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taz_39**Disclaimer** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer. DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT PERMISSION. Thank you.
This post covers Monday and Tuesday.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
MONDAY
I was up early to grab coffee from the lobby and to finish packing. On travel days I don't like to brew my own coffee unless we are leaving late in the day (has to do with potentially putting still-damp dishes in my suitcase *shudder*) Breakfast and just a little Foodie Finds work, and before I knew it it was time to load onto the bus.
The plumber called just before the bus ride which was great (I would have hated to answer a phone call on a quiet bus) and I in turn texted Jameson to let him know they were on the way. They had to not only readjust the flanges, but also cut down some of the pipes under the toilet. A lot of parts and several hours of work later I got an invoice for $,$$$. That made me cringe...but I DO want to contribute to household upgrades! And it makes me happy to take something off Jameson's plate for once.
Back to the bus ride. I intentionally rode the "loud bus" because Holly (who plays Madame/The Wardrobe) always organizes a "bus dance," and this forces me to socialize and interact. It's also GREAT practice for working on motion sickness! LOL!
We practiced the choreo several times and then took several takes. Here's the end result:
Not bad! I did some things a little slow or wrong, but luckily the goal is fun, not perfection :P
We had two rest stops, one 20 minutes and the other an hour.
For the 20-minute stop we were at a travel plaza. I didn't need a thing but always enjoy looking at the wacky stuff they sell there. Some of these things might be fun for my international readers to see.
For example, apparently we now have Twix cookie-cakes?? I can't imagine they could be better than the candy bar!
Ah yes, ye olde gas station knife locker.
Vast swaths of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia are forest and mountain. There are some knives here that could be actually functional in a pinch, for skinning game or firestarting or what-have-you. But clearly most of them are decorative and cheaply made. I wonder who buys these, and why (I'm joking: we all know it's teenage boys.)
What a great name for a candle.
Back on the bus to nap or read or whatever, then an hour-long stop at a plaza with a grocery. I couldn't get refrigerated stuff (the bus was very warm and we had 2 hours to go) but got some apples, a new toothbrush, and Cinnamon Drizzilicious mini rice cakes. Really knocking out those Drizzilicious flavors, I should have a definitive ranking established soon!
We got to the hotel a little after 5:30pm. Long ride! But checking in was easy and it's a nice hotel (more hotel details at the end of the week when we're leaving, for safety.) Because I had scheduled a Zoom sound check with Full Blown Trombone Studio and because of rain/cold I decided to Lyft to the grocery. Got most of what I needed but forgot a few things in my rush. Got back to the hotel, scarfed a quick hot bar dinner, unpacked, and had just finished when it was time for the sound check. We tested my two loudest videos and that was good. We also practiced the studio owner starting off as the host and then passing host-status to me. Then I practiced sharing my screen a few times. I'm not very tech savvy so I appreciated that the owner took time to work with me tonight! We also discussed the age range of attendees and it turns out that most will be high school-aged. That's GREAT to know because tbh I've been practicing as though talking to middle-schoolers! Now I know that I can talk just like I do with college kids, only the subject matter will still be "what it's like" as opposed to "here's how to craft a portfolio to go on national tour." Most high school kids will not be ready for that jump just yet.
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TUESDAY
Woke up kind of in a mood, probably from having been cramped on a bus for 8 hours yesterday and then not having time to go for a walk afterward. Also, headache. The weather changes really mess with my sinuses.
Breakfast and some work on Foodie Finds, then I tried to coordinate with two different friends who don't know each other, want to hang out with me separately, on the same day...but neither friend could give me a time. Which is totally fine, I know we're all busy...but in that case, I'm kinda going to run errands or explore or whatever until I hear from someone, because I don't want to waste the day waiting around.
Anyway, walked to Kroger for berries and face wash that I forgot yesterday. It was rainy and cold and I felt annoyed about it only because it's supposed to be warm and sunny in a few days, and now that I know this I want it to be warm and sunny NOW :p It was still a really nice walk and I needed it! Back at the hotel, lunch and a masterclass practice run-through. Packed a dinner and snacks and walked over to the theater early because I'd heard the pit is, uh, "special" this week, and we might need extra time to set up.
The theater was surprisingly pretty:
And the pit was not nearly as bad as I'd expected. My "office" was just the same as usual and with plenty of room to boot.
The main issue was that this is a rather shallow pit, and that meant DAR couldn't use his riser, which meant we might have a harder time seeing him. Personally I didn't experience this and could see him just fine.
The pit IS shallow, though...I am 5' 5" (1.65m) and when I stand up straight the net touches me right on top of the head.
The ceiling seems low, but it is also beautiful.
This theater was opened in 1927 and was originally a Shriners...uh...shrine, haha. It was pretty apparent by looking around; there are Shriners sword-and-crescent symbols on the chairs, and lots of other symbols on the walls (specific types of flowers, loads of Stars of David, etc.) Additionally, many famous people have performed here including Elvis, Whitney Houston Jimi Hendrix, and more. I can't believe that I get to perform here, too!!
After getting set up I did my usual tearing around backstage to explore and find all the bathrooms, water coolers, dressing rooms, snacks, and our trunks. In the Company/Stage Management office, there were these amazing cookies for us from theater management! There were 10-12 different cookie designs.
And this lovely note as well. How kind and welcoming :)
Our trunks were in the "ballroom," which gave massive "Egyptomania" vibes. The ballroom also used to be a swimming pool, shooting gallery, and office area? Something like that. I definitely want to take more pictures backstage this week. For now I raided my trunk and got back to the pit in time for sound check.
The theater seemed PACKED. It's also a much bigger venue than we normally do; most theaters are around 2200 seats and this one is 3500! The first act went really well, and the crowd was loving it! When the ribbon cannons fired after Be Our Guest, because the pit is so shallow we were very much in the line of fire. An especially big clump of "pink spaghetti" landed right between Sarah (horn) and DAR, and I was quick enough to capture the laughter as they untangled themselves.
Tonight I had a special visitor:sparkythegeek from DreamWidth!! We texted a bit before the show, and have also made plans to hopefully go get coffee tomorrow. He got great seats right down front, and came to visit me at intermission. I am SO HAPPY that we got to meet in person! We've been following each others' journeys pretty solidly for months, so I felt like I know him a great deal already, and that was pretty cool :)
"STG" stuck around for our Exit Music, and took this pic of me/us playing! Not many people have gotten pics or footage of the band playing the show, so this picture is special! At least to me it is :p
Overall a really great opening night in Richmond.
Tomorrow it is supposed to be close to 70 degrees!!! (21.1C) Oh my gosh, I can't WAIT to be outside again finally!!!
Oh one more quick pic: the IUP trombone professor posted this photo along with a very complimentary caption about how much they'd enjoyed the masterclass I gave last week. Yay!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday: Coffee meet with "STG," then possibly a trip to an H&M to desperately search for my favorite black pants, OR just walking around in the nice weather! One evening show.
Thursday: Meeting a friend in the afternoon, masterclass run-through, and possibly errands or exploring before our evening show.
This post covers Monday and Tuesday.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
MONDAY
I was up early to grab coffee from the lobby and to finish packing. On travel days I don't like to brew my own coffee unless we are leaving late in the day (has to do with potentially putting still-damp dishes in my suitcase *shudder*) Breakfast and just a little Foodie Finds work, and before I knew it it was time to load onto the bus.
The plumber called just before the bus ride which was great (I would have hated to answer a phone call on a quiet bus) and I in turn texted Jameson to let him know they were on the way. They had to not only readjust the flanges, but also cut down some of the pipes under the toilet. A lot of parts and several hours of work later I got an invoice for $,$$$. That made me cringe...but I DO want to contribute to household upgrades! And it makes me happy to take something off Jameson's plate for once.
Back to the bus ride. I intentionally rode the "loud bus" because Holly (who plays Madame/The Wardrobe) always organizes a "bus dance," and this forces me to socialize and interact. It's also GREAT practice for working on motion sickness! LOL!
We practiced the choreo several times and then took several takes. Here's the end result:
Not bad! I did some things a little slow or wrong, but luckily the goal is fun, not perfection :P
We had two rest stops, one 20 minutes and the other an hour.
For the 20-minute stop we were at a travel plaza. I didn't need a thing but always enjoy looking at the wacky stuff they sell there. Some of these things might be fun for my international readers to see.
For example, apparently we now have Twix cookie-cakes?? I can't imagine they could be better than the candy bar!
Ah yes, ye olde gas station knife locker.
Vast swaths of Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia are forest and mountain. There are some knives here that could be actually functional in a pinch, for skinning game or firestarting or what-have-you. But clearly most of them are decorative and cheaply made. I wonder who buys these, and why (I'm joking: we all know it's teenage boys.)
What a great name for a candle.
Back on the bus to nap or read or whatever, then an hour-long stop at a plaza with a grocery. I couldn't get refrigerated stuff (the bus was very warm and we had 2 hours to go) but got some apples, a new toothbrush, and Cinnamon Drizzilicious mini rice cakes. Really knocking out those Drizzilicious flavors, I should have a definitive ranking established soon!
We got to the hotel a little after 5:30pm. Long ride! But checking in was easy and it's a nice hotel (more hotel details at the end of the week when we're leaving, for safety.) Because I had scheduled a Zoom sound check with Full Blown Trombone Studio and because of rain/cold I decided to Lyft to the grocery. Got most of what I needed but forgot a few things in my rush. Got back to the hotel, scarfed a quick hot bar dinner, unpacked, and had just finished when it was time for the sound check. We tested my two loudest videos and that was good. We also practiced the studio owner starting off as the host and then passing host-status to me. Then I practiced sharing my screen a few times. I'm not very tech savvy so I appreciated that the owner took time to work with me tonight! We also discussed the age range of attendees and it turns out that most will be high school-aged. That's GREAT to know because tbh I've been practicing as though talking to middle-schoolers! Now I know that I can talk just like I do with college kids, only the subject matter will still be "what it's like" as opposed to "here's how to craft a portfolio to go on national tour." Most high school kids will not be ready for that jump just yet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
TUESDAY
Woke up kind of in a mood, probably from having been cramped on a bus for 8 hours yesterday and then not having time to go for a walk afterward. Also, headache. The weather changes really mess with my sinuses.
