At the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla

We drove from Poplar Bluff through the Ozarks into Rolla, MO yesterday. Another beautiful day in Missouri and even through the route we took was two lanes a lot of the way it was a beautiful drive. We got to Rolla about mid-afternoon so we had some time at the hotel before we went to the theater. There's a little man-made lake behind the hotel (which sits on historic Route 66). My memories of our trip through Missouri will definitely be ones of beautiful scenery.

Well fed again by our hosts. The Leach Theater on the campus of the Missouri University of Science and Technology is a nice facility and we had a good crowd for last night's show. Back to the hotel for a night's sleep then on the road this morning to Effingham, IL.

The Forward Lounge on the Bus

More shots from the tour bus.

By request, here are some more shots from the tour bus.

Poplar Bluff, Missouri

We've had a beautiful day in Poplar Bluff. Up this morning for breakfast and then Mike O and I started walking to the laundromat a couple of hundred yards up the road. (There's a washer/dryer in the hotel but Gannon was using it this morning. It seemed that today was laundry day for most of us.) As we were walking we got picked up by a runner from Three Rivers Community College who had been assigned to us for the day and he suggested we take our laundry to the theater to wash, which we did. Then he took us to WalMart for a quick shopping trip to pick up a few items.

After that it was pretty much a quiet day at the Comfort Inn in Poplar Bluff. Hardy made a call to Wrigley Field and got tickets for 11 of us who are planning to go to the Cubs game on Sunday. Sunday is a golden day off (no travel/no shows) so we wanted to take advantage of the fact we'll be there this weekend.

The folks at Three Rivers Community College (home of the Tinnin Theater where we performed) fed us a delicious dinner then we did the show for a fairly large house for a Tuesday night. After that back to the hotel to pack those newly cleaned clothes. We head out in the morning for Rolla, MO.

Getting Ready to Board the Bus

Leaving Lexington

We had a nice show this morning with a large audience of students, then grabbed some lunch, got on the bus for the first time and headed across Kentucky. We get to Poplar Bluff, MO tonight and we'll do a show tomorrow. The bus is great. Satellite TV and wi-fi, two lounges with kitchen and 12 bunks. (I'm writing this on the bus just outside Lexington.)

Mike O's mom and dad were in to see last night's show and - as is often the case - Mama O brought a wealth of delicious goodies to snack on. And we are.

Sunday Afternoon Between Shows In Lexington

Sunday in Lexington

Two shows today in Lexington, 2 and 7 PM. Houses have been great.

We had a chance to walk around downtown a little last night before the show. The architecture of the buildings around the opera house in Lexington is fascinating. There are several old homes in the neighborhood that have been restored and they look great. Same is true for several businesses on the streets around here. I think it's an example of how the arts are good for business.

Gannon has posted some new shots on Facebook (including some shots from downtown Lexington). Just follow the link on the side panel. I'll also try to get some photos between shows this afternoon and post them.

Another show tonight, a student matinee in the morning and then we're off to Poplar Bluff, MO

Several Shots Courtesy Mike O

Of Mice and Men and Dogs

Took advantage of the break today to watch the last half of the VA Tech win over Miami. Go Hokies!

Now we're back at the Opera House for the evening show in Lexington.

Want to take a minute to talk about the coolest and probably most well-loved member of the cast: Rocky. Pretty amazing story how Rocky made it to the stage.

Rocky is a Belgian malinois, a shepherd that was trained in Europe to be a drug dog and then brought to the US to work. After about 12 years (the higher end of the expected lifespan for the breed) the officer with whom he worked decided to put him to sleep, but a lady who worked with the department offered to take him rather than have him euthanized.

Unfortunately shortly after she took him, Rocky's new owner died suddenly. She had owned Rocky for such a short time that hardly anyone knew she owned him and he was left unattended in her apartment for ten days without food or water. When he was finally discovered he was suffering from malnutrition and subsequently put into foster care to be nursed back to health. That was about six months ago.

