We left Milwaukee early on Wednesday with hugs and pictures, and a new load of food for the road (thanks to my very generous mother). Bret started the drive and I sat back and did some very important journaling. We are trying to keep detailed journals while we are here, but it isn't as easy as you might think. Between auditions and family gatherings and resting and rehearsing and ironing and much needed sleep, journaling doesn't always happen in a timely fashion. So anyway I journaled for several hours about our trip to Milwaukee. Milwaukee was really great for me, and though I wouldn't move there now, I would love to work for any of the companies we auditioned for while we were there. It would be a pleasure.
So our first stop on our journey was Lanesboro, Minnesota. This is apparently mostly a tourist town. It is surrounded by farmland, with beautiful rivers and tiny bridges and rolling hills. We arrived a little bit late (after having lost our path twice) and were amazed to see the theater on the tiny strip of downtown. Talk about a different experience than New York. The theater there was fascinating, and the people were lovely! The theater is really an artists' collective, dedicated to creating art and nurturing each other, while running the other aspects of the theater as well. There are 7 full time staff members, and other hired on for a season or a show. The theater has a house with 14 bedrooms in it to accommodate any actors that come to perform. The two people we met were so warm and open, and we talked about what we wanted to do and why we became actors and they shared their stories with us as well. We did our pieces for them and chatted more about who we are and who they are. I was really taken by what they do and the passion with which they do it. I think it would be an amazing experience to work for that theater for either a short or a long term stay. Theater in the middle of nature...kind of a dream really. So I decided that we were also moving to Lanesboro (as well as Chicago and Milwaukee).
We arrived in Minneapolis (well, St Paul first of all) at about 6pm when we met with the head of a theater dedicated to plays about local history. We chatted but didn't perform (they don't hire non-local actors). But we did learn about the theater scene in Minneapolis, and how the community interacts and things like that. It is great to find out how each city has its own local flavor.
We are fortunate enough to be staying at my Aunt Marcia's house. When we arrived we had a great homecooked meal and delicious peach cobbler. Everything was wonderful, and we went to bed around 10pm. It was really, really nice.
We woke up early for an appointment with another theater in town, whose artistic director must really be a morning person. In fact, he told me on the phone that he would have to leave by 9:45, and if we wanted to, we could come before 9. We decided against that (needless to say) and after waking up at 6:45 (grudgingly) we left around 8 to beat the traffic. And let me tell you, performing a monologue at 9 is not the same as performing it at 11.
Jack, the artistic director, was really great. We chatted again about the community, even more than the particular theater itself. It is obvious that this community is very supportive! We did our pieces, and a couple extra pieces. Jack said our work was good, although we could show a great range, a wider set of skills. He then gave us other names in the city. He was supportive of our work, and willing to help us get work. We will most certainly stay in touch with him.
Our next stop was the Guthrie (though in between we went to Nap-ville and Lunch-ville). They have a new building, as many people know, and it is really fabulous. As the associate artistic director mentioned to us that the Guthrie is the giant theater in Minneapolis, and all the other theaters are not nearly as big. And so they were also less accessible as people to some degree. Our audition was very by-the-book as opposed to the more casual chatting/auditioning meetings we've been having so far in Minneapolis. We explored the building afterwards, but we were unable to actually see the theaters. We saw pictures in postcards though!
After the Guthrie we ran several errands and arrived at my Aunt's for the pizza party! Actually the 3rd pizza dinner we've had on the trip so far, we'll see how many we have by the end. My Aunt Patsy and Uncle David, as well as my cousins Rachel and Jessica all came over for dinner (and lots and lots of dessert). This post is already too long, so I'll be short, but it was so great to be with my family. The Tollbergs are a ton of fun, and we spent a lot of time chatting and reminiscing and having a great time! Not to mention that Marcia and Patsy have provided us with even more food for the road! Thank goodness it's finally cold because it will be much easier to keep all the food fresh in the cooler now!
So tomorrow we have another appointment and then we are off for the BIG drive. Minneapolis to Seattle. We hope to arrive in Seattle in time to see a 7:30 show. We weren't able to see anything in Minneapolis, which was really a shame. Another trip perhaps...
Send us good driving thoughts...and good auditions thoughts can never go amiss either.
