Tradition!

Quite a few things to report. I am officially mobile! I rented a car on the first and have it for an entire week. Joy!

My first order of business was to take my day off and get out of town. I have been in such need of respite in the midst of this difficult rehearsal process. This show is so full that it has caused me to feel a bit empty . . . I'd run out of fuel, and so took a two hour drive East to Massachussetts to rejuvenate myself.

I've spoken of my watershed summer at Jacob's Pillow before, and so this became a bit of a pilgrimage back to my career beginnings. I got to the Pillow in Lee, MA, early, and wandered around the grounds. Nothing had changed except maybe a new sign or two, and it was amazing to feel a sense of coming full circle, to stand on the grounds that had opened up so many opportunities for me as a teenager, and look at where I am now and all of the rewards this inspiration afforded me. I ate lunch at the Pillow Pub, bought books in the store, looked through the archives, and tromped around the Inside/Out stage overlooking the incredible Berkshires.

I also took in a performance of Jose Limon's company, which was also terrific. What lovely dancers they have right now. They performed a Donald McCayle piece, a Jiri Kylian piece that was exquisite, then presented Limon's "Choreographic Offering," which I learned from Carla Maxwell in college, and so I was bouncing up and down on my seat and grinning until the curtain hit the deck.

I never think it's wise to live in the past, but every once in a while I think it is infinitely important to go stand in its midst, if for no other reason, to remember why you are where you are and where you originally wanted to go.

Back in Upstate New York, we had our final dress rehearsal, which went quite well. It's a wonderful thing to work so hard on a piece and go through the stress and worry of putting it on a stage, and to finally turn around and see it become something all of its own. How amazing that we, as a collective group of people, can generally have the same ultimate goal and bring it there in such a short amount of time. Stress and heartache aside (and this has been a show full of both only because of its incredible intricacy), I am awestruck by the way things fall together every single time I do this.


Finally, we all celebrated Independence Day yesterday and I was lucky to experience another bit of Americana I've never been around: the Small-town 4th of July Parade. Large portions of the Glimmerglass staff and artists made their way to Springfield Center for a ridiculously large holiday parade, replete with twenty-odd marching volunteer fire departments, tons of small-time beauty queens in the realm of "Drop Dead Gorgeous," Boy Scout troops singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," and candy thrown in every direction. I was standing amongst a bunch of Brits who were completely fascinated by the experience.


They weren't the only ones. I was snapping so many photos and absolutely entranced by the retired Marines riding by in their wheelchairs and the corn-fed Dairy Queens doing their Queen Vic waves in their flourescent blue dresses. And to top it all, the parade ended with a John Conklin-designed, Glimmerglass Opera Float done up with tons of Pirate Paraphanalia, our amazing crew riding atop a boat, waving Pirate flags and sporting hats, coats and eye patches. It was truly fantastic. I'm so glad I got myself out of bed to see it.

So, having a car makes small-town life not quite so bad. This is, by no means, a declaration of wanting to stay. Getting home will be the true reward for everything I've done so far this summer.