Going out for a drink.

Craig just called me to say that he is going out for a drink with the cast of Lewis and Clark Reach the Euphrates. I'm jealous. Spontaneous and unplanned bonding. Isn't it glorious?

It used to be that every night was a night for a beer after rehearsal. But ICT has grown a lot since our inception. Our ensemble gets bigger. Our budgets get bigger. Our productions get bigger. We do more shows. We do more events. Not to mention many of our personal lives have changed and now include children and spouses and demanding jobs. A beer every night just isn't all that realistic.

But I know that I'm not the only one who misses it. Socializing after a night of hard work somehow makes it feel less like work. Perhaps that is why Lewis and Clark were wise enough to know that liquor was of the utmost importance on their Corps of Discovery.

My top 5 list

The top 5 things that excite me about ICT right now:

1. Our Theater Thursday event for Keely and Du last night was a rousing success. Not only were the Oreo cookies delicious, the house was a good size and the discussion afterwards with a pro-choice and pro-life advocate was thought-provoking yet contained and polite. It was intriguing to see both women commenting on their understanding of the abortion dispute through the lens of the play. We really got to watch our mission in action.

2. Majel, Diane and Jenn are working on planning our annual retreat. Seeing all the possible options for locations got company members very excited about the amount of alcohol they plan to imbibe and what they hopes the results of that festive drunkenness might be.

3. It's snowing today. Just kidding. That sucks. Plus it has very little to do with ICT, except perhaps how it might negatively affect ticket sales to the show this evening. And that doesn't really excite me, but I just wanted to see if you were paying attention.

4. Lewis and Clark Reach the Euphrates is now blocked. Which means that starting tomorrow, the director and cast can really focus on the scene work and the true life of the play. Things really are about to take shape.

5. Director interviews for next season have begun, and the few candidates that I've interviewed shared some amazing insight and passion for the plays that we'll be bringing to you next season.

The Corps of Discovery Needs a Drink

Here is the main boat of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. They took 2 smaller ones, but this was the main one.

I find traveling to Kansas City on an airplane to be exhausting, so I can't imagine the endurance these men (and one woman and child) must have had to go on this mission. They must have known it would be a real bitch, because the the one provision they brought in ample supply was liquor. I find that endearing.

Though it might just have been a result of Meriwether Lewis' alcoholism.

Scenic designer, Diane Fairchild, has done an amazing job capturing the feel of this boat with her set. Incidentally, it also transforms into about 50 other different places throughout the evening.

Base costumes in earth tones and signature pieces.

We began rehearsals for Lewis and Clark Reach the Euphrates this Monday. Talk about a room full of testosterone! Laura Rook is our only female cast member and literally plays every woman in the play.

The rest of the men, save Craig and Stephen, play a dizzying number or roles. I do not envy our costumer Rachel Sypniewski. She's worked with us on a lot of shows, and I swear to God, at the first rehearsal, she always tells the cast: "Each of you will have a base costume in earth tones. You will also have signature pieces that you remove and put back on to help identify new characters." Whatever happened to small, 4 person shows on unit sets with one costume a piece? Oh wait, we're doing that right now.

Speaking of Keely and Du, come on Sunday, March 9 and participate in a post show discussion with pro-choice writer and speaker Paula Kamen or on Thursday, March 20 when we have a pro-choice and a pro-life speaker participating in a post show discussion. It'll be, well, maybe not fun, but certainly engaging and interesting!