just wanted the Cheez-its.

Stay tuned for more adventures of Tomas and the Love Rat!!!

Adios!

So, I only have a few minutes to write, so I thought I’d let everyone in on a few fun facts about our cast.

But first-  three cool things happened today!

1)  We had two really great shows in Saratoga, in which the kiddos clapped after every song, and cheered long and loud when the nightmare teacher “melted”.

2) And most awesome!!! Jose’s mom, cousin and niece attended the show today!  Que incredible y especial!  They were very complimentary of the show.   We took pics with them, and gave his mom an autograph.

3)  On the post-show drive to Redding, CA, we saw a sheep dog herding a huge group of sheep.  It was so cool!

And now, all that you never wanted to know about our tour!

DID YOU KNOW:

Drea is the only natural born US citizen in the van.

Tiffany doesn’t like olives, bleu cheese, artichokes, or avocado.

Drea loves all of those things, but is allegic to avocado.  Also, melon and pitted fruit.

Tiffany was born in Montreal, Canada.

Izzy, Drea, and Tiffany only have brothers- no sisters!

Izzy likes bananas, but no baked goods containing bananas.

Izzy and Drea do not like raisins.

Izzy was born in Mexico City, Mexico.

Drea was born in Yuma, AZ.

Drea is the oldest, Tiff is the youngest.

Tiff, Drea, and Izzy have all purchased stuffed animals on this trip.

On March 3, Drea and Izzy officially ran out of clean socks and undies and had to do laundry at the hotel.

Due to prior tour experience, Tiffany has a good system for calculating enough clean socks and underwear.

All three have lost their cell phones at least once on this tour.

That’s all for now.  Only 10 hours until our next trip to Starbucks!!!  Adios!

Hello! Drea again. Today finds us in Los Gatos (that means The Cats, for the non-Spanish speakers), California. We had a pleasant load in at a charming theatre space that is built in a villa in the hills of Saratoga, CA. Our drink choices of the day were Vanilla Latte for Tiff, a Honey Latte for Izzy, and a Skinny Latte for me.

By the way, we have named the Ford Econoline Van that we travel in Skookumchuck, after a river in the Pacific Northwest. The van also has a nickname- SKC.

So, I figured I’d pick up from the tour highlights where I left off. I have Tiff’s computer for a few minutes while she’s out on a search for a salad.

February 21st- Drive to Spokane

Tiff- Train tracks next to hotel

Drea- I am on the mend.  Humidifier and Vicks nasal spray helping the sniffles and wheezing.  Wow, I am sooo attractive right now.  My ancient laptop that I brought with me on tour seems to be dead, so no blogging for me.  I beg to borrow Tiff’s for 5 min.  so I can at least check my email.  She is kind and obliges.

Izzy-  I made friends with some locals.  Although, one of them can’t believe my name is Israel, and says “You can change that, you know.”  Ouch.

February 22nd- Drive to Yakima, WA

Tiff- Comfort Suites are comfy!!!  Interesting load-in.  Izzy’s gigantic cinnamon roll.  I have a salad.

Drea- Yummy lunch and cool waitress.  But asked by the cashier why we are in town, and when we answer she says, “Oh.   Do you all get paid to do the little plays?”  We give her a post-show Q&A answer.  Then crack up once we get outside.  Oh, and Izzy’s gigantic cinnamon roll.

Izzy- AMAZING cinnamon roll for lunch.  Seriously, as big as my head.  So delicious.  I think I can’t possibly eat the whole thing.  But, I do.  Oh- and free cookies and homemade soup at the hotel from 5-7 pm.   I have a few cookies too.  The girls hate me for my metabolism.

February 23rd- Yakima Performances, then drive to Seattle

Tiff- Apparently, the entire city of Yakima shuts down at two.  We are starved after our shows, but there is nowhere to eat!  Finally, we find a place called Margaritas! serving Mexican food.  It is housed in an old train car, and is pretty cool.  Then, time to drive to Seattle!  Izzy drives and gets caught in traffic outside the Seattle Center, due to a Sonics game.  But when we finally get to the hotel, I get upgraded to a jacuzzi suite.  I feel bad, so I invite the actors over to watch movies on my in-room DVD player while relaxing in the hot tub.  I am immediately forgiven.

