The October that Was

October has flown by-looking back, here is what I recall:

1st week: Shakespeare Festival in Cedar City. My King Lear ensemble does great (even though one of the judges proclaimed it melodramatic- it was the blinding of Glouchester). We take 3rd in a really competitive division. I have a tech theatre student take 1st in costuming and an acting student take 1st in monologues (winning her a $1000 acting scholarship to SUU). Our dancers also did great taking 2nd in ensemble and 3rd in duos.

Highlights of the trip: The Pastry Pub for dinner-one of my actors vomiting after eating a gas station hot dog- one of the dancers vomiting (multiple times- but she did not eat a gas station hot dog)- seeing Pericles- seeing Greater Tuna (and having my male students proclaim it as the best play of all time)- watching The Office on the way down.

2nd week: Buying 5 10 foot long sheets of Styrofoam to make our sand bar for South Pacific. Picking them up at this amazing warehouse (it was like the Willy Wonka of Styrofoam. They had a 9 foot high champagne bottle and table and chairs made out of the stuff). It was hilarious because we had no rope to tie everything down (it was windy and we didn't want 50 feet of Styrofoam blowing down the road) so we found some rope (homeless person rope is what my students called it) on the Trax rails and tied it up. Fall Break- celebrate by taking the girls to Witch-A-Pa-Looza and Thanksgiving Point. Jackie and I celebrate by seeing The Social Network and eat at The Copper Onion. The food was great (but I vomited later that night. Not sure if related...)

3rd week: Went to The Drowsy Chaperone at Hale (really good)- visited my dad in ICU (huge heart attack but he managed to avoid bypass surgery)- tripped over one my my dad's many tubes sticking out of his body (almost causing brand new bypass surgery)- made dad laugh (not good when hooked up to many tubes)- 3 days later, watched them move my dad to another room (he's out of the hospital resting comfortably- well, as comfortably as you can with my mom cooking meals without salt, fat, dairy or anything good)- set up a doctor's appointment (at Jackie's insistence) to get heart and cholesterol checked- eat at In-&-Out for dinner after appointment is made- played for Primary Program (big hit with Jackie on microphone duty).

4th week: Take students to see Dracula at Pioneer Theatre Company (students were thrilled when blood got on their shoes and program...)- got a big chunk of the set painted- took girls to ward Halloween Party (Ellis got sick and we left early)- trick-or-treated Sat. night in the rain with the girls- watched The Shield Season 7.

We're excited to see The Color Purple Broadway musical coming to Salt Lake City Nov. 17th. If anyone is interested in going, I have 4 tickets left ($50 each- 8th, 9th, 10th row orchestra on the right). Happy November.