"Buy the Foot"

I adore dorky wordplay, so the title of this fundraising campaign is near and dear to my heart . . . just like the theatre its efforts will help restore.

Support the Strand Theatre . . . one foot at a time!

The End of the Cinderella Summer

Other than a brief appearance by the resident bat (literally) and a few minor hitches, the show went off beautifully. We all had a marvelous time, Kelsey and I did not injure Doug (or ourselves) during the fight scene, and Cinderella and the Prince lived happily ever after (of course). It’s bittersweet to see it end, to tear down the set and sort out the costumes and clear off the stage for the last time this season, but we do still have the cast party to look forward to, our last big hurrah.

It’s been a big learning summer for me, humbling at first (You can read about that here.) and then tremendously encouraging. A humongous thank you goes to Ryan, Vera, Mel and Gretchen for all of their kind, upbuilding words throughout this whole show. I do not have the words (silly English major) to express my gratitude to you so a thank you will just have to do. This show afforded me the opportunity to work with so many talented performers, some of whom were making their stage debut. It has been such a joy to watch them grow and to grow with them over the past two months, to learn from more experienced actors and to bask in all of the spectacular performances.

Another big thank you goes to Ryan for his unfailingly positive attitude, even when things weren’t going so wonderfully or when his cast’s energy was lagging or when the scene changes all went to pot. Thank you, thank you, thank you for setting an upbeat tone for the whole process and for keeping us motivated.

Finally, my love goes to the cast, crew and orchestra, for their solid performances and energetic spirit. I’ve had a wonderful summer, due largely in part to all of you: Ryan, Rae, Justin, Renee, Tiffany, Izzie, Blake, Sue, Vera, Frank, Mel, Katie, Heath, Dave, Peter, Michael, John, Kelsey, Jessica, Shanan, Val, Kathryn, Sarah, Sara, Doug, Zara, Natalie, Sophia, Megan R., Emily, Megan J., Ruth, Leslie, Lindsey, Natalie, Joan, Harry, Matt, Pat, Buddy, Ben, Keith, Wendy, Jamie, and Annie.

(Oh, and if you’d like to know what Eloise thought of the ball and ensuing events, you can read all about her experience here.)