Drea- It finally happened in the second show.  I knew it would.  I was so busy worrying about my ridiculous microphone staying attached to me, that on my last entrance as Library Lady, I entered with my Enrique hat on.  I realized it immediately by the look on Izzy’s face.  I tried to play it off as though it was part of my LL outfit, keeping the sun out of my face along with the umbrella.   Hopefully, no one besides Tiff and Izzy noticed.  Hopefully…

Then we arrive in Seattle.  My room is on the small side, which is fine.  Until I see Tiff’s room.  But she shares, and the jacuzzi rocks!

Izzy-  So, two of the crew members (read- high school theatre students)   are freaking out when I come off-stage today after the show.  They start examining my face for a “blue dot”.  Apparently, during the entire show, they though I had a painted-on blue dot on my cheek.  Which in actuality was just my dimple, in shadow from stage lights.  But it freaked them out to the point that they were in the catwalks trying to figure out where the blue light was coming from.  Then, after the show and a tasty meal at Margaritas!  I drove us to Seattle.  Not fun during a Supersonics game.   It was a driving nightmare.  Then, I lost my phone when we got to the hotel.  I found it later- it had fallen out of the van.  But, my screen was all messed up.  So that’s two lost and recovered cell phones on the tour so far.

And fortunately, the Love Rat has not fallen out of the van.  That would be a real tragedy.

February 23rd- Seattle!!!

All-  We love Seattle!!!

Love Rat- I love it too!

Tiff-  We did so much in one day!  Awesome Thai for lunch, then a trip to the ‘Bucks. Got a skirt and a magnet for the van at Pike Place Market, and more coffee at the Original Starbucks.  I had to pull an incredibly awesome maneuver to get the van out of the small space where another car had pulled in too close to us.  This took about 15 minutes and a lot of teamwork, but I did it and Drea and Izzy cheered.  Then, on our way to SCT, we discovered that there are two 2nd Avenues in Seattle.  Saw an awesome show, then rode the monorail.  Pretty amazing day.

Drea-  The show at SCT was called The Hundred Dresses  and it was amazingly beautiful.  As was the space itself.  The  entire experience was magical, and the actors were all friendly and gracious after the show.  Missed seeing Linda H., but was glad to get to go.

Izzy- Tourist time!!!  The Pike Place Market, another cinnamon roll, coffee!  And the Space Needle!  My fear of heights went away, as we went to the top to enjoy th 520 degree views.   The show was great, and we had a great meal that evening.  Love it here!

Well friends, Tiff is back with her dinner and needs her laptop back.  More to come later in the adventures of the tour and the Love Rat!

Hello!  Andrea here.  I have finally commandeered a computer (I am the only one of the three of us without one) and it is time to write.  I actually have been journaling each day about our adventures on the road, so now that I have Tiff’s computer for the next 1/2 hour before she’ll need it again, I figured I’d better record some of the tour highlights thus far.

First of all, nicknames have been created.  As mentioned from the fall blog, Tiffany is also known as Wiffany and Wiffers.   Mostly though, she is known as Tiff.  Israel is Izzy, and I am Drea.

The discovery has been made that we all have a passion for really good chocolate, eclectic mixes of music (Beethoven to BonJovi to the Chicago and Rent soundtracks), organic fruit and veggies, and most of all, Starbucks.   We usually plan our day around locating one for first thing in the morning, and then finding a second ‘Bucks about halfway through the day.   And if there is nighttime driving involved, then yes, a third trip to Starbucks may be in order.  Due to this coffee phenomenon, I took it upon myself to create a “Bucks Spent at the Bucks” envelope where receipts for our purchases are kept.  Although it is not going to be a perfectly accurate record (Izzy keeps forgetting or losing his receipts), it will give us an approximation of the ridiculous amount of dollars dolled out on this part of the tour.

Also, we have kept up the magnet tradition begun by Tiff, Marcos and Gina.   The magnets in the van are a fun record of where we’ve been, as well as a way for the person sitting in the backseat to have something to look at.

Finally, we have a van mascot.   He is a “Love Rat”, purchased by Izzy in Bozeman, Montana.  He is a life-size plastic white rat covered in red hearts, and contains a squeaker.   I have no idea why he has become such an important part of the tour, but he now lives on the dashboard of the van.  Izzy makes him squeak every time something good happens.  Sometimes he comes with us to dinner or in to one of our hotel rooms at night.  Tiff had  him watch the democratic debate with her.  He appears in the photos I’ve been taking.  We love the squeaky Love Rat, and he loves us.

The rest of this entry will be from my daily record of comments or memories of the three of us as the tour progress.

February 16th- 1st Day of tour!  We drive to Farmington, NM

Tiff- Continental Divide!  First trip to Starbucks.

Izzy- Bagels and juice, and a lovely send-off from some of the CP crew

Drea- First nap in the van.  Drinking water and trying to recover from my sinus and UR infections (BOO)

February 17th- Drive to Denver

Tiff- OMG! Crazy windy icy snowy roads in Rockies!

Drea- Ellen’s good luck charm in the van saves the tour from near death when Drea hits a patch of ice and the van starts to spin.  Luckily, living in Chicago helps her know what to do, and all are safe.   Then she loses her cell phone.   *Please note!  This is a trend on our tour.*  But she connects in Denver with old CP SM, Sarah Ternan. 

Izzy-  Crazy off-roading adventure.  “Tiff, are you sure this is the right way?”  Turns out we are on the wrong 12th Street.  Oh well, only a two hour mistake.  But by going back, we are able to recover Drea’s phone.

February 18th- Drive to Sheridan

Tiff- Random large stand up cutouts of animals and cowboys on the tops of mountains in WY.  And, mini putt golf course in the lobby of the Holiday Inn!

Drea-  Wind!  Blowing the van all over the road.  Then, the “Happy Bunny” sticker machine in the arcade room of the hotel lies and steals $1.50 from me, and instead gives me Droopy Dog and American Flag stickers.  I’m sick and going to bed!

Izzy- Missed fried pickle opportunity!  I will regret this later.

February 19th- First performances in Sheridan, Wyoming, then drive to Billings, Montana

Tiff- PAM!  The awesome old school TD.  Late night drive, and ‘Bucks is closed.  Mmm.  Gas station coffee.

Drea- Good news- Names on the marquee.  Bad news- still sick and wanting a humidifier.  But, theatre magic does take over and allows me to fake good health through my shows.  Also, Sudafed helps- Thanks Wadam!

Izzy- Trip to the post office!  I mail my friends painting with help from friendly P.O. worker.  And I find a Blockbuster so I can give them back the DVD I forgot to return in Phoenix.  The girl helping me is not friendly, or amused.  whoops!

February 20th- Drive to Spokane, WA

Tiff- 3 states in one day!  Buffalo sausage in a huge frickin’ Breakfast Burrito in Bozeman.  TCBY Frozen Yogurt in Missoula.

Drea- Delicious breakfast for lunch.  The local elementary school in Bozeman, MT had put up pictures of Martin Luther King, JR. on the cafe walls.  The waiter points out that they all look like Mr. Potato Head.  We agree.

Izzy- Birth of the Love Rat!!!  My new friend and our van mascot!

It is now 1/2 hour for our show in Salinas, and I need to put my wig on.  More later as the adventures of Tiff, Drea, and Izzy continue!!!

Rehearsals began this week for the Spring Tour. There will be a different cast traveling in the van across the west coast this year:

Tomás– Israel Jiminez

The Library Lady– Andrea Morales

Israel Jimenez (Tomás) is thrilled to be joining Childsplay’s national tour. Israel is a graduate of the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts where he also interned as part of PCPA’s Education and Outreach program, touring in the title role in Robin Hood. Favorite credits include Aladdin in Aladdin’s Quest for the Lamp of Kali, Babyface in Happy End, Snake in The Apple Tree and Mary Sunshine in Chicago. Israel holds a B.A. in Theatre from the College of Santa Fe where, this past fall, he was given the opportunity to direct his play, In Morpheus’ Arms.

Andréa Morales (Library Lady) is happy to perform again with Childsplay, where she spent an incredible five years as a company member before relocating to Chicago. She recently performed the role of Pepper in Metro Theater Company’s national tour of José Cruz González’s Salt and Pepper, a role that she originated with Childsplay. Regional credits include Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, Yerma, Tartuffe, As You Like It, Real Women Have Curves, the West Coast premiere of Cardenio, and the World Premiere of Work Song. Andréa is an ensemble member of Halcyon Theatre and Hubris Productions in Chicago.

Best of luck to both of them–and to Tiffany, the Stage Manager, as they get ready to bring Childsplay across the country!

More information and updates coming soon….

-Melissa, Childsplay

It’s true.  After 3 months, we are finally heading home!  It was truely a sense of relief to turn on I-40 West yesterday.

