Dangerous Dreams Tour: Week 3

(September 27 - October 3)

At the time of writing: it's hour two of an eight-hour drive from Presque Isle, Maine to Colchester, Vermont. The country is glorious. The foliage is fading green with pops of gold, burnt orange, and cranberry. At night, it reaches to 40 degrees, which is a shock. I bought a pair of cheap gloves from the Walmart across the way from the Hampton Inn a couple nights ago. That we get to travel throughout New England in the fall nearly makes this contract worth it.

Hartwick College is perched high on a hill in Oneonta, New York. It's Catskills country. The view from the theatre building is stunning (I've tried to take pictures, but it they don't do the view any credit). The dining hall has lots of options, which is always great.

Simply Thai – the best drunken noodles I have ever had. I remember this meal from a year ago; it made that much of an impression on me. I ordered them again, and they were still delicious (but not as life-changing as I remember them to be). Memory has a way of amplifying things, I suppose.

Blood Moon Eclipse – The theatre students at Hartwick helped us load-out from an Earnest performance in record time. Just as the truck was packed up, the red moon disappeared for a brief time and returned. It was spectacular.

Rhode Island College & Providence Rhode Island – I'd never been to Providence before. We stayed at a swanky hotel near the capitol building. Rhode Island College has a wonderful stage. The tour has never made this stop before. It's fun to see students' eyes light up while we play any given song for pre-show our interlude. Whole Foods was close to the hotel, and that warms my heart. I love their buffet. It can get expensive, but piling on garlic green beans, fried plantains, cous cous salad, curried chicken, and any other eclectic foods is a boon for me.

Roxbury Latin School – this is an all-boys prep school in the Boston area. If I'm not mistaken, it's the oldest school in the country. We played a matinee of CAESAR for the whole school on Friday. I think they had a good time. We haven't done any high school performances on the road so far, so it was interesting to get a different perspective from this crew. One of my favorite moments is hearing the gasps when we stab Caesar. My stab is particularly gruesome. I'll spare the gory details. You'll have to see for yourself. I think the guys dug it.

Staying near a giant movie theater – we had some time off in the Boston area. It was dreadfully rainy the whole time. I would've liked to explore more of the city, but my foot's been giving me some troubles, so I vied for seeing some movies. I saw the second Maze Runner movie (which was quite fun, actually) and The Martian. Last year, a bunch of us passed around the book to read. And so I had to see the movie. It was funny and suspenseful. A great cast. I recommend both the movie and the book. The book has a lot more hard science (and way more nail-biting). The movie fleshes out the characters better.