Crossing the Border - CANADA HERE WE COME!

After a great explore of Pittsburgh, it was back in the cars again to head North - to Canada! We made time for an impromptu internet performance for Gunduz in the hotel lobby, where the cast sang the new opening song to the screen (see photo!).

We made a lunch stop at Lake Eerie, to sample the shark pike and perch. Mmmm. The Canadian border guards were much more relaxed than their US counterparts, and so - in we went, and within moments were gasping at the extraordinary sight of Niagra Falls! Nothing quite prepares you for the shear power on the thing - and leaves you feeling rather small, insignificant, soggy and believing in some higher power (if you didn't in the first place!). We spent a lovely evening in the vicinity of the falls, the braver of us going up the glass elevator of the Skylon Tower to perch 162 m above the falls and watch as it become lit up at night. Truly spectacular. 
Next day - we set off again for the bright lights of Toronto! Another beautiful drive that skirted around the massive Lake Ontario, and into this vast city. Quite a complicated task ensued with maps, subway guides, addresses and lots of faith as we waved off the troupes to their various destinations accross town. Amazingly, we all found our way back to the theatre at the arranged time to meet our student hosts and the faculty staff at Humber College. Humber is on the West side of Toronto, and spans a large campus which includes a High School and a University, encompassing a lovely studio theatre for us to take over for our shows. A healthy sized audience turned out for the show last night, filling up the foyer for the pre-show (a sudden downpour pushed our activities inside which was ashame!). The show was received well - a much quieter audience this time, more reserved than our American audiences! We gear up for another tonight. The cast are staying at students homes, and having a real experience of the city. Toronto is so very rich and diverse, much more English than American. A wonderful web of neighbourhoods, funky, edgy, and very very laid back! There is a superb subway and streetcar system so we are able to wizz about and explore the markets, the lakes, the theatres....and so it goes on. 

We are nearing the end of our adventures, which is hard to believe. 

More soon - love to all at home, and we shall have an extra dollop of maple syrup for you all!

Emma x

 

Images from Pittsburgh

What an amazing city! 

The city forms where two rivers meet, and is connected up by many bridges. You can take a cable car (Incline) up Mount Washington, to look out over the grand view. Originally built for the 18th century coal and steel workers .High tech skyscrapers stand side by side with 18th century churches and gaol and court houses. Beautiful architecture, and many art deco buildings. The perfect city to have a day off, to wander and marvel at the sights. Unfortunately, most of the museums and theatres were closed on Mondays, so we had to ogle through the glass at the lavish playhouses and concert halls. I think Maceys also did very well from our visit! 

Off to Niagra today! Can't wait to see the falls.

Last day of being in the USA - we are all hoping the sugar content will reduce in Canadian food.

Cheerio for now!

Emma

Images!

1: Audience at Hollins

2: Hollins students tackling the courtesan scene 3:  Our very enthusistic student helpers

4:  Aegeon captures a crowd in the pre-show

5:  Painting bins

6-8 stunning resort we chanced upon today for cheeky swim and lunch!

9: Arriving in Pittsburgh - feels like a mini New York.

Happy Times at Hollins University!

Photos:

1: Hundreds turn out for the show on Saturday, and join the pre-show proceedings with 'Jerry Springer' style committment !

2: Cupcakes for the company baked by the Drama Department's lovely administrator, Rebecca

3: Rob enjoys workshopping with Hollins students, and taking scenes out into locations accross the camus. 4: Our entry to 'The Battle of the Bins" contest - An initiative to paint recycling bins in imaginative ways. 5: A snip of the beautiful campus. 6: Very positive marketing for the show and workshops! 

Back in Business! 

Reunited with my mac and high speed internet access, happy to post more images! 

We have spent a very happy 5 days at the beautiful Hollins University, Roanoke Virginia, and since my last post, have enjoyed two workshops and a show, both hugely attended and appreciated by Hollins staff and students. Saturday evening's show seemed to lure most of the student community, and the pre-show felt like a rock concert, with wild whooping, clapping and folk battling to compete in Mrs Ephesisos competition! Once the show moved inside to the 500 seater theatre, the audience were considerably pumped up and ready to continue participating. They seemed to love it, clapping each scene and vocalising their responses throughout. It was fun to play to such a huge and appreciative crowd. 