Let’s recap, post thanksgiving.

We took Florida by storm!  We had a great 3 day sit down in West Palm Beach.   It was a very intimate space, perfect for our “wittle show”.  They crew there is the very best, and they took care of us.  We had great audiences, ranging from home schoolers to an after school program.  After West Palm, we have been going nonstop!  No more then 2 nights in one place.  We have covered the whole state, with a stop at Disney World in between.  It has been nice to be in warmer weather, to see family and friends, and for Marcos to finally experience the joy of Bob Evans Restaurants.  (Yeah, that’s a inside joke.)

You know, I am always hesitant to write something negative on this blog.  But, I think it all fairness, I will say that we are very tired.  Touring is tough, and I think we all knew that going in.  But, I think what has sustained us in the pure power of this show.  Even when we have 18 people in the audience, or the dressing rooms are really dirty, or better yet there are no dressing rooms, or our phones don’t have service, or we have to get up early to load in, do two shows, load out, drive 3 hours and load in again, or well…you get the point, it is our belief in the show that has got us though.

Yesterday, we performed in Kentucky and then we loaded out and headed to Memphis.  We have a long drive ahead, so it would be a perfect time to call us and check in.  We perform in Albuquerque on December 17, home on the 18th.

See you soon!

Thanks, Richard, for changing the title of the blog to the Library Lady’s blog.  That made me smile.

Thank you, Antho, for coming to Memphis, taking an interest in making our show better and treating us to Memphis bbq.

Thanks, Gretchen, for only being a phone call away.

Thanks, Rosemary and Melissa, for setting up our website and blog.  It’s a hit!

Thanks, Holly and Jeff and the shop, for designing and building, as one of the tech guys in Madison said, ” One of the best designed and constructed road sets I have ever seen.”

Thanks, Jose, for writing this beautiful piece.  It is honor to perform it for so many people.

Thanks, Marcos, for encouraging us to do tourist things, eat slow food, and being the best Tomas Rivera ever.

Thank you, Trish, for teaching us and leading us to the perfect lectdiem and q and a.

Thanks, Steve, for realizing the importance of this tour, finding Holden, and getting us national!

Thanks, Adam, for booking hotels, taking care of us, and being an all around great guy.

Thank you, Pat, for writing this book, which is used all across the country as a teaching tool for literacy and inspiration.

Thanks, Wiffers, for never excepting “good enough”, and for putting up with me.

Thanks, Eric, for designing the third character is this show.  It wouldn’t be the same without it.

Thanks, Tim, for bringing this book to Childsplay.  Look how far we have come!

Thanks, Jim and Ruth, for making our play authentic, right down to the cochito.

Thanks, Yolanda, Heather, and Ricky, for picking elotes all day.

Big thank you, David, for leading this company for 30 years, changing children’s lives, and loving this show.

Happy Thanksgiving!    Gina

My name is Crystal Perkins and I’m an ELL (English Language Learners) teacher at Egypt Elementary School in Memphis, TN. Recently, our ELL students, ELL teachers and some parents attended a performance of Tomas and the Library Lady at The Orpheum in Memphis, TN. First, I would like to say thank you for an outstanding performance!!! Our students were absolutely amazed at the performances of Marcos Najera (Thomas) and Gina Handy (Library Lady). All of our ELL students, with the exception of one, speak fluent Spanish. It was important for these students to see the play because of the relevance to their culture. Students and parents that attended appreciated the positive portrayal of their culture. Mr. Najera and Ms. Handy’s performances were funny, exciting, and educational. The use of technology further enhanced the play. Tomas and the Library Lady is a favourite story among my ELL students. We, the ELL teachers, shared this story with our students prior to attending and watching the play. The students enjoy hearing and reading the story because it depicts a Spanish-speaking boy that improves his reading skills and understanding of the English language by visiting a library and becoming acquainted with a very special library lady. Through his visits, he acquires a great appreciation for books and the English language. Again, I want to express my thanks for such a wonderful performance. I wish you continued success!!!

-Crystal Perkins

We really enjoyed “Tomas and the Library Lady.” The performance was fantastic and we would really love to see another show soon! Our class of Pre-K students went and had a wonderful time. Thank you so much for coming to our town and showing us such a great time.

-Mrs. Garcia and Ms. Gomez’s Class, Palestine, Tx