From the Inside Out

Tonight’s blog will be a short one. It’s late, and I need to get some sleep. Hartburn Hotel is quickly coming to an end. We performed our last 8 pm show tonight and have only one remaining performance, a 2 pm matinee tomorrow.

The crowd tonight was awesome. We had about 150 in the house, and they were quite rambunctious. The playwright also attended tonight’s show, and we went to dinner with him afterwards. It was great to learn more about the play and what transpired when it was being written.

Below are a few additional pictures from the show…goodnight all!

The stage is set and we’re almost ready to begin

Ma and Pa get the bad news

Sahara’s back in town

Ivory complains about Sahara

Mrs Spoffingford-Sykes asks Ivory to summon the owner

Prettyfoot, the Sheriff and Ivory

The Sheriff meets Sahara

The last scene — Rod has an announcement

Opening night is over, and I’m delighted! A fantastic crowd showed up. We came close to selling out the main floor! The audience was awesome. They “cheered, booed, and aww’d” in all of the right places. They also did a good job of throwing popcorn at my nemesis.

I’d like to give a special thanks to all of the ALC’ers, family and friends who came tonight — more than 25 of you were there to cheer us on and watch the show! And, I know that more of you will be there tomorrow and next weekend. I can’t wait!

After the show, one of the cast members threw an opening night party at a nearby restaurant in downtown McKinney. All of the cast, crew, producers and MRT board members were invited. We had a fun evening talking about the show and hanging out with new friends. Here are a few pics from tonight’s party.

Gary, Courtney (giving her FaceBook pose), Mohini, Daniel, and Mandi

Jake, Jake’s wife, and Lisa — MRT Producers

Jayne giving Mohini a quick hug before calling it a night

Dennis (our host) and friends

Cast photo taken last night. It appeared with an article on N. Tx eNews today.

We’re on the front page. Read the full article here.

Me and Gary hanging out before rehearsal

Mark stopped by to take some professional pictures tonight. He captured some great shots. I’ll try to steal…ahem, borrow some of those for a future blog.

Waiting for rehearsal to begin

My view from the stage: “Polly” and “Jasper” rehearsing their scene

Gary and Daniel working on the intermission entertainment

Melissa being sneaky

“Mrs. Spoffingford-Sykes” having a little fun with Gary’s mustache

Tonight was the first dress rehearsal for McKinney Repertory Theatre’s production of Hartburn Hotel. I should have some great photos to share from the chaos tonight, but I have nothing — zero, zip, nada, zilch! I forgot my camera, which means you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to get a sneak peak at our costumes.

Even though the rehearsal was crazy tonight, the play seems to be coming together nicely. The set is on stage, along with furniture and props. We went to the performing arts center yesterday to help set-up the backdrops. They made a lot of progress today. Everything is painted now. It’s not completely finished, but the basic framework is there. I have to admit it makes a big difference having everything on the stage — and having the costumes. Now if they can just get the piano that I’m supposed to play on the stage, I’ll be a happy camper.

We’re rehearsing every night this week, and opening night is Friday. That means my life will consist of nothing except work and acting for the next few days. I’ll try to update the blog as much as I can, even if it’s only to post some pictures.

I’m excited. Wish us luck!

Opening night for McKinney Repertory Theatre’s production of Hartburn Hotel is one week away! We have only 5 more rehearsals until we perform — exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time.

This weekend, we’ll be participating in the McKinney parade, assisting with stage set-up, and painting the flats (backdrops). They still need people to help on Sunday afternoon, so if you want to volunteer, let me know.

While it’s been hectic trying to keep up with work, rehearsal, remembering lines, and learning piano songs, it has also been a blast. I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. And, it will be even better when we get to perform. The audience response always makes it worth the effort. That’s why we keep doing it again and again.

Our director invited a few people to the rehearsals, and their reviews have been great so far. It’s fun to look into the audience and see them laughing and smiling at the antics on stage. Tonight, we even had some people “booing” the villain and cheering for the “hero.” I’m sure it’ll be even more fun when we add the popcorn for them to throw at us…can’t wait!

In the mean time, here are a few more “behind the scenes” pictures to quell your curiosity.

Gary getting ready for his scene with Ma

Ready for the chase scene?

Getting a few notes from Eric (our director) at the end of the night