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You are here: Home / Archives for On The Road

Hanging Out on 44th Street

March 22, 2017 at 8:32 am by Claudia

Hello. Here I sit, in my little pod in Midtown Manhattan. This is the most bizarre hotel room I’ve ever seen. It’s called a ‘cabin’ and the prototype was designed by the same people who design aircraft cabins. That means it’s tight, functional and small. A bit claustrophobic for me and five nights of it will undoubtedly drive me a bit crazy. But, it’s interesting and something I wouldn’t normally be exposed to, so I’m looking at it as an adventure.

Very hipster-type crowd here, though there are families as well. Am I the oldest? I hope not!

I have a great view out my window:

On the way back from the theater last night, I ran into an old friend who lives in the apartment building across the street. He was walking his dog. Big city, yes, but a small world.

The show is in great shape. We had a run-through last night, we’ll have another one this afternoon. Then an invited dress rehearsal tonight. Tomorrow: first preview. The theater is gorgeous and chockfull of theatrical history.

Our next-door neighbor is this show:

I would love, love, love to see it. But there will be no time this trip!

Our other neighbor is the long running Phantom of the Opera. And across the street is Sardis.

And here we are:

And here we are.

My schedule here is very, very full – it’s all about Anastasia, as it should be. I might not have time to respond to comments in a timely manner. I’ll do my best, but if I don’t reply to your comment it’s simply because I’m incredibly busy.

For those of you who are interested in yesterday’s giveaway, you have to leave your comment on the post itself. Sending me a return comment via the email version of the blog post doesn’t count. So make sure you go back and leave a comment on the post.

Don’s doing well. When I last spoke to him he was about to reach St. Louis and his goal was Tulsa. He’s really having fun, that guy, and I’m happy for him. But I miss him a whole lot.

Happy Wednesday.

Filed Under: Anastasia, New York City, On The Road 52 Comments

Frustrating

February 10, 2017 at 8:35 am by Claudia

A very frustrating day yesterday. Snow, ice, wind and, at the last minute, the cancellation of the part of rehearsal that had brought me into the city. Weather, of course, is unpredictable, but the forecast had been right on the money the day before. I’m sure there were a lot of factors that went into the late decision, but yours truly was very frustrated.

Ah well. I stopped by rehearsal later in the day, said hello to stage management and picked up my copy of the script and my security pass. I’ll be back for Monday’s rehearsal. In the meantime, I have to get moving so I can grab the bus home.

End of day from my window.

Happy Friday.

 

Filed Under: New York City, On The Road 20 Comments

Headed Down the Highway

January 21, 2017 at 9:32 am by Claudia

Well, we’ve opened! Opening night was terrific, with a great and very responsive audience. It’s been such a joy to watch this production grow and become what it is today. Maybe I’m reading into things, but I felt the audience craved and needed laughter last night, and they got it.

Temporary healing for the soul.

It’s been a great ride and, as always, I thank Darko and everyone involved with Hartford Stage. This has become a home-away-from-home for me, and everyone, from Darko, the Artistic Director, and Mike Stotts, the Managing Director, on down is a gem. Truly good people. So, as I leave, though I’m anxious to get home, I also feel a twinge of sadness. That’s a good thing.

I never told you this story.

On the very first day of rehearsal, we had what is called a “Meet and Greet,” where everyone who is working on the production is introduced and we start to put names with faces. I was chatting with someone and a man came up to me. I turned to him, put out my hand, and said “I’m Claudia.” He responded, “Oh, I know who you are.” He told me he was a former student of mine at Boston University! I didn’t recognize him at first, because, let’s face it, that was 25 years ago. When he told me his name, the fog started to clear and I absolutely knew who he was. He was older, of course, and his longer, curly hair that he’d sported at BU was now darker and closely cropped, but I knew him.

I’m usually pretty good with faces – not so much names nowadays – but in this case, it was the name that jogged my memory first. Anyway, imagine my surprise and delight when I found out he was the Fight Director/Choreographer on the show! I tend to freeze-frame impressions of my former students at the age at which I knew them, simply because I don’t always see them in the intervening years. I hadn’t seen Greg since he was in my class. He’s had a whole career since then, with a Master’s Degree and further acting training as well as movement and fight training. He teaches now and lives in Connecticut. And he’s really good at what he does. Watching him work with the actors was so gratifying.

It was such a pleasure to get to know him as a colleague. This reacquaintance was one of the highlights of my time here.

Here we are about a week ago:

I know I always say this, but theater is  a small world. And when my teaching and professional coaching careers intersect in such a surprising way, that’s the best!

I’m headed home later this morning. I have to close and start packing everything up. I haven’t heard from Don yet. He has been on my mind. What an adventure he is going to have today!

Thank you for all your comments yesterday. I so appreciate them and I know that the readers of this little blog do, too.

Happy Saturday.

Filed Under: Hartford, On The Road 28 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

Thanks for stopping by.

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