It is great to watch how much this show has adapted from place to place; from performing in an open field by the lake in Waterville Valley, where changes had to happen behind the bushes, to the Hollins purpose built proscenium arch, high tech theatre with dressing room suites and green room. Such great training for the cast. 

The workshops went down well too; attended by about 40-50 students each day, I introduced them to some of our rehearsal techniques and exercises, and sought to enable the students to feel they can approach the classics with their own voice and angle. The second workshop enabled them to work with extracts of our script, and re-locate the setting to find a truth for themselves. Great to watch scenes unfolding in the restrooms, under weeping willows, in the chapel...! 

After the show, we all headed downtown to the late night 'no shame theatre' event, which encourages people to take the stage with original material of no longer than 5 minutes. A diverse mix of mind readers, poets, improv and of course - our own Philip Wall, his guitar, and a kooky and unique re-write of Natalie Imbruglia's 'Torn'! 

Huge thanks to all at Hollins who made us so very welcome; Ernie Zulia (faculty Chair), John (Theatre Technician - who simply could not do enough for us, and even gave us gaffar tape as a going away gift), and Rebecca (faculty administrator) who understood all my strange workshop copying requests and made us cupcakes. 

It was sobering to realise that only a year ago, this town was grieving the tragedy of the Virginia Tech shootings down the road. So strange to find yourself in the place that was at the forefront of world news. So very sad.

I write this from the Super 8 Motel in Pittsburgh, where we moved onto today. En route, we chanced upon an extraordinary lakeside resort in the hills, and after lunch, managed to convince staff (once again) to let us use the luxury pool. It is becoming a habit now! 

We are all looking forward to exploring Pittsburgh tomorrow - the city of bridges, and a funky jazz and theatre scene...

Sending love home - we are now officially on our home stretch, as we have turned back around and are moving North. 

Until soon,

emma 

We've struck gold!

Hello all,

Apologies first - there won't be any photographic evidence on this post, as I can't access my trusty mac (and associated photo technology) here at Hollins University. So I shall attempt to make the words as visual as possible! (and I have used pretty colours to keep you engaged).

Following on from our wonderful day at the Springs, we journied on through the Valley to the very beautiful Roanoke, a relatively big city in Western Virginia. The cast were dropped off at their most luxurious hotel yet - a 4 star Marriott with pool, spa, whirlpool and all the trimmings - so smiles all around. Heather and I continued on to meet our host, at Hollins University, just on the ourskirts of Roanoke. We drove in to a perfectly manicured campus, weeping willows and grand red brick buildings, clocktowers and quads - if Disney made Universities, this would be it! We were greeted by the exuberant and warm Ernie Zulia, Professor of the Theatre Faculty, who was so pleased to welcome us. We then toured the sizeable 550 seater purpose built theatre and campus, and got a flavour of the University. A women's only college, this is a hotbed of revolution and active energy - graduates have gone on to become Booker and Pulitzer Prize winners, and there is a tangible sense of the empowered woman. In fact, back in the 1800s, the students themselves raised the money and then built the theatre! I have been tempted to return to study, just so I can sit in a grand armchair in the sumptuous library, or on a rocking chair on the porches of the halls of residence. Enough to tempt anyone back into education!

The student body of 1000 gals is very active and friendly, and when we took to the stage of the canteen during last night's dinner session to plug the show, most of the students reported that they were already coming to see it! Our boys are in rather a lot of demand though, since it is a ladies only college - so we shall be keeping watch over them.

Heather and I were then checked into the 'Barbee House' (I know - where's Ken?!), a traditional and luxurious guest house on campus, where I believe William Golding has stayed! On our first night, there was another guest staying who had just done some 'educational stand up comedy' for the freshers - a stand up act on how to stay safe with alcohol. We enjoyed a wonderful impromptu performance on the stairwell, and enjoyed her biting political satire!

