11/21/09-11/23/09 - Our final stop for this leg - Loeb Playhouse, W. Lafayette, IN

From Paducah, KY, we travelled to a new time zone (EST) and the final stop in this leg of our tour - West Lafayette, IN. The cast was brimming with anticipation as this destination marked the end of the first portion of our tour and also the start of our seven week holiday break! On our way to West Lafayette, we passed Metropolis, IL, the home of Superman, and many, many, MANY fields filled with corn and wheat.



West Lafayette is located 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis and is the home of Purdue University. Founded around 1888, the city is located on the Wabash River across the river from Lafayette, IN. Both cities are named in honor of General Lafayette, the French military hero who fought with and aided the Continental Army during the American Revolution. With a population of around 29,000, West Lafayette is the most densely populated city in Indiana. The growth of Purdue University in the late 1800s fueled the growth of the city. The largest commercial area in the city, The Levee, is a thriving, 90-acre, urban district featuring shops, restaurants, hotels, a movie theatre and skating center. During our stay, we visited two businesses in this location - Noodles & Company (a chain, noodle restaurant - very good) and Insomnia Cookies (a cookie chain featuring delivery and late night hours - not so good).



The Loeb Playhouse, our final performance venue, is located on the Purdue campus and contains two tiers of 1011 seats total. We played three shows to packed audiences. Although our first show at the Loeb Playhouse was rough, both technically and performance-wise, our last two shows were great...full of crispness and energy since everyone was so excited to return home.



We loaded up our van and trailer for the last time in 2009, drove to the Indianapolis Airport for our flights to Atlanta (for Jess) and San Francisco (for the rest of the cast) and waved goodbye again to our trusty crew, Daniel and Craig. We were homeward bound!

I am amazed at how quickly the first portion of the tour flew by. Of course, we were only gone for a month, but it was a month filled with exciting memories, happenings, laughs and tears. The next leg of our journey will be three times as long, in much colder climates, but I can only imagine what amazing adventures will happen. In this season of 'thanks', I am extremely grateful to have this unique opportunity to work as a professional actor, in a job that I love, with people that I love, admire and respect.

Next stop in 2010 - the Colonial Theatre in Boston, MA. Until the next adventure...

Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine