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!

High School Musical! - Making noise in Staunton, Virginia

photos: 

Top: The Main Drag - Staunton

2nd:  Enjoying the local ice cream

3rd: Paul and Adam arriving this morning with a huge hamper of breakfast and lunch courtesy of their lovely hosts!

4th:: The very enthusiastic Brett - our theatre manager!

5th:: The company nervously await at the bottom of the stairs before storming the Stuart Hall school assembly at 8am!

6th:: The company flop on the stage, after completing the tech rehearsal last night.

An early start this morning, as our troops bravely rose to make a surprise and noisy appearance before 350 school students at the 8am Stuart Hall School Assembly. Following the stern and formal daily announcements from the principal, Full Tilt stormed the aisles, towards the stage where they sang and publicised the show, which opens tonight. (See video clip below!)

We enjoyed an interesting day getting to know Staunton yesterday. We were invited into the rehearsal rooms at the famous Blackfriars Shakeaspeare Theatre, to watch their touring troupe rehearse 'The Comedy of Errors' - quite surreal to see another version whilst in production for the same show, but also fascinating watching an American cast working. I have to admit, I wouldn't be thrilled at the prospect of 20 actors filing into to my rehearsal, and these actors played up for our benefit - coming into the scene holding up the newspaper in which we appear, as a prop, and trying to make us giggle. The director is a British Director, Gerard Block who works at the Globe in London, and very much of the old school, a Shakespeare purist, and the rehearsals seemed to be all about the verse and the blocking (excuse the pun!). 

On from there to hit the main drag, Beverley Street, to sing and publicise - all met with great interest, and 'God Bless you for coming to our town!'. A stop for ice cream in the local parlour, and then on to Stuart Hall to rehearse, get in and tech the show. 

Fingers crossed that the good people of Staunton will turn out in droves, and will be open minded to this kind of modernised Shakespeare. We have had to tone down any sexual implication, and remove the scantily clad twins from the publicity image - so, let's see how the rest goes down! 

Bye Y'all - Emma x

Front Page News!

Full Tilt make the main story in Staunton's local press 'Go!'. Fingers crossed that this will generate huge audiences for our 4 performances, starting tomorrow! 

We've hit Virginia!

Hey Bloggers,

Great to hear that many are enjoying these blogs and following our journey. 

No photos on this one as yet, just an update that, we (happily) made a swift exit from Hagerstown, where we saw all of the inside of the motel before back on the road again. 200 miles South, through the state of West Virginia and then down again into Central Virginia, and here we are. As we piled out of the cars and into a restaurant for lunch, we were greeted with a stack of newspapers, featuring us on the front pages! Off to a good start. We have caught the edges of the Floridian storms, and been drenched with rain all day, which, if anything, makes us feel more at home! 

Virginia seems immediately different - the architecture is more akin to British red brick housing, and there are some beautiful, white, grand regency style buildings housing the Universities and Colleges. We arrived to one of these buildings - Stuart Hall, which is home to a boarding and day school for 6-12 year olds, and a lovely theatre space which will be our home for the next five days. 

Slight headache as we tried to organise the team into host houses, spread far and wide across the town, and 

Staunton is famous for its Blackfriars Playhouse, an authentic elizabethan playhouse, modeled on the Globe Theatre in London, and it forms the core of the annual Shakespeare Festival that we will be part of; check out 

www.americanshakespearecenter.com  

And so we all dispersed to our various homes, and shall re-group tomorrow, to make some noise downtown and make sure we raise our profile and generate enough audience for our four shows. First show on Friday night, so tomorrow is a rehearsal and planning day. 

No pictures today - my camera battery died

New York City - some pics