When Barter was looking for a dog to go on tour it was important to find one that was older and could play the part without being too overactive on stage. We went through a couple of possible candidates before Rocky was found at the last minute. After a little understandable excitement during rehearsals Rocky quickly got the idea. By the time we opened he was taking the stage like a seasoned pro.

Mollie Slattery is primarily responsible for wrangling Rocky, but the whole cast likes to give him a rub and a pat when we see him. Most of the time he rests in the green room but he does like to wander into the dressing rooms on occasion to be closer to us. He's practically deaf and suffers from arthritis but always seems to have the best disposition. Bottom line is that he seems to like being on tour just as much as we do.

Mike forwarded this shot to me. Tipton's Cafe is a great place for breakfast. If you're in Greeneville, TN it's worth the stop. Just don't go between 2-11:45 PM because they'll be closed. Breakfast only.

Day Two in Lexington

We're in the middle of the Saturday matinee. Good house.

The Lexington Opera House really is a beautiful facility. It was built as a theater in 1886 and after a few rough years in the middle of the 20th Century was renovated in 1975. The only thing 1880's about the place is the architecture. All the technical and dressing room facilities are top notch. I've got a few new pictures but Gannon got several really nice shots that I'll post as soon as he forwards them to me.

Gannon's Facebook Photo Album

Here's a link to Gannon McHale's Facebook photo album page for Of Mice and Men:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=106426&id=821153489

Heading to Lexington

After spending the night back in Abingdon we took a rainy drive to Lexington yesterday for our last long leg in the van. We'll get the tour buses this weekend and they have wireless so I'll be able to post on the road. As soon as we got to the hotel in Lexington we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed to the Lexington Opera House for the evening show. The Opera House is a beautiful old theater in downtown Lexington, I tried to take some pictures (which I've posted) but they don't do the place justice. I'll try to get better ones today.

Two shows today and we'll have to contend with heavy rain and the traffic from the Florida-Kentucky football game crowd.

Several of us noted yesterday that it's starting to feel like we're actually on tour now. The trip to Greeneville was great but it was so close to home that it felt more like a day trip than actually heading out on tour. I guess the realization that we won't be back now until nearly Thanksgiving combined with the travel yesterday makes us feel that things are really underway now.

Back in Town for a Night

What a super week we've had in Greeneville! Everyone there was terrific and both shows went well.

The crew started loading out the set as soon as we were done. The cast headed back to Abingdon for the night but the crew still has a ton of work getting the set down, loading the truck and getting ready to head out. Hopefully they'll get at least a little sleep before heading out Friday morning at 4:30. They're going straight to Lexington while the rest of us don't head out until later in the morning.

Got a full slate of performances in Lexington at the Lexington Opera House: Friday night, two shows Saturday, two shows Sunday and one more on Monday morning before we hit the road again. I'm looking forward to seeing the opera house. I've heard it's a beautiful venue. Yes, there will be pictures.

Dear Oprah: We will be spending a day off in Chicago while on tour. Several members of the company would like new cars. Will you give them to us? We will appear on your show (if you'd like) to promote our show. Have your people call our people. We'll buy lunch. Yours. You like pizza? Thanks!

Opening

We're here and ready to roll. First show starts at 10 am with 700+ students. Everyone is pumped and ready to get the show going. I'm really going to try to get lots of photos posted on here and several people are going to share their photos with me.

Tech is Over and We Open in the Morning

Tech is over and we had a great dress run tonight. We open tomorrow with a 10 AM show for student audiences and a 7:30 performance for general audiences. There was a nice front page story in the Greeneville Sun about starting the tour in Greeneville. (Here's a link to the paper:http://greenevillesun.com/. When I posted this the link took you directly to the story but depending on when you read it you might have to search the site to find it.)

Things have gone so well. Here's a big salute to Rebecca Reinhardt, Holley Housewright, Evalyn Baron and everyone else who has worked so hard to bring the advance work together for this tour.

Final Dress Run

We're right in the middle of our final dress run at the Niswonger. Tech went pretty well this afternoon. Had a great BBQ lunch provided by the folks here. They've been super. And the General Morgan Inn is a really wonderful hotel. If our Greenville experience is any indication, this tour is going to be great.