Breakfast and some work on Foodie Finds, then I tried to coordinate with two different friends who don't know each other, want to hang out with me separately, on the same day...but neither friend could give me a time. Which is totally fine, I know we're all busy...but in that case, I'm kinda going to run errands or explore or whatever until I hear from someone, because I don't want to waste the day waiting around.
Anyway, walked to Kroger for berries and face wash that I forgot yesterday. It was rainy and cold and I felt annoyed about it only because it's supposed to be warm and sunny in a few days, and now that I know this I want it to be warm and sunny NOW :p It was still a really nice walk and I needed it! Back at the hotel, lunch and a masterclass practice run-through. Packed a dinner and snacks and walked over to the theater early because I'd heard the pit is, uh, "special" this week, and we might need extra time to set up.
The theater was surprisingly pretty:
And the pit was not nearly as bad as I'd expected. My "office" was just the same as usual and with plenty of room to boot.
The main issue was that this is a rather shallow pit, and that meant DAR couldn't use his riser, which meant we might have a harder time seeing him. Personally I didn't experience this and could see him just fine.
The pit IS shallow, though...I am 5' 5" (1.65m) and when I stand up straight the net touches me right on top of the head.
The ceiling seems low, but it is also beautiful.
This theater was opened in 1927 and was originally a Shriners...uh...shrine, haha. It was pretty apparent by looking around; there are Shriners sword-and-crescent symbols on the chairs, and lots of other symbols on the walls (specific types of flowers, loads of Stars of David, etc.) Additionally, many famous people have performed here including Elvis, Whitney Houston Jimi Hendrix, and more. I can't believe that I get to perform here, too!!
After getting set up I did my usual tearing around backstage to explore and find all the bathrooms, water coolers, dressing rooms, snacks, and our trunks. In the Company/Stage Management office, there were these amazing cookies for us from theater management! There were 10-12 different cookie designs.
And this lovely note as well. How kind and welcoming :)
Our trunks were in the "ballroom," which gave massive "Egyptomania" vibes. The ballroom also used to be a swimming pool, shooting gallery, and office area? Something like that. I definitely want to take more pictures backstage this week. For now I raided my trunk and got back to the pit in time for sound check.
The theater seemed PACKED. It's also a much bigger venue than we normally do; most theaters are around 2200 seats and this one is 3500! The first act went really well, and the crowd was loving it! When the ribbon cannons fired after Be Our Guest, because the pit is so shallow we were very much in the line of fire. An especially big clump of "pink spaghetti" landed right between Sarah (horn) and DAR, and I was quick enough to capture the laughter as they untangled themselves.
Tonight I had a special visitor:
sparkythegeek from DreamWidth!! We texted a bit before the show, and have also made plans to hopefully go get coffee tomorrow. He got great seats right down front, and came to visit me at intermission. I am SO HAPPY that we got to meet in person! We've been following each others' journeys pretty solidly for months, so I felt like I know him a great deal already, and that was pretty cool :) "STG" stuck around for our Exit Music, and took this pic of me/us playing! Not many people have gotten pics or footage of the band playing the show, so this picture is special! At least to me it is :p
Overall a really great opening night in Richmond.
Tomorrow it is supposed to be close to 70 degrees!!! (21.1C) Oh my gosh, I can't WAIT to be outside again finally!!!
Oh one more quick pic: the IUP trombone professor posted this photo along with a very complimentary caption about how much they'd enjoyed the masterclass I gave last week. Yay!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wednesday: Coffee meet with "STG," then possibly a trip to an H&M to desperately search for my favorite black pants, OR just walking around in the nice weather! One evening show.
Thursday: Meeting a friend in the afternoon, masterclass run-through, and possibly errands or exploring before our evening show.
no subject
Date: 2026-03-04 01:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-03-04 01:11 pm (UTC)Holly normally chooses 80s-90s cartoon theme songs, which are ALSO copyrighted, so she must be asking permission and/or know that they're safe. I should ask her sometime.
no subject
Date: 2026-03-04 02:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-03-04 02:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-03-04 07:34 pm (UTC)Also Me: Oh wait, duh. That's short for me!
LOL
So great to see and hang out with you!!! Can't wait to see the show again tomorrow night. Happy to get pics or video/audio for you when it's permissible to have my phone out, if you want!
no subject
Date: 2026-03-04 09:06 pm (UTC)Hope we do as well tomorrow as we did on Tuesday (a good show if I may say so!)
For video/photos/etc, anything in the lobby is of course fine, pictures of the opening screen and pit are fine. The only video footage I've seen of the actual show is the bows, so I believe that (and ONLY that) is allowed.
I think that if you wanted to record or take pics of us playing the exit music that would also be ok. I haven't seen any specific footage of us, but people stick around during exit music to take selfies and video so I'm guessing it would be ok. If it's not, the worst they would do is ask you nicely to take it down :)
no subject
Date: 2026-03-05 02:48 pm (UTC)