2/6/10 – 2/8/10 – A-Town, the birthplace of Emily Dickinson…Amherst, MA

Following a brief flat tire delay, we hit the road again, this time bound for Amherst, MA. Located 73 miles west of Boston, Amherst, which is also called ‘A-Town’ or ‘The Herst’, has a population of about 35,000. This town is home to three colleges: Amherst College, Hampshire College and UMass Amherst. Amherst is named for colonial governor Jeffrey Amherst, a hero of the French and Indian War, who, according to legend, won Canada for the British and banished the French from North America. He was also infamous for considering the use of small pox covered blankets in warfare against Native Americans.

Amherst is the birthplace of Emily Dickinson, the prominent and celebrated American poet, and Noah Webster, author of the American dictionary. Other prominent Amherst residents include actress Uma Thurman and author Augusten Burroughs. Like most of the New England towns that we have visited, Amherst was bitterly cold.



We performed one show to a packed audience at the UMass Fine Arts Center, an 1800-seat venue with a great local crew who are proud of their theatre. Our performance at UMass was the first show since I have been sick where I have felt physically well enough to perform. Of course, my cold still persists, but I have learned how to cope with it. Sudafed, Sudafed, my kingdom for some Sudafed!

As this was the first show at which R.J. was running sound completely by himself, there were a few sound issues, but nothing that was not insurmountable. I had to improvise and cover a few times, but it kept me on my toes and kept the show fresh. With time, I know that these issues will be corrected as R.J. gets more comfortable with the show, but I always love a good challenge.

While in Amherst, we went to the local Buffalo Wild Wings, where they gave us fitting crowns. We went out to eat one evening with a couple members of the local stage crew. I have noticed lately that we are starving for new social contact and interaction as we spend the majority of our time together. We swarm newcomers voraciously, eager to learn every aspect about them. Perhaps we have learned everything that there is to know about each other or perhaps we have grown weary of each other. I hope that it is not the latter, but increasingly think that this may be so.



Next stop – the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, NH. Until the next adventure…

Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine