I am walking in a literal winter wonderland here in North Dakota, and I am seriously the happiest girl in the world! We are in North Dakota today, the state that I’ve been just itching to get to since I heard it would be on our tour stops, and I am SO excited to be exploring this snowy state. This morning we woke up at the shining 6:30am (oh goodness) and were on the bus by 7am. We were EXHAUSTED, and slept all morning on the bus. It was a race to the bunks, and everyone was snoring by 7:05 when we pulled away from the Hampton Inn in Watertown, South Dakota. We stopped once at a Loves Gas Station in Fargo, North Dakota to use the restroom/gas, and it was snowing SO HARD! I was so excited, I spent the entirety of the break running around in the HUGE, fluffy snowflakes that were falling. I was SO pumped. I took way too many pictures, but this little Texas girl was just too excited to stop. We then drove the rest of the way to Bismarck, North Dakota, where we got dropped off by the Arena. Before the show, we ran over to the Denny’s across the street to grab some breakfast/lunch before the show, and then we were off to the theatre to do our usual pre-show things such as flight call and getting into wigs/dresses/curly toes and such. It was then time for our matinee performance, Show #5, which was at the Bismarck Civic Event Center. It was our second arena performance of the tour, which was super exciting to get the experience of performing again for such HUGE crowd at such a giant venue. We were nearly sold out, and had thousands of people in the arena at this performance! The show was thrilling, and afterwards we walked around downtown Bismarck for a little while, loving playing in the snow and seeing all of the beautiful white that was covering the city. I again took far too many photos! We then came and got our suitcases off of the bus, and checked into our rooms at tonight’s hotel - the Downtown Bismarck Radisson. Sara and I’s room was nice - a little more snug than the usual ones we had been staying in, but very cozy for this chilly weather. We were SUPER excited to find that this hotel came wtih Sleep Number beds - we had a little too much fun playing with the remotes, trying to find what sleep numbers we wanted. It was too cool! There was a Catholic church right across the street, and Sara and I decided to go to mass tonight! It was the second Sunday of advent, and a beautiful service. Keeping up with religious services can be something that is hard to do with rigorous touring schedules, between shows and traveling. We were very thankful to have no show tonight, and a free traveling schedule, so that we could spend our free night going to mass. After mass, it was 13* outside while we walked home! It was CRAZY how cold it was! I was shocked at how these people at mass were walking out like it was their usual Sunday night - because it totally was - only it was 13* and they thought nothing of it. I thought it was just baffling, honestly. Sara and I came back to the hotel and were starving, so we went down to the restaurant that was on the first floor of the hotel. We were the only ones there, and we were so surprised when the chef himself came up and offered to make us anything we wanted! It was so cool! We asked for some grilled chicken and some veggies (we needed something nutritious with all of this eating out lately), and he made us the MOST DELICIOUS grilled chicken with a sweet honey/balsamic sauce and grilled veggies. He also surprised us with some cheesy potatoes, and everything was so gourmet and delicious we couldn't even believe it. It was honestly the best food that we have had yet on this tour - and we eat out every meal, so we’ve tried a lot of food on the road. It was honestly SO delicious. He came back to chat about how we liked the dish, and surprised us even further with a free dessert - a homemade tiramisu chocolate cheesecake. It was all so delicious and just what we needed - we were so thankful! It was so fantastic! After dinner, Sara and I just had a fun night and went down to the hotel’s hot tub, which was SO nice, because we were chilled to the bone! After hot tubbing, we stayed in our room and watched some Hallmark Christmas movies, which is one of my most favorite things to do at Christmas time :) Well, I’d better hit the hay - we have a super long travel day tomorrow, heading to Mason City, Iowa, and I’d better get some sleep! More updates to come! - Diaries of a Curly Toed Elf Bismarck!
0 Comments
Today was THE LONGEST travel day in the history of touring. (Well, maybe not, but it felt like it. And tomorrow is supposed to be even longer, so we have that going for us. But seriously, we are PUMPED. Bus rides are fun because we play games and watch movies and nap and chat - what more could you want?) This morning we woke up at 8:45 and we were on the bus, ready to go, by 9:30. Breakfast was not included in this fancy Pzazz Hotel and Casino that we stayed at last night, how sad. Sara and I were super thankful that we had thought ahead and packed oatmeal packets that we could cook in our microwaves in the hotel, so that we had breakfast that we could make in our room before the long drive. It was also nice to not have to eat out and spend that per diem. It’s the little things, y’all. After everyone was loaded, we drove for 4 hours until we stopped at a Jimmy John’s for lunch. We napped pretty much all morning, and watched some more America's Next Top Model on the bus. Lunch was great, and there was also a grocery store next door that some people went to, and some of us also went and checked out a thrift store that was in the same block of stores as well. Then we drove for another hour and a half, until our bus driver needed gas and some people wanted to stop for more snacks and a chance to stretch out our legs. The gas station was right next to a Dairy Queen, and we all had a blast getting blizzards, even though it was 30* outside, haha! We then drove 1 1/2 more hours to the Show Me Arena in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, arriving around 5pm. When we arrived, security was tight around the arena, which was new, as usually when we all arrive in a pack off the bus they aren't as strict with checking our tour badges. It was also very cool that the arena provided a catered meal for the cast before the show. We all were provided with lasagna, portobello mushrooms, salad, bread rolls, green beans, cookies, and drinks before our performance. It was such a nice thing to have our meal paid for, and have such a healthy and delicious one at that! We had a full performance tonight at the Show Me Arena, which was our first arena stage of this tour. It was SO cool, the house and the audience were HUGE, and the stage literally looked like we were a concert coming in to perform. It was set up almost like the concerts at the Rodeo back at home, where we had a huge arena that spread all around the stage, and the stage was at one end. This was how our stage was set up too - which was so cool to experience. Usually arenas are thought of as more of a theatre in the round, but ours was more more of a thrust-style stage, as we use drops and a flight rail, so we cannot do a theatre in the round, we need some sort of curtain. I have never had a theatre experience like this one before! We were all so excited to have the opportunity to feel what an arena stage was like. After the show, we had 30 minutes to do the usual routine - out of wigs/mic/dress/curly shoes - and hop back on the bus. Tonight, we had a ton of fun playing a few rounds of Mafia, which has quickly risen to our favorite game of the day. We played it in the back of the bus all afternoon and all night. We have gotten very strategic, and very good. We then drove 4 hours to Columbia, Missouri, where we are staying the night. We are super excited because tonight we are staying in the Stony Creek hotel again, which is the same hotel we stayed in on Sunday night before we opened in Missouri. We really loved this hotel and it’s cozy, cabin-like feel, and were so excited to be back. We unfortunately arrived past the hours for the hot tub, which was disappointing, but that’s okay. This hotel also has an option for guest laundry, which many cast members took advantage of, since it has now been 6 days without the ability to do laundry. There was only one washer and dryer, however, so not many people were able to squeeze in there. It is cool, however, to see that in the week since we’ve been here, they’ve decorated for Christmas!! I loved seeing all of the fun holiday decor, that is one of my favorite parts about all of our traveling this Holiday season. Well, this little elf is exhausted, and we have a big travel day to South Dakota tomorrow, so I’d better get some rest! More updates of the fun and SNOW of South Dakota to be posted tomorrow! - Diaries of a Curly Toed Elf On the Road again...Cape Girardeau!Back at the Stony Creek Hotel!IT’S SNOWINGGGG! Oh my goodness gracious I have been SUCH a happy camper today, getting my first taste of a white Christmastime. Today was a travel day, so we did not perform today, we traveled to our next location. This morning we woke up in our cozy Stony Creek hotel, and made our way downstairs for their home-cooked breakfast. There were fresh waffles in our hotel today, and boy-oh-boy were we pumped! We had waffles and fruit before we hopped onto the tour bus to start the long journey. We drove for a few hours until we hit our lunch spot, which was somewhere in upstate Missouri. We stopped at a Chili’s, where we all enjoyed getting a hearty meal before we hopped across the street to the Target and Starbucks to get hot coffees/hot chocolates to warm us up! It was 32* in upstate Missouri, and starting to rain/snow. I was getting SO pumped that we might finally be seeing some snow! We had a little bit of a delay, as the bathroom on our bus had broken (that is not a good thing to be broken, folks. We couldn't flush the toilet, and as you can imagine, that was a bit of a problem…). However, over the lunch break, our WONDERFUL tour bus driver, Steven, got it all fixed up, so we are now good to go! The toilet was only broken for the morning travel, so we were never in dire need or anything. This is probably a weird thing to be blogging about, but hey, this is the full experience of the tour! Once we were finally back on the bus, we had a ball playing some more card games together. I had to get some AT&T posts done, so I was working on that, and caught up with Facetiming some old friends. These long bus rides are GREAT for that! We were starting to get more north, coming through Iowa and Nebraska, and IT STARTED SNOWING! Our whole bus was erupting with excitement, and everyone was pumped. (I have to admit though, I was definitely the most pumped.) We had to pull over at a rest stop, and let me tell you - I was barreling out the doors of the bus as fast as I could to experience the snow. I LOVED getting to run around in the thick snowflakes that were falling, and see the fields covered in a blanket of white. After a few minutes for gas/restroom visits, we had to get back to our schedule and our route, so we were back on the tour bus. It was still so exciting driving through the snowy fields and cities, everything covered with a layer of fresh, sparkling, white snow. We then had 4 more hours until we would arrive at our destination - Watertown, South Dakota. This is where we would be stopping for the night, before driving the rest of the way to North Dakota tomorrow morning before our matinee show in the Bismarck Arena tomorrow! Once we arrived to our Hampton Inn in Watertown, we all were STARVED! Kyle, Rashaun, Sara and I walked next door to an Applebees, and that hit the spot! (That 2 meals for $20, y’all, is a beautiful thing) Then we all came back to the hotel and played a fun game of Quiplash, which is a voting/answering game on the computer/smartphones with a group of people, and it is HILARIOUS. We were all laughing so hard! After a few rounds, we all went our separate ways to get some things done, and now Sara and I are going to try to tackle some laundry in this hotel before we hit the hay for the evening. I’ll have to keep you updated as to how that goes. We don’t have many opportunities to do laundry on the road, so we have to take them when they arise! Thanks for checking in with us elves at the North Pole, more adventures to come tomorrow! - Diaries of a Curly Toed Elf UPDATE: No laundry could be done tonight, as Sara and I realized we didn't have any coins to pay for laundry. Rookie mistake, dang it. Let it Snow...Show #3 today - WOO HOO! & it’s officially December WOO HOO! (abcFamily’s 25 days of Christmas started today, and Sara & I are PUMPED.) Today was a busy day, full of traveling and performing! This morning we woke up in Madison, Wisconsin (FREEZING, I might add…) and hopped on the bus, departing from our cozy little Country Inn & Suites. We rode on the bus from 10 - 1, and got an hour at our lunch stop. All morning I napped off and on, and they had HDTV and re-runs of America’s Next Top Model going on the big flat screen TVs on our bus! It was WAY cool - I didn't realize that our bus was equipped with cable until today! We all really loved getting to have a chill day of watching television on the bus. At our lunch stop, a big group of us decided to go to Cheddar’s for lunch, which was in the mall that we stopped at. It was SO nice to get to sit down at the restaurant, rather than the quick food courts that we had been frequenting recently. (Don’t get me wrong - the food courts aren't bad, we have many options that way, but it was nice to get a nicer meal in our systems.) We all ordered things like chicken pot pies, potato soup, baked potatoes, and chicken fried chicken, among other comfort foods that we had all been longing for. It was SO nice, and very well needed. After lunch we were refreshed and ready for another long drive. We watched some more of America’s Next Top Model, and napped some more. It was definitely napping weather outside - grey, cold, and blustery. It took us 2 more hours until we arrived in Des Moines, Iowa, at the Civic Center where we would be performing! The bus dropped us off at the stage door, and we had some time to explore around the theatre and backstage, and set our belongings in our dressing room. This theatre had SUCH a crazy layout - there were rows and rows and rows of seats, and NO AISLES. It was WILD! Just literally a sea of green, blue, and red seats. We didn't know what to think! It was so crazy to see so many seats just stacked side to side, up and down, with no aisles running between them! How wild! And they were such crazy colors - how odd! However, there were SO many - this theatre sat around 3,000 people!! It was HUGE! The seats just kept going back further and further and higher and higher! We had an hour to kill before our call time, so we all wandered around downtown Des Moines and found the coolest coffee shop, that we all loved getting a quick coffee or hot chocolate to warm us up - it was only 4:30 but the sun had already set (WILD) and it was around 31* outside! SO cold!!! We then wandered around downtown some more, and could see the capital of Iowa, as well as some other official buildings and lots of beautiful Christmas lights! :) I loved seeing all of the beautiful lights. Once we got too cold, we headed back to the theatre and started getting ready for the show, and going through our usual pre-show checklist. We did a flight call, as well as brushed up on a few dancing notes with our dance captain that we had received after our last show. After putting on the wig/dress/pointy ears/curly toes, we were ready! It was also fun to get to meet two kids who came backstage for a backstage tour before the show - they were precious and SO thrilled to meet us, and couldn't wait to see the performance. Y’all, this audience was UNREAL. We had a full, sold-out house, and everyone was SO PUMPED. It was so full of kids and families, and they were LIVING for this performance. The most special thing about this performance, however, was the fact that the entire first row was filled with special needs individuals, who were smiling, laughing, and so filled with joy for the entirety of the performance. They all had such bright, loving, joyful faces and beautiful, bright smiles. Some were in wheelchairs, some sat beside caregivers, but all were so filled with cheer and excitement for the whole performance. It brought tears to my eyes during the curtain call to see how excited they were, and how much they had truly loved the show. By the end of our finale dance after curtain call, as the curtain was falling to close the performance, the audience was ROARING. In all of the shows I have ever performed in, I had never heard an audience as cheerful, joyful, and supportive as this one. There was so much love in the air, and they were all so genuinely appreciative of the work that we were doing and of the story that we were sharing with them. I couldn't stop smiling all night - I am truly SO blessed to do what I do, and get to share this experience with others. It is because of shows like the one that we had tonight that I do what I do. I am truly so thankful for this tour and show, and the joy, light, and cheer it brings to families all over the US this Holiday Season. After the show, with a happy heart, we all hopped back on our tour bus and were off to our next destination - we drove for three more hours to Burlington, Iowa, where we are spending the night tonight. The bus was wild with excitement because the Cowboys game was on TV, and naturally many of our cast members were quite excited to watch the game. The bus was such a party tonight! Tonight, we are at this fun and fancy hotel - Pzazz! Pzazz is a Resort Hotel and Casino, also complete with a Water Park, Spa, Arcade, Event Center, and more! It was SO cool to wander around this awesome place and explore all that it had to offer. Unfortunately, we arrived at midnight and are leaving tomorrow morning at 9am, so we won’t be here for much of anything to be open. Sara and I did enjoy exploring though, and loved seeing all of the fancy things that this hotel had to offer! Now we are back snug in our beds and ready to get some sleep before our long day tomorrow! Tomorrow is supposed to be our craziest, tightest scheduled, most hectic day of the entire tour - so say an extra prayer for us tomorrow! I cannot wait to update you on the crazy adventures that it will bring. Show #4 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri tomorrow - let’s gooooo! Goodnight, Burlington, Iowa! - Diaries of a Curly Toed Elf Adventures in Des Moines, Iowa!Show #2 today - WOO WOO WOO! Today was spectacular and we LOVED the beautiful Weidner Center for the Performing Arts here in Green Bay, Wisconsin! We had such a blast today, enjoying some time indoors on this rainy, cold day!
This morning Sara and I got to enjoy some time watching the Food Network (my favorite!) which was especially nice, because we don't have cable at our house at TCU, so we were living like kings. Then at noon we got to do a phone interview for a TCU 360 Radio Podcast! Our good friend, Caroline Love, was doing a piece on both of us being in the National Tour of Rudolph, and we got to phone in to be on the air! It was super fun, we loved getting to promote the show and share our fun touring experiences with the listeners over at TCU! It was a great experience, I had only done two or three radio interviews before, so that was quite exciting. At 1pm, we all loaded up onto the tour bus and were deposited at a nearby mall, where we had 4 1/2 hours to kill before our call for the show. We decided to go and spend some of the time seeing a movie, and decided on Moana - the new Disney movie that just came out! It was PRECIOUS, and I love Disney, so I was one happy camper. The movie’s score was composed in part by Lin Manuel Miranda, the composer to Broadway’s Hamilton and In the Heights, so that was especially fun to see his influences in this new Disney film. Overall, it was beautifully produced and the technology that is out in today’s age is INSANE with how realistic the creators can make these animated films. After the movie, we all decided to grab some lunch from the Food Court, where we yet again battled the Healthy Eating train. It is so difficult to find healthy meals in a food court and on the road, but we are staying diligent. We found some grilled BBQ chicken, rice, and stemmed veggies at a Chinese place, and that did the job. After lunch/dinner (this meal was counting as both today!) we roamed the mall a bit, enjoying popping in and out of different stores, perusing their beautiful Christmas items and decor. Once the clock hit 5, we all went outside to load the bus. Let me tell you, folks - IT WAS PITCH BLACK DARK. It was WILD! We had checked our phones, and apparently the sun had completely set by 4:12 PM! Isn’t that crazy?! Apparently it is just wacky fast how early the sun sets here in Wisconsin - the days are short and the nights are long. This threw all of us off on our way to the theatre, because we felt like it was 11pm! We then were shipped off to the Weidner Center, which was 20 minutes away from our hotel/mall. On our way to the theatre, we passed by the Green Bay Packers Stadium! It was SO exciting, and we were so pumped to see it, even though it was dark and in passing. But the stadium was all lit up, and still looked jaw-dropping and massive. It was so thrilling! Once we got to the theatre, we had a little extra time to explore, and BOY OH BOY, this theatre was STUNNING! It was HUGE, and seats 2,021 people! The multi-tiered, ornate, gorgeous house was dazzling, and it’s lobby did not disappoint. It had a huge glass chandelier with blown glass into different shapes and unique sizes, all colored to make a very original and creative fixture. It was so cool! Our Merchandise table also looked so cute and precious - this was the first time I had been able to venture into the lobby to see this! Backstage was also huge - we were so spoiled! The theatre asked us to sign their wall backstage, which was super exciting. It was so special to leave our mark in this beautiful theatre. A lot of theatres like to ask their National Tours that come through to sign their walls. We also were asked to sign a few show posters, and that was also super exciting! The show was great - it was our second show of the tour, and we had a ball! The audience was GREAT, and super responsive. We had a ton of kids at this show, who were just loving each and every moment. That was super special. :) After the show, we had 30 minutes to get out of wigs/costumes/microphones and get back on the bus! It is always a quick turn around when we have to travel after shows. Tonight, however, I had a surprise! After I had gotten back on the bus and was getting situated, our company manager hopped on and said “Samantha, you need to step out, you have a visitor!” I was immediately so confused, because I knew for sure that I wouldn't know anyone all the way up here in Green Bay, Wisconsin! How exciting, a visitor! I leapt off the bus and found the most exciting surprise - Michael Gregory, a dear friend and past castmate (we did musical theatre together all throughout high school!) had come to surprise me with a dozen yellow roses and see the show! It was SO beyond kind and thoughtful, and completely made my week. I was SO excited to see him, I couldn't even believe it! WOW it was grand!!! After getting to hug Michael and chat for a short moment, I had to get back on the bus because it was time to go! We were off on the road again, and this time for three hours to Madison, Wisconsin. Here we are staying the night at the Country Inn and Suites before we load up to go to Des Moines, Iowa tomorrow for our next show! Exciting things are happening, folks! For now, this sleepy elf must go to sleep and dream of dancing in the snow tomorrow! This Texas gal is LOVING this chilly, wintery Christmastime! (HOPING TO SEE SNOW TOMORROW IN IOWA - 40% CHANCE!) - Diaries of a Curly Toed Elf Travel days are so exciting with this cast! We had a blast today traveling from Lincoln, Illinois to Green Bay, Wisconsin! What a drive, y’all! It was wild! This morning we woke up early and got downstairs in time for the continental breakfast at our lovely Holiday Inn - which was great to have a free meal! (Saving that Per Diem, y’all!) We then were loaded onto the bus and on the road again! This morning we were sleepy elves, and slept most of the morning. We stopped for lunch at a mall in Rockford, Illinois. It was a great place to stop, because people had the opportunity to do any shopping they might need, look for lunch in the food court, and just get some great leg stretching/walking time in, since we had been cramped up in a bus for so long. We found some less-than-optimal salads in the food court at one of the fast food places - it has been SO hard to find healthy eating on some of our stops! A healthy lifestyle is definitely a challenge but not impossible while on tour. We try to look for salads and healthy alternatives at every food stop. This food court just didn't supply many options, so that made it more challenging. Usually it is not too much of a problem. We then wandered around through different stores, loving how cute it was all decorated for Christmas! Somehow stumbled into a furry friend adoption shop in the center of the mall, where they had tons of baby puppies that were in little baby cribs, waiting for a new family to take them home! It was SO SWEET! We were so excited! We got to play with one of the puppies, and it was the sweetest. I had a little bit of trouble, as I am allergic, but I couldn't resist hugging the sweet furry baby. Once it was time to get back on the bus, we all hopped on and made it through the home stretch of this long day of travel. I was working on some AT&T posts, for my other job through AT&T, as well as checking up on some emails. Bus time is great work time and Samantha time :) Once we arrived to our Hampton Inn Hotel in Green Bay, where it was 35* I might add (cue shivering elf Samantha and laughing-at-Samantha elf Sara), we