In twenty minutes I shall be meeting the company who have decided to enter the Hollins University 'Battle of the Bins'. An eco-initiative for students to paint their recycling bins. Best one wins dollars. Our team, led by Adam Isdale, is determined to both win, and decorate a bin with Full Tilt flavours, to forever leave our mark here!

This evening, I shall be leading a workshop with the Drama students, assisted by the cast. We shall work with the students on approaches to ensemble and reinvention work. Exciting. This morning I did an live radio interview for the local station in Sault St Marie in Canada, who seem very excited to see us. So we are certainly leaving our mark, creating waves and making folk smile!

The company is well, happy and getting more bronzen by the day. It is a raging 96 degrees farenheit today. Most have escaped to the pool or the mall to keep cool (not intended rhyme!).

The accent here is its most Southern yet, a real draaaaaaawl, so you must try and imagine my signing off with an authentic, goodbyeeee y'aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrlllllll!

Check out www.hollins.edu for pictures of where we are now.

Our show is tomorrow night, so think of us then!

Cheerio
Emma x

Taking the Waters!

Good morning! From a motel room in West Virginia.

Yesterday brought some rather special delights. We packed up and left Staunton, (after a lovely farewell from our host Brett, who gave us all miniature chinese food cartons with fortune cookies - pictured above) and began a short and beautiful drive through the Appalachian mountains, and the Shenandoah Valley -breathtaking views along the way. We stopped off at the historical Jefferson Springs (so named when Thomas Jefferson bathed there in the 1700s), and were transported back in time as boys and girls were separated to 'take the waters'. Natural sulphuric springs, that keep the water at a delicious 96 degrees. The pools are housed inside crumbling white wooden circular buildings, and once you plunge into the waters, the world's troubles and realities just slip away. Clothing optional, said the sign out front - we girls retained our modesty, but rumour has it that the boys went for the full authentic experience. 

Feeling thoroughly refreshed and relaxed, we drove 5 miles down the road to America's oldest hotel, the Homestead in Hot Springs (check it out on www.thehomestead.com) you must see this place to believe it - a totally perfect, manicured sprawling resort with golf courses, swimming pools and spas. I cheekily slipped in and asked, in a very polite English accent, if the members only luxury outdoor pool would be opened up to some travelling players passing through the area. Amazingly, the supervisor agreed, so within moments, we had laid out our towels, ordered cocktails and settled in around the pool in our new 5* surroundings. A great way to spend Craig's birthday! (He was also chuffed that we got to drive through Craigsville!)

On to a slightly less aesthetically pleasing motel to pass one sleep - in nearby Covington, an industrial Quarry town. Our motel backs onto the local prison, and over dinner in Applebys ('Family diner'), the group were busy scripting a horror movie that they planned to shoot last night. 

A little clip below of the amazing Jefferson springs!

Until soon...

Emma

Settling in to Staunton

Hello Bloggers! 

Photos: 

1) Taking to the streets to publicise the show

2) The back of Stuart Hall, our venue

3) The prize for the lucky winner of the water aerobics competition (also happenens to be the actor playing Antipholus in the Blackfriars' production of 'The Comedy of Errors')

4) + 5) High school students participating in a workshop led by myself, with some members of our company.

SO - as we start to pack our bags again, we reflect on this last stint. Slightly surreal in parts - alas, the Staunton Theatre Festival which we hoped to be part of didn't seem to quite materialise, so we were the only visiting company to survive. Quite small audiences, but - a wonderful community here, who have hosted us so generously. And the audience that did turn out absolutely loved getting involved in the pre-show games, and we had some lovely feedback. 

I enjoyed running workshops at the school - the students were incredibly polite: 'yes ma'm' , which threw me a little! 

On we go again, tomorrow is a day off, and Craig's birthday, so we will spend a day at Warm Springs Virginia, which promises to be a much needed spa relaxation in natural thermal waters. Horay! Quite excited to vacate the Howard Johnson hotel, and get back on the road again. 

Thanks to all our new friends in Staunton, and here's to more fun and adventure. Next stop, Roanoake!