Another week...

Well, we survived week three of staging here in Denver. The weather is hot as ever (its been over 100 every day!!!). The show is coming together bit by bit, and we are now trying to incorporate all elements (band, lighting, sound technitians, and costumes!). We still don't know who is doing what for the first show... but I suppose that will add an interesting element of surprise to next Saturday ~ our SHOW DAY!!!

Rehearsals are tiring, and can sometimes bring out the worst in people. And yet, I love every second I spend with my cast. They are amazing people - all of them. Each one is sooo incredibly talented. It is just such a pleasure getting to know them, talk with them, and try to understand them for who they are.

Highlights of the week:
Last Sunday, we went to a BBQ at my host mom's daughter's house. She is so sweet, as is her daughter - we ate tons of yummy food, and then talked for awhile. They are even coming to our first performance~!!!
Tuesday, we had our first cast CI. CI stands for Community Impact. It is the main component of the UWP program (the performance stuff is definately secondary). So.. our CIs vary place to place - once we get on the road, we will have CI activities about 3 times each week. Some cities we split up to cover more ground - and impact more of the community. Other times, we use the strength in numbers philosophy - and work as an entire cast towards a common goal. Our CI work is also featured in our weekly shows... through various media things, and photographs throughout the show. This week, our CI was reforestation. A local area had been ravaged by fire a few years back - a park ranger, who had received a letter from her ex husband, set the letter ablaze. Thinking she had it under control, it burned for 4 days in a confined space - and yet, unexpectedly, it jumped a road and consequently destroyed more than 157,000 acres of Colorado's forest. Our job, was to do debris removal, reseeding, and planting. So... we split into three teams, donning our super sexy hard hats... and got to work. I was on the debris removal/reseeding team. We were able to clear about 2 acres of the large burnt wood that was left... we then raked (across the slope of the land - so that the soil would not dislodge and be loose sediment in heavy rains)... and reseeded the entire area. Covering it with hay so that the minimal rainfall that the area receives could be retained... our job was complete. As a cast, we managed to clear and reseed those two acres... pull 60 bags of weeds, and replant 100 trees. All told, we repaired approximately 5 acres of that forrest, in a matter of 4 hours. Good stuff.
Mid week, we took Cuddles for a walk - more like a run... for 50 minutes. We took turns jogging around the neighborhood with the puppy in tow... and then settled down for a bit at the community park. We had fun taking pictures, and trying to do a celebrity photoshoot with the dog - who surprisingly enough, cooperated relatively well :-)
One of the days, we had an educational activity. We have such things frequently... due to the need to minimize/recognize culture shock, be accepting of diversity, respectful of one another, and empathetic to eachother's needs. So... this particular activity was called Cross The Line. It was one of the hardest games I have ever played. The moderator would ask a question, and if your answer was yes, you crossed the line. You then had 10 seconds, to stare into the eyes of the people across from you, who were clearly different for whatever given reason. The questions started out funny... but progressed to much deeper material. It was interesting, yet hard, to see people segregated into such obvious groups. Some shared stories to help explain their stance, or their reason for being across the line... for others, you just stared, and made a mental note to inquire later. By the game's end, many were in tears.
Thursday was a girls night out - we went (and the boys joined us to) to a neat place downtown after rehearsal. We had dinner and enjoyed happy hour - before heading across the street to a free outdoor concert (of a U2 cover band). It is always fun after a long day of practice, to see people in a more relaxed atmosphere.
We also had our first run through with the costumes on Friday - boy was that a hot mess. There were people scrambling EVERYWHERE. UWP quick changes are no joke... some are less than a minute long. There were moments, I was pretty positive I was going to be running on stage sans costume. And oh what an embarassment that would have been.
Friday night, Barbara treated us to a delicious dinner at the most adorable little restaurant in Downtown Littleton. It was a converted old house... and the food was amazing. I had fish that was out of this world... over lettuce with a warm dressing. Yummmmmmmyyy
Yesterday (yes - we have 6 day weeks here, so I was at UWP alllllll day Saturday)... we had hometeam meetings. Your hometeam is basically your safety network within the cast. They are the people who will help load and unload your suitcases and stuff off of the planes, buses and boats - and also the people who you can confide in when you are struggling with an incast issue. Each hometeam has a name (though ours is not yet confirmed)... and we have competitions against other hometeams throughout our time here. Anyways - we had a hometeam meeting yesterday, and it was super emotional. I love my hometeam... and its so nice to have a designated group, and place for sharing the stuff that can really get you down.
Today - I relaxed. I slept in - took a long walk to lunch with the girls, and caught up on my blogging and pictures. Additionally - I practiced... because I am determined to not mess up tomorrow. Its down to crunch time. For dinner, I made Chicken Pot Pie... so that there was no confusion over the fact that the real PA Dutch stuff does NOT come in an actual pie. It wasn't as good as mom's or Nanny's ... but I tried.

Thats all for now.
A picture post is coming... as is an update on my tour schedule which has just been confirmed.