checked in and unloaded our stuff into our hotel rooms. Sara and I took a quick nap, because for some reason even though we just sat on a bus all day, the traveling was exhausting, and we were wiped. We then met up with some of our favorite people - Kyle, Rashaun, Jenny, and Mark - and went to a local Italian grill for dinner, where we tried some of Wisconsin’s famous cheese curds! It was so fun getting to try a local specialty, this fun Wisconsin cheese staple! We even talked our waiter into coming to see our show tomorrow night! We then played some board games/card games at the hotel, including our current favorites: salad bowl (also known as celebrities or fish bowl) and imagination (a pictionary sort of card game). (Those are our cast’s current two favorites to play on the road and in hotels!) Once it reached 9:30pm, we headed to the local Green Bay bowling alley, where we could have unlimited bowling for only $6! Can I get an Amen!?! We had SO much fun getting competitive on the games, and for the record, I lost terribly, haha. However, I would like to document that I did throw A STRIKE, thank you very much. The excited photos below document how excited I was at this moment of victory. Overall, however, I think I’ll stick to singing, acting, and dancing! We all had SUCH a blast laughing with each other, and enjoying spending time with one another. We have got some GREAT bowlers in this cast! We also convinced some of the women who were sitting in the bowling alley to bring their kids to our show tomorrow night! After bowling, we were pretty exhausted from the long day, and ordered an uber to head back to the hotel. Once we returned to the hotel, we had an awesome spontaneous surprise: A Papa John’s pizza delivery man was walking down our hall (all of us are on the second floor of this Hampton!) and said that the pizza had been cancelled, and wanted to know if we wanted it! It was SO exciting - so we then all chowed down on this pizza that he gave us for $5! It was so much fun. Now I am back in my hotel room, and can barely keep my little elf eyes open - it’s been a full day today! I’d better go wrap up in 548394301 blankets in this arctic tundra, and I will keep you updated on tomorrow’s activities! - Diaries of a Curly Toed Elf Afternoon Adventures on the Road!Wisconsin!Bowling!IT’S OPENING NIGHT, WOOO HOOOO! Tonight we opened in the Jesse Auditorium in Columbia, Missouri. This beautiful space is on the center of The University Of Missouri (Mizzou)’s campus! We had a BLAST all day getting to explore all over downtown Columbia, and shopping in all of the little shops along their cute streets. We really enjoyed having the morning and afternoon off before our evening performance. This morning Sara and I slept in until around 11:30 (CRAZY, I KNOW) because we were just exhausted from the week - we had been in finals week, since we are still juniors at TCU. We are the only current students on this tour, and the youngest company members. We both had to complete all of our assignments/papers/tests/projects/finals a month and a half early in order to go on this tour! It took a LOT of work, but we were persistent and worked our butts off to make it all happen, and it is all paying off now. After we got up, we had a light breakfast from the snacks that we had packed for the tour, and packed up our room. We had to be checked out of our room by 1pm, and have all of our belongings loaded up onto the tour bus. The tour bus dropped us off at the Jesse Auditorium, and after we put our show supplies in our dressing rooms, we were free to roam around Columbia until we were called at 5:30. With this free range, we began roaming around Mizzou and downtown Columbia. Y’all, this town is PRECIOUS! It is so cool that the campus is so close to downtown. We loved walking around and seeing the beautiful red brick and columns that were peppered around Mizzou’s campus. We then took to the streets of downtown, where we landed in the cutest Doughnut Shop called Harold’s Doughnuts. It was fully decorated for Christmas, and had a gingerbread house running in the front of their store. When we arrived, the woman working behind the counter asked if we were with the Rudolph National Tour that was coming through town, and after we confirmed that indeed we were, she handed us two FULL boxes of free doughnuts! She was so excited that the tour had come to her doughnut shop that she gave us almost 3 dozen free doughnuts, and then proceeded to give us free coffee and their homemade lemon Meringue. It was the nicest thing! She was so excited to meet us, and we were so thankful for her kindness and hospitality. It was great! We then roamed until we found Canteen 44, am upscale taco restaurant that had been recommended by the woman who gave us the doughnuts. They had these “Dirty Nacho Fries” that were to die for, as well as delicious specialty tacos that were equally as delicious. We loved getting to have a great, tasty, filling meal before the show, and Canteen 44 was just the spot! After lunch, we roamed around some more, stopping by a local ice-cream shop, bookstore, vintage thrift store, perfume shoppe, Tshirt press, cookie bakery, and other miscellaneous stops. All of the shops were locally owned and operated, and