Stage Manager. 2nd ASM on the North American Tour of The Lion King - Rafiki Company. Addressing the elephant in the room. (Profile 📷: Matthew Murphy)
Touring US, Canada & Mexico
Joined October 2009
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Long varied day in the Pridelands. TV interview in the morning of my backstage tour, then a few hrs off before a Cheetah’s 1st day. Then an elephant walk. Then Friday Foy where we set Foy trims for all our understudies in each city. Then we do the show for the people.
Nice chill put-in yesterday for our last new cast member (for now), and some longtime actors got to do obscure specialties they’ve never done (incl one actor who’s been doing the show 22 years and debuted a new specialty last night).
We’ve had a regular spread of cheese curds provided by the locals, and eventually they commissioned me to make a “Squeaky yet satisfying” sign for the display. So adorable!
It’s come to my attention that Civ VII comes out just before my vacation. Oh my. I’m not sure if I planned this poorly or very well.
The punctual people of Appleton have been giving us quite a challenge: how fast can we start the show? Today, for the first time I’ve ever seen, the show ended less than 2:30 after the scheduled curtain time.🥇I was not the FOH SM, I was calling, but I did my best to help.
In a perfectly normal example of how the Rafiki Tour is scheduled, there’s ice on the *inside* of my hotel room window.
Turns out Wisconsin in January is a little chilly.
Running the onstage rehearsal today. A very small one for only one dancer and just automation, but a fun challenge with tight coordination with the studio rehearsal to bring their actors to the stage to run what they’re working on, and coordinate breaks between the rooms.
Normally I spend time looking over the paperwork and have questions prepared, maybe a railing or a doorway or a stairwell I want some details on. Here we don’t have much documented from our 2009 run, so I’m kind of a blank slate.
Started my day thinking really hard about a railing in Alaska that might snag an elephant tusk 9 months from now. Getting to comment and ask questions during site visits from the comfort of my hotel is something I always appreciate.
Also my groceries arrived right in the 15 min window where I was killing time in the lobby until the dryer was available. Best day off. Makes me feel a little better that I declined to attend the tour of a fire truck factory happening now. It’s also in the single digits.🥶🚒
I didn’t even cheat. Cheating in this case would be what I’m about to do when my load finishes, texting the SM group “machines are empty, gogogo!!”
I’d guess there’s about 80 of us at the company hotel. The hotel has a single washer and dryer which is a long walk from my room. Successfully got my clothes in betw 12 and 2 on the day off with only a few minutes of delay waiting for machines, and I feel like I won at touring.
Usually I make "Pencil Antelope" drawings for Michelle to find FOH positions for lighting focus. This time I made it early in the day so I could note door numbers, staircase locations as I explored. One-a these years I won't waste any time needing to go back and look at something
QOTD at 2nd Act check-in, after a humorous group discussion:
“Is there any reason, other than sass, that I cannot start?”
Had a really fun time with Jordan from WFRV this morning, and there's already a link to my live segment (as well as the 2nd video of the awesome Darlene whose flute demo is always a big hit). We also filmed some additional content that might air tonight.wearegreenbay.com/local5live…
8:43 in the morning and I’m here to talk on the teevee about The Lion King. LIVE at 9:15 on CBS in the Appleton area. Haven’t done a live one in a couple years. Being able to talk articulately for 3 straight minutes with no takesie-backsies at the crack of dawn is a challenge.
