opening night ESCAPE ARTIST!

well, we did it. our first show.
before i went up into my tech booth, we huddled together, shared a good pre-show moment. that was nice.
watching the audience file in (a small but mighty crowd, pretty good considering we didn't do any offical advertising), i got really excited.
alessandra came up the ladder to take her place (there's access to the roof from there, and her entrance is from above, thru the skylight in the theatre, and down a long white rope.
we hugged and said "have a good show." her and i are warming up to eachother i think. for a while there i think we just weren't sure how to do that.
the show ran so smoothly. i loved watching it tonight. they were really on it. it totally came together in the last few days, like it seems to always do, and i can certainly say i am proud to be bringing this show to the other side of the world with these people.
after the show, cohdi and i shared a cigarette, which we do now and then, mostly when i've had a drink or two (tonight it was whiskey, hot water and honey.) we chatted about india, he said he's glad i'm coming with him.
tomorrow night i think i'm doing a pre-show act as alvin, my clown. something improvised. we'll see what happens. i'm trying not to get nervous about it.
another thing, there's been talk about making a show to bring to the oregon country fair this summer. that would mean coming back here, maybe getting a little coffee job in taos or something, while we make something, the four of us, this time, with me as a performer.
i like this idea. i told them if they wanted me, i'd for sure do it. and they say they want me. clown or no clown. they want to see, as i do, what collaborating would look like.

there's this guy gard (pronounced "gay-erd")who comes by now and then to shower here and do his laundry. he and his family live in a trailer near by without running water. they have a baby and a 4 year old, who is so precious. she has a shaved head and she gave me a sticker tonight before she left. we talk a lot. she's very talkative. sometimes i think i'd rather talk to her than any of the adults. and i wonder if that's a weird thing to think. we have good talks.
gard sounds like he's from germany, he's got a shaved head too, except for these two little puffs of hair on either side of his head, kinda like horns, only more like a clown wig, little tuffs...i tell him all the time to take one of the clown noses (i have 200, after all).

i made an outline for my clown workshops. i think going in the "character clown" direction is much better than just a lot of silly games, and everyone putting on funny clothes and me designing routines for 45 students. i like the idea of each student finding their funny side, bringing out the most ridiculous side of their personality, flaunting it, sharing it, and seeing what material we can create out of what they're bringing to the table. it's going to be a challenge in only 10 days, but even if everyone only finds one thing (a gesture, a facial expression, a sound, a walk) that's funny...perhaps we can spend the week developing those "starting points" into something (a funny hip swinging walk turns into a stuffed behind, a funny sneeze turns into a character with glasses and a hanky, an alergy ridden dork)...we'll have to wait and see. i just couldn't get into any of the "clown games for kids" i was reading and researching.
i'm going to trust my gut on this one. it'll be a challenge but it's what i know. character clown, not birtday clown, or circus clown, is what i know. so that's that.

cohdi and laura got their visas today finally. we were all really stressing. it's been quite an ordeal with the consulate. lots of faxes and unanswered phone calls.
tomorrow night after the show there's a band playing, they're called "ray charles ives." they sound pretty groovy, i'm stoked.
that means it'll be a party also, so i'm sure the night will result is some wildness (note: an interesting blog).
it's almost 2:30am and i am ready to crash.
what a good night. what a good show.

going to bed with lots of good feelings about the adventure which lies ahead.