one actress' experience on the road with the Public Theater Mobile Unit's Rust Belt tour of SWEAT by Lynn Nottage
"Wow. Really? That's your takeaway from what I just said?" - Chris, 'Sweat' It was ironic, really, that the man was speaking to our 'Chris'. I almost expected him to respond with this line. We had just finished performing at the Columbus Area Senior Center, to an overflowing crowd of both seniors and other folks … Continue reading Columbus, Sauk City, & Viroqua, WI
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And when I say we played Union Halls, I mean this: Monument outside the United Auto Workers Hall in Janesville WI; fully unionized bathrooms; signs that welcome you to a hallway of history at the UAW in Kenosha WI It's hard to believe we're in the home stretch. Everything is ramping up it seems. Yesterday … Continue reading Kenosha & Janesville, WI
It's finally happened. I have lost track of the days, letting them blur into each other like so many Vikings Jerseys in the lobby of this Minneapolis hotel restaurant. Three shows have gone by and my instinct is to tell you the really important stuff, like, this hotel has real eggs! Or - that it's SNOWING … Continue reading Mankato, Rochester, St.Cloud, MN
So I finally got to say, without irony, "we're putting on a show in the old barn!" L to R, top/bottom: arrival at Millers Dairy Farm in Eaton Rapids (which is also an ice cream parlor-!); the gorgeous interior; entrance to barn, Jessie prepares in doorway (surreptitious photo by castmate). So, look. I drafted half … Continue reading Eaton Rapids & Albion MI
See, that's the problem. We all just roll over and offer up our a**holes for anyone who wants to f**k us. - Tracey, 'Sweat' (and the general mood in the ladies dressing room after the K*****nagh hearing. Luckily, another castmate intervened with a loud freestyle wherein the word 'Macomb' was pronounced to rhyme with 'womb' and … Continue reading Macomb & Saginaw, MI
It was pouring rain when we arrived at the Masonic Temple, and now that's a sentence I've said in my lifetime. L to R: the entrance to Kenmore Masonic Temple in Akron OH, our theatre for the evening. I dont know what the G is for either. Ssh. We're not supposed to. I'm writing … Continue reading Akron & Ravenna OH
And then for something completely different. Entrance to "Voodoo Brewery" in Meadville, PA, which hosted our show, brought there by MyMeadville and the National Manufacturing and Tooling Association. "It's not a union town", we were told on arrival. "They have Associations." … Continue reading Meadville, PA
Ah, showbiz. It's a hilly terrain, of high highs and low lows. Like America. Please enjoy one of only two pictures I got last night because of poor phone-charging strategy. Arrival at G.O. Ministries for our 530 performance yesterday. As an actor (and person), you learn to surf the varied and changing moods of your … Continue reading Ashtabula, OH
We concur, HomeGoods Superstore. We concur. There's a saying on this tour: "Every night is opening night ... and closing!" Did I mention there's a DSW next to the hotel? Fluffy-ass cat slippers: $19.99. Feelings of … Continue reading Opening: Erie
we started in Harlem at the Pelham Fritz Rec Center Greetings from Erie PA, the first official stop on the Public Theatre Mobile Unit Tour of SWEAT by Lynn Nottage, where I have just eaten a really, really good steak at the Outback Steakhouse across the parking lot from our hotel, discovered a trampoline-and-video-game arcade … Continue reading Harlem & Brownsville: Previews