had such a cute home-town touch. They were also all decorated for Christmas, which just made it all the more exciting. During our roaming, some of the cast members were discussing their running competition - “Fitmas”. Some of the cast members are having a competition to encourage each other to work out at least once a day, every day that we are on tour. It is a great thing that they are doing, because it is so hard to find time to work out while on tour. The constant eating out, always changing locations, and unsteady routine make it very hard for actors to find time to take care of their bodies and stay in shape on tour. This is one of the aspects of touring that not many people often consider! After our window shopping, we came back to the theatre and it was time to get ready for the show! We put on our stage makeup, wigs, and costumes, and ran a few dances to check spacing on this new stage. We also had a flight call - we have to rehearse the flight tracks in every new theatre to make sure that everything runs smoothly. With something as serious as flying in a show, every precaution must be met before each show to ensure the safety of the actors and technicians. Finally, it was time for the curtain to go up, and the show to start! IT WAS OFFICIALLY THE OPENING PERFORMANCE OF THE RUDOLPH TOUR 2016! WOO HOO! (Can you tell that I was a tad bit excited?) The show began at 6:30 and we were finished around 8:30. (It’s a pretty short show - it’s the exact same as the claymation Christmas Special that aired in the 60’s!) After the show, we had to be loaded onto the bus by 9pm. We only had half an hour after the show to get out of costumes, wigs and microphones and to be loaded onto the bus! It is sometimes a quick turn around after shows with touring, as we have to get to our next destination. Once the entire cast was loaded, we were off! Starting now, the crew will be traveling on a separate bus. This is because they arrive before the cast to set up the show, and stay after the cast to take down the show. The crew travels on a sleeper bus, complete with beds for each crew member, so that they can go straight to the next theatre after load-out to start loading into the next theatre. I have SO much respect for how hard they are all working on this tour! Tonight we drove from Columbia, Missouri, to Lincoln, Illinois. It took around 4 hours, and we are staying in a Holiday Inn tonight! We don't have any shows in Lincoln, but are more using this stop as just an overnight place to sleep before another travel day tomorrow. Tomorrow we will ride the bus all day to get to Green Bay, Wisconsin! Woo Hoo! Well, it’s been a long and exciting opening night, and I need to hit the hay before another long day of traveling tomorrow! We are sleeping like babies these days, as we are usually so tired from all of the shows and traveling. More updates to come tomorrow! - Diaries of a Curly Toed Elf Opening Night!Exploring all over Columbia!On to Illinois!Good Morning, North Pole! Today we woke up in Tulsa, Oklahoma (and it was FREEZING, I might add, so who know's HOW I'll be surviving North Dakota and Wisconsin!). We got a free breakfast at the hotel, which rocked to not have to spend any per diem on that meal! Today was a travel day, so we did not have a show today. We were on the bus all day, traveling to our next destination - Columbia, Missouri! The weather was cold and rainy, and we stopped at Subway for lunch along the way. We also had the opportunity over our lunch break to go to Walmart for other necessities that we may have forgotten to pack. We finally arrived in Columbia around 4:30 to our hotel: the Stony Creek Hotel in Columbia, MO. This hotel is SO cool, and has such a woodsy/cabin vibe to it. We all love the woodwork and stone used to decorate this hotel. It has such a warm and welcoming feel, and even had an indoor pool/hot tub that the cast definitely enjoyed visiting later in the evening! After settling in and exploring a bit around this beautiful hotel, we took ubers to downtown Columbia. There went to grab some dinner at Shakespeare's Pizza, just of Mizzou's campus. (Mizzou = University of Missouri) The pizza was DELICIOUS and hit the spot! After pizza, we took an uber back to our hotel where an old friend, Shelby, came to visit! It is so great getting to travel all over the US and see old friends that are from all over. Shelby is a TCU Theatre alum, and is now living and working in NYC. She was home for Thanksgiving, and it was great to get shown around Columbia by a Columbia native! She drove us to all of her favorite spots, including Andy's Frozen Custard for some delicious shakes. We had such a blast seeing the trees all decorated for Christmas around town - specifically a famous tree that has every individual branch and twig covered in Christmas lights. It was so exciting to get a tour of a city that I had never been to before, and get to explore. After our fun outing and sightseeing, we came back to the hotel and went swimming with the cast in the hotel's hot tub and indoor heated pool, it was so, so nice. We also had our first laundry experience at the hotel, and figured out that adventure with quarters, lack of detergent, and the hotel's machines. It made for many laughs. Well, I'm off to hit the hay before we have opening night here in Columbia, Missouri tomorrow night! - Diaries of a Curly Toed Elf On the Road Again...Stony Creek Lodge HotelSightseeing around ColumbiaToday is the day! Today is the day that we left Texas, and we have officially embarked on the adventure of the Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer National Tour! It’s the day we’ve all been waiting for - departure day! WOO HOO! This morning we got up and had final dress rehearsal from 10am - 2pm, and we ran through all of the last minute fixes we needed to work on. Sara and I also brought two Rudolph books for the cast to sign, so that we would have a fun memoir of this National Tour cast. Usually casts would have something to sign around closing night, but since we were trying to eliminate all that we had to pack, we decided to bring the books today to our final rehearsal. We also also had production photos taken during this final dress rehearsal's performance. Our director and choreographer do not travel with us, so this was the last opportunity to get their fixes, notes, and corrections before we set off! We did an official final dress rehearsal, received notes as to what we could fix, and ran through specific scenes and songs to make sure that they were polished and ready. We also ran through the flight patterns multiple times, to make sure that both the actors and the technicians were feeling comfortable with the equipment and the flight patterns. After rehearsal, my best friend Sara and I came home (we room together in our house just off TCU’s campus, so it is super convenient that we both booked this tour and are both Elves!) and finished up some last minute packing. Packing for this tour has been tricky - we are going to 22 cities in 29 days, never returning to DFW, and those cities range from North Dakota to South Florida - so we needed a wide range of clothing. We also were only allowed one suitcase and two carry ons, and as a chronic over-packer, it was definitely time to condense! We also wanted some downtime to rest, so after having some thanksgiving leftovers, we watched a few Friends episodes to rest up before the non-stop adventures of tour life. It was officially time to load the bus at 7pm! We were beyond excited. Our friend (and other roommate) Rhett drove us to the parking lot of the theatre - the Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth. This theatre is where we had been having our tech and dress rehearsals, and rehearsing our show before we set out. The crew had been doing load-out for the entire set, costumes, flight rails, curtains, props, and anything else tech-wise that the show requires. The crew had been working from 2 - 7pm since we had left, making sure that the equipment bus was completely loaded, and not a single elf ear or curly shoe had been left behind. There was a huge tour bus waiting for us, complete with tables, beds, a kitchen, bathroom, and 5 TV’s on board! It was HUGE and so exciting. The cast and crew will start off traveling on the same bus, but after our first show in Columbia, Missouri, the crew will be on another bus. The crew will always travel ahead and behind the cast, as they have to load in/set up the show before we get there, and then load out/take down the entire show after we finish. I have SO much respect for the crew and all of the hard work they do. Their long hours are tiresome, and they will not stay in hotels as much as we will, and their bus is full of beds. Their bus is a sleeper bus, while the cast bus is more of a traveling coach, with all sorts of traveling options. We all loaded our suitcases underneath in the suitcase area, and climbed aboard. Everyone was bouncing with energy and so eager to get going, we were all so excited. We drove for 5 hours to get to Tulsa, Oklahoma. We only stopped once at a gas station/burger king, and it was fun to get late night french fries and chicken fries with the cast and crew. When we arrived in Tulsa, we stayed overnight in the Clarion hotel, which was very nice and accommodating to our large touring party! The rest was so well needed, but I could barely sleep because I was so excited! I am rooming with Sara throughout the tour, which is super nice. Everyone in the cast and crew has one roommate, and we are always given rooms with two double beds with two company members per hotel room in every city we go to. But I’d better go to bed now, and dream of candy canes and gingerbread! I’ll check back in tomorrow to tell more traveling tales! - Diaries of A Curly Toed Elf Final Dress Rehearsal!Load out! And we're off!Clarion Hotel in Tulsa, OklahomaEven though it is always Christmas here at the North Pole, today we are celebrating Thanksgiving! I am consistently thankful for these tour friends, who also happen to be current students / alumni of Texas Christian University's BFA Theatre Program! We have 5 current/past Horned Frogs on the Rudolph National Tour! How exciting!
That's all for now - we had a dress rehearsal tonight from 6-10, and now my belly is full, heart is happy! Ta-ta for now, and more updates to come! - Diaries of a Curly Toed Elf |
AuthorHi! I'm Samantha, an elf traveling across America to bring Christmas Cheer. ArchivesCategories |