Burlington, VT - Check
Erie, PA - Check
Flint, MI - Check
Binghamton, NY - Check

What a week! Full of sold out shows and some really fun times with the cast…
In Erie, pulled my first all-nighter with one of my closest friends where we just sat and talked till 6am (our bus call); In Flint, we were right across the street from an amazing farmers marker. It had home made crafts, home grown fruits and veggies, home baked pumpkin bread, and wine. Lots and lots of wine. You bet my roommate, Linda, and I made a little stop there…picked up some hard cider and some witches brew (red wine made with cinnamon, other spices, and nutmeg). Then that night after the show, I ate my entire loaf of pumpkin bread, drank my witches brew, watched Friday the 13th VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan with the boys, and girl talked it up with the girls. My night ended with a tarot card reading…perfect night too! Full moon!

Anyway, what a wonderful way to spend a crazy and hectic week; however, this week doesn’t get any easier… Today, we drove back to Canadia…Onterio to be exact. This little town we are in tonight is so adorable and awesome. Love. :)

Picture: Canoe time with friends in Orono, Maine. Breathtaking. End.

Dear Halifax,

I dig you.
A lot.

Sincerely,
Tara

Well, our first week in Canada is almost over… We played in St. John, New Brunswick, Fredrickton, New Brunswick, and we just finished our run in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Over all, I like Canada. They have a chain of breakfast places similar to First Watch called Cora’s… Whatever you get on the menu will be amazing and look just like the picture. They also have the best fruit I have tasted. The shops are also delightful…I could never allow myself to go into one for fear of dropping a ridiculous amount of cash! :)

As for the shows here, they have all been incredible audiences! Especially the audience for our final show in Fredrickton…they were so wonderful. The shows themselves have been great as well… Except the time I almost took out a pit member with one of my props. Ugh… Accidents happen though! Especially when doing live theatre.

Picture: This picture was taken when a small group of us went to the Reversing Falls in St. John, NB. It was breathtaking… very much like a nature hike. Happy. :)

Oh, Canada! Yes…the entire cast and crew of Spamalot have made it into St. John’s, NB, Canada. We are right at the heart of the city and right by the ocean. Steep hills, cobblestone streets, beautiful cathedrals in lights, lots of little pubs, and even more little bookstores. Ah, books… I think I get more excited about bookstores than about anything else on this tour. Hahaha it’s becoming a problem with me… I already have 8 books sitting in my overhead compartment on the bus, plus the one I’m currently reading… I have got to stay away from the books! Anyway, since Orono, Maine, we have done performances in Concord, NH, Schnectady, NY, and Greenvale, NY. All of the houses were filled with the most wonderful crowds, not to mention a fantastic local crew in Schnectady. We were definitely sad to leave that theatre. In between Schnectady and Greenvale, a few of the guys in the cast and I rented a car and drove down to NYC. An extremely short trip but it was worth it. Almost like a very mini vacation away from the road. Interesting though…I had no idea I would miss Manhattan so much… Picture: This picture is one of the promotional photos shot for our souvenir program. All of us 6 girls…shortest to tallest. Haha.

Keene, New Hampshire: Check
Orono, Maine: Check
Next Stop: Concord, New Hampshire

Both Keene and Orono were wonderful…sold out crowds with people standing in the back. And they were such great audiences too! The theaters in both cities were small but lovely as well.

The cities themselves…I honestly couldn’t tell you much about them, having been in both only one night; however, I can tell you that Orono, Maine is on my must visit again list. What a BEAUTIFUL city. What a BEAUTIFUL state. This is definitely a place I could call “home” after my performing career ends. The trees are all turning vibrant colors of red, orange, and yellow…the smell of spices and fire in the air…so quiet…so tranquil…

Ah.

Picture: This is a picture of the women’s dressing room at the Colonial Theatre in Keene, New Hampshire. The theatre was very small and intimate…under 1000 seats in the house. The backstage area was tiny and gorgeous and the dressing rooms were equally tiny…as you can see. Definitely an experience to be had!

2 show day.
Done.
Soooooooo exhausted!

In other news, Wocester is pretty sweet town. We are staying at a Hilton which happens to have the most comfortable beds we have encountered so far. Our hotel has an indoor pool, hot tub, lovely (yet small) gym, and an UNO’s attatched. Not to mention an incredible breakfast buffet. The town itself reminds me a lot of downtown Kansas City before they added the Sprint Center and Power and Light. Honestly, makes me a tad homesick. It’s all ok though…we will be hitting close to home soon enough! As well as actually hitting Kansas City on March 25th!!! Oh, you bet I will be paying a visit to Jack Stack… By that point, I’ll be dying for some real BBQ.

Tomorrow is our final show here in Worcester. And it looks to be sold out…just like the shows that preceeded it. After the show, a train trip to Boston looks to still be in the cards; however, Phoenix Entertainment announced that they are holding a bowling party for the cast and crew…everything has already been paid for… Pizza included. What to do, what to do!?!?

Picture: This picture was taken during our 2nd week of rehearsal by our very own Sir. Lancelot (Adam). He is quiet the photographer as you can see. In this picture, you have our Sir. Robin running away from the human bullet (three of the frenchmen in the French Scene at the end of Act 1).

Also, here is the link for our review we received while in Waterbury. It isn’t the whole entire review (you have to subscribe to read it all. It’s free!).
http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2010/09/25/news/local/509763.txt
Since this review we have had one in every city we’ve been to. The review we received while at Penn State was just a run down of what the plot is and more of an expose on our Lady of the Lake. She is a recent graduate of Penn. And the review we received here in Worcester gave us 4 out of 5 stars and mostly complained about the writing of the show. Not everyone is a Monty Python fan and, unfortunately, you can’t win them all.

First, the city we were in last night was indeed Bethlehem…but not Bethlehem, MA. We were actually in Bethlehem, PA!

Anyway, the cast and orchestra just arrived in Worcester, MA where we get to sit for three nights. Oh my goodness! Three nights in one city! I can not express just how relieved I am that tomorrow is not another all day bus drive. Like today…our bus call was at 6:30am for a 7:30am departure. It was long but there will be longer ones for us in the near future (Travel to our first city in Canada is almost 700 miles. Yikes). Therefore, I really shouldn’t complain just yet.

Tonights show begins at 8pm with shows Saturday, 2pm and 8pm, and one Sunday at 1pm. That leaves me with the afternoon and evening off! So, I’m seriously considering taking the train to Boston. Perhaps Salem… :)

Picture: This was taken while we were in University Park, PA performing at Penn State’s theatre. Whenever we get to a new city we have a strict schedule to follow beginning with company meeting, followed by mic and sound check, and finally finishing up getting ready. For us ladies, somewhere in between all of that, we have to find the time to do our stage makeup and put our hair in pincurls. Anyway, this photo is of us doing our sound check. Pretty cool, huh?

So, I know I should have set up this tumblr weeeeeeks ago, but I was just so wrapped up in packing, rehearsals, saying goodbyes, teching the show, getting settled into it, and getting used to sleeping on a bus. I apologize! It’s up and running now…

So much has happened since I started rehearsals! Even more things have happened since the show has opened! I’ve been to Waterbury, CT, Morgantown, WV, University Park, PA, and the cast just arrived in Bethlehem, MA. We have been sold out in every city so far and word is that we almost sold out for shows all the way in January (note: if you want tickets, get them now!!!). We have also been getting steller reviews! Our review in our opening city gave us 5 out of 5 stars and said we look and sound just like Broadway. Our director, BT, as well as the entire cast and crew, were all over the moon.

Anyway, we have a show tonight at 8pm and then its off to Worcester, MA…3 days and 4 shows, which we are completely sold out. :)

I can not believe this is my life.
I am getting paid to laugh so hard my tummy hurts and to dance on stage in front of thousands.

I am so blessed.
Love,
Tara

Pictured: The Palace Theatre in Waterbury, CT. Our opening theatre. Old and absolutely beautiful.