1/30/10 – 1/31/10 – “America’s Best Place to Avoid Death due to Natural Disaster” …Storrs, CT

Sorry, blog readers, for the span of time that has lapsed since my last post. My internet access for the past two weeks has been sporadic, and I have also had an extremely jam-packed schedule, filled with my great performances and experiences.

Now back to my adventures…

We departed from the prestigious Paper Mill Playhouse and ventured onward to Storrs, CT. Named in 2005 as “America’s Best Place to Avoid Death due to Natural Disaster”, the city of Storrs, CT, is dominated both economically and demographically by the University of Connecticut. Notable residents of Storrs include author Wally Lamb and Samuel Pickering, a professor at the University of Connecticut who inspired Robin Williams’ Mr. Keating character from the movie ‘Dead Poets Society’.

I have enjoyed both of our Connecticut visits (Hartford and Storrs) so far on the tour. All of the cities are picturesque and look like they should belong in a storybook or fairytale. And yes, the temperatures are cold…very, very cold. But that is what long underwear and down jackets are made for, isn’t it?


Our performance venue in Storrs was at the Jorgensen Center at the University of Connecticut, where temperatures were freezing both outside and inside the theatre. Although this theatre has the capacity to seat 2630 people, our audiences were probably in the range of 1200-1500 people. Rather than performing on the actual stage in this space, we performed on a smaller raised platform that was placed in front of the stage. The dressing rooms in this theatre were so chilly that many of us put on our costumes quickly, trying to expose the least amount of skin possible, and then layered our down jackets over our costumes for added warmth. Quite a sight to see!

Our Storrs’ performances went well, but not without two major hiccups. In our first performance, the cardboard canister that anchors our pasta noodles popped over the set and was visible to the audience, with a huge FedEx label in plain sight. It was funny to follow the audience’s eyes as this occurred. In our second performance, two castmates missed an entrance (due to a backstage injury), and a costume and set change went horribly awry as a result. Of course, in theatre, “the show must go on”, as the old adage says, and we managed to maneuver our way around both situations with minimal detection by the audience.

Next stop – New York City, NY, for a couple of days off. Until the next adventure…

Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine