3/2/10 – 3/3/10 – O-hi-o, Oh-my-oh!…Sylvania, OH

Welcome back, blog readers, and welcome to the final leg of the ‘Strega Nona’ National Tour! To recap: when I last left you, I was preparing to go on a short break after having been on the road for 48 days. My five-day break in the Bay Area was short, but productive nonetheless. I desperately needed to assuage the physical and mental exhaustion that had set in from the tour, and to recharge myself for the final phase of my adventure. In my time off, I rested, relaxed, spent quality time with loved ones, ate great food, and even attended an audition for Shakespeare Santa Cruz. All in all, an eventful, though abbreviated, respite from an actor’s life on the road and all that it entails.



I also gained some perspective into the dilemma that I had presented in my last blog: how does one keep a performance fresh after 118 performances while remaining true to the integrity of the character and script? As one of my astute readers pointed out to me in my previous blog, Henry Fonda played the role of ‘Mister Roberts’ on Broadway for 1157 performances. Yes, you read that correctly - 1157 performances. And here I am, worrying after 118 shows, when Mr. Fonda’s run was 10 times as long as mine! In doing a bit of research, I learned that Mr. Fonda’s run on Broadway as ‘Mister Roberts’ spanned a period of eight years. Wow…I am in complete awe – how did he do it, performance after performance, year after year? I imagine that it is probably much easier to do a long run of a show when you are in only one location and not constantly moving from city to city. However, fixed location or not, you have to admit that Mr. Fonda’s accomplishment is truly impressive. I can only surmise that a complete and total love for his craft and this character are what enabled him to persevere through so many shows. I will definitely need to read his autobiography when I get the chance.

So here we are now, back on the road again – only four weeks and 27 performances left. From the Bay Area, we rambled to Sylvania, OH. The city’s name means “abounding in woods, groves and trees”, and as a result, Sylvania is aptly nicknamed ‘Tree City USA’. Founded in 1835, this scenic suburb of Toledo, OH, has a population of around 19,000. One of its most famous past residents is actress Katie Holmes.



Our Sylvania performances were at the 850-seat Franciscan Center at Lourdes College. The institute was established in 1918 to educate the sisters of the Franciscan community, but now also schools laypeople. We performed for two packed and vocal audiences at the Franciscan Center. While it felt uncomfortable to perform at such a deeply entrenched religious institution, it felt even odder to return to the show after having almost a week break. All of our performances were a bit off, and for the duration of the shows, I felt as if an alien had taken over my body and was robotically maneuvering me about the stage. Everything about ‘Strega Nona’ and the show seemed so strange and foreign to me, as if I had never even performed it before. What a bizarre feeling to experience after having already performed the show 118 times!

One of the highlights of our Sylvania visit was the wonderfully peculiar woman we met in the lobby of our hotel, who entertained us for over half an hour with tales of rearing rabbits and trimming their teeth with toenail clippers. What a kooky and colorful individual – far more interesting than some programs I have seen on TV!

Next stop – the Decio Mainstage Theater at the DeBartolo Center in Notre Dame, IN. Until the next adventure…

Ciao!
XOXO-
Janine