I’ve signed up for these mad dashes back to CT for various reasons. “Paying gigs” is pretty much up there. But I have some roots in CT that I’ve heavily invested in, in extremely personal ways, that I remain committed to. Here’s one example.
A Monday night family show on the lawn of a mixed suburban town’s library outside of New Haven, and not far from my former home in Northford, CT. It’s a nice series of summer shows for families that I’ve done for three years now. I do have to bring a PA to contend with the library’s air conditioning unit humming along, so it is less than an ideal situation.
It was important to physically engage the kids early on (especially with the white noise of the generator). But it affected the arc of my show and I had to maintain the kids with the ‘toy’ aspect (my magical bag) and with less of my more intellectual pursuit.
Yes, I welcome the chaos of these shows, and I can maintain and contain the mayhem, but I’d like better control. Yes, it’s the white noise of life that distracts and reduces the art in our lives. Makes us less human, I’m afraid.
Worth the trip, though.